Proteases not only play a fundamental role in numerous physiological processes, but are also involved in several human diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). A key protease implicated in AD is the so far unidentified gamma-secretase, which cleaves the membrane-bound beta-amyloid precursor protein (betaAPP) at the C-terminus of its amyloid domain within the membrane to release the neurotoxic amyloid beta-peptide. In order to allow the isolation of proteases, which specifically cleave membrane-bound substrates within or in the vicinity of a transmembrane domain, we developed a reporter gene assay in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This assay may allow the identification of genes encoding target proteases that specifically cleave membrane bound substrates by transforming expression libraries.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0014-5793(99)01627-0 | DOI Listing |
PLoS One
December 2024
Department of Pharmacology, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
The increasing utilization of deep learning models in drug repositioning has proven to be highly efficient and effective. In this study, we employed an integrated deep-learning model followed by traditional drug screening approach to screen a library of FDA-approved drugs, aiming to identify novel inhibitors targeting the TNF-α converting enzyme (TACE). TACE, also known as ADAM17, plays a crucial role in the inflammatory response by converting pro-TNF-α to its active soluble form and cleaving other inflammatory mediators, making it a promising target for therapeutic intervention in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiscov Med
December 2024
Department of Urology, The 908th Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force of PLA, 330000 Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is a malignant tumor that begins in the cells of the bladder, characterized by poor cell differentiation and strong invasion capacity, with a high incidence rate. Identifying key molecules that enhance BC cells' cisplatin sensitivity can help improve the clinical efficacy of BC treatment. Hence, this study aimed to determine the expression level of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) ADAM Metallopeptidase with Thrombospondin Type 1 Motif 9 Antisense RNA 1 () in BC and explore its related mechanism underlying the amplification of cisplatin sensitivity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiscov Med
December 2024
Department of Breast Surgery, Jiujiang Maternal and Child Health Hospital, 332000 Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China.
Background: The tumor suppressor wild-type p53 is known for its role in inducing apoptosis in tumor cells. This study investigated the relationship between wild-type p53 and protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) and caspase in promoting apoptosis of breast cancer cells.
Methods: Human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 obtained from the American Type Culture Collection were used in this study.
PLoS One
December 2024
Mesa Photonics, Santa Fe, NM, United States of America.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants are a continuous threat to human life. An urgent need remains for simple and fast tests that reliably detect active infections with SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in the early stage of infection. Here we introduce a simple and rapid activity-based diagnostic (ABDx) test that identifies SARS-CoV-2 infections by measuring the activity of a viral enzyme, Papain-Like protease (PLpro).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Microbiol Biotechnol
December 2024
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
Nonstructural protein 3C, a master protease of Picornaviridae, plays a critical role in viral replication by directly cleaving the viral precursor polyprotein to form the viral capsid protein and antagonizing the host antiviral response. Additionally, 3C protease, as a tool enzyme, is involved in regulating polyprotein expression. Here, the 3C mutant gene (3Cm), fused with a small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) tag at the N-terminal and featuring a mutation at position 127, was inserted into the cold-shock plasmid pCold of Escherichia coli for expression.
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