A mouse anti-anti-anti-idiotypic (Id) IgM monoclonal antibody (mAb K20, Ab4), functionally mimicking a Wyckerhamomyces anomalus (Pichia anomala) killer toxin (KT) characterized by fungicidal activity against yeasts presenting specific cell wall receptors (KTR) mainly constituted by β-1,3-glucan, was produced from animals presenting anti-KT Abs (Ab3) following immunization with a rat IgM anti-Id...

The interaction between brain ischemia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been intensively investigated recently. Nevertheless, we have not yet understood the nature and mechanisms of the ischemic episodes triggering the onset of AD and how they influence its slow progression. The assumed connection between brain ischemia and the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide awaits to be clearly explain...

X iv :c on dm at /0 30 84 17 v1 [ co nd -m at .s of t] 2 0 A ug 2 00 3 Helix vs. Sheet Formation in a Small Peptide Yong Peng and Ulrich H.E. Hansmann ∗ Department of Physics, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931-1291, USA (February 2, 2008) Segments with the amino acid sequence EKAYLRT appear in natural occurring proteins both in α-helices and β-sheets. For this reason, we hav...

Nonribosomal peptide synthetases are versatile engines of bioactive natural product biosynthesis that function according to the multiple carrier thiotemplate mechanism. C-terminal thioesterase (TE) domains of these giant modular proteins typically catalyze product release by hydrolysis or macrocyclization. We now report an unprecedented, dual-function TE that is involved in the biosynthesis of ...

TGF-β is considered a master switch in the pathogenesis of organ fibrosis. The primary mediators of this activity are the SMAD proteins, particularly SMAD3. In the current study, we have developed a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) conjugate of the HIV TAT protein that is fused to an aminoterminal sequence of sorting nexin 9 (SNX9), which was previously shown to bind phosphorylated SMAD3 (pSMAD3)...

Design strategies were devised for α/β-peptide foldameric analogues of the antiangiogenic anginex with the goal of mimicking the diverse structural features from the unordered conformation to a folded β-sheet in response to membrane interactions. Structure-activity relationships were investigated in the light of different β-sheet folding levels.

Ovalbumin-derived peptides IFYCPIAIM, NIFYCPIAIM and YCPIAIMSA, containing a common region YCPIAIM, were previously identified as aggregation-prone with variable fibril formation. In this study, we elucidated self-assembly mechanisms of the peptides, by determining influence on sulfhydryl group accessibility. The free content antioxidant capacity results demonstrate that assemble into β-sheets,...

Autoantibody catalyzed hydrolysis of amyloid β peptide* Hiroaki Taguchi Stephanie Planque, Yasuhiro Nishiyama, Jindrich Symersky, Stephane Boivin, Paul Szabo, Robert P. Friedland, Paul A. Ramsland, Allen B. Edmundson, Marc E. Weksler, Sudhir Paul Chemical Immunology Research Center, Univ of Texas Houston Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New Yo...

Amyloid deposits are implicated in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The inhibition of β-sheet formation has been considered as the primary therapeutic strategy for AD. Increasing data show that nanoparticles can retard or promote the fibrillation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides depending on the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles, however,...

Homopolymers of β-lactams can be grown by surface-initiated polymerization. These surface-linked β-peptides are living polymers with the potential to be utilized as tunable, protease-resistant interfaces in multiphase structural composites where the characteristics of the interface influence bulk properties.