Thiamine (vitamin B1) is required in the diet of animals, and thiamine deficiency leads to diseases such as beri-beri and the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Dietary thiamine (vitamin B1) consists mainly of thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), which is transformed into thiamine by gastrointestinal phosphatases before absorption. It is believed that TPP itself cannot be transported across plasma membranes...

We analyzed the interaction between polyamines and the outer membrane of Escherichia coli cells using potentiometric measurements with Ca(2+), tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP(+)), and K(+) electrodes. The Ca(2+) electrode was used to examine the ability of the polyamines to release Ca(2+) from the outer membrane. The TPP(+) electrode was used to examine the ability to permeabilize the outer membran...

The oligopeptidase tripeptidyl-peptidase II (TPP II) is up-regulated Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cells that overexpress the c-myc proto-oncogene and is required for their growth and survival. Here we show that overexpression of TPP II induces accelerated growth and resistance to apoptosis in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. This correlates with the appearance of multiple chromosomal aberrations, n...

A transketolase reaction was catalyzed by cyanide ion under prebiotic conditions instead of its modern catalyst, thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP). Cyanide ion converted fructose plus glyceraldehyde to erythrose plus xylulose, the same products as are formed in modern biochemistry (but without the phosphate groups on the sugars). Cyanide was actually a better catalyst than was TPP in simple solution...

Objective. Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) is a potentially life-threatening complication of Graves' disease (GD). The present study compared the long-term efficacy of antithyroid drugs (ATD), radioactive iodine (RAI), and surgery in GD/TPP. Methods. Sixteen patients with GD/TPP were followed over a 14-year period. ATD was generally prescribed upfront for 12-18 months before RAI or surgery ...

BACKGROUND The current low access to virological testing to confirm chronic viraemic HCV infection in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) is limiting the rollout of hepatitis C (HCV) care. Existing tests are complex, costly and require sophisticated laboratory infrastructure. Diagnostic manufacturers need guidance on the optimal characteristics a virological test needs to have to ensure the...

The potent anti-malarial drug artemisinins are additionally anti-tumorigenic and inhibitory to yeast growth. The action mechanism of artemisinins, however, is not well understood. Heme and mitochondrial membrane are both suggested to be involved in the action of artemisinins. Because heme is also synthesized in the mitochondrion, mitochondria appear to be a critical organelle for artemisinins' ...

Axenically grown Arabidopsis thaliana plants were analysed for the occurrence of trehalose. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, trehalose was unambiguously identified in extracts from Arabidopsis inflorescences. In a variety of organisms, the synthesis of trehalose is catalysed by trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS; EC 2.4.1.15) and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (T...