Protein and Peptide Letters - Volume 30, Issue 5, 2023

Background: α-Synuclein, a natively disordered protein, is a key component of Lewy bodies, the ubiquitinated protein aggregates which are the pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Meclofenoxate (centrophenoxine) is a nootropic drug which has shown beneficial therapeutic effects in various neuronal diseases. Administration of meclofenoxate enhanced levels of dopamine and improved motor function in ani Read More

Background: As a peptide originally discovered from Conus achates by mass spectrometry and cDNA sequencing, Ac6.4 contains 25 amino acid residues and three disulfide bridges. Our previous study found that this peptide possesses 80% similarity to MVIIA by BLAST and that MVIIA is a potent and selective blocker of N-type voltage-sensitive calcium channels in neurons. Objective: To recognize the target protein and anal Read More

Monkeypox is a zoonosis that re-emerged in 2022, generating cases in non-endemic countries for the disease and creating a public health issue. The rapid increase in the number of cases kindles a need for quick, inexpensive diagnostic tests for the epidemiological control of the disease. The high cost of molecular tests can make this control more difficult to access in poorer regions, with immunological tests being a more viabl Read More

Autism is a class of developmental disorders with extremely high rates of disability, affecting patients throughout their lives. There is no cure to date clinically, and early rehabilitation interventions can improve some of the behavioral problems of autistic patients, but these are limited by age and often have minimal effects in older adults with autism. Early diagnosis is also necessary while developing effective autism therapies. Read More

Background: PD-L1 and PD1 mainly focused on melanoma, lung cancer and other tumors, while the related studies on early lymph node metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma were rarely reported. Objective: For elucidating the role of programmed death 1 (PD1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway in tumor growth of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Methods: Human thyroid cancer cell line and human normal thyr Read More

Introduction: Effective T-cell-mediated immunity has emerged as an essential component of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) vaccination. Thus, inducing an immune response against HIV proteins such as Nef and Vif, two major accessory proteins with critical roles in HIV pathogenesis and immune evasion, may lead to an effective approach. Aim: Our goal is to evaluate and compare Montanide ISA-720 and heat shock Read More

Background: Bromelain is a complex mixture of protease enzyme extract from the fruit or stem of the pineapple plant and it has a history of folk medicine use. It is known to have a wide range of biological actions and it is most commonly used as an anti-inflammatory agent, though scientists have also discovered its potential as an anticancer and antimicrobial agent, it has been reported to have positive effects on the respirat Read More

Background: Neurensin-2 (NRSN2) is reported to be associated with the progression of many tumors. This work aimed at investigating the biological function and prognostic significance of NRSN2 in gastric cancer (GC). Methods: NRSN2 expression in various cancer tissue was analyzed by the TIMER database. NRSN2 expression in GC tissue samples of different groups was analyzed by the UALCAN database. The survival analysi Read More

Background: Glutathionylation is a protein post-translational modification triggered by oxidative stress. The susceptible proteins are modified by the addition of glutathione to specific cysteine residues. Virus infection also induces oxidative stress in the cell, which affects cellular homeostasis. It is not just the cellular proteins but the viral proteins that can also be modified by glutathionylation events, thereby impacting the function Read More