The p53 family of proteins is comprised of p53, p63 and p73. Because the p53 DNA binding domain (DBD) is naturally unstable and possesses an amyloidogenic sequence, it is prone to form amyloid fibrils, causing loss of functions. To develop p53 therapies, it is necessary to understand the molecular basis of p53 instability and aggregation. Light scattering, thioflavin T (ThT) and high hydrostati...

Schematic of nuclear receptor structure and function. ERRa is a member of the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily of transcription factors and is most closely related to estrogen receptor alpha (ERa). The modular structure of NRs consists of seven (A-F) domains. The A/B region, which harbors activation function 1 (AF-1), is not well-conserved across NRs, but regions C and E are highly conserved a...

The solution structure of a 24.4 kDa specific complex of the DNA-binding domain (DBD) of the human ETS1 (hETS1) oncoprotein with a 17-mer DNA has been solved by NMR. The interaction of the hETS1 DBD with DNA reveals a surprising twist on the general features of helix-turn-helix (HTH)-DNA interactions. Major groove recognition involves the C-terminal two thirds of the HTH recognition helix, whil...

The peripheral nervous system (PNS) of Drosophila offers a powerful system to precisely identify individual cells and dissect their genetic pathways of development. The mode of specification of a subset of larval PNS cells, the multiple dendritic (md) neurons (or type II neurons), is complex and still poorly understood. Within the dorsal thoracic and abdominal segments, two md neurons, dbd and ...

It can be learned that the equivalent viscous damping ratio is a crucial parameter in the application of the displacement based (DBD) method. Analytical studies presented here and elsewhere indicate that the equivalent viscous damping ratio is highly dependent on the axial load level. Furthermore, the same can apply for the loading type; namely, seismic and blast loads. Based on research findin...

The equivalent viscous damping (EVD) ratio is a crucial parameter in the application of the displacement based design (DBD) method. Previous works have correlated the EVD ratio as a function of the displacement ductility level based on the hysteretic response of reinforced concrete members subjected to blast loads. Furthermore, the displacement response factor (DRF) for blast loads was proved t...

Concerns have been expressed about the overuse of antibiotics in inpatient settings. We compared the pattern of antibiotic use in 2010 in a surgical unit of a university hospital in the Islamic Republic of Iran with similar data from 2006. Defined daily doses per 100 bed-days (DBD) were calculated. Overall use of antibiotics in our surgical unit increased significantly from a mean of 4.9 (SD 5....

OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to compare blood serum kynurenic acid (KYNA) concentrations measured before ECT and after 1, 6 and 12 electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) sessions in patients with diagnoses of recurrent depressive disorder (RDD), depression in bipolar disorder (DBD) and schizoaffective disorder (SAD). METHODS The study group comprised of 50 patients with ICD-10 diagn...

While the structure of the DNA-binding domain (DBD) of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) has been determined in great detail, the roles of its domains and how to bind the motif of its target genes are still under debate. The VDR DBD consists of two zinc finger modules and a C-terminal extension (CTE), at the end of the C-terminal of each structure presenting α-helix. For the first zinc finger struct...

The RFX DNA binding domain (DBD) is a novel highly conserved motif belonging to a large number of dimeric DNA binding proteins which have diverse regulatory functions in eukaryotic organisms, ranging from yeasts to human. To characterize this novel motif, solid phase synthesis of a 76mer polypeptide corresponding to the DBD of human hRFX1 (hRFX1/DBD), a prototypical member of the RFX family, ha...