Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) remains a significant health threat worldwide, especially to the young and old. While some of the biomolecules involved in pneumococcal pathogenesis are known and understood in mechanistic terms, little is known about the molecular details of bacterium/host interactions. We report here the solution structure of the 'repeated' adhesion domains (domains R1 ...

Choline requirements for dairy cattle are unknown. However, enhanced post-ruminal supply of choline may increase flux through the methionine cycle to spare Met other functions such as protein synthesis and phosphatidylcholine (PC) during periods negative nutrient balance (NNB). The objective was investigate effects a feed restriction-induced NNB on hepatic abundance phosphorylation mTOR (mechan...

The enzyme CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (CCT) is essential in the lipid biosynthesis of Plasmodia (Haemosporida), presenting a promising antimalarial target. Here, we identified two independent gene duplication events of CCT within Apicomplexa and characterized a truncated construct of Plasmodium falciparum CCT that forms a dimer resembling the molecular architecture of CCT enzymes f...

curcumin is a natural polyphenolic compound with anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidation properties. low water solubility and rapid hydrolytic degradation are two challenges limiting use of curcumin as therapeutic agent. in the current study, the role of the native/modified forms of bovine serum albumin (bsa) and casein, as food-grade biopolymers and safe drug delivery systems, on th...

Mycoplasma fermentans strains differ in the profile of choline-containing phosphoglycolipids (PGL) present in their cell membrane. MfGL-II [Zähringer et al. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 26262-26270] was found to be the major PGL in most strains tested. However, in the pulmonary isolates, M52 and M39 the major choline-containing PGLs were MfGL-I [Matsuda et al. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 33123-331...

background: tumour suppressor genes such as tp53, brca1 and rad51 are involved in dna repair and their malfunctions result in genomic instability and cancer. wild type (wt) tp53 binds to brca1and rad51 in vivo and in vitro. however, mutated tp53 in tumours can interfere with wt tp53 function. we studied how mutation of tp53 in mda-mb-468 cell line could affect its binding capacity and interfere...

Synthesis of the compatible solute glycine betaine confers a considerable degree of osmotic stress tolerance to Bacillus subtilis. This osmoprotectant is produced through the uptake of the precursor choline via the osmotically inducible OpuB and OpuC ABC transporters and a subsequent two-step oxidation process by the GbsB and GbsA enzymes. We characterized a regulatory protein, GbsR, controllin...

Effects of different levels of choline and garlic powder on performance, liver health and immune response in broiler chickens were evaluated in this study. A factorial experiment with 2 dietary choline levels (the recommended level in Ross 308 broiler guidelines and 25 % less than the recommendation) and 3 dietary garlic powder levels (0, 5 or 10 g/kg diet) was conducted using Ross 308 broiler ...

A mutant human m5 receptor containing the mutations of Ser465 to Tyr and Thr466 to Pro showed constitutive activity. By replacing the equivalent Ser388 with Tyr and Thr389 with Pro, we created a mutant human m1 (Hm1) receptor with comparable double mutations. The mutant receptor, Hm1(Ser388Tyr, Thr389Pro), was stably expressed in A9 L cells and displayed enhanced responses to classical muscarin...

A link exists between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) biogenesis and the unfolded protein response (UPR), a complex set of signaling mechanisms triggered by increased demands on the protein folding capacity of the ER. The UPR transcriptional activator X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) regulates the expression of proteins that function throughout the secretory pathway and is necessary for development of...