Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0027960 (mole)
 21,279 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We have shown previously that acetaldehyde forms stable covalent adducts with tubulin, resulting in impaired microtubule formation. The present study explored the mechanism responsible for impaired microtubule formation caused by the substoichiometric stable binding of acetaldehyde to tubulin. The free tubulin dimer was much more reactive with acetaldehyde than microtubules, binding more than twice as much aldehyde. The dimer also formed nearly twice as many stable adducts on its alpha-chain as on its beta-chain, whereas microtubules exhibited an equal distribution of adducts between the two subunits. These data confirm that the alpha-chain of free tubulin, but not microtubules, has an accessible highly reactive lysine (HRL) residue that is a preferential target of acetaldehyde binding. Adduct formation with the HRL residue also correlated with impaired tubulin polymerization, and only 0.08 moles of acetaldehyde bound per mole of HRL was required for complete inhibition; however, adducts with other lysine residues (bulk adducts) did not affect assembly. Adducts to microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) also impaired the assembly of tubulin, but were much less effective than HRL adducts. In a copolymerization assay, HRL-adducted tubulin, in addition to being itself assembly incompetent, also interfered with polymerization of normal (unadducted) tubulin. Bulk adducts did not alter assembly and were incorporated normally into the growing polymer. When tubulin was cleaved by the proteolytic enzyme, subtilisin, microtubule formation could readily take place in the absence of MAPs. In this polymerization system, HRL adducts, but not bulk adducts, still markedly inhibited assembly. When low concentrations of acetaldehyde (50 microM) were used to generate HRL adducts, an adduct on only 1 out of 20 tubulin molecules was sufficient to totally block polymerization. These findings indicate that substoichiometric amounts of acetaldehyde bound to HRL of tubulin can markedly inhibit microtubule formation via direct interference of dimer-dimer interactions, and further suggest that low concentrations of acetaldehyde could generate sufficient amounts of HRL adducts in cellular systems to alter microtubule formation and function.
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PMID:Substoichiometric inhibition of microtubule formation by acetaldehyde-tubulin adducts. 163 40

Fragment X components (Mr 225,000 to 333,000) were distinguished on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels. Western blotting with monoclonal antibodies to A alpha-chain segments demonstrated that the A alpha-chains of fibrinogen and the largest fragment X components (Mr 285,000-340,000) contained both A alpha 259-276 and A alpha 540-554. Fragment X components of Mr 270,000-285,000 contained A alpha 259-276 but lacked A alpha 540-554, whereas the smallest fragment X components (Mr 225,000-270,000) contained neither A alpha 540-554 nor A alpha 259-276. Studies of the small peptides generated during fragment X formation complemented the studies of the large molecules, by demonstrating peptides containing both A alpha 259-276 and A alpha 540-554 (Mr 41,600-41,800 and Mr 38,700-38,900), peptides containing A alpha 540-554 but not A alpha 259-276 (Mr 20,500-21,000 and Mr 17,300-17,500) and peptides containing only A alpha 259-276 (Mr 23,600-24,000 and Mr 20,500-21,000). Cleavage of B beta 1-42 from the amino terminal ends of the B beta-chains, measured with a specific radioimmunoassay, was linear until 1.6 moles per mole of fibrinogen had been released, and coincided with loss of the central and carboxy terminal A alpha-chain regions, i. e. A alpha 259-276 and A alpha 540-554. Based on present and previously reported data, a model is proposed for the evolution of the heterogeneous group of fragment X derivatives from fibrinogen with the simultaneous release of small peptides.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Immunologic identification of the cleavage products from the A alpha- and B beta-chains in the early stages of plasmin digestion of fibrinogen. 294 92

Human fibrinogen was phosphorylated by casein kinase TS. The [32P]phosphate incorporated varied between 0.5 and 1 mol of phosphate per mole of fibrinogen. The phosphate was localized to Ser523 and Ser590 and serine and threonine residues between amino acids 259 and 268 in the A alpha-chain. In addition, Thr416 and Ser420 were phosphorylated in the gamma'-chain, which is a variant of the gamma-chain, constituting 7-10% of the gamma-chain population. The functional significance of casein kinase TS-induced phosphorylation of fibrinogen remains unknown; however, a slight but consistent increase of the turbidity in a gelation assay was observed for phosphorylated compared to unphosphorylated fibrinogen.
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PMID:Phosphorylation in vitro of human fibrinogen with casein kinase TS and characterization of phosphorylated sites. 347 99

The amino acid sequence of the alpha-chain from the arctic ground squirrel Citellus parryii) is reported. The tryptic peptides prepared from the hemoglobin were isolated by reverse phase HPLC and sequenced. Data from the tryptic peptides were supported by that from cyanogen bromide peptides and acid cleavage peptides which were partially sequenced. Comparison with other rodent alpha-chains shows 15 differences with mouse, 20 with rat, 25 with muskrat, 16 with mole rat, 33 with the guinea-pig and 23 with the hamster. Comparison of arctic ground squirrel hemoglobin alpha-chain with the amino-terminal 25 residues of the marmot shows one amino acid difference at position 13.
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PMID:The primary structure of the hemoglobin alpha-chain of the arctic ground squirrel. 360 32

Two thrombin independent reactions involving polymerization and gelation of fibrinogen (FBG) and of FBG and fibronectin (FN) are described. In the first reaction FXIII, in the presence of calcium ions, induces oligomerization and eventually complete gelation of FBG, i.e. formation of fibrinogenin. FBG dimers and probably also higher oligomers are formed by the crosslinking of gamma-chains prior to gelation. During gelation the A alpha-chains also become completely crosslinked. These reactions are enhanced by a variety of thiol compounds. With DTT, reduction of specific disulfides in the A alpha-chain of FBG appear to be responsible for the enhancement. In the second reaction, FXII catalyzes the formation of heteropolymers of FBG-FN. These complexes eventually form visible particulate matter called heteronectin. Dimers consisting of 1 mole FBG and 1 mole FN form first, followed by the appearance of higher order heteronectin intermediates. In heteronectin the A alpha-chain of FBG provides the linkage to FN. Thiols also enhance the heteronectin reaction. Formation of fibrinogen and/or heteronectin depends upon the initial relative concentrations of FBG and FN. At equimolar concentrations mainly heteronectin is formed. During clotting of normal whole blood, thrombin induced fibrin formation is the initial event followed by rapid fibrinogen formation. Addition of iodoacetamide (an inhibitor of FXIII) to whole blood prevents the formation of fibrinogenin. These findings suggest that the fibrinogen pathway is important in vivo.
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PMID:Alternative pathways in blood coagulation. 360 76

The fibrinogen structural variant, Marburg (A alpha 1-460B beta gamma)2, is comprised of normal B beta and gamma chains but contains severely truncated A alpha chains that are missing approximately one half of their factor XIIIa cross-linking domain. Immunochemical studies of fibrin(ogen) Marburg were conducted to characterize the degree to which deletion of a defined A alpha-chain segment, A alpha 461-610, can affect the process of fibrin stabilization, ie, the factor XIIIa-mediated covalent interaction that occurs between alpha chains of neighboring fibrin molecules and between alpha chains and alpha 2 antiplasmin (alpha 2PI). The ability of Marburg (and control) alpha chains to serve as a substrate for factor XIIIa and undergo cross-linking was examined in an in vitro plasma clotting system. The capacity for alpha-chain cross-linking was evaluated both as the covalent incorporation of the small synthetic peptide, NQEQVSPLTLLK (which represents the first 12 amino acids of alpha 2PI and includes the factor XIIIa-sensitive glutamine residue responsible for the cross-linking of alpha 2PI to fibrin), and as the appearance of native (ie, natural), high-molecular-weight, cross-linked alpha-chain species. Antibodies specific for the (A)alpha and gamma/gamma-gamma chains of fibrin(ogen) and for the peptide and its parent protein, alpha 2PI (68 kD), were used as immunoblotting probes to visualize the various cross-linked products formed during in vitro clotting. Recalcification of Marburg plasma in the presence of increasing concentrations of peptide resulted in the formation of peptide-decorated Marburg alpha-chain monomers. Their size at the highest peptide concentration examined indicated the incorporation of a maximum of 3 to 4 mol of peptide per mole of alpha-chain. In the absence of alpha 2PI 1-12 peptide, the alpha chains of Marburg fibrin cross-linked to form oligomers and polymers, as well as heterodimers that included alpha 2PI. Both the peptide-decorated monomers and the native cross-linked alpha-chain species of Marburg fibrin were smaller than their control plasma counterparts, consistent with the truncated structure of the parent Marburg A alpha chain. Collectively, the findings indicate that, although deletion of the A alpha chain region no. 461-610 in fibrinogen Marburg prevents formation of an extensive alpha polymer network (presumably due to the absence of critical COOH-terminal lysine residues), it does not interfere with initial events in the fibrin stabilization process, namely, factor XIII binding and the ability of alpha chains to undergo limited cross-linking to one another and to alpha 2PI.
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PMID:Alpha-Chain cross-linking in fibrin(ogen) Marburg. 762 Jan 90

Hemorrhagic factor I (LHF-I) was previously purified from the venom of the bushmaster snake (Lachesis muta muta). In terms of biochemical and immunological properties, LHF-I is a glycoprotein (mol. wt 100,000, pI 4.7) consisting of two subunits; it loses its activity following mercaptoethanol treatment. LHF-I contains 0.7 g-atom zinc and 1.2 g-atom calcium per mole protein. The hemorrhagic and the proteinase activities are inhibited by EDTA; subsequent addition of Ca2+ or Mg2+ does not reverse the EDTA-induced inhibition of the hemorrhagic activity. The metalloenzyme does not hyrolyze arginine esters and is devoid of phospholipase A2 activity. It hydrolyzes the A alpha- > B beta-chain of fibrinogen without clot formation and hydrolyzes selectively the alpha-chain of fibrin, leaving the B beta- and tau-chains unaffected. Antibodies to the hemorrhagic factor in bushmaster venom were produced by immunizing rabbits with the purified protein. The antibody was purified by protein-A affinity chromatography. This antibody was also used to screen other Crotalinae venom samples for immunologically similar epitopes by ELISA assay. The purified antibody reacted only with LHF-I and two samples of bushmaster venom from different geographical locations.
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PMID:Characterization of a hemorrhagic factor, LHF-I, isolated from the bushmaster snake (Lachesis muta muta) venom. 886 22

Peptides targeting the human neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) were conjugated to poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) polymers to study their effect on inhibition of the IgG:FcRn protein-protein interaction both in vitro and in mice. Both linear (5-40kDa) and branched (20, 40kDa) PEG aldehydes were conjugated to an amine-containing linker of a homodimeric anti-FcRn peptide using reductive alkylation chemistry. It was found that conjugation of PEG to the peptide compromised the in vitro activity, with larger and branched PEGs causing the most dramatic losses in activity. The conjugates were evaluated in transgenic mice for their ability to accelerate the catabolism of human IgG. Optimal pharmacodynamic properties were observed with PEG-peptide conjugates that contained 20-40kDa linear PEGs and a 20kDa branched PEG. The optimal PEG-peptide conjugates were more effective in vivo than the unconjugated peptide control on a mole:mole and mg/kg basis, and represent potential new longer-acting peptide therapeutics for the treatment of humorally-mediated autoimmune disease.
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PMID:PEGylation enhances the therapeutic potential of peptide antagonists of the neonatal Fc receptor, FcRn. 2192 Jul 37