Phosphatidylinositol mannoside from Mycobacterium tuberculosis binds alpha5beta1 integrin (VLA-5) on CD4+ T cells and induces adhesion to fibronectin.
AuthorsRojas RE, Thomas JJ, Gehring AJ, Hill PJ, Belisle JT, Harding CV, Boom WH,
JournalJ Immunol
PubMed ID16920931
'The pathological hallmark of the host response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the granuloma where T cells and macrophages interact with the extracellular matrix (ECM) to control the infection. Recruitment and retention of T cells within inflamed tissues depend on adhesion to the ECM. T cells use integrins to adhere to ... More
Membrane-anchored aspartyl protease with Alzheimer's disease beta-secretase activity.
Mutations in the gene encoding the amyloid protein precursor (APP) cause autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease. Cleavage of APP by unidentified proteases, referred to as beta- and gamma-secretases, generates the amyloid beta-peptide, the main component of the amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer's disease patients. The disease-causing mutations flank the protease cleavage ... More
Active gamma-secretase complexes contain only one of each component.
AuthorsSato T, Diehl TS, Narayanan S, Funamoto S, Ihara Y, De Strooper B, Steiner H, Haass C, Wolfe MS,
JournalJ Biol Chem
PubMed ID17911105
Gamma-secretase is an intramembrane aspartyl protease complex that cleaves type I integral membrane proteins, including the amyloid beta-protein precursor and the Notch receptor, and is composed of presenilin, Pen-2, nicastrin, and Aph-1. Although all four of these membrane proteins are essential for assembly and activity, the stoichiometry of the complex ... More