A novel protein, designated as DOI, isolated from the Chinese yam (Dioscorea opposita Thunb.) could be the first protein drug for the treatment of menopausal syndrome and an alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which is known to have undesirable side effects. DOI is an acid- and thermo-stable protein with a distinctive N-terminal sequence Gly-Ile-Gly-Lys-Ile-Thr-Thr-Tyr-Trp-Gly-Gln...

The amino acid sequences of the human (h) and rat (r) lutropin/choriogonadotropin receptors (LHR) are 87% identical, but the rate of agonist-induced internalization of the hLHR is approximately 7 times faster than that of the rLHR. Chimeras of the hLHR and the rLHR showed that this rate is dictated by the serpentine domain and the cytoplasmic tail. Further mutational analysis identified seven r...

Human surfactant protein-B (SP-B), a hydrophobic protein, is essential for normal lung function. SP-B is expressed and secreted by specific lung cell types, i.e. alveolar type II and Clara cells, of the respiratory epithelium. The SP-B precursor (42 kDa) undergoes post-translational processing to generate an 8 kDa mature SP-B. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at nucleotide 1580 (C/T) in e...

BRITTON, STEVEN, AND JOSEPH DI SALVO. Effccfs of ungiotensin I and II on h.indlimb and coronary vascular resistance. ,4m. J. Physiol. 225(5): 1226-1231. 1973.-Effects of angiotensin I (A-I, 0.23.2 pg) and angiotensin II (A-II, 0.1-M pg) on pump-perfusion pressure were examined in the hindlimb vasculature and in the vasculature supplied by the circumflex coronary artery in pentobarbitalizecl dog...

The amino acid sequences of two closely related peptides from Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) venom are reported. Helospectin I is a 38-residue peptide, His-Ser-Asp-Ala-Thr-Phe-Thr-Ala-Glu-Tyr-Ser-Lys-Leu-Leu-Ala-Lys-Leu-Ala- Leu-Gln - Lys-Tyr-Leu-Glu-Ser-Ile-Leu-Gly-Ser-Ser-Thr-Ser-Pro-Arg-Pro-Pro-Ser-Ser, and helospectin II is a 37-residue peptide identical to helospectin I except that it ...

SCOPE The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a major contributor to the development of insulin resistance and its related complications. Egg white ovotransferrin-derived tripeptides, IRW (Ile-Arg-Trp), IQW (Ile-Gln-Trp), or LKP (Leu-Lys-Pro) are previously identified as the inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), a key enzyme in the RAS. This study aims at determining whether these pe...

Quinolone resistance in clinical isolates of Campylobacter jejuni in Sweden increased more than 20-fold at the beginning of the 1990s. Resistance to 125 microgram of ciprofloxacin per ml in clinical isolates was associated with chromosomal mutations in C. jejuni leading to a Thr-86-Ile substitution in the gyrA product and a Arg-139-Gln substitution in the parC product.

Catecholamine synthesis and transmission in the brain are influenced by the availability of Tyr in the body. In this study, we compared the effects of oral administration of Tyr-containing dipeptides Ile-Tyr, Ser-Tyr, and Tyr-Pro with Tyr alone on catecholamine metabolism in the mouse brainstem. Among these dipeptides, Ile-Tyr administration led to increases in dopamine, the dopamine metabolite...

Three mutant alleles of the pstC gene and one mutant allele of the pstB gene were produced by site-directed mutagenesis. The pstC gene encodes an integral membrane protein of the phosphate-specific transport (Pst) system of Escherichia coli. The amino acid substitutions resulting from the pstC gene mutations, Arg-237----Gln, Glu-240----Gln, or a combination of both, caused the loss of phosphate...