Zeins, the storage proteins of maize seed, are encoded by a large multigene family that is regulated developmentally and expressed in a tissue-specific manner during endosperm development. The synthesis of these proteins is affected by mutations, such as opaque-2, that cause a reduction in the accumulation of zein proteins and mRNAs. We used nuclear run-on transcription assays to analyze the ex...

Phosphoprotein enriched in astrocytes-15 kDa (PEA-15), a phosphoprotein enriched in astrocytes, inhibits both apoptosis and proliferation in normal and cancerous cells. Here, analysis of PEA-15 expression in glioblastoma organotypic cultures revealed low levels of PEA-15 in tumor cells migrating away from the explants, regardless of the expression levels in the originating explants. Because gli...

Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection shows a strong erythroid tropism and drastically destroys erythroid progenitor cells, thus leading to most of the disease outcomes associated with B19V infection. In this study, we systematically examined the 3 B19V nonstructural proteins, 7.5 kDa, 11 kDa, and NS1, for their function in inducing apoptosis in transfection of primary ex vivo-expanded erythroi...

The Freundlich model was evaluated for use to assess the effect of heat on the adsorption capacity of an activated carbon for decolorizing/deodorizing corn zein. Because zein protein and its color/odor components are all adsorbed by activated carbon, a method to monitor their removal was needed. Yellow color is due to xanthophylls; a contributor to off-odor is diferuloylputrescine. The off-odor...

In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the activity of the M-phase-inducing Cdc2/Cdc13 cyclin-dependent kinase is inhibited by Wee1 and Mik1 tyrosine kinases, and activated by Cdc25 and Pyp3 tyrosine phosphatases. Cdc2/Cdc13 activity is also indirectly regulated by the approximately 70 kDa Nim1 (Cdrl) serine/threonine kinase, which promotes mitosis by inhibiting Wee1 via direct phosphorylation. To under...

Borna disease virus (BDV) surface glycoprotein (GP) (p56) has a predicted molecular mass of 56 kDa. Due to extensive posttranslational glycosylation the protein migrates as a polypeptide of 84 kDa (gp84). The processing of gp84 by the cellular protease furin generates gp43, which corresponds to the C-terminal part of gp84. Both gp84 and gp43 have been implicated in viral entry involving recepto...

Ornithine carbamoyltransferase has been purified from the liver of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta by a single-step procedure using chromatography on an affinity column to which the transition-state analogue, delta-N-(phosphonoacetyl)-L-ornithine (delta-PALO), was covalently bound. The procedure employed yielded an enzyme which was purified 373-fold and was judged to be homogeneous by non...

Treatment of normal BALB/c splenocytes with anti-mouse IgD antibodies at 0 degrees C followed by incubation of the cells at 37 degrees C resulted in the formation of soluble factors that selectively inhibit rosette formation of lymphocytes bearing Fc delta receptors with IgD-coated erythrocytes (i.e., IgD-binding factors). Treatment of the same cells with anti-IgM antibodies failed to induce th...

The messenger ribonucleic acid fraction isolated from a protein bodyenriched fraction of developing corn (Zea mays L.) endosperm stimulated the incorporation of radioactive amino acids into at least five polypeptides when added to a wheat germ extract capable of protein synthesis. Of these, the two major polypeptides formed with messenger from freshly frozen corn were identified as precursors t...