Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.1.3.1 (alkaline phosphatase)
47,916 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) was investigated in a three dimensional (3-D) network of nanofibers formed by self-assembly of peptide-amphiphile (PA) molecules. PA was synthesized by standard solid phase chemistry that ends with the alkylation of the NH(2) terminus of the peptide. The sequence of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) was included in peptide design as well. A 3-D network of nanofibers was formed by mixing cell suspensions in media with dilute aqueous solution of PA. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation revealed the formation of fibrous assemblies with an extremely high aspect ratio and high surface areas. When rat MSC were seeded into the PA nanofibers with or without RGD, larger number of cells attached was observed in the PA nanofibers including RGD. When measured to evaluate the osteogenic differentiation of MSC, the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and osteocalcin content became maximum for the PA nanofibers including RGD compared with those without RGD, although both the values were significantly higher compared with those in the static tissue culture plate (2-D culture). We concluded that the attachment, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of MSC were influenced by PA nanofibers as the cell scaffold.
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PMID:Osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells in self-assembled peptide-amphiphile nanofibers. 1660 Mar 65

Bone cell-substrate interactions are important to understand in the design, selection, and surface modification of bone implants. To gain insight into such interactions, substrates designed with surface species approximating the physiological environment of bone matrix were studied. Osteoblasts (Ob) grown on three such surfaces were used to evaluate cell-substrate effects on attachment, growth, and gene expression as compared with controls. Initial surface preparation consisted of coating glass slides with aminopropyltriethoxy silane (APTES), after which the coated slides were modified with collagen-rich extracellular matrix components obtained from normally mineralizing avian tendon: the tripeptide arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (arg-gly-asp), or a precipitate formed from a metastable solution containing inorganic ions normally found in blood (simulated body fluid). Each of the modified substrates, as well as the nonmodified (APTES) control, provided distinctly different physical (evidenced by differences in rms roughness) and chemical surfaces for seeding primary osteoblasts obtained from 14-day-old normal embryonic chickens. Cell responses to each of the substrates were evaluated over a 21-day period in terms of Ob growth and growth rate, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and gene expression of type I collagen (COL I), osteopontin (OPN), osteocalcin (OC), and bone sialoprotein (BSP). From these preliminary experiments, indications are that cell attachment and growth in this study possibly are independent processes, an assumption that compels the need for further studies. Collagen-rich matrix-modified substrates had a distinct advantage over others when cell growth rate, ALP activity, and gene expression were considered; cells on these substrates exhibited increased ALP activity and enhanced expression of BSP, OPN, and OC when compared with those of cells on APTES controls or other modified substrates. These results indicate that matrix-modified substrates such as those used in this study provide favorable templates for tissue generation, suggesting their potential in the design of surfaces for bone implants.
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PMID:Modified aminosilane substrates to evaluate osteoblast attachment, growth, and gene expression in vitro. 1674 87

Huntingtin (Htt) is a large protein of 3144 amino acids, whose function and regulation have not been well defined. Polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion in the N terminus of Htt causes the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington disease (HD). The cytotoxicity of mutant Htt is modulated by proteolytic cleavage with caspases and calpains generating N-terminal polyQ-containing fragments. We hypothesized that phosphorylation of Htt may modulate cleavage and cytotoxicity. In the present study, we have mapped the major phosphorylation sites of Htt using cell culture models (293T and PC12 cells) expressing full-length myc-tagged Htt constructs containing 23Q or 148Q repeats. Purified myc-tagged Htt was subjected to mass spectrometric analysis including matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and nano-HPLC tandem mass spectrometry, used in conjunction with on-target alkaline phosphatase and protease digestions. We have identified more than six novel serine phosphorylation sites within Htt, one of which lies in the proteolytic susceptibility domain. Three of the sites have the consensus sequence for ERK1 phosphorylation, and addition of ERK1 inhibitor blocks phosphorylation at those sites. Other observed phosphorylation sites are possibly substrates for CDK5/CDC2 kinases. Mutation of amino acid Ser-536, which is located in the proteolytic susceptibility domain, to aspartic acid, inhibited calpain cleavage and reduced mutant Htt toxicity. The results presented here represent the first detailed mapping of the phosphorylation sites in full-length Htt. Dissection of phosphorylation modifications in Htt may provide clues to Huntington disease pathogenesis and targets for therapeutic development.
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PMID:Huntingtin phosphorylation sites mapped by mass spectrometry. Modulation of cleavage and toxicity. 1678 7

Titanium (Ti) and its alloys are used extensively in orthopedic implants due to their excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties. However, titanium-based implant materials have specific complications associated with their applications, such as the loosening of implant-host interface owing to unsatisfactory cell adhesion and the susceptibility of the implants to bacterial infections. Hence, a surface which displays selective biointeractivity, i.e. enhancing beneficial host cell responses but inhibiting pathogenic microbial adhesion, would be highly desirable. This present study aims to improve biocompatibility and confer long-lasting antibacterial properties on Ti via polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) of hyaluronic acid (HA) and chitosan (CH), coupled with surface-immobilized cell-adhesive arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide. The HA/CH PEM-functionalized Ti is highly effective as an antibacterial surface but the adhesion of bone cells (osteoblasts) is poorer than on pristine Ti. With additional immobilized RGD moieties, the osteoblast adhesion can be significantly improved. The density of the surface-immobilized RGD peptide has a significant effect on osteoblast proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and both functions can be increased by 100-200% over that of pristine Ti substrates while retaining high antibacterial efficacy. Such substrates can be expected to have good potential in orthopedic applications.
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PMID:Surface functionalization of titanium with hyaluronic acid/chitosan polyelectrolyte multilayers and RGD for promoting osteoblast functions and inhibiting bacterial adhesion. 1819 Sep 59

Interactions with the extracellular matrix play important roles in regulating the phenotype and activity of differentiated articular chondrocytes; however, the influences of integrin-mediated adhesion on the chondrogenesis of mesenchymal progenitors remain unclear. In the present study, agarose hydrogels were modified with synthetic peptides containing the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) motif to investigate the effects of integrin-mediated adhesion and cytoskeletal organization on the chondrogenesis of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) within a three-dimensional culture environment. Interactions with the RGD-modified hydrogels promoted BMSC spreading in a density-dependent manner and involved alphavbeta3 integrin receptors. When cultured with the chondrogenic supplements, TGF-beta1 and dexamethasone, adhesion to the RGD sequence inhibited the stimulation of sulfated-glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) production in a RGD density-dependent manner, and this inhibition could be blocked by disrupting the F-actin cytoskeleton with cytochalasin D. In addition, interactions with the RGD-modified gels promoted cell migration and aggrecanase-mediated release of sGAG to the media. While adhesion to the RGD sequence inhibited BMSC chondrogenesis in the presence of TGF-beta1 and dexamethasone, osteocalcin and collagen I gene expression and alkaline phosphatase activity were enhanced by RGD interactions in the presence of serum-supplemented medium. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that integrin-mediated adhesion within a three-dimensional environment inhibits BMSC chondrogenesis through actin cytoskeleton interactions. Furthermore, the effects of RGD-adhesion on mesenchymal differentiation are lineage-specific and depend on the biochemical composition of the cellular microenvironment.
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PMID:Interactions between integrin ligand density and cytoskeletal integrity regulate BMSC chondrogenesis. 1845 54

The objective of this study is to enhance the proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in nanodimensional scaffolds. The proliferation and differentiation of MSC was investigated in a three-dimensional network of nanofibers formed by self-assembly of peptide amphiphile (PA) molecules. PA was synthesized by standard solid phase chemistry that ends with the alkylation of the NH(2) terminus of the peptide. The sequence of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid was included in the peptide design as well. A three-dimensional network of nanofibers was formed by mixing MSC suspensions in media with dilute aqueous solution of PA. The attachment, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of MSC were influenced by the self-assembled PA nanofibers as the cell scaffold and the values were significantly high compared with those in the static culture. The alkaline phosphatase activity and osteocalcin content of MSC cultured in the PA nanofibers significantly increased compared with the static culture method. It may be concluded that PA nanofibers enable MSC to positively improve the proliferation and differentiation extent.
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PMID:Proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells using self-assembled peptide amphiphile nanofibers. 1845 80

Bone sialoprotein (BSP) is an abundant protein in the extracellular matrix of bone that has been suggested to have several different physiological functions, including the nucleation of hydroxyapatite (HA), promotion of cell attachment and binding of collagen. Studies in our lab have demonstrated that increased expression of BSP in osteoblast cells can increase expression of the osteoblast-related genes Runx2 and Osx as well as alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin and increase matrix mineralization. To determine the molecular mechanisms responsible for the BSP-mediated increase in osteoblastic differentiation, several functional domain mutants of BSP were expressed in primary rat bone osteoblastic cells, including the contiguous glutamic acid sequences (polyGlu) and the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) motif. Markers of osteoblast differentiation, including matrix mineralization and alkaline phosphatase staining, were increased in cells expressing BSP mutants of the polyGlu sequences but not in cells expressing RGD-mutated BSP. We also determined the dependence on integrin-associated pathways in promoting BSP-mediated differentiation responses in osteoblasts by demonstrating the activation of focal adhesion kinase, MAP kinase-associated proteins ERK1/2, ribosomal s6 kinase 2 and the AP-1 protein cFos. Thus, the mechanism regulating osteoblast differentiation by BSP was determined to be dependent on integrin-mediated intracellular signaling pathways.
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PMID:Activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway by bone sialoprotein regulates osteoblast differentiation. 1872 50

Charged amino acids such as arginine, lysine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid are abundant in noncollagenous proteins that regulate mineralization. Synthetic peptide forms of these amino acids have been shown to affect crystal growth in precipitation of mineral crystals in solution. However, little is known about the effects of these peptides on the viability and phenotype of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) or on the in vitro mineralization process. Bone marrow was harvested from neonatal rat femora and cultured under conditions to induce mineralized nodule formation. Mineralized bone nodules were grown while supplementing the cultures with one of five polyelectrolytes: polystyrene sulfonate (PSS), poly-L: -glutamic acid (PLG), poly-L: -lysine (PLL), poly-L: -aspartic acid (PLA), and sodium citrate (SC), as well as a nontreated control group. The viability and the rate of collagen synthesis under the effect of these agents were characterized by cell-counting and dye-binding assays, respectively. Raman microspectroscopy was conducted on mineralized bone nodules to determine the effect of the polyelectrolytes on the mineralization, type-B carbonation, and crystallinity of the mineral phase. Morphology of resulting mineral crystals was investigated using X-ray diffraction line-broadening analysis (XRD). PSS had toxic effects on cells whereas the remaining agents were biocompatible, as the cell viability was either greater (PLG) or not different from controls. The total collagen production by day 21 was 27% and 42% lower than controls for PLL and PSS, respectively. Culture wells stained positively for alkaline phosphatase in the presence of polyelectrolytes, indicating that osteogenic differentiation was not impacted negatively. Raman microspectroscopy revealed that the type-B carbonation of the crystal lattice increased when treated with PLG, PLL, or PSS. Crystallinity of PLL and PSS was smaller than that of control. The mineral/matrix ratios of nodules did not change with polyelectrolyte treatment, with the exception of the PSS-treated group, which was less mineralized. XRD analysis of bone nodules indicated that PLA-treated samples were significantly longer than controls along the 002 direction. Overall, the results suggest that the polypeptides consisting of charged amino acids are biocompatible and that they have the potential to affect crystal quality and morphology in vitro in the presence of cells. However, the mechanisms by which these effects come into play remain to be investigated.
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PMID:Effects of polyelectrolytic peptides on the quality of mineral crystals grown in vitro. 1897 56

Marine fishes in South Florida (Florida Keys-Florida Bay-Everglades region) accumulate higher concentrations of mercury (Hg) in their tissues than similar fishes from other areas of the southeastern U.S., though it is not known whether these elevated levels affect fish health. In this study, we used quantifiable pathological and biochemical indicators to explore Hg-associated differences in marine fish from South Florida, where Hg contamination is high, and from Indian River Lagoon, Florida, which served as a reference area. Hg concentrations in all tissues of mature spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) from South Florida were significantly higher than those from Indian River Lagoon and were within the threshold range of those in studies where effects of Hg exposure have been observed. The distribution of Hg among tissues followed the same trend in both areas, with the greatest concentration in kidney tissue, followed by liver, muscle, brain, gonad, and red blood cells. Blood-plasma biochemistry showed that concentrations of iron, inorganic phosphate, lactate dehydrogenase, and aspartate aminotransferase were significantly less in South Florida. Also, fructosamine and alkaline phosphatase were significantly less in South Florida. Liver histology revealed that pyknosis/necrosis, interstitial inflammation, and bile duct hyperplasia were found only in seatrout from South Florida, and steatosis/glycogen was more frequently found in Indian River Lagoon specimens. In renal tissue, interstitial inflammation, glomerular dilatation and thickening, and tubular degeneration and necrosis were more frequently found in South Florida specimens. Changes in the liver cytoskeleton and morphology may explain some of the differences in blood parameters between study areas. Neurochemical analyses showed that brain N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors (but not those of muscarinic cholinergic receptors, monoamine oxidase, or acetylcholinesterase) were significantly less in fish from South Florida than from Indian River Lagoon. These findings provide compelling evidence that elevated Hg could cause quantifiable pathological and biochemical changes that might influence the health of spotted seatrout and could also affect other marine fish species.
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PMID:Mercury contamination in spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus: an assessment of liver, kidney, blood, and nervous system health. 2085 Jan 70

Wzx belongs to a family of membrane proteins involved in the translocation of isoprenoid lipid-linked glycans, which is loosely related to members of the major facilitator superfamily. Despite Wzx homologs performing a conserved function, it has been difficult to pinpoint specific motifs of functional significance in their amino acid sequences. Here, we elucidate the topology of the Escherichia coli O157 Wzx (Wzx(EcO157)) by a combination of bioinformatics and substituted cysteine scanning mutagenesis, as well as targeted deletion-fusions to green fluorescent protein and alkaline phosphatase. We conclude that Wzx(EcO157) consists of 12 transmembrane (TM) helices and six periplasmic and five cytosolic loops, with N and C termini facing the cytoplasm. Four TM helices (II, IV, X, and XI) contain polar residues (aspartic acid or lysine), and they may form part of a relatively hydrophilic core. Thirty-five amino acid replacements to alanine or serine were targeted to five native cysteines and most of the aspartic acid, arginine, and lysine residues. From these, only replacements of aspartic acid-85, aspartic acid-326, arginine-298, and lysine-419 resulted in a protein unable to support O-antigen production. Aspartic acid-85 and lysine-419 are located in TM helices II and XI, while arginine-298 and aspartic acid-326 are located in periplasmic and cytosolic loops 4, respectively. Further analysis revealed that the charge at these positions is required for Wzx function since conservative substitutions maintaining the same charge polarity resulted in a functional protein, whereas those reversing or eliminating polarity abolished function. We propose that the functional requirement of charged residues at both sides of the membrane and in two TM helices could be important to allow the passage of the Und-PP-linked saccharide substrate across the membrane.
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PMID:Membrane topology and identification of critical amino acid residues in the Wzx O-antigen translocase from Escherichia coli O157:H4. 2087 Jul 64


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