Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

V Prakash

Publications and source records attributed to V Prakash.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptide derived from glycinin, the 11S globulin of soybean (Glycine max).

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE), a dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase, catalyzes the conversion of Angiotensin I to the potent vasoconstrictor Angiotensin II and plays an important physiological role in regulating blood pressure. Inhibitors of angiotensin 1-converting enzyme derived from food proteins are utilized for pharmaceuticals and physiologically functional foods. ACE inhibitory properties of different enzymatic hydrolysates of glycinin, the major storage protein of soybean, have been demonstrated. The IC50 value for the different enzyme digests ranges from 4.5 to 35 microg of N2. The Protease P hydrolysate contained the most potent suite of ACE inhibitory peptides. The ACE inhibitory activity of the Protease P hydrolysate after fractionation by RP-HPLC and ion-pair chromatography was ascribed to a single peptide. The peptide was homogeneous as evidenced by MALDI-TOF and identified to be a pentapeptide. The sequence was Val-Leu-Ile-Val-Pro. This peptide was synthesized using solid-phase FMOC chemistry. The IC50 for ACE inhibition was 1.69 +/- 0.17 microM. The synthetic peptide was a potent competitive inhibitor of ACE with a Ki of 4.5 +/- 0.25 x 10(-6) M. This peptide was resistant to digestion by proteases of the gastrointestinal tract. The antihypertensive property of this peptide derived from glycinin might find importance in the development of therapeutic functional foods.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The clinical impact of a combined gamma camera/CT imaging system on somatostatin receptor imaging of neuroendocrine tumours.

AIM: With a combined gamma camera/CT imaging system, CT images are obtained which are inherently registered to the emission images and can be used for the attenuation correction of SPECT and for mapping the functional information from these nuclear medicine tomograms onto anatomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical impact of SPECT/CT using such a system for somatostatin receptor imaging (SRI) of neuroendocrine tumours. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SPECT/CT imaging with (111)In-Pentetreotide was performed on 29 consecutive patients, the majority of whom had carcinoid disease. All SPECT images were first reported in isolation and then re-reported with the addition of the CT images for functional anatomical mapping (FAM). RESULTS: Fifteen of the 29 SPECT images were reported as abnormal, and in 11 of these abnormal images (73%) FAM was found to either establish a previously unknown location (7/11) or change the location (4/11) of at least one lesion. The revised location could be independently confirmed in 64% of these cases. Confirmation of location was not possible in the other patients due to either a lack of other relevant investigations, or the fact that lesions seen in the SPECT images were not apparent in the other investigations. FAM affected patient management in 64% of the cases where the additional anatomical information caused a change in the reported location of lesions. CONCLUSION: These results imply that FAM can improve the reporting accuracy for SPECT SRI with significant impact on patient management.

Adult↗

Role of Lys-226 in the catalytic mechanism of Bacillus stearothermophilus serine hydroxymethyltransferase--crystal structure and kinetic studies.

Serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT), a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme catalyzes the reversible conversion of l-Ser and tetrahydropteroylglutamate (H(4)PteGlu) to Gly and 5,10-methylene tetrahydropteroylglutamate (CH(2)-H(4)PteGlu). Biochemical and structural studies on this enzyme have implicated several residues in the catalytic mechanism, one of them being the active site lysine, which anchors PLP. It has been proposed that this residue is crucial for product expulsion. However, in other PLP-dependent enzymes, the corresponding residue has been implicated in the proton abstraction step of catalysis. In the present investigation, Lys-226 of Bacillus stearothermophilus SHMT (bsSHMT) was mutated to Met and Gln to evaluate the role of this residue in catalysis. The mutant enzymes contained 1 mol of PLP per mol of subunit suggesting that Schiff base formation with lysine is not essential for PLP binding. The 3D structure of the mutant enzymes revealed that PLP was bound at the active site in an orientation different from that of the wild-type enzyme. In the presence of substrate, the PLP ring was in an orientation superimposable with that of the external aldimine complex of wild-type enzyme. However, the mutant enzymes were inactive, and the kinetic analysis of the different steps of catalysis revealed that there was a drastic reduction in the rate of formation of the quinonoid intermediate. Analysis of these results along with the crystal structures suggested that K-226 is responsible for flipping of PLP from one orientation to another which is crucial for H(4)PteGlu-dependent Calpha-Cbeta bond cleavage of l-Ser.

Amination↗

Mortality of globally threatened Sarus cranes Grus antigon from monocrotophos poisoning in India.

Globally threatened Sarus cranes Grus antigon are resident at Keoladeo National Park World Heritage site and the surrounding area near Bharatpur, Western Rajasthan, India. In winter, they are joined by c. 200 wintering common cranes Grus grus. On 23 November 2000, 15 Sarus cranes and three common cranes were found dead in a field adjacent to the park, where wheat seed had been sown the previous day. Chemical analyses of seed samples from the field and the cranes' alimentary tract contents identified residues of the organophosphate insecticide monocrotophos. Monocrotophos concentrations of 0.8 and 1.8 ppm were found in wheat samples, and 0.2-0.74 ppm (x=0.33) in the alimentary tract contents of five of the seven cranes examined. No other organophosphate or organochlorine pesticides were detected. We conclude that the cranes died from monocrotophos poisoning after eating treated seed. We discuss similar incidents of avian mortality, and recommend that measures be taken to reduce these.

Animal Feed↗

Phenylboronic acid--a potent inhibitor of lipase from Oryza sativa.

The kinetics of inhibition of rice bran lipase (RBL) by phenylboronic acid (PBA) was studied to elucidate the nature of inhibition and the effect of the inhibitor on the structure-function of RBL. The effectiveness of an inhibitor is normally expressed by the constant K(i), which is calculated from the Lineweaver-Burk plot and found to be 1.7 mM at pH 7.4. The kinetics of inhibition by PBA was competitive, indicating the presence of serine in the active site of the enzyme. The loss of activity of RBL was concentration dependent on the inhibitor (PBA), and the inactivation followed a pseudo-first-order kinetics. Fluorescence emission measurements indicated a decrease in the fluorescence emission intensity and a red shift in the emission maximum as the inhibitor concentration was increased. The inhibition of the enzyme by PBA was also confirmed by thermal denaturation measurements, which indicated a shift in the thermal denaturation temperature of the enzyme toward lower temperatures. The far-UV-CD data suggest that there were no significant changes in the conformation of the enzyme as a result of binding of PBA. These results indicate that PBA is a potential inhibitor of RBL and binds to the enzyme in bringing about inhibition without any structural alterations.

Boronic Acids↗

Effect of metal ions on structure and activity of papain from Carica papaya.

Papain, a powerful proteolytic enzyme, is an endoprotease belonging to cysteine endopeptidase family. It is used extensively in food processing especially in tenderization of meat. In this study, we have made an attempt to show the structure activity relationship of this enzyme and the role of calcium and magnesium ions in the activity and stability of the enzyme. Results of activation and stabilization of the enzyme by these cations showed concentration dependent effect. The enzymatic activity of papain increases to a maximum of 18% and 24% in presence of calcium and magnesium ions at 1 x 10(-3) M concentration, respectively. Thermal denaturation studies showed that the binding of calcium and magnesium ions bring about change in the thermal stability of papain at various concentrations of these metal ions. Far ultraviolet circular dichroic studies showed no significant change in the alpha-helix and beta-sheet structure of the papain upon binding of these metal ions. The mechanism underlying the structure activity relationship of papain in presence of these metal ions have been discussed here with reference to the ionic radii, ligand binding preference, coordination numbers and the electrostatic forces between the protein molecule and cations present in the microenvironment of the enzyme.

Binding Sites↗

Effect of succinylation on the functional and physicochemical properties of alpha-globulin, the major protein fraction from Sesamum indicum L.

alpha-Globulin the major protein fraction from Sesamum indicum was succinylated to different levels and the effect of the chemical modification was evaluated both on the functional and physicochemical properties. The results suggest that the pH of minimum solubility shifted to the more acidic side (pH approximately 4.5-5.5) for the succinylated alpha-globulin whereas for control alpha-globulin the pH of minimum solubility was 6.5. Succinylation also increased emulsion activity and emulsion stability of the protein. The emulsion stability increased from a control value of 53 +/- 3 s to a value of 122 +/- 5 s. Bulk density, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, foam capacity and foam stability were evaluated in phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) containing 0.5 M sodium chloride and all these properties showed increased values as a result of succinylation. Ultracentrifugation studies showed that the % composition of 7S component increases with concomitant decrease in that of 11S fraction with the increase in percentage of succinylation. Further increase in succinylation resulted in only 2S component which is a dissociated form of 11S and/or 7S protein fractions. The fluorescence emission studies showed a decrease in the fluorescence emission intensity of alpha-globulin as a result of succinylation. The thermal stability of the protein molecule decreased due to progressive succinylation as indicated by decrease in the apparent thermal denaturation temperature from a control value of 84 to 62 degrees C at a succinylation level of 40%. These results suggest that succinylation improves the functional characteristics of alpha-globulin. Such changes in the functional properties have been attributed partly to the dissociation of the protein molecule at higher levels of succinylation and the increase in the net negative charge on the protein.

Alpha-Globulins↗

Overexpression and characterization of dimeric and tetrameric forms of recombinant serine hydroxymethyltransferase from Bacillus stearothermophilus.

Serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT), a pyridoxal-5' -phosphate (PLP) dependent enzyme catalyzes the interconversion of L-Ser and Gly using tetrahydrofolate as a substrate. The gene encoding for SHMT was amplified by PCR from genomic DNA of Bacillus stearothermophilus and the PCR product was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant enzyme was isolated as a mixture of dimer (90%) and tetramer (10%). This is the first report demonstrating the existence of SHMT as a dimer and tetramer in the same organism. The specific activities at 37 C of the dimeric and tetrameric forms were 6 7 U/mg and 4 1 U/mg, respectively. The purified dimer was extremely thermostable with a T(m) of 85 degrees C in the presence of PLP and L-Ser. The temperature optimum of the dimer was 80 degrees C with a specific activity of 32 4 U/mg at this temperature. The enzyme catalyzed tetrahydrofolate-independent reactions at a slower rate compared to the tetrahydrofolate-dependent retro-aldol cleavage of L-Ser. The interaction with substrates and their analogues indicated that the orientation of PLP ring of B. stearothermophilus SHMT was probably different from sheep liver cytosolic recombinant SHMT (scSHMT).

Calorimetry, Differential Scanning↗

Thermodynamics of interaction of caffeic acid and quinic acid with multisubunit proteins.

Helianthinin is a multisubunit protein from Sunflower seeds. Caffeic acid (CA) and quinic acid (QA) are intrinsic ligands present in sunflower seeds. The mechanism of interaction of these ligands with multisubunit proteins is limited. The present study enables one to understand the mechanism of the interaction of these ligands with the protein helianthinin. From this study, it is shown that CA has two classes of binding sites on helianthinin. The high-affinity class of sites total six from 60+/-10 for both high-affinity and low-affinity sites. Tryptophan, tyrosine and lysine residues of the protein are mainly involved in the interaction with CA. The temperature dependence of the binding in the range 10-45 degrees C can be clearly described by an enthalpy-entropy compensation effect at the low-affinity class of sites, while it is described by positive DeltaC(p)(o) at the high-affinity class of sites. This positive DeltaC(p)(o) has a contribution to the protein stability. The binding strength of CA also has a positive cooperativity at higher protein concentration. QA has two classes of binding sites on the protein based on the strength of the interaction. The interaction of QA with the protein is predominantly described by positive DeltaC(p)(o) for both classes of affinity. This suggests predominance of ionic/hydrogen bonding in the interaction process. Differential scanning calorimetric measurements reveal that the binding of both CA and QA induces destabilisation of the subunit-subunit interaction. Human methaemoglobin (mHb) has two binding sites on the molecule for CA. Both CA and QA decrease the stability of mHb, as indicated by decreased T(m). This destabilisation is also accompanied by dissociation to the monomers with concomitant conformational changes.

2S Albumins, Plant↗

Unfolding of multimeric proteins in presence of denaturants. A case study of helianthinin from Helianthus annuus L.

Helianthinin (11S), a multisubunit protein from Sunflower Seeds (Helianthus annuus L.) dissociates to its monomer (2S) through a trimeric (7S) intermediate as a function of guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) and guanidine thiocyanate (GuHSCN) concentration. Measurements of viscosity, velocity sedimentation patterns and spectroscopic parameters of the protein in presence of these denaturants both at equilibrium and as a function of time clearly suggest that the dissociation, unfolding and aggregation of this multimeric protein occur sequentially. The unfolding of the protein in guanidinium salts has two transitions with the first transition occurring between native to intermediate and the second transition occurring between intermediate state and unfolded state. The midpoint concentration for the major transition is 1.75 M for GuHCl and 0.8 M for GuHSCN. Evaluation of this data suggests that during the process of denaturation the simultaneous unfolding of acidic and basic subunits of the protein takes place. At intermediate concentrations of denaturant namely 1.6 M of GuHCl or 1.1 M of GuHSCN the aggregation of the protein was found to be maximum. The results suggests the possibility of a mechanism for the dissociation, denaturation and unfolding of multimeric proteins in presence of the chemical denaturants.

2S Albumins, Plant↗

The role of Glu74 and Tyr82 in the reaction catalyzed by sheep liver cytosolic serine hydroxymethyltransferase.

The three-dimensional structures of human and rabbit liver cytosolic recombinant serine hydroxymethyltransferases (hcSHMT and rcSHMT) revealed that E75 and Y83 (numbering according to hcSHMT) are probable candidates for proton abstraction and Calpha-Cbeta bond cleavage in the reaction catalyzed by serine hydroxymethyltransferase. Both these residues are completely conserved in all serine hydroxymethyltransferases sequenced to date. In an attempt to decipher the role of these residues in sheep liver cytosolic recombinant serine hydroxymethyltransferase (scSHMT), E74 (corresponding residue is E75 in hcSHMT) was mutated to Q and K, and Y82 (corresponding residue is Y83 in hcSHMT) was mutated to F. The specific activities using serine as the substrate for the E74Q and E74K mutant enzymes were drastically reduced. These mutant enzymes catalyzed the transamination of D-alanine and 5,6,7, 8-tetrahydrofolate independent retroaldol cleavage of Lallo threonine at rates comparable with wild-type enzyme, suggesting that E74 was not involved directly in the proton abstraction step of catalysis, as predicted earlier from crystal structures of hcSHMT and rcSHMT. There was no change in the apparent Tm value of E74Q upon the addition of L-serine, whereas the apparent Tm value of scSHMT was enhanced by 10 degrees C. Differential scanning calorimetric data and proteolytic digestion patterns in the presence of L-serine showed that E74Q was different to scSHMT. These results indicated that E74 might be required for the conformational change involved in reaction specificity. It was predicted from the crystal structures of hcSHMT and rcSHMT that Y82 was involved in hemiacetal formation following Calpha-Cbeta bond cleavage of L-serine and mutation of this residue to F could lead to a rapid release of HCHO. However, the Y82F mutant had only 5% of the activity and failed to form a quinonoid intermediate, suggesting that this residue is not involved in the formation of the hemiacetal intermediate, but might be involved indirectly in the abstraction of the proton and in stabilizing the quinonoid intermediate.

Alanine↗