A chimeric protein vaccine composed of the cholera toxin B subunit fused to proinsulin (CTB-INS) was shown to suppress type 1 diabetes onset in NOD mice and upregulate biosynthesis of the tryptophan catabolic enzyme indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO1) in human dendritic cells (DCs). Here we demonstrate siRNA inhibition of the NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK) suppresses vaccine-induced IDO1 biosynthe...

retinal pigment epithelium is responsible for maintaining the structural integrity of the retina by an efficient defense against free radicals, photo-oxidative exposure and light energy. for this purpose the main rpe line of defense is melanosomes. melanin content of retinal pigment epithelium cells in adults and neonates reveals remarkable variations. in the current study we compared melanogen...

as an aromatic and colorful plant of substantive taste, saffron (crocus sativus l.) owes such properties of matter to growing class of the secondary metabolites derived from the carotenoids, apocarotenoids. regarding the critical role of micrornas in secondary metabolic synthesis and the limited number of identified mirnas in c. sativus, on the other hand, one may see the point how the characte...

The biosynthesis of isopentenyl diphosphate (isopentenyl pyrophosphate), the precursor of isoprenoids in all forms of life, occurs by two distinct metabolic pathways, the mevalonate pathway (Fig. 1) and the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate/pyruvate pathway, often termed the nonmevalonate pathway (17). Whereas many gram-negative bacteria employ the nonmevalonate pathway (26), humans, other eukaryotes,...

For the first time, glyoxylate pathway in the biosynthesis of succinate was activated without the genetic manipulations of any gene related with glyoxylate pathway. Furthermore, the inactivation of succinate biosynthesis by-products genes encoding acetate kinase (ackA) and phosphotransacetylase (pta) was proven to be the key factor to activate glyoxylate pathway in the metabolically engineered ...

One of the classical functions of the plant hormone cytokinin is the regulation of plastid development, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, we employed a genetic approach to evaluate the role of cytokinin and its signaling pathway in the light-induced development of chloroplasts from etioplasts in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Cytokinin increases the rat...

Vitamin B6 is well known in its biochemically active form as pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, an essential cofactor of numerous metabolic enzymes. The vitamin is also implicated in numerous human body functions ranging from modulation of hormone function to its recent discovery as a potent antioxidant. Its de novo biosynthesis occurs only in bacteria, fungi and plants, making it an essential nutrient in...

Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonosis of global concern caused by Leptospira interrogans. The availability of ligand libraries has facilitated the search for novel drug targets using chemogenomics approaches, compared with the traditional method of drug discovery, which is time consuming and yields few leads with little intracellular information for guiding target selection. Recent subtractive ...

Halophilic euryarchaea lack many of the genes necessary for the protoporphyrin-dependent heme biosynthesis pathway previously identified in animals and plants. Bioinformatic analysis suggested the presence of two heme biosynthetic processes, an Fe-coproporphyrinogen III (coproheme) decarboxylase (ChdC) pathway and an alternative heme biosynthesis (Ahb) pathway, in Haloferax volcanii. PitA is sp...

Bile acids are important physiological agents required for disposal of cholesterol and absorption of vitamins and fats. Bile acids are synthesized from cholesterol in the liver. Enterohepatic circulation of bile acids is very efficient and plays an important physiological role in lipid absorption and secretion, and regulation of bile acid biosynthesis and cholesterol homeostasis. Conversion of ...