N-Terminal Fragment of Cardiac Myosin Binding Protein-C Increases the Duration of Actin-Myosin Interaction.

Cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) located in the C-zone of myocyte sarcomere is involved in the regulation of myocardial contraction. Its N-terminal domains C0, C1, C2, and the m-motif between C1 and C2 can bind to the myosin head and actin of the thin filament and affect the characteristics of their interaction. Measurements using an optical trap showed that the C0-C2 fragment of cMyBP-C increases the interaction time of cardiac myosin with the actin filament, while in an in vitro motility assay, it dose-dependently reduces the sliding velocity of actin filaments.

[Comprehensive study of the composition of fish fat extracts and quantitative criteria for distinguishing standardized omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids extracts].

Background Effects of drugs and biologically active supplements based on omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3 PUFA) considerably depend on the standardized content of eicosatetraenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and other fatty acids in the extracts.Material and methods In this study, we comprehensively examined the composition of 10 ω3 PUFA samples with chromatographic measurement of more than 40 metabolites of fatty acids and other compounds. The data on extract composition were analyzed with current methods of intelligent data analysis (metric condensation method; multidimensional scaling; principal component analysis with axis identification; topology-metrical approach to recognition).

Synthesis and applications of theranostic oligonucleotides carrying multiple fluorine atoms.

The use of various oligonucleotide (ON) syntheses and post-synthetic strategies for targeted chemical modification enables improving their efficacy as potent modulators of gene expression levels in eukaryotic cells. However, the search still continues for new approaches designed for increasing internalization, lysosomal escape, and tissue specific delivery of ON. In this review we emphasized all aspects related to the synthesis and properties of ON derivatives carrying multifluorinated (MF) groups.

Effect of Interchain Disulfide Crosslinking in the Tropomyosin Molecule on Actin-Myosin Interaction in the Atrial Myocardium.

Tropomyosin (Tpm) is one of the main regulatory proteins in the myocardium. In some heart pathologies, interchain disulfide crosslinking in the Tpm molecule occurs. In the ventricle, this change in the structural properties of the Tpm molecule affects calcium regulation of the actin-myosin interaction.

NOS2-deficient mice with hypoxic necrotizing lung lesions predict outcomes of tuberculosis chemotherapy in humans.

During active TB in humans a spectrum of pulmonary granulomas with central necrosis and hypoxia exists. BALB/c mice, predominantly used in TB drug development, do not reproduce this complex pathology thereby inaccurately predicting clinical outcome. We found that Nos2 mice incapable of NO-production in immune cells as microbial defence uniformly develop hypoxic necrotizing lung lesions, widely observed in human TB.

The antibacterial prodrug activator Rv2466c is a mycothiol-dependent reductase in the oxidative stress response of .

The gene encodes an oxidoreductase enzyme annotated as DsbA. It has a CPWC active-site motif embedded within its thioredoxin fold domain and mediates the activation of the prodrug TP053, a thienopyrimidine derivative that kills both replicating and nonreplicating bacilli. However, its mode of action and actual enzymatic function in have remained enigmatic.

Discovery of prenylated flavonoids with dual activity against influenza virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Influenza virus neuraminidase (NA) is the primary target for influenza therapeutics. Severe complications are often related to secondary pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococci), which also express NAs. Recently, a NA-mediated lethal synergism between influenza A viruses and pneumococci was described.

Biocatalytic conversion of poultry processing leftovers: Optimization of hydrolytic conditions and peptide hydrolysate characterization.

Peptide hydrolysate (PH) was produced by deep controllable bioconversion of poultry processing leftovers (broiler necks), by means of a multienzyme composition, containing four commercially available enzyme preparations (Alcalase, Neutrase, Flavourzyme, Protamex). The design of multienzyme composition (MEC) was applied to yield a hydrolysate with adjusted properties, including minimized antigenicity and bitterness. The protein recovery was optimized using Box-Behnken response surface design.

Dormant non-culturable Mycobacterium tuberculosis retains stable low-abundant mRNA.

Background: Dormant Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli are believed to play an important role in latent tuberculosis infection. Previously, we have demonstrated that cultivation of M. tuberculosis in K(+)-deficient medium resulted in generation of dormant cells.

The Redox State Regulates the Conformation of Rv2466c to Activate the Antitubercular Prodrug TP053.

Rv2466c is a key oxidoreductase that mediates the reductive activation of TP053, a thienopyrimidine derivative that kills replicating and non-replicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but whose mode of action remains enigmatic. Rv2466c is a homodimer in which each subunit displays a modular architecture comprising a canonical thioredoxin-fold with a Cys(19)-Pro(20)-Trp(21)-Cys(22) motif, and an insertion consisting of a four α-helical bundle and a short α-helical hairpin. Strong evidence is provided for dramatic conformational changes during the Rv2466c redox cycle, which are essential for TP053 activity.

Heat-induced conformational changes of TET peptidase from crenarchaeon Desulfurococcus kamchatkensis.

The effects of heating on the structure and stability of multimeric TET aminopeptidase (APDkam589) were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, tryptophan fluorescence quenching, and dynamic light scattering. Thermally induced structural changes in APDkam589 were found to occur in two phases: local conformational changes, which occur below 70 °C and are not associated with thermal denaturation of the protein, and global structural changes (above 70 °C) induced by irreversible thermal unfolding of the protein accompanied by its spontaneous aggregation. These results may explain the bell-shaped temperature dependence with a maximum at ~70 °C previously observed for enzymatic activity of APDkam589.

Thiophenecarboxamide Derivatives Activated by EthA Kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Inhibiting the CTP Synthetase PyrG.

To combat the emergence of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, new antitubercular agents and novel drug targets are needed. Phenotypic screening of a library of 594 hit compounds uncovered two leads that were active against M. tuberculosis in its replicating, non-replicating, and intracellular states: compounds 7947882 (5-methyl-N-(4-nitrophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxamide) and 7904688 (3-phenyl-N-[(4-piperidin-1-ylphenyl)carbamothioyl]propanamide).

The 8-Pyrrole-Benzothiazinones Are Noncovalent Inhibitors of DprE1 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

8-Nitro-benzothiazinones (BTZs), such as BTZ043 and PBTZ169, inhibit decaprenylphosphoryl-β-d-ribose 2'-oxidase (DprE1) and display nanomolar bactericidal activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies revealed the 8-nitro group of the BTZ scaffold to be crucial for the mechanism of action, which involves formation of a semimercaptal bond with Cys387 in the active site of DprE1. To date, substitution of the 8-nitro group has led to extensive loss of antimycobacterial activity.

Role of inter-domain cavity in the attachment of the orange carotenoid protein to the phycobilisome core and to the fluorescence recovery protein.

Using molecular modeling and known spatial structure of proteins, we have derived a universal 3D model of the orange carotenoid protein (OCP) and phycobilisome (PBS) interaction in the process of non-photochemical PBS quenching. The characteristic tip of the phycobilin domain of the core-membrane linker polypeptide (LCM) forms the attachment site on the PBS core surface for interaction with the central inter-domain cavity of the OCP molecule. This spatial arrangement has to be the most advantageous one because the LCM, as the major terminal PBS-fluorescence emitter, accumulates energy from the most other phycobiliproteins within the PBS before quenching by OCP.

2-Carboxyquinoxalines kill mycobacterium tuberculosis through noncovalent inhibition of DprE1.

Phenotypic screening of a quinoxaline library against replicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis led to the identification of lead compound Ty38c (3-((4-methoxybenzyl)amino)-6-(trifluoromethyl)quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid). With an MIC99 and MBC of 3.1 μM, Ty38c is bactericidal and active against intracellular bacteria.

Preparation and functional evaluation of RGD-modified streptavidin targeting to integrin-expressing melanoma cells.

The vertical growth stage is the most dangerous stage of melanoma and is often associated with a poor prognosis. The increased invasiveness and metastasis that is typical for vertically growing melanoma are mediated by the molecules of cell adhesion (particularly, integrins). Integrin αvβ3, which is abundantly expressed on melanoma cells with high metastatic potentials and is characterized by low expression levels in normal melanocytes, is potentially an attractive target for melanoma diagnostics and therapy.

Site of non-photochemical quenching of the phycobilisome by orange carotenoid protein in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

In cyanobacteria, the thermal dissipation of excess absorbed energy at the level of the phycobilisome (PBS)-antenna is triggered by absorption of strong blue-green light by the photoactive orange carotenoid protein (OCP). This process known as non-photochemical quenching, whose molecular mechanism remains in many respects unclear, is revealed in vivo as a decrease in phycobilisome fluorescence. In vitro reconstituted system on the interaction of the OCP and the PBS isolated from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp.

Formation of supramolecular structures of a native-like protein in the presence of amphiphilic peptides: Variations in aggregate morphology.

A striking potential of the amphiphilic dipeptides, Arg-Phe or Asp-Phe, to induce aggregation of a model protein, alcohol dehydrogenase in its native-like state, has been demonstrated under physiologically relevant conditions, using dynamic light scattering, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism, transmission electron- and atomic force microscopy. The peptide action resulted in accumulation of a variety of morphologically distinct supramolecular structures profoundly differing from those generated by the heat-induced aggregation at the early stages of the process, when amyloid fibril assemblies were not detectable. The biogenic amphiphilic agents are suggested to act as regulators of structural transformations of native-like proteins.

Production of monoclonal antibodies against fullerene C60 and development of a fullerene enzyme immunoassay.

The aim of the present study was to produce monoclonal anti-fullerene C(60) antibodies and to develop the enzyme immunoassay for the detection in the first use of free fullerene C(60) both in solutions and in multicomponent biological probes. The immunization of mice with the conjugate of fullerene C(60) carboxylic derivative with thyroglobulin synthesized by carbodiimide activation led to the production of eight clones of anti-fullerene antibodies. The specificity of the antibody-fullerene binding was confirmed.

Pretreatment-free immunochromatographic assay for the detection of streptomycin and its application to the control of milk and dairy products.

A rapid pretreatment-free immunochromatographic assay was developed for the control of the streptomycin (STR) content in milk and dairy products. The assay is based on the competition between an immobilized STR-protein conjugate and STR in a sample to be tested for the binding to monoclonal anti-STR antibodies conjugated to colloidal gold during the flow of the sample along a membrane strip with immobilized reactants. It is possible to improve the cut-off level of positive and negative samples distinguished by a change in the molar STR to protein ratio in the immobilized conjugate.

Paradoxical acceleration of dithiothreitol-induced aggregation of insulin in the presence of a chaperone.

The kinetics of dithiothreitol (DTT)-induced aggregation of human recombinant insulin and the effect of α-crystallin, a representative of the family of small heat shock proteins, on the aggregation process have been studied using dynamic light scattering technique. Analysis of the distribution of the particles by size measured in the course of aggregation showed that the initial stage of the aggregation process was the stage of formation of the start aggregates with a hydrodynamic radius (R(h)) of about 90 nm. When studying the effect of α-crystallin on the rate of DTT-induced aggregation of insulin, it was demonstrated that low concentrations of α-crystallin dramatically accelerated the aggregation process, whereas high concentrations of α-crystallin suppressed insulin aggregation.

Far-red light-regulated efficient energy transfer from phycobilisomes to photosystem I in the red microalga Galdieria sulphuraria and photosystems-related heterogeneity of phycobilisome population.

Phycobilisomes (PBS) are the major photosynthetic antenna complexes in cyanobacteria and red algae. In the red microalga Galdieria sulphuraria, action spectra measured separately for photosynthetic activities of photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII) demonstrate that PBS fraction attributed to PSI is more sensitive to stress conditions and upon nitrogen starvation disappears from the cell earlier than the fraction of PBS coupled to PSII. Preillumination of the cells by actinic far-red light primarily absorbed by PSI caused an increase in the amplitude of the PBS low-temperature fluorescence emission that was accompanied by the decrease in PBS region of the PSI 77 K fluorescence excitation spectrum.

Rapid pretreatment-free immunochromatographic assay of chloramphenicol in milk.

A pretreatment-free immunochromatographic assay for detection of chloramphenicol (CAP) in milk was developed. The assay is based on competition between CAP molecules in the sample and immobilized CAP-protein conjugate for binding to monoclonal anti-CAP antibodies conjugated with colloidal gold particles (average diameter 30nm). The assay is carried out in the course of sample flowing along test strip with immobilized reactants, and its results can be detected by the naked eye or by a photometric device.

Mechanism of suppression of dithiothreitol-induced aggregation of bovine alpha-lactalbumin by alpha-crystallin.

The kinetics of dithiothreitol (DTT)-induced aggregation of alpha-lactalbumin from bovine milk has been studied using dynamic light-scattering technique. Analysis of the distribution of the particles formed in the solution of alpha-lactalbumin after the addition of DTT by size showed that the initial stage of the aggregation process was the stage of formation of the start aggregates with the hydrodynamic radius (R(h)) of 80-100nm. Further growth of the protein aggregates proceeds as a result of sticking of the start aggregates.

Opioid peptides derived from food proteins suppress aggregation and promote reactivation of partly unfolded stressed proteins.

A new view of the opioid peptides is presented. The potential of small peptides derived from precursor food proteins, to bind to partly unfolded stressed proteins to prevent their irreversible aggregation and inactivation has been demonstrated in various in vitro test systems: dithiothreitol-induced aggregation of alpha-lactalbumin (LA), heat-induced aggregation of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and aggregation and inactivation of bovine erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase (CA) in the process of its refolding after removal of stress conditions. Using dynamic light scattering (DLS), turbidimetry, fluorescence, and circular dichroism measurements protective effects of the synthetic opioid peptides: exorphin C from wheat gluten (Tyr-Pro-Ile-Ser-Leu), rubiscolin-5 from spinach ribulose-bisphosphate-carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) (Tyr-Pro-Leu-Asp-Leu), and hemorphin-6 from bovine hemoglobin (Tyr-Pro-Trp-Thr-Gln-Arg) have been revealed.