Current Protein and Peptide Science - Volume 7, Issue 3, 2006

PIN1 participates in the regulation of a number of signalling pathways in the cell involving protein phosphorylation/ dephosphorylation. Its role seems to be an essential control level in addition to the protein phosphorylation by proline-directed kinases. Its cellular function includes regulation of the cell cycle by interaction with phosphorylated mitotic proteins such as Cdc25 and transcription factors such as p53. PIN1 was show Read More

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) that mediates fast intercellular communication in response to neurotransmitters is a paradigm of ligand-gated ion channels. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are valuable in understanding membrane protein function at atomic level, providing useful clues for further experimental/theoretical studies. In this brief review, recent progress in MD simulations of the nAChR h Read More

Naturally occurring protease inhibitors (PI) of the Bowman-Birk type constitute a major PI family in cereal and legume seeds. The family name is derived from the names of the two investigators who characterised the first inhibitor of this type, the Bowman-Birk inhibitor from soybean (BBI). These proteins have the capacity to inhibit one or more of a range of serine proteases, including the digestive enzymes trypsin and chy Read More

Homology modeling plays a central role in determining protein structure in the structural genomics project. The importance of homology modeling has been steadily increasing because of the large gap that exists between the overwhelming number of available protein sequences and experimentally solved protein structures, and also, more importantly, because of the increasing reliability and accuracy of the method. I Read More

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), CRF-related peptides and their receptors are present in the central nervous system and in peripheral tissues including the immune, reproductive and cardiovascular systems. CRF and urocortin (urocortin 1) bind to the CRF receptor type 1 (CRF1 receptor) and the CRF receptor type 2 (CRF2 receptor), whereas urocortin 2 (formerly known as stresscopin related peptide) and urocortin 3 (for Read More

Renin is the rate-limiting enzyme in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAS) which controls blood pressure and volume. The biological function of renin is to cleave the N-terminus of angiotensinogen releasing the decapeptide, angiotensin I (ANGI). Subsequently, angiotensin I is further processed by the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) to produce angiotensin II (ANGII). The RAS cascade is a major target for t Read More

Cellobiose dehydrogenase, the only currently known extracellular flavocytochrome, is formed not only by a number of wood-degrading but also by various phytopathogenic fungi. This inducible enzyme participates in early events of lignocellulose degradation, as investigated in several basidiomycete fungi at the transcriptional and translational level. However, its role in the ascomycete fungi is not yet obvious. Compreh Read More