The activation process of vacuolar (lysosomal) proteinases in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is initiated by the PRAI (PEP4) gene product, proteinase yscA. To elucidate the activation process of proteinase yscA the catalytically active amino acid Asp294 of the enzyme was exchanged with Ala29...

A rapid purification procedure for the endogenous inhibitor of proteinase yspB from Schizosaccharomyces pombe is described. Starting from a boiled extract, the purification procedure included an ionic exchange chromatography and two reverse phase chromatographies using a HPLC system. The molecul...

The gene of the proteinase yscA inhibitor IA3, PAI3, of the yeast Saccharamyces cerevisiae was isolated by oligonucleotide screening of a genomic DNA library and sequenced. The gene codes for a single protein of 68 amino acids. The structural PAI3 gene was deleted in vitro by oligonucleotide-sit...

The aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are inactivated in extracts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae preferentially to other yeast enzymes and the rate of inactivation greatly increases in extracts of nitrogen-starved cells. The intensity of inactivation varies for the different synthetases. Under conditions ...

This study is concerned with the development of an agent for single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) for imaging inflammation and tumor progression. [123I]Iodooctyl fenbufen amide ([123I]IOFA) was prepared from the precursor N-octyl-4-oxo-4-(4′-(trimethylstannyl)biphenyl-4-yl)butanam...

The effects of BAY u9773 (6(R)-(4′-carboxyphenylthio)-5(S)-hydroxy-7(E),9(E),11(Z),14(Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid), a cysteinyl- leukotriene analogue, were investigated on a variety of smooth muscle preparations in order to determine its profile as a cysteinyl-leukotriene receptor antagonist. The ...

Two main classes of receptors exist for leukotrienes C4, D4 and E4, collectively named cysteinyl-leukotrienes (CysLTs). The CysLT1 receptor is blocked by currently available leukotriene antagonists, and the CysLT2 receptor is defined by the absence of selective antagonists. The contractile respo...

BAY u9773(6(R)-(4′-carboxyphenylthio)-5(S)-hydroxy-7(E),9(E),11(Z),14(Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid) is a leukotriene E4 analogue used to define `atypical' receptors for cysteinyl–leukotrienes. The aims of this study were first to characterise the intrinsic properties of BAY u9773 in guinea-pi...

A series of bile acid (Cholic acid and Deoxycholic acid) aryl/heteroaryl amides linked via α-amino acid were synthesized and tested against 3 human cancer cell-lines (HT29, MDAMB231, U87MG) and 1 human normal cell line (HEK293T). Some of the conjugates showed promising results to be new antican...

An efficient synthetic access to two amino-oxazoline compound libraries was developed employing the branching cascades approach. A common precursor, that is, chromonylidene β-ketoester was transformed into two different ring-systems, that is, the pyridine and the benzopyrane substituted hydroxy...

Enolates of (S)-N,N′-bis-(p-methoxybenzyl)-3-iso-propylpiperazine-2,5-dione exhibit high levels of enantiodiscrimination in alkylations with (RS)-1-aryl-1-bromoethanes and (RS)-2-bromoesters, affording substituted diketopiperazines containing two new stereogenic centres in high de. Deprotection...

A novel and efficient redox reaction was developed to react 5-amino-1H-pyrazole-4-carbaldehyde with sodium nitrite (NaNO2) in an acidic solution (HCl/MeOH) to generate 5-amino-4-nitrosopyrazole, pyrazole-4-carbaldehyde, or diazenylpyrazole selectively. The results showed that 5-amino-4-nitrosopy...

(5-(3-Thienyl)tetrazol-1-yl)acetic acid (TAT), a novel potent aldose reductase inhibitor, was administered for 4 weeks to rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Physiological and biochemical studies were subsequently conducted on rat nerve tissue and erythrocyte sorbitol content was estimate...

A series of GPR119 agonists based on a 5-nitropyrimidine scaffold bearing endo-azabicyclic substituents were synthesized and evaluated for their GPR119 agonistic activities. Most compounds exhibited much stronger EC50 values than that of oleoylethanolamide (OEA). Among them, derivatives from end...

Several glycosphingolipids were labeled with the fluorphore Bodipy-Fl and analyzed using capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection. GM1-, LacCer-, and Cer-Bodipy-Fl were prepared through acylation using the N-hydroxysuccinimide ester of Bodipy-Fl. Several other glycosph...

Excessive interferon-α (IFN-α) production by innate immune cells is a hallmark of autoimmune diseases. What other cell type secretes IFN-α and how IFN-α affects immune cell metabolism and homeostasis in autoimmunity are largely unclear. Here, we report that autoimmune B cells, arising from t...

The glycosphingolipid neurosporaside (α-d-Glcp-(1→2)-β-d-Galp-(1→6)-β-d-Galp-(1→6)-β-d-Galp-(1→)-Cer) occurs in Neurospora crassa. We attempted to synthesize neurosporaside by block synthesis (route A) and linear synthesis (route B). Oligosaccharide derivatives were synthesized using tri...

Quantitative analysis of glycosphingolipids (GSLs) has been hindered by the lack of chromogenic groups for spectral detection or active functional groups for specific derivatization. In this study, a highly sensitive method based on ozonolysis-induced release and isotopic Girard's reagent P...

Galectins have essential roles in pathological states including cancer, inflammation, angiogenesis and microbial infections. Endogenous receptors include members of the lacto- and neolacto-series glycosphingolipids present on mammalian cells and contain the tetrasaccharides lacto-N-tetraose (LNT...

Two dehydrins from Agapanthus praecox (ApY2SK2 and ApSK3) show important protective effects under complex stresses. Both ApY2SK2 and ApSK3 contain one intron and consist of a full-length cDNA of 981 bp and 1057 bp encoding 186 and 215 amino acids, respectively. ApY2SK2 and ApSK3 transgenic Arabi...