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Z Hegedus

Publications and source records attributed to Z Hegedus.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Tribbles: a family of kinase-like proteins with potent signalling regulatory function.

The recent identification of tribbles as regulators of signal processing systems and physiological processes, including development, together with their potential involvement in diabetes and cancer, has generated considerable interest in these proteins. Tribbles have been reported to regulate activation of a number of intracellular signalling pathways with roles extending from mitosis and cell activation to apoptosis and modulation of gene expression. The current review summarises our current understanding of interactions between tribbles and various other proteins. Since our understanding on the molecular basis of tribbles function is far from complete, we also describe a bioinformatic analysis of various segments of tribbles proteins, which has revealed a number of highly conserved peptide motifs with potentially important functional roles.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

Tribbles: novel regulators of cell function; evolutionary aspects.

Identification of rate-limiting steps or components of intracellular second messenger systems holds promise to effectively interfere with these pathways under pathological conditions. The emerging literature on a recently identified family of signalling regulator proteins, called tribbles gives interesting clues for how these proteins seem to link several 'independent' signal processing systems together. Via their unique way of action, tribbles co-ordinate the activation and suppression of the various interacting signalling pathways and therefore appear to be key in determining cell fate while responding to environmental challenges. This review summarises our current understanding of tribbles function and also provides an evolutionary perspective on the various tribbles genes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Role of calcium-activated potassium channels in the regulation of basal and agonist-elevated tones in isolated conduit arteries. Short communication.

Functional role of calcium-activated potassium (KCa) channels on the basal and agonist-elevated arterial tones was investigated in isolated rabbit aorta, porcine and canine coronary arteries as well as in human internal mammary artery. The vascular tones enhanced by contractile agents were increased further by preincubation of these conduit blood vessels with selective (charybdotoxin or iberiotoxin) or nonselective (tetraethylammonium) inhibitors of KCa channels. The basal tone (without an agonist) was increased only in the canine coronary artery. The results indicate a feed-back regulatory role of KCa channels counteracting the vasospasm of conduit arteries.

Animals↗

The Twisted gastrulation family of proteins, together with the IGFBP and CCN families, comprise the TIC superfamily of cysteine rich secreted factors.

AIMS: To analyse the similarities between the Twisted gastrulation (TSG) proteins known to date; in addition, to determine phylogenetic relations among the TSG proteins, and between the TSGs and other protein families--the CCN (for example, CCN2 (CTGF), CCN1 (CYR61), and CCN3 (NOV)) and IGFBP (insulin-like growth factor binding protein) families. METHODS: TBLASTN and FASTA3 were used to identify new tsg genes and relatives of the TSG family. The sequences were aligned with ClustalW. The predictions of sites for signal peptide cleavage, post-translational modifications, and putative protein domains were carried out with software available at various databases. Unrooted phylogenetic trees were calculated using the UPGMA method. RESULTS: Several tsg genes from vertebrates and invertebrates were compared. Alignment of protein sequences revealed a highly conserved family of TSG proteins present in both vertebrates and invertebrates, whereas the slightly less well conserved IGFBP and CCN proteins are apparently present only in vertebrates. The TSG proteins display strong homology among themselves and they are composed of a putative signal peptide at the N-terminus followed by a cysteine rich (CR) region, a conserved domain devoid of cysteines, a variable midregion, and a C-terminal CR region. The most striking similarity between the TSGs and the IGFBP and CCN proteins occurs in the N-terminal conserved cysteine rich domain and the characteristic 5' cysteine rich domain(s), spacer region, and 3' cysteine rich domain structure. CONCLUSION: The family of highly conserved TSG proteins, together with the IGFBP and CCN families, constitute an emerging multigene superfamily of secreted cysteine rich factors. The TSG branch of the superfamily appears to pre-date the others because it is present in all species examined, whereas the CCN and IGFBP genes are found only in vertebrates.

Animals↗

Effect of phytohaemagglutinin on CD45 in T cells.

In this study the effect of PHA activation on the phosphatase activity of CD45 has been investigated in human leukemic T-cell lines. It has been found that in vivo activation of the cells with PHA resulted in 2-4-fold increase in enzyme activity. Addition of PHA to the postnuclear supernatant of cell lysates also resulted in elevation of phosphatase activity. Elevation of enzyme activity resulted from an increase in the amount of antigen in the immunoprecipitates. Elevation of the quantity was not the result of a de novo protein synthesis since the presence of cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor, did not modulate the effect of PHA. The effect of PHA was specific since ConA, that also bound to the CD45 molecules, or crosslinking of the antigen by antibody did not affect CD45. Since direct binding of PHA to CD45 molecules was shown in immunoblotting analysis, we suggest that the effect of PHA is a consequence of a PHA-induced conformational change of CD45 that results in up-regulation of the analyzed CD45 epitopes.

Humans↗