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

Alternative targets of attack of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are necessary in light of infection persistence due to onset of resistance after conventional reverse transcriptase and protease inhibitor therapy. We have recently shown that the cancer chemotherapeutic agent bleomycin (BLM) dose-dependently inhibits HIV-1 replication. The mechanism of this viral inhibition in vitro was investigated. Cell-free wild-type virions were affected directly by BLM in the presence of H2O2, as shown by a 38% decrease of viral infectivity. Viral inhibition by BLM did not proceed via NF-kappaB inhibition. The viral R/U5 DNA product was reduced by 70% without any effect on reverse transcriptase activity. In both a cell-free system as well as two-cell systems the antiviral dependence of BLM on iron and oxidant species was demonstrated. Bleomycin seems to inhibit HIV-1 replication through the same properties that make it a suitable anti-cancer agent. The results presented in this study describe a novel mechanism of HIV-1 inhibition with potential application in viral infections. The anti-HIV effects of BLM in patients receiving this drug in combination with HAART should be carefully monitored in order to evaluate the clinical significance of the findings described in this study.
...
PMID:Mechanism of inhibition of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 by the oxygen radical generating agent bleomycin. 1530 38

The expression of iron regulated genes in bacteria is typically controlled by the ferric uptake regulator (Fur) protein, a global transcriptional repressor that regulates functions as diverse as iron acquisition, oxidative stress, and virulence. We have identified a fur homologue in Dichelobacter nodosus, the causative agent of ovine footrot, and shown that it complements an Escherichia coli fur mutant. Homology modeling of the D. nodosus Fur protein with the recently solved crystal structure of Fur from Pseudomonas aeruginosa indicated extensive structural conservation. As Southern hybridization analysis of different clinical isolates of D. nodosus indicated that the fur gene was present in all of these strains, the fur gene was insertionally inactivated to determine its functional role. Analysis of these mutants by various techniques did not indicate any significant differences in the expression of known virulence genes or in iron-dependent growth. However, we determined several Fur regulatory targets by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry. Analysis of proteins from cytoplasmic, membrane, and extracellular fractions revealed numerous differentially expressed proteins. The transcriptional basis of these differences was analyzed by using quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. Proteins with increased expression in the fur mutant were homologues of the periplasmic iron binding protein YfeA and a cobalt chelatase, CbiK. Down-regulated proteins included a putative manganese superoxide dismutase and ornithine decarboxylase. Based on these data, it is suggested that in D. nodosus the Fur protein functions as a regulator of iron and oxidative metabolism.
...
PMID:Identification of a Dichelobacter nodosus ferric uptake regulator and determination of its regulatory targets. 1560 21

Hepcidin, the iron hormone, is produced by the liver in response to iron and inflammation. Its synthesis during inflammation is triggered by cytokines, but the details of iron activation are obscure. We tested the role of Kupffer cells and macrophages by studying iron-loaded or inflamed mice with selective inactivation of Kupffer cells or the in vitro effect of conditioned human macrophages on hepcidin expression. Hepcidin messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was studied by Northern blot and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis in mice that were treated with 40 mg/kg gadolinium (III) chloride (GdCl(3)) as a Kupffer cell inactivating agent and subjected to inflammatory challenges with either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and turpentine or iron overload by iron-dextran administration. Similar analyses were performed in human hepatoma cells (HepG2) cultured with medium from LPS- or iron-conditioned macrophages from blood donors or patients with HFE-linked hereditary hemochromatosis (HH). In vivo, LPS and particularly turpentine stimulated hepcidin mRNA expression, and this effect was prevented by the inactivation of Kupffer cells. Also, iron overload markedly upregulated hepatic hepcidin mRNA, but this activity persisted in spite of Kupffer cell blockade. In vitro, the medium of LPS-treated normal or hemocromatotic macrophages turned on hepcidin expression. On the contrary, medium of iron-manipulated macrophages, regardless of their HFE status, did not affect hepcidin mRNA steady-state levels. In conclusion, Kupffer cells are required for the activation of hepcidin synthesis during inflammation, and HH inflamed macrophages are capable of mounting a normal response, eventually leading to hepcidin stimulation. However, both Kupffer cells and human macrophages are dispensable for the regulatory activity exerted by iron on hepatic hepcidin.
...
PMID:Kupffer cells and macrophages are not required for hepatic hepcidin activation during iron overload. 1572 60

The genome of Mycobacterium leprae, the etiologic agent of leprosy, has been sequenced and annotated revealing a genome in apparent disarray and in stark contrast to the genome of the related human pathogen, M. tuberculosis. With less than 50% coding capacity of a 3.3-Mb genome and 1,116 pseudogenes, the remaining genes help define the minimal gene set necessary for in vivo survival of this mycobacterial pathogen as well as genes potentially required for infection and pathogenesis seen in leprosy. To identify genes transcribed during infection, we surveyed gene transcripts from M. leprae growing in athymic nude mice using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and cross-species DNA microarray technologies. Transcripts were detected for 221 open reading frames, which included genes involved in DNA replication, cell division, SecA-dependent protein secretion, energy production, intermediary metabolism, iron transport and storage and genes associated with virulence. These results suggest that M. leprae actively catabolizes fatty acids for energy, produces a large number of secretory proteins, utilizes the full array of sigma factors available, produces several proteins involved in iron transport, storage and regulation in the absence of recognizable genes encoding iron scavengers and transcribes several genes associated with virulence in M. tuberculosis. When transcript levels of 9 of these genes were compared from M. leprae derived from lesions of multibacillary leprosy patients and infected nude mouse foot pad tissue using quantitative real-time RT-PCR, gene transcript levels were comparable for all but one of these genes, supporting the continued use of the foot pad infection model for M. leprae gene expression profiling. Identifying genes associated with growth and survival during infection should lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the ability of M. leprae to cause disease.
...
PMID:Biological implications of Mycobacterium leprae gene expression during infection. 1574 41

Oxidative modification of cytoplasmic RNA in vulnerable neurons is an important, well documented feature of the pathophysiology of Alzheimer disease. Here we report that RNA-bound iron plays a pivotal role for RNA oxidation in vulnerable neurons in Alzheimer disease brain. The cytoplasm of hippocampal neurons showed significantly higher redox activity and iron(II) staining than age-matched controls. Notably, both were susceptible to RNase, suggesting a physical association of iron(II) with RNA. Ultrastructural analysis further suggested an endoplasmic reticulum association. Both rRNA and mRNA showed twice the iron binding as tRNA. rRNA, extremely abundant in neurons, was considered to provide the greatest number of iron binding sites among cytoplasmic RNA species. Interestingly, the difference of iron binding capacity disappeared after denaturation of RNA, suggesting that the higher order structure may contribute to the greater iron binding of rRNA. Reflecting the difference of iron binding capacity, oxidation of rRNA by the Fenton reaction formed 13 times more 8-hydroxyguanosine than tRNA. Consistent with in situ findings, ribosomes purified from Alzheimer hippocampus contained significantly higher levels of RNase-sensitive iron(II) and redox activity than control. Furthermore, only Alzheimer rRNA contains 8-hydroxyguanosine in reverse transcriptase-PCR. Addressing the biological significance of ribosome oxidation by redox-active iron, in vitro translation with oxidized ribosomes from rabbit reticulocyte showed a significant reduction of protein synthesis. In conclusion these results suggest that rRNA provides a binding site for redox-active iron and serves as a redox center within the cytoplasm of vulnerable neurons in Alzheimer disease in advance of the appearance of morphological change indicating neurodegeneration.
...
PMID:Ribosomal RNA in Alzheimer disease is oxidized by bound redox-active iron. 1576 56

Iron deficiency has been reported to affect both malaria pathogenesis and cell-mediated immune responses; however, it is unclear whether the protection afforded by iron deficiency is mediated through direct effects on the parasite, through immune effector functions or through both. We have determined cytokine mRNA expression levels in 59 children living in a malaria endemic area on the coast of Kenya who we selected on the basis of their biochemical iron status. Real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis of cytokine mRNA levels of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from these children showed an association between interleukin-4 (IL-4) mRNA levels and all the biochemical indices of iron that we measured. Furthermore, IL-10 mRNA was higher in parasite blood smear-positive children than in blood smear-negative children irrespective of their iron status. This study suggests that IL-4 expression by PBMC may be affected by iron status.
...
PMID:Cytokine mRNA expression and iron status in children living in a malaria endemic area. 1585 21

Aim of the present work was to investigate the involvement of plasma membrane (PM) H(+)-ATPase (E.C. 3.6.3.6) isoforms of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) in the response to Fe deficiency. Two PM H(+)-ATPase cDNAs (CsHA1 and CsHA2) were isolated from cucumber and their expression analysed as a function of Fe nutritional status. Semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR and quantitative real-time RT-PCR revealed in Fe-deficient roots an enhanced accumulation of CsHA1 gene transcripts, which were hardly detectable in leaves. Supply of iron to deficient plants caused a decrease in the transcript level of CsHA1. In contrast, CsHA2 transcripts, detected both in roots and leaves, appeared to be unaffected by Fe. This work shows for the first time that a transcriptional regulation of PM H(+)-ATPase involving a specific isoform occurs in the response to Fe deficiency.
...
PMID:Two plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase genes are differentially expressed in iron-deficient cucumber plants. 1585 37

Manganese exposure alters iron homeostasis in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), possibly by acting on iron transport mechanisms localized at the blood-brain barrier and/or blood-CSF barrier. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that manganese exposure may change the binding affinity of iron regulatory proteins (IRPs) to mRNAs encoding transferrin receptor (TfR), thereby influencing iron transport at the blood-CSF barrier. A primary culture of choroidal epithelial cells was adapted to grow on a permeable membrane sandwiched between two culture chambers to mimic blood-CSF barrier. Trace (59)Fe was used to determine the transepithelial transport of iron. Following manganese treatment (100 microM for 24 h), the initial flux rate constant (K(i)) of iron was increased by 34%, whereas the storage of iron in cells was reduced by 58%, as compared to controls. A gel shift assay demonstrated that manganese exposure increased the binding of IRP1 and IRP2 to the stem loop-containing mRNAs. Consequently, the cellular concentrations of TfR proteins were increased by 84% in comparison to controls. Assays utilizing RT-PCR, quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR, and nuclear run off techniques showed that manganese treatment did not affect the level of heterogeneous nuclear RNA (hnRNA) encoding TfR, nor did it affect the level of nascent TfR mRNA. However, manganese exposure resulted in a significantly increased level of TfR mRNA and reduced levels of ferritin mRNA. Taken together, these results suggest that manganese exposure increases iron transport at the blood-CSF barrier; the effect is likely due to manganese action on translational events relevant to the production of TfR, but not due to its action on transcriptional, gene expression of TfR. The disrupted protein-TfR mRNA interaction in the choroidal epithelial cells may explain the toxicity of manganese at the blood-CSF barrier.
...
PMID:Alteration at translational but not transcriptional level of transferrin receptor expression following manganese exposure at the blood-CSF barrier in vitro. 1589 46

Iron is limiting in the human host, and bacterial pathogens respond to this environment by regulating gene expression through the ferric uptake regulator protein (Fur). In vitro studies have demonstrated that Neisseria gonorrhoeae controls the expression of several critical genes through an iron- and Fur-mediated mechanism. While most in vitro experiments are designed to determine the response of N. gonorrhoeae to an exogenous iron concentration of zero, these organisms are unlikely to be exposed to such severe limitations of iron in vivo. To determine if N. gonorrhoeae expresses iron- and Fur-regulated genes in vivo during uncomplicated gonococcal infection, we examined gene expression profiles of specimens obtained from male subjects with urethral infections. RNA was isolated from urethral swab specimens and used as a template to amplify, by reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), gonococcal genes known to be regulated by iron and Fur (tbpA, tbpB, and fur). The constitutively expressed gonococcal rmp gene was used as a positive control. RT-PCR analysis indicated that gonorrhea-positive specimens where rmp expression was seen were also 93% (51/55) fbpA positive, 87% (48/55) tbpA positive, and 86% (14 of 16 tested) tbpB positive. In addition, we detected a fur transcript in 79% (37 of 47 tested) of positive specimens. We also measured increases in levels of immunoglobulin G antibody against TbpA (91%) and TbpB (73%) antigens in sera from infected male subjects compared to those in uninfected controls. A positive trend between tbpA gene expression and TbpA antibody levels in sera indicated a relationship between levels of gene expression and immune response in male subjects infected with gonorrhea for the first time. These results indicate that gonococcal iron- and Fur-regulated tbpA and tbpB genes are expressed in gonococcal infection and that male subjects with mucosal gonococcal infections exhibit antibodies to these proteins.
...
PMID:The gonococcal Fur-regulated tbpA and tbpB genes are expressed during natural mucosal gonococcal infection. 1597 20

The prochlorophyte-like cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina contains two pcb genes, pcbA and pcbC, which encode chlorophyll (Chl) d-binding antenna proteins PcbA and PcbC, respectively. Using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), it is shown that when Acaryochloris cells are grown in an iron-deficient medium, the transcription of the pcbC gene is up-regulated compared to that of pcbA. Biochemical and immunological analyses indicated that under the same iron-deficient conditions, the level of Photosystem I (PSI) decreased compared with that of Photosystem II (PSII). Electron microscopy revealed that concomitant with these changes was the formation of Pcb-PSI supercomplexes which, in their largest form, were composed of 18 Pcb subunits forming a ring around the trimeric PSI reaction centre core. Mass spectrometry indicated that the PcbC protein is the main constituent of this outer PSI antenna system. It is therefore concluded that in Acaryochloris, the PcbC protein forms an antenna for PSI when iron levels become limiting and in this way compensates for the drop in the level of PSI relative to PSII which occurs under these conditions.
...
PMID:Iron deficiency induces a chlorophyll d-binding Pcb antenna system around Photosystem I in Acaryochloris marina. 1597 47


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>