heavy metal toxicity has serious adverse effects on the environment. the metal sequestering characteristics of a novel metal binding peptide (glu-cys) 11 gly+linker+hexahistidine (ec 11 :his 6 ) was investigated to determine if it can absorb cu 2+ or zn 2+ cations. molecular dynamics simulations were carried out using a model of 6 cu 2+ or zn 2+ and other ions enclosed in a fully hydrated simul...

The metastatic potential of some tumor cells is associated with the expression of the neolactoseries antigens sialyl-Lewis x (sLex) and sialyl-Lewis a (sLea) as they are ligands for selectins. We have recently shown that peptide mimetics of these antigens can potentiate IgG2a antibodies, which are associated with a Th1-type cellular response. As L-selectin is preferentially expressed on CD4+ Th...

phage-displayed random peptide libraries (rpl) provide a powerful technique for identification, structural and functional analysis of ligands for many different target molecules, including, antibodies, receptors or other proteins. this strategy has been verified to be an effective tool for research in immunology and successfully has been used to determine the target sequence for monoclonal and ...

We have previously demonstrated that calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) plays a counterregulatory role in subtotal nephrectomy-salt (SN-salt) hypertension through an increase in vascular responsiveness to the dilator activity of this neuropeptide. Substance P (SP) is often co-localized with CGRP in perivascular sensory nerves. To determine the role and mechanism of action of SP in SN-salt h...

Heat-stable microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) were isolated from rat liver crude extract. The most prominent species showed a molecular mass close to that of bovine adrenal 190-kDa MAP (Kotani, S., Murofushi, H., Maekawa, S., Sato, C., and Sakai, H. (1986) Eur. J. Biochem. 156, 23-29), termed rat 190-kDa MAP. Immunological studies with antiserum against the rat 190-kDa MAP showed that this...

We demonstrate that an invariant polypeptide, first described by Jones et al. (21), co-immunoprecipitates with our Ia molecules, that its interaction with Ia polypeptides varies with haplotype, and that it is not a precursor of the Aalpha, Abeta, Ealpha, or Ebeta. polypeptides. We also show that the polypeptides that we have previously characterized are contaminated with very little, if any, in...

Peptide inhibitors of Methuselah (Mth), a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), were reported that can extend the life span of Drosophila melanogaster. Mth is a class B GPCR, which is characterized by a large, N-terminal ectodomain that is often involved with ligand recognition. The crystal structure of the Mth ectodomain, which binds to the peptide inhibitors with high affinity, was previously de...

OBJECTIVES Blood-based Interferon-Gamma Release Assays (IGRA) identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) sensitisation with increased specificity, but sensitivity remains impaired in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected persons. The QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test contains peptide 38-55 of Rv2654c, based on data indicating differential recognition between tuberculosis patients and BCG va...

Protein spots from two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis of a human erythroleukemia cell line have been identified by analysis of the in-gel tryptic digests using capillary high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation with on-line detection using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). This is performed using an electrospray/ion trap storage/reflectron time-of-flight...