In the proteasome, the proteolytic 20S core particle (CP) associates with the 19S regulatory particle (RP) to degrade polyubiquitinated proteins. Six ATPases (Rpt1-Rpt6) of the RP form a hexameric Rpt ring and interact with the heptameric α ring (α1-α7) of the CP via the Rpt C-terminal tails individually binding to the α subunits. Importantly, the Rpt6 tail has been suggested to be crucial for ...

Calpains are cytosolic, Ca(2+)-activated, neutral cysteine proteases. Rabbit renal proximal tubule (RPT) cells express both mu- and m-calpain. Although multiple calpain inhibitors protect against RPT cell death, most calpain inhibitors lack specificity, membrane permeability, and/or potency. A group of novel catalytic site-directed calpain inhibitors, including chloroacetic acid N'-[6,7-dichlor...

Autophagy has an important renoprotective function and we recently found that autophagy inhibition is involved in cadmium (Cd)-induced nephrotoxicity. Here, we aimed to investigate the protective effect of trehalose (Tre), a novel autophagy activator, against Cd-induced cytotoxicity in primary rat proximal tubular (rPT) cells. First, data showed that Tre treatment significantly decreased Cd-ind...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of rifapentine (RPT) vs. rifampicin (RMP) for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). DESIGN Systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared combination drug regimens containing RPT with those containing RMP for the treatment of drug-susceptible or previously untreated PTB. RESULTS Nine RCTs were identified. Statist...

We report resonant photon tunneling (RPT) through one-dimensional metamaterials consisting of alternating layers of metal and dielectric. RPT via a surface plasmon polariton state permits evanescent light waves with large wavenumbers to be conveyed through the metamaterial. This is the mechanism for sub-wavelength imaging recently demonstrated with a super-lens. Furthermore, we find that the RP...

BACKGROUND Reduction in renal length was found to be an insufficient independent indicator of chronic renal disease. OBJECTIVE To determine the ultrasound normative values of renal parenchymal thickness (RPT) among adults and correlate them with age and somatometric parameters. METHODS This was a prospective clinic based study involving 310 normal adults (135 males and 175 females) scanned ...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as a family of non-coding small RNAs, play important roles in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) is an important economic species which is widely cultured in East Asia. The longitudinal muscle (LTM) and respiratory tree (RPT) are two important tissues in sea cucumber, playing important roles such as respiration and m...