1,721,138 research outputs found
Distinction of white, beige and brown adipocytes derived from mesenchymal stem cells
No full textAdipose tissue is a major metabolic organ, and it has been traditionally classified as either white adipose tissue (WAT) or brown adipose tissue (BAT). WAT and BAT are characterized by different anatomical locations, morphological structures, functions, and regulations. WAT and BAT are both involved in energy balance. WAT is mainly involved in the storage and mobilization of energy in the form of triglycerides, whereas BAT specializes in dissipating energy as heat during cold- or diet-induced thermogenesis. Recently, brownlike adipocytes were discovered in WAT. These brownlike adipocytes that appear in WAT are called beige or brite adipocytes. Interestingly, these beige/brite cells resemble white fat cells in the basal state, but they respond to thermogenic stimuli with increased levels of thermogenic genes and increased respiration rates. In addition, beige/brite cells have a gene expression pattern distinct from that of either white or brown fat cells. The current epidemic of obesity has increased the interest in studying adipocyte formation (adipogenesis), especially in beige/brite cells. This review summarizes
the developmental process of adipose tissues that originate from the mesenchymal stem cells and the features of these three different types of adipocytes.open
Involvement of protein tyrosine phosphatases in adipogenesis: New anti-obesity targets?
No full textObesity is a worldwide epidemic as well as being a major risk factor for diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and several types of cancers. Obesity is mainly due to the overgrowth of adipose tissue arising from an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Adipose tissue, primarilycomposed of adipocytes, plays a key role in maintaining whole body energy homeostasis. In view of the treatment of obesity and obesity-related diseases, it is critical to understand the detailedsignal transduction mechanisms of adipogenic differentiation. Adipogenic differentiation is tightlyregulated by many key signal cascades, including insulin signaling. These signal cascades generally transfer or amplify the signal by using serial tyrosine phosphorylations. Thus, protein tyrosine kinases and protein tyrosine phosphatases are closely related to adipogenic differentiation. Compared to protein tyrosine kinases, protein tyrosine phosphatases have received little attention inadipogenic differentiation. This review aims to highlight the involvement of protein tyrosine phosphatases in adipogenic differentiation and the possibility of protein tyrosine phosphatases as drugsto target obesity.open
Identification of the regulators binding to the upstream region of glxR in Corynebacterium glutamicum
No full textGlxR is considered as a global transcriptional regulator controlling a large number of genes having broad physiological aspects in Corynebacterium glutamicum. However, the expression profile revealing the transcriptional control of glxR has not yet been studied in detail. DNA affinity chromatography experiments revealed the binding of transcriptional regulators SucR, RamB, GlxR, and a GntR-type protein (hereafter denoted as GntR3) to the upstream region of glxR. The binding of different regulators to the glxR promoter was confirmed by EMSA experiments. The expression of glxR was analyzed in detail under various carbon sources in the wild-type and different mutant strains. The sucR and gntR3 deletion mutants showed decreased glxR promoter activities, when compared with the wild type, irrespective of the carbon sources. The promoter activity of glxR was derepressed in the ramB deletion mutant under all the tested carbon sources. These results indicate that SucR and GntR3 are acting as activators of GlxR, while RamB plays a repressor. As expected, the expression of glxR in the cyaB and glxR deletion mutants was derepressed under different media conditions, indicating that GlxR is autoregulated.open
Efficient selection of IgG Fc domain-binding peptides fused to fluorescent protein using E. coli expression system and dot-blotting assay
No full textAntibody purification technology is of particular industrial importance due to the rapidly increasing use of antibodies in protein purification, diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Such purification has mostly relied on affinity chromatography using Protein A or Protein G as affinity ligands. Several synthetic ligands have also been developed to overcome the disadvantages associated with protein affinity ligands, which include high cost, low stability and possible contamination if the proteins have been expressed in bacteria. In the present study, a convenient selection method for new peptides binding to the IgG Fc domain was developed. The method includes the construction of a DNA library fused to the 5′-position of the eGFP gene expressed from a constitutive vector, expression of the library in Escherichia coli, fluorescence-based screening, and determination of the antibody-binding affinities of selected peptides using surface plasmon resonance. With this method, five novel peptides were identified as new affinity ligands for the IgG Fc domain, and the binding affinities were appropriate for antibody purification. This method is a convenient alternative to phage or bacterial surface display and can be used in the routine biochemistry laboratory.open
The wheat chloroplastic proteome
No full textWith the availability of plant genome sequencing, analysis of plant proteins with mass spectrometry has become promising and admired. Determining the proteome of a cell is still a challenging assignment, which is convoluted by proteome dynamics and convolution. Chloroplast is fastidious curiosity for plant biologists due to their intricate biochemical pathways for indispensable metabolite functions. In this review, an overview on proteomic studies conducted in wheat with a special focus on subcellular proteomics of chloroplast, salt and water stress. In recent years, we and other groups have attempted to understand the photosynthesis in wheat and abiotic stress under salt imposed and water deficit during vegetative stage. Those studies provide interesting results leading to better understanding of the photosynthesis and identifying the stress-responsive proteins. Indeed, recent studies aimed at resolving the photosynthesis pathway in wheat. Proteomic analysis combining two complementary approaches such as 2-DE and shotgun methods couple to high through put mass spectrometry (LTQ-FTICR and MALDI-TOF/TOF) in order to better understand the responsible proteins in photosynthesis and abiotic stress (salt and water) in wheat chloroplast will be focused. Biological significance: In this review we discussed the identification of the most abundant protein in wheat chloroplast and stress-responsive under salt and water stress in chloroplast of wheat seedlings, thus providing the proteomic view of the events during the development of this seedling under stress conditions.Chloroplast is fastidious curiosity for plant biologists due to their intricate biochemical pathways for indispensable metabolite functions. An overview on proteomic studies conducted in wheat with a special focus on subcellular proteomics of chloroplast, salt and water stress. We have attempted to understand the photosynthesis in wheat and abiotic stress under salt imposed and water deficit during seedling stage. Those studies provide interesting results leading to a better understanding of the photosynthesis and identifying the stress-responsive proteins. In reality, our studies aspired at resolving the photosynthesis pathway in wheat. Proteomic analysis united two complementary approaches such as Tricine SDS-PAGE and 2-DE methods couple to high through put mass spectrometry (LTQ-FTICR and MALDI-TOF/TOF) in order to better understand the responsible proteins in photosynthesis and abiotic stress (salt and water) in wheat chloroplast will be highlighted. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Translational Plant Proteomics.open
Structural asymmetry of procaspase-7 bound to a specific inhibitor
No full textCaspase-7 is expressed as a proenzyme and is activated by initiator caspases upon the transmission of cell-death signals. Despite extensive structural and biochemical analyses, many questions regarding the mechanism of caspase-7 activation remain unanswered. Caspase-7 is auto-activated during overexpression in Escherichia coli, even in the absence of initiator caspases, indicating that procaspase-7 has intrinsic catalytic activity. When variants of procaspase-7 with altered L2 loops were prepared, a variant with six inserted amino acids showed meaningful catalytic activity which was inhibited by Ac-DEVD-CHO. The kinetic constants of the procaspase-7 variant were determined and its three-dimensional structure was solved with and without bound inhibitor. The homodimeric procaspase-7 bound to the inhibitor revealed an asymmetry. One monomer formed a complete active site bound to the inhibitor in collaboration with the L2 loop from the other monomer, whereas the other monomer had an incomplete active site despite the bound inhibitor. Consequently, the two L2 loops in homodimeric procaspase-7 served as inherent L2 and L2′ loops forming one complete active site. These data represent the first three-dimensional structure of a procaspase-7 variant bound to a specific inhibitor, Ac-DEVD-CHO, and provide insight into the folding mechanism during caspase-7 activation and the basal activity level of procaspase-7.open
Large-scale expression in Escherichia coli and efficient purification of precursor and active caspase-7 by introduction of thrombin cleavage sites
No full textCaspases are a family of cysteine proteases that have critical roles in the apoptotic pathway. Caspase-7 is a well-known apoptotic effector that cleaves a variety of cellular substrates, and is known to be an important target in the treatment of many diseases. For efficient research, large amounts of the protein are required. However, it has been difficult to obtain sufficient quantities of either the precursor or active caspase-7 from Escherichia coli strain. In the present study, we constructed thrombin-activatable caspase-7 precursors by changing the auto-activation sites of the caspase-7 precursor into sequences susceptible to thrombin cleavage. These engineered precursors were highly expressed as soluble proteins in E. coli, and were easily purified by affinity chromatography (to levels of 10-15 mg per liter of E. coli culture), and were then readily activated by treatment with thrombin. In vitro cleavage assays and kinetic analyses revealed that the engineered active caspase-7 proteins had characteristics similar to those of wild-type caspase-7. This novel method is valuable for obtaining both precursor and active caspase-7, thereby contributing to the development of caspase-7-specific drugs to treat various diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative conditions.open
Lipid Metabolism and Ferroptosis
No full textFerroptosis is a type of iron-dependent regulated necrosis induced by lipid peroxidation that occurs in cellular membranes. Among the various lipids, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) associated with several phospholipids, such as phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC), are responsible for ferroptosis-inducing lipid peroxidation. Since the de novo synthesis of PUFAs is strongly restricted in mammals, cells take up essential fatty acids from the blood and lymph to produce a variety of PUFAs via PUFA biosynthesis pathways. Free PUFAs can be incorporated into the cellular membrane by several enzymes, such as ACLS4 and LPCAT3, and undergo lipid peroxidation through enzymatic and non-enzymatic mechanisms. These pathways are tightly regulated by various metabolic and signaling pathways. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge of how various lipid metabolic pathways are associated with lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis. Our review will provide insight into treatment strategies for ferroptosis-related diseases
Molecular insight into the role of the leucine residue on the L2 loop in the catalytic activity of caspases 3 and 7
No full textVarious apoptotic signals can activate caspases 3 and 7 by triggering the L2 loop cleavage of their proenzymes. These two enzymes have highly similar structures and functions, and serve as apoptotic executioners. The structures of caspase 7 and procaspase 7 differ significantly in the conformation of the loops constituting the active site, indicating that the enzyme undergoes a large structural change during activation. To define the role of the leucine residue on the L2 loop, which shows the largest movement during enzyme activation but has not yet been studied, Leu168 of caspase 3 and Leu 191 of caspase 7 were mutated. Kinetic analysis indicated that the mutation of the leucine residues sometimes improved the K m but also greatly decreased the k cat, resulting in an overall decrease in enzyme activity. The tryptophan fluorescence change at excitation/emission=280/350 nm upon L2-L2′ loop cleavage was found to be higher in catalytically active mutants, including the corresponding wild-type caspase, than in the inactive mutants. The crystal structures of the caspase 3 mutants were solved and compared with that of wild-type. Significant alterations in the conformations of the L1 and L4 loops were found. These results indicate that the leucine residue on the L2 loop has an important role in maintaining the catalytic activity of caspases 3 and 7.open
Acceleration of adipogenic differentiation via acetylation of malate dehydrogenase 2
No full textPreviously, we identified proteins showing a differential acetylation pattern during adipogenic differentiation. Here, we examined the role of malate dehydrogenase 2 (MDH2) acetylation in the adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The acetylation level of MDH2 showed a dramatic increase during adipogenesis. The overexpression of wild-type MDH2 induced the significant acceleration of adipogenic differentiation. On the other hand, the acetylation-block mutant MDH2 showed significantly reduced adipogenic differentiation compared to the wild type. MDH2 acetylation enhances its enzymatic activity and consequently intracellular NADPH level. These results suggest that the acetylation of MDH2 was affected by the cellular energy state and subsequently regulated adipogenic differentiation.open
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