Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Investigate the Influences of Amino Acid Mutations on Protein Three-Dimensional Structures of Cytochrome P450 2D6.1, 2, 10, 14A, 51, and 62.

Many natural mutants of the drug metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6 have been reported. Because the enzymatic activities of many mutants are different from that of the wild type, the genetic polymorphism of CYP2D6 plays an important role in drug metabolism. In this study, the molecular dynamics simulations of the wild type and mutants of CYP2D6, CYP2D6.

Staurosporine allows dystrophin expression by skipping of nonsense-encoding exon.

Background: Antisense oligonucleotides that induce exon skipping have been nominated as the most plausible treatment method for dystrophin expression in dystrophin-deficient Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Considering this therapeutic efficiency, small chemical compounds that can enable exon skipping have been highly awaited. In our previous report, a small chemical kinase inhibitor, TG003, was shown to enhance dystrophin expression by enhancing exon skipping.

Material Exhibiting Efficient CO2 Adsorption at Room Temperature for Concentrations Lower Than 1000 ppm: Elucidation of the State of Barium Ion Exchanged in an MFI-Type Zeolite.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas is well-known as a greenhouse gas that leads to global warming. Many efforts have been made to capture CO2 from coal-fired power plants, as well as to reduce the amounts of excess CO2 in the atmosphere to around 400 ppm. However, this is not a simple task, particularly in the lower pressure region than 1000 ppm.

Local potentiation of stress-responsive genes by upstream noncoding transcription.

It has been postulated that a myriad of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) contribute to gene regulation. In fission yeast, glucose starvation triggers lncRNA transcription across promoter regions of stress-responsive genes including fbp1 (fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase1). At the fbp1 promoter, this transcription promotes chromatin remodeling and fbp1 mRNA expression.

High Expression Levels of NADPH Oxidase 3 in the Cerebrum of Ten-Week-Old Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

We previously demonstrated that the high levels of oxidative stress in the brains of ten-week-old stroke-prone hypertensive rats (SHRSP) were attributable to intrinsic, not extrinsic factors (Biol. Pharm. Bull.

Estrogenic activity of bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)methanes with cyclic hydrophobic structure.

Monoalkylated bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)methanes (e.g., 1) are reported to show weak binding affinity for estrogen receptor (ER).

Hair cell-type dependent expression of basolateral ion channels shapes response dynamics in the frog utricle.

The dynamics of vestibular afferent responses are thought to be strongly influenced by presynaptic properties. In this paper, by performing whole-cell perforated-patch experiments in the frog utricle, we characterized voltage-dependent currents and voltage responses to current steps and 0.3-100 Hz sinusoids.

Functional characterization of 12 allelic variants of CYP2C8 by assessment of paclitaxel 6α-hydroxylation and amodiaquine N-deethylation.

Cytochrome P450 2C8 (CYP2C8) is one of the enzymes primarily responsible for the metabolism of many drugs, including paclitaxel and amodiaquine. CYP2C8 genetic variants contribute to interindividual variations in the therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of paclitaxel. Although it is difficult to investigate the enzymatic function of most CYP2C8 variants in vivo, this can be investigated in vitro using recombinant CYP2C8 protein variants.

Protective effects of taurine on doxorubicin-induced acute hepatotoxicity through suppression of oxidative stress and apoptotic responses.

The organ toxicity of doxorubicin (DOX), an anthracycline antineoplastic agent, narrows the therapeutic window despite its clinical usefulness. In the present study, we determined whether taurine protected against DOX-induced hepatic injury, and explored the molecular mechanisms underlying the suppressive effects of taurine in terms of alterations in oxidative stress and apoptotic responses. DOX-induced body weight loss was completely suppressed by taurine treatment.

Effective impairment of myeloma cells and their progenitors by blockade of monocarboxylate transportation.

Cancer cells robustly expel lactate produced through enhanced glycolysis via monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) and maintain alkaline intracellular pH. To develop a novel therapeutic strategy against multiple myeloma (MM), which still remains incurable, we explored the impact of perturbing a metabolism via inhibiting MCTs. All MM cells tested constitutively expressed MCT1 and MCT4, and most expressed MCT2.

Elevated Serum IgG4 Complicated by Pericardial Involvement with a Patchy (18)F-FDG Uptake in PET/CT: Atypical Presentation of IgG4-related Disease.

IgG4-related pericardial involvement has rarely been reported and its clinical features remain unknown. We herein report a case of a 50-year-old woman with pericarditis who presented with a fever, elevated C-reactive protein levels, elevated serum IgG4 concentrations, and thickened pericardium with a patchy (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake. A biopsy specimen of (18)F-FDG accumulated in the mediastinal lymph nodes revealed an abundant infiltration of IgG4-bearing plasma cells without fibrosis.

Proposed criterion for distinguishing ABO mosaics from ABO chimeras using flow cytometric analysis.

Differentiation of ABO mosaics from chimeras is performed using flow cytometry (FCM) analysis. Although mosaics and chimeras have been distinguished by presence or absence of clear resolution using FCM analysis, the lack of quantitative metrics and definitive criteria for this differentiation has made some cases difficult to differentiate. In this study, therefore, we attempted to establish a definitive and quantitative criterion for this differentiation.

Design and synthesis of carborane-containing estrogen receptor-beta (ERβ)-selective ligands.

Candidates for highly selective estrogen receptor-beta (ERβ) ligands (6a-c, 7a-c, 8a and 8b) were designed and synthesized based on carborane-containing ER ligands 1 and 2 as lead compounds. Among them, p-carboranylcyclohexanol derivatives 8a and 8b exhibited high ERβ selectivity in competitive binding assay: for example, 8a showed 56-fold selectivity for ERβ over ERα. Docking studies of 8a and 8b with the ERα and ERβ ligand-binding domains (LBDs) suggested that the p-carborane cage of the ligands is located close to key amino acid residues that influence ER-subtype selectivity, that is, Leu384 in the ERα LBD and Met336 in the ERβ LBD.

Loss of the Homeodomain Transcription Factor Prep1 Perturbs Adult Hematopoiesis in the Bone Marrow.

Prep1, a TALE-family homeodomain transcription factor, has been demonstrated to play a critical role in embryonic hematopoiesis, as its insufficiency caused late embryonic lethality associated with defective hematopoiesis and angiogenesis. In the present study, we generated hematopoietic- and endothelial cell-specific Prep1-deficient mice and demonstrated that expression of Prep1 in the hematopoietic cell compartment is not essential for either embryonic or adult hematopoiesis, although its absence causes significant hematopoietic abnormalities in the adult bone marrow. Loss of Prep1 promotes cell cycling of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC), leading to the expansion of the HSPC pool.

Highly Efficient, Convergent, and Enantioselective Synthesis of Phthioceranic Acid.

A new strategy for highly concise, convergent, and enantioselective access to polydeoxypropionates has been developed. ZACA-Pd-catalyzed vinylation was used to prepare smaller deoxypropionate fragments, and then two key sequential Cu-catalyzed stereocontrolled sp(3)-sp(3) cross-coupling reactions allowed convergent assembly of smaller building blocks to build-up long polydeoxypropionate chains with excellent stereoselectivity. We employed this strategy for the synthesis of phthioceranic acid, a key constituent of the cell-wall lipid of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, in just 8 longest linear steps with full stereocontrol.

Functional characterization of 20 allelic variants of CYP1A2.

Genetic variations in cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) are associated with interindividual variability in the metabolism and efficacy of many medications. Twenty CYP1A2 variants harboring amino acid substitutions were analyzed for functional changes in enzymatic activity. Recombinant CYP1A2 variant proteins were heterologously expressed in COS-7 cells.

Synthesis of an unexpected [Zn2](2+) species utilizing an MFI-type zeolite as a nano-reaction pot and its manipulation with light and heat.

Compared with mercury, the existence of [Zn2](2+) species is rare. We succeeded in preparing a stable [Zn2](2+) species by utilizing an MFI-type zeolite as a nano-reaction pot, which was confirmed using XAFS spectroscopy: the bands at R = 2.35 Å due to the Zn(+)-Zn(+) scattering and at 9660.

Predicting three-dimensional conformations of peptides constructed of only glycine, alanine, aspartic acid, and valine.

The GADV hypothesis is a form of the protein world hypothesis, which suggests that life originated from proteins (Lacey et al. 1999; Ikehara 2002; Andras 2006). In the GADV hypothesis, life is thought to have originated from primitive proteins constructed of only glycine, alanine, aspartic acid, and valine ([GADV]-proteins).

Prediction of binding modes between protein L-isoaspartyl (D-aspartyl) O-methyltransferase and peptide substrates including isomerized aspartic acid residues using in silico analytic methods for the substrate screening.

Because the aspartic acid (Asp) residues in proteins are occasionally isomerized in the human body, not only l-α-Asp but also l-β-Asp, D-α-Asp and D-β-Asp are found in human proteins. In these isomerized aspartic acids, the proportion of D-β-Asp is the largest and the proportions of l-β-Asp and D-α-Asp found in human proteins are comparatively small. To explain the proportions of aspartic acid isomers, the possibility of an enzyme able to repair l-β-Asp and D-α-Asp is frequently considered.

Development of a novel class of tubulin inhibitor from desmosdumotin B with a hydroxylated bicyclic B-ring.

A series of newly synthesized hydroxylated analogues of triethyldesmosdumotin B (TEDB) with a bicyclic B-ring exhibited a significantly different mode of action for affecting microtubule dynamics and spindle formation but had the same antiproliferative activity spectrum, including activity against multidrug-resistant tumors. These analogues efficiently induced cell cycle arrest at prometaphase and caused formation of immature multipolar spindles. 6'-Hydroxyl TEDB-TB (8) disrupted bipolar spindle formation but had a negligible effect on interphase microtubules.

Theanine prevents doxorubicin-induced acute hepatotoxicity by reducing intrinsic apoptotic response.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is widely used as an antitumor agent with topoisomerase II inhibiting activity; however, its dosage and duration of administration have been strictly limited due to dose-related organ damage. The present study investigated whether theanine, an amino acid found in green tea leaves, could reduce DOX-induced acute hepatotoxicity and the apoptotic response in mice. Activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in serum, biomarkers of hepatic impairment, were markedly increased after the administration of 20 mg/kg DOX, whereas the degree of these elevations was significantly attenuated by 10 mg/kg theanine, which was consistent with histological hepatic images assessed by microscopic examination.

[Nephrotic syndrome might be an inhibitor of the endovascular recanalization in a patient with acute ischemic stroke].

A 65-year-old man with left hemiparesis was referred to our hospital by ambulance. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI-MRI) showed a slight hyperintensity area in the right basal ganglion and deep white matter, and brain magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) revealed right middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion in the M1 proximal segment. Receiving intravenous rt-PA therapy, the patient showed no neurological improvement.

Activities of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors modulate neurotransmission and synaptic architecture.

The cholinergic system is involved in a broad spectrum of brain function, and its failure has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Acetylcholine transduces signals through muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, both of which influence synaptic plasticity and cognition. However, the mechanisms that relate the rapid gating of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to persistent changes in brain function have remained elusive.