Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J Velek.
Kinetic constants (Km,Kcat) are derived for the hydrolysis of a number of chromogenic peptide substrates by the aspartic proteinase from HIV-2. The effect of systematic replacement of the P2 residue on substrate hydrolysis by HIV-1 and HIV-2 proteinases is examined.
A series of synthetic, chromogenic substrates for HIV-1 proteinase with the general structure Ala-Thr-His-Xaa-Yaa-Zaa*Nph-Val-Arg-Lys-Ala was synthesised with a variety of residues introduced into the Xaa, Yaa and Zaa positions. Kinetics parameters for hydrolysis of each peptide by HIV-1 proteinase at pH 4.7, 37 degrees C and u = 1.0 M were measured spectrophotometrically and/or by reverse phase FPLC. A variety of residues was found to be acceptable in the P3 position whilst hydrophobic/aromatic residues were preferable in P1. The nature of the residue occupying the P2 position had a strong influence on kcat (with little effect on Km); beta-branched residues Val or Ile in this position resulted in considerably faster peptide hydrolysis than when e.g. the Leu-containing analogue was present in P2.
The increased phosphorylation and activity of protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) was found early upon butyrate treatment of HT-29 cells with a potent differentiating agent, sodium butyrate. It was accompanied by the increased phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) and the inhibition of the activity of GSK-3beta to catalyze phosphorylation of its substrate, translation initiation factor eIF2B. Phosphorylation of PKB and GSK-3 in HT-29 cells was reduced by wortmannin, the inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol-3' kinase (PI3'-kinase), which is upstream activator of PKB and GSK-3 in the intracellular signalling. Modulation of the activity and phosphorylation of these protein kinases during transient in vitro differentiation of HT-29 cells indicates that control of the PI3'-kinase/PKB-dependent signalling pathway may be implicated very early in the changes of malignant phenotype of HT-29 cells.