Podophyllotoxin directly binds a hinge domain in E2 of HPV and inhibits an E2/E7 interaction in vitro.

Podophyllotoxin (PT), a strong cytotoxic agent from berberidaceae, has been known to inhibit tubulin polymerization. Although PT has been used for developing anticancer drugs as one of seed compounds, clinical treatment by itself has been unsuccessful because of the side effects, except one example in the treatments of warts. In this study, we screened peptides binding to PT with T7 phage display clonings in order to obtain more information about molecular mechanism of the action.

Use of layer silicate for protein crystallization: effects of Micromica and chlorite powders in hanging drops.

Two kinds of layer silicate powder, Micromica and chlorite, were used to aid protein crystallization by the addition to hanging drops. Using appropriate crystallization buffers, Micromica powder facilitated crystal growth speed for most proteins tested in this study. Furthermore, the addition of Micromica powder to hanging drops allowed the successful crystallization of lysozyme, catalase, concanavalin A, and trypsin even at low protein concentrations and under buffer conditions that otherwise would not generate protein crystals.

A novel protein refolding method using a zeolite.

We have succeeded in developing a simple and effective protein refolding method using the inorganic catalyst, beta-zeolite. The method involves the adsorption of proteins solubilized with 6M guanidine hydrochloride from inclusion body (IB) preparations onto the zeolite. The denaturant is then removed, and the proteins in the IBs are released from the zeolite with polyoxyethylene detergent and salt.