The 42-kDa angiogenin binding protein isolated previously has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. It has been identified as a member of the actin family by peptide mapping and partial amino acid sequencing. The interaction of bovine muscle actin with angiogenin is similar to that of the angiogenin binding protein. Angiogenin induces the polymerization of actin below the critical conce...

Polystyrene surfaces obtained by spin-coating a solution of polystyrene in toluene on a gold layer were functionalized with carboxylic acid groups by preadsorption of the sodium salt of undecylenic acid, followed by an argon plasma treatment. A conjugate of albumin and heparin (alb-hep) was covalently immobilized onto the functionalized surface via preactivation of carboxylic acid groups with a...

Acylpeptide hydrolase may be involved in N-terminal deacetylation of nascent polypeptide chains and of bioactive peptides. The activity of this enzyme from human erythrocytes is sensitive to anions such as chloride, nitrate, and fluoride. Furthermore, blocked amino acids act as competitive inhibitors of the enzyme. Acetyl leucine chloromethyl ketone has been employed to identify one active site...

The antibacterial activity of water-soluble chitosan derivatives prepared by Maillard reactions against Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae, and Salmonella typhimurium was examined. Relatively high antibacterial activity against various microorganisms was noted for the chitosan-glucosamine derivative as compared to the acid-solu...

This paper reviews the use of texture analysis in studying the performance of hydrophilic matrices of highly soluble drugs and different types of excipients (i.e. water-soluble, water-insoluble and swellable, and water insoluble and non-swellable). Tablets were prepared by direct compression, and their swelling and erosion in presence of these different excipients were assessed with the help of...

Photosystem II (PSII), a large multisubunit pigment-protein complex localized in the thylakoid membrane of cyanobacteria and chloroplasts, mediates light-driven evolution of oxygen from water. Recently, a high-resolution X-ray structure of the mature PSII complex has become available. Two PSII polypeptides, D1 and CP43, provide many of the ligands to an inorganic Mn(4)Ca center that is essentia...

This paper reviews the use of texture analysis in studying the performance of hydrophilic matrices of highly soluble drugs and different types of excipients (i.e. water-soluble, water-insoluble and swellable, and water insoluble and non-swellable). Tablets were prepared by direct compression, and their swelling and erosion in presence of these different excipients were assessed with the help of...

The sialic acid binding lectin from bullfrog Rana catesbeiana oocyte (cSBL) is known to have anti-tumor activity. In order to investigate the relationship between the net charge of cSBL and its anti-tumor effect, cSBL was modified with a water-soluble carbodiimide (EDC) in the presence of three kinds of nucleophiles, taurine, glycine methylester and ethylenediamine. cSBL having four carboxyl gr...

While fibroin isolated from the cocoons of domesticated silkworm Bombyx mori supports growth of human corneal limbal epithelial (HLE) cells, the mechanism of cell attachment remains unclear. In the present study we sought to enhance the attachment of HLE cells to membranes of Bombyx mori silk fibroin (BMSF) through surface functionalization with an arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD)-containin...

The dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD)-binding proteolipid of the chloroplast ATPase complex was solubilized in 1-butanol, isolated by ion exchange chromatography, and reconstituted in a liposomal system. Proton-conducting activity was monitored by fluorometry with 9-aminoacridine as an indicator of delta pH in K+-loaded liposomes suspended in a K+-free medium. Addition of valinomycin served to cr...