Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.7.49 (reverse transcriptase)
31,746 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

From the dried bulbs of the lily (Lilium brownii), a protein with strong antifungal and mitogenic activities was isolated. It also exhibited an inhibitory action on the activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. The protein was single-chained and possessed a molecular weight of 14.4 kDa and an N-terminal sequence distinct from chitinases and antimicrobial proteins of garlic, leek and onion which belong to a family closely related to lily. However, there was a small degree of resemblance to cyclophilins and a considerable extent of identity to the 6.5 kDa arginine/glutamate-rich polypeptide from Luffa cylindrica seeds. A nearly homogeneous preparation was obtained after the extract was fractionated on DEAE-cellulose and Affi-gel Blue gel since subsequent chromatography on Mono S and Superdex 75 both yielded a single peak.
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PMID:Isolation of lilin, a novel arginine- and glutamate-rich protein with potent antifungal and mitogenic activities from lily bulbs. 1186 Jan 55

In mammals, there are two different genes encoding for glutaminase isoforms, named liver (LGA) and kidney (KGA) types. LGA has long been believed to be present only in liver mitochondria from adult animals. However, we have recently reported the presence of LGA mRNA in human brain. We now describe the expression of LGA mRNA in the brain of other mammals (cow, mouse, rabbit, and rat) and in different areas of human brain as assessed by Northern blot analysis. The presence of mRNA encoding for this isoform in rat brain was further confirmed by reverse transcriptase-PCR cloning and sequencing. Although it has been well accepted that glutaminase is a mitochondrial enzyme, using newly generated isoform-specific antibodies, we have found a differential intracellular immunolocalization of both glutaminase isoforms in rat and monkey brain. In both species, KGA protein was present in mitochondria, whereas LGA protein was localized in nuclei. Furthermore, subcellular fractionation and Western blot analysis revealed that brain LGA was enriched in nuclei where it was catalytically active. Nuclear glutaminase exhibited a kinetic behavior that resembles that of the liver-type enzyme with regard to the low phosphate concentration requirement; however, nuclear glutaminase was susceptible to glutamate inhibition, a property that is absent in the rat liver enzyme.
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PMID:Nuclear localization of L-type glutaminase in mammalian brain. 1216 77

In order to evaluate the appearance of brain bcl-2 during development of the hydrocephalus, we measured levels of bcl-2 mRNA in the cortex and cerebellum of congenital hydrocephalic rats (LEW-HYR) at 1 and 2 weeks after birth using the quantified reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with TaqMan fluorogenic detection system. Normal and hydrocephalic siblings were killed 7 and 14 days after birth, and their cortices and cerebella were homogenized with the Isogen-chloroform mixtured solution. By means of the RT-PCR with genetic analyzer, the sequence of bcl-2 mRNA detected in the LEW-HYR was identified to be the same as that of the registered rat brain (L14680). During the development of normal siblings of LEW-HYR, the levels of bcl-2 mRNA detected in the cortex and cerebellum 7 days after birth were significantly higher than those seen on day 14 after birth. In the hydrocephalic rats, however, these levels were not significantly different during development. On days 7 and 14 after birth, the cortical levels of bcl-2 mRNA detected in the hydrocephalic rats were significantly higher than those in normal rats. In the cerebellum, these levels in the hydrocephalic rats were higher, but not significantly, than those of normal rats. These results indicate that the significant appearance of bcl-2 mRNA in the developing normal rat brain is related to sprouting and to the diminished number of neurons, whereas the significant increase of bcl-2 levels seen in the developing hydrocephalic rats is indicative of an excess activity of glutamate neurons in cerebral cortex and the protection of neurons from cell death induced by cerebral ventricular dilatation in the cortex after bcl-2 levels.
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PMID:Changes in cortical and cerebellar bcl-2 mRNA levels in the developing hydrocephalic rat (LEW-HYR) as measured by a real time quantified RT-PCR. 1220 63

Amino acids at conserved sites in the residue sequence of 10 ancient proteins, from 844 phylogenetically diverse sources, were used to specify their time of origin in the interval before species divergence from the last common ancestor (LCA). The order of amino acid addition to the genetic code, based on biosynthesis path length and other molecular evidence, provided a reference for evaluating the 'code age' of each residue profile examined. Significantly earlier estimates were obtained for conserved amino acid residues in these proteins than non-conserved residues. Evidence from the primary structure of 'fossil' proteins thus corroborated the biosynthetic order of amino acid addition to the code.Low potential ferredoxin (Fdxn) had the earliest residue profile among the proteins in this study. A phylogenetic tree for 82 prokaryote Fdxn sequences was rooted midway between bacteria and archaea branches. LCA Fdxn had a 23-residue antecedent whose residue profile matched mid-expansion phase codon assignments and included an amide residue. It contained a highly acidic N-terminal region and a non-charged C-terminal region, with all four cysteine residues. This small protein apparently anchored a [4Fe-4S] cluster, ligated by C-terminal cysteines, to a positively charged mineral surface, consistent with mediating e(-) transfer in a primordial surface system before cells appeared. Its negatively charged N-terminal 'attachment site' was highly mutable during evolution of ancestral Fdxn for Bacteria and Archaea, consistent with a loss of function after cell formation. An initial glutamate to lysine substitution may link 'attachment site' removal to early post-expansion phase entry of basic amino acids to the code. As proteins evidently anchored non-charged amide residues initially, surface attachment of cofactors and other functional groups emerges as a general function of pre-cell proteins.A phylogenetic tree of 107 proteolipid (PL) helix-1 sequences from H(+)-ATPase of bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes had its root between prokaryote branches. LCA PL h1 residue profile optimally fit a late expansion phase codon array. Sequence repeats in transmembrane PL helices h1 and h2 indicated formation of the archetypal PL hairpin structure involved successive tandem duplications, initiated within the gene for an 11-residue (or 4-residue) hydrophobic peptide. Ancestral PL h1 lacked acidic residues, in a fundamental departure from the prototype pre-cell protein. By this stage, proteins with a hydrophobic domain had evolved. Its non-polar, late expansion phase residue profile point to ancestral PL being a component of an early permeable cell membrane. Other indicators of cell formation about this stage of code evolution include phospholipid biosynthesis path length, FtsZ residue profile, and late entry of basic amino acids into the genetic code. Estimates based on conserved residues in prokaryote cell septation protein, FtsZ, and proteins involved with synthesis, transcription and replication of DNA revealed FtsZ, ribonucleotide reductase, RNA polymerase core subunits and 5'-->3' flap exonuclease, FEN-1, originated soon after cells putatively evolved. While reverse transcriptase and topoisomerase I, Topo I, appeared late in the pre-divergence era, when the genetic code was essentially complete. The transition from RNA genes to a DNA genome seemingly proceeded via formation of a DNA-RNA heteroduplex. These results suggest formation of DNA awaited evolution of a catalyst with a hydrophobic domain, capable of sequestering radical bearing intermediates in its synthesis from ribonucleotide precursors. Late formation of topology altering protein, Topo I, further suggests consolidation of genes into chromosomes followed synthesis of comparatively thermostable DNA strands.
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PMID:Molecular evolution before the origin of species. 1222 77

To begin to determine what role metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) play in the peripheral nervous system, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to probe RNA isolated from sympathetic neurons of the rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG). RT-PCR primers were designed to detect each of the eight rat mGluR transcripts. Only one, mGluR7, was detected in RNA from rat SCG, though each appeared to be present in RNA from whole rat brain. Although mGluR7 messenger RNA is apparently present in rat SCG, functional mGluR7 was not observed, as application of neither glutamate nor the group III mGluR agonist L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (L-AP4) produced calcium current modulation in isolated SCG neurons, as would be expected. However, following mGluR7 heterologous expression, application of L-AP4 did produce moderate calcium current modulation in isolated neurons, indicating that mGluR7 can express on the surface of SCG soma, and that its activation can modulate calcium currents.
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PMID:Metabotropic glutamate receptor expression in the rat superior cervical ganglion. 1227 Jun 42

Caveolae are cholesterol-rich, membrane microdomains that appear critical to signaling between extracellular and intracellular macromolecules as well as cholesterol homeostasis. Caveolae formation is modulated by caveolin, a protein family that is the proteinaceous hallmark of caveolae. Very little is known regarding the events that modulate caveolin expression and regulation in neurons. To detect caveolin expression in neurons, primary rat hippocampal neurons were harvested at embryonic day 18, maintained for 7 days in vitro, and then analyzed for caveolin immunofluorescence. Caveolin-1 immunoreactivity was detected in cells that were identified as neurons by morphology and concurrent microtubule-associated protein (MAP2) staining. Changes in caveolin-1 expression were evaluated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses of RNA isolated from hippocampal neurons treated with glutamate receptor agonists. Glutamate induced a concentration-dependent increase in caveolin-1 mRNA. The largest increases in caveolin-1 mRNA were detected after 6 hours of treatment. Kainate and AMPA both mimicked glutamate effects on caveolin-1 mRNA expression. Western blot analyses revealed that caveolin was induced at the protein level as well. Taken together, these data suggest that glutamate can regulate caveolin expression through kainate and AMPA ionotropic glutamate receptors.
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PMID:Glutamate regulates caveolin expression in rat hippocampal neurons. 1267 92

The alpha-ketoisocaproic acid (KIC) is a short branched-chain monocarboxylate, which accumulates in neural cells. It plays an important role in maintaining nitrogen balance in the brain, a process of a great importance for shuttling of glutamine and glutamate between astrocytes and neurons. Higher accumulation of KIC in isolated cerebral cortex neurons at lower external pH, as well as sensitivity of this process to alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate indicate an involvement of a transporter, belonging to the family of monocarboxylate transporters (MCT).The expression of MCT1 and MCT2 isoforms in the brain cells was studied using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. The mRNA coding MCT1 was detected in astrocytes, brain endothelial cells, tumour cells (neuroblastoma and glioma) and in cortex neurons of newborn rats, but not in adult ones. MCT2, which is less abundant isoform than MCT1, was expressed in astrocytes, in brain endothelial cells and at low level in newborn rats' neurons, being absent in neurons from adult brain.The observed sensitivity of KIC accumulation towards SH-groups reagents did not fit to the known characteristics of MCT1 and MCT2. Therefore, the change of MCT expression during brain development, as well as lack of MCT1 and MCT2 in neurons of adults, point to another MCT isoform being involved in alpha-ketoisocaproic acid accumulation. This could be either one of other known MCT isoforms or a new member of family MCT, specific towards branched chain alpha-ketoacids.
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PMID:Expression of monocarboxylic acid transporters (MCT) in brain cells. Implication for branched chain alpha-ketoacids transport in neurons. 1274 73

The expression of glutamine synthetase (GS), catalysing the ATP-dependent conversion of glutamate and ammonia into glutamine, is transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally regulated. The genomic structure of dog GS shown in the present study is basically similar to that of other mammals in that it is composed of seven exons and six introns. Using 5'-cRACE (where cRACE stands for circular rapid amplification of cDNA ends) and reverse transcriptase-PCR, we identified an additional exon (120 bp) in the first intron, designated in the present study as exon 1'. By means of alternative splicing, the GS gene produces an altered form of GS transcript with 5'-untranslated region (UTR) containing the exon 1'. This alternative transcript is abundantly expressed in brain, whereas it is found at lower levels in other tissues. In the human and mouse GS genes, extra exons are also found at the corresponding site of the intron 1 but with different sizes. An exon-trapping experiment for the GS gene in COS-7, Madin-Darby canine kidney and SK-N-SH cells revealed that the pattern of alternative splicing is variable in different cell types. The propensity of forming a secondary structure is predicted to be considerably higher in the presence of extra 5'-UTR, suggesting the possibility of a translational effect. To test this, we performed a reporter assay for fusions with different 5'-UTRs, demonstrating that the long form with extra 5'-UTR was translated 20- and 10-fold less than the short one in SK-N-SH and Neuro-2A cells respectively. Similarly, translations of human and mouse transcripts with extra 5'-UTRs were less efficient, showing 6-8-fold reductions in SK-N-SH cells. Furthermore, when we mutated an ATG sequence contained in the exon 1', the suppression of translation was partially relieved, suggesting that the negative regulation by an extra 5'-UTR is, to some extent, due to an abortive translation from the upstream ATG.
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PMID:A splice variant acquiring an extra transcript leader region decreases the translation of glutamine synthetase gene. 1274 66

We earlier showed that the ionotropic glutamate receptor agonist N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) induces excitotoxic pulmonary edema, and that endogenous activation of NMDA receptors (NMDAR) could mediate lung injury caused by oxidative stress. In this study, we searched for evidence of NMDAR expression in the rat lung and in the alveolar macrophage (AM) cell line NR8383, and for possible regulation of receptor expression by NMDA. The presence of mRNA for NMDAR 1 and the four known NMDAR 2 subtypes (A, B, C, and D) was examined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction using isoform-specific primers. NMDAR 1 was expressed in all lung regions examined (peripheral, midlung, and mainstem), as well as in trachea and the AMs. Expression of NMDAR 2A and 2B subtypes was not detected, whereas NMDAR 2C was present only in peripheral and mid-lung samples. NMDAR 2D was the dominant subtype expressed in the peripheral, gas-exchange zone of lung and in alveolar macrophages, and this expression was upregulated in lungs treated with NMDA. Western blot confirmed the presence of NMDAR 1 protein in all lung regions and in AMs. These findings provide a molecular-biological basis for the excitotoxic actions of glutamate in rat lungs and airways, and raise the question of a possible physiologic role for NMDAR in lung and airway function.
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PMID:Ionotropic glutamate receptors in lungs and airways: molecular basis for glutamate toxicity. 1285 8

In the present study, we attempted to address the modulation of the gene expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate (AMPA) glutamate receptors in the neostriatum of the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rat, an animal model of Parkinson's disease. After 2 weeks of lesion, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCRs) revealed significant reduction in GluR1 mRNA expression but a significant enhancement of NR1 mRNA expression in the striatal tissues of the lesioned side. No modulation in the mRNA expression of GluR2, GluR3, GluR4 and NR2B were found. Immunofluorescence with digital imaging analysis also demonstrated a significant reduction in GluR1 immunoreactivity in the lesioned neostriatum. Interestingly, the reduction in GluR1 immunoreactivity was primarily observed in presumed striatal medium spiny neurons but not in parvalbumin-labeled striatal GABAergic interneurons. Immunoreactivity for GluR2, GluR2/3, GluR4, NR1 and NR2B was unchanged in neurons of the neostriatum of the lesioned side. The present results indicate that there is an opposite trend in modulation in the gene expressions of GluR1 and NR1 in the neostriatum of 6-OHDA-lesioned rats after dopamine denervation. Modulation of GluR1 mRNA and immunoreactivity is likely to be limited in the striatal projection neurons. These findings have implications for the use of NMDA and AMPA receptor antagonists in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
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PMID:Gene expression of glutamate receptors GluR1 and NR1 is differentially modulated in striatal neurons in rats after 6-hydroxydopamine lesion. 1289 51


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