It was confirmed that delta 5,7-sterol delta 7-reductase activity was suppressed by cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) in the enzyme system consisted of microsomes and sterol carrier protein (SCP). The enzyme activity was significantly decreased in the combination with microsomes obtained from either vitamin D-deficient or vitamin D3-treated rat liver and with SCP obtained from vitamin D3-treated rat...

PURPOSE Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] varies greatly with season at northern latitudes. The purpose of this study was to determine if the seasonal variations in serum total 25(OH)D are followed by a concomitant variation in free 25(OH)D or if the variation is damped by alterations in the binding capacity of DBP. METHODS Serum was collected from 540 healthy blood donors (60% men; mean a...

Undegraded polyribosome preparations may be obtained from chick intestinal mucosa if ribonuclease activity is strictly controlled. This is best achieved by homogenization of the mucosa directly in rat liver cell-sap. 2. The extent of amino acid incorporation by chick intestinal polyribosomes is greatly influenced by the source of the cell-sap. Sephadex-treated intestinal cell-sap caused impaire...

We investigate binding of linoleate and other potential ligands to the recently discovered fatty acid site in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, using docking molecular dynamics simulations. Simulations suggest that dexamethasone stabilize locked conformation, thus reducing opportunity for ACE2 interaction. In contrast, cholesterol may expose receptor-binding domain by destabilizing closed structure, pr...

Vitamin D binding protein (DBP) concentration is known to influence the availability and bioactivity of vitamin D metabolites but its diurnal rhythm (DR), its inter-relationships with the DRs of vitamin D metabolites and its influence on free vitamin D metabolite concentrations are not well described. The DRs of plasma total 25(OH)D, total 1,25(OH)2D, DBP, albumin and calculated free 25(OH)D an...

INTRODUCTION Developmental vitamin D (DVD) deficiency is a candidate risk factor for schizophrenia. Animal models have confirmed that DVD deficiency is associated with a range of altered genomic, proteomic, structural and behavioural outcomes in the rat. Because the nucleus accumbens has been implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders, in the current study we examined protein expression in this r...

Steroid hormones are central regulators of a variety of biological processes. According to the free hormone hypothesis, steroids enter target cells by passive diffusion. However, recently we demonstrated that 25(OH) vitamin D(3) complexed to its plasma carrier, the vitamin D-binding protein, enters renal proximal tubules by receptor-mediated endocytosis. Knockout mice lacking the endocytic rece...

SCOPE Vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) status has an effect on and can potentially improve the status of 25(OH) vitamin D and increase the metabolic actions of 25(OH) vitamin D under physiological and pathological conditions. Diabetes is associated with lower levels of glutathione (GSH) and 25(OH) vitamin D. This study examined the hypothesis that upregulation of GSH will also upregulate blood ...