Fumarate hydratases (FHs) are essential metabolic enzymes grouped into two classes. Here, we present the crystal structure of a class I FH, the cytosolic FH from Leishmania major, which reveals a previously undiscovered protein fold that coordinates a catalytically essential [4Fe-4S] cluster. Our 2.05 Å resolution data further reveal a dimeric architecture for this FH that resembles a heart, wi...

Some microbial pathogens utilize human complement regulatory proteins, such as factor H (FH) and factor H-like protein 1 (FHL-1), for immune evasion. FbaA is an FHL-1 and FH binding protein expressed on the surface of group A streptococcus (GAS), a common agent of pharyngeal, skin, and soft tissue infections. In this study, we prepared monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against FbaA, assayed them for...

To cause infections microbes need to evade host defense systems, one of these being the evolutionarily old and important arm of innate immunity, the alternative pathway of complement. It can attack all kinds of targets and is tightly controlled in plasma and on host cells by plasma complement regulator factor H (FH). FH binds simultaneously to host cell surface structures such as heparin or gly...

Platelet/granulocyte aggregates (PGAs) increase thromboinflammation in the vasculature, and PGA formation is tightly controlled by the complement alternative pathway (AP) negative regulator, Factor H (FH). Mutations in FH are associated with the prothrombotic disease atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), yet it is unknown whether increased PGA formation contributes to the thrombosis seen i...

Objectives: The objective of the study is to determine relationships between ramus height and occlusal planes (OPs) in Han Chinese individuals with normal occlusion. Materials Methods: Two hundred four participants occlusion were included their cephalograms analyzed. (Ar-Go), Frankfort horizontal plane-posterior OP (FH-POP), FH-anterior (FH-AOP) FH-OP, anterior posterior cranial base length, SN...

Low density lipoproteins (LDLs) were isolated by ultracentrifugation and radiolabeled with 111In. The in vitro binding of these radiolabels onto platelets of normolipemic volunteers (n = 15) and patients (n = 36) with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) was investigated. Binding was saturable and indicated high-affinity binding sites capable of binding 1,757 +/- 289 ng protein of 11...

Fusion genes implicating the MLL gene have been recently demonstrated in various 11q23 chromosomal abnormalities in human hematopoietic malignancies. We analyzed a t(6;11)(q21;q23) translocation detected in a secondary acute myeloblastic leukemia. This translocation results in fusion of the MLL gene on 11q23 to a previously unknown gene on chromosome 6 that differs from the previously reported ...

When bound to the envelope of viruses, factor H (FH), a soluble regulator of complement activation, contributes to the protection against a potent immune defense mechanism, the complement-mediated lysis (CML). Thus, removing FH from the surface renders viruses, such as HIV, susceptible to CML. For a proof of concept, we developed a construct consisting of recombinant bifunctional single-chain v...

BACKGROUND The fermented leaves and stems of Cyclopia intermedia are used to brew honeybush tea, a herbal tea indigenous to South Africa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of fermented honeybush extracts (FH ex) and scale-up fermented honeybush extracts (SFH ex) against ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced damage in HaCaT keratinocytes. To this end, we examined UVB-induced cell...

A direct-methods procedure has been proposed for separating the phase doublet resulting from the use of either isomorphous replacement or anomalous scattering techniques. The phase doublet is expressed as ~#u= ~h±lA~.l. Formulae combining the structure-factor relationships with the phase-doublet information are given. Problems concerning the practical applications are also discussed. A test cal...