Histidine residues have been hypothesized to function as sensors of environmental pH that can trigger the activity of viral fusion proteins. We investigated a requirement for histidine residues in the envelope (E) protein of West Nile virus during pH-dependent entry into cells. Each histidine was individually replaced with a nonionizable amino acid and tested functionally. In each instance, mutants capable of orchestrating pH-dependent infection were identified. These results do not support a requirement for any single histidine as a pH-sensing "switch," and they suggest that additional features of the E protein are involved in triggering pH-dependent steps in the flavivirus life cycle.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01072-09 | DOI Listing |
J Am Chem Soc
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, Barnard College, 3009 Broadway, New York, New York 10027, United States.
Alkane monooxygenase (AlkB) is the dominant enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of liquid alkanes in the environment. Two recent structural models derived from cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) reveal an unusual active site: a histidine-rich center that binds two iron ions without a bridging ligand. To ensure that potential photoreduction and radiation damage are not responsible for the absence of a bridging ligand in the cryo-EM structures, spectroscopic methods are needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Chem Soc
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin─Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States.
The adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl)-dependent enzyme ethanolamine ammonia-lyase (EAL) catalyzes the conversion of ethanolamine to acetaldehyde and ammonia. As is the case for all AdoCbl-dependent isomerases, the catalytic cycle of EAL is initiated by homolytic cleavage of the cofactor's Co-C bond, producing Cocobalamin (CoCbl) and an adenosyl radical that serves to abstract a hydrogen atom from the substrate. Remarkably, in the presence of substrate, the rate of Co-C bond homolysis of enzyme-bound AdoCbl is increased by 12 orders of magnitude.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecules
December 2024
Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia.
New derivatives of the -decaborate anion [BH-O(CH)O(CH)C(O)-L-OCH] (An) (: L = Trp; : L = His; : L = Met; : L = Ala(2-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl) (Pld) were synthesized and isolated as tetraphenylphosphonium salts (PhP)An. Anions ; ; , and contain a pendant functional group from the L-tryptophan methyl ester, L-histidine methyl ester, L-methionine methyl ester, or methyl 2-amino-3-(2-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl)propanoate (-Trp-OCH, -His-OCH, -Met-OCH, or -Pld-OCH) residue, respectively, bonded with the boron cluster anion through the oxybis[(ethane-2,1-diyl)oxy] spacer. This pacer is formed as a result of the nucleophilic opening of the attached dioxane molecule in the [BHO(CH)O] starting derivative.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeroxiredoxin 6 (Prdx6), a unique non-seleno peroxidase, is a bifunctional protein with GSH peroxidase at pH 7.4 and calcium independent phospholipase A (aiPLA ) activities at pH 4.0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Pharm (Weinheim)
January 2025
Section of Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Sciences, Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy.
2,2'-Thio-bis(4,6-dichlorophenol), namely bithionol, is a small molecule endowed with a multifaceted bioactivity. Its peculiar polychlorinated phenolic structure makes it a suitable candidate to explore its potentialities in establishing interaction patterns with enzymes of MedChem interest, such as the human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) metalloenzymes. Herein, bithionol was tested on a panel of specific hCAs through the stopped-flow technique, showing a promising micromolar inhibitory activity for the hCA II isoform.
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