Helda

Helsingin yliopisto

Helsingfors universitet

University of Helsinki

Browsing by Subject "PHOTORECEPTOR"

Now showing items 1-3 of 3

A CNGB1 Frameshift Mutation in Papillon and Phalene Dogs with Progressive Retinal Atrophy

Ahonen, Saija J.; Arumilli, Meharji; Lohi, Hannes (2013)
Interaction of Biliverdin Chromophore with Near-Infrared Fluorescent Protein BphP1-FP Engineered from Bacterial Phytochrome

Stepanenko, Olesya V.; Stepanenko, Olga V.; Kuznetsova, Irina M.; Shcherbakova, Daria M.; Verkhusha, Vladislav; Turoverov, Konstantin K. (2017)

Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent proteins (FPs) designed from PAS (Per-ARNT-Sim repeats) and GAF (cGMP phosphodiesterase/adenylate cyclase/FhlA transcriptional activator) domains of bacterial phytochromes covalently bind biliverdin (BV) chromophore via one or two Cys residues. We studied BV interaction with a series of NIR FP variants derived from the recently reported BphP1-FP protein. The latter was engineered from a bacterial phytochrome RpBphP1, and has two reactive Cys residues (Cys15 in the PAS domain and Cys256 in the GAF domain), whereas its mutants contain single Cys residues either in the PAS domain or in the GAF domain, or no Cys residues. We characterized BphP1-FP and its mutants biochemically and spectroscopically in the absence and in the presence of denaturant. We found that all BphP1-FP variants are monomers. We revealed that spectral properties of the BphP1-FP variants containing either Cys15 or Cys256, or both, are determined by the covalently bound BV chromophore only. Consequently, this suggests an involvement of the inter-monomeric allosteric effects in the BV interaction with monomers in dimeric NIR FPs, such as iRFPs. Likely, insertion of the Cys15 residue, in addition to the Cys256 residue, in dimeric NIR FPs influences BV binding by promoting the BV chromophore covalent cross-linking to both PAS and GAF domains.
Metabolomic signature of amino acids in plasma of patients with non-segmental Vitiligo

Marzabani, Rezvan; Rezadoost, Hassan; Choopanian, Peyman; Kolahdooz, Sima; Mozafari, Nikoo; Mirzaie, Mehdi; Karimi, Mehrdad; Nieminen, Anni; Jafari, Mohieddin (2021)

Introduction Vitiligo pathogenesis is complicated, and several possibilities were suggested. However, it is well-known that the metabolism of pigments plays a significant role in the pathogenicity of the disease. Objectives We explored the role of amino acids in vitiligo using targeted metabolomics. Methods The amino acid profile was studied in plasma using liquid chromatography. First, 22 amino acids were derivatized and precisely determined. Next, the concentrations of the amino acids and the molar ratios were calculated in 31 patients and 34 healthy individuals. Results The differential concentrations of amino acids were analyzed and eight amino acids, i.e., cysteine, arginine, lysine, ornithine, proline, glutamic acid, histidine, and glycine were observed differentially. The ratios of cysteine, glutamic acid, and proline increased significantly in Vitiligo patients, whereas arginine, lysine, ornithine, glycine, and histidine decreased significantly compared to healthy individuals. Considering the percentage of skin area, we also showed that glutamic acid significantly has a higher amount in patients with less than 25% involvement compared to others. Finally, cysteine and lysine are considered promising candidates for diagnosing and developing the disorder with high accuracy (0.96). Conclusion The findings are consistent with the previously illustrated mechanism of Vitiligo, such as production deficiency in melanin and an increase in immune activity and oxidative stress. Furthermore, new evidence was provided by using amino acids profile toward the pathogenicity of the disorder.