Parasitism genes encoding secreted effector proteins of plant-parasitic nematodes play important roles in facilitating parasitism. An annexin-like gene was isolated from the cereal cyst nematode Heterodera avenae (termed Ha-annexin) and had high similarity to annexin 2, which encodes a secreted protein of Globodera pallida. Ha-annexin encodes a predicted 326 amino acid protein containing four c...

Annexin A2 is an abundant cellular protein that is mainly localized in the cytoplasm and plasma membrane, however a small population has been found in the nucleus, suggesting a nuclear function for the protein. Annexin A2 possesses a nuclear export sequence (NES) and inhibition of the NES is sufficient to cause nuclear accumulation. Here we show that annexin A2 accumulates in the nucleus in res...

Deficient wound healing in diabetic patients is very frequent, but the cellular and molecular causes are poorly defined. In this study, we have evaluated whether Annexin A1 derived peptide Ac2-26 stimulates fibroblast migration in high glucose conditions. Using normal human skin fibroblasts WS1 in low glucose (LG) or high glucose (HG) we observed the enrichment of Annexin A1 protein at cell mov...

The bisecting N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) structure, formed through catalysis by UDP-N-acetylglucosamine : beta-D-mannoside beta-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyltansferase III (GnT-III), is responsible for a variety of biological functions. We have previously shown that annexin V, a member of the calcium/phospholipid-binding annexin family of proteins, has binding activity toward the bisecting GlcNAc ...

Annexins are a family of 13 proteins known to bind phospholipids (PL) in a Ca(2+)-dependent way. They are ubiquitous proteins and share a similar structure characterized by a conserved C-terminal domain with Ca(2+) binding sites and a variable N-terminal domain. Depending on Ca(2+) concentration, they have been reported to participate in a variety of membrane-related events such as exocytosis, ...

2 Declaration I Mark Andrew Evans confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. Abstract Diabetes affects around 2.3 million people in the UK and can lead to both acute and chronic complications. One of the chronic effects of diabetes is the damage that occurs to the vascular...

Annexins are a family of intracellular proteins that bind membrane phospholipids in a Ca2+ concentration-dependent manner and are involved in cellular processes, including apoptosis, proliferation and differentiation. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) has been hypothesized to be critical in the angiogenesis of tumors. We hypothesized that Annexin A3, a member of the Annexin family, and HIF-1...

Annexin A2 and heparin bind to one another with high affinity and in a calcium-dependentmanner, an interaction thatmay play a role inmediating fibrinolysis. In this study, three heparinderived oligosaccharides of different lengths were co-crystallized with annexin A2 to elucidate the structural basis of the interaction. Crystal structures were obtained at high resolution for uncomplexed annexin...

Hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) is an important second messenger in cellular signal transduction. H(2)O(2)-dependent signalling regulates many cellular processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, migration and apoptosis. Nevertheless, H(2)O(2) is an oxidant and a major contributor to DNA damage, protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation, which can ultimately result in cell death and/or tumou...