No abstract available

No abstract available

[en] This paper reveals fractal aspects of the adenylat kinase structure and dynamics. The spatial series of the coordinates of the carbon-alpha atoms of the free enzyme and of its complex with the inhibitor AP₅A, respective those of the changes in these coordinates when the enzyme forms the complex with the inhibitor present 1/f^β power spectra with 1<β<2 and it is a signature of fractality. The values of the scaling exponents obtained using the detrended fluctuations analysis method for the same series of data are comprises in the interval 1<α<1.5 and they are in good agreement with those of the spectral coefficient β. The correlation dimensions for the point sets of data are non-integer values and all these results reflect fractality in the analyzed series of data

No abstract available

[en] The ubiquitin–proteasome system is essential for multiple physiological processes via selective degradation of target proteins and has been shown to plays a critical role in human cancer. Activation of oncogenic factors and inhibition of tumor suppressors have been shown to be essential for cancer development, and protein ubiquitination has been linked to the regulation of oncogenic factors and tumor suppressors. Three kinases, AKT, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and IκB kinase, we refer to as oncokinases, are activated in multiple human cancers. We and others have identified several key downstream targets that are commonly regulated by these oncokinases, some of which are regulated directly or indirectly via ubiquitin-mediated proteasome degradation, including FOXO3, β-catenin, myeloid cell leukemia-1, and Snail. In this review, we summarize these findings from our and other groups and discuss potential future studies and applications in the clinic.

[en] Signaling initiated by Class Ia phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases (PI3Ks) is essential for cell proliferation and survival. We discovered a novel protein we call PI3K interacting protein 1 (PIK3IP1) that shares homology with the p85 regulatory PI3K subunit. Using a variety of in vitro and cell based assays, we demonstrate that PIK3IP1 directly binds to the p110 catalytic subunit and down modulates PI3K activity. Our studies suggest that PIK3IP1 is a new type of PI3K regulator

No abstract available

[en] The environmental pollutant 7H-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (DBC) and its derivative, 5,9-dimethylDBC (DiMeDBC), produced significant and dose-dependent levels of micronuclei followed by a substantial increase in the frequency of apoptotic cells in the V79MZh3A4 cell line stably expressing the human cytochrome P450 (hCYP) 3A4. In contrast, neither micronuclei nor apoptosis were found in cells exposed to the sarcomagenic carcinogen, N-methylDBC (N-MeDBC). A slight but significant level of gene mutations and DNA adducts detected in V79MZh3A4 cells treated with N-MeDBC, only at the highest concentration (30 μM), revealed that this sarcomagenic carcinogen was also metabolized by hCYP3A4. Surprisingly, DBC increased the frequency of 6-thioguanine resistant (6-TG^r) mutations only at the highest concentration (30 μM), while DiMeDBC failed to increase the frequency of these mutations. The resistance to 6-thioguanine is caused by the mutations in the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) gene. The molecular analysis of the coding region of Hprt gene showed a deletion of the entire exon 8 in DiMeDBC-induced 6-TG^r mutants, while no changes in the nucleotide sequences were identified in 6-TG^r mutants produced by DBC and N-MeDBC. Based on our results, we suggest that hCYP3A4 is involved in the metabolism of DBC and its tissue-specific derivatives. While hCYP3A4 probably plays an important role in biotransformation of the liver carcinogens, DBC and DiMeDBC, it might only have a marginal function in N-MeDBC metabolism. - Highlights: → DBC activation via CYP3A4 resulted in micronuclei, DNA adduct formation and mutations in V79MZh3A4 cells. → The CYP3A4-mediated DiMeDBC activation caused micronuclei followed by apoptosis in V79MZh3A4 cells. → The genotoxic effects produced by N-MeDBC in V79MZh3A4 cells were negligible. → The hCYP3A4 may play an important role in DBC and DiMeDBC metabolism. → The CYP3A4 might only have a marginal function in N-MeDBC metabolism.

[en] Kinases serve crucial roles in many cellular signaling pathways that process and transfer information. When signaling kinases phosphorylate two targets, these can serve as branch points that distribute information among two pathways. Responses to stimuli transmitted by activated kinases show high levels of cell-to-cell variation that influence cellular function. We ask how fluctuations around a steady state, due to kinase fluctuations and intrinsic noise, are distributed between two reactions with substrates phosphorylated by a shared kinase. We develop the formalism to answer this question and, for a realistic set of biological constants, we illustrate various features of fluctuations and relaxation times to a steady state. We find that the steady-state response determines the size and range in enzyme concentration of phosphorylated substrate fluctuations, and that the choice of an operating point can have a large impact on how shared kinase noise is distributed among two available pathways

[en] We have demonstrated a new and efficient method for the synthesis of 3-substituted aminoisoxazoles from readily available thiocarbamoyl esters. Mercury (II) chloride appeared to be a Lewis acid of choice among the metals tested in this cyclodesulfurization reaction. Application of this method for the synthesis of substituted aminopyrazoles is now under investigation in our laboratory. 3-Aminoisoxazol-5(4H)-one is an important building block of many biologically active compounds including antimicrobial and antioxidant, K channel opener, and kinase inhibitors. Besides, it could be transformed to fused heterocyclic compounds such as indoles, imidazopyridines, and isoxazolopyrimidines. Condensation reaction of α-cyanoacetate with hydroxylamine was a well known method to access either 3-aminoisoxazol-5(4H)-one or isomeric 5-aminoisoxazol-3(4H)-one depending upon condition. For instance, reaction under the neutral condition provided 3-aminoisoxazolone isomer via acetamidoxime intermediate, whereas 5-aminoisoxazolone isomer was obtained under the alkaline condition