Pantothenate kinase (CoaA) is a key regulator of coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis in Escherichia coli, and its activity is controlled by feedback inhibition by CoA and its thioesters. The importance of feedback inhibition in the control of the intracellular CoA levels was tested by constructing three site-directed mutants of CoaA that were predicted to be feedback resistant based on the crystal st...

Mutations in the pantothenate kinase 2 (PANK2) gene have been identified in patients with neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA; formerly Hallervorden–Spatz disease). However, the mechanisms by which these mutations cause neurodegeneration are unclear, especially given the existence of multiple pantothenate kinase genes in humans and multiple PanK2 transcripts with potentially di...

AIM To examine the role of microRNA 1181 (miR-1181) in invasion and proliferation in pancreatic cancer. METHODS We analyzed the expression of miR-1181 in several pancreatic cancer cell lines and generated stable MIA-PaCa-2 and PANC-1 cell lines with up-regulated miR-1181 expression using an adenovirus delivery system. We then investigated miR-1181's effect on invasion and proliferation of pan...

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone capable of restoring normal glucose tolerance in aging glucose-intolerant Wistar rats. Whether the antidiabetic properties of GLP-1 are exclusively due to its insulin secretory activity remains to be determined. A GLP-1-dependent differentiation of pancreatic precursor cells into mature beta-cells has recently been proposed. The aim of this...

The ability of normal and pantothenic acid-deficient rats to acetylate a foreign substance was compared by injection of p-aminobenzoic acid (PAB) and the subsequent measurement of the acetylated PAB excreted. Young male rats weighing around 100 gm. or mature rats averaging over 300 gm. were used in various experiments. Those selected for pantothenate deficiency were given a purified diet free o...

Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) is a rare, inborn error of metabolism characterized by iron accumulation in the basal ganglia and by the presence of dystonia, dysarthria, and retinal degeneration. Mutations in pantothenate kinase 2 (PANK2), the rate-limiting enzyme in mitochondrial coenzyme A biosynthesis, represent the most common genetic cause of this disorder. How mut...

BACKGROUND Pantothenate-kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by progressive extrapyramidal signs, visual loss, and cognitive impairment. PKAN is caused by mutations in the pantothenate kinase gene (PANK2), which is located on chromosome 20p13 and encodes pantothenate kinase, the key regulatory enzyme in coenzyme-A ...

A microsomal glycoprotein that catalyzes the hydrolysis of pantetheine to pantothenate and cysteamine was solubilized and purified to homogeneity as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis. The enzyme from pig kidney cortex was solubilized on exposure to butanol and purified by heat treatment, ammonium sulfate fractionation, hydrophobic chromatography, and hydroxyapatite chromatogr...

The ability of normal and pantothenic acid-deficient rats to acetylate a foreign substance was compared by injection of p-aminobenzoic acid (PAB) and the subsequent measurement of the acetylated PAB excreted. Young male rats weighing around 100 gm. or mature rats averaging over 300 gm. were used in various experiments. Those selected for pantothenate deficiency were given a purified diet free o...