Antimicrobial peptides have been widely identified from amphibian skins except salamanders. A novel antimicrobial peptide (CFBD) was isolated and characterized from skin secretions of the salamander, Cynops fudingensis. The cDNA encoding CFBD precursor was cloned from the skin cDNA library of C. fudingensis. The precursor was composed of three domains: signal peptide of 17 residues, mature pept...

Multiple crystal structures of the homo-trimeric protein disulphide isomerase PmScsC reveal that peptide which links trimerization stalk and catalytic domain can adopt helical, β-strand loop conformations. This region has been called a ‘shape-shifter’ peptide. Characterisation this using NMR experiments MD simulations shown it is essentially disordered in solution. Analysis identifies role inte...

Accumulations of insoluble deposits of amyloid β-peptide are major pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer disease. Amyloid β-peptide is derived by sequential proteolytic processing from a large type I trans-membrane protein, the β-amyloid precursor protein. The proteolytic enzymes involved in its processing are named secretases. β- and γ-secretase liberate by sequential cleavage the neurotoxic amy...

β(2)-glycoprotein I (β(2)GPI) is the major antigenic target for antiphospholipid Abs. Anti-β(2)GPI Abs are a heterogeneous population of Igs targeting all domains of the molecule. Abs specific to β(2)GPI domain I are strongly associated with thrombosis and obstetric complications. In the present study, we sought to understand the possible pathogenic mechanism for this subset of anti-β(2)GPI Abs...

Peptides can be developed as effective antagonists of protein-protein interactions, but conventional peptides (i.e., oligomers of l-α-amino acids) suffer from significant limitations in vivo. Short half-lives due to rapid proteolytic degradation and an inability to cross cell membranes often preclude biological applications of peptides. Oligomers that contain both α- and β-amino acid residues (...

Natriuretic Peptide: A Probable Culprit in Prevention of Primary Cardiovascular Diseases Using β-Blockers To the Editor: This letter refers to “The Value of N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide in Determining Antihypertensive Benefit: Observations From the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial (ASCOT)” by Welsh et al1 The 2014 evidence-based guideline for the management of high blood p...

C-peptide is secreted from pancreatic β cells at an equimolar ratio to insulin. Since, in contrast to insulin, C-peptide is not extracted by the liver and other organs, C-peptide reflects endogenous insulin secretion more accurately than insulin. C-peptide is therefore used as a marker of β cell function. C-peptide has been mainly used to assess the presence of an insulin-dependent state for th...

UNLABELLED The antibiotic streptothricin (ST) possesses an amino sugar bound to an l-β-lysine (β-Lys) residue via a peptide bond. The peptide bond formation has been shown to be catalyzed by a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) during ST biosynthesis. The focus of this study is the closely related ST analogue BD-12, which carries a glycine-derived side chain rather than a β-Lys residue. Her...

We performed an enzymatic screening of synthetic peptides based on β-amyloid precursor protein substrates. The template peptide sequence was a decapeptide derived from our previous study, which determined several effective unnatural amino acids. In this new libraries containing some acid compounds were prepared in the solid phase and digested with β-site amyloid protein-cleaving enzyme. reactio...

Protein misfolding disorders are associated with conformational changes in specific proteins, leading to the formation of potentially neurotoxic amyloid fibrils. During pathogenesis of prion disease, the prion protein misfolds into β-sheet rich, protease-resistant isoforms. A key, hydrophobic domain within the prion protein, comprising residues 109-122, recapitulates many properties of the full...