Expression, purification and molecular analysis of the human ZNF706 protein.

Background: The ZNF706 gene encodes a protein that belongs to the zinc finger family of proteins and was found to be highly expressed in laryngeal cancer, making the structure and function of ZNF706 worthy of investigation. In this study, we expressed and purified recombinant human ZNF706 that was suitable for structural analysis in Escherichia coli BL21(DH3).

Findings: ZNF706 mRNA was extracted from a larynx tissue sample, and cDNA was ligated into a cloning vector using the TOPO method.

Structural studies of the Trypanosoma cruzi Old Yellow Enzyme: insights into enzyme dynamics and specificity.

The flavoprotein old yellow enzyme of Trypanosoma cruzi (TcOYE) is an oxidoreductase that uses NAD(P)H as cofactor. This enzyme is clinically relevant due to its role in the action mechanism of some trypanocidal drugs used in the treatment of Chagas' disease by producing reactive oxygen species. In this work, the recombinant enzyme TcOYE was produced and collectively, X-ray crystallography, small angle X-ray scattering, analytical ultracentrifugation and molecular dynamics provided a detailed description of its structure, specificity and hydrodynamic behavior.

The stability and aggregation properties of the GTPase domain from human SEPT4.

The septins are a family of conserved proteins involved in cytokinesis and cortical organization. An increasing amount of data implicates different septins in diverse pathological conditions including neurodegenerative disorders, neoplasia and infections. Human SEPT4 is a member of this family and its tissue-specific ectopic expression profile in colorectal and urologic cancer makes it a useful diagnostic biomarker.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a glutathione S-transferase from Xylella fastidiosa.

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) form a group of multifunctional isoenzymes that catalyze the glutathione-dependent conjugation and reduction reactions involved in the cellular detoxification of xenobiotic and endobiotic compounds. GST from Xylella fastidiosa (xfGST) was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified by conventional affinity chromatography. In this study, the crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of xfGST is described.

Crystallographic and pre-steady-state kinetics studies on binding of NADH to wild-type and isoniazid-resistant enoyl-ACP(CoA) reductase enzymes from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

An understanding of isoniazid (INH) drug resistance mechanism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis should provide significant insight for the development of newer anti-tubercular agents able to control INH-resistant tuberculosis (TB). The inhA-encoded 2-trans enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase enzyme (InhA) has been shown through biochemical and genetic studies to be the primary target for INH. In agreement with these results, mutations in the inhA structural gene have been found in INH-resistant clinical isolates of M.