von Willebrand factor (vWF) is a large multimeric, multidomain glycoprotein found in platelets, endothelial cells and plasma. The A1, A2, and A3 domains in vWF mediate binding to glycoprotein Ib, ristocetin, botrocetin, collagen, sulphatides, and heparin and provide a protease cleavage site. Mutations causing types 2B, 2M, and 2A von Willebrand's disease (vWD) are located in the A1 and A2 domai...

Besides its nutritional value, bovine beta-casein is a source of bioactive peptides called betacasomorphins produced during digestion of raw or processed milk. It was shown that the betacasomorphin 7 originates only from beta-casein variants A1 or B and may be a significant risk factor in human ischemic heart disease, arteriosclerosis, type I diabetes and sudden infant death syndrome. In this s...

Physiological concentrations of NaCl inhibit the hydrolysis of von Willebrand factor (VWF) by ADAMTS-13. This effect is because of the specific binding of chloride ions to VWF. Urea-induced unfolding was measured in the presence of NaCl, CH3COONa, and NaClO4 at pH 8.0, 25 degrees C, for multimeric VWF, the recombinant A1-A2-A3 VWF domains, and the A1 domain. Chloride stabilizes the folded confo...

objectives: accurate localization of the inferior alveolar canal (iac) is extremely important in some dental treatments. anatomical variation of the canal means that it can be difficult to locate. the purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of the gonial angle (ga) size and iac position using cone beam computed tomography (cbct). materials and methods: in this in vitro study, 61 dr...

Dimorphic mating-type chromosomes in fungi are excellent models for understanding the genomic consequences of recombination suppression. Their suppressed recombination and reduced effective population size are expected to limit the efficacy of natural selection, leading to genomic degeneration. Our aim was to identify the sequences of the mating-type chromosomes (a1 and a2) of the anther-smut f...

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disorder with increased risk for thrombosis and pregnancy losses. β2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI) is the major antigen for clinically relevant antibodies in APS. We engineered a molecule, A1-A1, which interferes with 2 prothrombotic mechanisms in APS: the binding of β2GPI to negatively charged cellular surfaces and ApoE receptor 2. We studied how A1-A1...

Amyloidogenic processing of the beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) has been implicated in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. Because it has been suggested that catabolic processing of the APP holoprotein occurs in acidic intracellular compartments, we studied the effects of the protonophore carbonyl cyanide p-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone (FCCP) and the H+-ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin ...

ACE type 2 (ACE2) functions as a negative regulator of the renin-angiotensin system by cleaving angiotensin II (AII) into angiotensin 1-7 (A1-7). This study assessed the role of endogenous ACE2 in maintaining insulin sensitivity. Twelve-week-old male ACE2 knockout (ACE2KO) mice had normal insulin sensitivities when fed a standard diet. AII infusion or a high-fat, high-sucrose (HFHS) diet impair...

• Collagen 4 binds to the VWF A1 domain, and this binding is reduced or abrogated by select VWF A1 domain sequence variations. • Platelet binding to collagen 4 under flow conditions is dependent on the presence of VWF. Von Willebrand factor (VWF) contains binding sites for platelets and for vascular collagens to facilitate clot formation at sites of injury. Although previous work has shown that...