One goal of the structural genomics initiative is the identification of new protein folds. Sequencebased structural homology prediction methods are an important means for prioritizing unknown proteins for structure determination. However, an important challenge remains: two highly dissimilar sequences can have similar folds — how can we detect this rapidly, in the context of structural genomics...

Taking the `1-completion and the topological dual of the singular chain complex gives rise to `1-homology and bounded cohomology respectively. In contrast to `1-homology, major structural properties of bounded cohomology are well understood by the work of Gromov and Ivanov. Based on an observation by Matsumoto and Morita, we derive a mechanism linking isomorphisms on the level of homology of Ba...

Scorpion venom contains different toxins with multiple biological functions. IMe-AGAP is the first Analgesic-Antitumor like Peptide (AGAP) isolated from Iranian scorpion Mesobuthus eupeus. This peptide is similar to AGAP toxin with high analgesic activity, extracted from Chinese scorpion and inhibits NaV1.8 and NaV1.9 voltage-gated sodium channels involved in the ...

Richard Owen coined the modern definition of homology in 1843. Owen's conception of homology was pre-evolutionary, nontransformative (homology maintained basic plans or archetypes), and applied to the fully formed structures of animals. I sketch out the transition to an evolutionary approach to homology in which all classes of similarity are interpreted against the single branching tree of life...

In this paper, we collect various structural results to determine when an integral homology 3-sphere bounds acyclic smooth 4-manifold, and can be upgraded a Stein manifold. different direction, study whether embedding of connected sums lens spaces in C2 embedding, have determined that never happens.

Polymethoxylated flavonoids occur in a number of plant families, including the Lamiaceae. To date, the metabolic pathways giving rise to the diversity of these compounds have not been studied. Analysis of our expressed sequence tag database for four sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) lines afforded identification of candidate flavonoid O-methyltransferase genes. Recombinant proteins displayed disti...

A comparative study of 30 phages of Streptococcus thermophilus was performed based on DNA restriction profiles, DNA homology, structural proteins, packaging mechanisms, and host range data. All phages exhibited distinct DNA restriction profiles, with some phages displaying similarly sized restriction fragments. DNA homology was shown to be present among all 30 phages. The phages could be divide...

Cyclic-diGMP is a bacterial messenger that regulates many physiological processes, including many attributed to pathogenicity. Bacteria synthesize cyclic-diGMP from GTP using diguanylate cyclases; its hydrolysis is catalyzed by phosphodiesterases. Here we report the over-expression and purification of a bi-functional diguanylate cyclase-phosphodiesterase from Agrobacterium vitis S4. Using homol...

Structural genomics is on a quest for the structure and function of a significant fraction of gene products. Current efforts are focusing on structure determination of single-domain proteins, which can readily be targeted by X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy and computational homology modeling. However, comprehensive association of gene products with functions also requires systematic det...

Moonlighting functional centers within proteins can provide them with hitherto unrecognized functions. Here, we review how hidden moonlighting functional centers, which we define as binding sites that have catalytic activity or regulate protein function in a novel manner, can be identified using targeted bioinformatic searches. Functional motifs used in such searches include amino acid residues...