Determination of the “Amino Acid Conflicts” and amino acid substitutions in primary structures of 41 human proteins by the proteomic technologies

Proteomic studies of some human tissues and organs (skeletal muscles, myometrium, motor zone of the brain, prostate), and also cultivated myoblasts revealed 41 proteins, in which the presence of certain variants of amino acids (“conflicts”) was recognized at several “conflict” positions. Among the 93 registered “amino acid conflicts”, seven cases represented the results of the protein polymorphisms caused by corresponding substitution of individual amino acid. Proteomic analysis of prostate proteins revealed two isoforms of a prostate-specific antigen, formed due to alternative splicing. Thus, our results have shown that employment of the proteomic technologies may characterize various types of biochemical polymorphism in many human proteins.     

Ribonuclease inhibitors

RNases are important enzymes of cell metabolism, influencing gene expression, affecting cell growth and differentiation, and participating in cell defense against pathogens and induction of apoptosis. Since RNases mostly occur in complex with their inhibitors in the cell, the inhibitors also play a role in the above processes. The review considers natural protein RNase inhibitors of animals, plants, and bacteria, as well as synthetic low-molecular-weight inhibitors. Special emphasis is placed on the prospective use of RNase inhibitors in the therapy of cancer and allergy. While RNases are widespread, the number of the available natural and synthetic inhibitors is limited. A pressing problem is to design highly effective low-molecular-weight inhibitors of the RNase activity of angiogenin and eosinophil-associated RNases for anticancer and antiallergy therapy.     

Effects of p-Nitrophenol and Organophosphorous Nitroaromatic Insecticides on the Respiratory Activity of Free and Immobilized Cells of Strains C-11 and BA-11 of Pseudomonas putida

The possibility of using the respiratory activity (RA) of microbial cells (of strains C-11 and BA-11 of Pseudomonas putida) as an instrument for quantitative determination of organophosphorous nitroaromatic insecticides, metaphos and Sumithion, and their hydrolysis product, p-nitrophenol (PNP), has been explored. The dependences of RA on the concentrations of the three compounds were linear within the range 0.5–2.5 mM. The cells of the strain BA-11 exhibited maximum selectivity in the determination of the compounds. The RAs of microbial cells differing in the modes of immobilization (adsorption to carrier surfaces vs. incorporation into gels) have been compared. Prospects of development of the microbial cell-based sensor system for determining metaphos, Sumithion, and PNP in aqueous media are discussed.