CrmA is a "cross-class" serpin family inhibitor of the proapoptotic serine protease, granzyme B, as well as cysteine proteases of the caspase family. To determine whether crmA inhibits these structurally diverse proteases by a common conformational trapping mechanism, we mapped the position of the protease in crmA complexes with granzyme B or caspase-1 by fluorescence perturbation and fluoresce...

Abstract: Permeable reactive barriers installed at a gold mine and at a chemical manufacturing facility have been effectively remediating arsenic contaminated groundwater since they were installed in 2002. At the mine site, the PRB is pilot scale and uses a reactive mixture consisting of zero valent iron filings and organic carbon derived from locally available wood chips. For experimental cont...

Neutrophils are essential to the acute inflammatory response, where they serve as the first line of defense against infiltrating pathogens. We report that, on receiving the necessary signals, teleost (Carassius auratus) neutrophils leave the hematopoietic kidney, enter into the circulation, and dominate the initial influx of cells into a site of inflammation. Unlike mammals, teleost neutrophils...

Two haloenol lactones have been shown to inactivate alpha-chymotrypsin by an enzyme-mediated process. According to the postulated mechanism, acylation of the active site serine by the haloenol lactone reveals an alpha-haloketone, which alkylates the enzyme at the active site and renders the enzyme inactive. The inactivation has been shown to require enzymatic activation of the inhibitor to its ...

Background: α1PDX and serpin B8 are proprotein convertase (PC) inhibitors whose specificity and selectivity for PCs are not understood. Results: α1PDX-serpin B8 and furin-PC chimeras revealed new serpin and protease (re)active-site and exosite determinants of reactivity. Conclusion: α1PDX reactive-site and exosite determinants may be exploited for engineering specificity and selectivity for inh...