Structural Insights into Porphyrin Recognition by the Human ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter ABCB6.

Human ABCB6 is an ATP-binding cassette transporter that regulates heme biosynthesis by translocating various porphyrins from the cytoplasm into the mitochondria. Here we report the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of human ABCB6 with its substrates, coproporphyrin III (CPIII) and hemin, at 3.5 and 3.

Structural insights into novel mechanisms of inhibition of the major β-carbonic anhydrase CafB from the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus.

In fungi the β-class of carbonic anhydrases (β-CAs) are zinc metalloenzymes that are essential for growth, survival, differentiation, and virulence. Aspergillus fumigatus is the most important pathogen responsible for invasive aspergillosis and possesses two major β-CAs, CafA and CafB. Recently we reported the biochemical characterization and 1.

The structural basis of the low catalytic activities of the two minor β-carbonic anhydrases of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus.

The β-carbonic anhydrases (β-CAs) are widely distributed zinc-metalloenzymes that play essential roles in growth, survival, development and virulence in fungi. The majority of filamentous ascomycetes possess multiple β-CA isoforms among which major and minor forms have been characterized. We examined the catalytic behavior of the two minor β-CAs, CafC and CafD, of Aspergillus fumigatus, and found that both enzymes exhibited low CO hydration activities.

Avenanthramide-C Restores Impaired Plasticity and Cognition in Alzheimer's Disease Model Mice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by cognitive decline and dementia with no effective treatment. Here, we investigated a novel compound from oats named avenanthramide-C (Avn-C), on AD-related memory impairment and behavioral deficits in transgenic mouse models. Acute hippocampal slices of wild-type or AD transgenic mice were treated with Avn-C in the presence or absence of oligomeric Aβ.

Estrogen deficiency increases variability of tissue mineral density of alveolar bone surrounding teeth.

Objective: Estrogen deficiency increases bone remodeling leading to increased variability of tissue mineral density (TMD). Due to the functional demands of mastication, alveolar bone around teeth is inherently a highly remodeled region of bone tissue with a highly variable distribution of TMD. This study investigated the effect of estrogen deficiency on the TMD distribution of alveolar bone.