OBJECTIVES Although the Val(158)Met catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene has been linked with the temperament dimension Novelty Seeking (NS), new insights in this polymorphism might point to a major role for character features as well. Given that individual life experiences may influence Val(158) and Met(158) allele carriers differently it has been suggested that the character trait coopera...

An antibody population which reacts only with human sickle cell hemoglobin (HbS) and not with normal human hemoglobin, has been isolated from goat, sheep, and guinea pig antisera. These antibody populations termed anti-Val (Val), isolated from an individual goat (no. 6) and sheep (no. 26) have been used to elicit anti-idiotypic responses in rabbits. These anti-idiotypic sera were used to study ...

The crystal structures of several designed peptide hairpins have been determined in order to establish features of molecular conformations and modes of aggregation in the crystals. Hairpin formation has been induced using a centrally positioned (D)Pro-Xxx segment (Xxx = (L)Pro, Aib, Ac6c, Ala; Aib = α-aminoisobutyric acid; Ac6c = 1-aminocyclohexane-1-carboxylic acid). Structures of the peptides...

The aim of this meta-analysis was to explore the association between the manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) gene polymorphism and breast cancer risk, and to investigate the interaction of this gene polymorphism with known risk factors for breast cancer. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for breast cancer risk associated with co-dominant models [valine/alanine (Val/...

Disturbances of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling, which may occur among those with a polymorphism of the Val66Met gene, comprising a Met substitution for the Val allele, may be associated with depressive cognitions. However, presumed elevated BDNF levels among individuals with the Val/Val genotype, might confer increased responsivity to contextual challenges, thus fostering vu...

Introduction COMT expression was reported to be associated with the recurrence of prostate cancer. Furthermore, it has been shown that rs165599 SNP in 3’UTR affects interaction between miR-138 and COMT, while another polymorphism (rs4680) located gene also its expression. Here, we explored combined effect rs4680 . Material methods Kaplan-Meier analysis performed analyze PSA-progression-free sur...

A glutathione S-transferase (GST) P1 polymorphism results in an amino acid substitution, IleVal; the Val-containing enzyme has reduced activity toward alkylating agents. Cancer patients with the variant enzyme may differ in removal of treatment agents and in outcomes of therapy. We evaluated survival according to GSTP1 genotype among women (n 5 240) treated for breast cancer. Women with the low...

A glutathione S-transferase (GST) P1 polymorphism results in an amino acid substitution, Ile105Val; the Val-containing enzyme has reduced activity toward alkylating agents. Cancer patients with the variant enzyme may differ in removal of treatment agents and in outcomes of therapy. We evaluated survival according to GSTP1 genotype among women (n = 240) treated for breast cancer. Women with the ...

A fragment condensation solution phase assembly of the naturally occurring CB(1) inverse agonist nonapeptides, Pro-Val-Asn-Phe-Lys-Phe/Leu-Leu-Ser-His-OH (hemopressins), and two other homologues: N-terminal 2-amino acid (dipeptide) extended undecapeptide, Val-Asp-Pro-Val-Asn-Phe-Lys-Leu-Leu-Ser-His-OH, and three-amino acid (tripeptide) extended dodecapeptide, Arg-Val-Asp-Pro-Val-Asn-Phe-Lys-Leu...

The three-dimensional structures of two common repeat motifs Val-Pro-Gly-Val-Gly and ValGly-Val-Pro-Gly-Val-Gly-Val-Pro of tropoelastin are investigated by using the multicanonical simulation procedure. By minimizing the energy structures along the trajectory the thermodynamically most stable low-energy microstates of the molecule are determined. The structural predictions are in good agreement...