Current Protein and Peptide Science - Volume 17, Issue 8, 2016

As a family of chromatin remodeling proteins, metastasis-associated proteins (MTAs) have shown to be the master regulators in both physiological and pathological contexts. Although MTA3 is the latest being identified in MTA family, it has started to draw as much attention as the other family members. MTA3 is expressed in various tissues and is associated with different physiological functions. In cancerous context, both MTA1 Read More

This is a concluding part of the three-part article from a series of reviews on the abundance and roles of intrinsic disorder in milk proteins. In this paper, we describe the peculiarities of metal binding to a multifunctional milk protein, α-lactalbumin, which has two domains, a large α-helical domain and a small β-sheet domain connected by a calcium binding loop. It is known that in addition to four disulfide bonds, the native f Read More

Among three major replicative DNA polymerases of the B-family, Pol α, Pol δ and Pol , Pol δ plays an essential role in chromosomal DNA replication and is also involved in various DNA repair processes in eukaryotes. Human Pol δ is commonly viewed as a heterotetrameric complex, consisting of the catalytic subunit p125 and second subunit p50, together with two additional accessory subunits, p68 and p12. A growing body of res Read More

Biosimilars are biotechnologically manufactured products that enter the market as and when the original biopharmaceutical goes off patent. As the name suggests, they are only “similar” and not exact versions of the originator product. The manufacturing process of biosimilars is complex, the product prone to variation, and regulatory approval rules are more extensive and elaborative than required for generic versions of che Read More

The High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein is an extremely versatile, highly conserved nuclear protein, with its unique intracellular and extracellular functions mediated by its relatively simple domain structure. Within the nucleus, HMGB1 binds to DNA minor groove in a nonspecific manner and causes bends in the double helix thus helps in recruiting a number of DNA binding protein and transcription factors, to facili Read More

Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) is relatively uncommon in AB0-compatible liver grafts; however, recent data suggest that antibody-mediated mechanisms may play a role in the differential pathogenesis of liver graft rejection. In this sense, it has been shown that staining for diffuse C4d deposition (in endothelium or stroma of portal tracts or sinusoids) could be used as a tissue biomarker of humoral allograft rejection and Read More

Antibiotics are one of the most important discoveries in the 20th century and have been widely used for treating animal diseases in the 21st century. However, antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens and widespread concerns regarding their use in animals has received great attention all over the world. Great attention has focused on scientific breakthroughs of the alternatives to antibiotics. Various materials s Read More

Lectins are proteins/glycoproteins of non-immune origin, which are widely distributed in nature. They have at least one non-catalytic domain, which binds reversibly to specific monosaccharides or oligosaccharides. Lectins recognizing sugar moieties in cell walls or cell membranes alter the membrane physiology and trigger biochemical changes in the cell. Thus, various applications of lectins have been described, for exampl Read More

Exosomes are small vesicles that are released from a variety of cells and are involved in cell-to-cell communication. In humans, exosomes are detected in the plasma, urine, saliva, and cerebrospinal fluid. These vesicles carry multiple cargo proteins, as well as microRNA that affect the transcription of target genes. During cancer progression, secretion of exosomes increases. As such, proteins and microRNAs released fr Read More

The identification of Klotho gene was a major discovery as the gene encodes a protein regulating multiple functions. A defect in Klotho gene expression in mice results in a phenotype of premature aging including shortened life span, growth retardation, hypogonadism, skin and muscle atrophies, vascular calcification, cognition impairment, motor neuron degeneration and others. This phenotype is associated with phosp Read More

Membrane interacting peptides of natural or synthetic origins serve a variety of biological purposes. They have been extensively studied for their involvement in immunity, diseases, and for their potential as medical therapeutics and research tools. In this review membrane interacting peptides are categorized into four groups according to their function: antimicrobial peptides, cell-penetrating peptides, channel forming peptides Read More