Monomeric C-reactive protein is associated with severity and prognosis of decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase protein produced by the liver in response to infection and during chronic inflammatory disorders. Systemic inflammation is a major driver of cirrhosis progression from the compensated to the decompensated stage. Previous studies have shown that pentameric CRP (pCRP) to be a weak predictor of disease severity and prognosis in patients with decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis, with it being only helpful for identifying patients with a higher short-term risk of death under certain conditions.

Celluar Folding Determinants and Conformational Plasticity of Native C-Reactive Protein.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase reactant secreted by hepatocytes as a pentamer. The structure formation of pentameric CRP has been demonstrated to proceed in a stepwise manner in live cells. Here, we further dissect the sequence determinants that underlie the key steps in cellular folding and assembly of CRP.

Newly identified peptide hormone inhibits intestinal fat absorption and improves NAFLD through its receptor GPRC6A.

Background & Aims: Circulating peptides and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have gained much attention because of their biofunctions in metabolic disorders including obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Herein, we aimed to characterize the role and therapeutic potential of a newly identified peptide hormone in NAFLD.

Methods: Using bioinformatics, we identified a murine circulating pentadecapeptide flanked by potential convertase cleavage sites of osteocalcin (OCN), which we named 'metabolitin (MTL)'.

Regulation of C-reactive protein conformation in inflammation.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a non-specific diagnostic marker of inflammation and an evolutionarily conserved protein with roles in innate immune signaling. Natural CRP is composed of five identical globular subunits that form a pentamer, but the role of pentameric CRP (pCRP) during inflammatory pathogenesis remains controversial. Emerging evidence suggests that pCRP can be dissociated into monomeric CRP (mCRP) that has major roles in host defenses and inflammation.

Role of exosome-associated microRNA in diagnostic and therapeutic applications to metabolic disorders.

Metabolic disorders are classified clinically as a complex and varied group of diseases including metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes mellitus. Fat toxicity, chronic inflammation, and oxidative stress, which may change cellular functions, are considered to play an essential role in the pathogenetic progress of metabolic disorders. Recent studies have found that cells secrete nanoscale vesicles containing proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and membrane receptors, which mediate signal transduction and material transport to neighboring and distant cells.

Conformational folding and disulfide bonding drive distinct stages of protein structure formation.

The causal relationship between conformational folding and disulfide bonding in protein oxidative folding remains incompletely defined. Here we show a stage-dependent interplay between the two events in oxidative folding of C-reactive protein (CRP) in live cells. CRP is composed of five identical subunits, which first fold spontaneously to a near-native core with a correctly positioned C-terminal helix.

Effects of low-dose X-ray irradiation on activated macrophages and their possible signal pathways.

Low-dose irradiation (LDI) has been used in clinics to treat human diseases, including chronic inflammation. This study assessed the effects of LDI on the inflammatory response of activated mouse primary peritoneal macrophages, and the underlying signal pathways. Primary peritoneal macrophages were isolated from mice and then incubated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-coated Ti microparticles (Ti-positive control) with or without brief exposure to LDI (X-ray, 0.

Solubilization and purification of recombinant modified C-reactive protein from inclusion bodies using reversible anhydride modification.

The precise function of C-reactive protein (CRP) as a regulator of inflammation in health and disease continues to evolve. The true understanding of its role in host defense responses has been hampered by numerous reports of comparable systems with contradictory interpretations of CRP as a stimulator, suppressor, or benign contributor to such processes. These discrepancies may be explained in part by the existence of a naturally occurring CRP isoform, termed modified CRP (i.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel C6-amino substituted 4-azasteroidal purine nucleoside analogues.

Novel C6-amino substituted purine nucleoside analogues (2-12) bearing a modified pyranose-like D ring of the 4-azasteroid moiety were efficiently synthesized through nucleophilic substitution at C6 position of the steroidal nucleoside precursors (1a, b) with versatile amines. All the synthesized new compounds were evaluated for their anticancer activity in vitro against Hela, PC-3 and MCF-7 cell lines. Among them, compounds 4b, 7b and 9b exhibited significant cytotoxicity with the IC50 values of 2.