Biomedical subjects

Enrique Mann

Publications and source records attributed to Enrique Mann.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

A reversible reaction inside a self-assembled capsule.

Reversible encapsulation allows the direct observation of the isolated molecules under ambient conditions, at equilibrium and in the liquid phase. Here we show that capsules can amplify and stabilize molecules that are present in only trace concentrations in solution. Evidence is given that reversible chemical reactions take place within the capsule. Stabilization of reaction intermediates is a characteristic property of enzymes and is widely regarded as an essential feature of catalytic activity. Reactive molecules can also be stabilized by encapsulation, a process that involves completely surrounding the reactive species within synthetic receptors. Here, we show that self-assembled capsules can isolate and stabilize molecules that are present in only trace amounts in solution. The system amplifies the concentrations of high-energy species with reduced entropies.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed2006

MyD88-dependent and -independent signaling by IL-1 in neurons probed by bifunctional Toll/IL-1 receptor domain/BB-loop mimetics.

Interleukin (IL)-1beta is a pluripotent proinflammatory cytokine that signals through the type-I IL-1 receptor (IL-1RI), a member of the Toll-like receptor family. In hypothalamic neurons, binding of IL-1beta to IL-1RI mediates transcription-dependent changes that depend on the recruitment of the cytosolic adaptor protein myeloid differentiation primary-response protein 88 (MyD88) to the IL-1RI/IL-1 receptor accessory protein (IL-1RAcP) complex through homomeric Toll/IL-1 receptor (TIR)-TIR interactions. Through design and synthesis of bifunctional TIR mimetics that disrupt the interaction of MyD88 with the IL-1RI/IL-1RAcP complex, we analyzed the involvement of MyD88 in the signaling of IL-1beta in anterior hypothalamic neurons. We show here that IL-1beta-mediated activation of the protein tyrosine kinase Src depended on a MyD88 interaction with the IL-1RI/IL-1RAcP complex. The activation of the protein kinase Akt/PKB depended on the recruitment of the p85 subunit of PI3K to IL-1RI and independent of MyD88 association with the IL-1RI/IL-1RAcP complex. These bifunctional TIR-TIR mimetics represent a class of low-molecular-weight compounds with both an antiinflammatory and neuroprotective potential. These compounds have the potential to inhibit the MyD88-dependent proinflammatory actions of IL-1beta, while permitting the potential neuronal survival supporting actions mediated by the MyD88-independent activation of the protein kinase Akt.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

PubMed2004

Studies on aromatic compounds: inhibition of calpain I by biphenyl derivatives and peptide-biphenyl hybrids.

With the objective to understand structural features responsible for the biological activity, novel nonelectrophilic biphenyl derivatives and peptide-biphenyl hybrids have been synthesized and evaluated as calpain I inhibitors. The preliminary results indicate that the presence of additional aromatic rings (besides the biphenyl system) makes these compounds potent calpain inhibitors with IC50 values in the nanomolar range.

Biphenyl Compounds↗

PubMed2004

Peptide-biphenyl hybrids as calpain inhibitors.

Calpain is a cysteine protease that is activated by Ca2+. The over-activation of calpain, which occurs on increasing Ca2+ concentration, causes a variety of diseases. This paper reports experimental results on the inhibition of calpain I (mu-calpain) by peptide-biphenyl hybrids. We have found that some peptide-biphenyl hybrids, with aromatic amino acids in the peptide chains, inhibit calpain with IC50 values in the nanomolar range. Since the peptide-biphenyl hybrids reported in the present paper do not possess a reactive electrophilic functionality, we hypothesize that they interfere with the activation of calpain by Ca2+, and present experimental and computational results on the binding of peptide-biphenyl hybrids to Ca2+.

Biphenyl Compounds↗

PubMed2003

New oxazole-based peptidomimetics: useful building blocks for the synthesis of orthogonally protected macrocyclic scaffolds.

[structure: see text] The synthesis of a new family of densely functionalized oxazole-containing amino acids is described. These building blocks were employed for preparing macrocycles containing Lys and Glu residues by a combination of solid- and solution-phase synthesis. The resulting structures are presented as orthogonally protected scaffolds for supramolecular chemistry.

Biomimetic Materials↗