Search results

Yersinia enterocolitica is a Gram-negative bacillus-shaped bacterium, which is a member of the Enterobacteriaceae family. Y.Enterocolitica is motile at temperatures between 22-29°C, however becomes non-motile at normal human body temperature. Y. Enterocolitica infection causes the yersiniosis disease, which is an animal-borne disease occurring in humans, as well as in a various groups of animals such as cattle, deer, pigs, and birds. Yersinia enterocolitica is a heterogeneous group of strains, which are conventionally classified by bio-typing into six bio-groups on the basis of phenotypic characteristics, and by serotyping into more than 57 “O” serogroups, on the basis of their O (lipopolysaccharide or LPS) surface antigen. Five of the six biogroups (1B and 2–5) are considered as pathogens. Nevertheless, only a few of these serogroups have been linked with disease in either humans or animals. Strains which belong to serogroups O:3 (biogroup 4), O:5,27 (biogroups 2 and 3), O:8 (biogroup 1B), and O:9 (biogroup 2) are most frequently isolated worldwide from human samples. Still, the main Y. enterocolitica serogroup in many European countries is serogroup O:3 followed by O:9, whereas the serogroup O:8 is mostly detected in the United States.

Candida albicans is a diploid fungus, which grows both as yeast and filamentous cells and a contributory agent of opportunistic oral and genital infections in humans, and candidal onychomycosis (an infection of the nail plate). Systemic fungal infections (fungemias) including those by C. albicans are regarded as key causes of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients (e.g., AIDS, cancer chemotherapy, organ or bone marrow transplantation). C. albicans biofilms may develop on the surface of implantable medical devices. C. albicans is commensal and a constituent of the normal gut flora containing microorganisms which live in the human mouth and gastrointestinal tract. Overgrowth of the fungus leads to in candidiasis (candidosis). Candidiasis is frequently detected in immunocompromised persons, including HIV-infected patients. To infect host tissue, the habitual unicellular yeast-like form of C. albicans reacts to environmental signals and changes into an invasive, multicellular filamentous form, a phenomenon which is known as dimorphism.

Stress-Induced Protein SAM22 (Gly m 4.0101) causes an allergic reaction in humans. Gly m 4 is the main soy allergen for patients allergic to birch pollen with soy allergy.

BPNT1 belongs to the magnesium-dependent, lithium-sensitive phosphomono-esterase superfamily. BPNT1 catalyzes the conversion of PAPS (adenosine 3'-phosphate 5' phosphosulfate) to APS (adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate) and the conversion of PAP (3'(2')-phosphoadenosine 5' phosphate) to AMP (adenosine 5'-phosphate) using magnesium as a cofactor. BPNT1 is expressed everywhere but at maximum levels in brain and kidney. BPNT1 is potently inhibited by lithium, a drug used for the treatment of manic depression and bipolar affective disorder, which suggests that BPNT1 has a possible role in the etiology of mood disorders.

Abhydrolase domain-containing protein 10 (ABHD10) is a member of the AB hydrolase superfamily.

Serpin Peptidase Inhibitor, Clade C Member 1 (SERPINC1), which is a part of the serpin superfamily, is a plasma protease inhibitor. SERPINC1 inhibits thrombin and other activated serine proteases of the coagulation system, and regulates the blood coagulation cascade. SERPINC1 also inhibits Thrombin and Factors IXa, Xa and XIa. Deficiencies in SERPINC1 can cause ATIII deficiency, an autosomal dominant disease which might lead to a hereditary thrombophilia.

BLVRB (EC 1.3.1.24) catalyzes electron transfer from reduced pyridine nucleotides to flavins as well as methylene blue, pyrroloquinoline quinone, riboflavin, or methemoglobin. BLVRB is involved in protecting cells from oxidative damage or in regulating iron metabolism. BLVRB converts biliverdin to bilirubin in the liver, converting a double-bond between the second and third pyrrole ring into a single-bond. BLVRB plays a role as in human erythrocytic heme catabolic pathway and most mammalian species. Biliverdin reductase is abundantly expressed in kidney, spleen, liver and brain as well as at lower levels in the thymus and minimal levels being detected in testis.

Tropomyosin beta chain isoform 2 is affiliate to the actin filament binding protein family which primarily expressed in slow, type 1 muscle fibers. Mutations in TPM2 can change the expression of other sarcomeric tropomyosin proteins, and cause cap disease, nemaline myopathy and distal arthrogryposis syndromes.

CBR3 catalyzes the reduction of a large number of biologically and pharmacologically active carbonyl compounds to their corresponding alcohols. CBR3 is one of several monomeric NADPH-dependent oxidoreductases. Furthermore, CBR3 contains 3 exons spanning 11.2 kilobases and is strongly linked to another carbonyl reductase gene, the CBR1. It was suggested that CBR3 mediates 9-cis-retinoic acid-induced cytostatis and is a potential prognostic marker for oral malignancy.
CBR3 is identified in the ovary, pancreas, intestine, colon, kidney, brain, thymus, lung, heart, liver, spleen, leukocyte, prostate and the testis.

UBE2N belongs to the E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme family. UBE2N catalyzes the ATP-dependent synthesis of non-canonical polyubiquitin chains, a process which doesn’t set in motion proteasomal degradation. UBE2N mediates the transcription of some target genes and is believed to have a role in cell cycle progression; cellular differentiation and DNA repair mechanisms which ensure cell survival after DNA damage.

Troponin I (TnI), troponin T (TnT) and troponin C (TnC) form the troponin complex of the thin filaments of striated muscle. TnI is acts as the inhibitory subunit by blocking actin-myosin interactions and thereby mediating striated muscle relaxation. The TnI subfamily contains 3 genes: TnI-skeletal-fast-twitch, TnI-skeletal-slow-twitch, and TnI-cardiac. The TNNI3 gene encodes the TnI-cardiac protein and is exclusively expressed in cardiac muscle tissues. Mutations in the TNNI3 gene cause familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy type 7 (CMH7) and familial restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM).

Treponema pallidum is a gram-negative spirochaete bacterium and is considered to be metabolically crippled. There are at least four known subspecies: T. pallidum pallidum, T. pallidum pertenue, T. pallidum carateum and T. pallidum endemicum. The helical structure of T. pallidum pallidum allows it to move in a corkscrew motion through viscous mediums such as mucus. Treponema pallidum sub sp. pallidum has one of the smallest bacterial genomes at 1.14 million base pairs (Mb) and has limited metabolic capabilities, reflecting its adaptation through genome reduction to the rich environment of mammalian tissue.

Tp0453 is a carrier of lipids and glycolipids during outer membrane. Tp045 is hypothesized to be a new type of bacterial outer membrane protein, which reduces T.pallidum outer membrane permeability to nutrients while remaining inaccessible to antibodies. Tp0453 exhibited 100% specificity and sensitivity in reaction with syphilis patients’ sera, giving negative result with Lyme disease, relapsing-fever or leptospirosis patients’ sera.

Wheat Gliadin and related gluten components from barley, rye and possibly oats can cause an abnormal immune response called Celiac disease which is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder. Celiac disease characteristics are flattening of the jejunal mucosa and intestinal lesions of variable severity in hereditarily inclined individuals. Even though Celiac disease is not a classic autoimmune disease it is related to anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies and gliadin antibodies tests are most recommended in screening populations at risk for CD and other gluten-sensitive enteropathies. In the past, serologic tests for gliadin antibodies usually were not very precise and were not enough for accurate diagnosis due to missing deamidated epitopes within the authentic gliadin fraction traditionally used in diagnostic test kits. ProSpec's deamidated Gliadin isoform matches to the deamidated neo-epitopes, which in the natural antigen are formed by transglutaminase-mediated glutamine side chain deamidation.

Troponin-T is one of three subunits that form the troponin complex of the thin filaments of striated muscle, it regulates muscle contraction in response to alterations in intracellular calcium ion concentration. TnTc is expressed only in the heart and has proved to be a specific biomarker for heart disease.
Mutations in TNNT2 are associated with familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as well as with dilated cardiomyopathy.
Alternative splicing results in many tissue-specific isoforms.

GST family of enzymes comprises a long list of cytosolic, mitochondrial, and microsomal proteins that are 45-55 kDa (dimer form) size and are capable of multiple reactions with a multitude of substrates, both endogenous and xenobiotic. GST catalyses the conjugation of reduced glutathione meaning the sulfhydryl group, to electrophilic centers on a wide variety of substrates. This activity is useful in the detoxification of endogenous compounds such as peroxidised lipids, as well as the metabolism of xenobiotics. GST binds toxins and function as transport protein. Glutathione S-transferase is used to create the so-called 'GST gene fusion system'. The GST is used to purify and detect proteins of interest. In a GST gene fusion system, the GST sequence is incorporated into an expression vector alongside the gene sequence encoding the protein of interest. Induction of protein expression from the vector's multiple cloning sites results in expression of a fusion protein - the protein of interest fused to the GST protein. This GST-fusion protein can then be purified from cells via its high affinity for glutathione. Fusion proteins offer an important biological assay for direct protein-to-protein interactions. The GST tag has the size of 220 amino acids, which, compared to other tags like the myc- or the FLAG-tag, is quite big. It is fused to the N-terminus of a protein. However, many commercially-available sources of GST-tagged plasmids include a thrombin domain for cleavage of the GST tag during protein purification. A GST-tag is often used to separate and purify proteins that contain the GST-fusion. GST-fusion proteins can be produced in Escherichia coli, as recombinant proteins.

Treponema pallidum is a gram-negative spirochaete bacterium and is considered to be metabolically crippled. There are at least four known subspecies: T. pallidum pallidum, T. pallidum pertenue, T. pallidum carateum and T. pallidum endemicum. The helical structure of T. pallidum pallidum allows it to move in a corkscrew motion through viscous mediums such as mucus. Treponema pallidum sub sp. pallidum has one of the smallest bacterial genomes at 1.14 million base pairs (Mb) and has limited metabolic capabilities, reflecting its adaptation through genome reduction to the rich environment of mammalian tissue.

Avidin is a tetrameric protein of 4 identical subunits (homotetramer) which can bind to biotin with a high degree of affinity and specificity. The estimated molecular weight of Avidin in its tetrameric form is between 66-69 kDa. Avidin is produced in the oviducts of birds, reptiles and amphibians and is subsequently deposited in the whites of their eggs. In the chicken egg white, avidin makes up roughly 0.05% of total protein (approximately 1.8 mg per egg). 10% of Avidin’s molecular weight is ascribed to carbohydrate content which is composed of 4-5 mannose and 3 N-acetylglucosamine residues. Avidin has at least three distinctive oligosaccharide structural type which are similar in structure and composition. The dissociation constant (KD) of avidin is approximately 10-15M, making it one of the strongest known non-covalent bonds.

Ornithine decarboxylase is the preliminary and rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of polyamines and it takes part in the alteration of ornithine to putrescine. ODC1 is a key member of various biological processes, such as cell growth, transformation, differentiation and apoptosis. Overexpression of the ODC1 gene has a vital part in cell proliferation and the progress of cancer.

EGF Domain-Specific O-Linked N-Acetylglucosamine Transferase (EOGT) takes part in the regulation of Notch receptor. EOGT catalyzes the transfer of a single N-acetylglucosamine from UDP-GlcNAc to a serine/ threonine residue in extracellular proteins resulting in their modification with a beta-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc). EOGT mainly glycosylates the Thr residue positioned between the fifth and sixth conserved cysteines of folded EGF-like domains.

Epoxide Hydrolase 1 Microsomal (EPHX1) is a vital biotransformation enzyme which transfers epoxides from the degradation of aromatic compounds to trans-dihydrodiols that can be conjugated and excreted from the body. Epoxide hydrolase plays a role in both activation and detoxification of epoxides. Mutations in EPHX1 trigger preeclampsia, epoxide hydrolase deficiency or increased epoxide hydrolase activity.

PAPPA is a large zinc binding protein, which acts as a metalloprotease and specifically cleaves IGFBP-4 and IGFBP-5, resulting in release of bound IGF. PAPP-A can also act as a regulator of IGF bioactivity in a number of biological systems, including the human ovary and cardiovascular systems. It was shown that PAPP A levels are elevated in patients with unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction. Furthermore, PAPPA is believed to be involved in local proliferative processes such as wound healing and bone remodeling. Moreover, PAPP-A is produced in high concentrations during pregnancy and is released into the maternal circulation. In placenta, PAPP A is expressed in X cells in septa and anchoring villi, and in syncytiotrophoblasts in the chorionic villi.
Lower levels of PAPPA are found in an array of other tissues including kidney, myometrium, endometrium, ovaries, breast, prostate, bone marrow, colon, fibroblasts and osteoblasts. PAPP-A is present in serum and placenta during pregnancy; with levels increasing throughout pregnancy. Low levels of PAPP A are associated with a number of foetal chromosomal abnormalities, as well as pre-eclampsia and stillbirth.
PAPPA levels may be a potentially highly specific marker for heart disease.
PAPP-A proteolytic activity is inhibited by targeting substrate exosite binding.

CA, also known as carbonic anhydrase is an enzyme. Its main function revolves around the CO2 + H2O HCO3- + H+ (conversion of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate & protons). CA has a zinc ion in its active site. The main function of CA is to keep acid-base balance in the blood stream and various tissues. This enzyme also assists Carbonic Anhydrase I to move CO2 to and from tissues.

Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) represents one of the main autoantigenic targets in autoimmune thyroid disease of humans. Its identity with the formerly so-called `microsomal antigen` has been shown several years ago. As an integral membrane glycoprotein it is restricted to the apical plasma membrane of the follicular epithelial cells and comprises two identical subunits of approx. 100 kDa molecular weight. The hemoprotein TPO plays a key role in the thyroid hormone biosynthesis by catalysing both the iodination of tyrosyl residues and the coupling of iodotyrosyl residues in thyroglobulin (TG) to form precursors of the thyroid hormones T4 and T3.