Biomedical subjects

N Horan

Publications and source records attributed to N Horan.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

QSAR approach for mixture toxicity prediction using independent latent descriptors and fuzzy membership functions.

The principle of using a singe model to predict the toxicity of mixtures of chemicals based on the characterisation of the degrees of similarity and dissimilarity of the constituent chemicals using descriptors has been demonstrated in a previous work. The current study introduces a feature extraction technique, independent component analysis, to the method to remove the correlations and dependencies between descriptors and reduce the dimension prior to similarity and dissimilarity calculations. In addition, a goal attainment multi-objective optimisation technique is used for the determination of the fuzzy membership function parameters. For three mixtures, which include a new mixture and two previously studied mixtures that all inhibit reproduction (via different mechanisms of action) in green freshwater algae scenedesmus vacuolatus, the approach showed better or equivalent prediction performance than either concentration addition or independent action models. Unlike QSARs for pure compounds that require large collections of data, the new approach for mixtures only requires one mixture at a particular composition to determine the necessary fuzzy membership function parameter values. These values can then be used to predict the toxicity of the mixture at any other compositions. This could potentially lead to a reduction in the frequency of bioassay tests. Use of the fuzzy membership functions and parameter values obtained for one mixture when used to predict the toxicity of a completely different mixture is also tested and it is found that the approach also gives prediction results with good accuracy.

Chlorophyta↗

PubMed1999

Nonstatistical binding of a protein to clustered carbohydrates.

Carbohydrate-derivatized self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are used as a model system to address issues involving cell-surface carbohydrate-protein interactions. Here we examine the influence of carbohydrate surface density on protein-binding avidity. We show that the binding selectivity of Bauhinia purpurea lectin switches from one carbohydrate ligand to another as the surface density of the carbohydrate ligands increases from values of chi(sugar) approximately 0.1-1.0. Polyvalent binding is possible at all surface densities investigated; hence, the switch in selectivity is not due simply to the achievement of a critical density that permits polyvalent contacts. Instead, secondary interactions at high surface densities promote a switch in carbohydrate-binding selectivity. These findings may have implications for how changes in the composition and the density of cell-surface carbohydrates influence biological recognition processes and regulatory pathways.

Carbohydrate Metabolism↗

PubMed1997

Polyvalent binding to carbohydrates immobilized on an insoluble resin.

Numerous studies have established that polyvalency is a critical feature of cell surface carbohydrate recognition. Nevertheless, carbohydrate-protein interactions are typically evaluated by using assays that focus on the behavior of monovalent carbohydrate ligands in solution. It has generally been assumed that the relative affinities of monovalent carbohydrate ligands in solution correlate with their polyvalent avidities. In this paper we show that carbohydrate ligands synthesized directly on TentaGel beads interact with carbohydrate-binding proteins in a polyvalent manner. The carbohydrate-derivatized beads can, therefore, be used as model systems for cell surfaces to evaluate polyvalent carbohydrate-protein interactions. By using a combinatorial approach to synthesize solid-phase libraries of polyvalent carbohydrates, one can rapidly address key issues in the area of cell surface carbohydrate recognition. For example, studies reported herein demonstrate that there is an unanticipated degree of specificity in recognition processes involving polyvalent carbohydrates. However, the correlation between polyvalent avidities and solution affinities is poor. Apparently, the presentation of carbohydrates on the polymer surface has a profound influence on the interaction of the ligand with the protein receptor. These findings have implications for how carbohydrates function as recognition signals in nature, as well as for how polyvalent carbohydrate-protein interactions should be studied.

Carbohydrate Metabolism↗

PubMed1996

Parallel synthesis and screening of a solid phase carbohydrate library.

A solid phase carbohydrate library was synthesized and screened against Bauhinia purpurea lectin. The library, which contains approximately 1300 di- and trisaccharides, was synthesized with chemical encoding on TentaGel resin so that each bead contained a single carbohydrate. Two ligands that bind more tightly to the lectin than Gal-beta-1,3-GalNAc (the known ligand) have been identified. The strategy outlined can be used to identify carbohydrate-based ligands for any receptor; however, because the derivatized beads mimic the polyvalent presentation of cell surface carbohydrates, the screen may prove especially valuable for discovering new compounds that bind to proteins participating in cell adhesion.

Acylation↗