improvement of the cyanobacterial lectin microvirin and mannose interaction.

Lectins that bind to HIV envelope glycoprotein can inhibit virus-cell fusion and be used for rational drug design. This paper presents the results of an approach to improve affinity interaction between the cyanobacterial lectin microvirin and its ligand Manα(1-2)Man. Comparative modeling and molecular dynamics tools were used.

In silico characterization of a cyanobacterial plant-type isoaspartyl aminopeptidase/asparaginase.

Asparaginases are found in a range of organisms, although those found in cyanobacteria have been little studied, in spite of their great potential for biotechnological application. This study therefore sought to characterize the molecular structure of an L-asparaginase from the cyanobacterium Limnothrix sp. CACIAM 69d, which was isolated from a freshwater Amazonian environment.

Analysis of the structure of calpain-10 and its interaction with the protease inhibitor SNJ-1715.

Calpain-10 (CAPN10) is a cysteine protease that is activated by intracellular calcium (Ca(2+)) and known to be involved in diseases such as cancer, heart attack, and stroke. A role for the CAPN10 gene in diabetes mellitus type II was recently identified. Hyper activation of the enzyme initiates a series of destructive cycles that can cause irreversible damage to cells.