Experimental data suggest that atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) act locally as antifibrotic factors in heart. We investigated the interrelationships of natriuretic peptides and collagen markers in 93 patients receiving thrombolytic treatment for their first acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Collagen formation following AMI, evaluated as serum levels of amin...

The serine protease cathepsin G is synthesized during the promyelomonocytic stage of neutrophil and monocyte differentiation. After processing, including removal of an amino-terminal propeptide from the catalytically inactive proform, the active protease acquires a mature conformation and is stored in azurophil granules. To investigate the importance of the proform-conformation for targeting to...

An asparagine-proline-isoleucine-arginine-leucine (NPIRL) and its related sequences in the N-terminal propeptides (NTPP) of severa1 plant vacuolar proteins, including that of sporamin from sweet potato (SPO) function as vacuole-targeting determinants in a manner that is distinct from the vacuoie-targeting determinant in the CTPPs of other plant vacuolar proteins. When the mutant precursor to sp...

Featured Article: Risteli J, Elomaa I, Niemi S, Novamo A, Risteli L. Radioimmunoassay for the pyridinoline cross-linked carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type-I collagen: a new serum marker of bone-collagen degradation. Clin Chem 1993;39:635– 40. Our 1993 report described the in vitro production of a breakdown product of type I collagen that could be measured in human serum, which we called cross...

Procollagen C-proteinase enhancer (PCOLCE) proteins are extracellular matrix proteins that enhance the activities of procollagen C-proteinases by binding to the C-propeptide of procollagen I. PCOLCE proteins are built of three structural modules, consisting of two CUB domains followed by a C-terminal netrin-like (NTR) domain. While the enhancement of proteinase activity can be ascribed solely t...

Bone turnover markers (BTM) are gaining ground in clinical practice but to fully use their potential there is a need for establishing valid reference intervals (RI). Consequently, the purpose of study was establish general RI as well suggested carboxy-terminal cross-linked telopeptide type I collagen (?-CTX), pro-collagen N-terminal propeptide (PINP), osteocalcin (OC) and bone-specific alkaline...