Type I collagen is thermally unstable at body temperature.
Authors:Leikina E; Mertts M V; Kuznetsova N; Leikin S;
Journal:Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
PubMed ID:11830649
Measured by ultra-slow scanning calorimetry and isothermal circular dichroism, human lung collagen monomers denature at 37 degrees C within a couple of days. Their unfolding rate decreases exponentially at lower temperature, but complete unfolding is observed even below 36 degrees C. Refolding of full-length, native collagen triple helices does occur, ... More
The cytoplasmic tail of L-selectin interacts with members of the Ezrin-Radixin-Moesin (ERM) family of proteins: cell activation-dependent binding of Moesin but not Ezrin.
Authors:Ivetic A, Deka J, Ridley A, Ager A,
Journal:J Biol Chem
PubMed ID:11706008
L-selectin regulates the recruitment of naive lymphocytes from the bloodstream to secondary lymphoid organs, mediating their initial capture and subsequent rolling along high endothelial cell surface-expressed ligands in peripheral lymph nodes. In vivo, distribution of L-selectin and cell surface levels determine the tethering efficiency and rolling velocity of leukocytes, respectively. ... More
The 'involution' of mannose-binding lectin.
Authors:Seyfarth J, Garred P, Madsen HO,
Journal:Hum Mol Genet
PubMed ID:16115813
Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) acts as a serum opsonin in innate immune defense and induces complement activation by the lectin pathway. In humans, low levels of functional serum MBL are caused by the dominant action of three single nucleotide substitutions in exon 1 that disrupt the glycine-rich backbone structure of the ... More
Tethering sigma70 to RNA polymerase reveals high in vivo activity of sigma factors and sigma70-dependent pausing at promoter-distal locations.
Authors:Mooney RA, Landick R,
Journal:Genes Dev
PubMed ID:14630944
Bacterial sigma factors compete for binding to RNA polymerase (RNAP) to control promoter selection, and in some cases interact with RNAP to regulate at least the early stages of transcript elongation. However, the effective concentration of sigmas in vivo, and the extent to which sigma can regulate transcript elongation generally, ... More
Complement factor H is a serum-binding protein for adrenomedullin, and the resulting complex modulates the bioactivities of both partners.
Adrenomedullin (AM) is an important regulatory peptide involved in both physiological and pathological states. We have previously demonstrated the existence of a specific AM-binding protein (AMBP-1) in human plasma. In the present study, we developed a nonradioactive ligand blotting assay, which, together with high pressure liquid chromatography/SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis purification ... More