Sample records for pdb carbohydrate residue

  1. pdb-care (PDB carbohydrate residue check): a program to support annotation of complex carbohydrate structures in PDB files.

    PubMed

    Lütteke, Thomas; von der Lieth, Claus-W

    2004-06-04

    Carbohydrates are involved in a variety of fundamental biological processes and pathological situations. They therefore have a large pharmaceutical and diagnostic potential. Knowledge of the 3D structure of glycans is a prerequisite for a complete understanding of their biological functions. The largest source of biomolecular 3D structures is the Protein Data Bank. However, about 30% of all 1663 PDB entries (version September 2003) containing carbohydrates comprise errors in glycan description. Unfortunately, no software is currently available which aligns the 3D information with the reported assignments. It is the aim of this work to fill this gap. The pdb-care program http://www.glycosciences.de/tools/pdb-care/ is able to identify and assign carbohydrate structures using only atom types and their 3D atom coordinates given in PDB-files. Looking up a translation table where systematic names and the respective PDB residue codes are listed, both assignments are compared and inconsistencies are reported. Additionally, the reliability of reported and calculated connectivities for molecules listed within the HETATOM records is checked and unusual values are reported. Frequent use of pdb-care will help to improve the quality of carbohydrate data contained in the PDB. Automatic assignment of carbohydrate structures contained in PDB entries will enable the cross-linking of glycobiology resources with genomic and proteomic data collections.

  2. Data mining the PDB for glyco-related data.

    PubMed

    Lütteke, Thomas; von der Lieth, Claus W

    2009-01-01

    The 3D structural data of glycoprotein or protein-carbohydrate complexes that are found in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) are an interesting data source for glycobiologists. Unfortunately, carbohydrate components are difficult to find with the means provided by the PDB. The GLYCOSCIENCES.de internet portal offers a variety of tools and databases to locate and analyze these structures. This chapter describes how to find PDB entries that feature a specific carbohydrate structure and how to locate carbohydrate residues in a 3D structure file and to check their consistency. In addition to this, methods to statistically analyze torsion angles and the abundance of amino acids both in the neighborhood of glycosylation sites and in the spatial vicinity of non-covalently bound carbohydrate chains are summarized.

  3. A tool for calculating binding-site residues on proteins from PDB structures.

    PubMed

    Hu, Jing; Yan, Changhui

    2009-08-03

    In the research on protein functional sites, researchers often need to identify binding-site residues on a protein. A commonly used strategy is to find a complex structure from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) that consists of the protein of interest and its interacting partner(s) and calculate binding-site residues based on the complex structure. However, since a protein may participate in multiple interactions, the binding-site residues calculated based on one complex structure usually do not reveal all binding sites on a protein. Thus, this requires researchers to find all PDB complexes that contain the protein of interest and combine the binding-site information gleaned from them. This process is very time-consuming. Especially, combing binding-site information obtained from different PDB structures requires tedious work to align protein sequences. The process becomes overwhelmingly difficult when researchers have a large set of proteins to analyze, which is usually the case in practice. In this study, we have developed a tool for calculating binding-site residues on proteins, TCBRP http://yanbioinformatics.cs.usu.edu:8080/ppbindingsubmit. For an input protein, TCBRP can quickly find all binding-site residues on the protein by automatically combining the information obtained from all PDB structures that consist of the protein of interest. Additionally, TCBRP presents the binding-site residues in different categories according to the interaction type. TCBRP also allows researchers to set the definition of binding-site residues. The developed tool is very useful for the research on protein binding site analysis and prediction.

  4. Mapping PDB chains to UniProtKB entries.

    PubMed

    Martin, Andrew C R

    2005-12-01

    UniProtKB/SwissProt is the main resource for detailed annotations of protein sequences. This database provides a jumping-off point to many other resources through the links it provides. Among others, these include other primary databases, secondary databases, the Gene Ontology and OMIM. While a large number of links are provided to Protein Data Bank (PDB) files, obtaining a regularly updated mapping between UniProtKB entries and PDB entries at the chain or residue level is not straightforward. In particular, there is no regularly updated resource which allows a UniProtKB/SwissProt entry to be identified for a given residue of a PDB file. We have created a completely automatically maintained database which maps PDB residues to residues in UniProtKB/SwissProt and UniProtKB/trEMBL entries. The protocol uses links from PDB to UniProtKB, from UniProtKB to PDB and a brute-force sequence scan to resolve PDB chains for which no annotated link is available. Finally the sequences from PDB and UniProtKB are aligned to obtain a residue-level mapping. The resource may be queried interactively or downloaded from http://www.bioinf.org.uk/pdbsws/.

  5. A series of PDB-related databanks for everyday needs.

    PubMed

    Touw, Wouter G; Baakman, Coos; Black, Jon; te Beek, Tim A H; Krieger, E; Joosten, Robbie P; Vriend, Gert

    2015-01-01

    We present a series of databanks (http://swift.cmbi.ru.nl/gv/facilities/) that hold information that is computationally derived from Protein Data Bank (PDB) entries and that might augment macromolecular structure studies. These derived databanks run parallel to the PDB, i.e. they have one entry per PDB entry. Several of the well-established databanks such as HSSP, PDBREPORT and PDB_REDO have been updated and/or improved. The software that creates the DSSP databank, for example, has been rewritten to better cope with π-helices. A large number of databanks have been added to aid computational structural biology; some examples are lists of residues that make crystal contacts, lists of contacting residues using a series of contact definitions or lists of residue accessibilities. PDB files are not the optimal presentation of the underlying data for many studies. We therefore made a series of databanks that hold PDB files in an easier to use or more consistent representation. The BDB databank holds X-ray PDB files with consistently represented B-factors. We also added several visualization tools to aid the users of our databanks. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  6. DECOMP: a PDB decomposition tool on the web.

    PubMed

    Ordog, Rafael; Szabadka, Zoltán; Grolmusz, Vince

    2009-07-27

    The protein databank (PDB) contains high quality structural data for computational structural biology investigations. We have earlier described a fast tool (the decomp_pdb tool) for identifying and marking missing atoms and residues in PDB files. The tool also automatically decomposes PDB entries into separate files describing ligands and polypeptide chains. Here, we describe a web interface named DECOMP for the tool. Our program correctly identifies multi-monomer ligands, and the server also offers the preprocessed ligand-protein decomposition of the complete PDB for downloading (up to size: 5GB) AVAILABILITY: http://decomp.pitgroup.org.

  7. Glycan fragment database: a database of PDB-based glycan 3D structures.

    PubMed

    Jo, Sunhwan; Im, Wonpil

    2013-01-01

    The glycan fragment database (GFDB), freely available at http://www.glycanstructure.org, is a database of the glycosidic torsion angles derived from the glycan structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Analogous to protein structure, the structure of an oligosaccharide chain in a glycoprotein, referred to as a glycan, can be characterized by the torsion angles of glycosidic linkages between relatively rigid carbohydrate monomeric units. Knowledge of accessible conformations of biologically relevant glycans is essential in understanding their biological roles. The GFDB provides an intuitive glycan sequence search tool that allows the user to search complex glycan structures. After a glycan search is complete, each glycosidic torsion angle distribution is displayed in terms of the exact match and the fragment match. The exact match results are from the PDB entries that contain the glycan sequence identical to the query sequence. The fragment match results are from the entries with the glycan sequence whose substructure (fragment) or entire sequence is matched to the query sequence, such that the fragment results implicitly include the influences from the nearby carbohydrate residues. In addition, clustering analysis based on the torsion angle distribution can be performed to obtain the representative structures among the searched glycan structures.

  8. Influence of Trp flipping on carbohydrate binding in lectins. An example on Aleuria aurantia lectin AAL.

    PubMed

    Houser, Josef; Kozmon, Stanislav; Mishra, Deepti; Mishra, Sushil K; Romano, Patrick R; Wimmerová, Michaela; Koča, Jaroslav

    2017-01-01

    Protein-carbohydrate interactions are very often mediated by the stacking CH-π interactions involving the side chains of aromatic amino acids such as tryptophan (Trp), tyrosine (Tyr) or phenylalanine (Phe). Especially suitable for stacking is the Trp residue. Analysis of the PDB database shows Trp stacking for 265 carbohydrate or carbohydrate like ligands in 5 208 Trp containing motives. An appropriate model system to study such an interaction is the AAL lectin family where the stacking interactions play a crucial role and are thought to be a driving force for carbohydrate binding. In this study we present data showing a novel finding in the stacking interaction of the AAL Trp side chain with the carbohydrate. High resolution X-ray structure of the AAL lectin from Aleuria aurantia with α-methyl-l-fucoside ligand shows two possible Trp side chain conformations with the same occupation in electron density. The in silico data shows that the conformation of the Trp side chain does not influence the interaction energy despite the fact that each conformation creates interactions with different carbohydrate CH groups. Moreover, the PDB data search shows that the conformations are almost equally distributed across all Trp-carbohydrate complexes, which would suggest no substantial preference for one conformation over another.

  9. NMR structure calculation for all small molecule ligands and non-standard residues from the PDB Chemical Component Dictionary.

    PubMed

    Yilmaz, Emel Maden; Güntert, Peter

    2015-09-01

    An algorithm, CYLIB, is presented for converting molecular topology descriptions from the PDB Chemical Component Dictionary into CYANA residue library entries. The CYANA structure calculation algorithm uses torsion angle molecular dynamics for the efficient computation of three-dimensional structures from NMR-derived restraints. For this, the molecules have to be represented in torsion angle space with rotations around covalent single bonds as the only degrees of freedom. The molecule must be given a tree structure of torsion angles connecting rigid units composed of one or several atoms with fixed relative positions. Setting up CYANA residue library entries therefore involves, besides straightforward format conversion, the non-trivial step of defining a suitable tree structure of torsion angles, and to re-order the atoms in a way that is compatible with this tree structure. This can be done manually for small numbers of ligands but the process is time-consuming and error-prone. An automated method is necessary in order to handle the large number of different potential ligand molecules to be studied in drug design projects. Here, we present an algorithm for this purpose, and show that CYANA structure calculations can be performed with almost all small molecule ligands and non-standard amino acid residues in the PDB Chemical Component Dictionary.

  10. Characterization of protein and carbohydrate mid-IR spectral features in crop residues

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xin, Hangshu; Zhang, Yonggen; Wang, Mingjun; Li, Zhongyu; Wang, Zhibo; Yu, Peiqiang

    2014-08-01

    To the best of our knowledge, a few studies have been conducted on inherent structure spectral traits related to biopolymers of crop residues. The objective of this study was to characterize protein and carbohydrate structure spectral features of three field crop residues (rice straw, wheat straw and millet straw) in comparison with two crop vines (peanut vine and pea vine) by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) technique with attenuated total reflectance (ATR). Also, multivariate analyses were performed on spectral data sets within the regions mainly related to protein and carbohydrate in this study. The results showed that spectral differences existed in mid-IR peak intensities that are mainly related to protein and carbohydrate among these crop residue samples. With regard to protein spectral profile, peanut vine showed the greatest mid-IR band intensities that are related to protein amide and protein secondary structures, followed by pea vine and the rest three field crop straws. The crop vines had 48-134% higher spectral band intensity than the grain straws in spectral features associated with protein. Similar trends were also found in the bands that are mainly related to structural carbohydrates (such as cellulosic compounds). However, the field crop residues had higher peak intensity in total carbohydrates region than the crop vines. Furthermore, spectral ratios varied among the residue samples, indicating that these five crop residues had different internal structural conformation. However, multivariate spectral analyses showed that structural similarities still exhibited among crop residues in the regions associated with protein biopolymers and carbohydrate. Further study is needed to find out whether there is any relationship between spectroscopic information and nutrition supply in various kinds of crop residue when fed to animals.

  11. Characterization of protein and carbohydrate mid-IR spectral features in crop residues.

    PubMed

    Xin, Hangshu; Zhang, Yonggen; Wang, Mingjun; Li, Zhongyu; Wang, Zhibo; Yu, Peiqiang

    2014-08-14

    To the best of our knowledge, a few studies have been conducted on inherent structure spectral traits related to biopolymers of crop residues. The objective of this study was to characterize protein and carbohydrate structure spectral features of three field crop residues (rice straw, wheat straw and millet straw) in comparison with two crop vines (peanut vine and pea vine) by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) technique with attenuated total reflectance (ATR). Also, multivariate analyses were performed on spectral data sets within the regions mainly related to protein and carbohydrate in this study. The results showed that spectral differences existed in mid-IR peak intensities that are mainly related to protein and carbohydrate among these crop residue samples. With regard to protein spectral profile, peanut vine showed the greatest mid-IR band intensities that are related to protein amide and protein secondary structures, followed by pea vine and the rest three field crop straws. The crop vines had 48-134% higher spectral band intensity than the grain straws in spectral features associated with protein. Similar trends were also found in the bands that are mainly related to structural carbohydrates (such as cellulosic compounds). However, the field crop residues had higher peak intensity in total carbohydrates region than the crop vines. Furthermore, spectral ratios varied among the residue samples, indicating that these five crop residues had different internal structural conformation. However, multivariate spectral analyses showed that structural similarities still exhibited among crop residues in the regions associated with protein biopolymers and carbohydrate. Further study is needed to find out whether there is any relationship between spectroscopic information and nutrition supply in various kinds of crop residue when fed to animals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. PDB data curation.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yanchao; Sunderraman, Rajshekhar

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, we propose two architectures for curating PDB data to improve its quality. The first one, PDB Data Curation System, is developed by adding two parts, Checking Filter and Curation Engine, between User Interface and Database. This architecture supports the basic PDB data curation. The other one, PDB Data Curation System with XCML, is designed for further curation which adds four more parts, PDB-XML, PDB, OODB, Protin-OODB, into the previous one. This architecture uses XCML language to automatically check errors of PDB data that enables PDB data more consistent and accurate. These two tools can be used for cleaning existing PDB files and creating new PDB files. We also show some ideas how to add constraints and assertions with XCML to get better data. In addition, we discuss the data provenance that may affect data accuracy and consistency.

  13. PDB-Metrics: a web tool for exploring the PDB contents.

    PubMed

    Fileto, Renato; Kuser, Paula R; Yamagishi, Michel E B; Ribeiro, André A; Quinalia, Thiago G; Franco, Eduardo H; Mancini, Adauto L; Higa, Roberto H; Oliveira, Stanley R M; Santos, Edgard H; Vieira, Fabio D; Mazoni, Ivan; Cruz, Sergio A B; Neshich, Goran

    2006-06-30

    PDB-Metrics (http://sms.cbi.cnptia.embrapa.br/SMS/pdb_metrics/index.html) is a component of the Diamond STING suite of programs for the analysis of protein sequence, structure and function. It summarizes the characteristics of the collection of protein structure descriptions deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) and provides a Web interface to search and browse the PDB, using a variety of alternative criteria. PDB-Metrics is a powerful tool for bioinformaticians to examine the data span in the PDB from several perspectives. Although other Web sites offer some similar resources to explore the PDB contents, PDB-Metrics is among those with the most complete set of such facilities, integrated into a single Web site. This program has been developed using SQLite, a C library that provides all the query facilities of a database management system.

  14. SEQATOMS: a web tool for identifying missing regions in PDB in sequence context.

    PubMed

    Brandt, Bernd W; Heringa, Jaap; Leunissen, Jack A M

    2008-07-01

    With over 46 000 proteins, the Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the most important database with structural information of biological macromolecules. PDB files contain sequence and coordinate information. Residues present in the sequence can be absent from the coordinate section, which means their position in space is unknown. Similarity searches are routinely carried out against sequences taken from PDB SEQRES. However, there no distinction is made between residues that have a known or unknown position in the 3D protein structure. We present a FASTA sequence database that is produced by combining the sequence and coordinate information. All residues absent from the PDB coordinate section are masked with lower-case letters, thereby providing a view of these residues in the context of the entire protein sequence, which facilitates inspecting 'missing' regions. We also provide a masked version of the CATH domain database. A user-friendly BLAST interface is available for similarity searching. In contrast to standard (stand-alone) BLAST output, which only contains upper-case letters, our output retains the lower-case letters of the masked regions. Thus, our server can be used to perform BLAST searching case-sensitively. Here, we have applied it to the study of missing regions in their sequence context. SEQATOMS is available at http://www.bioinformatics.nl/tools/seqatoms/.

  15. The worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB): ensuring a single, uniform archive of PDB data

    PubMed Central

    Berman, Helen; Henrick, Kim; Nakamura, Haruki; Markley, John L.

    2007-01-01

    The worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) is the international collaboration that manages the deposition, processing and distribution of the PDB archive. The online PDB archive is a repository for the coordinates and related information for more than 38 000 structures, including proteins, nucleic acids and large macromolecular complexes that have been determined using X-ray crystallography, NMR and electron microscopy techniques. The founding members of the wwPDB are RCSB PDB (USA), MSD-EBI (Europe) and PDBj (Japan) [H.M. Berman, K. Henrick and H. Nakamura (2003) Nature Struct. Biol., 10, 980]. The BMRB group (USA) joined the wwPDB in 2006. The mission of the wwPDB is to maintain a single archive of macromolecular structural data that are freely and publicly available to the global community. Additionally, the wwPDB provides a variety of services to a broad community of users. The wwPDB website at provides information about services provided by the individual member organizations and about projects undertaken by the wwPDB. PMID:17142228

  16. PDB_REDO: automated re-refinement of X-ray structure models in the PDB.

    PubMed

    Joosten, Robbie P; Salzemann, Jean; Bloch, Vincent; Stockinger, Heinz; Berglund, Ann-Charlott; Blanchet, Christophe; Bongcam-Rudloff, Erik; Combet, Christophe; Da Costa, Ana L; Deleage, Gilbert; Diarena, Matteo; Fabbretti, Roberto; Fettahi, Géraldine; Flegel, Volker; Gisel, Andreas; Kasam, Vinod; Kervinen, Timo; Korpelainen, Eija; Mattila, Kimmo; Pagni, Marco; Reichstadt, Matthieu; Breton, Vincent; Tickle, Ian J; Vriend, Gert

    2009-06-01

    Structural biology, homology modelling and rational drug design require accurate three-dimensional macromolecular coordinates. However, the coordinates in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) have not all been obtained using the latest experimental and computational methods. In this study a method is presented for automated re-refinement of existing structure models in the PDB. A large-scale benchmark with 16 807 PDB entries showed that they can be improved in terms of fit to the deposited experimental X-ray data as well as in terms of geometric quality. The re-refinement protocol uses TLS models to describe concerted atom movement. The resulting structure models are made available through the PDB_REDO databank (http://www.cmbi.ru.nl/pdb_redo/). Grid computing techniques were used to overcome the computational requirements of this endeavour.

  17. NNvPDB: Neural Network based Protein Secondary Structure Prediction with PDB Validation.

    PubMed

    Sakthivel, Seethalakshmi; S K M, Habeeb

    2015-01-01

    The predicted secondary structural states are not cross validated by any of the existing servers. Hence, information on the level of accuracy for every sequence is not reported by the existing servers. This was overcome by NNvPDB, which not only reported greater Q3 but also validates every prediction with the homologous PDB entries. NNvPDB is based on the concept of Neural Network, with a new and different approach of training the network every time with five PDB structures that are similar to query sequence. The average accuracy for helix is 76%, beta sheet is 71% and overall (helix, sheet and coil) is 66%. http://bit.srmuniv.ac.in/cgi-bin/bit/cfpdb/nnsecstruct.pl.

  18. Creative PDB`s (parts databases)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cote, T.J.

    1998-12-31

    PDB component property entries and creative picklists can make the schematic entry process and downstream tools such as BOM generation more useful. This presentation will show how creative PDB`s can enhance the design process. Examples of PDB entries developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory will be discussed.

  19. Personalization of structural PDB files.

    PubMed

    Woźniak, Tomasz; Adamiak, Ryszard W

    2013-01-01

    PDB format is most commonly applied by various programs to define three-dimensional structure of biomolecules. However, the programs often use different versions of the format. Thus far, no comprehensive solution for unifying the PDB formats has been developed. Here we present an open-source, Python-based tool called PDBinout for processing and conversion of various versions of PDB file format for biostructural applications. Moreover, PDBinout allows to create one's own PDB versions. PDBinout is freely available under the LGPL licence at http://pdbinout.ibch.poznan.pl.

  20. SSMap: a new UniProt-PDB mapping resource for the curation of structural-related information in the UniProt/Swiss-Prot Knowledgebase.

    PubMed

    David, Fabrice P A; Yip, Yum L

    2008-09-23

    Sequences and structures provide valuable complementary information on protein features and functions. However, it is not always straightforward for users to gather information concurrently from the sequence and structure levels. The UniProt knowledgebase (UniProtKB) strives to help users on this undertaking by providing complete cross-references to Protein Data Bank (PDB) as well as coherent feature annotation using available structural information. In this study, SSMap - a new UniProt-PDB residue-residue level mapping - was generated. The primary objective of this mapping is not only to facilitate the two tasks mentioned above, but also to palliate a number of shortcomings of existent mappings. SSMap is the first isoform sequence-specific mapping resource and is up-to-date for UniProtKB annotation tasks. The method employed by SSMap differs from the other mapping resources in that it stresses on the correct reconstruction of the PDB sequence from structures, and on the correct attribution of a UniProtKB entry to each PDB chain by using a series of post-processing steps. SSMap was compared to other existing mapping resources in terms of the correctness of the attribution of PDB chains to UniProtKB entries, and of the quality of the pairwise alignments supporting the residue-residue mapping. It was found that SSMap shared about 80% of the mappings with other mapping sources. New and alternative mappings proposed by SSMap were mostly good as assessed by manual verification of data subsets. As for local pairwise alignments, it was shown that major discrepancies (both in terms of alignment lengths and boundaries), when present, were often due to differences in methodologies used for the mappings. SSMap provides an independent, good quality UniProt-PDB mapping. The systematic comparison conducted in this study allows the further identification of general problems in UniProt-PDB mappings so that both the coverage and the quality of the mappings can be systematically

  1. sc-PDB: an annotated database of druggable binding sites from the Protein Data Bank.

    PubMed

    Kellenberger, Esther; Muller, Pascal; Schalon, Claire; Bret, Guillaume; Foata, Nicolas; Rognan, Didier

    2006-01-01

    The sc-PDB is a collection of 6 415 three-dimensional structures of binding sites found in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Binding sites were extracted from all high-resolution crystal structures in which a complex between a protein cavity and a small-molecular-weight ligand could be identified. Importantly, ligands are considered from a pharmacological and not a structural point of view. Therefore, solvents, detergents, and most metal ions are not stored in the sc-PDB. Ligands are classified into four main categories: nucleotides (< 4-mer), peptides (< 9-mer), cofactors, and organic compounds. The corresponding binding site is formed by all protein residues (including amino acids, cofactors, and important metal ions) with at least one atom within 6.5 angstroms of any ligand atom. The database was carefully annotated by browsing several protein databases (PDB, UniProt, and GO) and storing, for every sc-PDB entry, the following features: protein name, function, source, domain and mutations, ligand name, and structure. The repository of ligands has also been archived by diversity analysis of molecular scaffolds, and several chemoinformatics descriptors were computed to better understand the chemical space covered by stored ligands. The sc-PDB may be used for several purposes: (i) screening a collection of binding sites for predicting the most likely target(s) of any ligand, (ii) analyzing the molecular similarity between different cavities, and (iii) deriving rules that describe the relationship between ligand pharmacophoric points and active-site properties. The database is periodically updated and accessible on the web at http://bioinfo-pharma.u-strasbg.fr/scPDB/.

  2. PDB-Ligand: a ligand database based on PDB for the automated and customized classification of ligand-binding structures.

    PubMed

    Shin, Jae-Min; Cho, Doo-Ho

    2005-01-01

    PDB-Ligand (http://www.idrtech.com/PDB-Ligand/) is a three-dimensional structure database of small molecular ligands that are bound to larger biomolecules deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). It is also a database tool that allows one to browse, classify, superimpose and visualize these structures. As of May 2004, there are about 4870 types of small molecular ligands, experimentally determined as a complex with protein or DNA in the PDB. The proteins that a given ligand binds are often homologous and present the same binding structure to the ligand. However, there are also many instances wherein a given ligand binds to two or more unrelated proteins, or to the same or homologous protein in different binding environments. PDB-Ligand serves as an interactive structural analysis and clustering tool for all the ligand-binding structures in the PDB. PDB-Ligand also provides an easier way to obtain a number of different structure alignments of many related ligand-binding structures based on a simple and flexible ligand clustering method. PDB-Ligand will be a good resource for both a better interpretation of ligand-binding structures and the development of better scoring functions to be used in many drug discovery applications.

  3. PDB@: an offline toolkit for exploration and analysis of PDB files.

    PubMed

    Mani, Udayakumar; Ravisankar, Sadhana; Ramakrishnan, Sai Mukund

    2013-12-01

    Protein Data Bank (PDB) is a freely accessible archive of the 3-D structural data of biological molecules. Structure based studies offers a unique vantage point in inferring the properties of a protein molecule from structural data. This is too big a task to be done manually. Moreover, there is no single tool, software or server that comprehensively analyses all structure-based properties. The objective of the present work is to develop an offline computational toolkit, PDB@ containing in-built algorithms that help categorizing the structural properties of a protein molecule. The user has the facility to view and edit the PDB file to his need. Some features of the present work are unique in itself and others are an improvement over existing tools. Also, the representation of protein properties in both graphical and textual formats helps in predicting all the necessary details of a protein molecule on a single platform.

  4. PDB-NMA of a protein homodimer reproduces distinct experimental motility asymmetry.

    PubMed

    Tirion, Monique M; Ben-Avraham, Daniel

    2018-01-16

    We have extended our analytically derived PDB-NMA formulation, Atomic Torsional Modal Analysis or ATMAN (Tirion and ben-Avraham 2015 Phys. Rev. E 91 032712), to include protein dimers using mixed internal and Cartesian coordinates. A test case on a 1.3 [Formula: see text] resolution model of a small homodimer, ActVA-ORF6, consisting of two 112-residue subunits identically folded in a compact 50 [Formula: see text] sphere, reproduces the distinct experimental Debye-Waller motility asymmetry for the two chains, demonstrating that structure sensitively selects vibrational signatures. The vibrational analysis of this PDB entry, together with biochemical and crystallographic data, demonstrates the cooperative nature of the dimeric interaction of the two subunits and suggests a mechanical model for subunit interconversion during the catalytic cycle.

  5. PDB-NMA of a protein homodimer reproduces distinct experimental motility asymmetry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tirion, Monique M.; ben-Avraham, Daniel

    2018-03-01

    We have extended our analytically derived PDB-NMA formulation, Atomic Torsional Modal Analysis or ATMAN (Tirion and ben-Avraham 2015 Phys. Rev. E 91 032712), to include protein dimers using mixed internal and Cartesian coordinates. A test case on a 1.3 {\\mathringA} resolution model of a small homodimer, ActVA-ORF6, consisting of two 112-residue subunits identically folded in a compact 50 {\\mathringA} sphere, reproduces the distinct experimental Debye-Waller motility asymmetry for the two chains, demonstrating that structure sensitively selects vibrational signatures. The vibrational analysis of this PDB entry, together with biochemical and crystallographic data, demonstrates the cooperative nature of the dimeric interaction of the two subunits and suggests a mechanical model for subunit interconversion during the catalytic cycle.

  6. Electrostatic potential calculation for biomolecules--creating a database of pre-calculated values reported on a per residue basis for all PDB protein structures.

    PubMed

    Rocchia, W; Neshich, G

    2007-10-05

    STING and Java Protein Dossier provide a collection of physical-chemical parameters, describing protein structure, stability, function, and interaction, considered one of the most comprehensive among the available protein databases of similar type. Particular attention in STING is paid to the electrostatic potential. It makes use of DelPhi, a well-known tool that calculates this physical-chemical quantity for biomolecules by solving the Poisson Boltzmann equation. In this paper, we describe a modification to the DelPhi program aimed at integrating it within the STING environment. We also outline how the "amino acid electrostatic potential" and the "surface amino acid electrostatic potential" are calculated (over all Protein Data Bank (PDB) content) and how the corresponding values are made searchable in STING_DB. In addition, we show that the STING and Java Protein Dossier are also capable of providing these particular parameter values for the analysis of protein structures modeled in computers or being experimentally solved, but not yet deposited in the PDB. Furthermore, we compare the calculated electrostatic potential values obtained by using the earlier version of DelPhi and those by STING, for the biologically relevant case of lysozyme-antibody interaction. Finally, we describe the STING capacity to make queries (at both residue and atomic levels) across the whole PDB, by looking at a specific case where the electrostatic potential parameter plays a crucial role in terms of a particular protein function, such as ligand binding. BlueStar STING is available at http://www.cbi.cnptia.embrapa.br.

  7. Incorporation of carbohydrate residues into peroxidase isoenzymes in horseradish roots.

    PubMed

    Lew, J Y; Shannon, L M

    1973-11-01

    Sliced root tissue of the horseradish plant (Armoracia rusticana), when incubated with mannose-U-(14)C, incorporated radioactivity into peroxidase isoenzymes. Over 90% of the radioactivity in the highly purified peroxidase isoenzymes was present in the neutral sugar residues of the molecule, i.e. fucose, arabinose, xylose, mannose. When the root slices were incubated simultaneously with leucine-4,5-(3)H and mannose-U-(14)C, cycloheximide strongly inhibited leucine incorporation into the peptide portion of peroxidase isoenzymes but had little effect on the incorporation of (14)C into the neutral sugars. These results indicated that synthesis of the peptide portion of peroxidase was completed before the monosaccharide residues were attached to the molecule. This temporal relationship between the synthesis of protein and the attachment of carbohydrate residues in the plant glycoprotein, horseradish peroxidase, appears to be similar to that reported for glycoprotein biosynthesis in many mammalian systems.

  8. Incorporation of Carbohydrate Residues into Peroxidase Isoenzymes in Horseradish Roots

    PubMed Central

    Lew, Jow Y.; Shannon, Leland M.

    1973-01-01

    Sliced root tissue of the horseradish plant (Armoracia rusticana), when incubated with mannose-U-14C, incorporated radioactivity into peroxidase isoenzymes. Over 90% of the radioactivity in the highly purified peroxidase isoenzymes was present in the neutral sugar residues of the molecule, i.e. fucose, arabinose, xylose, mannose. When the root slices were incubated simultaneously with leucine-4,5-3H and mannose-U-14C, cycloheximide strongly inhibited leucine incorporation into the peptide portion of peroxidase isoenzymes but had little effect on the incorporation of 14C into the neutral sugars. These results indicated that synthesis of the peptide portion of peroxidase was completed before the monosaccharide residues were attached to the molecule. This temporal relationship between the synthesis of protein and the attachment of carbohydrate residues in the plant glycoprotein, horseradish peroxidase, appears to be similar to that reported for glycoprotein biosynthesis in many mammalian systems. PMID:16658584

  9. Carbohydrate-Aromatic Interactions in Proteins.

    PubMed

    Hudson, Kieran L; Bartlett, Gail J; Diehl, Roger C; Agirre, Jon; Gallagher, Timothy; Kiessling, Laura L; Woolfson, Derek N

    2015-12-09

    Protein-carbohydrate interactions play pivotal roles in health and disease. However, defining and manipulating these interactions has been hindered by an incomplete understanding of the underlying fundamental forces. To elucidate common and discriminating features in carbohydrate recognition, we have analyzed quantitatively X-ray crystal structures of proteins with noncovalently bound carbohydrates. Within the carbohydrate-binding pockets, aliphatic hydrophobic residues are disfavored, whereas aromatic side chains are enriched. The greatest preference is for tryptophan with an increased prevalence of 9-fold. Variations in the spatial orientation of amino acids around different monosaccharides indicate specific carbohydrate C-H bonds interact preferentially with aromatic residues. These preferences are consistent with the electronic properties of both the carbohydrate C-H bonds and the aromatic residues. Those carbohydrates that present patches of electropositive saccharide C-H bonds engage more often in CH-π interactions involving electron-rich aromatic partners. These electronic effects are also manifested when carbohydrate-aromatic interactions are monitored in solution: NMR analysis indicates that indole favorably binds to electron-poor C-H bonds of model carbohydrates, and a clear linear free energy relationships with substituted indoles supports the importance of complementary electronic effects in driving protein-carbohydrate interactions. Together, our data indicate that electrostatic and electronic complementarity between carbohydrates and aromatic residues play key roles in driving protein-carbohydrate complexation. Moreover, these weak noncovalent interactions influence which saccharide residues bind to proteins, and how they are positioned within carbohydrate-binding sites.

  10. OneDep: Unified wwPDB System for Deposition, Biocuration, and Validation of Macromolecular Structures in the PDB Archive.

    PubMed

    Young, Jasmine Y; Westbrook, John D; Feng, Zukang; Sala, Raul; Peisach, Ezra; Oldfield, Thomas J; Sen, Sanchayita; Gutmanas, Aleksandras; Armstrong, David R; Berrisford, John M; Chen, Li; Chen, Minyu; Di Costanzo, Luigi; Dimitropoulos, Dimitris; Gao, Guanghua; Ghosh, Sutapa; Gore, Swanand; Guranovic, Vladimir; Hendrickx, Pieter M S; Hudson, Brian P; Igarashi, Reiko; Ikegawa, Yasuyo; Kobayashi, Naohiro; Lawson, Catherine L; Liang, Yuhe; Mading, Steve; Mak, Lora; Mir, M Saqib; Mukhopadhyay, Abhik; Patwardhan, Ardan; Persikova, Irina; Rinaldi, Luana; Sanz-Garcia, Eduardo; Sekharan, Monica R; Shao, Chenghua; Swaminathan, G Jawahar; Tan, Lihua; Ulrich, Eldon L; van Ginkel, Glen; Yamashita, Reiko; Yang, Huanwang; Zhuravleva, Marina A; Quesada, Martha; Kleywegt, Gerard J; Berman, Helen M; Markley, John L; Nakamura, Haruki; Velankar, Sameer; Burley, Stephen K

    2017-03-07

    OneDep, a unified system for deposition, biocuration, and validation of experimentally determined structures of biological macromolecules to the PDB archive, has been developed as a global collaboration by the worldwide PDB (wwPDB) partners. This new system was designed to ensure that the wwPDB could meet the evolving archiving requirements of the scientific community over the coming decades. OneDep unifies deposition, biocuration, and validation pipelines across all wwPDB, EMDB, and BMRB deposition sites with improved focus on data quality and completeness in these archives, while supporting growth in the number of depositions and increases in their average size and complexity. In this paper, we describe the design, functional operation, and supporting infrastructure of the OneDep system, and provide initial performance assessments. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  11. PDB-Dev: a Prototype System for Depositing Integrative/Hybrid Structural Models.

    PubMed

    Burley, Stephen K; Kurisu, Genji; Markley, John L; Nakamura, Haruki; Velankar, Sameer; Berman, Helen M; Sali, Andrej; Schwede, Torsten; Trewhella, Jill

    2017-09-05

    Burley et al. (leadership of the Worldwide PDB [wwPDB] Partnership [wwpdb.org] and the wwPDB Integrative/Hybrid Methods Task Force) announce public release of a prototype system for depositing integrative/hybrid structural models, PDB-Development (PDB-Dev; https://pdb-dev.wwpdb.org). Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  12. OneDep: Unified wwPDB System for Deposition, Biocuration, and Validation of Macromolecular Structures in the PDB Archive

    PubMed Central

    Young, Jasmine Y.; Westbrook, John D.; Feng, Zukang; Sala, Raul; Peisach, Ezra; Oldfield, Thomas J.; Sen, Sanchayita; Gutmanas, Aleksandras; Armstrong, David R.; Berrisford, John M.; Chen, Li; Chen, Minyu; Di Costanzo, Luigi; Dimitropoulos, Dimitris; Gao, Guanghua; Ghosh, Sutapa; Gore, Swanand; Guranovic, Vladimir; Hendrickx, Pieter MS; Hudson, Brian P.; Igarashi, Reiko; Ikegawa, Yasuyo; Kobayashi, Naohiro; Lawson, Catherine L.; Liang, Yuhe; Mading, Steve; Mak, Lora; Mir, M. Saqib; Mukhopadhyay, Abhik; Patwardhan, Ardan; Persikova, Irina; Rinaldi, Luana; Sanz-Garcia, Eduardo; Sekharan, Monica R.; Shao, Chenghua; Swaminathan, G. Jawahar; Tan, Lihua; Ulrich, Eldon L.; van Ginkel, Glen; Yamashita, Reiko; Yang, Huanwang; Zhuravleva, Marina A.; Quesada, Martha; Kleywegt, Gerard J.; Berman, Helen M.; Markley, John L.; Nakamura, Haruki; Velankar, Sameer; Burley, Stephen K.

    2017-01-01

    SUMMARY OneDep, a unified system for deposition, biocuration, and validation of experimentally determined structures of biological macromolecules to the Protein Data Bank (PDB) archive, has been developed as a global collaboration by the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) partners. This new system was designed to ensure that the wwPDB could meet the evolving archiving requirements of the scientific community over the coming decades. OneDep unifies deposition, biocuration, and validation pipelines across all wwPDB, EMDB, and BMRB deposition sites with improved focus on data quality and completeness in these archives, while supporting growth in the number of depositions and increases in their average size and complexity. In this paper, we describe the design, functional operation, and supporting infrastructure of the OneDep system, and provide initial performance assessments. PMID:28190782

  13. Protein Data Bank (PDB): The Single Global Macromolecular Structure Archive

    PubMed Central

    Burley, Stephen K.; Berman, Helen M.; Kleywegt, Gerard J.; Markley, John L.; Nakamura, Haruki; Velankar, Sameer

    2018-01-01

    The Protein Data Bank (PDB)—the single global repository of experimentally determined 3D structures of biological macromolecules and their complexes—was established in 1971, becoming the first open-access digital resource in the biological sciences. The PDB archive currently houses ~130,000 entries (May 2017). It is managed by the Worldwide Protein Data Bank organization (wwPDB; wwpdb.org), which includes the RCSB Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB; rcsb.org), the Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj; pdbj.org), the Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe; pdbe.org), and BioMagResBank (BMRB; www.bmrb.wisc.edu). The four wwPDB partners operate a unified global software system that enforces community-agreed data standards and supports data Deposition, Biocuration, and Validation of ~11,000 new PDB entries annually (deposit.wwpdb.org). The RCSB PDB currently acts as the archive keeper, ensuring disaster recovery of PDB data and coordinating weekly updates. wwPDB partners disseminate the same archival data from multiple FTP sites, while operating complementary websites that provide their own views of PDB data with selected value-added information and links to related data resources. At present, the PDB archives experimental data, associated metadata, and 3D-atomic level structural models derived from three well-established methods: crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and electron microscopy (3DEM). wwPDB partners are working closely with experts in related experimental areas (small-angle scattering, chemical cross-linking/mass spectrometry, Forster energy resonance transfer or FRET, etc.) to establish a federation of data resources that will support sustainable archiving and validation of 3D structural models and experimental data derived from integrative or hybrid methods. PMID:28573592

  14. Protein Data Bank (PDB): The Single Global Macromolecular Structure Archive.

    PubMed

    Burley, Stephen K; Berman, Helen M; Kleywegt, Gerard J; Markley, John L; Nakamura, Haruki; Velankar, Sameer

    2017-01-01

    The Protein Data Bank (PDB)--the single global repository of experimentally determined 3D structures of biological macromolecules and their complexes--was established in 1971, becoming the first open-access digital resource in the biological sciences. The PDB archive currently houses ~130,000 entries (May 2017). It is managed by the Worldwide Protein Data Bank organization (wwPDB; wwpdb.org), which includes the RCSB Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB; rcsb.org), the Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj; pdbj.org), the Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe; pdbe.org), and BioMagResBank (BMRB; www.bmrb.wisc.edu). The four wwPDB partners operate a unified global software system that enforces community-agreed data standards and supports data Deposition, Biocuration, and Validation of ~11,000 new PDB entries annually (deposit.wwpdb.org). The RCSB PDB currently acts as the archive keeper, ensuring disaster recovery of PDB data and coordinating weekly updates. wwPDB partners disseminate the same archival data from multiple FTP sites, while operating complementary websites that provide their own views of PDB data with selected value-added information and links to related data resources. At present, the PDB archives experimental data, associated metadata, and 3D-atomic level structural models derived from three well-established methods: crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and electron microscopy (3DEM). wwPDB partners are working closely with experts in related experimental areas (small-angle scattering, chemical cross-linking/mass spectrometry, Forster energy resonance transfer or FRET, etc.) to establish a federation of data resources that will support sustainable archiving and validation of 3D structural models and experimental data derived from integrative or hybrid methods.

  15. PDB_REDO: constructive validation, more than just looking for errors.

    PubMed

    Joosten, Robbie P; Joosten, Krista; Murshudov, Garib N; Perrakis, Anastassis

    2012-04-01

    Developments of the PDB_REDO procedure that combine re-refinement and rebuilding within a unique decision-making framework to improve structures in the PDB are presented. PDB_REDO uses a variety of existing and custom-built software modules to choose an optimal refinement protocol (e.g. anisotropic, isotropic or overall B-factor refinement, TLS model) and to optimize the geometry versus data-refinement weights. Next, it proceeds to rebuild side chains and peptide planes before a final optimization round. PDB_REDO works fully automatically without the need for intervention by a crystallographic expert. The pipeline was tested on 12 000 PDB entries and the great majority of the test cases improved both in terms of crystallographic criteria such as R(free) and in terms of widely accepted geometric validation criteria. It is concluded that PDB_REDO is useful to update the otherwise `static' structures in the PDB to modern crystallographic standards. The publically available PDB_REDO database provides better model statistics and contributes to better refinement and validation targets.

  16. PDB_REDO: constructive validation, more than just looking for errors

    PubMed Central

    Joosten, Robbie P.; Joosten, Krista; Murshudov, Garib N.; Perrakis, Anastassis

    2012-01-01

    Developments of the PDB_REDO procedure that combine re-refinement and rebuilding within a unique decision-making framework to improve structures in the PDB are presented. PDB_REDO uses a variety of existing and custom-built software modules to choose an optimal refinement protocol (e.g. anisotropic, isotropic or overall B-factor refinement, TLS model) and to optimize the geometry versus data-refinement weights. Next, it proceeds to rebuild side chains and peptide planes before a final optimization round. PDB_REDO works fully automatically without the need for intervention by a crystallographic expert. The pipeline was tested on 12 000 PDB entries and the great majority of the test cases improved both in terms of crystallographic criteria such as R free and in terms of widely accepted geometric validation criteria. It is concluded that PDB_REDO is useful to update the otherwise ‘static’ structures in the PDB to modern crystallographic standards. The publically available PDB_REDO database provides better model statistics and contributes to better refinement and validation targets. PMID:22505269

  17. Representation of viruses in the remediated PDB archive

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lawson, Catherine L., E-mail: cathy.lawson@rutgers.edu; Dutta, Shuchismita; Westbrook, John D.

    2008-08-01

    A new data model for PDB entries of viruses and other biological assemblies with regular noncrystallographic symmetry is described. A new scheme has been devised to represent viruses and other biological assemblies with regular noncrystallographic symmetry in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The scheme describes existing and anticipated PDB entries of this type using generalized descriptions of deposited and experimental coordinate frames, symmetry and frame transformations. A simplified notation has been adopted to express the symmetry generation of assemblies from deposited coordinates and matrix operations describing the required point, helical or crystallographic symmetry. Complete correct information for building full assemblies,more » subassemblies and crystal asymmetric units of all virus entries is now available in the remediated PDB archive.« less

  18. CH/π Interactions in Carbohydrate Recognition.

    PubMed

    Spiwok, Vojtěch

    2017-06-23

    Many carbohydrate-binding proteins contain aromatic amino acid residues in their binding sites. These residues interact with carbohydrates in a stacking geometry via CH/π interactions. These interactions can be found in carbohydrate-binding proteins, including lectins, enzymes and carbohydrate transporters. Besides this, many non-protein aromatic molecules (natural as well as artificial) can bind saccharides using these interactions. Recent computational and experimental studies have shown that carbohydrate-aromatic CH/π interactions are dispersion interactions, tuned by electrostatics and partially stabilized by a hydrophobic effect in solvated systems.

  19. A series of PDB related databases for everyday needs.

    PubMed

    Joosten, Robbie P; te Beek, Tim A H; Krieger, Elmar; Hekkelman, Maarten L; Hooft, Rob W W; Schneider, Reinhard; Sander, Chris; Vriend, Gert

    2011-01-01

    The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the world-wide repository of macromolecular structure information. We present a series of databases that run parallel to the PDB. Each database holds one entry, if possible, for each PDB entry. DSSP holds the secondary structure of the proteins. PDBREPORT holds reports on the structure quality and lists errors. HSSP holds a multiple sequence alignment for all proteins. The PDBFINDER holds easy to parse summaries of the PDB file content, augmented with essentials from the other systems. PDB_REDO holds re-refined, and often improved, copies of all structures solved by X-ray. WHY_NOT summarizes why certain files could not be produced. All these systems are updated weekly. The data sets can be used for the analysis of properties of protein structures in areas ranging from structural genomics, to cancer biology and protein design.

  20. A PDB-wide, evolution-based assessment of protein-protein interfaces.

    PubMed

    Baskaran, Kumaran; Duarte, Jose M; Biyani, Nikhil; Bliven, Spencer; Capitani, Guido

    2014-10-18

    Thanks to the growth in sequence and structure databases, more than 50 million sequences are now available in UniProt and 100,000 structures in the PDB. Rich information about protein-protein interfaces can be obtained by a comprehensive study of protein contacts in the PDB, their sequence conservation and geometric features. An automated computational pipeline was developed to run our Evolutionary Protein-Protein Interface Classifier (EPPIC) software on the entire PDB and store the results in a relational database, currently containing > 800,000 interfaces. This allows the analysis of interface data on a PDB-wide scale. Two large benchmark datasets of biological interfaces and crystal contacts, each containing about 3000 entries, were automatically generated based on criteria thought to be strong indicators of interface type. The BioMany set of biological interfaces includes NMR dimers solved as crystal structures and interfaces that are preserved across diverse crystal forms, as catalogued by the Protein Common Interface Database (ProtCID) from Xu and Dunbrack. The second dataset, XtalMany, is derived from interfaces that would lead to infinite assemblies and are therefore crystal contacts. BioMany and XtalMany were used to benchmark the EPPIC approach. The performance of EPPIC was also compared to classifications from the Protein Interfaces, Surfaces, and Assemblies (PISA) program on a PDB-wide scale, finding that the two approaches give the same call in about 88% of PDB interfaces. By comparing our safest predictions to the PDB author annotations, we provide a lower-bound estimate of the error rate of biological unit annotations in the PDB. Additionally, we developed a PyMOL plugin for direct download and easy visualization of EPPIC interfaces for any PDB entry. Both the datasets and the PyMOL plugin are available at http://www.eppic-web.org/ewui/\\#downloads. Our computational pipeline allows us to analyze protein-protein contacts and their sequence

  1. The PDB_REDO server for macromolecular structure model optimization.

    PubMed

    Joosten, Robbie P; Long, Fei; Murshudov, Garib N; Perrakis, Anastassis

    2014-07-01

    The refinement and validation of a crystallographic structure model is the last step before the coordinates and the associated data are submitted to the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The success of the refinement procedure is typically assessed by validating the models against geometrical criteria and the diffraction data, and is an important step in ensuring the quality of the PDB public archive [Read et al. (2011 ▶), Structure, 19, 1395-1412]. The PDB_REDO procedure aims for 'constructive validation', aspiring to consistent and optimal refinement parameterization and pro-active model rebuilding, not only correcting errors but striving for optimal interpretation of the electron density. A web server for PDB_REDO has been implemented, allowing thorough, consistent and fully automated optimization of the refinement procedure in REFMAC and partial model rebuilding. The goal of the web server is to help practicing crystallo-graphers to improve their model prior to submission to the PDB. For this, additional steps were implemented in the PDB_REDO pipeline, both in the refinement procedure, e.g. testing of resolution limits and k-fold cross-validation for small test sets, and as new validation criteria, e.g. the density-fit metrics implemented in EDSTATS and ligand validation as implemented in YASARA. Innovative ways to present the refinement and validation results to the user are also described, which together with auto-generated Coot scripts can guide users to subsequent model inspection and improvement. It is demonstrated that using the server can lead to substantial improvement of structure models before they are submitted to the PDB.

  2. The PDB_REDO server for macromolecular structure model optimization

    PubMed Central

    Joosten, Robbie P.; Long, Fei; Murshudov, Garib N.; Perrakis, Anastassis

    2014-01-01

    The refinement and validation of a crystallographic structure model is the last step before the coordinates and the associated data are submitted to the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The success of the refinement procedure is typically assessed by validating the models against geometrical criteria and the diffraction data, and is an important step in ensuring the quality of the PDB public archive [Read et al. (2011 ▶), Structure, 19, 1395–1412]. The PDB_REDO procedure aims for ‘constructive validation’, aspiring to consistent and optimal refinement parameterization and pro-active model rebuilding, not only correcting errors but striving for optimal interpretation of the electron density. A web server for PDB_REDO has been implemented, allowing thorough, consistent and fully automated optimization of the refinement procedure in REFMAC and partial model rebuilding. The goal of the web server is to help practicing crystallo­graphers to improve their model prior to submission to the PDB. For this, additional steps were implemented in the PDB_REDO pipeline, both in the refinement procedure, e.g. testing of resolution limits and k-fold cross-validation for small test sets, and as new validation criteria, e.g. the density-fit metrics implemented in EDSTATS and ligand validation as implemented in YASARA. Innovative ways to present the refinement and validation results to the user are also described, which together with auto-generated Coot scripts can guide users to subsequent model inspection and improvement. It is demonstrated that using the server can lead to substantial improvement of structure models before they are submitted to the PDB. PMID:25075342

  3. Representation of viruses in the remediated PDB archive

    PubMed Central

    Lawson, Catherine L.; Dutta, Shuchismita; Westbrook, John D.; Henrick, Kim; Berman, Helen M.

    2008-01-01

    A new scheme has been devised to represent viruses and other biological assemblies with regular noncrystallographic symmetry in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The scheme describes existing and anticipated PDB entries of this type using generalized descriptions of deposited and experimental coordinate frames, symmetry and frame transformations. A simplified notation has been adopted to express the symmetry generation of assemblies from deposited coordinates and matrix operations describing the required point, helical or crystallographic symmetry. Complete correct information for building full assemblies, subassemblies and crystal asymmetric units of all virus entries is now available in the remediated PDB archive. PMID:18645236

  4. PDB explorer -- a web based algorithm for protein annotation viewer and 3D visualization.

    PubMed

    Nayarisseri, Anuraj; Shardiwal, Rakesh Kumar; Yadav, Mukesh; Kanungo, Neha; Singh, Pooja; Shah, Pratik; Ahmed, Sheaza

    2014-12-01

    The PDB file format, is a text format characterizing the three dimensional structures of macro molecules available in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Determined protein structure are found in coalition with other molecules or ions such as nucleic acids, water, ions, Drug molecules and so on, which therefore can be described in the PDB format and have been deposited in PDB database. PDB is a machine generated file, it's not human readable format, to read this file we need any computational tool to understand it. The objective of our present study is to develop a free online software for retrieval, visualization and reading of annotation of a protein 3D structure which is available in PDB database. Main aim is to create PDB file in human readable format, i.e., the information in PDB file is converted in readable sentences. It displays all possible information from a PDB file including 3D structure of that file. Programming languages and scripting languages like Perl, CSS, Javascript, Ajax, and HTML have been used for the development of PDB Explorer. The PDB Explorer directly parses the PDB file, calling methods for parsed element secondary structure element, atoms, coordinates etc. PDB Explorer is freely available at http://www.pdbexplorer.eminentbio.com/home with no requirement of log-in.

  5. PDB_TM: selection and membrane localization of transmembrane proteins in the protein data bank.

    PubMed

    Tusnády, Gábor E; Dosztányi, Zsuzsanna; Simon, István

    2005-01-01

    PDB_TM is a database for transmembrane proteins with known structures. It aims to collect all transmembrane proteins that are deposited in the protein structure database (PDB) and to determine their membrane-spanning regions. These assignments are based on the TMDET algorithm, which uses only structural information to locate the most likely position of the lipid bilayer and to distinguish between transmembrane and globular proteins. This algorithm was applied to all PDB entries and the results were collected in the PDB_TM database. By using TMDET algorithm, the PDB_TM database can be automatically updated every week, keeping it synchronized with the latest PDB updates. The PDB_TM database is available at http://www.enzim.hu/PDB_TM.

  6. PDB file parser and structure class implemented in Python.

    PubMed

    Hamelryck, Thomas; Manderick, Bernard

    2003-11-22

    The biopython project provides a set of bioinformatics tools implemented in Python. Recently, biopython was extended with a set of modules that deal with macromolecular structure. Biopython now contains a parser for PDB files that makes the atomic information available in an easy-to-use but powerful data structure. The parser and data structure deal with features that are often left out or handled inadequately by other packages, e.g. atom and residue disorder (if point mutants are present in the crystal), anisotropic B factors, multiple models and insertion codes. In addition, the parser performs some sanity checking to detect obvious errors. The Biopython distribution (including source code and documentation) is freely available (under the Biopython license) from http://www.biopython.org

  7. PDBsum: Structural summaries of PDB entries.

    PubMed

    Laskowski, Roman A; Jabłońska, Jagoda; Pravda, Lukáš; Vařeková, Radka Svobodová; Thornton, Janet M

    2018-01-01

    PDBsum is a web server providing structural information on the entries in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The analyses are primarily image-based and include protein secondary structure, protein-ligand and protein-DNA interactions, PROCHECK analyses of structural quality, and many others. The 3D structures can be viewed interactively in RasMol, PyMOL, and a JavaScript viewer called 3Dmol.js. Users can upload their own PDB files and obtain a set of password-protected PDBsum analyses for each. The server is freely accessible to all at: http://www.ebi.ac.uk/pdbsum. © 2017 The Protein Society.

  8. Pre-calculated protein structure alignments at the RCSB PDB website.

    PubMed

    Prlic, Andreas; Bliven, Spencer; Rose, Peter W; Bluhm, Wolfgang F; Bizon, Chris; Godzik, Adam; Bourne, Philip E

    2010-12-01

    With the continuous growth of the RCSB Protein Data Bank (PDB), providing an up-to-date systematic structure comparison of all protein structures poses an ever growing challenge. Here, we present a comparison tool for calculating both 1D protein sequence and 3D protein structure alignments. This tool supports various applications at the RCSB PDB website. First, a structure alignment web service calculates pairwise alignments. Second, a stand-alone application runs alignments locally and visualizes the results. Third, pre-calculated 3D structure comparisons for the whole PDB are provided and updated on a weekly basis. These three applications allow users to discover novel relationships between proteins available either at the RCSB PDB or provided by the user. A web user interface is available at http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/workbench/workbench.do. The source code is available under the LGPL license from http://www.biojava.org. A source bundle, prepared for local execution, is available from http://source.rcsb.org andreas@sdsc.edu; pbourne@ucsd.edu.

  9. Sequence-structure mapping errors in the PDB: OB-fold domains

    PubMed Central

    Venclovas, Česlovas; Ginalski, Krzysztof; Kang, Chulhee

    2004-01-01

    The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the single most important repository of structural data for proteins and other biologically relevant molecules. Therefore, it is critically important to keep the PDB data, as much as possible, error-free. In this study, we have analyzed PDB crystal structures possessing oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding (OB)-fold, one of the highly populated folds, for the presence of sequence-structure mapping errors. Using energy-based structure quality assessment coupled with sequence analyses, we have found that there are at least five OB-structures in the PDB that have regions where sequences have been incorrectly mapped onto the structure. We have demonstrated that the combination of these computation techniques is effective not only in detecting sequence-structure mapping errors, but also in providing guidance to correct them. Namely, we have used results of computational analysis to direct a revision of X-ray data for one of the PDB entries containing a fairly inconspicuous sequence-structure mapping error. The revised structure has been deposited with the PDB. We suggest use of computational energy assessment and sequence analysis techniques to facilitate structure determination when homologs having known structure are available to use as a reference. Such computational analysis may be useful in either guiding the sequence-structure assignment process or verifying the sequence mapping within poorly defined regions. PMID:15133161

  10. Glycan Reader: Automated Sugar Identification and Simulation Preparation for Carbohydrates and Glycoproteins

    PubMed Central

    Jo, Sunhwan; Song, Kevin C.; Desaire, Heather; MacKerell, Alexander D.; Im, Wonpil

    2011-01-01

    Understanding how glycosylation affects protein structure, dynamics, and function is an emerging and challenging problem in biology. As a first step toward glycan modeling in the context of structural glycobiology, we have developed Glycan Reader and integrated it into the CHARMM-GUI, http://www.charmm-gui.org/input/glycan. Glycan Reader greatly simplifies the reading of PDB structure files containing glycans through (i) detection of carbohydrate molecules, (ii) automatic annotation of carbohydrates based on their three-dimensional structures, (iii) recognition of glycosidic linkages between carbohydrates as well as N-/O-glycosidic linkages to proteins, and (iv) generation of inputs for the biomolecular simulation program CHARMM with the proper glycosidic linkage setup. In addition, Glycan Reader is linked to other functional modules in CHARMM-GUI, allowing users to easily generate carbohydrate or glycoprotein molecular simulation systems in solution or membrane environments and visualize the electrostatic potential on glycoprotein surfaces. These tools are useful for studying the impact of glycosylation on protein structure and dynamics. PMID:21815173

  11. PDB-Explorer: a web-based interactive map of the protein data bank in shape space.

    PubMed

    Jin, Xian; Awale, Mahendra; Zasso, Michaël; Kostro, Daniel; Patiny, Luc; Reymond, Jean-Louis

    2015-10-23

    The RCSB Protein Data Bank (PDB) provides public access to experimentally determined 3D-structures of biological macromolecules (proteins, peptides and nucleic acids). While various tools are available to explore the PDB, options to access the global structural diversity of the entire PDB and to perceive relationships between PDB structures remain very limited. A 136-dimensional atom pair 3D-fingerprint for proteins (3DP) counting categorized atom pairs at increasing through-space distances was designed to represent the molecular shape of PDB-entries. Nearest neighbor searches examples were reported exemplifying the ability of 3DP-similarity to identify closely related biomolecules from small peptides to enzyme and large multiprotein complexes such as virus particles. The principle component analysis was used to obtain the visualization of PDB in 3DP-space. The 3DP property space groups proteins and protein assemblies according to their 3D-shape similarity, yet shows exquisite ability to distinguish between closely related structures. An interactive website called PDB-Explorer is presented featuring a color-coded interactive map of PDB in 3DP-space. Each pixel of the map contains one or more PDB-entries which are directly visualized as ribbon diagrams when the pixel is selected. The PDB-Explorer website allows performing 3DP-nearest neighbor searches of any PDB-entry or of any structure uploaded as protein-type PDB file. All functionalities on the website are implemented in JavaScript in a platform-independent manner and draw data from a server that is updated daily with the latest PDB additions, ensuring complete and up-to-date coverage. The essentially instantaneous 3DP-similarity search with the PDB-Explorer provides results comparable to those of much slower 3D-alignment algorithms, and automatically clusters proteins from the same superfamilies in tight groups. A chemical space classification of PDB based on molecular shape was obtained using a new atom-pair 3

  12. PDBe: improved accessibility of macromolecular structure data from PDB and EMDB

    PubMed Central

    Velankar, Sameer; van Ginkel, Glen; Alhroub, Younes; Battle, Gary M.; Berrisford, John M.; Conroy, Matthew J.; Dana, Jose M.; Gore, Swanand P.; Gutmanas, Aleksandras; Haslam, Pauline; Hendrickx, Pieter M. S.; Lagerstedt, Ingvar; Mir, Saqib; Fernandez Montecelo, Manuel A.; Mukhopadhyay, Abhik; Oldfield, Thomas J.; Patwardhan, Ardan; Sanz-García, Eduardo; Sen, Sanchayita; Slowley, Robert A.; Wainwright, Michael E.; Deshpande, Mandar S.; Iudin, Andrii; Sahni, Gaurav; Salavert Torres, Jose; Hirshberg, Miriam; Mak, Lora; Nadzirin, Nurul; Armstrong, David R.; Clark, Alice R.; Smart, Oliver S.; Korir, Paul K.; Kleywegt, Gerard J.

    2016-01-01

    The Protein Data Bank in Europe (http://pdbe.org) accepts and annotates depositions of macromolecular structure data in the PDB and EMDB archives and enriches, integrates and disseminates structural information in a variety of ways. The PDBe website has been redesigned based on an analysis of user requirements, and now offers intuitive access to improved and value-added macromolecular structure information. Unique value-added information includes lists of reviews and research articles that cite or mention PDB entries as well as access to figures and legends from full-text open-access publications that describe PDB entries. A powerful new query system not only shows all the PDB entries that match a given query, but also shows the ‘best structures’ for a given macromolecule, ligand complex or sequence family using data-quality information from the wwPDB validation reports. A PDBe RESTful API has been developed to provide unified access to macromolecular structure data available in the PDB and EMDB archives as well as value-added annotations, e.g. regarding structure quality and up-to-date cross-reference information from the SIFTS resource. Taken together, these new developments facilitate unified access to macromolecular structure data in an intuitive way for non-expert users and support expert users in analysing macromolecular structure data. PMID:26476444

  13. MetalPDB in 2018: a database of metal sites in biological macromolecular structures.

    PubMed

    Putignano, Valeria; Rosato, Antonio; Banci, Lucia; Andreini, Claudia

    2018-01-04

    MetalPDB (http://metalweb.cerm.unifi.it/) is a database providing information on metal-binding sites detected in the three-dimensional (3D) structures of biological macromolecules. MetalPDB represents such sites as 3D templates, called Minimal Functional Sites (MFSs), which describe the local environment around the metal(s) independently of the larger context of the macromolecular structure. The 2018 update of MetalPDB includes new contents and tools. A major extension is the inclusion of proteins whose structures do not contain metal ions although their sequences potentially contain a known MFS. In addition, MetalPDB now provides extensive statistical analyses addressing several aspects of general metal usage within the PDB, across protein families and in catalysis. Users can also query MetalPDB to extract statistical information on structural aspects associated with individual metals, such as preferred coordination geometries or aminoacidic environment. A further major improvement is the functional annotation of MFSs; the annotation is manually performed via a password-protected annotator interface. At present, ∼50% of all MFSs have such a functional annotation. Other noteworthy improvements are bulk query functionality, through the upload of a list of PDB identifiers, and ftp access to MetalPDB contents, allowing users to carry out in-depth analyses on their own computational infrastructure. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  14. Homology-based hydrogen bond information improves crystallographic structures in the PDB.

    PubMed

    van Beusekom, Bart; Touw, Wouter G; Tatineni, Mahidhar; Somani, Sandeep; Rajagopal, Gunaretnam; Luo, Jinquan; Gilliland, Gary L; Perrakis, Anastassis; Joosten, Robbie P

    2018-03-01

    The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the global archive for structural information on macromolecules, and a popular resource for researchers, teachers, and students, amassing more than one million unique users each year. Crystallographic structure models in the PDB (more than 100,000 entries) are optimized against the crystal diffraction data and geometrical restraints. This process of crystallographic refinement typically ignored hydrogen bond (H-bond) distances as a source of information. However, H-bond restraints can improve structures at low resolution where diffraction data are limited. To improve low-resolution structure refinement, we present methods for deriving H-bond information either globally from well-refined high-resolution structures from the PDB-REDO databank, or specifically from on-the-fly constructed sets of homologous high-resolution structures. Refinement incorporating HOmology DErived Restraints (HODER), improves geometrical quality and the fit to the diffraction data for many low-resolution structures. To make these improvements readily available to the general public, we applied our new algorithms to all crystallographic structures in the PDB: using massively parallel computing, we constructed a new instance of the PDB-REDO databank (https://pdb-redo.eu). This resource is useful for researchers to gain insight on individual structures, on specific protein families (as we demonstrate with examples), and on general features of protein structure using data mining approaches on a uniformly treated dataset. © 2017 The Protein Society.

  15. PDBe: improved accessibility of macromolecular structure data from PDB and EMDB.

    PubMed

    Velankar, Sameer; van Ginkel, Glen; Alhroub, Younes; Battle, Gary M; Berrisford, John M; Conroy, Matthew J; Dana, Jose M; Gore, Swanand P; Gutmanas, Aleksandras; Haslam, Pauline; Hendrickx, Pieter M S; Lagerstedt, Ingvar; Mir, Saqib; Fernandez Montecelo, Manuel A; Mukhopadhyay, Abhik; Oldfield, Thomas J; Patwardhan, Ardan; Sanz-García, Eduardo; Sen, Sanchayita; Slowley, Robert A; Wainwright, Michael E; Deshpande, Mandar S; Iudin, Andrii; Sahni, Gaurav; Salavert Torres, Jose; Hirshberg, Miriam; Mak, Lora; Nadzirin, Nurul; Armstrong, David R; Clark, Alice R; Smart, Oliver S; Korir, Paul K; Kleywegt, Gerard J

    2016-01-04

    The Protein Data Bank in Europe (http://pdbe.org) accepts and annotates depositions of macromolecular structure data in the PDB and EMDB archives and enriches, integrates and disseminates structural information in a variety of ways. The PDBe website has been redesigned based on an analysis of user requirements, and now offers intuitive access to improved and value-added macromolecular structure information. Unique value-added information includes lists of reviews and research articles that cite or mention PDB entries as well as access to figures and legends from full-text open-access publications that describe PDB entries. A powerful new query system not only shows all the PDB entries that match a given query, but also shows the 'best structures' for a given macromolecule, ligand complex or sequence family using data-quality information from the wwPDB validation reports. A PDBe RESTful API has been developed to provide unified access to macromolecular structure data available in the PDB and EMDB archives as well as value-added annotations, e.g. regarding structure quality and up-to-date cross-reference information from the SIFTS resource. Taken together, these new developments facilitate unified access to macromolecular structure data in an intuitive way for non-expert users and support expert users in analysing macromolecular structure data. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  16. Restricted N-glycan conformational space in the PDB and its implication in glycan structure modeling.

    PubMed

    Jo, Sunhwan; Lee, Hui Sun; Skolnick, Jeffrey; Im, Wonpil

    2013-01-01

    Understanding glycan structure and dynamics is central to understanding protein-carbohydrate recognition and its role in protein-protein interactions. Given the difficulties in obtaining the glycan's crystal structure in glycoconjugates due to its flexibility and heterogeneity, computational modeling could play an important role in providing glycosylated protein structure models. To address if glycan structures available in the PDB can be used as templates or fragments for glycan modeling, we present a survey of the N-glycan structures of 35 different sequences in the PDB. Our statistical analysis shows that the N-glycan structures found on homologous glycoproteins are significantly conserved compared to the random background, suggesting that N-glycan chains can be confidently modeled with template glycan structures whose parent glycoproteins share sequence similarity. On the other hand, N-glycan structures found on non-homologous glycoproteins do not show significant global structural similarity. Nonetheless, the internal substructures of these N-glycans, particularly, the substructures that are closer to the protein, show significantly similar structures, suggesting that such substructures can be used as fragments in glycan modeling. Increased interactions with protein might be responsible for the restricted conformational space of N-glycan chains. Our results suggest that structure prediction/modeling of N-glycans of glycoconjugates using structure database could be effective and different modeling approaches would be needed depending on the availability of template structures.

  17. Restricted N-glycan Conformational Space in the PDB and Its Implication in Glycan Structure Modeling

    PubMed Central

    Jo, Sunhwan; Lee, Hui Sun; Skolnick, Jeffrey; Im, Wonpil

    2013-01-01

    Understanding glycan structure and dynamics is central to understanding protein-carbohydrate recognition and its role in protein-protein interactions. Given the difficulties in obtaining the glycan's crystal structure in glycoconjugates due to its flexibility and heterogeneity, computational modeling could play an important role in providing glycosylated protein structure models. To address if glycan structures available in the PDB can be used as templates or fragments for glycan modeling, we present a survey of the N-glycan structures of 35 different sequences in the PDB. Our statistical analysis shows that the N-glycan structures found on homologous glycoproteins are significantly conserved compared to the random background, suggesting that N-glycan chains can be confidently modeled with template glycan structures whose parent glycoproteins share sequence similarity. On the other hand, N-glycan structures found on non-homologous glycoproteins do not show significant global structural similarity. Nonetheless, the internal substructures of these N-glycans, particularly, the substructures that are closer to the protein, show significantly similar structures, suggesting that such substructures can be used as fragments in glycan modeling. Increased interactions with protein might be responsible for the restricted conformational space of N-glycan chains. Our results suggest that structure prediction/modeling of N-glycans of glycoconjugates using structure database could be effective and different modeling approaches would be needed depending on the availability of template structures. PMID:23516343

  18. PDBToSDF: Create ligand structure files from PDB file.

    PubMed

    Muppalaneni, Naresh Babu; Rao, Allam Appa

    2011-01-01

    Protein Data Bank (PDB) file contains atomic data for protein and ligand in protein-ligand complexes. Structure data file (SDF) contains data for atoms, bonds, connectivity and coordinates of molecule for ligands. We describe PDBToSDF as a tool to separate the ligand data from pdb file for the calculation of ligand properties like molecular weight, number of hydrogen bond acceptors, hydrogen bond receptors easily.

  19. CHARMM-GUI PDB manipulator for advanced modeling and simulations of proteins containing nonstandard residues.

    PubMed

    Jo, Sunhwan; Cheng, Xi; Islam, Shahidul M; Huang, Lei; Rui, Huan; Zhu, Allen; Lee, Hui Sun; Qi, Yifei; Han, Wei; Vanommeslaeghe, Kenno; MacKerell, Alexander D; Roux, Benoît; Im, Wonpil

    2014-01-01

    CHARMM-GUI, http://www.charmm-gui.org, is a web-based graphical user interface to prepare molecular simulation systems and input files to facilitate the usage of common and advanced simulation techniques. Since it is originally developed in 2006, CHARMM-GUI has been widely adopted for various purposes and now contains a number of different modules designed to setup a broad range of simulations including free energy calculation and large-scale coarse-grained representation. Here, we describe functionalities that have recently been integrated into CHARMM-GUI PDB Manipulator, such as ligand force field generation, incorporation of methanethiosulfonate spin labels and chemical modifiers, and substitution of amino acids with unnatural amino acids. These new features are expected to be useful in advanced biomolecular modeling and simulation of proteins. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Multivariate Analyses of Quality Metrics for Crystal Structures in the PDB Archive.

    PubMed

    Shao, Chenghua; Yang, Huanwang; Westbrook, John D; Young, Jasmine Y; Zardecki, Christine; Burley, Stephen K

    2017-03-07

    Following deployment of an augmented validation system by the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) partnership, the quality of crystal structures entering the PDB has improved. Of significance are improvements in quality measures now prominently displayed in the wwPDB validation report. Comparisons of PDB depositions made before and after introduction of the new reporting system show improvements in quality measures relating to pairwise atom-atom clashes, side-chain torsion angle rotamers, and local agreement between the atomic coordinate structure model and experimental electron density data. These improvements are largely independent of resolution limit and sample molecular weight. No significant improvement in the quality of associated ligands was observed. Principal component analysis revealed that structure quality could be summarized with three measures (Rfree, real-space R factor Z score, and a combined molecular geometry quality metric), which can in turn be reduced to a single overall quality metric readily interpretable by all PDB archive users. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. PyPDB: a Python API for the Protein Data Bank.

    PubMed

    Gilpin, William

    2016-01-01

    We have created a Python programming interface for the RCSB Protein Data Bank (PDB) that allows search and data retrieval for a wide range of result types, including BLAST and sequence motif queries. The API relies on the existing XML-based API and operates by creating custom XML requests from native Python types, allowing extensibility and straightforward modification. The package has the ability to perform many types of advanced search of the PDB that are otherwise only available through the PDB website. PyPDB is implemented exclusively in Python 3 using standard libraries for maximal compatibility. The most up-to-date version, including iPython notebooks containing usage tutorials, is available free-of-charge under an open-source MIT license via GitHub at https://github.com/williamgilpin/pypdb, and the full API reference is at http://williamgilpin.github.io/pypdb_docs/html/. The latest stable release is also available on PyPI. wgilpin@stanford.edu. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  2. Vivaldi: visualization and validation of biomacromolecular NMR structures from the PDB.

    PubMed

    Hendrickx, Pieter M S; Gutmanas, Aleksandras; Kleywegt, Gerard J

    2013-04-01

    We describe Vivaldi (VIsualization and VALidation DIsplay; http://pdbe.org/vivaldi), a web-based service for the analysis, visualization, and validation of NMR structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Vivaldi provides access to model coordinates and several types of experimental NMR data using interactive visualization tools, augmented with structural annotations and model-validation information. The service presents information about the modeled NMR ensemble, validation of experimental chemical shifts, residual dipolar couplings, distance and dihedral angle constraints, as well as validation scores based on empirical knowledge and databases. Vivaldi was designed for both expert NMR spectroscopists and casual non-expert users who wish to obtain a better grasp of the information content and quality of NMR structures in the public archive. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. PDB2Graph: A toolbox for identifying critical amino acids map in proteins based on graph theory.

    PubMed

    Niknam, Niloofar; Khakzad, Hamed; Arab, Seyed Shahriar; Naderi-Manesh, Hossein

    2016-05-01

    The integrative and cooperative nature of protein structure involves the assessment of topological and global features of constituent parts. Network concept takes complete advantage of both of these properties in the analysis concomitantly. High compatibility to structural concepts or physicochemical properties in addition to exploiting a remarkable simplification in the system has made network an ideal tool to explore biological systems. There are numerous examples in which different protein structural and functional characteristics have been clarified by the network approach. Here, we present an interactive and user-friendly Matlab-based toolbox, PDB2Graph, devoted to protein structure network construction, visualization, and analysis. Moreover, PDB2Graph is an appropriate tool for identifying critical nodes involved in protein structural robustness and function based on centrality indices. It maps critical amino acids in protein networks and can greatly aid structural biologists in selecting proper amino acid candidates for manipulating protein structures in a more reasonable and rational manner. To introduce the capability and efficiency of PDB2Graph in detail, the structural modification of Calmodulin through allosteric binding of Ca(2+) is considered. In addition, a mutational analysis for three well-identified model proteins including Phage T4 lysozyme, Barnase and Ribonuclease HI, was performed to inspect the influence of mutating important central residues on protein activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. LS-SNP/PDB: annotated non-synonymous SNPs mapped to Protein Data Bank structures.

    PubMed

    Ryan, Michael; Diekhans, Mark; Lien, Stephanie; Liu, Yun; Karchin, Rachel

    2009-06-01

    LS-SNP/PDB is a new WWW resource for genome-wide annotation of human non-synonymous (amino acid changing) SNPs. It serves high-quality protein graphics rendered with UCSF Chimera molecular visualization software. The system is kept up-to-date by an automated, high-throughput build pipeline that systematically maps human nsSNPs onto Protein Data Bank structures and annotates several biologically relevant features. LS-SNP/PDB is available at (http://ls-snp.icm.jhu.edu/ls-snp-pdb) and via links from protein data bank (PDB) biology and chemistry tabs, UCSC Genome Browser Gene Details and SNP Details pages and PharmGKB Gene Variants Downloads/Cross-References pages.

  5. sc-PDB: a database for identifying variations and multiplicity of 'druggable' binding sites in proteins.

    PubMed

    Meslamani, Jamel; Rognan, Didier; Kellenberger, Esther

    2011-05-01

    The sc-PDB database is an annotated archive of druggable binding sites extracted from the Protein Data Bank. It contains all-atoms coordinates for 8166 protein-ligand complexes, chosen for their geometrical and physico-chemical properties. The sc-PDB provides a functional annotation for proteins, a chemical description for ligands and the detailed intermolecular interactions for complexes. The sc-PDB now includes a hierarchical classification of all the binding sites within a functional class. The sc-PDB entries were first clustered according to the protein name indifferent of the species. For each cluster, we identified dissimilar sites (e.g. catalytic and allosteric sites of an enzyme). SCOPE AND APPLICATIONS: The classification of sc-PDB targets by binding site diversity was intended to facilitate chemogenomics approaches to drug design. In ligand-based approaches, it avoids comparing ligands that do not share the same binding site. In structure-based approaches, it permits to quantitatively evaluate the diversity of the binding site definition (variations in size, sequence and/or structure). The sc-PDB database is freely available at: http://bioinfo-pharma.u-strasbg.fr/scPDB.

  6. AbDb: antibody structure database—a database of PDB-derived antibody structures

    PubMed Central

    Ferdous, Saba

    2018-01-01

    Abstract In order to analyse structures of proteins of a particular class, these need to be extracted from Protein Data Bank (PDB) files. In the case of antibodies, there are a number of special considerations: (i) identifying antibodies in the PDB is not trivial, (ii) they may be crystallized with or without antigen, (iii) for analysis purposes, one is normally only interested in the Fv region of the antibody, (iv) structural analysis of epitopes, in particular, requires individual antibody–antigen complexes from a PDB file which may contain multiple copies of the same, or different, antibodies and (v) standard numbering schemes should be applied. Consequently, there is a need for a specialist resource containing pre-numbered non-redundant antibody Fv structures with their cognate antigens. We have created an automatically updated resource, AbDb, which collects the Fv regions from antibody structures using information from our SACS database which summarizes antibody structures from the PDB. PDB files containing multiple structures are split and numbered and each antibody structure is associated with its antigen where available. Antibody structures with only light or heavy chains have also been processed and sequences of antibodies are compared to identify multiple structures of the same antibody. The data may be queried on the basis of PDB code, or the name or species of the antibody or antigen, and the complete datasets may be downloaded. Database URL: www.bioinf.org.uk/abs/abdb/ PMID:29718130

  7. Drawing the PDB: Protein-Ligand Complexes in Two Dimensions.

    PubMed

    Stierand, Katrin; Rarey, Matthias

    2010-12-09

    The two-dimensional representation of molecules is a popular communication medium in chemistry and the associated scientific fields. Computational methods for drawing small molecules with and without manual investigation are well-established and widely spread in terms of numerous software tools. Concerning the planar depiction of molecular complexes, there is considerably less choice. We developed the software PoseView, which automatically generates two-dimensional diagrams of macromolecular complexes, showing the ligand, the interactions, and the interacting residues. All depicted molecules are drawn on an atomic level as structure diagrams; thus, the output plots are clearly structured and easily readable for the scientist. We tested the performance of PoseView in a large-scale application on nearly all druglike complexes of the PDB (approximately 200000 complexes); for more than 92% of the complexes considered for drawing, a layout could be computed. In the following, we will present the results of this application study.

  8. Multiple Functions of Aromatic-Carbohydrate Interactions in a Processive Cellulase Examined with Molecular Simulation*

    PubMed Central

    Payne, Christina M.; Bomble, Yannick J.; Taylor, Courtney B.; McCabe, Clare; Himmel, Michael E.; Crowley, Michael F.; Beckham, Gregg T.

    2011-01-01

    Proteins employ aromatic residues for carbohydrate binding in a wide range of biological functions. Glycoside hydrolases, which are ubiquitous in nature, typically exhibit tunnels, clefts, or pockets lined with aromatic residues for processing carbohydrates. Mutation of these aromatic residues often results in significant activity differences on insoluble and soluble substrates. However, the thermodynamic basis and molecular level role of these aromatic residues remain unknown. Here, we calculate the relative ligand binding free energy by mutating tryptophans in the Trichoderma reesei family 6 cellulase (Cel6A) to alanine. Removal of aromatic residues near the catalytic site has little impact on the ligand binding free energy, suggesting that aromatic residues immediately upstream of the active site are not directly involved in binding, but play a role in the glucopyranose ring distortion necessary for catalysis. Removal of aromatic residues at the entrance and exit of the Cel6A tunnel, however, dramatically impacts the binding affinity, suggesting that these residues play a role in chain acquisition and product stabilization, respectively. The roles suggested from differences in binding affinity are confirmed by molecular dynamics and normal mode analysis. Surprisingly, our results illustrate that aromatic-carbohydrate interactions vary dramatically depending on the position in the enzyme tunnel. As aromatic-carbohydrate interactions are present in all carbohydrate-active enzymes, these results have implications for understanding protein structure-function relationships in carbohydrate metabolism and recognition, carbon turnover in nature, and protein engineering strategies for biomass utilization. Generally, these results suggest that nature employs aromatic-carbohydrate interactions with a wide range of binding affinities for diverse functions. PMID:21965672

  9. Resolving the ambiguity: Making sense of intrinsic disorder when PDB structures disagree.

    PubMed

    DeForte, Shelly; Uversky, Vladimir N

    2016-03-01

    Missing regions in X-ray crystal structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) have played a foundational role in the study of intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDPRs), especially in the development of in silico predictors of intrinsic disorder. However, a missing region is only a weak indication of intrinsic disorder, and this uncertainty is compounded by the presence of ambiguous regions, where more than one structure of the same protein sequence "disagrees" in terms of the presence or absence of missing residues. The question is this: are these ambiguous regions intrinsically disordered, or are they the result of static disorder that arises from experimental conditions, ensembles of structures, or domain wobbling? A novel way of looking at ambiguous regions in terms of the pattern between multiple PDB structures has been demonstrated. It was found that the propensity for intrinsic disorder increases as the level of ambiguity decreases. However, it is also shown that ambiguity is more likely to occur as the protein region is placed within different environmental conditions, and even the most ambiguous regions as a set display compositional bias that suggests flexibility. The results suggested that ambiguity is a natural result for many IDPRs crystallized under different conditions and that static disorder and wobbling domains are relatively rare. Instead, it is more likely that ambiguity arises because many of these regions were conditionally or partially disordered. © 2016 The Protein Society.

  10. The young person's guide to the PDB.

    PubMed

    Minor, Wladek; Dauter, Zbigniew; Jaskolski, Mariusz

    The Protein Data Bank (PDB), created in 1971 when merely seven protein crystal structures were known, today holds over 120, 000 experimentally-determined three-dimensional models of macromolecules, including gigantic structures comprised of hundreds of thousands of atoms, such as ribosomes and viruses. Most of the deposits come from X-ray crystallography experiments, with important contributions also made by NMR spectroscopy and, recently, by the fast growing Cryo-Electron Microscopy. Although the determination of a macromolecular crystal structure is now facilitated by advanced experimental tools and by sophisticated software, it is still a highly complicated research process requiring specialized training, skill, experience and a bit of luck. Understanding the plethora of structural information provided by the PDB requires that its users (consumers) have at least a rudimentary initiation. This is the purpose of this educational overview.

  11. PDB-UF: database of predicted enzymatic functions for unannotated protein structures from structural genomics.

    PubMed

    von Grotthuss, Marcin; Plewczynski, Dariusz; Ginalski, Krzysztof; Rychlewski, Leszek; Shakhnovich, Eugene I

    2006-02-06

    The number of protein structures from structural genomics centers dramatically increases in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Many of these structures are functionally unannotated because they have no sequence similarity to proteins of known function. However, it is possible to successfully infer function using only structural similarity. Here we present the PDB-UF database, a web-accessible collection of predictions of enzymatic properties using structure-function relationship. The assignments were conducted for three-dimensional protein structures of unknown function that come from structural genomics initiatives. We show that 4 hypothetical proteins (with PDB accession codes: 1VH0, 1NS5, 1O6D, and 1TO0), for which standard BLAST tools such as PSI-BLAST or RPS-BLAST failed to assign any function, are probably methyltransferase enzymes. We suggest that the structure-based prediction of an EC number should be conducted having the different similarity score cutoff for different protein folds. Moreover, performing the annotation using two different algorithms can reduce the rate of false positive assignments. We believe, that the presented web-based repository will help to decrease the number of protein structures that have functions marked as "unknown" in the PDB file. http://paradox.harvard.edu/PDB-UF and http://bioinfo.pl/PDB-UF.

  12. Comparison of temporal trends in VOCs as measured with PDB samplers and low-flow sampling methods

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Harte, P.T.

    2002-01-01

    Analysis of temporal trends in tetrachloroethylene (PCE) concentration determined by two sample techniques showed that passive diffusion bag (pdb) samplers adequately sample the large variation in PCE concentrations at the site. The slopes of the temporal trends in concentrations were comparable between the two techniques, and the pdb sample concentration generally reflected the instantaneous concentration sampled by the low-flow technique. Thus, the pdb samplers provided an appropriate sampling technique for PCE at these wells. One or two wells did not make the case for widespread application of pdb samples at all sites. However, application of pdb samples in some circumstances was appropriate for evaluating temporal and spatial variations in VOC concentrations, thus, should be considered as a useful tool in hydrogeology.

  13. Analysis of sequence repeats of proteins in the PDB.

    PubMed

    Mary Rajathei, David; Selvaraj, Samuel

    2013-12-01

    Internal repeats in protein sequences play a significant role in the evolution of protein structure and function. Applications of different bioinformatics tools help in the identification and characterization of these repeats. In the present study, we analyzed sequence repeats in a non-redundant set of proteins available in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). We used RADAR for detecting internal repeats in a protein, PDBeFOLD for assessing structural similarity, PDBsum for finding functional involvement and Pfam for domain assignment of the repeats in a protein. Through the analysis of sequence repeats, we found that identity of the sequence repeats falls in the range of 20-40% and, the superimposed structures of the most of the sequence repeats maintain similar overall folding. Analysis sequence repeats at the functional level reveals that most of the sequence repeats are involved in the function of the protein through functionally involved residues in the repeat regions. We also found that sequence repeats in single and two domain proteins often contained conserved sequence motifs for the function of the domain. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. BDB: databank of PDB files with consistent B-factors.

    PubMed

    Touw, Wouter G; Vriend, Gert

    2014-11-01

    Protein structures available from the PDB contain for each atom the coordinates, the occupancy and the B-factor that indicates the mobility of the atom. The values that should represent B-factors can relate to atomic motions in different ways. We present here a databank in which all B-factors have been converted to the one, homogeneous representation that is most useful for protein engineering applications. The Databank of PDB files with consistent B-factors (BDB) is freely available through http://www.cmbi.umcn.nl/bdb/. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  15. PDB Editor: a user-friendly Java-based Protein Data Bank file editor with a GUI.

    PubMed

    Lee, Jonas; Kim, Sung Hou

    2009-04-01

    The Protein Data Bank file format is the format most widely used by protein crystallographers and biologists to disseminate and manipulate protein structures. Despite this, there are few user-friendly software packages available to efficiently edit and extract raw information from PDB files. This limitation often leads to many protein crystallographers wasting significant time manually editing PDB files. PDB Editor, written in Java Swing GUI, allows the user to selectively search, select, extract and edit information in parallel. Furthermore, the program is a stand-alone application written in Java which frees users from the hassles associated with platform/operating system-dependent installation and usage. PDB Editor can be downloaded from http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdbeditorjl/.

  16. Characterizing the glycocalyx of poultry spermatozoa: I. Identification and distribution of carbohydrate residues using flow cytometry and epifluorescence microscopy.

    PubMed

    Peláez, Jesús; Long, Julie A

    2007-01-01

    The aim of the present work was to use a battery of lectins to 1) delineate the carbohydrate content of sperm glycocalyx in the turkey and chicken using flow cytometry analysis, and 2) evaluate the distribution of existing sugars over the sperm plasma membrane surface with epifluorescent microscopy. Carbohydrate groups (corresponding lectins) that were investigated included galactose (GS-I, Jacalin, RCA-I, PNA), glucose and/or mannose (Con A, PSA, GNA), N-acetyl-glucosamine (GS-II, s-WGA, STA), N-acetyl-galactosamine (SBA, WFA), fucose (Lotus, UEA-I), sialic acid (LFA, LPA), and N-acetyl-lactosamine (ECA). Spermatozoa were assessed before and after treatment with neuraminidase to remove sialic acid. Mean fluorescence intensity (MnFI) was used as indicator of lectin binding for flow cytometry analysis. Nontreated spermatozoa from both species showed high MnFI when incubated with RCA-I, Con A, LFA, and LPA, as did chicken spermatozoa incubated with s-WGA. Neuraminidase treatment increased the MnFI for most lectins except LFA and LPA, as expected. Differences in MnFI between species included higher values for s-WGA and ECA in chicken spermatozoa and for WFA in turkey spermatozoa. Microscopy revealed segregation of some sugar residues into membrane-specific domains; however, the 2 staining techniques (cell suspension vs fixed preparation) differed in identifying lectin binding patterns, with fixed preparations yielding a high degree of nonspecific binding. We conclude that 1) the glycocalyx of turkey and chicken spermatozoa contains a diversity of carbohydrate groups, 2) these residues are extensively masked by sialic acid, 3) the glycocalyx composition is species-specific, and 4) some glycoconjugates appear to be segregated into membrane-specific domains. Characterization of the poultry sperm glycocalyx is the first step in identifying the physiological impact of semen storage on sperm function.

  17. Facilitating the enzymatic saccharification of pulped bamboo residues by degrading the remained xylan and lignin-carbohydrates complexes.

    PubMed

    Huang, Caoxing; He, Juan; Li, Xin; Min, Douyong; Yong, Qiang

    2015-09-01

    Kraft pulping was performed on bamboo residues and its impact on the chemical compositions and the enzymatic digestibility of the samples were investigated. To improve the digestibility of sample by degrading the xylan and lignin-carbohydrates complexes (LCCs), xylanase and α-L-arabinofuranosidase (AF) were supplemented with cellulase. The results showed more carbohydrates were remained in the samples pulped with low effective alkali (EA) charge, compared to conventional kraft pulping. When 120 IU/g xylanase and 15 IU/g AF were supplemented with 20 FPU/g cellulase, the xylan degradation yield of the sample pulped with 12% EA charge increased from 68.20% to 88.35%, resulting in an increased enzymatic saccharification efficiency from 58.98% to 83.23%. The amount of LCCs in this sample decreased from 8.63/100C9 to 2.99/100C9 after saccharification with these enzymes. The results indicated that degrading the remained xylan and LCCs in the pulp could improve its enzymatic digestibility. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Homology‐based hydrogen bond information improves crystallographic structures in the PDB

    PubMed Central

    van Beusekom, Bart; Touw, Wouter G.; Tatineni, Mahidhar; Somani, Sandeep; Rajagopal, Gunaretnam; Luo, Jinquan; Gilliland, Gary L.; Perrakis, Anastassis

    2017-01-01

    Abstract The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the global archive for structural information on macromolecules, and a popular resource for researchers, teachers, and students, amassing more than one million unique users each year. Crystallographic structure models in the PDB (more than 100,000 entries) are optimized against the crystal diffraction data and geometrical restraints. This process of crystallographic refinement typically ignored hydrogen bond (H‐bond) distances as a source of information. However, H‐bond restraints can improve structures at low resolution where diffraction data are limited. To improve low‐resolution structure refinement, we present methods for deriving H‐bond information either globally from well‐refined high‐resolution structures from the PDB‐REDO databank, or specifically from on‐the‐fly constructed sets of homologous high‐resolution structures. Refinement incorporating HOmology DErived Restraints (HODER), improves geometrical quality and the fit to the diffraction data for many low‐resolution structures. To make these improvements readily available to the general public, we applied our new algorithms to all crystallographic structures in the PDB: using massively parallel computing, we constructed a new instance of the PDB‐REDO databank (https://pdb-redo.eu). This resource is useful for researchers to gain insight on individual structures, on specific protein families (as we demonstrate with examples), and on general features of protein structure using data mining approaches on a uniformly treated dataset. PMID:29168245

  19. The young person’s guide to the PDB*

    PubMed Central

    Minor, Wladek; Dauter, Zbigniew; Jaskolski, Mariusz

    2017-01-01

    The Protein Data Bank (PDB), created in 1971 when merely seven protein crystal structures were known, today holds over 120,000 experimentally-determined three-dimensional models of macromolecules, including gigantic structures comprised of hundreds of thousands of atoms, such as ribosomes and viruses. Most of the deposits come from X-ray crystallography experiments, with important contributions also made by NMR spectroscopy and, recently, by the fast growing Cryo-Electron Microscopy. Although the determination of a macromolecular crystal structure is now facilitated by advanced experimental tools and by sophisticated software, it is still a highly complicated research process requiring specialized training, skill, experience and a bit of luck. Understanding the plethora of structural information provided by the PDB requires that its users (consumers) have at least a rudimentary initiation. This is the purpose of this educational overview. PMID:28132477

  20. Web servers and services for electrostatics calculations with APBS and PDB2PQR

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Unni, Samir; Huang, Yong; Hanson, Robert M.

    APBS and PDB2PQR are widely utilized free software packages for biomolecular electrostatics calculations. Using the Opal toolkit, we have developed a web services framework for these software packages that enables the use of APBS and PDB2PQR by users who do not have local access to the necessary amount of computational capabilities. This not only increases accessibility of the software to a wider range of scientists, educators, and students but it also increases the availability of electrostatics calculations on portable computing platforms. Users can access this new functionality in two ways. First, an Opal-enabled version of APBS is provided in currentmore » distributions, available freely on the web. Second, we have extended the PDB2PQR web server to provide an interface for the setup, execution, and visualization electrostatics potentials as calculated by APBS. This web interface also uses the Opal framework which ensures the scalability needed to support the large APBS user community. Both of these resources are available from the APBS/PDB2PQR website: http://www.poissonboltzmann.org/.« less

  1. Web servers and services for electrostatics calculations with APBS and PDB2PQR

    PubMed Central

    Unni, Samir; Huang, Yong; Hanson, Robert; Tobias, Malcolm; Krishnan, Sriram; Li, Wilfred W.; Nielsen, Jens E.; Baker, Nathan A.

    2011-01-01

    APBS and PDB2PQR are widely utilized free software packages for biomolecular electrostatics calculations. Using the Opal toolkit, we have developed a Web services framework for these software packages that enables the use of APBS and PDB2PQR by users who do not have local access to the necessary amount of computational capabilities. This not only increases accessibility of the software to a wider range of scientists, educators, and students but it also increases the availability of electrostatics calculations on portable computing platforms. Users can access this new functionality in two ways. First, an Opal-enabled version of APBS is provided in current distributions, available freely on the web. Second, we have extended the PDB2PQR web server to provide an interface for the setup, execution, and visualization electrostatics potentials as calculated by APBS. This web interface also uses the Opal framework which ensures the scalability needed to support the large APBS user community. Both of these resources are available from the APBS/PDB2PQR website: http://www.poissonboltzmann.org/. PMID:21425296

  2. sc-PDB: a 3D-database of ligandable binding sites—10 years on

    PubMed Central

    Desaphy, Jérémy; Bret, Guillaume; Rognan, Didier; Kellenberger, Esther

    2015-01-01

    The sc-PDB database (available at http://bioinfo-pharma.u-strasbg.fr/scPDB/) is a comprehensive and up-to-date selection of ligandable binding sites of the Protein Data Bank. Sites are defined from complexes between a protein and a pharmacological ligand. The database provides the all-atom description of the protein, its ligand, their binding site and their binding mode. Currently, the sc-PDB archive registers 9283 binding sites from 3678 unique proteins and 5608 unique ligands. The sc-PDB database was publicly launched in 2004 with the aim of providing structure files suitable for computational approaches to drug design, such as docking. During the last 10 years we have improved and standardized the processes for (i) identifying binding sites, (ii) correcting structures, (iii) annotating protein function and ligand properties and (iv) characterizing their binding mode. This paper presents the latest enhancements in the database, specifically pertaining to the representation of molecular interaction and to the similarity between ligand/protein binding patterns. The new website puts emphasis in pictorial analysis of data. PMID:25300483

  3. Biologically-Inspired Peptide Reagents for Enhancing IMS-MS Analysis of Carbohydrates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bohrer, Brian C.; Clemmer, David E.

    2011-09-01

    The binding properties of a peptidoglycan recognition protein are translated via combinatorial chemistry into short peptides. Non-adjacent histidine, tyrosine, and arginine residues in the protein's binding cleft that associate specifically with the glycan moiety of a peptidoglycan substrate are incorporated into linear sequences creating a library of 27 candidate tripeptide reagents (three possible residues permutated across three positions). Upon electrospraying the peptide library and carbohydrate mixtures, some noncovalent complexes are observed. The binding efficiencies of the peptides vary according to their amino acid composition as well as the disaccharide linkage and carbohydrate ring-type. In addition to providing a charge-carrier for the carbohydrate, peptide reagents can also be used to differentiate carbohydrate isomers by ion mobility spectrometry. The utility of these peptide reagents as a means of enhancing ion mobility analysis of carbohydrates is illustrated by examining four glucose-containing disaccharide isomers, including a pair that is not resolved by ion mobility alone. The specificity and stoichiometry of the peptide-carbohydrate complexes are also investigated. Trihistidine demonstrates both suitable binding efficiency and successful resolution of disaccharides isomers, suggesting it may be a useful reagent in IMS analyses of carbohydrates.

  4. sc-PDB: a 3D-database of ligandable binding sites--10 years on.

    PubMed

    Desaphy, Jérémy; Bret, Guillaume; Rognan, Didier; Kellenberger, Esther

    2015-01-01

    The sc-PDB database (available at http://bioinfo-pharma.u-strasbg.fr/scPDB/) is a comprehensive and up-to-date selection of ligandable binding sites of the Protein Data Bank. Sites are defined from complexes between a protein and a pharmacological ligand. The database provides the all-atom description of the protein, its ligand, their binding site and their binding mode. Currently, the sc-PDB archive registers 9283 binding sites from 3678 unique proteins and 5608 unique ligands. The sc-PDB database was publicly launched in 2004 with the aim of providing structure files suitable for computational approaches to drug design, such as docking. During the last 10 years we have improved and standardized the processes for (i) identifying binding sites, (ii) correcting structures, (iii) annotating protein function and ligand properties and (iv) characterizing their binding mode. This paper presents the latest enhancements in the database, specifically pertaining to the representation of molecular interaction and to the similarity between ligand/protein binding patterns. The new website puts emphasis in pictorial analysis of data. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  5. Sequence-similar, structure-dissimilar protein pairs in the PDB.

    PubMed

    Kosloff, Mickey; Kolodny, Rachel

    2008-05-01

    It is often assumed that in the Protein Data Bank (PDB), two proteins with similar sequences will also have similar structures. Accordingly, it has proved useful to develop subsets of the PDB from which "redundant" structures have been removed, based on a sequence-based criterion for similarity. Similarly, when predicting protein structure using homology modeling, if a template structure for modeling a target sequence is selected by sequence alone, this implicitly assumes that all sequence-similar templates are equivalent. Here, we show that this assumption is often not correct and that standard approaches to create subsets of the PDB can lead to the loss of structurally and functionally important information. We have carried out sequence-based structural superpositions and geometry-based structural alignments of a large number of protein pairs to determine the extent to which sequence similarity ensures structural similarity. We find many examples where two proteins that are similar in sequence have structures that differ significantly from one another. The source of the structural differences usually has a functional basis. The number of such proteins pairs that are identified and the magnitude of the dissimilarity depend on the approach that is used to calculate the differences; in particular sequence-based structure superpositioning will identify a larger number of structurally dissimilar pairs than geometry-based structural alignments. When two sequences can be aligned in a statistically meaningful way, sequence-based structural superpositioning provides a meaningful measure of structural differences. This approach and geometry-based structure alignments reveal somewhat different information and one or the other might be preferable in a given application. Our results suggest that in some cases, notably homology modeling, the common use of nonredundant datasets, culled from the PDB based on sequence, may mask important structural and functional information. We

  6. Indel PDB: a database of structural insertions and deletions derived from sequence alignments of closely related proteins.

    PubMed

    Hsing, Michael; Cherkasov, Artem

    2008-06-25

    Insertions and deletions (indels) represent a common type of sequence variations, which are less studied and pose many important biological questions. Recent research has shown that the presence of sizable indels in protein sequences may be indicative of protein essentiality and their role in protein interaction networks. Examples of utilization of indels for structure-based drug design have also been recently demonstrated. Nonetheless many structural and functional characteristics of indels remain less researched or unknown. We have created a web-based resource, Indel PDB, representing a structural database of insertions/deletions identified from the sequence alignments of highly similar proteins found in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Indel PDB utilized large amounts of available structural information to characterize 1-, 2- and 3-dimensional features of indel sites. Indel PDB contains 117,266 non-redundant indel sites extracted from 11,294 indel-containing proteins. Unlike loop databases, Indel PDB features more indel sequences with secondary structures including alpha-helices and beta-sheets in addition to loops. The insertion fragments have been characterized by their sequences, lengths, locations, secondary structure composition, solvent accessibility, protein domain association and three dimensional structures. By utilizing the data available in Indel PDB, we have studied and presented here several sequence and structural features of indels. We anticipate that Indel PDB will not only enable future functional studies of indels, but will also assist protein modeling efforts and identification of indel-directed drug binding sites.

  7. RCSB PDB Mobile: iOS and Android mobile apps to provide data access and visualization to the RCSB Protein Data Bank.

    PubMed

    Quinn, Gregory B; Bi, Chunxiao; Christie, Cole H; Pang, Kyle; Prlić, Andreas; Nakane, Takanori; Zardecki, Christine; Voigt, Maria; Berman, Helen M; Bourne, Philip E; Rose, Peter W

    2015-01-01

    The Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB) resource provides tools for query, analysis and visualization of the 3D structures in the PDB archive. As the mobile Web is starting to surpass desktop and laptop usage, scientists and educators are beginning to integrate mobile devices into their research and teaching. In response, we have developed the RCSB PDB Mobile app for the iOS and Android mobile platforms to enable fast and convenient access to RCSB PDB data and services. Using the app, users from the general public to expert researchers can quickly search and visualize biomolecules, and add personal annotations via the RCSB PDB's integrated MyPDB service. RCSB PDB Mobile is freely available from the Apple App Store and Google Play (http://www.rcsb.org). © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press.

  8. Recommendations of the wwPDB NMR Validation Task Force

    PubMed Central

    Montelione, Gaetano T.; Nilges, Michael; Bax, Ad; Güntert, Peter; Herrmann, Torsten; Richardson, Jane S.; Schwieters, Charles; Vranken, Wim F.; Vuister, Geerten W.; Wishart, David S.; Berman, Helen M.; Kleywegt, Gerard J.; Markley, John L.

    2013-01-01

    As methods for analysis of biomolecular structure and dynamics using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) continue to advance, the resulting 3D structures, chemical shifts, and other NMR data are broadly impacting biology, chemistry, and medicine. Structure model assessment is a critical area of NMR methods development, and is an essential component of the process of making these structures accessible and useful to the wider scientific community. For these reasons, the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) has convened an NMR Validation Task Force (NMR-VTF) to work with the wwPDB partners in developing metrics and policies for biomolecular NMR data harvesting, structure representation, and structure quality assessment. This paper summarizes the recommendations of the NMR-VTF, and lays the groundwork for future work in developing standards and metrics for biomolecular NMR structure quality assessment. PMID:24010715

  9. mrtailor: a tool for PDB-file preparation for the generation of external restraints.

    PubMed

    Gruene, Tim

    2013-09-01

    Model building starting from, for example, a molecular-replacement solution with low sequence similarity introduces model bias, which can be difficult to detect, especially at low resolution. The program mrtailor removes low-similarity regions from a template PDB file according to sequence similarity between the target sequence and the template sequence and maps the target sequence onto the PDB file. The modified PDB file can be used to generate external restraints for low-resolution refinement with reduced model bias and can be used as a starting point for model building and refinement. The program can call ProSMART [Nicholls et al. (2012), Acta Cryst. D68, 404-417] directly in order to create external restraints suitable for REFMAC5 [Murshudov et al. (2011), Acta Cryst. D67, 355-367]. Both a command-line version and a GUI exist.

  10. RCSB PDB Mobile: iOS and Android mobile apps to provide data access and visualization to the RCSB Protein Data Bank

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Quinn, Gregory B.; Bi, Chunxiao; Christie, Cole H.

    The Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB) resource provides tools for query, analysis and visualization of the 3D structures in the PDB archive. As the mobile Web is starting to surpass desktop and laptop usage, scientists and educators are beginning to integrate mobile devices into their research and teaching. In response, we have developed the RCSB PDB Mobile app for the iOS and Android mobile platforms to enable fast and convenient access to RCSB PDB data and services. Lastly, using the app, users from the general public to expert researchers can quickly search and visualize biomolecules,more » and add personal annotations via the RCSB PDB's integrated MyPDB service.« less

  11. RCSB PDB Mobile: iOS and Android mobile apps to provide data access and visualization to the RCSB Protein Data Bank

    DOE PAGES

    Quinn, Gregory B.; Bi, Chunxiao; Christie, Cole H.; ...

    2014-09-02

    The Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB) resource provides tools for query, analysis and visualization of the 3D structures in the PDB archive. As the mobile Web is starting to surpass desktop and laptop usage, scientists and educators are beginning to integrate mobile devices into their research and teaching. In response, we have developed the RCSB PDB Mobile app for the iOS and Android mobile platforms to enable fast and convenient access to RCSB PDB data and services. Lastly, using the app, users from the general public to expert researchers can quickly search and visualize biomolecules,more » and add personal annotations via the RCSB PDB's integrated MyPDB service.« less

  12. RCSB PDB Mobile: iOS and Android mobile apps to provide data access and visualization to the RCSB Protein Data Bank

    PubMed Central

    Quinn, Gregory B.; Bi, Chunxiao; Christie, Cole H.; Pang, Kyle; Prlić, Andreas; Nakane, Takanori; Zardecki, Christine; Voigt, Maria; Berman, Helen M.; Rose, Peter W.

    2015-01-01

    Summary: The Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB) resource provides tools for query, analysis and visualization of the 3D structures in the PDB archive. As the mobile Web is starting to surpass desktop and laptop usage, scientists and educators are beginning to integrate mobile devices into their research and teaching. In response, we have developed the RCSB PDB Mobile app for the iOS and Android mobile platforms to enable fast and convenient access to RCSB PDB data and services. Using the app, users from the general public to expert researchers can quickly search and visualize biomolecules, and add personal annotations via the RCSB PDB’s integrated MyPDB service. Availability and implementation: RCSB PDB Mobile is freely available from the Apple App Store and Google Play (http://www.rcsb.org). Contact: pwrose@ucsd.edu PMID:25183487

  13. Method to generate highly stable D-amino acid analogs of bioactive helical peptides using a mirror image of the entire PDB.

    PubMed

    Garton, Michael; Nim, Satra; Stone, Tracy A; Wang, Kyle Ethan; Deber, Charles M; Kim, Philip M

    2018-02-13

    Biologics are a rapidly growing class of therapeutics with many advantages over traditional small molecule drugs. A major obstacle to their development is that proteins and peptides are easily destroyed by proteases and, thus, typically have prohibitively short half-lives in human gut, plasma, and cells. One of the most effective ways to prevent degradation is to engineer analogs from dextrorotary (D)-amino acids, with up to 10 5 -fold improvements in potency reported. We here propose a general peptide-engineering platform that overcomes limitations of previous methods. By creating a mirror image of every structure in the Protein Data Bank (PDB), we generate a database of ∼2.8 million D-peptides. To obtain a D-analog of a given peptide, we search the (D)-PDB for similar configurations of its critical-"hotspot"-residues. As a proof of concept, we apply our method to two peptides that are Food and Drug Administration approved as therapeutics for diabetes and osteoporosis, respectively. We obtain D-analogs that activate the GLP1 and PTH1 receptors with the same efficacy as their natural counterparts and show greatly increased half-life. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

  14. Assignment of protein sequences to existing domain and family classification systems: Pfam and the PDB.

    PubMed

    Xu, Qifang; Dunbrack, Roland L

    2012-11-01

    Automating the assignment of existing domain and protein family classifications to new sets of sequences is an important task. Current methods often miss assignments because remote relationships fail to achieve statistical significance. Some assignments are not as long as the actual domain definitions because local alignment methods often cut alignments short. Long insertions in query sequences often erroneously result in two copies of the domain assigned to the query. Divergent repeat sequences in proteins are often missed. We have developed a multilevel procedure to produce nearly complete assignments of protein families of an existing classification system to a large set of sequences. We apply this to the task of assigning Pfam domains to sequences and structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). We found that HHsearch alignments frequently scored more remotely related Pfams in Pfam clans higher than closely related Pfams, thus, leading to erroneous assignment at the Pfam family level. A greedy algorithm allowing for partial overlaps was, thus, applied first to sequence/HMM alignments, then HMM-HMM alignments and then structure alignments, taking care to join partial alignments split by large insertions into single-domain assignments. Additional assignment of repeat Pfams with weaker E-values was allowed after stronger assignments of the repeat HMM. Our database of assignments, presented in a database called PDBfam, contains Pfams for 99.4% of chains >50 residues. The Pfam assignment data in PDBfam are available at http://dunbrack2.fccc.edu/ProtCid/PDBfam, which can be searched by PDB codes and Pfam identifiers. They will be updated regularly.

  15. [Can the local energy minimization refine the PDB structures of different resolution universally?].

    PubMed

    Godzi, M G; Gromova, A P; Oferkin, I V; Mironov, P V

    2009-01-01

    The local energy minimization was statistically validated as the refinement strategy for PDB structure pairs of different resolution. Thirteen pairs of structures with the only difference in resolution were extracted from PDB, and the structures of 11 identical proteins obtained by different X-ray diffraction techniques were represented. The distribution of RMSD value was calculated for these pairs before and after the local energy minimization of each structure. The MMFF94 field was used for energy calculations, and the quasi-Newton method was used for local energy minimization. By comparison of these two RMSD distributions, the local energy minimization was proved to statistically increase the structural differences in pairs so that it cannot be used for refinement purposes. To explore the prospects of complex refinement strategies based on energy minimization, randomized structures were obtained by moving the initial PDB structures as far as the minimized structures had been moved in a multidimensional space of atomic coordinates. For these randomized structures, the RMSD distribution was calculated and compared with that for minimized structures. The significant differences in their mean values proved the energy surface of the protein to have only few minima near the conformations of different resolution obtained by X-ray diffraction for PDB. Some other results obtained by exploring the energy surface near these conformations are also presented. These results are expected to be very useful for the development of new protein refinement strategies based on energy minimization.

  16. Promoting a structural view of biology for varied audiences: an overview of RCSB PDB resources and experiences.

    PubMed

    Dutta, Shuchismita; Zardecki, Christine; Goodsell, David S; Berman, Helen M

    2010-10-01

    The Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB) supports scientific research and education worldwide by providing an essential resource of information on biomolecular structures. In addition to serving as a deposition, data-processing and distribution center for PDB data, the RCSB PDB offers resources and online materials that different audiences can use to customize their structural biology instruction. These include resources for general audiences that present macromolecular structure in the context of a biological theme, method-based materials for researchers who take a more traditional approach to the presentation of structural science, and materials that mix theme-based and method-based approaches for educators and students. Through these efforts the RCSB PDB aims to enable optimal use of structural data by researchers, educators and students designing and understanding experiments in biology, chemistry and medicine, and by general users making informed decisions about their life and health.

  17. Promoting a structural view of biology for varied audiences: an overview of RCSB PDB resources and experiences

    PubMed Central

    Dutta, Shuchismita; Zardecki, Christine; Goodsell, David S.; Berman, Helen M.

    2010-01-01

    The Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB) supports scientific research and education worldwide by providing an essential resource of information on biomolecular structures. In addition to serving as a deposition, data-processing and distribution center for PDB data, the RCSB PDB offers resources and online materials that different audiences can use to customize their structural biology instruction. These include resources for general audiences that present macromolecular structure in the context of a biological theme, method-based materials for researchers who take a more traditional approach to the presentation of structural science, and materials that mix theme-based and method-based approaches for educators and students. Through these efforts the RCSB PDB aims to enable optimal use of structural data by researchers, educators and students designing and understanding experiments in biology, chemistry and medicine, and by general users making informed decisions about their life and health. PMID:20877496

  18. Query3d: a new method for high-throughput analysis of functional residues in protein structures.

    PubMed

    Ausiello, Gabriele; Via, Allegra; Helmer-Citterich, Manuela

    2005-12-01

    The identification of local similarities between two protein structures can provide clues of a common function. Many different methods exist for searching for similar subsets of residues in proteins of known structure. However, the lack of functional and structural information on single residues, together with the low level of integration of this information in comparison methods, is a limitation that prevents these methods from being fully exploited in high-throughput analyses. Here we describe Query3d, a program that is both a structural DBMS (Database Management System) and a local comparison method. The method conserves a copy of all the residues of the Protein Data Bank annotated with a variety of functional and structural information. New annotations can be easily added from a variety of methods and known databases. The algorithm makes it possible to create complex queries based on the residues' function and then to compare only subsets of the selected residues. Functional information is also essential to speed up the comparison and the analysis of the results. With Query3d, users can easily obtain statistics on how many and which residues share certain properties in all proteins of known structure. At the same time, the method also finds their structural neighbours in the whole PDB. Programs and data can be accessed through the PdbFun web interface.

  19. Query3d: a new method for high-throughput analysis of functional residues in protein structures

    PubMed Central

    Ausiello, Gabriele; Via, Allegra; Helmer-Citterich, Manuela

    2005-01-01

    Background The identification of local similarities between two protein structures can provide clues of a common function. Many different methods exist for searching for similar subsets of residues in proteins of known structure. However, the lack of functional and structural information on single residues, together with the low level of integration of this information in comparison methods, is a limitation that prevents these methods from being fully exploited in high-throughput analyses. Results Here we describe Query3d, a program that is both a structural DBMS (Database Management System) and a local comparison method. The method conserves a copy of all the residues of the Protein Data Bank annotated with a variety of functional and structural information. New annotations can be easily added from a variety of methods and known databases. The algorithm makes it possible to create complex queries based on the residues' function and then to compare only subsets of the selected residues. Functional information is also essential to speed up the comparison and the analysis of the results. Conclusion With Query3d, users can easily obtain statistics on how many and which residues share certain properties in all proteins of known structure. At the same time, the method also finds their structural neighbours in the whole PDB. Programs and data can be accessed through the PdbFun web interface. PMID:16351754

  20. PhyreStorm: A Web Server for Fast Structural Searches Against the PDB.

    PubMed

    Mezulis, Stefans; Sternberg, Michael J E; Kelley, Lawrence A

    2016-02-22

    The identification of structurally similar proteins can provide a range of biological insights, and accordingly, the alignment of a query protein to a database of experimentally determined protein structures is a technique commonly used in the fields of structural and evolutionary biology. The PhyreStorm Web server has been designed to provide comprehensive, up-to-date and rapid structural comparisons against the Protein Data Bank (PDB) combined with a rich and intuitive user interface. It is intended that this facility will enable biologists inexpert in bioinformatics access to a powerful tool for exploring protein structure relationships beyond what can be achieved by sequence analysis alone. By partitioning the PDB into similar structures, PhyreStorm is able to quickly discard the majority of structures that cannot possibly align well to a query protein, reducing the number of alignments required by an order of magnitude. PhyreStorm is capable of finding 93±2% of all highly similar (TM-score>0.7) structures in the PDB for each query structure, usually in less than 60s. PhyreStorm is available at http://www.sbg.bio.ic.ac.uk/phyrestorm/. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  1. Structure Calculation and Reconstruction of Discrete-State Dynamics from Residual Dipolar Couplings.

    PubMed

    Cole, Casey A; Mukhopadhyay, Rishi; Omar, Hanin; Hennig, Mirko; Valafar, Homayoun

    2016-04-12

    Residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) acquired by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy are an indispensable source of information in investigation of molecular structures and dynamics. Here, we present a comprehensive strategy for structure calculation and reconstruction of discrete-state dynamics from RDC data that is based on the singular value decomposition (SVD) method of order tensor estimation. In addition to structure determination, we provide a mechanism of producing an ensemble of conformations for the dynamical regions of a protein from RDC data. The developed methodology has been tested on simulated RDC data with ±1 Hz of error from an 83 residue α protein (PDB ID 1A1Z ) and a 213 residue α/β protein DGCR8 (PDB ID 2YT4 ). In nearly all instances, our method reproduced the structure of the protein including the conformational ensemble to within less than 2 Å. On the basis of our investigations, arc motions with more than 30° of rotation are identified as internal dynamics and are reconstructed with sufficient accuracy. Furthermore, states with relative occupancies above 20% are consistently recognized and reconstructed successfully. Arc motions with a magnitude of 15° or relative occupancy of less than 10% are consistently unrecognizable as dynamical regions within the context of ±1 Hz of error.

  2. Molecular Simulations of Carbohydrates with a Fucose-Binding Burkholderia ambifaria Lectin Suggest Modulation by Surface Residues Outside the Fucose-Binding Pocket

    PubMed Central

    Dingjan, Tamir; Imberty, Anne; Pérez, Serge; Yuriev, Elizabeth; Ramsland, Paul A.

    2017-01-01

    Burkholderia ambifaria is an opportunistic respiratory pathogen belonging to the Burkholderia cepacia complex, a collection of species responsible for the rapidly fatal cepacia syndrome in cystic fibrosis patients. A fucose-binding lectin identified in the B. ambifaria genome, BambL, is able to adhere to lung tissue, and may play a role in respiratory infection. X-ray crystallography has revealed the bound complex structures for four fucosylated human blood group epitopes (blood group B, H type 1, H type 2, and Lex determinants). The present study employed computational approaches, including docking and molecular dynamics (MD), to extend the structural analysis of BambL-oligosaccharide complexes to include four additional blood group saccharides (A, Lea, Leb, and Ley) and a library of blood-group-related carbohydrates. Carbohydrate recognition is dominated by interactions with fucose via a hydrogen-bonding network involving Arg15, Glu26, Ala38, and Trp79 and a stacking interaction with Trp74. Additional hydrogen bonds to non-fucose residues are formed with Asp30, Tyr35, Thr36, and Trp74. BambL recognition is dominated by interactions with fucose, but also features interactions with other parts of the ligands that may modulate specificity or affinity. The detailed computational characterization of the BambL carbohydrate-binding site provides guidelines for the future design of lectin inhibitors. PMID:28680402

  3. Dynamic Fluctuations of Protein-Carbohydrate Interactions Promote Protein Aggregation

    PubMed Central

    Voynov, Vladimir; Chennamsetty, Naresh; Kayser, Veysel; Helk, Bernhard; Forrer, Kurt; Zhang, Heidi; Fritsch, Cornelius; Heine, Holger; Trout, Bernhardt L.

    2009-01-01

    Protein-carbohydrate interactions are important for glycoprotein structure and function. Antibodies of the IgG class, with increasing significance as therapeutics, are glycosylated at a conserved site in the constant Fc region. We hypothesized that disruption of protein-carbohydrate interactions in the glycosylated domain of antibodies leads to the exposure of aggregation-prone motifs. Aggregation is one of the main problems in protein-based therapeutics because of immunogenicity concerns and decreased efficacy. To explore the significance of intramolecular interactions between aromatic amino acids and carbohydrates in the IgG glycosylated domain, we utilized computer simulations, fluorescence analysis, and site-directed mutagenesis. We find that the surface exposure of one aromatic amino acid increases due to dynamic fluctuations. Moreover, protein-carbohydrate interactions decrease upon stress, while protein-protein and carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions increase. Substitution of the carbohydrate-interacting aromatic amino acids with non-aromatic residues leads to a significantly lower stability than wild type, and to compromised binding to Fc receptors. Our results support a mechanism for antibody aggregation via decreased protein-carbohydrate interactions, leading to the exposure of aggregation-prone regions, and to aggregation. PMID:20037630

  4. Assignment of protein sequences to existing domain and family classification systems: Pfam and the PDB

    PubMed Central

    Dunbrack, Roland L.

    2012-01-01

    Motivation: Automating the assignment of existing domain and protein family classifications to new sets of sequences is an important task. Current methods often miss assignments because remote relationships fail to achieve statistical significance. Some assignments are not as long as the actual domain definitions because local alignment methods often cut alignments short. Long insertions in query sequences often erroneously result in two copies of the domain assigned to the query. Divergent repeat sequences in proteins are often missed. Results: We have developed a multilevel procedure to produce nearly complete assignments of protein families of an existing classification system to a large set of sequences. We apply this to the task of assigning Pfam domains to sequences and structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). We found that HHsearch alignments frequently scored more remotely related Pfams in Pfam clans higher than closely related Pfams, thus, leading to erroneous assignment at the Pfam family level. A greedy algorithm allowing for partial overlaps was, thus, applied first to sequence/HMM alignments, then HMM–HMM alignments and then structure alignments, taking care to join partial alignments split by large insertions into single-domain assignments. Additional assignment of repeat Pfams with weaker E-values was allowed after stronger assignments of the repeat HMM. Our database of assignments, presented in a database called PDBfam, contains Pfams for 99.4% of chains >50 residues. Availability: The Pfam assignment data in PDBfam are available at http://dunbrack2.fccc.edu/ProtCid/PDBfam, which can be searched by PDB codes and Pfam identifiers. They will be updated regularly. Contact: Roland.Dunbracks@fccc.edu PMID:22942020

  5. Outcome of the First wwPDB/CCDC/D3R Ligand Validation Workshop.

    PubMed

    Adams, Paul D; Aertgeerts, Kathleen; Bauer, Cary; Bell, Jeffrey A; Berman, Helen M; Bhat, Talapady N; Blaney, Jeff M; Bolton, Evan; Bricogne, Gerard; Brown, David; Burley, Stephen K; Case, David A; Clark, Kirk L; Darden, Tom; Emsley, Paul; Feher, Victoria A; Feng, Zukang; Groom, Colin R; Harris, Seth F; Hendle, Jorg; Holder, Thomas; Joachimiak, Andrzej; Kleywegt, Gerard J; Krojer, Tobias; Marcotrigiano, Joseph; Mark, Alan E; Markley, John L; Miller, Matthew; Minor, Wladek; Montelione, Gaetano T; Murshudov, Garib; Nakagawa, Atsushi; Nakamura, Haruki; Nicholls, Anthony; Nicklaus, Marc; Nolte, Robert T; Padyana, Anil K; Peishoff, Catherine E; Pieniazek, Susan; Read, Randy J; Shao, Chenghua; Sheriff, Steven; Smart, Oliver; Soisson, Stephen; Spurlino, John; Stouch, Terry; Svobodova, Radka; Tempel, Wolfram; Terwilliger, Thomas C; Tronrud, Dale; Velankar, Sameer; Ward, Suzanna C; Warren, Gregory L; Westbrook, John D; Williams, Pamela; Yang, Huanwang; Young, Jasmine

    2016-04-05

    Crystallographic studies of ligands bound to biological macromolecules (proteins and nucleic acids) represent an important source of information concerning drug-target interactions, providing atomic level insights into the physical chemistry of complex formation between macromolecules and ligands. Of the more than 115,000 entries extant in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) archive, ∼75% include at least one non-polymeric ligand. Ligand geometrical and stereochemical quality, the suitability of ligand models for in silico drug discovery and design, and the goodness-of-fit of ligand models to electron-density maps vary widely across the archive. We describe the proceedings and conclusions from the first Worldwide PDB/Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center/Drug Design Data Resource (wwPDB/CCDC/D3R) Ligand Validation Workshop held at the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics at Rutgers University on July 30-31, 2015. Experts in protein crystallography from academe and industry came together with non-profit and for-profit software providers for crystallography and with experts in computational chemistry and data archiving to discuss and make recommendations on best practices, as framed by a series of questions central to structural studies of macromolecule-ligand complexes. What data concerning bound ligands should be archived in the PDB? How should the ligands be best represented? How should structural models of macromolecule-ligand complexes be validated? What supplementary information should accompany publications of structural studies of biological macromolecules? Consensus recommendations on best practices developed in response to each of these questions are provided, together with some details regarding implementation. Important issues addressed but not resolved at the workshop are also enumerated. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Degradation of carbohydrates during dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment can interfere with lignin measurements in solid residues.

    PubMed

    Katahira, Rui; Sluiter, Justin B; Schell, Daniel J; Davis, Mark F

    2013-04-03

    The lignin content measured after dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment of corn stover indicates more lignin than could be accounted for on the basis of the untreated corn stover lignin content. This phenomenon was investigated using a combination of (13)C cross-polarization/magic-angle spinning (CP/MAS) solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and lignin removal using acid chlorite bleaching. Only minimal contamination with carbohydrates and proteins was observed in the pretreated corn stover. Incorporating degradation products from sugars was also investigated using (13)C-labeled sugars. The results indicate that sugar degradation products are present in the pretreatment residue and may be intimately associated with the lignin. Studies comparing whole corn stover (CS) to extractives-free corn stover [CS(Ext)] clearly demonstrated that extractives are a key contributor to the high-lignin mass balance closure (MBC). Sugars and other low molecular weight compounds present in plant extractives polymerize and form solids during pretreatment, resulting in apparent Klason lignin measurements that are biased high.

  7. Mutational Insights into the Roles of Amino Acid Residues in Ligand Binding for Two Closely Related Family 16 Carbohydrate Binding Modules

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Su, Xiaoyun; Agarwal, Vinayak; Dodd, Dylan

    2010-11-22

    Carbohydrate binding modules (CBMs) are specialized proteins that bind to polysaccharides and oligosaccharides. Caldanaerobius polysaccharolyticus Man5ACBM16-1/CBM16-2 bind to glucose-, mannose-, and glucose/mannose-configured substrates. The crystal structures of the two proteins represent the only examples in CBM family 16, and studies that evaluate the roles of amino acid residues in ligand binding in this family are lacking. In this study, we probed the roles of amino acids (selected based on CBM16-1/ligand co-crystal structures) on substrate binding. Two tryptophan (Trp-20 and Trp-125) and two glutamine (Gln-81 and Gln-93) residues are shown to be critical in ligand binding. Additionally, several polar residues thatmore » flank the critical residues also contribute to ligand binding. The CBM16-1 Q121E mutation increased affinity for all substrates tested, whereas the Q21G and N97R mutants exhibited decreased substrate affinity. We solved CBM/substrate co-crystal structures to elucidate the molecular basis of the increased substrate binding by CBM16-1 Q121E. The Gln-121, Gln-21, and Asn-97 residues can be manipulated to fine-tune ligand binding by the Man5A CBMs. Surprisingly, none of the eight residues investigated was absolutely conserved in CBM family 16. Thus, the critical residues in the Man5A CBMs are either not essential for substrate binding in the other members of this family or the two CBMs are evolutionarily distinct from the members available in the current protein database. Man5A is dependent on its CBMs for robust activity, and insights from this study should serve to enhance our understanding of the interdependence of its catalytic and substrate binding modules.« less

  8. VARIATION IN THE GROUP-SPECIFIC CARBOHYDRATE OF GROUP A STREPTOCOCCI

    PubMed Central

    McCarty, Maclyn

    1956-01-01

    Soil organisms have been isolated which elaborate induced enzymes capable of attacking group A and variant (V) streptococcal carbohydrates. The V enzyme hydrolyzes V carbohydrate extensively to dialyzable split products with resultant total loss of precipitating activity with homologous antisera. The split products inhibit the reaction between intact V carbohydrate and its antiserum: evidence is presented which indicates that rhamnose oligosaccharides are responsible for the inhibitory effect. The serological specificity of the V carbohydrate thus appears to be primarily dependent on a rhamnose-rhamnose linkage. The effect of the A enzyme on A carbohydrate is characterized by the removal of 50 to 70 per cent of the total glucosamine in the form of free N-acetyl-glucosamine. As a result of this treatment, the residual carbohydrate loses its reactivity with specific group A antisera and at the same time develops markedly increased cross-reactivity with V antisera. This cross-reactivity is in turn eliminated by treatment with V enzyme. The evidence suggests that the specificity of group A carbohydrate is determined to a large extent by side chains of N-acetyl-glucosamine which also serve to mask underlying rhamnose-rhamnose linkages with V specificity. PMID:13367334

  9. A 45-Amino-Acid Scaffold Mined from the PDB for High-Affinity Ligand Engineering.

    PubMed

    Kruziki, Max A; Bhatnagar, Sumit; Woldring, Daniel R; Duong, Vandon T; Hackel, Benjamin J

    2015-07-23

    Small protein ligands can provide superior physiological distribution compared with antibodies, and improved stability, production, and specific conjugation. Systematic evaluation of the PDB identified a scaffold to push the limits of small size and robust evolution of stable, high-affinity ligands: 45-residue T7 phage gene 2 protein (Gp2) contains an α helix opposite a β sheet with two adjacent loops amenable to mutation. De novo ligand discovery from 10(8) mutants and directed evolution toward four targets yielded target-specific binders with affinities as strong as 200 ± 100 pM, Tms from 65 °C ± 3 °C to 80°C ± 1 °C, and retained activity after thermal denaturation. For cancer targeting, a Gp2 domain for epidermal growth factor receptor was evolved with 18 ± 8 nM affinity, receptor-specific binding, and high thermal stability with refolding. The efficiency of evolving new binding function and the size, affinity, specificity, and stability of evolved domains render Gp2 a uniquely effective ligand scaffold. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. AMP-Activated Protein Kinase β-Subunit Requires Internal Motion for Optimal Carbohydrate Binding

    PubMed Central

    Bieri, Michael; Mobbs, Jesse I.; Koay, Ann; Louey, Gavin; Mok, Yee-Foong; Hatters, Danny M.; Park, Jong-Tae; Park, Kwan-Hwa; Neumann, Dietbert; Stapleton, David; Gooley, Paul R.

    2012-01-01

    AMP-activated protein kinase interacts with oligosaccharides and glycogen through the carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) containing the β-subunit, for which there are two isoforms (β1 and β2). Muscle-specific β2-CBM, either as an isolated domain or in the intact enzyme, binds carbohydrates more tightly than the ubiquitous β1-CBM. Although residues that contact carbohydrate are strictly conserved, an additional threonine in a loop of β2-CBM is concurrent with an increase in flexibility in β2-CBM, which may account for the affinity differences between the two isoforms. In contrast to β1-CBM, unbound β2-CBM showed microsecond-to-millisecond motion at the base of a β-hairpin that contains residues that make critical contacts with carbohydrate. Upon binding to carbohydrate, similar microsecond-to-millisecond motion was observed in this β-hairpin and the loop that contains the threonine insertion. Deletion of the threonine from β2-CBM resulted in reduced carbohydrate affinity. Although motion was retained in the unbound state, a significant loss of motion was observed in the bound state of the β2-CBM mutant. Insertion of a threonine into the background of β1-CBM resulted in increased ligand affinity and flexibility in these loops when bound to carbohydrate. However, these mutations indicate that the additional threonine is not solely responsible for the differences in carbohydrate affinity and protein dynamics. Nevertheless, these results suggest that altered protein dynamics may contribute to differences in the ligand affinity of the two naturally occurring CBM isoforms. PMID:22339867

  11. Report of the wwPDB Small-Angle Scattering Task Force: data requirements for biomolecular modeling and the PDB.

    PubMed

    Trewhella, Jill; Hendrickson, Wayne A; Kleywegt, Gerard J; Sali, Andrej; Sato, Mamoru; Schwede, Torsten; Svergun, Dmitri I; Tainer, John A; Westbrook, John; Berman, Helen M

    2013-06-04

    This report presents the conclusions of the July 12-13, 2012 meeting of the Small-Angle Scattering Task Force of the worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB; Berman et al., 2003) at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The task force includes experts in small-angle scattering (SAS), crystallography, data archiving, and molecular modeling who met to consider questions regarding the contributions of SAS to modern structural biology. Recognizing there is a rapidly growing community of structural biology researchers acquiring and interpreting SAS data in terms of increasingly sophisticated molecular models, the task force recommends that (1) a global repository is needed that holds standard format X-ray and neutron SAS data that is searchable and freely accessible for download; (2) a standard dictionary is required for definitions of terms for data collection and for managing the SAS data repository; (3) options should be provided for including in the repository SAS-derived shape and atomistic models based on rigid-body refinement against SAS data along with specific information regarding the uniqueness and uncertainty of the model, and the protocol used to obtain it; (4) criteria need to be agreed upon for assessment of the quality of deposited SAS data and the accuracy of SAS-derived models, and the extent to which a given model fits the SAS data; (5) with the increasing diversity of structural biology data and models being generated, archiving options for models derived from diverse data will be required; and (6) thought leaders from the various structural biology disciplines should jointly define what to archive in the PDB and what complementary archives might be needed, taking into account both scientific needs and funding. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Using ATR-FT/IR to detect carbohydrate-related molecular structure features of carinata meal and their in situ residues of ruminal fermentation in comparison with canola meal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xin, Hangshu; Yu, Peiqiang

    2013-10-01

    .05) during 48 h ruminal degradation in both carinata meal and canola meal. Although carinata meal differed from canola meal in some carbohydrate spectral parameters, multivariate results from agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis showed that both original and in situ residues of two meals were not fully distinguished from each other within carbohydrate spectral regions. It was concluded that carbohydrate structural conformation could be detected in carinata meal by using ATR-FT/IR techniques and further study is needed to explore more information on molecular spectral features of other functional group such as protein structure profile and their association with potential nutrient supply and availability of carinata meal in animals.

  13. Using ATR-FT/IR to detect carbohydrate-related molecular structure features of carinata meal and their in situ residues of ruminal fermentation in comparison with canola meal.

    PubMed

    Xin, Hangshu; Yu, Peiqiang

    2013-10-01

    decreased (P<0.05) during 48 h ruminal degradation in both carinata meal and canola meal. Although carinata meal differed from canola meal in some carbohydrate spectral parameters, multivariate results from agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis showed that both original and in situ residues of two meals were not fully distinguished from each other within carbohydrate spectral regions. It was concluded that carbohydrate structural conformation could be detected in carinata meal by using ATR-FT/IR techniques and further study is needed to explore more information on molecular spectral features of other functional group such as protein structure profile and their association with potential nutrient supply and availability of carinata meal in animals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. A systematic analysis of atomic protein-ligand interactions in the PDB.

    PubMed

    Ferreira de Freitas, Renato; Schapira, Matthieu

    2017-10-01

    As the protein databank (PDB) recently passed the cap of 123 456 structures, it stands more than ever as an important resource not only to analyze structural features of specific biological systems, but also to study the prevalence of structural patterns observed in a large body of unrelated structures, that may reflect rules governing protein folding or molecular recognition. Here, we compiled a list of 11 016 unique structures of small-molecule ligands bound to proteins - 6444 of which have experimental binding affinity - representing 750 873 protein-ligand atomic interactions, and analyzed the frequency, geometry and impact of each interaction type. We find that hydrophobic interactions are generally enriched in high-efficiency ligands, but polar interactions are over-represented in fragment inhibitors. While most observations extracted from the PDB will be familiar to seasoned medicinal chemists, less expected findings, such as the high number of C-H···O hydrogen bonds or the relatively frequent amide-π stacking between the backbone amide of proteins and aromatic rings of ligands, uncover underused ligand design strategies.

  15. A study of the influence of charged residues on β-hairpin formation by nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular dynamics.

    PubMed

    Makowska, Joanna; Zmudzińska, Wioletta; Uber, Dorota; Chmurzyński, Lech

    2014-12-01

    Chain reversals are often nucleation sites in protein folding. The β-hairpins of FBP28 WW domain and IgG are stable and have been proved to initiate the folding and are, therefore, suitable for studying the influence of charged residues on β-hairpin conformation. In this paper, we carried out NMR examination of the conformations in solution of two fragments from the FPB28 protein (PDB code: 1E0L) (N-terminal part) namely KTADGKT-NH2 (1E0L 12-18, D7) and YKTADGKTY-NH2 (1E0L 11-19, D9), one from the B3 domain of the protein G (PDB code: 1IGD), namely DDATKT-NH2 (1IGD 51-56) (Dag1), and three variants of Dag1 peptide: DVATKT-NH2 (Dag2), OVATKT-NH2 (Dag3) and KVATKT-NH2 (Dag4), respectively, in which the original charged residue were replaced with non-polar residues or modified charged residues. It was found that both the D7 and D9 peptides form a large fraction bent conformations. However, no hydrophobic contacts between the terminal Tyr residues of D9 occur, which suggests that the presence of a pair of like-charged residues stabilizes chain reversal. Conversely, only the Dag1 and Dag2 peptides exhibit some chain reversal; replacing the second aspartic-acid residue with a valine and the first one with a basic residue results in a nearly extended conformation. These results suggest that basic residues farther away in sequence can result in stabilization of chain reversal owing to screening of the non-polar core. Conversely, smaller distance in sequence prohibits this screening, while the presence oppositely-charged residues can stabilize a turn because of salt-bridge formation.

  16. Vapor-phase diethyl oxalate pretreatment of wood chips. Part 2, Release of hemicellulosic carbohydrates

    Treesearch

    William Kenealy; Eric Horn; Mark Davis; Ross Swaney; Carl Houtman

    2007-01-01

    Wood chips of pine, spruce, aspen, and maple were treated at 135–1408C with diethyl oxalate (DEO) and analyzed for extractable and residual carbohydrates. Under these conditions, DEO hydrolyzes to ethanol and oxalic acid (OA). The amount and identity of carbohydrates released from the chips were species-dependent. For all wood species, increasing the amount of chemical...

  17. Prediction of Carbohydrate Binding Sites on Protein Surfaces with 3-Dimensional Probability Density Distributions of Interacting Atoms

    PubMed Central

    Tsai, Keng-Chang; Jian, Jhih-Wei; Yang, Ei-Wen; Hsu, Po-Chiang; Peng, Hung-Pin; Chen, Ching-Tai; Chen, Jun-Bo; Chang, Jeng-Yih; Hsu, Wen-Lian; Yang, An-Suei

    2012-01-01

    Non-covalent protein-carbohydrate interactions mediate molecular targeting in many biological processes. Prediction of non-covalent carbohydrate binding sites on protein surfaces not only provides insights into the functions of the query proteins; information on key carbohydrate-binding residues could suggest site-directed mutagenesis experiments, design therapeutics targeting carbohydrate-binding proteins, and provide guidance in engineering protein-carbohydrate interactions. In this work, we show that non-covalent carbohydrate binding sites on protein surfaces can be predicted with relatively high accuracy when the query protein structures are known. The prediction capabilities were based on a novel encoding scheme of the three-dimensional probability density maps describing the distributions of 36 non-covalent interacting atom types around protein surfaces. One machine learning model was trained for each of the 30 protein atom types. The machine learning algorithms predicted tentative carbohydrate binding sites on query proteins by recognizing the characteristic interacting atom distribution patterns specific for carbohydrate binding sites from known protein structures. The prediction results for all protein atom types were integrated into surface patches as tentative carbohydrate binding sites based on normalized prediction confidence level. The prediction capabilities of the predictors were benchmarked by a 10-fold cross validation on 497 non-redundant proteins with known carbohydrate binding sites. The predictors were further tested on an independent test set with 108 proteins. The residue-based Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) for the independent test was 0.45, with prediction precision and sensitivity (or recall) of 0.45 and 0.49 respectively. In addition, 111 unbound carbohydrate-binding protein structures for which the structures were determined in the absence of the carbohydrate ligands were predicted with the trained predictors. The overall

  18. Structural Basis for Carbohydrate Recognition and Anti-inflammatory Modulation by Gastrointestinal Nematode Parasite Toxascaris leonina Galectin*

    PubMed Central

    Hwang, Eun Young; Jeong, Mi Suk; Park, Sang Kyun; Ha, Sung Chul; Yu, Hak Sun; Jang, Se Bok

    2016-01-01

    Toxascaris leonina galectin (Tl-gal) is a galectin-9 homologue protein isolated from an adult worm of the canine gastrointestinal nematode parasite, and Tl-gal-vaccinated challenge can inhibit inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease-induced mice. We determined the first X-ray structures of full-length Tl-gal complexes with carbohydrates (lactose, N-acetyllactosamine, lacto-N-tetraose, sialyllactose, and glucose). Bonds were formed on concave surfaces of both carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs) in Tl-gal. All binding sites were found in the HXXXR and WGXEER motifs. Charged Arg61/Arg196 and Glu80/Glu215 on the conserved motif of Tl-gal N-terminal CRD and C-terminal CRD are critical amino acids for recognizing carbohydrate binding, and the residues can affect protein folding and structure. The polar amino acids His, Asn, and Trp are also important residues for the interaction with carbohydrates through hydrogen bonding. Hemagglutination activities of Tl-gal were inhibited by interactions with carbohydrates and mutations. We found that the mutation of Tl-gal (E80A/E215A) at the carbohydrate binding region induced protein aggregation and could be caused in many diseases. The short linker region between the N-terminal and C-terminal CRDs of Tl-gal was very stable against proteolysis and maintained its biological activity. This structural information is expected to elucidate the carbohydrate recognition mechanism of Tl-gal and improve our understanding of anti-inflammatory mediators and modulators of immune response. PMID:27742836

  19. Improving links between literature and biological data with text mining: a case study with GEO, PDB and MEDLINE.

    PubMed

    Névéol, Aurélie; Wilbur, W John; Lu, Zhiyong

    2012-01-01

    High-throughput experiments and bioinformatics techniques are creating an exploding volume of data that are becoming overwhelming to keep track of for biologists and researchers who need to access, analyze and process existing data. Much of the available data are being deposited in specialized databases, such as the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) for microarrays or the Protein Data Bank (PDB) for protein structures and coordinates. Data sets are also being described by their authors in publications archived in literature databases such as MEDLINE and PubMed Central. Currently, the curation of links between biological databases and the literature mainly relies on manual labour, which makes it a time-consuming and daunting task. Herein, we analysed the current state of link curation between GEO, PDB and MEDLINE. We found that the link curation is heterogeneous depending on the sources and databases involved, and that overlap between sources is low, <50% for PDB and GEO. Furthermore, we showed that text-mining tools can automatically provide valuable evidence to help curators broaden the scope of articles and database entries that they review. As a result, we made recommendations to improve the coverage of curated links, as well as the consistency of information available from different databases while maintaining high-quality curation. Database URLs: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/, http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/

  20. Re-refinement from deposited X-ray data can deliver improved models for most PDB entries.

    PubMed

    Joosten, Robbie P; Womack, Thomas; Vriend, Gert; Bricogne, Gérard

    2009-02-01

    The deposition of X-ray data along with the customary structural models defining PDB entries makes it possible to apply large-scale re-refinement protocols to these entries, thus giving users the benefit of improvements in X-ray methods that have occurred since the structure was deposited. Automated gradient refinement is an effective method to achieve this goal, but real-space intervention is most often required in order to adequately address problems detected by structure-validation software. In order to improve the existing protocol, automated re-refinement was combined with structure validation and difference-density peak analysis to produce a catalogue of problems in PDB entries that are amenable to automatic correction. It is shown that re-refinement can be effective in producing improvements, which are often associated with the systematic use of the TLS parameterization of B factors, even for relatively new and high-resolution PDB entries, while the accompanying manual or semi-manual map analysis and fitting steps show good prospects for eventual automation. It is proposed that the potential for simultaneous improvements in methods and in re-refinement results be further encouraged by broadening the scope of depositions to include refinement metadata and ultimately primary rather than reduced X-ray data.

  1. Ranking Enzyme Structures in the PDB by Bound Ligand Similarity to Biological Substrates.

    PubMed

    Tyzack, Jonathan D; Fernando, Laurent; Ribeiro, Antonio J M; Borkakoti, Neera; Thornton, Janet M

    2018-04-03

    There are numerous applications that use the structures of protein-ligand complexes from the PDB, such as 3D pharmacophore identification, virtual screening, and fragment-based drug design. The structures underlying these applications are potentially much more informative if they contain biologically relevant bound ligands, with high similarity to the cognate ligands. We present a study of ligand-enzyme complexes that compares the similarity of bound and cognate ligands, enabling the best matches to be identified. We calculate the molecular similarity scores using a method called PARITY (proportion of atoms residing in identical topology), which can conveniently be combined to give a similarity score for all cognate reactants or products in the reaction. Thus, we generate a rank-ordered list of related PDB structures, according to the biological similarity of the ligands bound in the structures. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  2. Models of S/π interactions in protein structures: Comparison of the H2S–benzene complex with PDB data

    PubMed Central

    Ringer, Ashley L.; Senenko, Anastasia; Sherrill, C. David

    2007-01-01

    S/π interactions are prevalent in biochemistry and play an important role in protein folding and stabilization. Geometries of cysteine/aromatic interactions found in crystal structures from the Brookhaven Protein Data Bank (PDB) are analyzed and compared with the equilibrium configurations predicted by high-level quantum mechanical results for the H2S–benzene complex. A correlation is observed between the energetically favorable configurations on the quantum mechanical potential energy surface of the H2S–benzene model and the cysteine/aromatic configurations most frequently found in crystal structures of the PDB. In contrast to some previous PDB analyses, configurations with the sulfur over the aromatic ring are found to be the most important. Our results suggest that accurate quantum computations on models of noncovalent interactions may be helpful in understanding the structures of proteins and other complex systems. PMID:17766371

  3. PDB to AMPL Conversion

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Anna Johnston, SNL 9215

    2002-09-01

    PDB to AMPL Conversion was written to convert protein data base files to AMPL files. The protein data bases on the internet contain a wealth of information about the structue and makeup of proteins. Each file contains information derived by one or more experiments and contains information on how the experiment waw performed, the amino acid building blocks of each chain, and often the three-dimensional structure of the protein extracted from the experiments. The way a protein folds determines much about its function. Thus, studying the three-dimensional structure of the protein is of great interest. Analysing the contact maps ismore » one way to examine the structure. A contact map is a graph which has a linear back bone of amino acids for nodes (i.e., adjacent amino acids are always connected) and vertices between non-adjacent nodes if they are close enough to be considered in contact. If the graphs are similar then the folds of the protein and their function should also be similar. This software extracts the contact maps from a protein data base file and puts in into AMPL data format. This format is designed for use in AMPL, a programming language for simplifying linear programming formulations.« less

  4. Proteins of unknown function in the Protein Data Bank (PDB): an inventory of true uncharacterized proteins and computational tools for their analysis.

    PubMed

    Nadzirin, Nurul; Firdaus-Raih, Mohd

    2012-10-08

    Proteins of uncharacterized functions form a large part of many of the currently available biological databases and this situation exists even in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Our analysis of recent PDB data revealed that only 42.53% of PDB entries (1084 coordinate files) that were categorized under "unknown function" are true examples of proteins of unknown function at this point in time. The remainder 1465 entries also annotated as such appear to be able to have their annotations re-assessed, based on the availability of direct functional characterization experiments for the protein itself, or for homologous sequences or structures thus enabling computational function inference.

  5. Classification of ligand molecules in PDB with graph match-based structural superposition.

    PubMed

    Shionyu-Mitsuyama, Clara; Hijikata, Atsushi; Tsuji, Toshiyuki; Shirai, Tsuyoshi

    2016-12-01

    The fast heuristic graph match algorithm for small molecules, COMPLIG, was improved by adding a structural superposition process to verify the atom-atom matching. The modified method was used to classify the small molecule ligands in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) by their three-dimensional structures, and 16,660 types of ligands in the PDB were classified into 7561 clusters. In contrast, a classification by a previous method (without structure superposition) generated 3371 clusters from the same ligand set. The characteristic feature in the current classification system is the increased number of singleton clusters, which contained only one ligand molecule in a cluster. Inspections of the singletons in the current classification system but not in the previous one implied that the major factors for the isolation were differences in chirality, cyclic conformations, separation of substructures, and bond length. Comparisons between current and previous classification systems revealed that the superposition-based classification was effective in clustering functionally related ligands, such as drugs targeted to specific biological processes, owing to the strictness of the atom-atom matching.

  6. Carbohydrate and exercise performance: the role of multiple transportable carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Jeukendrup, Asker E

    2010-07-01

    Carbohydrate feeding has been shown to be ergogenic, but recently substantial advances have been made in optimizing the guidelines for carbohydrate intake during prolonged exercise. It was found that limitations to carbohydrate oxidation were in the absorptive process most likely because of a saturation of carbohydrate transporters. By using a combination of carbohydrates that use different intestinal transporters for absorption it was shown that carbohydrate delivery and oxidation could be increased. Studies demonstrated increases in exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates of up to 65% of glucose: fructose compared with glucose only. Exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates reach values of 1.75 g/min whereas previously it was thought that 1 g/min was the absolute maximum. The increased carbohydrate oxidation with multiple transportable carbohydrates was accompanied by increased fluid delivery and improved oxidation efficiency, and thus the likelihood of gastrointestinal distress may be diminished. Studies also demonstrated reduced fatigue and improved exercise performance with multiple transportable carbohydrates compared with a single carbohydrate. Multiple transportable carbohydrates, ingested at high rates, can be beneficial during endurance sports in which the duration of exercise is 3 h or more.

  7. Improving links between literature and biological data with text mining: a case study with GEO, PDB and MEDLINE

    PubMed Central

    Névéol, Aurélie; Wilbur, W. John; Lu, Zhiyong

    2012-01-01

    High-throughput experiments and bioinformatics techniques are creating an exploding volume of data that are becoming overwhelming to keep track of for biologists and researchers who need to access, analyze and process existing data. Much of the available data are being deposited in specialized databases, such as the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) for microarrays or the Protein Data Bank (PDB) for protein structures and coordinates. Data sets are also being described by their authors in publications archived in literature databases such as MEDLINE and PubMed Central. Currently, the curation of links between biological databases and the literature mainly relies on manual labour, which makes it a time-consuming and daunting task. Herein, we analysed the current state of link curation between GEO, PDB and MEDLINE. We found that the link curation is heterogeneous depending on the sources and databases involved, and that overlap between sources is low, <50% for PDB and GEO. Furthermore, we showed that text-mining tools can automatically provide valuable evidence to help curators broaden the scope of articles and database entries that they review. As a result, we made recommendations to improve the coverage of curated links, as well as the consistency of information available from different databases while maintaining high-quality curation. Database URLs: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/, http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/ PMID:22685160

  8. Structural Basis for Carbohydrate Recognition and Anti-inflammatory Modulation by Gastrointestinal Nematode Parasite Toxascaris leonina Galectin.

    PubMed

    Hwang, Eun Young; Jeong, Mi Suk; Park, Sang Kyun; Ha, Sung Chul; Yu, Hak Sun; Jang, Se Bok

    2016-12-02

    Toxascaris leonina galectin (Tl-gal) is a galectin-9 homologue protein isolated from an adult worm of the canine gastrointestinal nematode parasite, and Tl-gal-vaccinated challenge can inhibit inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease-induced mice. We determined the first X-ray structures of full-length Tl-gal complexes with carbohydrates (lactose, N-acetyllactosamine, lacto-N-tetraose, sialyllactose, and glucose). Bonds were formed on concave surfaces of both carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs) in Tl-gal. All binding sites were found in the HXXXR and WGXEER motifs. Charged Arg 61 /Arg 196 and Glu 80 /Glu 215 on the conserved motif of Tl-gal N-terminal CRD and C-terminal CRD are critical amino acids for recognizing carbohydrate binding, and the residues can affect protein folding and structure. The polar amino acids His, Asn, and Trp are also important residues for the interaction with carbohydrates through hydrogen bonding. Hemagglutination activities of Tl-gal were inhibited by interactions with carbohydrates and mutations. We found that the mutation of Tl-gal (E80A/E215A) at the carbohydrate binding region induced protein aggregation and could be caused in many diseases. The short linker region between the N-terminal and C-terminal CRDs of Tl-gal was very stable against proteolysis and maintained its biological activity. This structural information is expected to elucidate the carbohydrate recognition mechanism of Tl-gal and improve our understanding of anti-inflammatory mediators and modulators of immune response. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  9. Re-refinement from deposited X-ray data can deliver improved models for most PDB entries

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Joosten, Robbie P.; Womack, Thomas; Vriend, Gert, E-mail: vriend@cmbi.ru.nl

    2009-02-01

    An evaluation of validation and real-space intervention possibilities for improving existing automated (re-)refinement methods. The deposition of X-ray data along with the customary structural models defining PDB entries makes it possible to apply large-scale re-refinement protocols to these entries, thus giving users the benefit of improvements in X-ray methods that have occurred since the structure was deposited. Automated gradient refinement is an effective method to achieve this goal, but real-space intervention is most often required in order to adequately address problems detected by structure-validation software. In order to improve the existing protocol, automated re-refinement was combined with structure validation andmore » difference-density peak analysis to produce a catalogue of problems in PDB entries that are amenable to automatic correction. It is shown that re-refinement can be effective in producing improvements, which are often associated with the systematic use of the TLS parameterization of B factors, even for relatively new and high-resolution PDB entries, while the accompanying manual or semi-manual map analysis and fitting steps show good prospects for eventual automation. It is proposed that the potential for simultaneous improvements in methods and in re-refinement results be further encouraged by broadening the scope of depositions to include refinement metadata and ultimately primary rather than reduced X-ray data.« less

  10. The protein structure prediction problem could be solved using the current PDB library

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Yang; Skolnick, Jeffrey

    2005-01-01

    For single-domain proteins, we examine the completeness of the structures in the current Protein Data Bank (PDB) library for use in full-length model construction of unknown sequences. To address this issue, we employ a comprehensive benchmark set of 1,489 medium-size proteins that cover the PDB at the level of 35% sequence identity and identify templates by structure alignment. With homologous proteins excluded, we can always find similar folds to native with an average rms deviation (RMSD) from native of 2.5 Å with ≈82% alignment coverage. These template structures often contain a significant number of insertions/deletions. The tasser algorithm was applied to build full-length models, where continuous fragments are excised from the top-scoring templates and reassembled under the guide of an optimized force field, which includes consensus restraints taken from the templates and knowledge-based statistical potentials. For almost all targets (except for 2/1,489), the resultant full-length models have an RMSD to native below 6 Å (97% of them below 4 Å). On average, the RMSD of full-length models is 2.25 Å, with aligned regions improved from 2.5 Å to 1.88 Å, comparable with the accuracy of low-resolution experimental structures. Furthermore, starting from state-of-the-art structural alignments, we demonstrate a methodology that can consistently bring template-based alignments closer to native. These results are highly suggestive that the protein-folding problem can in principle be solved based on the current PDB library by developing efficient fold recognition algorithms that can recover such initial alignments. PMID:15653774

  11. Valorization of residual bacterial biomass waste after polyhydroxyalkanoate isolation by hydrothermal treatment.

    PubMed

    Wei, Liqing; Liang, Shaobo; Coats, Erik R; McDonald, Armando G

    2015-12-01

    Hydrothermal treatment (HTT) was used to convert residual bacterial biomass (RBB), recovered from poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) production, into valuable bioproducts. The effect of processing temperatures (150, 200, and 250°C) on the bioproducts (water-solubles (WSs), bio-oil, insoluble residue, and gas) was investigated. The yields of bio-oil and gas were higher at higher temperatures. The maximum WS content (28 wt%) was obtained at 200°C. GCMS analysis showed higher content of aromatics and N-containing compounds with increasing temperature. ESI-MS revealed chemical compounds (e.g. protein, carbohydrate, lipids, and lignin) associated with RBB are fragmented into smaller molecules (monomers) at higher HTT temperatures. The WS fraction contained totally 838, 889 and 886mg/g acids and 160, 31 and 21 mg/g carbohydrate for HTT at 150, 200, and 250°C, respectively. The solid residues contain unconverted compounds, especially after HTT at 150°C. The WS products (acids and carbohydrates) could be used directly for PHA biosynthesis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Material Utilization of Organic Residues.

    PubMed

    Peinemann, Jan Christoph; Pleissner, Daniel

    2018-02-01

    Each year, 1.3 billion tons of food waste is generated globally. This waste traces back to industrial and agricultural producers, bakeries, restaurants, and households. Furthermore, lignocellulosic materials, including grass clippings, leaves, bushes, shrubs, and woods, appear in large amounts. Depending on the region, organic waste is either composted, burned directly, or converted into biogas. All of the options set aside the fact that organic residues are valuable resources containing carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and phosphorus. Firstly, it is clear that avoidance of organic residues is imperative. However, the residues that accumulate nonetheless should be utilized by material means before energy production is targeted. This review presents different processes for the microbial utilization of organic residues towards compounds that are of great importance for the bioeconomy. The focus thereby is on the challenges coming along with downstream processing when the utilization of organic residues is carried out decentralized. Furthermore, a future process for producing lactic acid from organic residues is sketched.

  13. Bioavailability of Carbohydrate Content in Natural and Transgenic Switchgrasses for the Extreme Thermophile Caldicellulosiruptor bescii

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zurawski, Jeffrey V.; Khatibi, Piyum A.; Akinosho, Hannah O.

    ABSTRACT Improving access to the carbohydrate content of lignocellulose is key to reducing recalcitrance for microbial deconstruction and conversion to fuels and chemicals. Caldicellulosiruptor bescii completely solubilizes naked microcrystalline cellulose, yet this transformation is impeded within the context of the plant cell wall by a network of lignin and hemicellulose. Here, the bioavailability of carbohydrates toC. bescii at 70°C was examined for reduced lignin transgenic switchgrass lines COMT3(+) and MYB Trans, their corresponding parental lines (cultivar Alamo) COMT3(–) and MYB wild type (WT), and the natural variant cultivar Cave-in-Rock (CR). Transgenic modification improved carbohydrate solubilization by C. bescii to 15%more » (2.3-fold) for MYB and to 36% (1.5-fold) for COMT, comparable to the levels achieved for the natural variant, CR (36%). Carbohydrate solubilization was nearly doubled after two consecutive microbial fermentations compared to one microbial step, but it never exceeded 50% overall. Hydrothermal treatment (180°C) prior to microbial steps improved solubilization 3.7-fold for the most recalcitrant line (MYB WT) and increased carbohydrate recovery to nearly 50% for the least recalcitrant lines [COMT3(+) and CR]. Alternating microbial and hydrothermal steps (T→M→T→M) further increased bioavailability, achieving carbohydrate solubilization ranging from 50% for MYB WT to above 70% for COMT3(+) and CR. Incomplete carbohydrate solubilization suggests that cellulose in the highly lignified residue was inaccessible; indeed, residue from the T→M→T→M treatment was primarily glucan and inert materials (lignin and ash). While C. bescii could significantly solubilize the transgenic switchgrass lines and natural variant tested here, additional or alternative strategies (physical, chemical, enzymatic, and/or genetic) are needed to eliminate recalcitrance.« less

  14. Bioavailability of Carbohydrate Content in Natural and Transgenic Switchgrasses for the Extreme Thermophile Caldicellulosiruptor bescii

    DOE PAGES

    Zurawski, Jeffrey V.; Khatibi, Piyum A.; Akinosho, Hannah O.; ...

    2017-06-16

    ABSTRACT Improving access to the carbohydrate content of lignocellulose is key to reducing recalcitrance for microbial deconstruction and conversion to fuels and chemicals. Caldicellulosiruptor bescii completely solubilizes naked microcrystalline cellulose, yet this transformation is impeded within the context of the plant cell wall by a network of lignin and hemicellulose. Here, the bioavailability of carbohydrates toC. bescii at 70°C was examined for reduced lignin transgenic switchgrass lines COMT3(+) and MYB Trans, their corresponding parental lines (cultivar Alamo) COMT3(–) and MYB wild type (WT), and the natural variant cultivar Cave-in-Rock (CR). Transgenic modification improved carbohydrate solubilization by C. bescii to 15%more » (2.3-fold) for MYB and to 36% (1.5-fold) for COMT, comparable to the levels achieved for the natural variant, CR (36%). Carbohydrate solubilization was nearly doubled after two consecutive microbial fermentations compared to one microbial step, but it never exceeded 50% overall. Hydrothermal treatment (180°C) prior to microbial steps improved solubilization 3.7-fold for the most recalcitrant line (MYB WT) and increased carbohydrate recovery to nearly 50% for the least recalcitrant lines [COMT3(+) and CR]. Alternating microbial and hydrothermal steps (T→M→T→M) further increased bioavailability, achieving carbohydrate solubilization ranging from 50% for MYB WT to above 70% for COMT3(+) and CR. Incomplete carbohydrate solubilization suggests that cellulose in the highly lignified residue was inaccessible; indeed, residue from the T→M→T→M treatment was primarily glucan and inert materials (lignin and ash). While C. bescii could significantly solubilize the transgenic switchgrass lines and natural variant tested here, additional or alternative strategies (physical, chemical, enzymatic, and/or genetic) are needed to eliminate recalcitrance.« less

  15. Reading PDB: perception of molecules from 3D atomic coordinates.

    PubMed

    Urbaczek, Sascha; Kolodzik, Adrian; Groth, Inken; Heuser, Stefan; Rarey, Matthias

    2013-01-28

    The analysis of small molecule crystal structures is a common way to gather valuable information for drug development. The necessary structural data is usually provided in specific file formats containing only element identities and three-dimensional atomic coordinates as reliable chemical information. Consequently, the automated perception of molecular structures from atomic coordinates has become a standard task in cheminformatics. The molecules generated by such methods must be both chemically valid and reasonable to provide a reliable basis for subsequent calculations. This can be a difficult task since the provided coordinates may deviate from ideal molecular geometries due to experimental uncertainties or low resolution. Additionally, the quality of the input data often differs significantly thus making it difficult to distinguish between actual structural features and mere geometric distortions. We present a method for the generation of molecular structures from atomic coordinates based on the recently published NAOMI model. By making use of this consistent chemical description, our method is able to generate reliable results even with input data of low quality. Molecules from 363 Protein Data Bank (PDB) entries could be perceived with a success rate of 98%, a result which could not be achieved with previously described methods. The robustness of our approach has been assessed by processing all small molecules from the PDB and comparing them to reference structures. The complete data set can be processed in less than 3 min, thus showing that our approach is suitable for large scale applications.

  16. Abuse potential of carbohydrates for overweight carbohydrate cravers

    PubMed Central

    Spring, Bonnie; Schneider, Kristin; Smith, Malaina; Kendzor, Darla; Appelhans, Bradley; Hedeker, Donald; Pagoto, Sherry

    2010-01-01

    Rationale The long-rejected construct of food addiction is undergoing re-examination. Objectives . To evaluate whether a novel carbohydrate food shows abuse potential for rigorously defined carbohydrate cravers, as evidenced by selective self-administration and mood enhancement during double-blind discrimination testing. Methods Discrete trials choice testing was performed with 61 overweight (BMI m=27.64, SD=2.59) women (ages 18–45; 19.70% African American) whose diet records showed >4 weekly afternoon/evening emotional eating episodes confined to snacks with carbohydrate:protein ≥ 6:1. After being induced into a sad mood, participants were exposed, double-blind and in counterbalanced order, to taste-matched carbohydrate and protein beverages. They were asked to choose and self-administer the drink that made them feel better. Results Women overwhelmingly chose the carbohydrate beverage, even though blinded. Mixed-effects regression modeling, controlling for beverage order, revealed greater liking and greater reduction in dysphoria following the carbohydrate beverage compared to the protein beverage, but no differential effect on vigor. Conclusion For women who crave them, carbohydrates appear to display abuse potential, plausibly contributing to overconsumption and overweight. PMID:18273603

  17. Understanding carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions by means of glyconanotechnology.

    PubMed

    de la Fuente, Jesus M; Penadés, Soledad

    2004-01-01

    Carbohydrate-carbohydrate interaction is a reliable and versatile mechanism for cell adhesion and recognition. Glycosphingolipid (GSL) clusters at the cell membrane are mainly involved in this interaction. To investigate carbohydrate-carbohydrate interaction an integrated strategy (Glyconanotechnology) was developed. This strategy includes polyvalent tools (gold glyconanoparticles) mimicking GSL clustering at the cell membrane as well as analytical techniques such as AFM, TEM, and SPR to evaluate the interactions. The results obtained by means of this strategy and current status are presented.

  18. Continuous mutual improvement of macromolecular structure models in the PDB and of X-ray crystallographic software: the dual role of deposited experimental data

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Terwilliger, Thomas C., E-mail: terwilliger@lanl.gov; Bricogne, Gerard, E-mail: terwilliger@lanl.gov; Los Alamos National Laboratory, Mail Stop M888, Los Alamos, NM 87507

    Macromolecular structures deposited in the PDB can and should be continually reinterpreted and improved on the basis of their accompanying experimental X-ray data, exploiting the steady progress in methods and software that the deposition of such data into the PDB on a massive scale has made possible. Accurate crystal structures of macromolecules are of high importance in the biological and biomedical fields. Models of crystal structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) are in general of very high quality as deposited. However, methods for obtaining the best model of a macromolecular structure from a given set of experimental X-ray datamore » continue to progress at a rapid pace, making it possible to improve most PDB entries after their deposition by re-analyzing the original deposited data with more recent software. This possibility represents a very significant departure from the situation that prevailed when the PDB was created, when it was envisioned as a cumulative repository of static contents. A radical paradigm shift for the PDB is therefore proposed, away from the static archive model towards a much more dynamic body of continuously improving results in symbiosis with continuously improving methods and software. These simultaneous improvements in methods and final results are made possible by the current deposition of processed crystallographic data (structure-factor amplitudes) and will be supported further by the deposition of raw data (diffraction images). It is argued that it is both desirable and feasible to carry out small-scale and large-scale efforts to make this paradigm shift a reality. Small-scale efforts would focus on optimizing structures that are of interest to specific investigators. Large-scale efforts would undertake a systematic re-optimization of all of the structures in the PDB, or alternatively the redetermination of groups of structures that are either related to or focused on specific questions. All of the resulting structures

  19. Heat capacity changes in carbohydrates and protein-carbohydrate complexes.

    PubMed

    Chavelas, Eneas A; García-Hernández, Enrique

    2009-05-13

    Carbohydrates are crucial for living cells, playing myriads of functional roles that range from being structural or energy-storage devices to molecular labels that, through non-covalent interaction with proteins, impart exquisite selectivity in processes such as molecular trafficking and cellular recognition. The molecular bases that govern the recognition between carbohydrates and proteins have not been fully understood yet. In the present study, we have obtained a surface-area-based model for the formation heat capacity of protein-carbohydrate complexes, which includes separate terms for the contributions of the two molecular types. The carbohydrate model, which was calibrated using carbohydrate dissolution data, indicates that the heat capacity contribution of a given group surface depends on its position in the saccharide molecule, a picture that is consistent with previous experimental and theoretical studies showing that the high abundance of hydroxy groups in carbohydrates yields particular solvation properties. This model was used to estimate the carbohydrate's contribution in the formation of a protein-carbohydrate complex, which in turn was used to obtain the heat capacity change associated with the protein's binding site. The model is able to account for protein-carbohydrate complexes that cannot be explained using a previous model that only considered the overall contribution of polar and apolar groups, while allowing a more detailed dissection of the elementary contributions that give rise to the formation heat capacity effects of these adducts.

  20. Glycan Reader is improved to recognize most sugar types and chemical modifications in the Protein Data Bank.

    PubMed

    Park, Sang-Jun; Lee, Jumin; Patel, Dhilon S; Ma, Hongjing; Lee, Hui Sun; Jo, Sunhwan; Im, Wonpil

    2017-10-01

    Glycans play a central role in many essential biological processes. Glycan Reader was originally developed to simplify the reading of Protein Data Bank (PDB) files containing glycans through the automatic detection and annotation of sugars and glycosidic linkages between sugar units and to proteins, all based on atomic coordinates and connectivity information. Carbohydrates can have various chemical modifications at different positions, making their chemical space much diverse. Unfortunately, current PDB files do not provide exact annotations for most carbohydrate derivatives and more than 50% of PDB glycan chains have at least one carbohydrate derivative that could not be correctly recognized by the original Glycan Reader. Glycan Reader has been improved and now identifies most sugar types and chemical modifications (including various glycolipids) in the PDB, and both PDB and PDBx/mmCIF formats are supported. CHARMM-GUI Glycan Reader is updated to generate the simulation system and input of various glycoconjugates with most sugar types and chemical modifications. It also offers a new functionality to edit the glycan structures through addition/deletion/modification of glycosylation types, sugar types, chemical modifications, glycosidic linkages, and anomeric states. The simulation system and input files can be used for CHARMM, NAMD, GROMACS, AMBER, GENESIS, LAMMPS, Desmond, OpenMM, and CHARMM/OpenMM. Glycan Fragment Database in GlycanStructure.Org is also updated to provide an intuitive glycan sequence search tool for complex glycan structures with various chemical modifications in the PDB. http://www.charmm-gui.org/input/glycan and http://www.glycanstructure.org. wonpil@lehigh.edu. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

  1. ProBiS-database: precalculated binding site similarities and local pairwise alignments of PDB structures.

    PubMed

    Konc, Janez; Cesnik, Tomo; Konc, Joanna Trykowska; Penca, Matej; Janežič, Dušanka

    2012-02-27

    ProBiS-Database is a searchable repository of precalculated local structural alignments in proteins detected by the ProBiS algorithm in the Protein Data Bank. Identification of functionally important binding regions of the protein is facilitated by structural similarity scores mapped to the query protein structure. PDB structures that have been aligned with a query protein may be rapidly retrieved from the ProBiS-Database, which is thus able to generate hypotheses concerning the roles of uncharacterized proteins. Presented with uncharacterized protein structure, ProBiS-Database can discern relationships between such a query protein and other better known proteins in the PDB. Fast access and a user-friendly graphical interface promote easy exploration of this database of over 420 million local structural alignments. The ProBiS-Database is updated weekly and is freely available online at http://probis.cmm.ki.si/database.

  2. Omokage search: shape similarity search service for biomolecular structures in both the PDB and EMDB.

    PubMed

    Suzuki, Hirofumi; Kawabata, Takeshi; Nakamura, Haruki

    2016-02-15

    Omokage search is a service to search the global shape similarity of biological macromolecules and their assemblies, in both the Protein Data Bank (PDB) and Electron Microscopy Data Bank (EMDB). The server compares global shapes of assemblies independent of sequence order and number of subunits. As a search query, the user inputs a structure ID (PDB ID or EMDB ID) or uploads an atomic model or 3D density map to the server. The search is performed usually within 1 min, using one-dimensional profiles (incremental distance rank profiles) to characterize the shapes. Using the gmfit (Gaussian mixture model fitting) program, the found structures are fitted onto the query structure and their superimposed structures are displayed on the Web browser. Our service provides new structural perspectives to life science researchers. Omokage search is freely accessible at http://pdbj.org/omokage/. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

  3. Carbohydrates

    MedlinePlus

    ... include sugars added during food processing and refining. Complex carbohydrates include whole grain breads and cereals, starchy vegetables and legumes. Many of the complex carbohydrates are good sources of fiber. For a healthy ...

  4. PDB-wide collection of binding data: current status of the PDBbind database.

    PubMed

    Liu, Zhihai; Li, Yan; Han, Li; Li, Jie; Liu, Jie; Zhao, Zhixiong; Nie, Wei; Liu, Yuchen; Wang, Renxiao

    2015-02-01

    Molecular recognition between biological macromolecules and organic small molecules plays an important role in various life processes. Both structural information and binding data of biomolecular complexes are indispensable for depicting the underlying mechanism in such an event. The PDBbind database was created to collect experimentally measured binding data for the biomolecular complexes throughout the Protein Data Bank (PDB). It thus provides the linkage between structural information and energetic properties of biomolecular complexes, which is especially desirable for computational studies or statistical analyses. Since its first public release in 2004, the PDBbind database has been updated on an annual basis. The latest release (version 2013) provides experimental binding affinity data for 10,776 biomolecular complexes in PDB, including 8302 protein-ligand complexes and 2474 other types of complexes. In this article, we will describe the current methods used for compiling PDBbind and the updated status of this database. We will also review some typical applications of PDBbind published in the scientific literature. All contents of this database are freely accessible at the PDBbind-CN Web server at http://www.pdbbind-cn.org/. wangrx@mail.sioc.ac.cn. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. Carbohydrate Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bemiller, James N.

    Carbohydrates are important in foods as a major source of energy, to impart crucial textural properties, and as dietary fiber which influences physiological processes. Digestible carbohydrates, which are converted into monosaccharides, which are absorbed, provide metabolic energy. Worldwide, carbohydrates account for more than 70% of the caloric value of the human diet. It is recommended that all persons should limit calories from fat (the other significant source) to not more than 30% and that most of the carbohydrate calories should come from starch. Nondigestible polysaccharides (all those other than starch) comprise the major portion of dietary fiber (Sect. 10.5). Carbohydrates also contribute other attributes, including bulk, body, viscosity, stability to emulsions and foams, water-holding capacity, freeze-thaw stability, browning, flavors, aromas, and a range of desirable textures (from crispness to smooth, soft gels). They also provide satiety. Basic carbohydrate structures, chemistry, and terminology can be found in references (1, 2).

  6. The effect of growth medium on B. anthracis Sterne spore carbohydrate content.

    PubMed

    Colburn, Heather A; Wunschel, David S; Antolick, Kathryn C; Melville, Angela M; Valentine, Nancy B

    2011-06-01

    The expressed characteristics of biothreat agents may be impacted by variations in the culture environment, including growth medium formulation. The carbohydrate composition of B. anthracis spores has been well studied, particularly for the exosporium, which is the outermost spore structure. The carbohydrate composition of the exosporium has been demonstrated to be distinct from the vegetative form containing unique monosaccharides. We have investigated the carbohydrate composition of B. anthracis Sterne spores produced using four different medium types formulated with different sources of medium components. The amount of rhamnose, 3-O-methyl rhamnose and galactosamine was found to vary significantly between spores cultured using different medium formulations. The relative abundance of these monosaccharides compared to other monosaccharides such as mannosamine was also found to vary with medium type. Specific medium components were also found to impact the carbohydrate profile. Xylose has not been previously described in B. anthracis spores but was detected at low levels in two media. This may represent residual material from the brewery yeast extract used to formulate these two media. These results illustrate the utility of this method to capture the impact of growth medium on carbohydrate variation in spores. Detecting carbohydrate profiles in B. anthracis evidentiary material may provide useful forensic information on the growth medium used for sporulation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. A Systematic Analysis of the Structures of Heterologously Expressed Proteins and Those from Their Native Hosts in the RCSB PDB Archive

    PubMed Central

    Zhou, Ren-Bin; Lu, Hui-Meng; Liu, Jie; Shi, Jian-Yu; Zhu, Jing; Lu, Qin-Qin; Yin, Da-Chuan

    2016-01-01

    Recombinant expression of proteins has become an indispensable tool in modern day research. The large yields of recombinantly expressed proteins accelerate the structural and functional characterization of proteins. Nevertheless, there are literature reported that the recombinant proteins show some differences in structure and function as compared with the native ones. Now there have been more than 100,000 structures (from both recombinant and native sources) publicly available in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) archive, which makes it possible to investigate if there exist any proteins in the RCSB PDB archive that have identical sequence but have some difference in structures. In this paper, we present the results of a systematic comparative study of the 3D structures of identical naturally purified versus recombinantly expressed proteins. The structural data and sequence information of the proteins were mined from the RCSB PDB archive. The combinatorial extension (CE), FATCAT-flexible and TM-Align methods were employed to align the protein structures. The root-mean-square distance (RMSD), TM-score, P-value, Z-score, secondary structural elements and hydrogen bonds were used to assess the structure similarity. A thorough analysis of the PDB archive generated five-hundred-seventeen pairs of native and recombinant proteins that have identical sequence. There were no pairs of proteins that had the same sequence and significantly different structural fold, which support the hypothesis that expression in a heterologous host usually could fold correctly into their native forms. PMID:27517583

  8. A Systematic Analysis of the Structures of Heterologously Expressed Proteins and Those from Their Native Hosts in the RCSB PDB Archive.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Ren-Bin; Lu, Hui-Meng; Liu, Jie; Shi, Jian-Yu; Zhu, Jing; Lu, Qin-Qin; Yin, Da-Chuan

    2016-01-01

    Recombinant expression of proteins has become an indispensable tool in modern day research. The large yields of recombinantly expressed proteins accelerate the structural and functional characterization of proteins. Nevertheless, there are literature reported that the recombinant proteins show some differences in structure and function as compared with the native ones. Now there have been more than 100,000 structures (from both recombinant and native sources) publicly available in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) archive, which makes it possible to investigate if there exist any proteins in the RCSB PDB archive that have identical sequence but have some difference in structures. In this paper, we present the results of a systematic comparative study of the 3D structures of identical naturally purified versus recombinantly expressed proteins. The structural data and sequence information of the proteins were mined from the RCSB PDB archive. The combinatorial extension (CE), FATCAT-flexible and TM-Align methods were employed to align the protein structures. The root-mean-square distance (RMSD), TM-score, P-value, Z-score, secondary structural elements and hydrogen bonds were used to assess the structure similarity. A thorough analysis of the PDB archive generated five-hundred-seventeen pairs of native and recombinant proteins that have identical sequence. There were no pairs of proteins that had the same sequence and significantly different structural fold, which support the hypothesis that expression in a heterologous host usually could fold correctly into their native forms.

  9. Pyrolysis characteristics and pathways of protein, lipid and carbohydrate isolated from microalgae Nannochloropsis sp.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xin; Sheng, Lili; Yang, Xiaoyi

    2017-04-01

    Microalgal components were isolated gradually to get lipid-rich, protein-rich and carbohydrate-rich components. The aim of this work was to study pyrolysis mechanism of microalgae by real isolated real algae components. Thermogrametric analysis (DTG) curve of microalgae was fitted by single pyrolysis curves of protein, lipid and carbohydrate except special zones, which likely affected by cell disruption and hydrolysis mass loss. Experimental microalgae liquefaction without water index N was 0.6776, 0.3861 and 0.2856 for isolated lipid, protein and carbohydrate. Pyrolysis pathways of lipid are decarboxylation, decarbonylation, fragmentation of glycerin moieties and steroid to form hydrocarbons, carboxylic acids and esters. Pyrolysis pathways of protein are decarboxylation, deamination, hydrocarbon residue fragmentation, dimerization and fragmentation of peptide bonds to form amide/amines/nitriles, esters, hydrocarbons and N-heterocyclic compounds, especially diketopiperazines (DKPs). Pyrolysis pathways of carbohydrate are dehydrated reactions and further fragmentation to form ketones and aldehyde, decomposition of lignin to form phenols, and fragmentation of lipopolysaccharides. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Screening method of carbohydrate-binding proteins in biological sources by capillary affinity electrophoresis and its application to determination of Tulipa gesneriana agglutinin in tulip bulbs.

    PubMed

    Nakajima, Kazuki; Kinoshita, Mitsuhiro; Oda, Yasuo; Masuko, Takashi; Kaku, Hanae; Shibuya, Naoto; Kakehi, Kazuaki

    2004-09-01

    We developed capillary affinity electrophoresis (CAE) to analyze the molecular interaction between carbohydrate chains and proteins in solution state. A mixture of oligosaccharides derived from a glycoprotein was labeled with 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (APTS), and used as glycan library without isolation. Interaction of a carbohydrate-binding protein with each oligosaccharide in the mixture could be simultaneously observed, and relative affinities of oligosaccharides toward the protein were accurately determined. In this study, we applied CAE to detect the presence of lectins in some plants (Japanese elderberry bark and tulip bulb). In the crude extract of the elderberry bark, binding activity toward sialo-carbohydrate chains could be easily detected. We also examined the presence of lectins in the crude extract of tulip bulbs and determined the detailed carbohydrate-binding specificity of Tulipa gesneriana agglutinin (TGA), one of the lectins from tulip bulbs. Kinetic studies demonstrated that TGA showed novel carbohydrate-binding specificity and preferentially recognized triantennary oligosaccharides with Gal residues at nonreducing termini and a Fuc residue linked through alpha(1-6) linkage at chitobiose portion of the reducing termini but not tetraantennary carbohydrates. The results described here indicate that CAE will be a valuable method for both screening of lectins in natural sources and determination of their detailed carbohydrate-binding specificities.

  11. Carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Cocinero, Emilio J; Çarçabal, Pierre

    2015-01-01

    Although carbohydrates represent one of the most important families of biomolecules, they remain under-studied in comparison to the other biomolecular families (peptides, nucleobases). Beyond their best-known function of energy source in living systems, they act as mediator of molecular recognition processes, carrying molecular information in the so-called "sugar code," just to name one of their countless functions. Owing to their high conformational flexibility, they encode extremely rich information conveyed via the non-covalent hydrogen bonds within the carbohydrate and with other biomolecular assemblies, such as peptide subunits of proteins. Over the last decade there has been tremendous progress in the study of the conformational preferences of neutral oligosaccharides, and of the interactions between carbohydrates and various molecular partners (water, aromatic models, and peptide models), using vibrational spectroscopy as a sensitive probe. In parallel, other spectroscopic techniques have recently become available to the study of carbohydrates in the gas phase (microwave spectroscopy, IRMPD on charged species).

  12. PDB ligand conformational energies calculated quantum-mechanically.

    PubMed

    Sitzmann, Markus; Weidlich, Iwona E; Filippov, Igor V; Liao, Chenzhong; Peach, Megan L; Ihlenfeldt, Wolf-Dietrich; Karki, Rajeshri G; Borodina, Yulia V; Cachau, Raul E; Nicklaus, Marc C

    2012-03-26

    We present here a greatly updated version of an earlier study on the conformational energies of protein-ligand complexes in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) [Nicklaus et al. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 1995, 3, 411-428], with the goal of improving on all possible aspects such as number and selection of ligand instances, energy calculations performed, and additional analyses conducted. Starting from about 357,000 ligand instances deposited in the 2008 version of the Ligand Expo database of the experimental 3D coordinates of all small-molecule instances in the PDB, we created a "high-quality" subset of ligand instances by various filtering steps including application of crystallographic quality criteria and structural unambiguousness. Submission of 640 Gaussian 03 jobs yielded a set of about 415 successfully concluded runs. We used a stepwise optimization of internal degrees of freedom at the DFT level of theory with the B3LYP/6-31G(d) basis set and a single-point energy calculation at B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,2p) after each round of (partial) optimization to separate energy changes due to bond length stretches vs bond angle changes vs torsion changes. Even for the most "conservative" choice of all the possible conformational energies-the energy difference between the conformation in which all internal degrees of freedom except torsions have been optimized and the fully optimized conformer-significant energy values were found. The range of 0 to ~25 kcal/mol was populated quite evenly and independently of the crystallographic resolution. A smaller number of "outliers" of yet higher energies were seen only at resolutions above 1.3 Å. The energies showed some correlation with molecular size and flexibility but not with crystallographic quality metrics such as the Cruickshank diffraction-component precision index (DPI) and R(free)-R, or with the ligand instance-specific metrics such as occupancy-weighted B-factor (OWAB), real-space R factor (RSR), and real-space correlation coefficient

  13. Parasite Carbohydrate Vaccines.

    PubMed

    Jaurigue, Jonnel A; Seeberger, Peter H

    2017-01-01

    Vaccination is an efficient means of combating infectious disease burden globally. However, routine vaccines for the world's major human parasitic diseases do not yet exist. Vaccines based on carbohydrate antigens are a viable option for parasite vaccine development, given the proven success of carbohydrate vaccines to combat bacterial infections. We will review the key components of carbohydrate vaccines that have remained largely consistent since their inception, and the success of bacterial carbohydrate vaccines. We will then explore the latest developments for both traditional and non-traditional carbohydrate vaccine approaches for three of the world's major protozoan parasitic diseases-malaria, toxoplasmosis, and leishmaniasis. The traditional prophylactic carbohydrate vaccine strategy is being explored for malaria. However, given that parasite disease biology is complex and often arises from host immune responses to parasite antigens, carbohydrate vaccines against deleterious immune responses in host-parasite interactions are also being explored. In particular, the highly abundant glycosylphosphatidylinositol molecules specific for Plasmodium, Toxoplasma , and Leishmania spp. are considered exploitable antigens for this non-traditional vaccine approach. Discussion will revolve around the application of these protozoan carbohydrate antigens for vaccines currently in preclinical development.

  14. Parasite Carbohydrate Vaccines

    PubMed Central

    Jaurigue, Jonnel A.; Seeberger, Peter H.

    2017-01-01

    Vaccination is an efficient means of combating infectious disease burden globally. However, routine vaccines for the world's major human parasitic diseases do not yet exist. Vaccines based on carbohydrate antigens are a viable option for parasite vaccine development, given the proven success of carbohydrate vaccines to combat bacterial infections. We will review the key components of carbohydrate vaccines that have remained largely consistent since their inception, and the success of bacterial carbohydrate vaccines. We will then explore the latest developments for both traditional and non-traditional carbohydrate vaccine approaches for three of the world's major protozoan parasitic diseases—malaria, toxoplasmosis, and leishmaniasis. The traditional prophylactic carbohydrate vaccine strategy is being explored for malaria. However, given that parasite disease biology is complex and often arises from host immune responses to parasite antigens, carbohydrate vaccines against deleterious immune responses in host-parasite interactions are also being explored. In particular, the highly abundant glycosylphosphatidylinositol molecules specific for Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, and Leishmania spp. are considered exploitable antigens for this non-traditional vaccine approach. Discussion will revolve around the application of these protozoan carbohydrate antigens for vaccines currently in preclinical development. PMID:28660174

  15. Accounting for Genotype-by-Environment Interactions and Residual Genetic Variation in Genomic Selection for Water-Soluble Carbohydrate Concentration in Wheat.

    PubMed

    Ovenden, Ben; Milgate, Andrew; Wade, Len J; Rebetzke, Greg J; Holland, James B

    2018-05-31

    Abiotic stress tolerance traits are often complex and recalcitrant targets for conventional breeding improvement in many crop species. This study evaluated the potential of genomic selection to predict water-soluble carbohydrate concentration (WSCC), an important drought tolerance trait, in wheat under field conditions. A panel of 358 varieties and breeding lines constrained for maturity was evaluated under rainfed and irrigated treatments across two locations and two years. Whole-genome marker profiles and factor analytic mixed models were used to generate genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) for specific environments and environment groups. Additive genetic variance was smaller than residual genetic variance for WSCC, such that genotypic values were dominated by residual genetic effects rather than additive breeding values. As a result, GEBVs were not accurate predictors of genotypic values of the extant lines, but GEBVs should be reliable selection criteria to choose parents for intermating to produce new populations. The accuracy of GEBVs for untested lines was sufficient to increase predicted genetic gain from genomic selection per unit time compared to phenotypic selection if the breeding cycle is reduced by half by the use of GEBVs in off-season generations. Further, genomic prediction accuracy depended on having phenotypic data from environments with strong correlations with target production environments to build prediction models. By combining high-density marker genotypes, stress-managed field evaluations, and mixed models that model simultaneously covariances among genotypes and covariances of complex trait performance between pairs of environments, we were able to train models with good accuracy to facilitate genetic gain from genomic selection. Copyright © 2018 Ovenden et al.

  16. Reuteran and levan as carbohydrate sinks in transgenic sugarcane.

    PubMed

    Bauer, Rolene; Basson, Carin E; Bekker, Jan; Eduardo, Iban; Rohwer, Johann M; Uys, Lafras; van Wyk, Johannes H; Kossmann, Jens

    2012-12-01

    The present study reports the effect of high molecular weight bacterial fructan (levan) and glucan (reuteran) on growth and carbohydrate partitioning in transgenic sugarcane plants. These biopolymers are products of bacterial glycosyltransferases, enzymes that catalyze the polymerization of glucose or fructose residues from sucrose. Constructs, targeted to different subcellular compartments (cell wall and cytosol) and driven by the Cauliflower mosaic virus-35S: maize-ubiquitin promoter, were introduced into sugarcane by biolistic transformation. Polysaccharide accumulation severely affected growth of callus suspension cultures. Regeneration of embryonic callus tissue into plants proved problematic for cell wall-targeted lines. When targeted to the cytosol, only plants with relative low levels of biopolymer accumulation survived. In internodal stalk tissue that accumulate reuteran (max 0.03 mg/g FW), sucrose content (ca 60 mg/g FW) was not affected, while starch content (<0.4 mg/g FW) was increased up to four times. Total carbohydrate content was not significantly altered. On the other hand, starch and sucrose levels were significantly reduced in plants accumulating levan (max 0.01 mg/g FW). Heterologous expression resulted in a reduction in total carbohydrate assimilation rather than a simple diversion by competition for substrate.

  17. sc-PDB-Frag: a database of protein-ligand interaction patterns for Bioisosteric replacements.

    PubMed

    Desaphy, Jérémy; Rognan, Didier

    2014-07-28

    Bioisosteric replacement plays an important role in medicinal chemistry by keeping the biological activity of a molecule while changing either its core scaffold or substituents, thereby facilitating lead optimization and patenting. Bioisosteres are classically chosen in order to keep the main pharmacophoric moieties of the substructure to replace. However, notably when changing a scaffold, no attention is usually paid as whether all atoms of the reference scaffold are equally important for binding to the desired target. We herewith propose a novel database for bioisosteric replacement (scPDBFrag), capitalizing on our recently published structure-based approach to scaffold hopping, focusing on interaction pattern graphs. Protein-bound ligands are first fragmented and the interaction of the corresponding fragments with their protein environment computed-on-the-fly. Using an in-house developed graph alignment tool, interaction patterns graphs can be compared, aligned, and sorted by decreasing similarity to any reference. In the herein presented sc-PDB-Frag database ( http://bioinfo-pharma.u-strasbg.fr/scPDBFrag ), fragments, interaction patterns, alignments, and pairwise similarity scores have been extracted from the sc-PDB database of 8077 druggable protein-ligand complexes and further stored in a relational database. We herewith present the database, its Web implementation, and procedures for identifying true bioisosteric replacements based on conserved interaction patterns.

  18. Continuous mutual improvement of macromolecular structure models in the PDB and of X-ray crystallographic software: the dual role of deposited experimental data

    PubMed Central

    Terwilliger, Thomas C.; Bricogne, Gerard

    2014-01-01

    Accurate crystal structures of macromolecules are of high importance in the biological and biomedical fields. Models of crystal structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) are in general of very high quality as deposited. However, methods for obtaining the best model of a macromolecular structure from a given set of experimental X-ray data continue to progress at a rapid pace, making it possible to improve most PDB entries after their deposition by re-analyzing the original deposited data with more recent software. This possibility represents a very significant departure from the situation that prevailed when the PDB was created, when it was envisioned as a cumulative repository of static contents. A radical paradigm shift for the PDB is therefore proposed, away from the static archive model towards a much more dynamic body of continuously improving results in symbiosis with continuously improving methods and software. These simultaneous improvements in methods and final results are made possible by the current deposition of processed crystallographic data (structure-factor amplitudes) and will be supported further by the deposition of raw data (diffraction images). It is argued that it is both desirable and feasible to carry out small-scale and large-scale efforts to make this paradigm shift a reality. Small-scale efforts would focus on optimizing structures that are of interest to specific investigators. Large-scale efforts would undertake a systematic re-optimization of all of the structures in the PDB, or alternatively the redetermination of groups of structures that are either related to or focused on specific questions. All of the resulting structures should be made generally available, along with the precursor entries, with various views of the structures being made available depending on the types of questions that users are interested in answering. PMID:25286839

  19. Continuous mutual improvement of macromolecular structure models in the PDB and of X-ray crystallographic software: the dual role of deposited experimental data.

    PubMed

    Terwilliger, Thomas C; Bricogne, Gerard

    2014-10-01

    Accurate crystal structures of macromolecules are of high importance in the biological and biomedical fields. Models of crystal structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) are in general of very high quality as deposited. However, methods for obtaining the best model of a macromolecular structure from a given set of experimental X-ray data continue to progress at a rapid pace, making it possible to improve most PDB entries after their deposition by re-analyzing the original deposited data with more recent software. This possibility represents a very significant departure from the situation that prevailed when the PDB was created, when it was envisioned as a cumulative repository of static contents. A radical paradigm shift for the PDB is therefore proposed, away from the static archive model towards a much more dynamic body of continuously improving results in symbiosis with continuously improving methods and software. These simultaneous improvements in methods and final results are made possible by the current deposition of processed crystallographic data (structure-factor amplitudes) and will be supported further by the deposition of raw data (diffraction images). It is argued that it is both desirable and feasible to carry out small-scale and large-scale efforts to make this paradigm shift a reality. Small-scale efforts would focus on optimizing structures that are of interest to specific investigators. Large-scale efforts would undertake a systematic re-optimization of all of the structures in the PDB, or alternatively the redetermination of groups of structures that are either related to or focused on specific questions. All of the resulting structures should be made generally available, along with the precursor entries, with various views of the structures being made available depending on the types of questions that users are interested in answering.

  20. Continuous mutual improvement of macromolecular structure models in the PDB and of X-ray crystallographic software: The dual role of deposited experimental data

    DOE PAGES

    Terwilliger, Thomas C.; Bricogne, Gerard

    2014-09-30

    Accurate crystal structures of macromolecules are of high importance in the biological and biomedical fields. Models of crystal structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) are in general of very high quality as deposited. However, methods for obtaining the best model of a macromolecular structure from a given set of experimental X-ray data continue to progress at a rapid pace, making it possible to improve most PDB entries after their deposition by re-analyzing the original deposited data with more recent software. This possibility represents a very significant departure from the situation that prevailed when the PDB was created, when itmore » was envisioned as a cumulative repository of static contents. A radical paradigm shift for the PDB is therefore proposed, away from the static archive model towards a much more dynamic body of continuously improving results in symbiosis with continuously improving methods and software. These simultaneous improvements in methods and final results are made possible by the current deposition of processed crystallographic data (structure-factor amplitudes) and will be supported further by the deposition of raw data (diffraction images). It is argued that it is both desirable and feasible to carry out small-scale and large-scale efforts to make this paradigm shift a reality. Small-scale efforts would focus on optimizing structures that are of interest to specific investigators. Large-scale efforts would undertake a systematic re-optimization of all of the structures in the PDB, or alternatively the redetermination of groups of structures that are either related to or focused on specific questions. All of the resulting structures should be made generally available, along with the precursor entries, with various views of the structures being made available depending on the types of questions that users are interested in answering.« less

  1. Continuous mutual improvement of macromolecular structure models in the PDB and of X-ray crystallographic software: The dual role of deposited experimental data

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Terwilliger, Thomas C.; Bricogne, Gerard

    Accurate crystal structures of macromolecules are of high importance in the biological and biomedical fields. Models of crystal structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) are in general of very high quality as deposited. However, methods for obtaining the best model of a macromolecular structure from a given set of experimental X-ray data continue to progress at a rapid pace, making it possible to improve most PDB entries after their deposition by re-analyzing the original deposited data with more recent software. This possibility represents a very significant departure from the situation that prevailed when the PDB was created, when itmore » was envisioned as a cumulative repository of static contents. A radical paradigm shift for the PDB is therefore proposed, away from the static archive model towards a much more dynamic body of continuously improving results in symbiosis with continuously improving methods and software. These simultaneous improvements in methods and final results are made possible by the current deposition of processed crystallographic data (structure-factor amplitudes) and will be supported further by the deposition of raw data (diffraction images). It is argued that it is both desirable and feasible to carry out small-scale and large-scale efforts to make this paradigm shift a reality. Small-scale efforts would focus on optimizing structures that are of interest to specific investigators. Large-scale efforts would undertake a systematic re-optimization of all of the structures in the PDB, or alternatively the redetermination of groups of structures that are either related to or focused on specific questions. All of the resulting structures should be made generally available, along with the precursor entries, with various views of the structures being made available depending on the types of questions that users are interested in answering.« less

  2. Web-based visualisation and analysis of 3D electron-microscopy data from EMDB and PDB.

    PubMed

    Lagerstedt, Ingvar; Moore, William J; Patwardhan, Ardan; Sanz-García, Eduardo; Best, Christoph; Swedlow, Jason R; Kleywegt, Gerard J

    2013-11-01

    The Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe) has developed web-based tools for the visualisation and analysis of 3D electron microscopy (3DEM) structures in the Electron Microscopy Data Bank (EMDB) and Protein Data Bank (PDB). The tools include: (1) a volume viewer for 3D visualisation of maps, tomograms and models, (2) a slice viewer for inspecting 2D slices of tomographic reconstructions, and (3) visual analysis pages to facilitate analysis and validation of maps, tomograms and models. These tools were designed to help non-experts and experts alike to get some insight into the content and assess the quality of 3DEM structures in EMDB and PDB without the need to install specialised software or to download large amounts of data from these archives. The technical challenges encountered in developing these tools, as well as the more general considerations when making archived data available to the user community through a web interface, are discussed. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Drug Promiscuity in PDB: Protein Binding Site Similarity Is Key.

    PubMed

    Haupt, V Joachim; Daminelli, Simone; Schroeder, Michael

    2013-01-01

    Drug repositioning applies established drugs to new disease indications with increasing success. A pre-requisite for drug repurposing is drug promiscuity (polypharmacology) - a drug's ability to bind to several targets. There is a long standing debate on the reasons for drug promiscuity. Based on large compound screens, hydrophobicity and molecular weight have been suggested as key reasons. However, the results are sometimes contradictory and leave space for further analysis. Protein structures offer a structural dimension to explain promiscuity: Can a drug bind multiple targets because the drug is flexible or because the targets are structurally similar or even share similar binding sites? We present a systematic study of drug promiscuity based on structural data of PDB target proteins with a set of 164 promiscuous drugs. We show that there is no correlation between the degree of promiscuity and ligand properties such as hydrophobicity or molecular weight but a weak correlation to conformational flexibility. However, we do find a correlation between promiscuity and structural similarity as well as binding site similarity of protein targets. In particular, 71% of the drugs have at least two targets with similar binding sites. In order to overcome issues in detection of remotely similar binding sites, we employed a score for binding site similarity: LigandRMSD measures the similarity of the aligned ligands and uncovers remote local similarities in proteins. It can be applied to arbitrary structural binding site alignments. Three representative examples, namely the anti-cancer drug methotrexate, the natural product quercetin and the anti-diabetic drug acarbose are discussed in detail. Our findings suggest that global structural and binding site similarity play a more important role to explain the observed drug promiscuity in the PDB than physicochemical drug properties like hydrophobicity or molecular weight. Additionally, we find ligand flexibility to have a minor

  4. Characterization of the carbohydrate components of Taenia solium oncosphere proteins and their role in the antigenicity.

    PubMed

    Arana, Yanina; Verastegui, Manuela; Tuero, Iskra; Grandjean, Louis; Garcia, Hector H; Gilman, Robert H

    2013-10-01

    This study examines the carbohydrate composition of Taenia solium whole oncosphere antigens (WOAs), in order to improve the understanding of the antigenicity of the T. solium. Better knowledge of oncosphere antigens is crucial to accurately diagnose previous exposure to T. solium eggs and thus predict the development of neurocysticercosis. A set of seven lectins conjugates with wide carbohydrate specificity were used on parasite fixations and somatic extracts. Lectin fluorescence revealed that D-mannose, D-glucose, D-galactose and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine residues were the most abundant constituents of carbohydrate chains on the surface of T. solium oncosphere. Lectin blotting showed that posttranslational modification with N-glycosylation was abundant while little evidence of O-linked carbohydrates was observed. Chemical oxidation and enzymatic deglycosylation in situ were performed to investigate the immunoreactivity of the carbohydrate moieties. Linearizing or removing the carbohydrate moieties from the protein backbones did not diminish the immunoreactivity of these antigens, suggesting that a substantial part of the host immune response against T. solium oncosphere is directed against the peptide epitopes on the parasite antigens. Finally, using carbohydrate probes, we demonstrated for the first time that the presence of several lectins on the surface of the oncosphere was specific to carbohydrates found in intestinal mucus, suggesting a possible role in initial attachment of the parasite to host cells.

  5. CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CARBOHYDRATE COMPONENTS OF Taenia solium ONCOSPHERE PROTEINS AND THEIR ROLE IN THE ANTIGENICITY

    PubMed Central

    Arana, Yanina; Verastegui, Manuela; Tuero, Iskra; Grandjean, Louis; Garcia, Hector H.; Gilman, Robert H.

    2015-01-01

    This study examines the carbohydrate composition of Taenia solium whole oncosphere antigens (WOAs), in order to improve the understanding of the antigenicity of the T. solium. Better knowledge of oncosphere antigens is crucial to accurately diagnose previous exposure to T. solium eggs and thus predict the development of neurocysticercosis. A set of seven lectins conjugates with wide carbohydrate specificity were used on parasite fixations and somatic extracts. Lectin fluorescence revealed that D-mannose, D-glucose, D-galactose and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine residues were the most abundant constituents of carbohydrate chains on the surface of T. solium oncosphere. Lectin blotting showed that post-translational modification with N-glycosylation was abundant while little evidence of O-linked carbohydrates was observed. Chemical oxidation and enzymatic deglycosylation in situ were performed to investigate the immunoreactivity of the carbohydrate moieties. Linearizing or removing the carbohydrate moieties from the protein backbones did not diminish the immunoreactivity of these antigens, suggesting that a substantial part of the host immune response against T. solium oncosphere is directed against the peptide epitopes on the parasite antigens. Finally, using carbohydrate probes, we demonstrated for the first time that the presence of several lectins on the surface of the oncosphere was specific to carbohydrates found in intestinal mucus, suggesting a possible role in initial attachment of the parasite to host cells. PMID:23982308

  6. Carbohydrates as allergens.

    PubMed

    Commins, Scott P

    2015-01-01

    Complex carbohydrates are effective inducers of Th2 responses, and carbohydrate antigens can stimulate the production of glycan-specific antibodies. In instances where the antigen exposure occurs through the skin, the resulting antibody production can contain IgE class antibody. The glycan-stimulated IgE may be non-specific but may also be antigen specific. This review focuses on the production of cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants, the recently identified IgE antibody response to a mammalian oligosaccharide epitope, galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal), as well as discusses practical implications of carbohydrates in allergy. In addition, the biological effects of carbohydrate antigens are reviewed in setting of receptors and host recognition.

  7. Carbohydrates in Supramolecular Chemistry.

    PubMed

    Delbianco, Martina; Bharate, Priya; Varela-Aramburu, Silvia; Seeberger, Peter H

    2016-02-24

    Carbohydrates are involved in a variety of biological processes. The ability of sugars to form a large number of hydrogen bonds has made them important components for supramolecular chemistry. We discuss recent advances in the use of carbohydrates in supramolecular chemistry and reveal that carbohydrates are useful building blocks for the stabilization of complex architectures. Systems are presented according to the scaffold that supports the glyco-conjugate: organic macrocycles, dendrimers, nanomaterials, and polymers are considered. Glyco-conjugates can form host-guest complexes, and can self-assemble by using carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions and other weak interactions such as π-π interactions. Finally, complex supramolecular architectures based on carbohydrate-protein interactions are discussed.

  8. Three-Dimensional Biologically Relevant Spectrum (BRS-3D): Shape Similarity Profile Based on PDB Ligands as Molecular Descriptors.

    PubMed

    Hu, Ben; Kuang, Zheng-Kun; Feng, Shi-Yu; Wang, Dong; He, Song-Bing; Kong, De-Xin

    2016-11-17

    The crystallized ligands in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) can be treated as the inverse shapes of the active sites of corresponding proteins. Therefore, the shape similarity between a molecule and PDB ligands indicated the possibility of the molecule to bind with the targets. In this paper, we proposed a shape similarity profile that can be used as a molecular descriptor for ligand-based virtual screening. First, through three-dimensional (3D) structural clustering, 300 diverse ligands were extracted from the druggable protein-ligand database, sc-PDB. Then, each of the molecules under scrutiny was flexibly superimposed onto the 300 ligands. Superimpositions were scored by shape overlap and property similarity, producing a 300 dimensional similarity array termed the "Three-Dimensional Biologically Relevant Spectrum (BRS-3D)". Finally, quantitative or discriminant models were developed with the 300 dimensional descriptor using machine learning methods (support vector machine). The effectiveness of this approach was evaluated using 42 benchmark data sets from the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) ligand library and the GPCR decoy database (GLL/GDD). We compared the performance of BRS-3D with other 2D and 3D state-of-the-art molecular descriptors. The results showed that models built with BRS-3D performed best for most GLL/GDD data sets. We also applied BRS-3D in histone deacetylase 1 inhibitors screening and GPCR subtype selectivity prediction. The advantages and disadvantages of this approach are discussed.

  9. Carbohydrate terminology and classification.

    PubMed

    Cummings, J H; Stephen, A M

    2007-12-01

    Dietary carbohydrates are a group of chemically defined substances with a range of physical and physiological properties and health benefits. As with other macronutrients, the primary classification of dietary carbohydrate is based on chemistry, that is character of individual monomers, degree of polymerization (DP) and type of linkage (alpha or beta), as agreed at the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Consultation in 1997. This divides carbohydrates into three main groups, sugars (DP 1-2), oligosaccharides (short-chain carbohydrates) (DP 3-9) and polysaccharides (DP> or =10). Within this classification, a number of terms are used such as mono- and disaccharides, polyols, oligosaccharides, starch, modified starch, non-starch polysaccharides, total carbohydrate, sugars, etc. While effects of carbohydrates are ultimately related to their primary chemistry, they are modified by their physical properties. These include water solubility, hydration, gel formation, crystalline state, association with other molecules such as protein, lipid and divalent cations and aggregation into complex structures in cell walls and other specialized plant tissues. A classification based on chemistry is essential for a system of measurement, predication of properties and estimation of intakes, but does not allow a simple translation into nutritional effects since each class of carbohydrate has overlapping physiological properties and effects on health. This dichotomy has led to the use of a number of terms to describe carbohydrate in foods, for example intrinsic and extrinsic sugars, prebiotic, resistant starch, dietary fibre, available and unavailable carbohydrate, complex carbohydrate, glycaemic and whole grain. This paper reviews these terms and suggests that some are more useful than others. A clearer understanding of what is meant by any particular word used to describe carbohydrate is essential to progress in translating the growing knowledge of the

  10. Vaccination of High-Risk Breast Cancer Patients with Carbohydrate Mimicking Peptides

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-05-01

    Spontaneous pyroglutamic acid formation for peptides starting with glutamic acid or glutamine residues is not considered an impurity. Spontaneous...Examples of tumor- associated carbohydrate antigens include the gangliosides GM2, GD2, GD3, and fucosyl GM1, Globo H, polysialic acid , STn and the...directed toward gangliosides, polysialic acid , Globo, Lewis Y (LeY), and the STn antigen. Because TACA are T-cell–independent antigens and self-antigens

  11. Intrinsic and extrinsic carbohydrates in the vagina: A short review on vaginal glycogen.

    PubMed

    Tester, Richard; Al-Ghazzewi, Farage H

    2018-06-01

    The reasons for (i) the presence and (ii) mechanisms of utilisation of glycogen by the lactic acid bacteria in the human vaginal tract are not well understood. It is probable that the vaginal epithelia produce both glycogen and α-amylase where the enzyme depolymerises the polysaccharide within the vagina itself. Only these depolymerised residues are then utilised for growth by the lactic acid bacteria. The lactic acid bacteria cannot metabolise the glycogen directly due to their incapacity to produce the α-amylase enzyme. These bacteria may, however, metabolise exogenous carbohydrates (such as prebiotics) selectively for growth effectively. These carbohydrate utilisation issues within the vagina are considered in this short review. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Streptococcus oralis Neuraminidase Modulates Adherence to Multiple Carbohydrates on Platelets.

    PubMed

    Singh, Anirudh K; Woodiga, Shireen A; Grau, Margaret A; King, Samantha J

    2017-03-01

    Adherence to host surfaces is often mediated by bacterial binding to surface carbohydrates. Although it is widely appreciated that some bacterial species express glycosidases, previous studies have not considered whether bacteria bind to multiple carbohydrates within host glycans as they are modified by bacterial glycosidases. Streptococcus oralis is a leading cause of subacute infective endocarditis. Binding to platelets is a critical step in disease; however, the mechanisms utilized by S. oralis remain largely undefined. Studies revealed that S. oralis , like Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus sanguinis , binds platelets via terminal sialic acid. However, unlike those organisms, S. oralis produces a neuraminidase, NanA, which cleaves terminal sialic acid. Further studies revealed that following NanA-dependent removal of terminal sialic acid, S. oralis bound exposed β-1,4-linked galactose. Adherence to both these carbohydrates required Fap1, the S. oralis member of the serine-rich repeat protein (SRRP) family of adhesins. Mutation of a conserved residue required for sialic acid binding by other SRRPs significantly reduced platelet binding, supporting the hypothesis that Fap1 binds this carbohydrate. The mechanism by which Fap1 contributes to β-1,4-linked galactose binding remains to be defined; however, binding may occur via additional domains of unknown function within the nonrepeat region, one of which shares some similarity with a carbohydrate binding module. This study is the first demonstration that an SRRP is required to bind β-1,4-linked galactose and the first time that one of these adhesins has been shown to be required for binding of multiple glycan receptors. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

  13. Metals in proteins: correlation between the metal-ion type, coordination number and the amino-acid residues involved in the coordination.

    PubMed

    Dokmanić, Ivan; Sikić, Mile; Tomić, Sanja

    2008-03-01

    Metal ions are constituents of many metalloproteins, in which they have either catalytic (metalloenzymes) or structural functions. In this work, the characteristics of various metals were studied (Cu, Zn, Mg, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cd and Ca in proteins with known crystal structure) as well as the specificity of their environments. The analysis was performed on two data sets: the set of protein structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) determined with resolution <1.5 A and the set of nonredundant protein structures from the PDB. The former was used to determine the distances between each metal ion and its electron donors and the latter was used to assess the preferred coordination numbers and common combinations of amino-acid residues in the neighbourhood of each metal. Although the metal ions considered predominantly had a valence of two, their preferred coordination number and the type of amino-acid residues that participate in the coordination differed significantly from one metal ion to the next. This study concentrates on finding the specificities of a metal-ion environment, namely the distribution of coordination numbers and the amino-acid residue types that frequently take part in coordination. Furthermore, the correlation between the coordination number and the occurrence of certain amino-acid residues (quartets and triplets) in a metal-ion coordination sphere was analysed. The results obtained are of particular value for the identification and modelling of metal-binding sites in protein structures derived by homology modelling. Knowledge of the geometry and characteristics of the metal-binding sites in metalloproteins of known function can help to more closely determine the biological activity of proteins of unknown function and to aid in design of proteins with specific affinity for certain metals.

  14. Characterization of an FTLD-PDB family with the coexistence of SQSTM1 mutation and hexanucleotide (G₄C₂) repeat expansion in C9orf72 gene.

    PubMed

    Almeida, Maria Rosário; Letra, Liliana; Pires, Paula; Santos, Ana; Rebelo, Olinda; Guerreiro, Rita; van der Zee, Julie; Van Broeckhoven, Christine; Santana, Isabel

    2016-04-01

    The C9orf72 expansion is considered a major genetic cause of familial frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in several patients' cohorts. Interestingly, C9orf72 expansion carriers, present also abundant neuronal p62-positive inclusions. Although p62/SQSTM1 mutations were initially associated with Paget disease of bone (PDB), they have been also identified in FTD. We describe an FTD-PDB family in which the proband presented with behavioral FTD phenotype and concomitant Paget disease. The molecular genetic analysis revealed the co-occurrence of 2 mutations; the pathogenic C9orf72 expansion and p.P392L heterozygous missense mutation in SQSTM1 gene. Amongst the 6 family members analyzed, the p.P392L SQSTM1 mutation segregated as expected with PDB, whereas the C9orf72 expansion segregated with frontal cognitive impairment or dementia in all but one carrier. The coexistence of these conditions could be underestimated since neither patients with FTD nor patients with PDB undergo bone scintigraphy or cognitive assessment, respectively. The number of cases with double mutations could also be over looked as the molecular strategy adopted in most laboratories ends with the identification of one pathogenic mutation in one of the known causative genes. Therefore, we advocate for further clinical and molecular evaluation in suspect cases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Carbohydrate binding specificity of immobilized Psathyrella velutina lectin.

    PubMed

    Endo, T; Ohbayashi, H; Kanazawa, K; Kochibe, N; Kobata, A

    1992-01-15

    The carbohydrate binding specificity of Psathyrella velutina lectin (PVL) was thoroughly investigated by analyzing the behavior of various complex-type oligosaccharides and human milk oligosaccharides on a PVL-Affi-Gel 10 column. Basically, the lectin interacts with the nonreducing terminal beta-N-acetylglucosamine residue, but does not show any affinity for the nonreducing terminal N-acetylgalactosamine or N-acetylneuraminic acid residue. Substitution of the terminal N-acetylglucosamine residues of oligosaccharides by galactose completely abolishes their affinity to the column. GlcNAc beta 1----3Gal beta 1----4sorbitol binds to the column, but GlcNAc beta 1----6Gal beta 1----4sorbitol is only retarded in the column. The behavior of degalactosylated N-linked oligosaccharides is quite interesting. Although all degalactosylated monoantennary sugar chain isomers are retarded in the column, those with the GlcNAc beta 1----2Man group interact more strongly with the column than those with the GlcNAc beta 1----4Man group or the GlcNAc beta 1----6Man group. The degalactosylated bi- and triantennary sugar chains bind to the column, but the tetraantennary ones are only retarded in the column. These results indicated that the binding affinity is not simply determined by the number of terminal N-acetylglucosamine residues. Addition of the bisecting N-acetylglucosamine residue reduces the affinity of oligosaccharides to the column, but addition of an alpha-fucosyl residue at the C-6 position of the proximal N-acetylglucosamine residue does not affect the behavior of oligosaccharides in the column. These results indicated that the binding specificity of PVL is quite different from those of other N-acetylglucosamine-binding lectins from higher plants, which interact preferentially with the GlcNAc beta 1----4 residue.

  16. The heparin-binding site in tetranectin is located in the N-terminal region and binding does not involve the carbohydrate recognition domain.

    PubMed Central

    Lorentsen, R H; Graversen, J H; Caterer, N R; Thogersen, H C; Etzerodt, M

    2000-01-01

    Tetranectin is a homotrimeric plasma and extracellular-matrix protein that binds plasminogen and complex sulphated polysaccharides including heparin. In terms of primary and tertiary structure, tetranectin is related to the collectin family of Ca(2+)-binding C-type lectins. Tetranectin is encoded in three exons. Exon 3 encodes the carbohydrate recognition domain, which binds to kringle 4 in plasminogen at low levels of Ca(2+). Exon 2 encodes an alpha-helix, which is necessary and sufficient to govern the trimerization of tetranectin by assembling into a triple-helical coiled-coil structural element. Here we show that the heparin-binding site in tetranectin resides not in the carbohydrate recognition domain but within the N-terminal region, comprising the 16 amino acid residues encoded by exon 1. In particular, the lysine residues in the decapeptide segment KPKKIVNAKK (tetranectin residues 6-15) are shown to be of primary importance in heparin binding. PMID:10727405

  17. The heparin-binding site in tetranectin is located in the N-terminal region and binding does not involve the carbohydrate recognition domain.

    PubMed

    Lorentsen, R H; Graversen, J H; Caterer, N R; Thogersen, H C; Etzerodt, M

    2000-04-01

    Tetranectin is a homotrimeric plasma and extracellular-matrix protein that binds plasminogen and complex sulphated polysaccharides including heparin. In terms of primary and tertiary structure, tetranectin is related to the collectin family of Ca(2+)-binding C-type lectins. Tetranectin is encoded in three exons. Exon 3 encodes the carbohydrate recognition domain, which binds to kringle 4 in plasminogen at low levels of Ca(2+). Exon 2 encodes an alpha-helix, which is necessary and sufficient to govern the trimerization of tetranectin by assembling into a triple-helical coiled-coil structural element. Here we show that the heparin-binding site in tetranectin resides not in the carbohydrate recognition domain but within the N-terminal region, comprising the 16 amino acid residues encoded by exon 1. In particular, the lysine residues in the decapeptide segment KPKKIVNAKK (tetranectin residues 6-15) are shown to be of primary importance in heparin binding.

  18. Structural motif screening reveals a novel, conserved carbohydrate-binding surface in the pathogenesis-related protein PR-5d.

    PubMed

    Doxey, Andrew C; Cheng, Zhenyu; Moffatt, Barbara A; McConkey, Brendan J

    2010-08-03

    Aromatic amino acids play a critical role in protein-glycan interactions. Clusters of surface aromatic residues and their features may therefore be useful in distinguishing glycan-binding sites as well as predicting novel glycan-binding proteins. In this work, a structural bioinformatics approach was used to screen the Protein Data Bank (PDB) for coplanar aromatic motifs similar to those found in known glycan-binding proteins. The proteins identified in the screen were significantly associated with carbohydrate-related functions according to gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, and predicted motifs were found frequently within novel folds and glycan-binding sites not included in the training set. In addition to numerous binding sites predicted in structural genomics proteins of unknown function, one novel prediction was a surface motif (W34/W36/W192) in the tobacco pathogenesis-related protein, PR-5d. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the surface motif is exclusive to a subfamily of PR-5 proteins from the Solanaceae family of plants, and is absent completely in more distant homologs. To confirm PR-5d's insoluble-polysaccharide binding activity, a cellulose-pulldown assay of tobacco proteins was performed and PR-5d was identified in the cellulose-binding fraction by mass spectrometry. Based on the combined results, we propose that the putative binding site in PR-5d may be an evolutionary adaptation of Solanaceae plants including potato, tomato, and tobacco, towards defense against cellulose-containing pathogens such as species of the deadly oomycete genus, Phytophthora. More generally, the results demonstrate that coplanar aromatic clusters on protein surfaces are a structural signature of glycan-binding proteins, and can be used to computationally predict novel glycan-binding proteins from 3 D structure.

  19. Preliminary results of sugar maple carbohydrate and growth response under vacuum and gravity sap extraction

    Treesearch

    Mark L. Isselhardt; Timothy D. Perkins; Abby K. van den Berg; Paul G. Schaberg

    2016-01-01

    Recent technological advancements have increased the amount of sugar-enriched sap that can be extracted from sugar maple (Acer saccharum). This pilot study quantified overall sugar removal and the impacts of vacuum (60 cm Hg) and gravity sap extraction on residual nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations and on stem and twig growth. Vacuum...

  20. Dietary intakes, attitudes toward carbohydrates of postmenopausal women following low carbohydrate diets.

    PubMed

    Winham, Donna M; Collins, Courtney B; Hutchins, Andrea M

    2009-01-01

    Middle-aged women have the highest levels of obesity and comprise the largest group of dieters. Few investigators have examined how women apply weight-loss diet principles in an unsupervised setting. Dietary intakes and attitudes toward carbohydrates were examined in women who were self-reported low carbohydrate dieters (SRLCDs); these intakes and attitudes were compared with those of women who were following their normal diet (non-dieters [NDs]). A convenience sample of 29 postmenopausal women aged 45 to 65 was recruited. Data were obtained by interview, questionnaire, and direct anthropometric measurement. Descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, and analysis of variance were used to compare groups. Although total energy and protein intakes were similar, SRLCDs consumed significantly more fat and less carbohydrate (expressed as a percentage of total energy) and more cholesterol and less fibre than did NDs. Both groups had unfavourable attitudes toward carbohydrates. The SRLCDs ate more fat than recommended. Women who are considering following a low carbohydrate diet need to know the nutritional risks of unbalanced self-designed low carbohydrate diets. Negative attitudes toward carbohydrates were not confined to dieters. Nutrition education is necessary to help consumers understand basic nutrition principles and to be more skeptical of fad diets.

  1. Sequestosome-1 (SQSTM1) sequence variants in ALS cases in the UK: prevalence and coexistence of SQSTM1 mutations in ALS kindred with PDB.

    PubMed

    Kwok, Chun T; Morris, Alex; de Belleroche, Jacqueline S

    2014-04-01

    Mutations in the SQSTM1 gene have been reported to be associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We sought to determine the frequency of these mutations in a UK familial ALS (FALS) cohort. Sequences of all eight exons of the SQSTM1 gene were analysed in index cases from 61 different FALS kindred lacking known FALS mutations. Six exonic variants c.463G>A, p.(Glu155Lys), c.822G>C, p.(Glu274Asp), c.888G>T, p.(=), c.954C>T, p.(=), c.1038G>A, p.(=) and c.1175C>T, p.(Pro392Leu) were identified in five FALS index cases, three of which were non-synonymous and three were synonymous. One index case harboured three variants (c.822G>C, c.888G>T and c.954C>T), and a second index case harboured two variants (c.822G>C and c.954C>T). Only the p.(Pro392Leu) and p.(Glu155Lys) mutations were predicted to be pathogenic. In one p.(Pro392Leu) kindred, the carrier developed both ALS and Paget's disease of bone (PDB), and, in the p.(Glu155Lys) kindred, the father of the proband developed PDB. All p.(Pro392Leu) carriers were heterozygous for a previously reported founder haplotype for PDB, where this mutation has an established causal effect. The frequency of the p.(Pro392Leu) mutation in this UK FALS cohort was 2.3% and 0.97% overall including three previously screened FALS cohorts. Our results confirm the presence of the p.(Pro392Leu) SQSTM1 mutation in FALS. This mutation is the most common SQSTM1 mutation found in ALS to date, and a likely pathogenicity is supported by having an established causal role in PDB. The occurrence of the same mutation in ALS and PDB is indicative of a common pathogenic pathway that converges on protein homeostasis.

  2. Comparative analysis of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC)-induced carbohydrate oxidation changes via TRPV1 between mice and chickens.

    PubMed

    Kawabata, Fuminori; Kawabata, Yuko; Liang, Ruojun; Nishimura, Shotaro; Tabata, Shoji

    2017-01-01

    Postprandial hyperglycemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. It has been reported that intragastric administration of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), which is one of the pungent ingredients of wasabi and horseradish but it is not included in hot chili pepper, increased carbohydrate oxidation and reduced postprandial increase of blood glucose via transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1)in mice. However, the action site of AITC on TRPV1 for increasing carbohydrate oxidation is unclear. Both mammalian and chicken TRPV1 (cTRPV1) are activated by heat and acid, but unlike its mammalian counterpart, cTRPV1 is only faintly activated by capsaicin. This difference is due to the 8 chicken-specific amino acid residues around transmembrane 3, which is the main site of capsaicin-binding in rat TRPV1. Moreover, AITC-induced activation of mouse TRPV1 (mTRPV1) is largely dependent on S513, a residue that is involved in capsaicin-binding. Thus, we hypothesized that the increase of carbohydrate oxidation by AITC in mammals is induced by the binding of AITC to the capsaicin-binding site of TRPV1. In this study, we performed a comparative study using chickens and mice, since chickens are thought to partly lack the capsaicin-binding site of TRPV1. We examined the effects of AITC on the respiratory quotient (RQ), the index of carbohydrate oxidation and fat oxidation, in chickens and mice. Respiratory gas analysis revealed that AITC does not increase the RQ in chickens, and Ca 2+ imaging methods and a whole cell-patch clamp analysis showed that AITC does not activate cTRPV1. These results implied that the capsaicin-binding site is an important region for increasing carbohydrate oxidation by AITC administration in animals.

  3. Digestion and Absorption of Carbohydrates

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Carbohydrates are the major dietary sources of energy for humans. While most dietary carbohydrates are derived from multiple botanical sources, lactose and trehalose are the only animal-derived carbohydrates. Digestion of starch, the carbohydrate most abundantly consumed by humans, depends on the c...

  4. Bioavailability of Carbohydrate Content in Natural and Transgenic Switchgrasses for the Extreme Thermophile Caldicellulosiruptor bescii

    PubMed Central

    Zurawski, Jeffrey V.; Khatibi, Piyum A.; Akinosho, Hannah O.; Straub, Christopher T.; Compton, Scott H.; Conway, Jonathan M.; Lee, Laura L.; Ragauskas, Arthur J.; Davison, Brian H.; Adams, Michael W. W.

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Improving access to the carbohydrate content of lignocellulose is key to reducing recalcitrance for microbial deconstruction and conversion to fuels and chemicals. Caldicellulosiruptor bescii completely solubilizes naked microcrystalline cellulose, yet this transformation is impeded within the context of the plant cell wall by a network of lignin and hemicellulose. Here, the bioavailability of carbohydrates to C. bescii at 70°C was examined for reduced lignin transgenic switchgrass lines COMT3(+) and MYB Trans, their corresponding parental lines (cultivar Alamo) COMT3(−) and MYB wild type (WT), and the natural variant cultivar Cave-in-Rock (CR). Transgenic modification improved carbohydrate solubilization by C. bescii to 15% (2.3-fold) for MYB and to 36% (1.5-fold) for COMT, comparable to the levels achieved for the natural variant, CR (36%). Carbohydrate solubilization was nearly doubled after two consecutive microbial fermentations compared to one microbial step, but it never exceeded 50% overall. Hydrothermal treatment (180°C) prior to microbial steps improved solubilization 3.7-fold for the most recalcitrant line (MYB WT) and increased carbohydrate recovery to nearly 50% for the least recalcitrant lines [COMT3(+) and CR]. Alternating microbial and hydrothermal steps (T→M→T→M) further increased bioavailability, achieving carbohydrate solubilization ranging from 50% for MYB WT to above 70% for COMT3(+) and CR. Incomplete carbohydrate solubilization suggests that cellulose in the highly lignified residue was inaccessible; indeed, residue from the T→M→T→M treatment was primarily glucan and inert materials (lignin and ash). While C. bescii could significantly solubilize the transgenic switchgrass lines and natural variant tested here, additional or alternative strategies (physical, chemical, enzymatic, and/or genetic) are needed to eliminate recalcitrance. IMPORTANCE Key to a microbial process for solubilization of plant biomass is the

  5. GlycomeDB – integration of open-access carbohydrate structure databases

    PubMed Central

    Ranzinger, René; Herget, Stephan; Wetter, Thomas; von der Lieth, Claus-Wilhelm

    2008-01-01

    Background Although carbohydrates are the third major class of biological macromolecules, after proteins and DNA, there is neither a comprehensive database for carbohydrate structures nor an established universal structure encoding scheme for computational purposes. Funding for further development of the Complex Carbohydrate Structure Database (CCSD or CarbBank) ceased in 1997, and since then several initiatives have developed independent databases with partially overlapping foci. For each database, different encoding schemes for residues and sequence topology were designed. Therefore, it is virtually impossible to obtain an overview of all deposited structures or to compare the contents of the various databases. Results We have implemented procedures which download the structures contained in the seven major databases, e.g. GLYCOSCIENCES.de, the Consortium for Functional Glycomics (CFG), the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and the Bacterial Carbohydrate Structure Database (BCSDB). We have created a new database called GlycomeDB, containing all structures, their taxonomic annotations and references (IDs) for the original databases. More than 100000 datasets were imported, resulting in more than 33000 unique sequences now encoded in GlycomeDB using the universal format GlycoCT. Inconsistencies were found in all public databases, which were discussed and corrected in multiple feedback rounds with the responsible curators. Conclusion GlycomeDB is a new, publicly available database for carbohydrate sequences with a unified, all-encompassing structure encoding format and NCBI taxonomic referencing. The database is updated weekly and can be downloaded free of charge. The JAVA application GlycoUpdateDB is also available for establishing and updating a local installation of GlycomeDB. With the advent of GlycomeDB, the distributed islands of knowledge in glycomics are now bridged to form a single resource. PMID:18803830

  6. PLASS: Protein-ligand affinity statistical score a knowledge-based force-field model of interaction derived from the PDB

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ozrin, V. D.; Subbotin, M. V.; Nikitin, S. M.

    2004-04-01

    We have developed PLASS (Protein-Ligand Affinity Statistical Score), a pair-wise potential of mean-force for rapid estimation of the binding affinity of a ligand molecule to a protein active site. This scoring function is derived from the frequency of occurrence of atom-type pairs in crystallographic complexes taken from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Statistical distributions are converted into distance-dependent contributions to the Gibbs free interaction energy for 10 atomic types using the Boltzmann hypothesis, with only one adjustable parameter. For a representative set of 72 protein-ligand structures, PLASS scores correlate well with the experimentally measured dissociation constants: a correlation coefficient R of 0.82 and RMS error of 2.0 kcal/mol. Such high accuracy results from our novel treatment of the volume correction term, which takes into account the inhomogeneous properties of the protein-ligand complexes. PLASS is able to rank reliably the affinity of complexes which have as much diversity as in the PDB.

  7. Molecular simulations of carbohydrates and protein-carbohydrate interactions: motivation, issues and prospects.

    PubMed

    Fadda, Elisa; Woods, Robert J

    2010-08-01

    The characterization of the 3D structure of oligosaccharides, their conjugates and analogs is particularly challenging for traditional experimental methods. Molecular simulation methods provide a basis for interpreting sparse experimental data and for independently predicting conformational and dynamic properties of glycans. Here, we summarize and analyze the issues associated with modeling carbohydrates, with a detailed discussion of four of the most recently developed carbohydrate force fields, reviewed in terms of applicability to natural glycans, carbohydrate-protein complexes and the emerging area of glycomimetic drugs. In addition, we discuss prospectives and new applications of carbohydrate modeling in drug discovery.

  8. GenomewidePDB 2.0: A Newly Upgraded Versatile Proteogenomic Database for the Chromosome-Centric Human Proteome Project.

    PubMed

    Jeong, Seul-Ki; Hancock, William S; Paik, Young-Ki

    2015-09-04

    Since the launch of the Chromosome-centric Human Proteome Project (C-HPP) in 2012, the number of "missing" proteins has fallen to 2932, down from ∼5932 since the number was first counted in 2011. We compared the characteristics of missing proteins with those of already annotated proteins with respect to transcriptional expression pattern and the time periods in which newly identified proteins were annotated. We learned that missing proteins commonly exhibit lower levels of transcriptional expression and less tissue-specific expression compared with already annotated proteins. This makes it more difficult to identify missing proteins as time goes on. One of the C-HPP goals is to identify alternative spliced product of proteins (ASPs), which are usually difficult to find by shot-gun proteomic methods due to their sequence similarities with the representative proteins. To resolve this problem, it may be necessary to use a targeted proteomics approach (e.g., selected and multiple reaction monitoring [S/MRM] assays) and an innovative bioinformatics platform that enables the selection of target peptides for rarely expressed missing proteins or ASPs. Given that the success of efforts to identify missing proteins may rely on more informative public databases, it was necessary to upgrade the available integrative databases. To this end, we attempted to improve the features and utility of GenomewidePDB by integrating transcriptomic information (e.g., alternatively spliced transcripts), annotated peptide information, and an advanced search interface that can find proteins of interest when applying a targeted proteomics strategy. This upgraded version of the database, GenomewidePDB 2.0, may not only expedite identification of the remaining missing proteins but also enhance the exchange of information among the proteome community. GenomewidePDB 2.0 is available publicly at http://genomewidepdb.proteomix.org/.

  9. Carbohydrate Loading.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Csernus, Marilyn

    Carbohydrate loading is a frequently used technique to improve performance by altering an athlete's diet. The objective is to increase glycogen stored in muscles for use in prolonged strenuous exercise. For two to three days, the athlete consumes a diet that is low in carbohydrates and high in fat and protein while continuing to exercise and…

  10. JET2 Viewer: a database of predicted multiple, possibly overlapping, protein-protein interaction sites for PDB structures.

    PubMed

    Ripoche, Hugues; Laine, Elodie; Ceres, Nicoletta; Carbone, Alessandra

    2017-01-04

    The database JET2 Viewer, openly accessible at http://www.jet2viewer.upmc.fr/, reports putative protein binding sites for all three-dimensional (3D) structures available in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). This knowledge base was generated by applying the computational method JET 2 at large-scale on more than 20 000 chains. JET 2 strategy yields very precise predictions of interacting surfaces and unravels their evolutionary process and complexity. JET2 Viewer provides an online intelligent display, including interactive 3D visualization of the binding sites mapped onto PDB structures and suitable files recording JET 2 analyses. Predictions were evaluated on more than 15 000 experimentally characterized protein interfaces. This is, to our knowledge, the largest evaluation of a protein binding site prediction method. The overall performance of JET 2 on all interfaces are: Sen = 52.52, PPV = 51.24, Spe = 80.05, Acc = 75.89. The data can be used to foster new strategies for protein-protein interactions modulation and interaction surface redesign. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  11. Compositional evaluation of selected agro-industrial wastes as valuable sources for the recovery of complex carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Vojvodić, Aleksandra; Komes, Draženka; Vovk, Irena; Belščak-Cvitanović, Ana; Bušić, Arijana

    2016-11-01

    Re-utilization of various agro-industrial wastes is of growing importance from many aspects. Considering the variety and complexity of such materials, compositional data and compliant methodology is still undergoing many updates and improvements. Present study evaluated sugar beet pulp (SBP), walnut shell (WS), cocoa bean husk (CBH), onion peel (OP) and pea pods (PP) as potentially valuable materials for carbohydrate recovery. Macrocomponent analyses revealed carbohydrate fraction as the most abundant, dominating in dietary fibres. Upon complete acid hydrolysis of sample alcohol insoluble residues, developed procedures of high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with 3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one pre-column derivatization (PMP-derivatization) were used for carbohydrate monomeric composition determination. HPTLC exhibited good qualitative features useful for multi-sample rapid analysis, while HPLC superior separation and quantification characteristics. Distinctive monomeric patterns were obtained among samples. OP, SBP and CBH, due to the high galacturonic acid content (20.81%, 13.96% and 6.90% dry matter basis, respectively), may be regarded as pectin sources, while WS and PP as materials abundant in xylan-rich hemicellulose (total xylan content 15.53%, 9.63% dry matter basis, respectively). Present study provides new and valuable compositional data for different plant residual materials and a reference for the application of established methodology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. PDB2CD: a web-based application for the generation of circular dichroism spectra from protein atomic coordinates.

    PubMed

    Mavridis, Lazaros; Janes, Robert W

    2017-01-01

    Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy is extensively utilized for determining the percentages of secondary structure content present in proteins. However, although a large contributor, secondary structure is not the only factor that influences the shape and magnitude of the CD spectrum produced. Other structural features can make contributions so an entire protein structural conformation can give rise to a CD spectrum. There is a need for an application capable of generating protein CD spectra from atomic coordinates. However, no empirically derived method to do this currently exists. PDB2CD has been created as an empirical-based approach to the generation of protein CD spectra from atomic coordinates. The method utilizes a combination of structural features within the conformation of a protein; not only its percentage secondary structure content, but also the juxtaposition of these structural components relative to one another, and the overall structure similarity of the query protein to proteins in our dataset, the SP175 dataset, the 'gold standard' set obtained from the Protein Circular Dichroism Data Bank (PCDDB). A significant number of the CD spectra associated with the 71 proteins in this dataset have been produced with excellent accuracy using a leave-one-out cross-validation process. The method also creates spectra in good agreement with those of a test set of 14 proteins from the PCDDB. The PDB2CD package provides a web-based, user friendly approach to enable researchers to produce CD spectra from protein atomic coordinates. http://pdb2cd.cryst.bbk.ac.uk CONTACT: r.w.janes@qmul.ac.ukSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

  13. Composition of the carbohydrate granules of the cyanobacterium, Cyanothece sp. strain ATCC 51142

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schneegurt, M. A.; Sherman, D. M.; Sherman, L. A.; Mitchell, C. A. (Principal Investigator)

    1997-01-01

    Cyanothece sp. strain ATCC 51142 is an aerobic, unicellular, diazotrophic cyanobacterium that temporally separates O2-sensitive N2 fixation from oxygenic photosynthesis. The energy and reducing power needed for N2 fixation appears to be generated by an active respiratory apparatus that utilizes the contents of large interthylakoidal carbohydrate granules. We report here on the carbohydrate and protein composition of the granules of Cyanothece sp. strain ATCC 51142. The carbohydrate component is a glucose homopolymer with branches every nine residues and is chemically identical to glycogen. Granule-associated protein fractions showed temporal changes in the number of proteins and their abundance during the metabolic oscillations observed under diazotrophic conditions. There also were temporal changes in the protein pattern of the granule-depleted supernatant fractions from diazotrophic cultures. None of the granule-associated proteins crossreacted with antisera directed against several glycogen-metabolizing enzymes or nitrogenase, although these proteins were tentatively identified in supernatant fractions. It is suggested that the granule-associated proteins are structural proteins required to maintain a complex granule architecture.

  14. Analysis of Carbohydrate-Carbohydrate Interactions Using Sugar-Functionalized Silicon Nanoparticles for Cell Imaging.

    PubMed

    Lai, Chian-Hui; Hütter, Julia; Hsu, Chien-Wei; Tanaka, Hidenori; Varela-Aramburu, Silvia; De Cola, Luisa; Lepenies, Bernd; Seeberger, Peter H

    2016-01-13

    Protein-carbohydrate binding depends on multivalent ligand display that is even more important for low affinity carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions. Detection and analysis of these low affinity multivalent binding events are technically challenging. We describe the synthesis of dual-fluorescent sugar-capped silicon nanoparticles that proved to be an attractive tool for the analysis of low affinity interactions. These ultrasmall NPs with sizes of around 4 nm can be used for NMR quantification of coupled sugars. The silicon nanoparticles are employed to measure the interaction between the cancer-associated glycosphingolipids GM3 and Gg3 and the associated kD value by surface plasmon resonance experiments. Cell binding studies, to investigate the biological relevance of these carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions, also benefit from these fluorescent sugar-capped nanoparticles.

  15. Learning about Carbohydrates

    MedlinePlus

    ... added sugar and doesn't contain important nutrients. Complex carbohydrates: These are also called starches. Starches include grain ... pasta, and rice. As with simple sugars, some complex carbohydrate foods are better choices than others. Refined (say: ...

  16. Carbohydrates and Diabetes

    MedlinePlus

    ... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Carbohydrates and Diabetes KidsHealth / For Teens / Carbohydrates and Diabetes ... Los carbohidratos y la diabetes Carbs and Blood Sugar Keeping your blood sugar levels on track means ...

  17. Impact of Dietary Carbohydrate and Protein Levels on Carbohydrate Metabolism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lasker, Denise Ann

    2009-01-01

    The goal of this dissertation was to investigate the impact of changing dietary carbohydrate (CARB) intakes within recommended dietary guidelines on metabolic outcomes specifically associated with glycemic regulations and carbohydrate metabolism. This research utilized both human and animal studies to examine changes in metabolism across a wide…

  18. Arylphorin from Manduca sexta: carbohydrate structure and immunological studies.

    PubMed

    Ryan, R O; Anderson, D R; Grimes, W J; Law, J H

    1985-11-15

    The major hemolymph protein in the last larval stage of Manduca sexta is a hexameric glycoprotein, arylphorin (Mr = 450,000). Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of purified arylphorin reveals the presence of two subunits, A1 and A2. Both subunits are glycosylated and have apparent Mr = 77,000 and 72,000, respectively. Pronase digestion of arylphorin yielded a single major glycopeptide. 250 MHz NMR spectroscopy of arylphorin glycopeptide revealed a Man9GlcNAc2 oligosaccharide structure similar to that observed in mammalian glycoproteins. Endoglycosidase-H treatment of arylphorin was employed to remove covalently linked carbohydrate residues. The carbohydrate removal lowered the apparent Mr of subunits A1 and A2 to 72,000 and 69,000, respectively, indicating that the difference in arylphorin subunit size is not due to levels of glycosylation. Immunoblotting experiments with anti-arylphorin antiserum and Bombyx mori storage proteins indicated cross reactivity with the corresponding arylphorin of this insect. Preparation of subunit A2 monospecific antibodies, followed by immunoblotting of arylphorin showed a close immunological relationship between subunits A1 and A2.

  19. Clustered carbohydrates as a target for natural killer cells: a model system.

    PubMed

    Kovalenko, Elena I; Abakushina, Elena; Telford, William; Kapoor, Veena; Korchagina, Elena; Khaidukov, Sergei; Molotkovskaya, Irina; Sapozhnikov, Alexander; Vlaskin, Pavel; Bovin, Nicolai

    2007-03-01

    Membrane-associated oligosaccharides are known to take part in interactions between natural killer (NK) cells and their targets and modulate NK cell activity. A model system was therefore developed using synthetic glycoconjugates as tools to modify the carbohydrate pattern on NK target cell surfaces. NK cells were then assessed for function in response to synthetic glycoconjugates, using both cytolysis-associated caspase 6 activation measured by flow cytometry and IFN-gamma production. Lipophilic neoglycoconjugates were synthesized to provide their easy incorporation into the target cell membranes and to make carbohydrate residues available for cell-cell interactions. While incorporation was successful based on fluorescence monitoring, glycoconjugate incorporation did not evoke artifactual changes in surface antigen expression, and had no negative effect on cell viability. Glycoconjugates contained Le(x), sulfated Le(x), and Le(y) sharing the common structure motif trisaccharide Le(x) were revealed to enhance cytotoxicity mediated specifically by CD16 +CD56+NK cells. The glycoconjugate effects were dependent on saccharide presentation in a polymeric form. Only polymeric, or clustered, but not monomeric glycoconjugates resulted in alteration of cytotoxicity in our system, suggesting that appropriate presentation is critical for carbohydrate recognition and subsequent biological effects.

  20. Synthesis, characterization and fluorescent properties of water-soluble glycopolymer bearing curcumin pendant residues.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Haisong; Yu, Meng; Zhang, Hailei; Bai, Libin; Wu, Yonggang; Wang, Sujuan; Ba, Xinwu

    2016-08-01

    Curcumin is a potential natural anticancer drug with low oral bioavailability because of poor water solubility. The aqueous solubility of curcumin is enhanced by means of modification with the carbohydrate units. Polymerization of the curcumin-containing monomer with carbohydrate-containing monomer gives the water-soluble glycopolymer bearing curcumin pendant residues. The obtained copolymers (P1 and P2) having desirable water solubility were well-characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The copolymer P2 with a molar ratio of 1:6 (curcumin/carbohydrate) calculated from the proton NMR results exhibits a similar anticancer activity compared to original curcumin, which may serve as a potential chemotherapeutic agent in the field of anticancer medicine.

  1. Effects of synchronization of carbohydrate and protein supply in total mixed ration with korean rice wine residue on ruminal fermentation, nitrogen metabolism and microbial protein synthesis in holstein steers.

    PubMed

    Piao, Min Yu; Kim, Hyun J; Seo, J K; Park, T S; Yoon, J S; Kim, K H; Ha, Jong K

    2012-11-01

    Three Holstein steers in the growing phase, each with a ruminal cannula, were used to test the hypothesis that the synchronization of the hourly rate of carbohydrate and nitrogen (N) released in the rumen would increase the amount of retained nitrogen for growth and thus improve the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis (EMPS). In Experiment 1, in situ degradability coefficients of carbohydrate and N in feeds including Korean rice wine residue (RWR) were determined. In Experiment 2, three total mixed ration (TMR) diets having different rates of carbohydrate and N release in the rumen were formulated using the in situ degradability of the feeds. All diets were made to contain similar contents of crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) but varied in their hourly pattern of nutrient release. The synchrony index of the three TMRs was 0.51 (LS), 0.77 (MS) and 0.95 (HS), respectively. The diets were fed at a restricted level (2% of the animal's body weight) in a 3×3 Latin-square design. Synchronizing the hourly supply of energy and N in the rumen did not significantly alter the digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, NDF or acid detergent fiber (ADF) (p>0.05). The ruminal NH3-N content of the LS group at three hours after feeding was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of the other groups; however, the mean values of ruminal NH3-N, pH and VFA concentration among the three groups were not significantly different (p>0.05). In addition, the purine derivative (PD) excretion in urine and microbial-N production (MN) among the three groups were not significantly different (p>0.05). In conclusion, synchronizing dietary energy and N supply to the rumen did not have a major effect on nutrient digestion or microbial protein synthesis (MPS) in Holstein steers.

  2. The carbohydrate sequence markup language (CabosML): an XML description of carbohydrate structures.

    PubMed

    Kikuchi, Norihiro; Kameyama, Akihiko; Nakaya, Shuuichi; Ito, Hiromi; Sato, Takashi; Shikanai, Toshihide; Takahashi, Yoriko; Narimatsu, Hisashi

    2005-04-15

    Bioinformatics resources for glycomics are very poor as compared with those for genomics and proteomics. The complexity of carbohydrate sequences makes it difficult to define a common language to represent them, and the development of bioinformatics tools for glycomics has not progressed. In this study, we developed a carbohydrate sequence markup language (CabosML), an XML description of carbohydrate structures. The language definition (XML Schema) and an experimental database of carbohydrate structures using an XML database management system are available at http://www.phoenix.hydra.mki.co.jp/CabosDemo.html kikuchi@hydra.mki.co.jp.

  3. Chemical-modification studies of a unique sialic acid-binding lectin from the snail Achatina fulica. Involvement of tryptophan and histidine residues in biological activity.

    PubMed Central

    Basu, S; Mandal, C; Allen, A K

    1988-01-01

    A unique sialic acid-binding lectin, achatininH (ATNH) was purified in single step from the haemolymph of the snail Achatina fulica by affinity chromatography on sheep submaxillary-gland mucin coupled to Sepharose 4B. The homogeneity was checked by alkaline gel electrophoresis, immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis. Amino acid analysis showed that the lectin has a fairly high content of acidic amino acid residues (22% of the total). About 1.3% of the residues are half-cystine. The glycoprotein contains 21% carbohydrate. The unusually high content of xylose (6%) and fucose (2.7%) in this snail lectin is quite interesting. The protein was subjected to various chemical modifications in order to detect the amino acid residues and carbohydrate residues present in its binding sites. Modification of tyrosine and arginine residues did not affect the binding activity of ATNH; however, modification of tryptophan and histidine residues led to a complete loss of its biological activity. A marked decrease in the fluorescence emission was found as the tryptophan residues of ATNH were modified. The c.d. data showed the presence of an identical type of conformation in the native and modified agglutinin. The modification of lysine and carboxy residues partially diminished the biological activity. The activity was completely lost after a beta-elimination reaction, indicating that the sugars are O-glycosidically linked to the glycoprotein's protein moiety. This result confirms that the carbohydrate moiety also plays an important role in the agglutination property of this lectin. Images Fig. 3. PMID:3140796

  4. Synthesis of carbohydrate-based surfactants

    DOEpatents

    Pemberton, Jeanne E.; Polt, Robin L.; Maier, Raina M.

    2016-11-22

    The present invention provides carbohydrate-based surfactants and methods for producing the same. Methods for producing carbohydrate-based surfactants include using a glycosylation promoter to link a carbohydrate or its derivative to a hydrophobic compound.

  5. Non-Carbohydrate Glycomimetics and Glycoprotein Surrogates as DC-SIGN Antagonists and Agonists

    PubMed Central

    Prost, Lynne R.; Grim, Joseph C.; Tonelli, Marco; Kiessling, Laura L.

    2012-01-01

    An understanding of the biological roles of lectins will be advanced by ligands that can inhibit or even recruit lectin function. To this end, glycomimetics, non-carbohydrate ligands that function analogously to endogenous carbohydrates, are being sought. The advantage of having such ligands is illustrated by the many roles of the protein DC-SIGN. DC-SIGN is a C-type lectin displayed on dendritic cells, where it binds to mannosides and fucosides to mediate interactions with other host cells or bacterial or viral pathogens. DC-SIGN engagement can modulate host immune responses (e.g., suppress autoimmunity) or benefit pathogens (e.g., promote HIV dissemination). DC-SIGN can bind to glycoconjugates, internalize glycosylated cargo for antigen processing, and transduce signals. DC-SIGN ligands can serve as inhibitors as well as probes of the lectin’s function, so they are especially valuable for elucidating and controlling DC-SIGN’s roles in immunity. We previously reported a small molecule that embodies key features of the carbohydrates that bind DC-SIGN. Here, we demonstrate that this non-carbohydrate ligand acts as a true glycomimetic. Using NMR HSQC experiments, we found that the compound mimics saccharide ligands: It occupies the same carbohydrate-binding site and interacts with the same side chain residues on DC-SIGN. The glycomimetic also is functional. It had been shown previously to antagonize DC-SIGN function but here we use it to generate DC-SIGN agonists. Specifically, appending this glycomimetic to a protein scaffold affords a conjugate that elicits key cellular signaling responses. Thus, the glycomimetic can give rise to functional glycoprotein surrogates that elicit lectin-mediated signaling. PMID:22747463

  6. Carbohydrates and Diabetes (For Parents)

    MedlinePlus

    ... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Carbohydrates and Diabetes KidsHealth / For Parents / Carbohydrates and Diabetes ... many kids with diabetes take to stay healthy. Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar The two main forms of ...

  7. A simple extension to the CMASA method for the prediction of catalytic residues in the presence of single point mutations.

    PubMed

    Flores, David I; Sotelo-Mundo, Rogerio R; Brizuela, Carlos A

    2014-01-01

    The automatic identification of catalytic residues still remains an important challenge in structural bioinformatics. Sequence-based methods are good alternatives when the query shares a high percentage of identity with a well-annotated enzyme. However, when the homology is not apparent, which occurs with many structures from the structural genome initiative, structural information should be exploited. A local structural comparison is preferred to a global structural comparison when predicting functional residues. CMASA is a recently proposed method for predicting catalytic residues based on a local structure comparison. The method achieves high accuracy and a high value for the Matthews correlation coefficient. However, point substitutions or a lack of relevant data strongly affect the performance of the method. In the present study, we propose a simple extension to the CMASA method to overcome this difficulty. Extensive computational experiments are shown as proof of concept instances, as well as for a few real cases. The results show that the extension performs well when the catalytic site contains mutated residues or when some residues are missing. The proposed modification could correctly predict the catalytic residues of a mutant thymidylate synthase, 1EVF. It also successfully predicted the catalytic residues for 3HRC despite the lack of information for a relevant side chain atom in the PDB file.

  8. Exponential increase in postprandial blood-glucose exposure with increasing carbohydrate loads using a linear carbohydrate-to-insulin ratio.

    PubMed

    Marran, K J; Davey, B; Lang, A; Segal, D G

    2013-04-10

    Postprandial glucose excursions contribute significantly to average blood glucose, glycaemic variability and cardiovascular risk. Carbohydrate counting is a method of insulin dosing that balances carbohydrate load to insulin dose using a fixed ratio. Many patients and current insulin pumps calculate insulin delivery for meals based on a linear carbohydrate-to-insulin relationship. It is our hypothesis that a non-linear relationship exists between the amounts of carbohydrate consumed and the insulin required to cover it. To document blood glucose exposure in response to increasing carbohydrate loads on fixed carbohydrate-to-insulin ratios. Five type 1 diabetic subjects receiving insulin pump therapy with good control were recruited. Morning basal rates and carbohydrate- to-insulin ratios were optimised. A Medtronic glucose sensor was used for 5 days to collect data for area-under-the-curve (AUC) analysis, during which standardised meals of increasing carbohydrate loads were consumed. Increasing carbohydrate loads using a fixed carbohydrate-to-insulin ratio resulted in increasing glucose AUC. The relationship was found to be exponential rather than linear. Late postprandial hypoglycaemia followed carbohydrate loads of >60 g and this was often followed by rebound hyperglycaemia that lasted >6 hours. A non-linear relationship exists between carbohydrates consumed and the insulin required to cover them. This has implications for control of postprandial blood sugars, especially when consuming large carbohydrate loads. Further studies are required to look at the optimal ratios, duration and type of insulin boluses required to cover increasing carbohydrate loads.

  9. [Performance enhancement by carbohydrate intake during sport: effects of carbohydrates during and after high-intensity exercise].

    PubMed

    Beelen, Milou; Cermak, Naomi M; van Loon, Luc J C

    2015-01-01

    Endogenous carbohydrate availability does not provide sufficient energy for prolonged moderate to high-intensity exercise. Carbohydrate ingestion during high-intensity exercise can therefore enhance performance.- For exercise lasting 1 to 2.5 hours, athletes are advised to ingest 30-60 g of carbohydrates per hour.- Well-trained endurance athletes competing for longer than 2.5 hours at high intensity can metabolise up to 90 g of carbohydrates per hour, provided that a mixture of glucose and fructose is ingested.- Athletes participating in intermittent or team sports are advised to follow the same strategies but the timing of carbohydrate intake depends on the type of sport.- If top performance is required again within 24 hours after strenuous exercise, the advice is to supplement endogenous carbohydrate supplies quickly within the first few hours post-exercise by ingesting large amounts of carbohydrate (1.2 g/kg/h) or a lower amount of carbohydrate (0.8 g/kg/h) with a small amount of protein (0.2-0.4 g/kg/h).

  10. Radioiodinated branched carbohydrates

    DOEpatents

    Goodman, Mark M.; Knapp, Jr., Furn F.

    1989-01-01

    A radioiodinated branched carbohydrate for tissue imaging. Iodine-123 is stabilized in the compound by attaching it to a vinyl functional group that is on the carbohydrate. The compound exhibits good uptake and retention and is promising in the development of radiopharmaceuticals for brain, heart and tumor imaging.

  11. Cats and Carbohydrates: The Carnivore Fantasy?

    PubMed Central

    Verbrugghe, Adronie; Hesta, Myriam

    2017-01-01

    The domestic cat’s wild ancestors are obligate carnivores that consume prey containing only minimal amounts of carbohydrates. Evolutionary events adapted the cat’s metabolism and physiology to this diet strictly composed of animal tissues and led to unique digestive and metabolic peculiarities of carbohydrate metabolism. The domestic cat still closely resembles its wild ancestor. Although the carnivore connection of domestic cats is well recognised, little is known about the precise nutrient profile to which the digestive physiology and metabolism of the cat have adapted throughout evolution. Moreover, studies show that domestic cats balance macronutrient intake by selecting low-carbohydrate foods. The fact that cats evolved consuming low-carbohydrate prey has led to speculations that high-carbohydrate diets could be detrimental for a cat’s health. More specifically, it has been suggested that excess carbohydrates could lead to feline obesity and diabetes mellitus. Additionally, the chances for remission of diabetes mellitus are higher in cats that consume a low-carbohydrate diet. This literature review will summarise current carbohydrate knowledge pertaining to digestion, absorption and metabolism of carbohydrates, food selection and macronutrient balancing in healthy, obese and diabetic cats, as well as the role of carbohydrates in prevention and treatment of obesity and diabetes mellitus. PMID:29140289

  12. Enzymatic acylation of flavonoid glycosides by a carbohydrate esterase of family 16.

    PubMed

    Biely, Peter; Cziszárová, Mária; Wong, Ken K Y; Fernyhough, Alan

    2014-11-01

    The acetyl esterase of Trichoderma reesei belonging to carbohydrate esterase (CE) family 16 catalyzes transacylations to carbohydrate moieties of flavonoid glycosides, esculin and rutin. The enzyme recognizes as acyl donors vinyl esters of short carboxylic acids. Esculin was acylated at position 3 of the glucosyl residue in aqueous solutions saturated with vinyl acetate and vinyl propionate. The yields of esculin monoacetate and monopropionate of esculin in aqueous medium (esculin 40 mM, enzyme 40 µg/ml, 40 °C, 3 days) were 67 and 55 %, respectively. Replacement of water by 2-propanol was required for a similar acylation of rutin at 4 mM concentration. The yields of rutin monoacetate and propionate were 60 and 30 %, respectively. The results indicate that the enzyme could be used for an easy modification of solubility and hydrophobicity of glycosylated compounds, including drugs and functional food additives.

  13. A systematic study of chemogenomics of carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Gu, Jiangyong; Luo, Fang; Chen, Lirong; Yuan, Gu; Xu, Xiaojie

    2014-03-04

    Chemogenomics focuses on the interactions between biologically active molecules and protein targets for drug discovery. Carbohydrates are the most abundant compounds in natural products. Compared with other drugs, the carbohydrate drugs show weaker side effects. Searching for multi-target carbohydrate drugs can be regarded as a solution to improve therapeutic efficacy and safety. In this work, we collected 60 344 carbohydrates from the Universal Natural Products Database (UNPD) and explored the chemical space of carbohydrates by principal component analysis. We found that there is a large quantity of potential lead compounds among carbohydrates. Then we explored the potential of carbohydrates in drug discovery by using a network-based multi-target computational approach. All carbohydrates were docked to 2389 target proteins. The most potential carbohydrates for drug discovery and their indications were predicted based on a docking score-weighted prediction model. We also explored the interactions between carbohydrates and target proteins to find the pathological networks, potential drug candidates and new indications.

  14. Benefits and hazards of dietary carbohydrate.

    PubMed

    Connor, William E; Duell, P Barton; Connor, Sonja L

    2005-11-01

    Since the dawn of civilization, carbohydrate has comprised the largest source of energy in the diet for most populations. The source of the carbohydrate has been from plants in the form of complex carbohydrate high in fiber. Only in affluent cultures has sugar contributed so much of the total energy. When carbohydrate is consumed as a major component of a plant-based diet, a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet is associated with low plasma levels of total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, less coronary heart disease, less diabetes, and less obesity. Very low-carbohydrate (ketogenic) diets may provide short-term solutions but do not lead to a long-term solution for most people.

  15. Renewable Hydrogen Carrier - Carbohydrate: Constructing the Carbon-Neutral Carbohydrate Economy

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-01-31

    temperature. High fructose corn syrup , low-cost sucrose replacement, is made by stabilized glucose isomerase, which can work at ~60 °C for even about two...sustainable production, high -density storage, costly infrastructure, to eliminating safety concern. The use of renewable carbohydrate as a high -density...100% selectivity of enzymes, modest reaction conditions, and high -purity of generated hydrogen, carbohydrate is a promising hydrogen carrier for end

  16. Outcome of the First wwPDB Hybrid/Integrative Methods Task Force Workshop

    PubMed Central

    Sali, Andrej; Berman, Helen M.; Schwede, Torsten; Trewhella, Jill; Kleywegt, Gerard; Burley, Stephen K.; Markley, John; Nakamura, Haruki; Adams, Paul; Bonvin, Alexandre M.J.J.; Chiu, Wah; Dal Peraro, Matteo; Di Maio, Frank; Ferrin, Thomas E.; Grünewald, Kay; Gutmanas, Aleksandras; Henderson, Richard; Hummer, Gerhard; Iwasaki, Kenji; Johnson, Graham; Lawson, Catherine L.; Meiler, Jens; Marti-Renom, Marc A.; Montelione, Gaetano T.; Nilges, Michael; Nussinov, Ruth; Patwardhan, Ardan; Rappsilber, Juri; Read, Randy J.; Saibil, Helen; Schröder, Gunnar F.; Schwieters, Charles D.; Seidel, Claus A. M.; Svergun, Dmitri; Topf, Maya; Ulrich, Eldon L.; Velankar, Sameer; Westbrook, John D.

    2016-01-01

    Summary Structures of biomolecular systems are increasingly computed by integrative modeling that relies on varied types of experimental data and theoretical information. We describe here the proceedings and conclusions from the first wwPDB Hybrid/Integrative Methods Task Force Workshop held at the European Bioinformatics Institute in Hinxton, UK, October 6 and 7, 2014. At the workshop, experts in various experimental fields of structural biology, experts in integrative modeling and visualization, and experts in data archiving addressed a series of questions central to the future of structural biology. How should integrative models be represented? How should the data and integrative models be validated? What data should be archived? How should the data and models be archived? What information should accompany the publication of integrative models? PMID:26095030

  17. Computational mining for hypothetical patterns of amino acid side chains in protein data bank (PDB)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghani, Nur Syatila Ab; Firdaus-Raih, Mohd

    2018-04-01

    The three-dimensional structure of a protein can provide insights regarding its function. Functional relationship between proteins can be inferred from fold and sequence similarities. In certain cases, sequence or fold comparison fails to conclude homology between proteins with similar mechanism. Since the structure is more conserved than the sequence, a constellation of functional residues can be similarly arranged among proteins of similar mechanism. Local structural similarity searches are able to detect such constellation of amino acids among distinct proteins, which can be useful to annotate proteins of unknown function. Detection of such patterns of amino acids on a large scale can increase the repertoire of important 3D motifs since available known 3D motifs currently, could not compensate the ever-increasing numbers of uncharacterized proteins to be annotated. Here, a computational platform for an automated detection of 3D motifs is described. A fuzzy-pattern searching algorithm derived from IMagine an Amino Acid 3D Arrangement search EnGINE (IMAAAGINE) was implemented to develop an automated method for searching of hypothetical patterns of amino acid side chains in Protein Data Bank (PDB), without the need for prior knowledge on related sequence or structure of pattern of interest. We present an example of the searches, which is the detection of a hypothetical pattern derived from known structural motif of C2H2 structural pattern from zinc fingers. The conservation of particular patterns of amino acid side chains in unrelated proteins is highlighted. This approach can act as a complementary method for available structure- and sequence-based platforms and may contribute in improving functional association between proteins.

  18. Functional interaction analysis of GM1-related carbohydrates and Vibrio cholerae toxins using carbohydrate microarray.

    PubMed

    Kim, Chang Sup; Seo, Jeong Hyun; Cha, Hyung Joon

    2012-08-07

    The development of analytical tools is important for understanding the infection mechanisms of pathogenic bacteria or viruses. In the present work, a functional carbohydrate microarray combined with a fluorescence immunoassay was developed to analyze the interactions of Vibrio cholerae toxin (ctx) proteins and GM1-related carbohydrates. Ctx proteins were loaded onto the surface-immobilized GM1 pentasaccharide and six related carbohydrates, and their binding affinities were detected immunologically. The analysis of the ctx-carbohydrate interactions revealed that the intrinsic selectivity of ctx was GM1 pentasaccharide ≫ GM2 tetrasaccharide > asialo GM1 tetrasaccharide ≥ GM3trisaccharide, indicating that a two-finger grip formation and the terminal monosaccharides play important roles in the ctx-GM1 interaction. In addition, whole cholera toxin (ctxAB(5)) had a stricter substrate specificity and a stronger binding affinity than only the cholera toxin B subunit (ctxB). On the basis of the quantitative analysis, the carbohydrate microarray showed the sensitivity of detection of the ctxAB(5)-GM1 interaction with a limit-of-detection (LOD) of 2 ng mL(-1) (23 pM), which is comparable to other reported high sensitivity assay tools. In addition, the carbohydrate microarray successfully detected the actual toxin directly secreted from V. cholerae, without showing cross-reactivity to other bacteria. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the functional carbohydrate microarray is suitable for analyzing toxin protein-carbohydrate interactions and can be applied as a biosensor for toxin detection.

  19. Molecular simulations of carbohydrates and protein-carbohydrate interactions: motivation, issues and prospects

    PubMed Central

    Fadda, Elisa; Woods, Robert J.

    2014-01-01

    The characterization of the 3D structure of oligosaccharides, their conjugates and analogs is particularly challenging for traditional experimental methods. Molecular simulation methods provide a basis for interpreting sparse experimental data and for independently predicting conformational and dynamic properties of glycans. Here, we summarize and analyze the issues associated with modeling carbohydrates, with a detailed discussion of four of the most recently developed carbohydrate force fields, reviewed in terms of applicability to natural glycans, carbohydrate–protein complexes and the emerging area of glycomimetic drugs. In addition, we discuss prospectives and new applications of carbohydrate modeling in drug discovery. PMID:20594934

  20. Isolation of carbohydrate-metabolizing, extremely halophilic bacteria.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tomlinson, G. A.; Hochstein, L. I.

    1972-01-01

    Four previously unrecognized strains of extremely halophilic bacteria that utilize carbohydrates have been isolated. Gas production proved an unreliable index of carbohydrate metabolism; therefore, carbohydrate utilization was measured by determining acid formation and sugar disappearance during growth. By these procedures, carbohydrate utilization was readily detected. The results suggest that carbohydrate dissimilation by extremely halophilic bacteria may be more common than previously thought and that the apparent rarity of carbohydrate-metabolizing halophiles may be an artifact of the isolation procedures used.

  1. MotiveValidator: interactive web-based validation of ligand and residue structure in biomolecular complexes.

    PubMed

    Vařeková, Radka Svobodová; Jaiswal, Deepti; Sehnal, David; Ionescu, Crina-Maria; Geidl, Stanislav; Pravda, Lukáš; Horský, Vladimír; Wimmerová, Michaela; Koča, Jaroslav

    2014-07-01

    Structure validation has become a major issue in the structural biology community, and an essential step is checking the ligand structure. This paper introduces MotiveValidator, a web-based application for the validation of ligands and residues in PDB or PDBx/mmCIF format files provided by the user. Specifically, MotiveValidator is able to evaluate in a straightforward manner whether the ligand or residue being studied has a correct annotation (3-letter code), i.e. if it has the same topology and stereochemistry as the model ligand or residue with this annotation. If not, MotiveValidator explicitly describes the differences. MotiveValidator offers a user-friendly, interactive and platform-independent environment for validating structures obtained by any type of experiment. The results of the validation are presented in both tabular and graphical form, facilitating their interpretation. MotiveValidator can process thousands of ligands or residues in a single validation run that takes no more than a few minutes. MotiveValidator can be used for testing single structures, or the analysis of large sets of ligands or fragments prepared for binding site analysis, docking or virtual screening. MotiveValidator is freely available via the Internet at http://ncbr.muni.cz/MotiveValidator. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  2. Mutagenesis of the residues forming an ion binding pocket of the NtpK subunit of Enterococcus hirae V-ATPase.

    PubMed

    Kawano-Kawada, Miyuki; Iwaki, Tomoko; Hosaka, Toshiaki; Murata, Takeshi; Yamato, Ichiro; Homma, Michio; Kakinuma, Yoshimi

    2012-09-01

    The crystal structures of the Na(+)- and Li(+)-bound NtpK rings of Enterococcus hirae V-ATPase have been obtained. The coupling ion (Na(+) or Li(+)) was surrounded by five oxygen atoms contributed by residues T64, Q65, Q110, E139, and L61, and the hydrogen bonds of the side chains of Q110, Y68, and T64 stabilized the position of the E139 γ carboxylate essential for ion occlusion (PDB accession numbers 2BL2 and 2CYD). We previously indicated that an NtpK mutant strain (E139D) lost tolerance to sodium but not to lithium at alkaline pHs and suggested that the E139 residue is indispensable for the enzymatic activity of E. hirae V-ATPase linked with the sodium tolerance of this bacterium. In this study, we examined the activities of V-ATPase in which these four residues, except for E139, were substituted. The V-ATPase activities of the Q65A and Y68A mutants were slightly retained, but those of the T64A and Q110A mutants were negligible. Among the residues, T64 and Q110 are indispensable for the ion coupling of E. hirae V-ATPase, in addition to the essential residue E139.

  3. Mutagenesis of the Residues Forming an Ion Binding Pocket of the NtpK Subunit of Enterococcus hirae V-ATPase

    PubMed Central

    Kawano-Kawada, Miyuki; Iwaki, Tomoko; Hosaka, Toshiaki; Murata, Takeshi; Yamato, Ichiro; Homma, Michio

    2012-01-01

    The crystal structures of the Na+- and Li+-bound NtpK rings of Enterococcus hirae V-ATPase have been obtained. The coupling ion (Na+ or Li+) was surrounded by five oxygen atoms contributed by residues T64, Q65, Q110, E139, and L61, and the hydrogen bonds of the side chains of Q110, Y68, and T64 stabilized the position of the E139 γ carboxylate essential for ion occlusion (PDB accession numbers 2BL2 and 2CYD). We previously indicated that an NtpK mutant strain (E139D) lost tolerance to sodium but not to lithium at alkaline pHs and suggested that the E139 residue is indispensable for the enzymatic activity of E. hirae V-ATPase linked with the sodium tolerance of this bacterium. In this study, we examined the activities of V-ATPase in which these four residues, except for E139, were substituted. The V-ATPase activities of the Q65A and Y68A mutants were slightly retained, but those of the T64A and Q110A mutants were negligible. Among the residues, T64 and Q110 are indispensable for the ion coupling of E. hirae V-ATPase, in addition to the essential residue E139. PMID:22730119

  4. Carbohydrate Strategies for Injury Prevention

    PubMed Central

    Schlabach, Gretchen

    1994-01-01

    Prevention of injury involves identifying risk factors that would predispose one to injury and developing strategies to attenuate or eliminate their presence. Because muscle glycogen depletion is associated with fatigue and injury, it should be treated as a possible risk factor. Muscle glycogen stores are derived almost entirely from carbohydrate intake. Because there is a limited capacity to store muscle glycogen, and because muscle glycogen is the predominant fuel in exercise of moderate to severe intensity, the nutritional focus should be on carbohydrate consumption. Easy-to-follow nutritional strategies should be employed that will maximize muscle glycogen stores and delay the onset of fatigue. Individuals involved in activities lasting less than 60 minutes need to consume an adequate amount of carbohydrate daily and a pre-event meal before the start of the activity. However, individuals participating in activities longer than 60 minutes or participating in activities requiring repeated bouts of high intensity exercise need to: 1) consume an adequate amount of carbohydrate daily, 2) practice carbohydrate loading, 3) consume the pre-event meal, and 4) ingest carbohydrates immediately before, during, and after the activity. PMID:16558287

  5. Comparative analysis of carbohydrate residues in the midgut of phlebotomines (Diptera: Psychodidae) from colony and field populations from Amazon, Brazil.

    PubMed

    de Oliveira, Davi Marcos Souza; da Silva, Bruno José Martins; de Sena, Chubert Bernardo Castro; Lima, José Aprígio Nunes; Vasconcelos Dos Santos, Thiago; Silveira, Fernando Tobias; Silva, Edilene Oliveira

    2016-09-01

    Leishmaniasis are worldwide diseases that occur in 98 countries including Brazil, transmitted by the bite of female phlebotomines during blood feeding. In Brazil it is known that some species of sand flies as Lutzomyia longipalpis sensun latum (vector of Leishmania infantum chagasi), Lutzomyia flaviscutellata (vector of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis) and Lutzomyia antunesi [suspected vector of Leishmania (Viannia) lindenbergi] are incriminated of transmitting the parasite Leishmania for the vertebrate host. The phlebotomine-parasite is mediated by the attachment of the promastigote lipophosphoglycan (LPG) to the midgut epithelium. However, another mechanism that is LPG-independent and mediated by N-acetyl-galactosamine (GalNAc) seems to occur in some species of phlebotomines that are classified as permissive. The aim of this study was to characterize the carbohydrate residues that, probably, play a role in parasite attachment to the midgut of phlebotomine from colony and field populations from the Brazilian Amazonian region. We observed the presence of GalNAc, mannose, galactose and GlcNAc in all phlebotomine species. A binding assay between L. (L.) amazonensis and L. i.chagasi to the midguts of different species of phlebotomines was performed. The attachment of both Leishmania and vector species suggests the presence of GalNAc on the midgut surfaces. Thus, these results suggested that GalNAc is a possible binding sites of Leishmania in sand flies from the Brazilian Amazonian region. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Fabrication of Carbohydrate Microarrays by Boronate Formation.

    PubMed

    Adak, Avijit K; Lin, Ting-Wei; Li, Ben-Yuan; Lin, Chun-Cheng

    2017-01-01

    The interactions between soluble carbohydrates and/or surface displayed glycans and protein receptors are essential to many biological processes and cellular recognition events. Carbohydrate microarrays provide opportunities for high-throughput quantitative analysis of carbohydrate-protein interactions. Over the past decade, various techniques have been implemented for immobilizing glycans on solid surfaces in a microarray format. Herein, we describe a detailed protocol for fabricating carbohydrate microarrays that capitalizes on the intrinsic reactivity of boronic acid toward carbohydrates to form stable boronate diesters. A large variety of unprotected carbohydrates ranging in structure from simple disaccharides and trisaccharides to considerably more complex human milk and blood group (oligo)saccharides have been covalently immobilized in a single step on glass slides, which were derivatized with high-affinity boronic acid ligands. The immobilized ligands in these microarrays maintain the receptor-binding activities including those of lectins and antibodies according to the structures of their pendant carbohydrates for rapid analysis of a number of carbohydrate-recognition events within 30 h. This method facilitates the direct construction of otherwise difficult to obtain carbohydrate microarrays from underivatized glycans.

  7. Outcome of the First wwPDB Hybrid/Integrative Methods Task Force Workshop.

    PubMed

    Sali, Andrej; Berman, Helen M; Schwede, Torsten; Trewhella, Jill; Kleywegt, Gerard; Burley, Stephen K; Markley, John; Nakamura, Haruki; Adams, Paul; Bonvin, Alexandre M J J; Chiu, Wah; Peraro, Matteo Dal; Di Maio, Frank; Ferrin, Thomas E; Grünewald, Kay; Gutmanas, Aleksandras; Henderson, Richard; Hummer, Gerhard; Iwasaki, Kenji; Johnson, Graham; Lawson, Catherine L; Meiler, Jens; Marti-Renom, Marc A; Montelione, Gaetano T; Nilges, Michael; Nussinov, Ruth; Patwardhan, Ardan; Rappsilber, Juri; Read, Randy J; Saibil, Helen; Schröder, Gunnar F; Schwieters, Charles D; Seidel, Claus A M; Svergun, Dmitri; Topf, Maya; Ulrich, Eldon L; Velankar, Sameer; Westbrook, John D

    2015-07-07

    Structures of biomolecular systems are increasingly computed by integrative modeling that relies on varied types of experimental data and theoretical information. We describe here the proceedings and conclusions from the first wwPDB Hybrid/Integrative Methods Task Force Workshop held at the European Bioinformatics Institute in Hinxton, UK, on October 6 and 7, 2014. At the workshop, experts in various experimental fields of structural biology, experts in integrative modeling and visualization, and experts in data archiving addressed a series of questions central to the future of structural biology. How should integrative models be represented? How should the data and integrative models be validated? What data should be archived? How should the data and models be archived? What information should accompany the publication of integrative models? Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. How Phosphotransferase System-Related Protein Phosphorylation Regulates Carbohydrate Metabolism in Bacteria†

    PubMed Central

    Deutscher, Josef; Francke, Christof; Postma, Pieter W.

    2006-01-01

    The phosphoenolpyruvate(PEP):carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS) is found only in bacteria, where it catalyzes the transport and phosphorylation of numerous monosaccharides, disaccharides, amino sugars, polyols, and other sugar derivatives. To carry out its catalytic function in sugar transport and phosphorylation, the PTS uses PEP as an energy source and phosphoryl donor. The phosphoryl group of PEP is usually transferred via four distinct proteins (domains) to the transported sugar bound to the respective membrane component(s) (EIIC and EIID) of the PTS. The organization of the PTS as a four-step phosphoryl transfer system, in which all P derivatives exhibit similar energy (phosphorylation occurs at histidyl or cysteyl residues), is surprising, as a single protein (or domain) coupling energy transfer and sugar phosphorylation would be sufficient for PTS function. A possible explanation for the complexity of the PTS was provided by the discovery that the PTS also carries out numerous regulatory functions. Depending on their phosphorylation state, the four proteins (domains) forming the PTS phosphorylation cascade (EI, HPr, EIIA, and EIIB) can phosphorylate or interact with numerous non-PTS proteins and thereby regulate their activity. In addition, in certain bacteria, one of the PTS components (HPr) is phosphorylated by ATP at a seryl residue, which increases the complexity of PTS-mediated regulation. In this review, we try to summarize the known protein phosphorylation-related regulatory functions of the PTS. As we shall see, the PTS regulation network not only controls carbohydrate uptake and metabolism but also interferes with the utilization of nitrogen and phosphorus and the virulence of certain pathogens. PMID:17158705

  9. Carbohydrate protease conjugates: Stabilized proteases for peptide synthesis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wartchow, C.A.; Wang, Peng; Bednarski, M.D.

    1995-12-31

    The synthesis of oligopeptides using stable carbohydrate protease conjugates (CPCs) was examined in acetonitrile solvent systems. CPC[{alpha}-chymotrypsin] was used for the preparation of peptides containing histidine, phenylalanine, tryptophan in the P{sub 1} position in 60-93% yield. The CPC[{alpha}-chymotrypsin]-catalyzed synthesis of octamer Z-Gly-Gly-Phe-Gly-Gly-Phe-Gly-Gly-OEt from Z-Gly-Gly-Phe-Gly-Gly-Phe-OMe was achieved in 71% yield demonstrating that synthesis peptides containing both hydrophylic and hydrophobic amino acids. The P{sub 2} specificity of papain for aromatic residues was utilized for the 2 + 3 coupling of Z-Tyr-Gly-OMe to H{sub 2}N-Gly-Phe-Leu-OH to generate the leucine enkephalin derivative in 79% yield. Although papain is nonspecific for the hydrolysis of N-benzyloxycarbonylmore » amino acid methyl esters in aqueous solution, the rates of synthesis for these derivitives with nucleophile leucine tert-butyl ester differed by nearly 2 orders of magnitude. CPC[thermolysin] was used to prepare the aspartame precursor Z-Asp-Phe-OMe in 90% yield. The increased stability of CPCs prepared from periodate-modified poly(2-methacryl- amido-2-deoxy-D-glucose), poly(2-methacrylamido-2-deoxy-D-galactose), and poly(5-methacryl-amido-5-deoxy-D-ribose), carbohydrate materials designed to increase the aldehyde concentration in aqueous solution, suggests that the stability of CPCs is directly related to the aldehyde concentration of the carbohydrate material. Periodate oxidation of poly(2-methacrylamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose) followed by covalent attachment to {alpha}-chymotrypsin gave a CPC with catalytic activity in potassium phosphate buffer at 90{degrees}C for 2 h. 1 fig., 1 tab., 40 refs.« less

  10. Predicting water-soluble carbohydrates and ethanol-soluble carbohydrates in cool-season grasses with near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Grazing animals may require a high or low total nonstructural carbohydrate diet for optimal health and production. Understanding how nonstructural carbohydrates fluctuate in Kentucky pastures and being able to quantify and monitor nonstructural carbohydrates in a timely manner will greatly aid in m...

  11. Structural changes of homodimers in the PDB.

    PubMed

    Koike, Ryotaro; Amemiya, Takayuki; Horii, Tatsuya; Ota, Motonori

    2018-04-01

    Protein complexes are involved in various biological phenomena. These complexes are intrinsically flexible, and structural changes are essential to their functions. To perform a large-scale automated analysis of the structural changes of complexes, we combined two original methods. An application, SCPC, compares two structures of protein complexes and decides the match of binding mode. Another application, Motion Tree, identifies rigid-body motions in various sizes and magnitude from the two structural complexes with the same binding mode. This approach was applied to all available homodimers in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). We defined two complex-specific motions: interface motion and subunit-spanning motion. In the former, each subunit of a complex constitutes a rigid body, and the relative movement between subunits occurs at the interface. In the latter, structural parts from distinct subunits constitute a rigid body, providing the relative movement spanning subunits. All structural changes were classified and examined. It was revealed that the complex-specific motions were common in the homodimers, detected in around 40% of families. The dimeric interfaces were likely to be small and flat for interface motion, while large and rugged for subunit-spanning motion. Interface motion was accompanied by a drastic change in contacts at the interface, while the change in the subunit-spanning motion was moderate. These results indicate that the interface properties of homodimers correlated with the type of complex-specific motion. The study demonstrates that the pipeline of SCPC and Motion Tree is useful for the massive analysis of structural change of protein complexes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. From 'pleasure to chemistry': the experience of carbohydrate counting with and without carbohydrate restriction for people with Type 1 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Cresswell, Pip; Krebs, Jeremy; Gilmour, Jean; Hanna, Aoife; Parry-Strong, Amber

    2015-12-01

    Matching carbohydrate intake with insulin dosage is recommended management for people with Type 1 diabetes. However, international interest in restricted carbohydrate diets is growing. General practitioners and practice nurses need to know how to advise people with Type 1 diabetes regarding low-carbohydrate diets. This study aimed to explore the carbohydrate counting experiences of people with Type 1 diabetes in a trial with and without a diet restricted to 75 g of carbohydrate per day. Eight participants were interviewed by focus group or interview 12 weeks after a carbohydrate counting course with individual dietary choice or the same course with information on restricted carbohydrate eating and a daily maximum intake of 75 g of carbohydrate. Data were analysed using a qualitative thematic analysis approach. Themes included the need for insulin management skills, impact of the dietary experience, and need for dietary knowledge. The restricted-carbohydrate group encountered mealtime insulin resistance and difficulty managing insulin dosages when transitioning on and off the low-carbohydrate diet. The diet impacted on mood, feelings of satiety and it was reported that food changed from being 'a pleasure to chemistry'. Both groups described feeling empowered to manage their diabetes as a result of the carbohydrate counting course. Participants reported increased knowledge and challenging insulin management. The restricted-carbohydrate group reported mealtime insulin resistance and a strong dietary impact. Extra health professional support may be required, especially at dietary transition periods. More research is warranted into the reported mealtime insulin resistance.

  13. Discovery and design of carbohydrate-based therapeutics.

    PubMed

    Cipolla, Laura; Araújo, Ana C; Bini, Davide; Gabrielli, Luca; Russo, Laura; Shaikh, Nasrin

    2010-08-01

    Till now, the importance of carbohydrates has been underscored, if compared with the two other major classes of biopolymers such as oligonucleotides and proteins. Recent advances in glycobiology and glycochemistry have imparted a strong interest in the study of this enormous family of biomolecules. Carbohydrates have been shown to be implicated in recognition processes, such as cell-cell adhesion, cell-extracellular matrix adhesion and cell-intruder recognition phenomena. In addition, carbohydrates are recognized as differentiation markers and as antigenic determinants. Due to their relevant biological role, carbohydrates are promising candidates for drug design and disease treatment. However, the growing number of human disorders known as congenital disorders of glycosylation that are being identified as resulting from abnormalities in glycan structures and protein glycosylation strongly indicates that a fast development of glycobiology, glycochemistry and glycomedicine is highly desirable. The topics give an overview of different approaches that have been used to date for the design of carbohydrate-based therapeutics; this includes the use of native synthetic carbohydrates, the use of carbohydrate mimics designed on the basis of their native counterpart, the use of carbohydrates as scaffolds and finally the design of glyco-fused therapeutics, one of the most recent approaches. The review covers mainly literature that has appeared since 2000, except for a few papers cited for historical reasons. The reader will gain an overview of the current strategies applied to the design of carbohydrate-based therapeutics; in particular, the advantages/disadvantages of different approaches are highlighted. The topic is presented in a general, basic manner and will hopefully be a useful resource for all readers who are not familiar with it. In addition, in order to stress the potentialities of carbohydrates, several examples of carbohydrate-based marketed therapeutics are given

  14. Carbohydrates digestion and metabolism in the spiny lobster (Panulirus argus): biochemical indication for limited carbohydrate utilization.

    PubMed

    Rodríguez-Viera, Leandro; Perera, Erick; Montero-Alejo, Vivian; Perdomo-Morales, Rolando; García-Galano, Tsai; Martínez-Rodríguez, Gonzalo; Mancera, Juan M

    2017-01-01

    As other spiny lobsters, Panulirus argus is supposed to use preferentially proteins and lipids in energy metabolism, while carbohydrates are well digested but poorly utilized. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary carbohydrate level on digestion and metabolism in the spiny lobster P. argus . We used complementary methodologies such as post-feeding flux of nutrients and metabolites, as well as measurements of α-amylase expression and activity in the digestive tract. Lobsters readily digested and absorbed carbohydrates with a time-course that is dependent on their content in diet. Lobster showed higher levels of free glucose and stored glycogen in different tissues as the inclusion of wheat flour increased. Modifications in intermediary metabolism revealed a decrease in amino acids catabolism coupled with a higher use of free glucose as carbohydrates rise up to 20%. However, this effect seems to be limited by the metabolic capacity of lobsters to use more than 20% of carbohydrates in diets. Lobsters were not able to tightly regulate α-amylase expression according to dietary carbohydrate level but exhibited a marked difference in secretion of this enzyme into the gut. Results are discussed to highlight the limitations to increasing carbohydrate utilization by lobsters. Further growout trials are needed to link the presented metabolic profiles with phenotypic outcomes.

  15. Carbohydrates digestion and metabolism in the spiny lobster (Panulirus argus): biochemical indication for limited carbohydrate utilization

    PubMed Central

    Montero-Alejo, Vivian; Perdomo-Morales, Rolando; García-Galano, Tsai; Martínez-Rodríguez, Gonzalo; Mancera, Juan M.

    2017-01-01

    As other spiny lobsters, Panulirus argus is supposed to use preferentially proteins and lipids in energy metabolism, while carbohydrates are well digested but poorly utilized. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary carbohydrate level on digestion and metabolism in the spiny lobster P. argus. We used complementary methodologies such as post-feeding flux of nutrients and metabolites, as well as measurements of α-amylase expression and activity in the digestive tract. Lobsters readily digested and absorbed carbohydrates with a time-course that is dependent on their content in diet. Lobster showed higher levels of free glucose and stored glycogen in different tissues as the inclusion of wheat flour increased. Modifications in intermediary metabolism revealed a decrease in amino acids catabolism coupled with a higher use of free glucose as carbohydrates rise up to 20%. However, this effect seems to be limited by the metabolic capacity of lobsters to use more than 20% of carbohydrates in diets. Lobsters were not able to tightly regulate α-amylase expression according to dietary carbohydrate level but exhibited a marked difference in secretion of this enzyme into the gut. Results are discussed to highlight the limitations to increasing carbohydrate utilization by lobsters. Further growout trials are needed to link the presented metabolic profiles with phenotypic outcomes. PMID:29114440

  16. Ugi 4-CR Synthesis of γ- and δ-Lactams providing new access to diverse enzyme interactions, a PDB analysis.

    PubMed

    Boltjes, André; Liao, George P; Zhao, Ting; Herdtweck, Eberhardt; Dömling, Alexander

    2014-07-01

    A three step synthesis of N -unsubstituted tetrazolo γ- and δ-lactams involving a key Ugi-4CR is presented. The compounds, otherwise difficult to access, are conveniently synthesized in overall good yields by our route. PDB analysis of the N -unsubstituted γ- and δ-lactam fragment reveals a strongly tri-directional hydrogen bond donor acceptor interaction with the amino acids of the binding sites.

  17. Carbohydrates and Endothelial Function: Is a Low-Carbohydrate Diet or a Low-Glycemic Index Diet Favourable for Vascular Health?

    PubMed Central

    Jovanovski, Elena; Zurbau, Andreea

    2015-01-01

    Low-carbohydrate diets have become increasingly popular in both media and clinical research settings. Although they may improve some metabolic markers, their effects on arterial function remain unclear. Endothelial dysfunction is the well-established response to cardiovascular risk factors and a pivotal feature that precedes atherosclerotic diseases. It has been demonstrated that a high carbohydrate-induced hyperglycemia and subsequent oxidative stress acutely worsen the efficacy of the endothelial vasodilatory system. Thus, in theory, a carbohydrate restricted diet may preserve the integrity of the arterial system. This review attempts to provide insight on whether low-carbohydrate diets have a favorable or detrimental impact on vascular function, or it is perhaps the quality of carbohydrate that should direct dietary recommendations. Research to date suggests that diets low in carbohydrate amount may negatively impact vascular endothelial function. Conversely, it appears that maintaining recommended carbohydrate intake with utilization of low glycemic index foods generates a more favorable vascular profile. Understanding these relationships will aid in deciphering the diverging role of modulating quantity and quality of carbohydrates on cardiovascular risk. PMID:25954727

  18. Carbohydrates and endothelial function: is a low-carbohydrate diet or a low-glycemic index diet favourable for vascular health?

    PubMed

    Jovanovski, Elena; Zurbau, Andreea; Vuksan, Vladimir

    2015-04-01

    Low-carbohydrate diets have become increasingly popular in both media and clinical research settings. Although they may improve some metabolic markers, their effects on arterial function remain unclear. Endothelial dysfunction is the well-established response to cardiovascular risk factors and a pivotal feature that precedes atherosclerotic diseases. It has been demonstrated that a high carbohydrate-induced hyperglycemia and subsequent oxidative stress acutely worsen the efficacy of the endothelial vasodilatory system. Thus, in theory, a carbohydrate restricted diet may preserve the integrity of the arterial system. This review attempts to provide insight on whether low-carbohydrate diets have a favorable or detrimental impact on vascular function, or it is perhaps the quality of carbohydrate that should direct dietary recommendations. Research to date suggests that diets low in carbohydrate amount may negatively impact vascular endothelial function. Conversely, it appears that maintaining recommended carbohydrate intake with utilization of low glycemic index foods generates a more favorable vascular profile. Understanding these relationships will aid in deciphering the diverging role of modulating quantity and quality of carbohydrates on cardiovascular risk.

  19. Analysis of Phyllostachys pubescens bamboo residues for liquefaction: chemical components, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetry

    Treesearch

    Jinqiu Qi; Chung-Yun Hse; Todd F. Shupe

    2013-01-01

    Residues of Phyllostachys pubescens bamboo obtained from central Louisiana, USA, were comprehensively investigated for use in liquefaction. The results showed that bamboo branches had the highest Klason lignin and ash content, about 26% and 2.75%, respectively. The epidermis layer sample had relatively higher carbohydrate content, while the wax layer sample had the...

  20. Hyper-Assembly of Self-Assembled Glycoclusters Mediated by Specific Carbohydrate-Carbohydrate Interactions.

    PubMed

    Yan, Gengwei; Yamaguchi, Takumi; Suzuki, Tatsuya; Yanaka, Saeko; Sato, Sota; Fujita, Makoto; Kato, Koichi

    2017-05-04

    Hybridization of a self-assembled, spherical complex with oligosaccharides containing Lewis X, a functional trisaccharide displayed on various cell surfaces, yielded well-defined glycoclusters. The self-assembled glycoclusters exhibited homophilic hyper-assembly in aqueous solution in a Ca 2+ -dependent manner through specific carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions, offering a structural scaffold for functional biomimetic systems. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Accuracy of Carbohydrate Counting in Adults

    PubMed Central

    Rushton, Wanda E.

    2016-01-01

    In Brief This study investigates carbohydrate counting accuracy in patients using insulin through a multiple daily injection regimen or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion. The average accuracy test score for all patients was 59%. The carbohydrate test in this study can be used to emphasize the importance of carbohydrate counting to patients and to provide ongoing education. PMID:27621531

  2. Versatile derivatives of carbohydrate-binding modules for imaging of complex carbohydrates approaching the molecular level of resolution.

    PubMed

    Ding, Shi-You; Xu, Qi; Ali, Mursheda K; Baker, John O; Bayer, Edward A; Barak, Yoav; Lamed, Raphael; Sugiyama, Junji; Rumbles, Garry; Himmel, Michael E

    2006-10-01

    The innate binding specificity of different carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) offers a versatile approach for mapping the chemistry and structure of surfaces that contain complex carbohydrates. We have employed the distinct recognition properties of a double His-tagged recombinant CBM tagged with semiconductor quantum dots for direct imaging of crystalline cellulose at the molecular level of resolution, using transmission and scanning transmission electron microscopy. In addition, three different types of CBMs from families 3, 6, and 20 that exhibit different carbohydrate specificities were each fused with either green fluorescent protein (GFP) or red fluorescent protein (RFP) and employed for double-labeling fluorescence microscopy studies of primary cell walls and various mixtures of complex carbohydrate target molecules. CBM probes can be used for characterizing both native complex carbohydrates and engineered biomaterials.

  3. Characterizing carbohydrate-protein interactions by NMR

    PubMed Central

    Bewley, Carole A.; Shahzad-ul-Hussan, Syed

    2013-01-01

    Interactions between proteins and soluble carbohydrates and/or surface displayed glycans are central to countless recognition, attachment and signaling events in biology. The physical chemical features associated with these binding events vary considerably, depending on the biological system of interest. For example, carbohydrate-protein interactions can be stoichiometric or multivalent, the protein receptors can be monomeric or oligomeric, and the specificity of recognition can be highly stringent or rather promiscuous. Equilibrium dissociation constants for carbohydrate binding are known to vary from micromolar to millimolar, with weak interactions being far more prevalent; and individual carbohydrate binding sites can be truly symmetrical or merely homologous, and hence, the affinities of individual sites within a single protein can vary, as can the order of binding. Several factors, including the weak affinities with which glycans bind their protein receptors, the dynamic nature of the glycans themselves, and the non-equivalent interactions among oligomeric carbohydrate receptors, have made NMR an especially powerful tool for studying and defining carbohydrate-protein interactions. Here we describe those NMR approaches that have proven to be the most robust in characterizing these systems, and explain what type of information can (or cannot) be obtained from each. Our goal is to provide to the reader the information necessary for selecting the correct experiment or sets of experiments to characterize their carbohydrate-protein interaction of interest. PMID:23784792

  4. Preparation of water-soluble glycoconjugated poly(acrylamide) for NMR analyses of carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xuan, Trinh Anh; Trung, Phan Nghia; Dinh, Bui Long; Yamaguchi, Takumi; Kato, Koichi

    2014-05-01

    Oligosaccharide chains of glycoconjugates are important biopolymers not only as carriers of information in cell-cell interactions but also as markers of cellular differentiation, aging, and malignant alteration. Molecular interactions where carbohydrates are involved are usually considered as weak interactions, so the study and evaluation of these interactions is still in its infancy. The evidences and studies of carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions (CCI) will be confirming the importance of this mechanism for specific cell adhesion and communication. Their development will go hand in hand with the development of new and more sensitive techniques to study weak interactions. Recently, synthetic glycopolymers with functions similar to those of such natural carbohydrates and with specific pendant saccharide moieties were used as a solution for enhancement CCI when forming polyvalent interactions. Carbohydrates are ubiquitous components of cell wall membranes and occur as glycolipids, glycoproteins, proteoglycans, and capsular polysaccharides. As such they can participate in forefront intramolecular and intracellular events. Apart from their recognized roles in the physicochemical properties of glycolipids and glycoproteins. In this study, we designed trisaccharide monomers for free radical polymerization. Subsequently, the trisaccharide unit for chemical conjugation was synthesized from galactosamine in good yield. For further NMR analyses of CCI, glycopolymers composed of these sugar derivatives will be provided.

  5. High-resolution structure of the M14-type cytosolic carboxypeptidase from Burkholderia cenocepacia refined exploiting PDB_REDO strategies.

    PubMed

    Rimsa, Vadim; Eadsforth, Thomas C; Joosten, Robbie P; Hunter, William N

    2014-02-01

    A potential cytosolic metallocarboxypeptidase from Burkholderia cenocepacia has been crystallized and a synchrotron-radiation microfocus beamline allowed the acquisition of diffraction data to 1.9 Å resolution. The asymmetric unit comprises a tetramer containing over 1500 amino acids, and the high-throughput automated protocols embedded in PDB_REDO were coupled with model-map inspections in refinement. This approach has highlighted the value of such protocols for efficient analyses. The subunit is constructed from two domains. The N-terminal domain has previously only been observed in cytosolic carboxypeptidase (CCP) proteins. The C-terminal domain, which carries the Zn2+-containing active site, serves to classify this protein as a member of the M14D subfamily of carboxypeptidases. Although eukaryotic CCPs possess deglutamylase activity and are implicated in processing modified tubulin, the function and substrates of the bacterial family members remain unknown. The B. cenocepacia protein did not display deglutamylase activity towards a furylacryloyl glutamate derivative, a potential substrate. Residues previously shown to coordinate the divalent cation and that contribute to peptide-bond cleavage in related enzymes such as bovine carboxypeptidase are conserved. The location of a conserved basic patch in the active site adjacent to the catalytic Zn2+, where an acetate ion is identified, suggests recognition of the carboxy-terminus in a similar fashion to other carboxypeptidases. However, there are significant differences that indicate the recognition of substrates with different properties. Of note is the presence of a lysine in the S1' recognition subsite that suggests specificity towards an acidic substrate.

  6. Comprehensive characterization of non-cellulosic recalcitrant cell wall carbohydrates in unhydrolyzed solids from AFEX-pretreated corn stover.

    PubMed

    Gunawan, Christa; Xue, Saisi; Pattathil, Sivakumar; da Costa Sousa, Leonardo; Dale, Bruce E; Balan, Venkatesh

    2017-01-01

    Inefficient carbohydrate conversion has been an unsolved problem for various lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment technologies, including AFEX, dilute acid, and ionic liquid pretreatments. Previous work has shown 22% of total carbohydrates are typically unconverted, remaining as soluble or insoluble oligomers after hydrolysis (72 h) with excess commercial enzyme loading (20 mg enzymes/g biomass). Nearly one third (7 out of 22%) of these total unconverted carbohydrates are present in unhydrolyzed solid (UHS) residues. The presence of these unconverted carbohydrates leads to a considerable sugar yield loss, which negatively impacts the overall economics of the biorefinery. Current commercial enzyme cocktails are not effective to digest specific cross-linkages in plant cell wall glycans, especially some of those present in hemicelluloses and pectins. Thus, obtaining information about the most recalcitrant non-cellulosic glycan cross-linkages becomes a key study to rationally improve commercial enzyme cocktails, by supplementing the required enzyme activities for hydrolyzing those unconverted glycans. In this work, cell wall glycans that could not be enzymatically converted to monomeric sugars from AFEX-pretreated corn stover (CS) were characterized using compositional analysis and glycome profiling tools. The pretreated CS was hydrolyzed using commercial enzyme mixtures comprising cellulase and hemicellulase at 7% glucan loading (~20% solid loading). The carbohydrates present in UHS and liquid hydrolysate were evaluated over a time period of 168 h enzymatic hydrolysis. Cell wall glycan-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were used to characterize the type and abundance of non-cellulosic polysaccharides present in UHS over the course of enzymatic hydrolysis. 4- O -methyl-d-glucuronic acid-substituted xylan and pectic-arabinogalactan were found to be the most abundant epitopes recognized by mAbs in UHS and liquid hydrolysate, suggesting that the commercial enzyme

  7. Exploiting Uniformly 13C-Labeled Carbohydrates for Probing Carbohydrate-Protein Interactions by NMR Spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Nestor, Gustav; Anderson, Taigh; Oscarson, Stefan; Gronenborn, Angela M

    2017-05-03

    NMR of a uniformly 13 C-labeled carbohydrate was used to elucidate the atomic details of a sugar-protein complex. The structure of the 13 C-labeled Manα(1-2)Manα(1-2)ManαOMe trisaccharide ligand, when bound to cyanovirin-N (CV-N), was characterized and revealed that in the complex the glycosidic linkage torsion angles between the two reducing-end mannoses are different from the free trisaccharide. Distances within the carbohydrate were employed for conformational analysis, and NOE-based distance mapping between sugar and protein revealed that Manα(1-2)Manα(1-2)ManαOMe is bound more intimately with its two reducing-end mannoses into the domain A binding site of CV-N than with the nonreducing end unit. Taking advantage of the 13 C spectral dispersion of 13 C-labeled carbohydrates in isotope-filtered experiments is a versatile means for a simultaneous mapping of the binding interactions on both, the carbohydrate and the protein.

  8. Multivalent interaction based carbohydrate biosensors for signal amplification

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Yanyan; Chalagalla, Srinivas; Li, Tiehai; Sun, Xue-long; Zhao, Wei; Wang, Peng; Zeng, Xiangqun

    2010-01-01

    Multivalent interaction between boronic acids immobilized on Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) sensor surface and the carbohydrates modified Au - nanoparticle (AuNP) has been demonstrated for the development of a sensitive carbohydrate biosensor. Briefly, a boronic acid - containing polymer (boropolymer) as multivalent carbohydrate receptor was oriented immobilized on the cysteamine coated electrode through isourea bond formation. Carbohydrates were conjugated to AuNPs to generate a multivalent carbohydrates moiety to amplify the response signal. Thus, the binding of the carbohydrate conjugated AuNPs to the boropolymer surface are multivalent which could simultaneously increase the binding affinity and specificity. We systematically studied the binding between five carbohydrate conjugated AuNPs and the boropolymer. Our studies show that the associate constant (Ka) was in the order of fucose < glucose < mannose < galactose < maltose. A linear response in the range from 23 µM to 3.83 mM was observed for mannose conjugated AuNPs and the boropolymer recognition elements, with the lower detection limit of 1.5 µM for the carbohydrate analytes. Furthermore, the multivalent binding between carbohydrates and boronic acids are reversible and allow the regeneration of boropolymer surface by using 1M acetic acid so as to sequentially capture and release the carbohydrate analytes. PMID:20863680

  9. Force fields and scoring functions for carbohydrate simulation.

    PubMed

    Xiong, Xiuming; Chen, Zhaoqiang; Cossins, Benjamin P; Xu, Zhijian; Shao, Qiang; Ding, Kai; Zhu, Weiliang; Shi, Jiye

    2015-01-12

    Carbohydrate dynamics plays a vital role in many biological processes, but we are not currently able to probe this with experimental approaches. The highly flexible nature of carbohydrate structures differs in many aspects from other biomolecules, posing significant challenges for studies employing computational simulation. Over past decades, computational study of carbohydrates has been focused on the development of structure prediction methods, force field optimization, molecular dynamics simulation, and scoring functions for carbohydrate-protein interactions. Advances in carbohydrate force fields and scoring functions can be largely attributed to enhanced computational algorithms, application of quantum mechanics, and the increasing number of experimental structures determined by X-ray and NMR techniques. The conformational analysis of carbohydrates is challengeable and has gone into intensive study in elucidating the anomeric, the exo-anomeric, and the gauche effects. Here, we review the issues associated with carbohydrate force fields and scoring functions, which will have a broad application in the field of carbohydrate-based drug design. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Chemical composition and physicochemical properties of Phaeodactylum tricornutum microalgal residual biomass.

    PubMed

    German-Báez, L J; Valdez-Flores, M A; Félix-Medina, J V; Norzagaray-Valenzuela, C D; Santos-Ballardo, D U; Reyes-Moreno, C; Shelton, L M; Valdez-Ortiz, A

    2017-12-01

    The production of photosynthetic biofuels using microalgae is a promising strategy to combat the use of non-renewable energy sources. The microalgae residual biomass is a waste by-product of biofuel production; however, it could prove to have utility in the development of sustainable nutraceuticals and functional foods. In this study, a comprehensive characterisation of the under-utilised Phaeodactylum tricornutum microalgae residual biomass is presented. Proximal composition, antioxidant capacity (using three different antioxidant assays; oxygen radical absorbance capacity; radical cation activity, ABTS; and radical scavenging activity, DPPH), and total phenolic content of free and bound polyphenols were determined. Additionally, the physicochemical properties of water activity, pH, water absorption index, water solubility index, and dispersibility were evaluated. Results revealed that P. tricornutum microalgae residual biomass exhibits a relatively high protein and carbohydrate content, with values of 36.67% and 46.78%, respectively; and most carbohydrates were found as total dietary fibre (45.57%), of which insoluble dietary fibre was the most predominant (43.54%). Antioxidant capacity values for total phytochemicals of 106.22, 67.93, 9.54 µM TE g -1 dw were determined by oxygen radical absorbance capacity, ABTS, and DPPH assays, respectively. Total phenolic content was found to be 2.90 mg GAE g -1 dw. Interestingly, antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content were higher in bound than in free phytochemical extracts. The physicochemical analysis showed P. tricornutum microalgae residual biomass to have suitable properties for the generation of a beverage with Aw, pH, water absorption index, water solubility index, and dispersibility values of 0.45, 7.12, 3.40 g gel g -1  dw, 2.5 g solids 100 g -1  dw, and 90%, respectively. Hence, P. tricornutum microalgae residual biomass could be considered a potential source of bioactive

  11. Association between Carbohydrate Intake and Serum Lipids

    PubMed Central

    Ma, Yunsheng; Chiriboga, David E.; Olendzki, Barbara C.; Li, Wenjun; Leung, Katherine; Hafner, Andrea R.; Li, Youfu; Ockene, Ira S.; Hebert, James R.

    2006-01-01

    Background The effect of dietary carbohydrate on blood lipids has received considerable attention in light of the current trend in lowering carbohydrate intake for weight loss. Objectives To evaluate the association between carbohydrate intake and serum lipids. Methods Blood samples and 24-hour dietary and physical activity recall interviews were obtained from each subject at quarterly intervals for five consecutive quarters between 1994 and 1998 from 574 healthy adults in Central Massachusetts. Relationships between serum lipids and dietary carbohydrate factors were assessed using linear mixed models and adjusting for other risk factors known to be related to blood lipids. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal results were reported. Results Cross-sectional analysis results from this study suggest that higher total carbohydrate intake, percentage of calories from carbohydrate, glycemic index (GI) and/or glycemic load (GL) are related to lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and higher serum triacylglycerol levels, while higher total carbohydrate intake and/or GL are related to lower total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. In a one-year longitudinal analysis, GL was positively associated with total and LDL-C levels, and there was an inverse association between percentage of calories from carbohydrate and HDL-C levels. Conclusions Results suggest that there is a complex and predominantly unfavorable effect of increased intake of highly processed carbohydrate on lipid profile, which may have implications for metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. Further studies in the form of randomized controlled trials are required to investigate these associations and determine the implications for lipid management. PMID:16582033

  12. [Carbohydrate metabolism in children with pulmonary tuberculosis].

    PubMed

    Tadzhidinova, M G; Aksenova, V A; Fateev, I I; Sevost'ianova, T A; Makinskiĭ, A I

    1998-01-01

    Examining carbohydrate metabolism in 59 children with pulmonary tuberculosis ascertained that to get tuberculosis naturally resulted in lower tissue sensitivity to insulin and in hyperinsulinemia. Effective treatment of children improves carbohydrate metabolism. However, there is no normalization of carbohydrate metabolism even in clinical cure.

  13. Vacuum ultraviolet photoionization of carbohydrates and nucleotides

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shin, Joong-Won; Bernstein, Elliot R.

    2014-01-01

    Carbohydrates (2-deoxyribose, ribose, and xylose) and nucleotides (adenosine-, cytidine-, guanosine-, and uridine-5'-monophosphate) are generated in the gas phase, and ionized with vacuum ultraviolet photons (VUV, 118.2 nm). The observed time of flight mass spectra of the carbohydrate fragmentation are similar to those observed [J.-W. Shin, F. Dong, M. Grisham, J. J. Rocca, and E. R. Bernstein, Chem. Phys. Lett. 506, 161 (2011)] for 46.9 nm photon ionization, but with more intensity in higher mass fragment ions. The tendency of carbohydrate ions to fragment extensively following ionization seemingly suggests that nucleic acids might undergo radiation damage as a result of carbohydrate, rather than nucleobase fragmentation. VUV photoionization of nucleotides (monophosphate-carbohydrate-nucleobase), however, shows that the carbohydrate-nucleobase bond is the primary fragmentation site for these species. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the removed carbohydrate electrons by the 118.2 nm photons are associated with endocyclic C-C and C-O ring centered orbitals: loss of electron density in the ring bonds of the nascent ion can thus account for the observed fragmentation patterns following carbohydrate ionization. DFT calculations also indicate that electrons removed from nucleotides under these same conditions are associated with orbitals involved with the nucleobase-saccharide linkage electron density. The calculations give a general mechanism and explanation of the experimental results.

  14. Vacuum ultraviolet photoionization of carbohydrates and nucleotides.

    PubMed

    Shin, Joong-Won; Bernstein, Elliot R

    2014-01-28

    Carbohydrates (2-deoxyribose, ribose, and xylose) and nucleotides (adenosine-, cytidine-, guanosine-, and uridine-5(')-monophosphate) are generated in the gas phase, and ionized with vacuum ultraviolet photons (VUV, 118.2 nm). The observed time of flight mass spectra of the carbohydrate fragmentation are similar to those observed [J.-W. Shin, F. Dong, M. Grisham, J. J. Rocca, and E. R. Bernstein, Chem. Phys. Lett. 506, 161 (2011)] for 46.9 nm photon ionization, but with more intensity in higher mass fragment ions. The tendency of carbohydrate ions to fragment extensively following ionization seemingly suggests that nucleic acids might undergo radiation damage as a result of carbohydrate, rather than nucleobase fragmentation. VUV photoionization of nucleotides (monophosphate-carbohydrate-nucleobase), however, shows that the carbohydrate-nucleobase bond is the primary fragmentation site for these species. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the removed carbohydrate electrons by the 118.2 nm photons are associated with endocyclic C-C and C-O ring centered orbitals: loss of electron density in the ring bonds of the nascent ion can thus account for the observed fragmentation patterns following carbohydrate ionization. DFT calculations also indicate that electrons removed from nucleotides under these same conditions are associated with orbitals involved with the nucleobase-saccharide linkage electron density. The calculations give a general mechanism and explanation of the experimental results.

  15. Vacuum ultraviolet photoionization of carbohydrates and nucleotides

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shin, Joong-Won, E-mail: jshin@govst.edu; Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1872; Bernstein, Elliot R., E-mail: erb@lamar.colostate.edu

    Carbohydrates (2-deoxyribose, ribose, and xylose) and nucleotides (adenosine-, cytidine-, guanosine-, and uridine-5{sup ′}-monophosphate) are generated in the gas phase, and ionized with vacuum ultraviolet photons (VUV, 118.2 nm). The observed time of flight mass spectra of the carbohydrate fragmentation are similar to those observed [J.-W. Shin, F. Dong, M. Grisham, J. J. Rocca, and E. R. Bernstein, Chem. Phys. Lett. 506, 161 (2011)] for 46.9 nm photon ionization, but with more intensity in higher mass fragment ions. The tendency of carbohydrate ions to fragment extensively following ionization seemingly suggests that nucleic acids might undergo radiation damage as a result of carbohydrate,more » rather than nucleobase fragmentation. VUV photoionization of nucleotides (monophosphate-carbohydrate-nucleobase), however, shows that the carbohydrate-nucleobase bond is the primary fragmentation site for these species. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the removed carbohydrate electrons by the 118.2 nm photons are associated with endocyclic C–C and C–O ring centered orbitals: loss of electron density in the ring bonds of the nascent ion can thus account for the observed fragmentation patterns following carbohydrate ionization. DFT calculations also indicate that electrons removed from nucleotides under these same conditions are associated with orbitals involved with the nucleobase-saccharide linkage electron density. The calculations give a general mechanism and explanation of the experimental results.« less

  16. [Diet and civilization diseases--carbohydrate aspects].

    PubMed

    Haslbeck, M

    1990-01-01

    Carbohydrates are a major component of our food, they are important as body energy stores and they play an important role in cellular structures. In the present paper a classification of food carbohydrates, of dietary fibers and sweeteners is presented and the major physiological effects are discussed. Furthermore, the significance of carbohydrates for the etiology and the treatment of nutrition related diseases which are closely related to the development of arteriosclerosis is outlined. Carbohydrates are beside fat the major determinants of the daily caloric intake. This illustrates their impact on the development of obesity with its predominant role as a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, the role of sugar consumption in the relation to dental caries is stressed. Also the central role of carbohydrate consumption for the treatment of diabetes mellitus is described. Problems of the diabetes diet, the role of the dietary fiber in the treatment of different diseases and the necessity of sweetness in nutrition are discussed in greater detail.

  17. Mutations close to a hub residue affect the distant active site of a GH1 β-glucosidase.

    PubMed

    Souza, Valquiria P; Ikegami, Cecília M; Arantes, Guilherme M; Marana, Sandro R

    2018-01-01

    The tertiary structure of proteins has been represented as a network, in which residues are nodes and their contacts are edges. Protein structure networks contain residues, called hubs or central, which are essential to form short connection pathways between any pair of nodes. Hence hub residues may effectively spread structural perturbations through the protein. To test whether modifications nearby to hub residues could affect the enzyme active site, mutations were introduced in the β-glycosidase Sfβgly (PDB-ID: 5CG0) directed to residues that form an α-helix (260-265) and a β-strand (335-337) close to one of its main hub residues, F251, which is approximately 14 Å from the Sfβgly active site. Replacement of residues A263 and A264, which side-chains project from the α-helix towards F251, decreased the rate of substrate hydrolysis. Mutation A263F was shown to weaken noncovalent interactions involved in transition state stabilization within the Sfβgly active site. Mutations placed on the opposite side of the same α-helix did not show these effects. Consistently, replacement of V336, which side-chain protrudes from a β-strand face towards F251, inactivated Sfβgly. Next to V336, mutation S337F also caused a decrease in noncovalent interactions involved in transition state stabilization. Therefore, we suggest that mutations A263F, A264F, V336F and S337F may directly perturb the position of the hub F251, which could propagate these perturbations into the Sfβgly active site through short connection pathways along the protein network.

  18. Decarbonylation and dehydrogenation of carbohydrates

    DOEpatents

    Andrews, Mark A.; Klaeren, Stephen A.

    1991-01-01

    Carbohydrates, especially aldose or ketose sugars, including those whose carbonyl group is masked by hemi-acetal or hemi-ketal formation, are decarbonylated by heating the feed carbohydrate together with a transition metal complex in a suitable solvent. Also, primary alcohols, including sugar alditols are simultaneously dehydrogenated and decarbonylated by heating a mixture of rhodium and ruthenium complexes and the alcohol and optionally a hydrogen acceptor in an acceptable solvent. Such defarbonylation and/or dehydrogenation of sugars provides a convenient procedure for the synthesis of certain carbohydrates and may provide a means for the conversion of biomass into useful products.

  19. Fructose-maltodextrin ratio in a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution differentially affects exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rate, gut comfort, and performance.

    PubMed

    O'Brien, Wendy J; Rowlands, David S

    2011-01-01

    Solutions containing multiple carbohydrates utilizing different intestinal transporters (glucose and fructose) show enhanced absorption, oxidation, and performance compared with single-carbohydrate solutions, but the impact of the ratio of these carbohydrates on outcomes is unknown. In a randomized double-blind crossover, 10 cyclists rode 150 min at 50% peak power, then performed an incremental test to exhaustion, while ingesting artificially sweetened water or one of three carbohydrate-salt solutions comprising fructose and maltodextrin in the respective following concentrations: 4.5 and 9% (0.5-Ratio), 6 and 7.5% (0.8-Ratio), and 7.5 and 6% (1.25-Ratio). The carbohydrates were ingested at 1.8 g/min and naturally (13)C-enriched to permit evaluation of oxidation rate by mass spectrometry and indirect calorimetry. Mean exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates were 1.04, 1.14, and 1.05 g/min (coefficient of variation 20%) in 0.5-, 0.8-, and 1.25-Ratios, respectively, representing likely small increases in 0.8-Ratio of 11% (90% confidence limits; ± 4%) and 10% (± 4%) relative to 0.5- and 1.25-Ratios, respectively. Comparisons of fat and total and endogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates between solutions were unclear. Relative to 0.5-Ratio, there were moderate improvements to peak power with 0.8- (3.6%; 99% confidence limits ± 3.5%) and 1.25-Ratio (3.0%; ± 3.7%) but unclear with water (0.4%; ± 4.4%). Increases in stomach fullness, abdominal cramping, and nausea were lowest with the 0.8- followed by the 1.25-Ratio solution. At high carbohydrate-ingestion rate, greater benefits to endurance performance may result from ingestion of 0.8- to 1.25-Ratio fructose-maltodextrin solutions. Small perceptible improvements in gut comfort favor the 0.8-Ratio and provide a clearer suggestion of mechanism than the relationship with exogenous carbohydrate oxidation.

  20. Potential Role for a Carbohydrate Moiety in Anti-Candida Activity of Human Oral Epithelial Cells

    PubMed Central

    Steele, Chad; Leigh, Janet; Swoboda, Rolf; Ozenci, Hatice; Fidel, Paul L.

    2001-01-01

    Candida albicans is both a commensal and a pathogen at the oral mucosa. Although an intricate network of host defense mechanisms are expected for protection against oropharyngeal candidiasis, anti-Candida host defense mechanisms at the oral mucosa are poorly understood. Our laboratory recently showed that primary epithelial cells from human oral mucosa, as well as an oral epithelial cell line, inhibit the growth of blastoconidia and/or hyphal phases of several Candida species in vitro with a requirement for cell contact and with no demonstrable role for soluble factors. In the present study, we show that oral epithelial cell-mediated anti-Candida activity is resistant to gamma-irradiation and is not mediated by phagocytosis, nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide oxidative inhibitory pathways or by nonoxidative components such as soluble defensin and calprotectin peptides. In contrast, epithelial cell-mediated anti-Candida activity was sensitive to heat, paraformaldehyde fixation, and detergents, but these treatments were accompanied by a significant loss in epithelial cell viability. Treatments that removed existing membrane protein or lipid moieties in the presence or absence of protein synthesis inhibitors had no effect on epithelial cell inhibitory activity. In contrast, the epithelial cell-mediated anti-Candida activity was abrogated after treatment of the epithelial cells with periodic acid, suggesting a role for carbohydrates. Adherence of C. albicans to oral epithelial cells was unaffected, indicating that the carbohydrate moiety is exclusively associated with the growth inhibition activity. Subsequent studies that evaluated specific membrane carbohydrate moieties, however, showed no role for sulfated polysaccharides, sialic acid residues, or glucose- and mannose-containing carbohydrates. These results suggest that oral epithelial cell-mediated anti-Candida activity occurs exclusively with viable epithelial cells through contact with C. albicans by

  1. Carbohydrates as indicators of biogeochemical processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lazareva, E. V.; Romankevich, E. A.

    2012-05-01

    A method is presented to study the carbohydrate composition of marine objects involved into sedimento- and diagenesis (plankton, particulate matter, benthos, and bottom sediments). The analysis of the carbohydrates is based upon the consecutive separation of their fractions with different solvents (water, alkali, and acid). The ratio of the carbohydrate fractions allows one to evaluate the lability of the carbohydrate complex. It is also usable as an indicator of the biogeochemical processes in the ocean, as well of the genesis and the degree of conversion of organic matter in the bottom sediments and nodules. The similarity in the monosaccharide composition is shown for dissolved organic matter and aqueous and alkaline fractions of seston and particulate matter.

  2. Chemical analysis and biorefinery of red algae Kappaphycus alvarezii for efficient production of glucose from residue of carrageenan extraction process.

    PubMed

    Masarin, Fernando; Cedeno, Fernando Roberto Paz; Chavez, Eddyn Gabriel Solorzano; de Oliveira, Levi Ezequiel; Gelli, Valéria Cress; Monti, Rubens

    2016-01-01

    Biorefineries serve to efficiently utilize biomass and their by-products. Algal biorefineries are designed to generate bioproducts for commercial use. Due to the high carbohydrate content of algal biomass, biorefinery to generate biofuels, such as bioethanol, is of great interest. Carrageenan is a predominant polysaccharide hydrocolloid found in red macroalgae and is widely used in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. In this study, we report the biorefinery of carrageenan derived from processing of experimental strains of the red macroalgae Kappaphycus alvarezii. Specifically, the chemical composition and enzymatic hydrolysis of the residue produced from carrageenan extraction were evaluated to determine the conditions for efficient generation of carbohydrate bioproducts. The productivity and growth rates of K. alvarezii strains were assessed along with the chemical composition (total carbohydrates, ash, sulfate groups, proteins, insoluble aromatics, galacturonic acid, and lipids) of each strain. Two strains, brown and red, were selected based on their high growth rates and productivity and were treated with 6 % KOH for extraction of carrageenan. The yields of biomass from treatment with 6 % KOH solution of the brown and red strains were 89.3 and 89.5 %, respectively. The yields of carrageenan and its residue were 63.5 and 23 %, respectively, for the brown strain and 60 and 27.8 %, respectively, for the red strain. The residues from the brown and red strains were assessed to detect any potential bioproducts. The galactan, ash, protein, insoluble aromatics, and sulfate groups of the residue were reduced to comparable extents for the two strains. However, KOH treatment did not reduce the content of glucan in the residue from either strain. Glucose was produced by enzymatic hydrolysis for 72 h using both strains. The glucan conversion was 100 % for both strains, and the concentrations of glucose from the brown and red strains were 13.7 and 11.5 g L(-1

  3. Dietary carbohydrates and glucose metabolism in diabetic patients.

    PubMed

    Parillo, M; Riccardi, G

    1995-12-01

    Dietary carbohydrates represent one of the major sources of energy for the human body. However, the main (if not the only) therapy for diabetes since ancient times has been based on reducing dietary carbohydrates drastically because of their effects on blood glucose levels. The introduction of insulin in the 1920s and then of oral hypoglycaemic drugs led to various studies evaluating the biochemical characteristics of carbohydrates and their effects on glucose metabolism in diabetic patients. This review considers the role of dietary carbohydrates in the diet of diabetic patients in the light of the most recent studies and provides a short summary of the biochemistry of carbohydrates and the physiology of carbohydrate digestion.

  4. Gamma-aminobutyric acid fermentation with date residue by a lactic acid bacterium, Lactobacillus brevis.

    PubMed

    Hasegawa, Momoko; Yamane, Daisuke; Funato, Kouichi; Yoshida, Atsushi; Sambongi, Yoshihiro

    2018-03-01

    Dates are commercially consumed as semi-dried fruit or processed into juice and puree for further food production. However, the date residue after juice and puree production is not used, although it appears to be nutrient enriched. Here, date residue was fermented by a lactic acid bacterium, Lactobacillus brevis, which has been generally recognized as safe. Through degradation of sodium glutamate added to the residue during the fermentation, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which reduces neuronal excitability, was produced at the conversion rate of 80-90% from glutamate. In order to achieve this GABA production level, pretreatment of the date residue with carbohydrate-degrading enzymes, i.e., cellulase and pectinase, was necessary. All ingredients used for this GABA fermentation were known as being edible. These results provide us with a solution for the increasing commercial demand for GABA in food industry with the use of date residue that has been often discarded. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Effect of structural modifications of ganglioside GM2 on intra-molecular carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interaction and enzymatic susceptibility

    PubMed Central

    Li, Yu-Teh; Li, Su-Chen; Kiso, Makoto; Ishida, Hideharu; Mauri, Laura; Raimondi, Laura; Bernardi, Anna; Sonnino, Sandro

    2008-01-01

    Summary The effect of inter-molecular carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interaction on basic cell biological processes has been well documented and appreciated. In contrast, very little is known about the intra-molecular carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interaction. The presence of an interaction between the GalNAc and the Neu5Ac in GM2 detected by NMR spectroscopy represents a well-defined intra-molecular carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interaction. This intriguing interaction is responsible for the GM2-epitope, GalNAcβ1Π4(Neu5Acα2Π3)Gal-, to exhibit a rigid and compact conformation. We hypothesized that this compact conformation may be the cause for both the GalNAc and the Neu5Ac in GM2 to be refractory to enzymatic hydrolysis and the GM2 activator protein is able to interact with the compact trisaccharide GM2-epitope, rendering the GalNAc and the Neu5Ac accessible to β-hexosaminidase A and sialidase. We have used a series of structurally modified GM2 to study the effect of modifications of sugar chains on the conformation and enzymatic susceptibility of this ganglioside. Our hypothesis was borne out by the fact that when the GalNAcβ1Π4Gal linkage in GM2 was converted to the GalNAcβ1Π6Gal, both the GalNAc and the Neu5Ac became susceptible to β-hexosaminidase A and sialidase, respectively, without GM2 activator protein. We hope our work will engender interest in identifying other intra-molecular carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interactions in glycoconjugates. PMID:17967427

  6. Effect of structural modifications of ganglioside GM2 on intra-molecular carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interaction and enzymatic susceptibility.

    PubMed

    Li, Yu-Teh; Li, Su-Chen; Kiso, Makoto; Ishida, Hideharu; Mauri, Laura; Raimondi, Laura; Bernardi, Anna; Sonnino, Sandro

    2008-03-01

    The effect of inter-molecular carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interaction on basic cell biological processes has been well documented and appreciated. In contrast, very little is known about the intra-molecular carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interaction. The presence of an interaction between the GalNAc and the Neu5Ac in GM2 detected by NMR spectroscopy represents a well-defined intra-molecular carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interaction. This intriguing interaction is responsible for the GM2-epitope, GalNAcbeta1-->4(Neu5Acalpha2-->3)Gal-, to exhibit a rigid and compact conformation. We hypothesized that this compact conformation may be the cause for both the GalNAc and the Neu5Ac in GM2 to be refractory to enzymatic hydrolysis and the GM2 activator protein is able to interact with the compact trisaccharide GM2-epitope, rendering the GalNAc and the Neu5Ac accessible to beta-hexosaminidase A and sialidase. We have used a series of structurally modified GM2 to study the effect of modifications of sugar chains on the conformation and enzymatic susceptibility of this ganglioside. Our hypothesis was borne out by the fact that when the GalNAcbeta1-->4Gal linkage in GM2 was converted to the GalNAcbeta1-->6Gal, both the GalNAc and the Neu5Ac became susceptible to beta-hexosaminidase A and sialidase, respectively, without GM2 activator protein. We hope our work will engender interest in identifying other intra-molecular carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interactions in glycoconjugates.

  7. The role of dietary carbohydrates in organismal aging.

    PubMed

    Lee, Dongyeop; Son, Heehwa G; Jung, Yoonji; Lee, Seung-Jae V

    2017-05-01

    Carbohydrates are essential nutrients that are used as a primary source of energy. Carbohydrate utilization should be properly controlled, as abnormal regulation of carbohydrate metabolism is associated with diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and stroke. These metabolic syndromes have become a serious problem in developed countries, and there is an increased need for research examining the influence of carbohydrates on animal physiology. Diets enriched in glucose, a major carbohydrate, are also associated with accelerated aging in several model organisms, including yeast and Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Genetic factors that mediate the effects of high glucose diets on aging have been identified during the last decade, mostly through the use of C. elegans. In this review, we describe studies that determine the effects of carbohydrate-enriched diets on aging by focusing on the mechanisms through which evolutionarily conserved pathways mediate the lifespan-altering effects of glucose in C. elegans. These include the insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1, sterol-regulatory element-binding protein, and AMP-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. We also discuss the effects of various carbohydrates and carbohydrate-derived metabolites on aging in model organisms and cultured mammalian cells. Finally, we discuss how dietary carbohydrates influence health and aging in humans.

  8. Influence of fungicide residues on the primary fermentation of young lager beer.

    PubMed

    Navarro, Simón; Pérez, Gabriel; Navarro, Ginés; Mena, Luis; Vela, Nuria

    2007-02-21

    The effect of four sterol biosynthesis-inhibiting fungicides added to the pitching wort on the evolution of several organoleptic parameters during the primary fermentation of young lager beer was assessed. Pyrimidine (nuarimol and fenarimol) and triazole (myclobutanil and propiconazole) fungicides were individually supplied to the pitching wort to obtain a concentration of 1 mg/L. A marked influence in the fermentation rate was observed for the samples with propiconazole residues. From the fourth day onward, the fermentation prematurely ceased (stuck fermentation), and therefore, statistical significant differences were found in fermented extract, alcohol content, fermentable carbohydrates, pH, color, and total polyphenol and flavonoid contents of beer. Myclobutanil residues are only influenced in the total polyphenol and flavonoid contents, while differences in the analyzed parameters were not noticeable for the samples containing nuarimol and fenarimol residues in comparison with the blank sample.

  9. Grafting of functional motifs onto protein scaffolds identified by PDB screening--an efficient route to design optimizable protein binders.

    PubMed

    Tlatli, Rym; Nozach, Hervé; Collet, Guillaume; Beau, Fabrice; Vera, Laura; Stura, Enrico; Dive, Vincent; Cuniasse, Philippe

    2013-01-01

    Artificial miniproteins that are able to target catalytic sites of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were designed using a functional motif-grafting approach. The motif corresponded to the four N-terminal residues of TIMP-2, a broad-spectrum protein inhibitor of MMPs. Scaffolds that are able to reproduce the functional topology of this motif were obtained by exhaustive screening of the Protein Data Bank (PDB) using STAMPS software (search for three-dimensional atom motifs in protein structures). Ten artificial protein binders were produced. The designed proteins bind catalytic sites of MMPs with affinities ranging from 450 nm to 450 μm prior to optimization. The crystal structure of one artificial binder in complex with the catalytic domain of MMP-12 showed that the inter-molecular interactions established by the functional motif in the artificial binder corresponded to those found in the MMP-14-TIMP-2 complex, albeit with some differences in geometry. Molecular dynamics simulations of the ten binders in complex with MMP-14 suggested that these scaffolds may allow partial reproduction of native inter-molecular interactions, but differences in geometry and stability may contribute to the lower affinity of the artificial protein binders compared to the natural protein binder. Nevertheless, these results show that the in silico design method used provides sets of protein binders that target a specific binding site with a good rate of success. This approach may constitute the first step of an efficient hybrid computational/experimental approach to protein binder design. © 2012 The Authors Journal compilation © 2012 FEBS.

  10. A development of chimeric VEGFR2 TK inhibitor based on two ligand conformers from PDB: 1Y6A complex--medicinal chemistry consequences of a TKs analysis.

    PubMed

    Lintnerová, Lucia; García-Caballero, Melissa; Gregáň, Fridrich; Melicherčík, Milan; Quesada, Ana R; Dobiaš, Juraj; Lác, Ján; Sališová, Marta; Boháč, Andrej

    2014-01-24

    VEGFR2 is an important mediator of angiogenesis and influences fate of some cancer stem cells. Here we analysed all 34 structures of VEGFR2 TK available from PDB database. From them a complex PDB: 1Y6A has an exceptional AAZ ligand bound to TK in form of two conformers (U- and S-shaped). This observation inspired us to develop three chimeric bispyridyl VEGFR2 inhibitors by combining structural features of both AAZ conformers and/or their relative ligand AAX (PDB: 1Y6B). Our most interesting inhibitor 22SYM has an enzymatic VEGFR2 TK activity (IC50: 15.1 nM) comparable or better to the active compounds from clinical drugs Nexavar and Sutent. 22SYM inhibits growth, migration and tube formation of endothelial cells (EC) and selectively induces EC apoptosis. 22SYM also inhibits in vivo angiogenesis in Zebrafish embryo assay. Additionally to the above results, we proved here that tyrosine kinases in an inactive form possessing Type I inhibitors can adopt both a closed or an opened conformation of kinase A-loop independently on their DFG-out arrangement. We proposed here that an activity of certain Type I inhibitors (e.g. 22SYM-like) in complex with DFG-out TK can be negatively influenced by collisions with a dynamically moving TK A-loop. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  11. Potential effect of ultrasound on carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Bera, Smritilekha; Mondal, Dhananjoy; Martin, Jacob T; Singh, Man

    2015-06-17

    The use of ultrasound has emerged as one of the most useful alternative energy sources for the synthesis of carbohydrate-derived biologically and pharmaceutically potential compounds. Spectacular advances have been made in the field of sonication-assisted organic reactions, which are known for producing superior yields, enhanced reactivity of the reactant, improved stereoselectivity, and shortened reaction times. Orthogonal protection-deprotection reactions and/or modification and manipulation of functional groups in carbohydrates are common synthetic steps in carbohydrate chemistry. These reaction steps can be driven by the ultrasonic energy generated by acoustic cavitation via the formation and subsequent collapse of ultrasound-induced bubbles. The ultrasound-assisted synthesis of differently functionalised monosaccharides is useful in a wide variety of applications of carbohydrate chemistry such as the glycosylation of oligosaccharides, one pot domino reactions, thioglycoside syntheses, azidoglycoside syntheses, 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions, and syntheses of natural products. This review article covers ultrasound-mediated reactions on carbohydrates that have been described in the literature since 2000. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Regulation of low-density lipoprotein subfractions by carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Gerber, Philipp A; Berneis, Kaspar

    2012-07-01

    This article aims at reviewing the recent findings that have been made concerning the crosstalk of carbohydrate metabolism with the generation of small, dense low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles, which are known to be associated with an adverse cardiovascular risk profile. Studies conducted during the past few years have quite unanimously shown that the quantity of carbohydrates ingested is associated with a decrease of LDL particle size and an increase in its density. Conversely, diets that aim at a reduction of carbohydrate intake are able to improve LDL quality. Furthermore, a reduction of the glycaemic index without changing the amount of carbohydrates ingested has similar effects. Diseases with altered carbohydrate metabolism, for example, type 2 diabetes, are associated with small, dense LDL particles. Finally, even the kind of monosaccharide the carbohydrate intake consists of is important concerning LDL particle size: fructose has been shown to alter the LDL particle subclass profile more adversely than glucose in many recent studies. LDL particle quality, rather than its quantity, is affected by carbohydrate metabolism, which is of clinical importance, in particular, in the light of increased carbohydrate consumption in today's world.

  13. Specialized Dynamical Properties of Promiscuous Residues Revealed by Simulated Conformational Ensembles

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    The ability to interact with different partners is one of the most important features in proteins. Proteins that bind a large number of partners (hubs) have been often associated with intrinsic disorder. However, many examples exist of hubs with an ordered structure, and evidence of a general mechanism promoting promiscuity in ordered proteins is still elusive. An intriguing hypothesis is that promiscuous binding sites have specific dynamical properties, distinct from the rest of the interface and pre-existing in the protein isolated state. Here, we present the first comprehensive study of the intrinsic dynamics of promiscuous residues in a large protein data set. Different computational methods, from coarse-grained elastic models to geometry-based sampling methods and to full-atom Molecular Dynamics simulations, were used to generate conformational ensembles for the isolated proteins. The flexibility and dynamic correlations of interface residues with a different degree of binding promiscuity were calculated and compared considering side chain and backbone motions, the latter both on a local and on a global scale. The study revealed that (a) promiscuous residues tend to be more flexible than nonpromiscuous ones, (b) this additional flexibility has a higher degree of organization, and (c) evolutionary conservation and binding promiscuity have opposite effects on intrinsic dynamics. Findings on simulated ensembles were also validated on ensembles of experimental structures extracted from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Additionally, the low occurrence of single nucleotide polymorphisms observed for promiscuous residues indicated a tendency to preserve binding diversity at these positions. A case study on two ubiquitin-like proteins exemplifies how binding promiscuity in evolutionary related proteins can be modulated by the fine-tuning of the interface dynamics. The interplay between promiscuity and flexibility highlighted here can inspire new directions in protein

  14. Aminooxylated Carbohydrates: Synthesis and Applications.

    PubMed

    Pifferi, Carlo; Daskhan, Gour Chand; Fiore, Michele; Shiao, Tze Chieh; Roy, René; Renaudet, Olivier

    2017-08-09

    Among other classes of biomolecules, carbohydrates and glycoconjugates are widely involved in numerous biological functions. In addition to addressing the related synthetic challenges, glycochemists have invested intense efforts in providing access to structures that can be used to study, activate, or inhibit these biological processes. Over the past few decades, aminooxylated carbohydrates have been found to be key building blocks for achieving these goals. This review provides the first in-depth overview covering several aspects related to the syntheses and applications of aminooxylated carbohydrates. After a brief introduction to oxime bonds and their relative stabilities compared to related C═N functions, synthetic aspects of oxime ligation and methodologies for introducing the aminooxy functionality onto both glycofuranosyls and glycopyranosyls are described. The subsequent section focuses on biological applications involving aminooxylated carbohydrates as components for the construcion of diverse architectures. Mimetics of natural structures represent useful tools for better understanding the features that drive carbohydrate-receptor interaction, their biological output and they also represent interesting structures with improved stability and tunable properties. In the next section, multivalent structures such as glycoclusters and glycodendrimers obtained through oxime ligation are described in terms of synthetic design and their biological applications such as immunomodulators. The second-to-last section discusses miscellaneous applications of oxime-based glycoconjugates, such as enantioselective catalysis and glycosylated oligonucleotides, and conclusions and perspectives are provided in the last section.

  15. A Universal Protocol for Photochemical Covalent Immobilization of Intact Carbohydrates for the Preparation of Carbohydrate Microarrays

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Huibin; Zhang, Yiming; Yuan, Xun; Chen, Yi; Yan, Mingdi

    2010-01-01

    A universal photochemical method has been established for the immobilization of intact carbohydrates and their analogues, and for the fabrication of carbohydrate microarrays. The method features the use of perfluorophenyl azide (PFPA)-modified substrates and the photochemical reaction of surface azido groups with printed carbohydrates. Various aldoses, ketoses, non-reducing sugars such as alditols and their derivatives can be directly arrayed on the PFPA-modified chips. The lectin-recognition ability of arrayed mannose, glucose and their oligo- and polysaccharides were confirmed using surface plasmon resonance imaging and laser-induced fluorescence imaging. PMID:21138274

  16. A universal protocol for photochemical covalent immobilization of intact carbohydrates for the preparation of carbohydrate microarrays.

    PubMed

    Wang, Huibin; Zhang, Yiming; Yuan, Xun; Chen, Yi; Yan, Mingdi

    2011-01-19

    A universal photochemical method has been established for the immobilization of intact carbohydrates and their analogues, and for the fabrication of carbohydrate microarrays. The method features the use of perfluorophenyl azide (PFPA)-modified substrates and the photochemical reaction of surface azido groups with printed carbohydrates. Various aldoses, ketoses, nonreducing sugars such as alditols, and their derivatives can be directly arrayed on the PFPA-modified chips. The lectin-recognition ability of arrayed mannose, glucose, and their oligo- and polysaccharides were confirmed using surface plasmon resonance imaging and laser-induced fluorescence imaging.

  17. Stereochemical Control in Carbohydrate Chemistry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Batchelor, Rhys; Northcote, Peter T.; Harvey, Joanne E.; Dangerfield, Emma M.; Stocker, Bridget L.

    2008-01-01

    Carbohydrates, in the form of glycoconjugates, have recently been shown to control a wide range of cellular processes. Accordingly, students interested in the study of organic chemistry and biomedical sciences should be exposed to carbohydrate chemistry. To this end, we have developed a sequence of experiments that leads the student from the…

  18. Carbohydrate Counting

    MedlinePlus

    ... help you manage your blood glucose. It sounds complex, but with time you and your diabetes care team can figure out the right balance for you. How Much Carbohydrate? A great place to start may be to ...

  19. Alteration of the carbohydrate-binding specificity of a C-type lectin CEL-I mutant with an EPN carbohydrate-binding motif.

    PubMed

    Hatakeyama, Tomomitsu; Ishimine, Tomohiro; Baba, Tomohiro; Kimura, Masanari; Unno, Hideaki; Goda, Shuichiro

    2013-07-01

    CEL-I is a Gal/GalNAc-specific C-type lectin isolated from the sea cucumber Cucumaria echinata. This lectin is composed of two carbohydrate-recognition domains (CRDs) with the carbohydrate-recognition motif QPD (Gln-Pro- Asp), which is generally known to exist in galactose-specific C-type CRDs. In the present study, a mutant CEL-I with EPN (Glu-Pro-Asn) motif, which is thought to be responsible for the carbohydrate-recognition of mannose-specific Ctype CRDs, was produced in Escherichia coli, and its effects on the carbohydrate-binding specificity were examined using polyamidoamine dendrimer (PD) conjugated with carbohydrates. Although wild-type CEL-I effectively formed complexes with N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)-PD but not with mannose-PD, the mutant CEL-I showed relatively weak but definite affinity for mannose-PD. These results indicated that the QPD and EPN motifs play a significant role in the carbohydrate-recognition mechanism of CEL-I, especially in the discrimination of galactose and mannose. Additional mutations in the recombinant CEL-I binding site may further increase its specificity for mannose, and should provide insights into designing novel carbohydrate-recognition proteins.

  20. A comparison of low-carbohydrate vs. high-carbohydrate diets: energy restriction, nutrient quality and correlation to body mass index.

    PubMed

    Bowman, Shanthy A; Spence, Joseph T

    2002-06-01

    To evaluate free-living adults' diets that ranged from very low to high amounts of carbohydrate for their energy content, nutritional quality and correlation to Body Mass Index. Adults ages 19 years and older, who had complete dietary intake data on day-1 of the USDA's 1994 to 1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII 1994-1996), were divided into four groups--very low, low, moderate and high carbohydrate--based on the percent total energy from carbohydrate. Mean energy, nutrient, food intakes and Body Mass Index values were compared among the groups. SUDAAN software package was used for the data analysis and pair-wise mean comparisons (p < 0.05). The high-carbohydrate diet was lower in energy and energy density (number of kilocalories per gram of total amount of food consumed) than the other three diets. Macronutrient composition varied significantly among all the four groups. Nutrient density (amount of nutrient per 1,000 kilocalories of energy consumed) of vitamin A, carotene, vitamin C, folate, calcium, magnesium and iron increased and that of vitamin B12 and zinc decreased with an increase in the percent total energy from carbohydrate. The high-carbohydrate group ate more of low-fat foods, grain products and fruits. This group also had the lowest sodium intake. Adults eating a high-carbohydrate diet are more likely to have Body Mass Index values below 25. A study of diets of free-living adults in the U.S. showed that diets high in carbohydrate were both energy restrictive and nutritious and may be adopted for successful weight management.

  1. Linking Bacillus cereus Genotypes and Carbohydrate Utilization Capacity.

    PubMed

    Warda, Alicja K; Siezen, Roland J; Boekhorst, Jos; Wells-Bennik, Marjon H J; de Jong, Anne; Kuipers, Oscar P; Nierop Groot, Masja N; Abee, Tjakko

    2016-01-01

    We characterised carbohydrate utilisation of 20 newly sequenced Bacillus cereus strains isolated from food products and food processing environments and two laboratory strains, B. cereus ATCC 10987 and B. cereus ATCC 14579. Subsequently, genome sequences of these strains were analysed together with 11 additional B. cereus reference genomes to provide an overview of the different types of carbohydrate transporters and utilization systems found in B. cereus strains. The combined application of API tests, defined growth media experiments and comparative genomics enabled us to link the carbohydrate utilisation capacity of 22 B. cereus strains with their genome content and in some cases to the panC phylogenetic grouping. A core set of carbohydrates including glucose, fructose, maltose, trehalose, N-acetyl-glucosamine, and ribose could be used by all strains, whereas utilisation of other carbohydrates like xylose, galactose, and lactose, and typical host-derived carbohydrates such as fucose, mannose, N-acetyl-galactosamine and inositol is limited to a subset of strains. Finally, the roles of selected carbohydrate transporters and utilisation systems in specific niches such as soil, foods and the human host are discussed.

  2. Randomized controlled trial of changes in dietary carbohydrate/fat ratio and simple vs complex carbohydrates on body weight and blood lipids: the CARMEN study. The Carbohydrate Ratio Management in European National diets.

    PubMed

    Saris, W H; Astrup, A; Prentice, A M; Zunft, H J; Formiguera, X; Verboeket-van de Venne, W P; Raben, A; Poppitt, S D; Seppelt, B; Johnston, S; Vasilaras, T H; Keogh, G F

    2000-10-01

    To investigate the long-term effects of changes in dietary carbohydrate/fat ratio and simple vs complex carbohydrates. Randomized controlled multicentre trial (CARMEN), in which subjects were allocated for 6 months either to a seasonal control group (no intervention) or to one of three experimental groups: a control diet group (dietary intervention typical of the average national intake); a low-fat high simple carbohydrate group; or a low-fat high complex carbohydrate group. Three hundred and ninety eight moderately obese adults. The change in body weight was the primary outcome; changes in body composition and blood lipids were secondary outcomes. Body weight loss in the low-fat high simple carbohydrate and low-fat high complex carbohydrate groups was 0.9 kg (P < 0.05) and 1.8 kg (P < 0.001), while the control diet and seasonal control groups gained weight (0.8 and 0.1 kg, NS). Fat mass changed by -1.3kg (P< 0.01), -1.8kg (P< 0.001) and +0.6kg (NS) in the low-fat high simple carbohydrate, low-fat high complex carbohydrate and control diet groups, respectively. Changes in blood lipids did not differ significantly between the dietary treatment groups. Our findings suggest that reduction of fat intake results in a modest but significant reduction in body weight and body fatness. The concomitant increase in either simple or complex carbohydrates did not indicate significant differences in weight change. No adverse effects on blood lipids were observed. These findings underline the importance of this dietary change and its potential impact on the public health implications of obesity.

  3. Renal function following long-term weight loss in individuals with abdominal obesity on a very-low-carbohydrate diet vs high-carbohydrate diet.

    PubMed

    Brinkworth, Grant D; Buckley, Jonathan D; Noakes, Manny; Clifton, Peter M

    2010-04-01

    A frequently cited concern of very-low-carbohydrate diets is the potential for increased risk of renal disease associated with a higher protein intake. However, to date, no well-controlled randomized studies have evaluated the long-term effects of very-low-carbohydrate diets on renal function. To study this issue, renal function was assessed in 68 men and women with abdominal obesity (age 51.5+/-7.7 years, body mass index [calculated as kg/m(2)] 33.6+/-4.0) without preexisting renal dysfunction who were randomized to consume either an energy-restricted ( approximately 1,433 to 1,672 kcal/day), planned isocaloric very-low-carbohydrate (4% total energy as carbohydrate [14 g], 35% protein [124 g], 61% fat [99 g]), or high-carbohydrate diet (46% total energy as carbohydrate [162 g], 24% protein [85 g], 30% fat [49 g]) for 1 year. Body weight, serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate and urinary albumin excretion were assessed before and after 1 year (April 2006-July 2007). Repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted. Weight loss was similar in both groups (very-low-carbohydrate: -14.5+/-9.7 kg, high-carbohydrate: -11.6+/-7.3 kg; P=0.16). By 1 year, there were no changes in either group in serum creatinine levels (very-low-carbohydrate: 72.4+/-15.1 to 71.3+/-13.8 mumol/L, high-carbohydrate: 78.0+/-16.0 to 77.2+/-13.2 mumol/L; P=0.93 time x diet effect) or estimated glomerular filtration rate (very-low-carbohydrate: 90.0+/-17.0 to 91.2+/-17.8 mL/min/1.73 m(2), high-carbohydrate: 83.8+/-13.8 to 83.6+/-11.8 mL/min/1.73 m(2); P=0.53 time x diet effect). All but one participant was classified as having normoalbuminuria at baseline, and for these participants, urinary albumin excretion values remained in the normoalbuminuria range at 1 year. One participant in high-carbohydrate had microalbuminuria (41.8 microg/min) at baseline, which decreased to a value of 3.1 microg/min (classified as normoalbuminuria) at 1 year. This study provides preliminary

  4. Carbohydrate Nutrition and Team Sport Performance.

    PubMed

    Williams, Clyde; Rollo, Ian

    2015-11-01

    The common pattern of play in 'team sports' is 'stop and go', i.e. where players perform repeated bouts of brief high-intensity exercise punctuated by lower intensity activity. Sprints are generally 2-4 s long and recovery between sprints is of variable length. Energy production during brief sprints is derived from the degradation of intra-muscular phosphocreatine and glycogen (anaerobic metabolism). Prolonged periods of multiple sprints drain muscle glycogen stores, leading to a decrease in power output and a reduction in general work rate during training and competition. The impact of dietary carbohydrate interventions on team sport performance have been typically assessed using intermittent variable-speed shuttle running over a distance of 20 m. This method has evolved to include specific work to rest ratios and skills specific to team sports such as soccer, rugby and basketball. Increasing liver and muscle carbohydrate stores before sports helps delay the onset of fatigue during prolonged intermittent variable-speed running. Carbohydrate intake during exercise, typically ingested as carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions, is also associated with improved performance. The mechanisms responsible are likely to be the availability of carbohydrate as a substrate for central and peripheral functions. Variable-speed running in hot environments is limited by the degree of hyperthermia before muscle glycogen availability becomes a significant contributor to the onset of fatigue. Finally, ingesting carbohydrate immediately after training and competition will rapidly recover liver and muscle glycogen stores.

  5. Neurobiologic basis of craving for carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Ventura, Tamara; Santander, Jaime; Torres, Rafael; Contreras, Ana María

    2014-03-01

    There is a relationship between emotional disorders, obesity, and craving for carbohydrates. This relationship complicates the success of treatments aimed at combatting obesity, which is considered to be the epidemic of the twenty-first century. We conducted a review of the neurobiologic basis for carbohydrate craving, with the hope that this understanding will enable the design of more efficient therapeutic strategies. We conducted a non-systematic literature search in PubMed using MeSH. Research on the basis of carbohydrate craving is varied, but may be grouped into five main areas: the serotonergic system, palatability and hedonic response, the motivational system, stress response systems, and gene-environment interaction. The models that integrate motivational systems with palatability and hedonic response studies are the ones that we believe can best explain both craving for carbohydrates and related addictive phenomena. Research has contributed to a greater understanding of the neurobiologic basis of carbohydrate craving. The latter, in turn, contributes to an understanding of the implications, challenges, and possible therapies that might be put in place to cope with this phenomenon. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Carbohydrate-based vaccine adjuvants - discovery and development.

    PubMed

    Hu, Jing; Qiu, Liying; Wang, Xiaoli; Zou, Xiaopeng; Lu, Mengji; Yin, Jian

    2015-10-01

    The addition of a suitable adjuvant to a vaccine can generate significant effective adaptive immune responses. There is an urgent need for the development of novel po7tent and safe adjuvants for human vaccines. Carbohydrate molecules are promising adjuvants for human vaccines due to their high biocompatibility and good tolerability in vivo. The present review covers a few promising carbohydrate-based adjuvants, lipopolysaccharide, trehalose-6,6'-dibehenate, QS-21 and inulin as examples, which have been extensively studied in human vaccines in a number of preclinical and clinical studies. The authors discuss the current status, applications and strategies of development of each adjuvant and different adjuvant formulation systems. This information gives insight regarding the exciting prospect in the field of carbohydrate-based adjuvant research. Carbohydrate-based adjuvants are promising candidates as an alternative to the Alum salts for human vaccines development. Furthermore, combining two or more adjuvants in one formulation is one of the effective strategies in adjuvant development. However, further research efforts are needed to study and develop novel adjuvants systems, which can be more stable, potent and safe. The development of synthetic carbohydrate chemistry can improve the study of carbohydrate-based adjuvants.

  7. Healthy carbohydrates

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Functional foods include dietary fiber consisting of health-promoting carbohydrates. We have produced novel prebiotics from orange peel and observed that they extend the shelf life of probiotic bacteria in synbiotics. Some pectic-oligosaccharides and xyloglucan-oligosaccharides also have anti-adhesi...

  8. [Current concepts of digestion and absorption of carbohydrates].

    PubMed

    Luz, S dos S; de Campos, P L; Ribeiro, S M; Tirapegui, J

    1997-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to review recent aspects of digestion and absorption of carbohydrates that are the main source of energy in human diets. Recent researches have found that starch is not largely hydrolysed and absorbed in the small bowel but one part of it is resistant to digestion. Several food factors may be responsible for digestion and absorption velocity and totality of carbohydrates. Therefore, carbohydrate classification must be based not only on molecular size to express the real carbohydrates utilization as an energy source by humans. In agreement with molecular size of carbohydrate, its classification can be: a) monosaccharides; b) disaccharides; c) oligosaccharides; d) polysaccharides. In agreement with carbohydrate digestibility or availability, its classification can be: a) digestible carbohydrates; b) undigestable carbohydrates (NSP). Carbohydrate digestibility can be altered by several factors like: Intrinsic factors: a) physical structure; b) molecular physical distribution; c) physical state of food; d) food antinutrients. Extrinsics factors: a) chewing; b) transit time of food; c) amount of starch present; d) diet antinutrients. Under influence of this factors, process of digestion happen by enzymatic activity a long the gastrointestinal tract. Salivary and pancreatic amylase; glycosidases of the duodenal enterocyte brush border (lactase, sacarase and maltase), whose activity happen by close interaction of digestive breakdown with transport. The summarized pathways of the absorptive process: 1. movement from the bulk phase of the lumenal or mucosal fluid to enterocyte surface; 2. movement across the brush border membrane through specific transporters: a) SGLT1; b) GLUT 5; c) passive diffusion. 3. movement across the basolateral membrane by the GLUT 2.

  9. Computational modeling of carbohydrate recognition in protein complex

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ishida, Toyokazu

    2017-11-01

    To understand the mechanistic principle of carbohydrate recognition in proteins, we propose a systematic computational modeling strategy to identify complex carbohydrate chain onto the reduced 2D free energy surface (2D-FES), determined by MD sampling combined with QM/MM energy corrections. In this article, we first report a detailed atomistic simulation study of the norovirus capsid proteins with carbohydrate antigens based on ab initio QM/MM combined with MD-FEP simulations. The present result clearly shows that the binding geometries of complex carbohydrate antigen are determined not by one single, rigid carbohydrate structure, but rather by the sum of averaged conformations mapped onto the minimum free energy region of QM/MM 2D-FES.

  10. Carbohydrate Polymers for Nonviral Nucleic Acid Delivery

    PubMed Central

    Sizovs, Antons; McLendon, Patrick M.; Srinivasachari, Sathya

    2014-01-01

    Carbohydrates have been investigated and developed as delivery vehicles for shuttling nucleic acids into cells. In this review, we present the state of the art in carbohydrate-based polymeric vehicles for nucleic acid delivery, with the focus on the recent successes in preclinical models, both in vitro and in vivo. Polymeric scaffolds based on the natural polysaccharides chitosan, hyaluronan, pullulan, dextran, and schizophyllan each have unique properties and potential for modification, and these results are discussed with the focus on facile synthetic routes and favorable performance in biological systems. Many of these carbohydrates have been used to develop alternative types of biomaterials for nucleic acid delivery to typical polyplexes, and these novel materials are discussed. Also presented are polymeric vehicles that incorporate copolymerized carbohydrates into polymer backbones based on polyethylenimine and polylysine and their effect on transfection and biocompatibility. Unique scaffolds, such as clusters and polymers based on cyclodextrin (CD), are also discussed, with the focus on recent successes in vivo and in the clinic. These results are presented with the emphasis on the role of carbohydrate and charge on transfection. Use of carbohydrates as molecular recognition ligands for cell-type specific delivery is also briefly reviewed. We contend that carbohydrates have contributed significantly to progress in the field of non-viral DNA delivery, and these new discoveries are impactful for developing new vehicles and materials for treatment of human disease. PMID:21504102

  11. Linking Bacillus cereus Genotypes and Carbohydrate Utilization Capacity

    PubMed Central

    Warda, Alicja K.; Siezen, Roland J.; Boekhorst, Jos; Wells-Bennik, Marjon H. J.; de Jong, Anne; Kuipers, Oscar P.; Nierop Groot, Masja N.; Abee, Tjakko

    2016-01-01

    We characterised carbohydrate utilisation of 20 newly sequenced Bacillus cereus strains isolated from food products and food processing environments and two laboratory strains, B. cereus ATCC 10987 and B. cereus ATCC 14579. Subsequently, genome sequences of these strains were analysed together with 11 additional B. cereus reference genomes to provide an overview of the different types of carbohydrate transporters and utilization systems found in B. cereus strains. The combined application of API tests, defined growth media experiments and comparative genomics enabled us to link the carbohydrate utilisation capacity of 22 B. cereus strains with their genome content and in some cases to the panC phylogenetic grouping. A core set of carbohydrates including glucose, fructose, maltose, trehalose, N-acetyl-glucosamine, and ribose could be used by all strains, whereas utilisation of other carbohydrates like xylose, galactose, and lactose, and typical host-derived carbohydrates such as fucose, mannose, N-acetyl-galactosamine and inositol is limited to a subset of strains. Finally, the roles of selected carbohydrate transporters and utilisation systems in specific niches such as soil, foods and the human host are discussed. PMID:27272929

  12. Carbohydrates, pollinators, and cycads

    PubMed Central

    Marler, Thomas E; Lindström, Anders J

    2015-01-01

    Cycad biology, ecology, and horticulture decisions are not supported by adequate research, and experiments in cycad physiology in particular have been deficient. Our recent report on free sugar content in a range of cycad taxa and tissues sets the stage for developing continued carbohydrate research. Growth and development of cycad pollen, mediation of the herbivory traits of specialist pollinators, and support of expensive strobilus behavioral traits are areas of cycad pollination biology that would benefit from a greater understanding of the role of carbohydrate relations. PMID:26479502

  13. Wood adhesives containing proteins and carbohydrates

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    In recent years there has been resurgent interest in using biopolymers as sustainable and environmentally friendly ingredients in wood adhesive formulations. Among them, proteins and carbohydrates are the most commonly used. In this chapter, an overview is given of protein-based and carbohydrate-...

  14. Carbohydrate-protein interactions: molecular modeling insights.

    PubMed

    Pérez, Serge; Tvaroška, Igor

    2014-01-01

    The article reviews the significant contributions to, and the present status of, applications of computational methods for the characterization and prediction of protein-carbohydrate interactions. After a presentation of the specific features of carbohydrate modeling, along with a brief description of the experimental data and general features of carbohydrate-protein interactions, the survey provides a thorough coverage of the available computational methods and tools. At the quantum-mechanical level, the use of both molecular orbitals and density-functional theory is critically assessed. These are followed by a presentation and critical evaluation of the applications of semiempirical and empirical methods: QM/MM, molecular dynamics, free-energy calculations, metadynamics, molecular robotics, and others. The usefulness of molecular docking in structural glycobiology is evaluated by considering recent docking- validation studies on a range of protein targets. The range of applications of these theoretical methods provides insights into the structural, energetic, and mechanistic facets that occur in the course of the recognition processes. Selected examples are provided to exemplify the usefulness and the present limitations of these computational methods in their ability to assist in elucidation of the structural basis underlying the diverse function and biological roles of carbohydrates in their dialogue with proteins. These test cases cover the field of both carbohydrate biosynthesis and glycosyltransferases, as well as glycoside hydrolases. The phenomenon of (macro)molecular recognition is illustrated for the interactions of carbohydrates with such proteins as lectins, monoclonal antibodies, GAG-binding proteins, porins, and viruses. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. The long underestimated carbonyl function of carbohydrates – an organocatalyzed shot into carbohydrate chemistry.

    PubMed

    Mahrwald, R

    2015-09-21

    The aggressive and strong development of organocatalysis provides several protocols for the convenient utilization of the carbonyl function of unprotected carbohydrates in C-C-bond formation processes. These amine-catalyzed mechanisms enable multiple cascade-protocols for the synthesis of a wide range of carbohydrate-derived compound classes. Several, only slightly different protocols, have been developed for the application of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in the stereoselective chain-elongation of unprotected carbohydrates and the synthesis of highly functionalized C-glycosides of defined configuration. In addition, C-glycosides can also be accessed by amine-catalyzed reactions with methyl ketones. By a one-pot cascade reaction of isocyanides with unprotected aldoses and amino acids access to defined configured glycopeptide mimetics is achieved. Depending on the reaction conditions different origins to control the installation of configuration during the bond-formation process were observed.

  16. A step towards personalized sports nutrition: carbohydrate intake during exercise.

    PubMed

    Jeukendrup, Asker

    2014-05-01

    There have been significant changes in the understanding of the role of carbohydrates during endurance exercise in recent years, which allows for more specific and more personalized advice with regard to carbohydrate ingestion during exercise. The new proposed guidelines take into account the duration (and intensity) of exercise and advice is not restricted to the amount of carbohydrate; it also gives direction with respect to the type of carbohydrate. Studies have shown that during exercise lasting approximately 1 h in duration, a mouth rinse or small amounts of carbohydrate can result in a performance benefit. A single carbohydrate source can be oxidized at rates up to approximately 60 g/h and this is the recommendation for exercise that is more prolonged (2-3 h). For ultra-endurance events, the recommendation is higher at approximately 90 g/h. Carbohydrate ingested at such high ingestion rates must be a multiple transportable carbohydrates to allow high oxidation rates and prevent the accumulation of carbohydrate in the intestine. The source of the carbohydrate may be a liquid, semisolid, or solid, and the recommendations may need to be adjusted downward when the absolute exercise intensity is low and thus carbohydrate oxidation rates are also low. Carbohydrate intake advice is independent of body weight as well as training status. Therefore, although these guidelines apply to most athletes, they are highly dependent on the type and duration of activity. These new guidelines may replace the generic existing guidelines for carbohydrate intake during endurance exercise.

  17. Association of carbohydrate and fat intake with metabolic syndrome.

    PubMed

    Kwon, Yu-Jin; Lee, Hye-Sun; Lee, Ji-Won

    2018-04-01

    In Asia, dietary pattern has been changed with increased intake of refined carbohydrates, sugar, and saturated fat, while the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is on the rise. However, it remains unclear whether a high-carbohydrate or a high-fat diet is more metabolically harmful, and the optimal amount of carbohydrates and fat has not been determined. The aim of our study was to examine the role of carbohydrate and fat intake in MetS in a Korean population. Data were obtained from a large, population-based, cross-sectional study (6737 males and 8845 females). The subjects were divided into nine groups based on carbohydrate and fat proportion, and multiple logistic regression analysis was performed after adjusting for confounding variables. Regardless of fat intake, the risk of MetS significantly increased in males with higher carbohydrate proportions (of total energy intake). In females, the risk of MetS was significantly elevated only in those with both the highest carbohydrate proportion and lowest fat proportion. A high carbohydrate proportion was associated with a higher prevalence of MetS in males, and a high carbohydrate proportion combined with a low fat proportion was associated with MetS in females. Our results indicate that reduction of excessive carbohydrate intake paired with an adequate fat intake, taking into consideration optimal types of fat, is useful for MetS prevention. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the optimal types and amounts of carbohydrate and fat proportions as well as the mechanism underlying these relationships. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

  18. The response to selection in Glycoside Hydrolase Family 13 structures: A comparative quantitative genetics approach.

    PubMed

    Hleap, Jose Sergio; Blouin, Christian

    2018-01-01

    The Glycoside Hydrolase Family 13 (GH13) is both evolutionarily diverse and relevant to many industrial applications. Its members hydrolyze starch into smaller carbohydrates and members of the family have been bioengineered to improve catalytic function under industrial environments. We introduce a framework to analyze the response to selection of GH13 protein structures given some phylogenetic and simulated dynamic information. We find that the TIM-barrel (a conserved protein fold consisting of eight α-helices and eight parallel β-strands that alternate along the peptide backbone, common to all amylases) is not selectable since it is under purifying selection. We also show a method to rank important residues with higher inferred response to selection. These residues can be altered to effect change in properties. In this work, we define fitness as inferred thermodynamic stability. We show that under the developed framework, residues 112Y, 122K, 124D, 125W, and 126P are good candidates to increase the stability of the truncated α-amylase protein from Geobacillus thermoleovorans (PDB code: 4E2O; α-1,4-glucan-4-glucanohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.1). Overall, this paper demonstrates the feasibility of a framework for the analysis of protein structures for any other fitness landscape.

  19. The response to selection in Glycoside Hydrolase Family 13 structures: A comparative quantitative genetics approach

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    The Glycoside Hydrolase Family 13 (GH13) is both evolutionarily diverse and relevant to many industrial applications. Its members hydrolyze starch into smaller carbohydrates and members of the family have been bioengineered to improve catalytic function under industrial environments. We introduce a framework to analyze the response to selection of GH13 protein structures given some phylogenetic and simulated dynamic information. We find that the TIM-barrel (a conserved protein fold consisting of eight α-helices and eight parallel β-strands that alternate along the peptide backbone, common to all amylases) is not selectable since it is under purifying selection. We also show a method to rank important residues with higher inferred response to selection. These residues can be altered to effect change in properties. In this work, we define fitness as inferred thermodynamic stability. We show that under the developed framework, residues 112Y, 122K, 124D, 125W, and 126P are good candidates to increase the stability of the truncated α-amylase protein from Geobacillus thermoleovorans (PDB code: 4E2O; α-1,4-glucan-4-glucanohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.1). Overall, this paper demonstrates the feasibility of a framework for the analysis of protein structures for any other fitness landscape. PMID:29698417

  20. Nearest-cell: a fast and easy tool for locating crystal matches in the PDB

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ramraj, V., E-mail: varun@strubi.ox.ac.uk; Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE; Evans, G.

    2012-12-01

    A fast and easy tool to locate unit-cell matches in the PDB is described. When embarking upon X-ray diffraction data collection from a potentially novel macromolecular crystal form, it can be useful to ascertain whether the measured data reflect a crystal form that is already recorded in the Protein Data Bank and, if so, whether it is part of a large family of related structures. Providing such information to crystallographers conveniently and quickly, as soon as the first images have been recorded and the unit cell characterized at an X-ray beamline, has the potential to save time and effort asmore » well as pointing to possible search models for molecular replacement. Given an input unit cell, and optionally a space group, Nearest-cell rapidly scans the Protein Data Bank and retrieves near-matches.« less

  1. Expedient synthesis of C-aryl carbohydrates by consecutive biocatalytic benzoin and aldol reactions.

    PubMed

    Hernández, Karel; Parella, Teodor; Joglar, Jesús; Bujons, Jordi; Pohl, Martina; Clapés, Pere

    2015-02-16

    The introduction of aromatic residues connected by a C-C bond into the non-reducing end of carbohydrates is highly significant for the development of innovative structures with improved binding affinity and selectivity (e.g., C-aril-sLex). In this work, an expedient asymmetric "de novo" synthetic route to new aryl carbohydrate derivatives based on two sequential stereoselectively biocatalytic carboligation reactions is presented. First, the benzoin reaction of aromatic aldehydes to dimethoxyacetaldehyde is conducted, catalyzed by benzaldehyde lyase from Pseudomonas fluorescens biovar I. Then, the α-hydroxyketones formed are reduced by using NaBH4 yielding the anti diol. After acetal hydrolysis, the aldol addition of dihydroxyacetone, hydroxyacetone, or glycolaldehyde catalyzed by the stereocomplementary D-fructose-6-phosphate aldolase and L-rhamnulose-1-phosphate aldolase is performed. Both aldolases accept unphosphorylated donor substrates, avoiding the need of handling the phosphate group that the dihydroxyacetone phosphate-dependent aldolases require. In this way, 6-C-aryl-L-sorbose, 6-C-aryl-L-fructose, 6-C-aryl-L-tagatose, and 5-C-aryl-L-xylose derivatives are prepared by using this methodology. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. One strike against low-carbohydrate diets

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    There is intense controversy over whether low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets are more efficacious for weight management. Using precise methodology, Hall et al. (2015) demonstrated that a low-carbohydrate diet promoted greater fat oxidation than an isocaloric low-fat diet but, in contrast to popular s...

  3. Structural analysis and localization of the carbohydrate moieties of a soluble human interferon gamma receptor produced in baculovirus-infected insect cells.

    PubMed Central

    Manneberg, M.; Friedlein, A.; Kurth, H.; Lahm, H. W.; Fountoulakis, M.

    1994-01-01

    A soluble form of the human interferon gamma receptor that is required for the identification of interferon gamma antagonists was expressed in baculovirus-infected insect cells. The protein carried N-linked carbohydrate and showed a heterogeneity on denaturing polyacrylamide gels. We investigated the utilization of the potential sites for N-linked glycosylation and the structure of the carbohydrate moieties of this soluble receptor. Amino acid sequence analysis and ion spray mass spectrometry revealed that of the five potential sites for N-linked glycosylation, Asn17 and Asn69 were always utilized, whereas Asn62 and Asn162 were utilized in approximately one-third of the protein population. Asn223 was never found to be glycosylated. The soluble receptor was treated with N-glycosidase F and the oligosaccharides released were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry, which showed that the protein carried six types of short carbohydrate chains. The predominant species was a hexasaccharide of molecular mass 1,039, containing a fucose subunit linked to the proximal N-acetylglucosamine residue: [formula: see text] PMID:8142896

  4. Health Effects of Low-Carbohydrate Diets: Where Should New Research Go?

    PubMed Central

    Wylie-Rosett, Judith; Aebersold, Karin; Conlon, Beth; Isasi, Carmen R.; Ostrovsky, Natania W.

    2013-01-01

    There has been considerable debate about the metabolic effects of restricting carbohydrate intake in weight and diabetes management. However, the American Diabetes Association has noted that weight and metabolic improvements can be achieved with low carbohydrate, low fat (implicitly higher carbohydrate), or a Mediterranean style diet (usually an intermediate level of carbohydrate). Our paper addresses variability in the definition for low or restricted carbohydrate, the effects of carbohydrate restriction on diabetes-related health outcomes, strategies for restricting carbohydrate intake, and potential genetic variability in response to dietary carbohydrate restriction. Issues for future research are also addressed. PMID:23266565

  5. The effect of dietary carbohydrate on gastroesophageal reflux disease.

    PubMed

    Wu, Keng-Liang; Kuo, Chung-Mou; Yao, Chih-Chien; Tai, Wei-Chen; Chuah, Seng-Kee; Lim, Chee-Sang; Chiu, Yi-Chun

    2018-01-12

    Acid changes in gastroesophageal reflux with vary component in the food have less been studied, especially carbohydrate. We plan to clarify the effect of different carbohydrate density on low esophageal acid and reflux symptoms of patients with gastroesophgeal reflux disease. Twelve patients (52 ± 12 years old; five female) with gastroesophageal reflux disease were recruited for the prospective crossover study. Each patient was invited for panendoscope, manometry and 24 h pH monitor. The two formulated liquid meal, test meal A: 500 ml liquid meal (containing 84.8 g carbohydrate) and B: same volume liquid meal (but 178.8 g carbohydrate) were randomized supplied as lunch or dinner. Reflux symptoms were recorded. There are significant statistic differences in more Johnson-DeMeester score (p = 0.019), total reflux time (%) (p = 0.028), number of reflux periods (p = 0.026) and longest reflux (p = 0.015) after high carbohydrate diet than low carbohydrate. Total reflux time and number of long reflux periods more than 5 min are significant more after high carbohydrate diet. More acid reflux symptoms are found after high carbohydrate diet. High carbohydrate diet could induce more acid reflux in low esophagus and more reflux symptoms in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. Critical moisture content for microbial growth in dried food-processing residues.

    PubMed

    Rezaei, Farzaneh; Vandergheynst, Jean S

    2010-09-01

    Food-processing residues are good feedstocks for biofuel and biochemical production because they have high energy content and are abundant. Year-round biofuel and biochemical production requires proper storage to prevent microbial decomposition and thermal runaway. In this study, microbial activity of tomato pomace (TP), grape pomace (GP), fermented grape pomace (FGP) and sugar beet pulp (SBP) was monitored at nine different moisture contents. Maximum and cumulative respirations for each feedstock with respect to moisture content followed a sigmoidal relationship. The critical moisture content below which no microbial activity was detected for SBP, TP, FGP and GP was 24-31, 16-21, 23-33 and 43-46% (dry basis) respectively. A logarithmic relationship was observed (R(2) = 0.94) between critical moisture content and initial water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content of the processing residues. The critical moisture content below which no microbial activity was detected and the relationship between critical moisture content and initial WSC content were determined in this study for four food-processing residues. Both parameters permit evaluation of the potential for deterioration of food-processing residues during storage based on moisture content and WSC content. Copyright 2010 Society of Chemical Industry.

  7. Acute Effects of Carbohydrate Supplementation on Intermittent Sports Performance.

    PubMed

    Baker, Lindsay B; Rollo, Ian; Stein, Kimberly W; Jeukendrup, Asker E

    2015-07-14

    Intermittent sports (e.g., team sports) are diverse in their rules and regulations but similar in the pattern of play; that is, intermittent high-intensity movements and the execution of sport-specific skills over a prolonged period of time (~1-2 h). Performance during intermittent sports is dependent upon a combination of anaerobic and aerobic energy systems, both of which rely on muscle glycogen and/or blood glucose as an important substrate for energy production. The aims of this paper are to review: (1) potential biological mechanisms by which carbohydrate may impact intermittent sport performance; (2) the acute effects of carbohydrate ingestion on intermittent sport performance, including intermittent high-intensity exercise capacity, sprinting, jumping, skill, change of direction speed, and cognition; and (3) what recommendations can be derived for carbohydrate intake before/during exercise in intermittent sports based on the available evidence. The most researched intermittent sport is soccer but some sport-specific studies have also been conducted in other sports (e.g., rugby, field hockey, basketball, American football, and racquet sports). Carbohydrate ingestion before/during exercise has been shown in most studies to enhance intermittent high-intensity exercise capacity. However, studies have shown mixed results with regards to the acute effects of carbohydrate intake on sprinting, jumping, skill, change of direction speed, and cognition. In most of these studies the amount of carbohydrate consumed was ~30-60 g/h in the form of a 6%-7% carbohydrate solution comprised of sucrose, glucose, and/or maltodextrin. The magnitude of the impact that carbohydrate ingestion has on intermittent sport performance is likely dependent on the carbohydrate status of the individual; that is, carbohydrate ingestion has the greatest impact on performance under circumstances eliciting fatigue and/or hypoglycemia. Accordingly, carbohydrate ingestion before and during a game

  8. FragBag, an accurate representation of protein structure, retrieves structural neighbors from the entire PDB quickly and accurately.

    PubMed

    Budowski-Tal, Inbal; Nov, Yuval; Kolodny, Rachel

    2010-02-23

    Fast identification of protein structures that are similar to a specified query structure in the entire Protein Data Bank (PDB) is fundamental in structure and function prediction. We present FragBag: An ultrafast and accurate method for comparing protein structures. We describe a protein structure by the collection of its overlapping short contiguous backbone segments, and discretize this set using a library of fragments. Then, we succinctly represent the protein as a "bags-of-fragments"-a vector that counts the number of occurrences of each fragment-and measure the similarity between two structures by the similarity between their vectors. Our representation has two additional benefits: (i) it can be used to construct an inverted index, for implementing a fast structural search engine of the entire PDB, and (ii) one can specify a structure as a collection of substructures, without combining them into a single structure; this is valuable for structure prediction, when there are reliable predictions only of parts of the protein. We use receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to quantify the success of FragBag in identifying neighbor candidate sets in a dataset of over 2,900 structures. The gold standard is the set of neighbors found by six state of the art structural aligners. Our best FragBag library finds more accurate candidate sets than the three other filter methods: The SGM, PRIDE, and a method by Zotenko et al. More interestingly, FragBag performs on a par with the computationally expensive, yet highly trusted structural aligners STRUCTAL and CE.

  9. The Drosophila Neurally Altered Carbohydrate Mutant Has a Defective Golgi GDP-fucose Transporter*

    PubMed Central

    Geisler, Christoph; Kotu, Varshika; Sharrow, Mary; Rendić, Dubravko; Pöltl, Gerald; Tiemeyer, Michael; Wilson, Iain B. H.; Jarvis, Donald L.

    2012-01-01

    Studying genetic disorders in model organisms can provide insights into heritable human diseases. The Drosophila neurally altered carbohydrate (nac) mutant is deficient for neural expression of the HRP epitope, which consists of N-glycans with core α1,3-linked fucose residues. Here, we show that a conserved serine residue in the Golgi GDP-fucose transporter (GFR) is substituted by leucine in nac1 flies, which abolishes GDP-fucose transport in vivo and in vitro. This loss of function is due to a biochemical defect, not to destabilization or mistargeting of the mutant GFR protein. Mass spectrometry and HPLC analysis showed that nac1 mutants lack not only core α1,3-linked, but also core α1,6-linked fucose residues on their N-glycans. Thus, the nac1 Gfr mutation produces a previously unrecognized general defect in N-glycan core fucosylation. Transgenic expression of a wild-type Gfr gene restored the HRP epitope in neural tissues, directly demonstrating that the Gfr mutation is solely responsible for the neural HRP epitope deficiency in the nac1 mutant. These results validate the Drosophila nac1 mutant as a model for the human congenital disorder of glycosylation, CDG-IIc (also known as LAD-II), which is also the result of a GFR deficiency. PMID:22745127

  10. The use of carbohydrates during exercise as an ergogenic aid.

    PubMed

    Cermak, Naomi M; van Loon, Luc J C

    2013-11-01

    Carbohydrate and fat are the two primary fuel sources oxidized by skeletal muscle tissue during prolonged (endurance-type) exercise. The relative contribution of these fuel sources largely depends on the exercise intensity and duration, with a greater contribution from carbohydrate as exercise intensity is increased. Consequently, endurance performance and endurance capacity are largely dictated by endogenous carbohydrate availability. As such, improving carbohydrate availability during prolonged exercise through carbohydrate ingestion has dominated the field of sports nutrition research. As a result, it has been well-established that carbohydrate ingestion during prolonged (>2 h) moderate-to-high intensity exercise can significantly improve endurance performance. Although the precise mechanism(s) responsible for the ergogenic effects are still unclear, they are likely related to the sparing of skeletal muscle glycogen, prevention of liver glycogen depletion and subsequent development of hypoglycemia, and/or allowing high rates of carbohydrate oxidation. Currently, for prolonged exercise lasting 2-3 h, athletes are advised to ingest carbohydrates at a rate of 60 g·h⁻¹ (~1.0-1.1 g·min⁻¹) to allow for maximal exogenous glucose oxidation rates. However, well-trained endurance athletes competing longer than 2.5 h can metabolize carbohydrate up to 90 g·h⁻¹ (~1.5-1.8 g·min⁻¹) provided that multiple transportable carbohydrates are ingested (e.g. 1.2 g·min⁻¹ glucose plus 0.6 g·min⁻¹ of fructose). Surprisingly, small amounts of carbohydrate ingestion during exercise may also enhance the performance of shorter (45-60 min), more intense (>75 % peak oxygen uptake; VO(₂peak)) exercise bouts, despite the fact that endogenous carbohydrate stores are unlikely to be limiting. The mechanism(s) responsible for such ergogenic properties of carbohydrate ingestion during short, more intense exercise bouts has been suggested to reside in the central nervous

  11. A perspective on the primary and three-dimensional structures of carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Widmalm, Göran

    2013-08-30

    Carbohydrates, in more biologically oriented areas referred to as glycans, constitute one of the four groups of biomolecules. The glycans, often present as glycoproteins or glycolipids, form highly complex structures. In mammals ten monosaccharides are utilized in building glycoconjugates in the form of oligo- (up to about a dozen monomers) and polysaccharides. Subsequent modifications and additions create a large number of different compounds. In bacteria, more than a hundred monosaccharides have been reported to be constituents of lipopolysaccharides, capsular polysaccharides, and exopolysaccharides. Thus, the number of polysaccharide structures possible to create is huge. NMR spectroscopy plays an essential part in elucidating the primary structure, that is, monosaccharide identity and ring size, anomeric configuration, linkage position, and sequence, of the sugar residues. The structural studies may also employ computational approaches for NMR chemical shift predictions (CASPER program). Once the components and sequence of sugar residues have been unraveled, the three-dimensional arrangement of the sugar residues relative to each other (conformation), their flexibility (transitions between and populations of conformational states), together with the dynamics (timescales) should be addressed. To shed light on these aspects we have utilized a combination of experimental liquid state NMR techniques together with molecular dynamics simulations. For the latter a molecular mechanics force field such as our CHARMM-based PARM22/SU01 has been used. The experimental NMR parameters acquired are typically (1)H,(1)H cross-relaxation rates (related to NOEs), (3)JCH and (3)JCCtrans-glycosidic coupling constants and (1)H,(13)C- and (1)H,(1)H-residual dipolar couplings. At a glycosidic linkage two torsion angles ϕ and ψ are defined and for 6-substituted residues also the ω torsion angle is required. Major conformers can be identified for which highly populated states are

  12. Carbohydrates and T cells: A sweet twosome

    PubMed Central

    Avci, Fikri Y.; Li, Xiangming; Tsuji, Moriya; Kasper, Dennis L.

    2013-01-01

    Carbohydrates as T cell-activating antigens have been generating significant interest. For many years, carbohydrates were thought of as T-independent antigens, however, more recent research had demonstrated that mono- or oligosaccharides glycosidically-linked to peptides can be recognized by T cells. T cell recognition of these glycopeptides depends on the structure of both peptide and glycan portions of the antigen. Subsequently, it was discovered that natural killer T cells recognized glycolipids when presented by the antigen presenting molecule CD1d. A transformative insight into glycan-recognition by T cells occurred when zwitterionic polysaccharides were discovered to bind to and be presented by MHCII to CD4+ T cells. Based on this latter observation, the role that carbohydrate epitopes generated from glycoconjugate vaccines had in activating helper T cells was explored and it was found that these epitopes are presented to specific carbohydrate recognizing T cells through a unique mechanism. Here we review the key interactions between carbohydrate antigens and the adaptive immune system at the molecular, cellular and systems levels exploring the significant biological implications in health and disease. PMID:23757291

  13. Very low-carbohydrate versus isocaloric high-carbohydrate diet in dietary obese rats.

    PubMed

    Axen, Kathleen V; Axen, Kenneth

    2006-08-01

    The effects of a very low-carbohydrate (VLC), high-fat (HF) dietary regimen on metabolic syndrome were compared with those of an isocaloric high-carbohydrate (HC), low-fat (LF) regimen in dietary obese rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, made obese by 8 weeks ad libitum consumption of an HF diet, developed features of the metabolic syndrome vs. lean control (C) rats, including greater visceral, subcutaneous, and hepatic fat masses, elevated plasma cholesterol levels, impaired glucose tolerance, and fasting and post-load insulin resistance. Half of the obese rats (VLC) were then fed a popular VLC-HF diet (Weeks 9 and 10 at 5% and Weeks 11 to 14 at 15% carbohydrate), and one-half (HC) were pair-fed an HC-LF diet (Weeks 9 to 14 at 60% carbohydrate). Energy intakes of pair-fed VLC and HC rats were less than C rats throughout Weeks 9 to 14. Compared with HC rats, VLC rats exhibited impaired insulin and glycemic responses to an intraperitoneal glucose load at Week 10 and lower plasma triacylglycerol levels but retarded loss of hepatic, retroperitoneal, and total body fat at Week 14. VLC, HC, and C rats no longer differed in body weight, plasma cholesterol, glucose tolerance, or fasting insulin resistance at Week 14. Progressive decreases in fasting insulin resistance in obese groups paralleled concomitant reductions in hepatic, retroperitoneal, and total body fat. When energy intake was matched, the VLC-HF diet provided no advantage in weight loss or in improving those components of the metabolic syndrome induced by dietary obesity and may delay loss of hepatic and visceral fat as compared with an HC-LF diet.

  14. Sensitive Carbohydrate Detection using Surface Enhanced Raman Tagging

    PubMed Central

    Vangala, Karthikeshwar; Yanney, Michael; Hsiao, Cheng-Te; Wu, Wells W.; Shen, Rong-Fong; Zou, Sige; Sygula, Andrzej; Zhang, Dongmao

    2010-01-01

    Glycomic analysis is an increasingly important field in biological and biomedical research as glycosylation is one of the most important protein post-translational modifications. We have developed a new technique to detect carbohydrates using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) by designing and applying a Rhodamine B derivative as the SERS tag. Using a reductive amination reaction, the Rhodamine-based tag (RT) was successfully conjugated to three model carbohydrates (glucose, lactose and glucuronic acid). SERS detection limits obtained with 632 nm HeNe laser were ~1 nM in concentration for all the RT-carbohydrate conjugates and ~10 fmol in total sample consumption. The dynamic range of the SERS method is about 4 orders of magnitude, spanning from 1 nM to 5 µM. Ratiometric SERS quantification using isotope-substituted SERS internal references also allows comparative quantifications of carbohydrates labeled with RT and deuterium/hydrogen substituted RT tags, respectively. In addition to enhancing the SERS detection of the tagged carbohydrates, the Rhodamine tagging facilitates fluorescence and mass spectrometric detection of carbohydrates. Current fluorescence sensitivity of RT-carbohydrates is ~ 3 nM in concentration while the mass spectrometry (MS) sensitivity is about 1 fmol that was achieved with linear ion trap electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS instrument. Potential applications that take advantage of the high SERS, fluorescence and MS sensitivity of this SERS tagging strategy are discussed for practical glycomic analysis where carbohydrates may be quantified with a fluorescence and SERS technique, and then identified with ESI-MS techniques. PMID:21082777

  15. High-resolution structure of the M14-type cytosolic carboxypeptidase from Burkholderia cenocepacia refined exploiting PDB-REDO strategies

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rimsa, Vadim; Eadsforth, Thomas C.; Joosten, Robbie P.

    2014-02-01

    The structure of a bacterial M14-family carboxypeptidase determined exploiting microfocus synchrotron radiation and highly automated refinement protocols reveals its potential to act as a polyglutamylase. A potential cytosolic metallocarboxypeptidase from Burkholderia cenocepacia has been crystallized and a synchrotron-radiation microfocus beamline allowed the acquisition of diffraction data to 1.9 Å resolution. The asymmetric unit comprises a tetramer containing over 1500 amino acids, and the high-throughput automated protocols embedded in PDB-REDO were coupled with model–map inspections in refinement. This approach has highlighted the value of such protocols for efficient analyses. The subunit is constructed from two domains. The N-terminal domain has previouslymore » only been observed in cytosolic carboxypeptidase (CCP) proteins. The C-terminal domain, which carries the Zn{sup 2+}-containing active site, serves to classify this protein as a member of the M14D subfamily of carboxypeptidases. Although eukaryotic CCPs possess deglutamylase activity and are implicated in processing modified tubulin, the function and substrates of the bacterial family members remain unknown. The B. cenocepacia protein did not display deglutamylase activity towards a furylacryloyl glutamate derivative, a potential substrate. Residues previously shown to coordinate the divalent cation and that contribute to peptide-bond cleavage in related enzymes such as bovine carboxypeptidase are conserved. The location of a conserved basic patch in the active site adjacent to the catalytic Zn{sup 2+}, where an acetate ion is identified, suggests recognition of the carboxy-terminus in a similar fashion to other carboxypeptidases. However, there are significant differences that indicate the recognition of substrates with different properties. Of note is the presence of a lysine in the S1′ recognition subsite that suggests specificity towards an acidic substrate.« less

  16. Preoperative oral carbohydrates and postoperative insulin resistance.

    PubMed

    Nygren, J; Soop, M; Thorell, A; Sree Nair, K; Ljungqvist, O

    1999-04-01

    Infusions of carbohydrates before surgery have been shown to reduce postoperative insulin resistance. Presently, we investigated the effects of a carbohydrate drink, given shortly before surgery, on postoperative insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity and glucose turnover ([6, 6,(2)H(2)]-D-glucose) were measured using hyper-insulinemic, normoglycemic clamps before and after elective surgery. Sixteen patients undergoing total hip replacement were randomly assigned to preoperative oral carbohydrate administration (CHO-H, n = 8) or the same amount of a placebo drink (placebo, n = 8) before surgery. Insulin sensitivity was measured before and immediately after surgery. Patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery were studied before surgery and 24 h postoperatively (CHO-C (n = 7), and fasted (n = 7), groups). The fasted group underwent surgery after an overnight fast. In both studies, the CHO groups received 800 ml of an isoosmolar carbohydrate rich beverage the evening before the operation (100g carbohydrates), as well as another 400 ml (50g carbohydrates) 2 h before the initiation of anesthesia. Immediately after surgery, insulin sensitivity was reduced 37% in the placebo group (P < 0.05 vs. preoperatively) while no significant change was found in the CHO-H group (-16%, p = NS). During clamps performed 24h postoperatively, insulin sensitivity and whole-body glucose disposal was reduced in both groups, but the reduction was greater compared to that in the CHO-C group (-49 +/- 6% vs. -26 +/- 8%, P> 0.05 fasted vs. CHO-C). Patients given a carbohydrate drink shortly before elective surgery displayed less reduced insulin sensitivity after surgery as compared to patients undergoing surgery after an overnight fast. Copyright 1999 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.

  17. Carbohydrate Recognition by Boronolectins, Small Molecules, and Lectins

    PubMed Central

    Jin, Shan; Cheng, Yunfeng; Reid, Suazette; Li, Minyong; Wang, Binghe

    2009-01-01

    Carbohydrates are known to mediate a large number of biological and pathological events. Small and macromolecules capable of carbohydrate recognition have great potentials as research tools, diagnostics, vectors for targeted delivery of therapeutic and imaging agents, and therapeutic agents. However, this potential is far from being realized. One key issue is the difficulty in the development of “binders” capable of specific recognition of carbohydrates of biological relevance. This review discusses systematically the general approaches that are available in developing carbohydrate sensors and “binders/receptors,” and their applications. The focus is on discoveries during the last five years. PMID:19291708

  18. Physicochemical Characterization of Iron Carbohydrate Colloid Drug Products.

    PubMed

    Zou, Peng; Tyner, Katherine; Raw, Andre; Lee, Sau

    2017-09-01

    Iron carbohydrate colloid drug products are intravenously administered to patients with chronic kidney disease for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia. Physicochemical characterization of iron colloids is critical to establish pharmaceutical equivalence between an innovator iron colloid product and generic version. The purpose of this review is to summarize literature-reported techniques for physicochemical characterization of iron carbohydrate colloid drug products. The mechanisms, reported testing results, and common technical pitfalls for individual characterization test are discussed. A better understanding of the physicochemical characterization techniques will facilitate generic iron carbohydrate colloid product development, accelerate products to market, and ensure iron carbohydrate colloid product quality.

  19. Single tag for total carbohydrate analysis.

    PubMed

    Anumula, Kalyan Rao

    2014-07-15

    Anthranilic acid (2-aminobenzoic acid, 2-AA) has the remarkable property of reacting rapidly with every type of reducing carbohydrate. Reactivity of 2-AA with carbohydrates in aqueous solutions surpasses all other tags reported to date. This unique capability is attributed to the strategically located -COOH which accelerates Schiff base formation. Monosaccharides, oligosaccharides (N-, O-, and lipid linked and glycans in secretory fluids), glycosaminoglycans, and polysaccharides can be easily labeled with 2-AA. With 2-AA, labeling is simple in aqueous solutions containing proteins, peptides, buffer salts, and other ingredients (e.g., PNGase F, glycosidase, and transferase reaction mixtures). In contrast, other tags require relatively pure glycans for labeling in anhydrous dimethyl sulfoxide-acetic acid medium. Acidic conditions are known to cause desialylation, thus requiring a great deal of attention to sample preparation. Simpler labeling is achieved with 2-AA within 30-60 min in mild acetate-borate buffered solution. 2-AA provides the highest sensitivity and resolution in chromatographic methods for carbohydrate analysis in a simple manner. Additionally, 2-AA is uniquely qualified for quantitative analysis by mass spectrometry in the negative mode. Analyses of 2-AA-labeled carbohydrates by electrophoresis and other techniques have been reported. Examples cited here demonstrate that 2-AA is the universal tag for total carbohydrate analysis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. WURCS 2.0 Update To Encapsulate Ambiguous Carbohydrate Structures.

    PubMed

    Matsubara, Masaaki; Aoki-Kinoshita, Kiyoko F; Aoki, Nobuyuki P; Yamada, Issaku; Narimatsu, Hisashi

    2017-04-24

    Accurate representation of structural ambiguity is important for storing carbohydrate structures containing varying levels of ambiguity in the literature and databases. Although many representations for carbohydrates have been developed in the past, a generalized but discrete representation format did not exist. We had previously developed the Web3 Unique Representation of Carbohydrate Structures (WURCS) in an attempt to define a generalizable and unique linear representation for carbohydrate structures. However, it lacked sufficient rules to uniquely describe ambiguous structures. In this work, we updated WURCS to handle such ambiguous monosaccharide structures. In particular, to handle structural ambiguity around (potential) carbonyl groups incidental to the carbohydrate analysis, we defined a representation of backbone carbons containing atomic-level ambiguity. As a result, we show that WURCS 2.0 can represent a wider variety of carbohydrate structures containing ambiguous monosaccharides, such as those whose ring closure is undefined or whose anomeric information is only known. This new format provides a representation of carbohydrates that was not possible before, and it is currently being used by the International Glycan Structure Repository GlyTouCan.

  1. Nitrogen recycling from fuel-extracted algal biomass: residuals as the sole nitrogen source for culturing Scenedesmus acutus.

    PubMed

    Gu, Huiya; Nagle, Nick; Pienkos, Philip T; Posewitz, Matthew C

    2015-05-01

    In this study, the reuse of nitrogen from fuel-extracted algal residues was investigated. The alga Scenedesmus acutus was found to be able to assimilate nitrogen contained in amino acids, yeast extracts, and proteinaceous alga residuals. Moreover, these alternative nitrogen resources could replace nitrate in culturing media. The ability of S. acutus to utilize the nitrogen remaining in processed algal biomass was unique among the promising biofuel strains tested. This alga was leveraged in a recycling approach where nitrogen is recovered from algal biomass residuals that remain after lipids are extracted and carbohydrates are fermented to ethanol. The protein-rich residuals not only provided an effective nitrogen resource, but also contributed to a carbon "heterotrophic boost" in subsequent culturing, improving overall biomass and lipid yields relative to the control medium with only nitrate. Prior treatment of the algal residues with Diaion HP20 resin was required to remove compounds inhibitory to algal growth. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Cation–π interactions in protein–ligand binding: theory and data-mining reveal different roles for lysine and arginine† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: DLPNO-CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVnZ benchmarks; PLIP geometric criteria; polycyclic aromatic ring visualizations; van der Waals surfaces of model complexes; absolute energies from DLPNO-CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ and SAPT2+3/aug-cc-pVDZ calculations; Cartesian coordinates; Table of PDB IDs and corresponding cation–π interactions identified (.xls). See DOI: 10.1039/c7sc04905f

    PubMed Central

    Kumar, Kiran; Woo, Shin M.; Siu, Thomas; Cortopassi, Wilian A.

    2018-01-01

    We have studied the cation–π interactions of neutral aromatic ligands with the cationic amino acid residues arginine, histidine and lysine using ab initio calculations, symmetry adapted perturbation theory (SAPT), and a systematic meta-analysis of all available Protein Data Bank (PDB) X-ray structures. Quantum chemical potential energy surfaces (PES) for these interactions were obtained at the DLPNO-CCSD(T) level of theory and compared against the empirical distribution of 2012 unique protein–ligand cation–π interactions found in X-ray crystal structures. We created a workflow to extract these structures from the PDB, filtering by interaction type and residue pKa. The gas phase cation–π interaction of lysine is the strongest by more than 10 kcal mol–1, but the empirical distribution of 582 X-ray structures lies away from the minimum on the interaction PES. In contrast, 1381 structures involving arginine match the underlying calculated PES with good agreement. SAPT analysis revealed that underlying differences in the balance of electrostatic and dispersion contributions are responsible for this behavior in the context of the protein environment. The lysine–arene interaction, dominated by electrostatics, is greatly weakened by a surrounding dielectric medium and causes it to become essentially negligible in strength and without a well-defined equilibrium separation. The arginine–arene interaction involves a near equal mix of dispersion and electrostatic attraction, which is weakened to a much smaller degree by the surrounding medium. Our results account for the paucity of cation–π interactions involving lysine, even though this is a more common residue than arginine. Aromatic ligands are most likely to interact with cationic arginine residues as this interaction is stronger than for lysine in higher polarity surroundings. PMID:29719674

  3. Enhanced bioenergy recovery from oil-extracted microalgae residues via two-step H2/CH4 or H2/butanol anaerobic fermentation.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Hai-Hsuan; Whang, Liang-Ming; Wu, Shu-Hsien

    2016-03-01

    Algae-based biodiesel is considered a promising alternative energy; therefore, the treatment of microalgae residues would be necessary. Anaerobic processes can be used for treating oil-extracted microalgae residues (OMR) and at the same time for recovering bioenergy. In this study, anaerobic batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the potential of recovering bioenergy, in the forms of butanol, H2, or CH4, from pretreated OMR. Using pretreated OMR as the only substrate, a butanol yield of 0.086 g/g-carbohydrate was obtained at carbohydrate of 40 g/L. With supplemented butyrate, a highest butanol yield of 0.192 g/g-carbohydrate was achieved at pretreated OMR containing 25 g/L of carbohydrate with 15 g/L of butyrate addition, attaining the highest energy yield of 3.92 kJ/g-OMR and energy generation rate of 0.65 kJ/g-OMR/d. CH4 production from pretreated OMR attained an energy yield of 8.83 kJ/g-OMR, but energy generation rate required further improvement. H2 production alone from pretreated OMR might not be attractive regarding energy yield, but it attained a superb energy generation rate of 0.68 kJ/g-OMR/d by combining H2 production from pretreated OMR and butanol production from pretreated OMR with supplementary butyrate from H2 fermentation supernatant. This study demonstrated an integrated system as an option for treating OMR and recovering bioenergy. Copyright © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. A functional glycoprotein competitive recognition and signal amplification strategy for carbohydrate-protein interaction profiling and cell surface carbohydrate expression evaluation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Yangzhong; Chen, Zhuhai; Liu, Yang; Li, Jinghong

    2013-07-01

    A simple and sensitive carbohydrate biosensor has been suggested as a potential tool for accurate analysis of cell surface carbohydrate expression as well as carbohydrate-based therapeutics for a variety of diseases and infections. In this work, a sensitive biosensor for carbohydrate-lectin profiling and in situ cell surface carbohydrate expression was designed by taking advantage of a functional glycoprotein of glucose oxidase acting as both a multivalent recognition unit and a signal amplification probe. Combining the gold nanoparticle catalyzed luminol electrogenerated chemiluminescence and nanocarrier for active biomolecules, the number of cell surface carbohydrate groups could be conveniently read out. The apparent dissociation constant between GOx@Au probes and Con A was detected to be 1.64 nM and was approximately 5 orders of magnitude smaller than that of mannose and Con A, which would arise from the multivalent effect between the probe and Con A. Both glycoproteins and gold nanoparticles contribute to the high affinity between carbohydrates and lectin. The as-proposed biosensor exhibits excellent analytical performance towards the cytosensing of K562 cells with a detection limit of 18 cells, and the mannose moieties on a single K562 cell were determined to be 1.8 × 1010. The biosensor can also act as a useful tool for antibacterial drug screening and mechanism investigation. This strategy integrates the excellent biocompatibility and multivalent recognition of glycoproteins as well as the significant enzymatic catalysis and gold nanoparticle signal amplification, and avoids the cell pretreatment and labelling process. This would contribute to the glycomic analysis and the understanding of complex native glycan-related biological processes.A simple and sensitive carbohydrate biosensor has been suggested as a potential tool for accurate analysis of cell surface carbohydrate expression as well as carbohydrate-based therapeutics for a variety of diseases and

  5. Carbohydrate Metabolism Disorders

    MedlinePlus

    Metabolism is the process your body uses to make energy from the food you eat. Food is ... disorder, something goes wrong with this process. Carbohydrate metabolism disorders are a group of metabolic disorders. Normally ...

  6. Perceived hunger is lower and weight loss is greater in overweight premenopausal women consuming a low-carbohydrate/high-protein vs high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet.

    PubMed

    Nickols-Richardson, Sharon M; Coleman, Mary Dean; Volpe, Joanne J; Hosig, Kathy W

    2005-09-01

    The impact of a low-carbohydrate/high-protein diet compared with a high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet on ratings of hunger and cognitive eating restraint were examined. Overweight premenopausal women consumed a low-carbohydrate/high-protein (n=13) or high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet (n=15) for 6 weeks. Fasting body weight (BW) was measured and the Eating Inventory was completed at baseline, weeks 1 to 4, and week 6. All women experienced a reduction in BW (P<.01), although relative BW loss was greater in the low-carbohydrate/high-protein vs high-carbohydrate/low-fat group at week 6 (P<.05). Based on Eating Inventory scores, self-rated hunger decreased (P<.03) in women in the low-carbohydrate/high-protein but not in the high-carbohydrate/low-fat group from baseline to week 6. In both groups, self-rated cognitive eating restraint increased (P<.01) from baseline to week 1 and remained constant to week 6. Both diet groups reported increased cognitive eating restraint, facilitating short-term weight loss; however, the decrease in hunger perception in the low-carbohydrate/high-protein group may have contributed to a greater percentage of BW loss.

  7. Acute Effects of Carbohydrate Supplementation on Intermittent Sports Performance

    PubMed Central

    Baker, Lindsay B.; Rollo, Ian; Stein, Kimberly W.; Jeukendrup, Asker E.

    2015-01-01

    Intermittent sports (e.g., team sports) are diverse in their rules and regulations but similar in the pattern of play; that is, intermittent high-intensity movements and the execution of sport-specific skills over a prolonged period of time (~1–2 h). Performance during intermittent sports is dependent upon a combination of anaerobic and aerobic energy systems, both of which rely on muscle glycogen and/or blood glucose as an important substrate for energy production. The aims of this paper are to review: (1) potential biological mechanisms by which carbohydrate may impact intermittent sport performance; (2) the acute effects of carbohydrate ingestion on intermittent sport performance, including intermittent high-intensity exercise capacity, sprinting, jumping, skill, change of direction speed, and cognition; and (3) what recommendations can be derived for carbohydrate intake before/during exercise in intermittent sports based on the available evidence. The most researched intermittent sport is soccer but some sport-specific studies have also been conducted in other sports (e.g., rugby, field hockey, basketball, American football, and racquet sports). Carbohydrate ingestion before/during exercise has been shown in most studies to enhance intermittent high-intensity exercise capacity. However, studies have shown mixed results with regards to the acute effects of carbohydrate intake on sprinting, jumping, skill, change of direction speed, and cognition. In most of these studies the amount of carbohydrate consumed was ~30–60 g/h in the form of a 6%–7% carbohydrate solution comprised of sucrose, glucose, and/or maltodextrin. The magnitude of the impact that carbohydrate ingestion has on intermittent sport performance is likely dependent on the carbohydrate status of the individual; that is, carbohydrate ingestion has the greatest impact on performance under circumstances eliciting fatigue and/or hypoglycemia. Accordingly, carbohydrate ingestion before and during a

  8. A carbohydrate-anion recognition system in aprotic solvents.

    PubMed

    Ren, Bo; Dong, Hai; Ramström, Olof

    2014-05-01

    A carbohydrate-anion recognition system in nonpolar solvents is reported, in which complexes form at the B-faces of β-D-pyranosides with H1-, H3-, and H5-cis patterns similar to carbohydrate-π interactions. The complexation effect was evaluated for a range of carbohydrate structures; it resulted in either 1:1 carbohydrate-anion complexes, or 1:2 complex formation depending on the protection pattern of the carbohydrate. The interaction was also evaluated with different anions and solvents. In both cases it resulted in significant binding differences. The results indicate that complexation originates from van der Waals interactions or weak CH⋅⋅⋅A(-) hydrogen bonds between the binding partners and is related to electron-withdrawing groups of the carbohydrates as well as increased hydrogen-bond-accepting capability of the anions. © 2014 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

  9. Simple carbohydrates (image)

    MedlinePlus

    ... the body to be used as energy. Simple carbohydrates are found naturally in foods such as fruits, milk, and milk products. They are also found in processed and refined sugars such as candy, table sugar, ...

  10. Carbohydrate recognition: A minimalistic approach to binding

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kubik, Stefan

    2012-09-01

    Synthetic receptors with properties resembling those of carbohydrate-binding proteins are known, but they are structurally rather complex. Elaborate structures are, however, not always required to bind carbohydrates in water -- much simpler compounds can be just as effective.

  11. Role of Carbohydrate in Glycoprotein Traffic and Secretion

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-01-01

    synthesized in normal amounts but accumu- lated intracellularly, with transport to the cell surface being greatly de - layed. Glycoprotein E2 isolated from...UNcLA ,F E 2 Role of Carbohydrate in Glycoprotein Traffic and Secretion JAMES B. PARENT I. Introduction I!. Evidence for Intracellular Transport Signals...Ill. Oligosaccharide Biosynthesis IV. Role of Carbohydrate in Protein Solubility. Structure, and Stability V. Evidence for Carbohydrate Transport

  12. LIBP-Pred: web server for lipid binding proteins using structural network parameters; PDB mining of human cancer biomarkers and drug targets in parasites and bacteria.

    PubMed

    González-Díaz, Humberto; Munteanu, Cristian R; Postelnicu, Lucian; Prado-Prado, Francisco; Gestal, Marcos; Pazos, Alejandro

    2012-03-01

    Lipid-Binding Proteins (LIBPs) or Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins (FABPs) play an important role in many diseases such as different types of cancer, kidney injury, atherosclerosis, diabetes, intestinal ischemia and parasitic infections. Thus, the computational methods that can predict LIBPs based on 3D structure parameters became a goal of major importance for drug-target discovery, vaccine design and biomarker selection. In addition, the Protein Data Bank (PDB) contains 3000+ protein 3D structures with unknown function. This list, as well as new experimental outcomes in proteomics research, is a very interesting source to discover relevant proteins, including LIBPs. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no general models to predict new LIBPs based on 3D structures. We developed new Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) models based on 3D electrostatic parameters of 1801 different proteins, including 801 LIBPs. We calculated these electrostatic parameters with the MARCH-INSIDE software and they correspond to the entire protein or to specific protein regions named core, inner, middle, and surface. We used these parameters as inputs to develop a simple Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) classifier to discriminate 3D structure of LIBPs from other proteins. We implemented this predictor in the web server named LIBP-Pred, freely available at , along with other important web servers of the Bio-AIMS portal. The users can carry out an automatic retrieval of protein structures from PDB or upload their custom protein structural models from their disk created with LOMETS server. We demonstrated the PDB mining option performing a predictive study of 2000+ proteins with unknown function. Interesting results regarding the discovery of new Cancer Biomarkers in humans or drug targets in parasites have been discussed here in this sense.

  13. Carbohydrates and sports practice: a Twitter virtual ethnography

    PubMed

    Rodríguez-Martín, Beatriz; Castillo, Carlos Alberto

    2017-02-01

    Introduction: Although carbohydrates consumption is a key factor to enhance sport performance, intake levels seem questioned by some amateur athletes, leading to develop an irrational aversion to carbohydrate known as “carbophobia”. On the other hand, food is the origin of virtual communities erected as a source of knowledge and a way to exchange information. Despite this, very few studies have analysed the influence of social media in eating behaviours. Objectives: To know the conceptualizations about carbohydrates intake and eating patterns related to carbophobia expressed in amateur athletes’ Twitter accounts. Methods: Qualitative research designed from Hine’s Virtual Ethnography. Virtual immersion was used for data collection in Twitter open accounts in a theoretical sample of tweets from amateur athletes. Discourse analysis of narrative information of tweets was carried out through open, axial and selective coding process and the constant comparison method. Results: Data analysis revealed four main categories that offered a picture of conceptualizations of carbohydrates: carbohydrates as suspects or guilty from slowing down training, carbophobia as a lifestyle, carbophobia as a religion and finally the love/hate relationship with carbohydrates. Conclusions: Low-carbohydrate diet is considered a healthy lifestyle in some amateur athletes. The results of this study show the power of virtual communication tools such as Twitter to support, promote and maintain uncommon and not necessarily healthy eating behaviours. Future studies should focus on the context in which these practices appear.

  14. Saturated fat, carbohydrate, and cardiovascular disease.

    PubMed

    Siri-Tarino, Patty W; Sun, Qi; Hu, Frank B; Krauss, Ronald M

    2010-03-01

    A focus of dietary recommendations for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and treatment has been a reduction in saturated fat intake, primarily as a means of lowering LDL-cholesterol concentrations. However, the evidence that supports a reduction in saturated fat intake must be evaluated in the context of replacement by other macronutrients. Clinical trials that replaced saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat have generally shown a reduction in CVD events, although several studies showed no effects. An independent association of saturated fat intake with CVD risk has not been consistently shown in prospective epidemiologic studies, although some have provided evidence of an increased risk in young individuals and in women. Replacement of saturated fat by polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat lowers both LDL and HDL cholesterol. However, replacement with a higher carbohydrate intake, particularly refined carbohydrate, can exacerbate the atherogenic dyslipidemia associated with insulin resistance and obesity that includes increased triglycerides, small LDL particles, and reduced HDL cholesterol. In summary, although substitution of dietary polyunsaturated fat for saturated fat has been shown to lower CVD risk, there are few epidemiologic or clinical trial data to support a benefit of replacing saturated fat with carbohydrate. Furthermore, particularly given the differential effects of dietary saturated fats and carbohydrates on concentrations of larger and smaller LDL particles, respectively, dietary efforts to improve the increasing burden of CVD risk associated with atherogenic dyslipidemia should primarily emphasize the limitation of refined carbohydrate intakes and a reduction in excess adiposity.

  15. Validation of lignocellulosic biomass carbohydrates determination via acid hydrolysis.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Shengfei; Runge, Troy M

    2014-11-04

    This work studied the two-step acid hydrolysis for determining carbohydrates in lignocellulosic biomass. Estimation of sugar loss based on acid hydrolyzed sugar standards or analysis of sugar derivatives was investigated. Four model substrates (starch, holocellulose, filter paper and cotton) and three levels of acid/material ratios (7.8, 10.3 and 15.4, v/w) were studied to demonstrate the range of test artifacts. The method for carbohydrates estimation based on acid hydrolyzed sugar standards having the most satisfactory carbohydrate recovery and relative standard deviation. Raw material and the acid/material ratio both had significant effect on carbohydrate hydrolysis, suggesting the acid to have impacts beyond a catalyst in the hydrolysis. Following optimal procedures, we were able to reach a carbohydrate recovery of 96% with a relative standard deviation less than 3%. The carbohydrates recovery lower than 100% was likely due to the incomplete hydrolysis of substrates, which was supported by scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Carbohydrate absorption from one serving of fruit juice in young children: age and carbohydrate composition effects.

    PubMed

    Nobigrot, T; Chasalow, F I; Lifshitz, F

    1997-04-01

    To test the hypotheses that: the efficiency of carbohydrate absorption in childhood increases with age, and decreased carbohydrate absorption occurs more frequently with juices containing more fructose than glucose and/or sorbitol than with juices which contain equal amounts of fructose and glucose and are sorbitol-free. One hundred and four healthy children were recruited from the Ambulatory Center at Maimonides Children's Center. They were assigned to one of three age groups: approximately 1, 3 and 5 years of age. Each child received one age-specific dose (by randomization) of one of four juices: a) pear juice which contains fructose in excess to glucose and a large amount of sorbitol; b) apple juice which is similar to pear juice in its fructose to glucose ratio but contains four times less sorbitol than pear juice; c) white grape juice or d) purple grape juice both of which contain equal amounts of fructose and glucose and are sorbitol-free. Breath hydrogen excretion (BH2) was utilized as the index of carbohydrate absorption. It was measured in fasting children and at 30-minute intervals for 3 hours after drinking the single serving of juice. Multiple breath hydrogen related parameters were quantified and results were expressed as: BH2 peak, area under the curve, and degree of carbohydrate malabsorption. After the test, parents completed a questionnaire and recorded signs and symptoms of intestinal malabsorption for 24 hours. Pear juice related BH2 levels were significantly higher among children 1 and 3 years of age as compared to the levels achieved after the other juices. Apple juice related BH2 levels were significantly higher only among the youngest age group of children. There was no significant difference in carbohydrate absorption among the 5 year old children regardless of the juice consumed. Incomplete carbohydrate absorption (BH2 peak above 20 ppm) occurred more frequently after pear juice consumption (84%) than after apple juice (41%) or grape juice

  17. Carbohydrate Dehydration Demonstrations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dolson, David A.; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Discusses the impact of various factors on the "charring reaction" of a carbohydrate with concentrated sulfuric acid including the type of sugar, the degree of fineness of the sugar crystals, and the amount of water added. (JRH)

  18. Inquiry-Based Approach to a Carbohydrate Analysis Experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Senkbeil, Edward G.

    1999-01-01

    The analysis of an unknown carbohydrate in an inquiry-based learning format has proven to be a valuable and interesting undergraduate biochemistry laboratory experiment. Students are given a list of carbohydrates and a list of references for carbohydrate analysis. The references contain a variety of well-characterized wet chemistry and instrumental techniques for carbohydrate identification, but the students must develop an appropriate sequential protocol for unknown identification. The students are required to provide a list of chemicals and procedures and a flow chart for identification before the lab. During the 3-hour laboratory period, they utilize their accumulated information and knowledge to classify and identify their unknown. Advantages of the inquiry-based format are (i) students must be well prepared in advance to be successful in the laboratory, (ii) students feel a sense of accomplishment in both designing and carrying out a successful experiment, and (iii) the carbohydrate background information digested by the students significantly decreases the amount of lecture time required for this topic.

  19. Impact of Carbohydrate Restriction on Healthy Adolescent Development.

    PubMed

    Richmond, Hannah M; Duriancik, David M

    2017-09-01

    Carbohydrate-restricted diets are known for their impact on weight loss; however, research is still required to determine if low-carbohydrate diets are safe for adolescents. Carbohydrates directly stimulate an insulin response, and studies have recently shown that insulin and binding to respective insulin receptors (IRs) are critical in Kisspeptin (Kiss1) neuronal development. These neurons directly stimulate gonadotropin-releasing hormone, which activates the pituitary-gonadal axis during puberty. This information suggests that carbohydrate restriction may delay pubertal development in adolescents due to the impact on insulin and Kiss1 transcription. Studies have observed disturbed insulin metabolism in Type I Diabetics leading to delayed puberty, along with overfeeding stimulating early pubertal onset. Additionally, recent clinical trials bred female mice with IR deletions on Kiss1 neurons and observed delayed vaginal opening and estrus. Current animal research suggests low carbohydrate intake may delay pubertal onset, however additional research is required to determine outcome in human subjects. Copyright© of YS Medical Media ltd.

  20. Whey or Casein Hydrolysate with Carbohydrate for Metabolism and Performance in Cycling.

    PubMed

    Oosthuyse, T; Carstens, M; Millen, A M E

    2015-07-01

    The protein type most suitable for ingestion during endurance exercise is undefined. This study compared co-ingestion of either 15 g/h whey or casein hydrolysate with 63 g/h fructose: maltodextrin (0.8:1) on exogenous carbohydrate oxidation, exercise metabolism and performance. 2 h postprandial, 8 male cyclists ingested either: carbohydrate-only, carbohydrate-whey hydrolysate, carbohydrate-casein hydrolysate or placebo-water in a crossover, double-blind design during 2 h of exercise at 60%W max followed by a 16-km time trial. Data were evaluated by magnitude-based inferential statistics. Exogenous carbohydrate oxidation, measured from (13)CO2 breath enrichment, was not substantially influenced by co-ingestion of either protein hydrolysate. However, only co-ingestion of carbohydrate-casein hydrolysate substantially decreased (98% very likely decrease) total carbohydrate oxidation (mean±SD, 242±44; 258±47; 277±33 g for carbohydrate-casein, carbohydrate-whey and carbohydrate-only, respectively) and substantially increased (93% likely increase) total fat oxidation (92±14; 83±27; 73±19 g) compared with carbohydrate-only. Furthermore, only carbohydrate-casein hydrolysate ingestion resulted in a faster time trial (-3.6%; 90% CI: ±3.2%) compared with placebo-water (95% likely benefit). However, neither protein hydrolysate enhanced time trial performance when compared with carbohydrate-only. Under the conditions of this study, ingesting carbohydrate-casein, but not carbohydrate-whey hydrolysate, favourably alters metabolism during prolonged moderate-strenuous cycling without substantially altering cycling performance compared with carbohydrate-only. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  1. Focus on Nutrition: Cats and carbohydrates: implications for health and disease.

    PubMed

    Laflammme, Dottie

    2010-01-01

    It has been suggested that high-carbohydrate diets contribute to the development of feline diabetes and obesity. The evidence does not support this. Healthy cats efficiently digest and metabolize properly processed starches and complex carbohydrates. Dietary carbohydrate can efficiently meet cats' cellular requirement for carbohydrate (glucose), sparing protein that would otherwise be needed for gluconeogenesis. Excess calories, regardless of source, contribute to obesity and obesity-related problems, but low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets pose a greater risk for obesity. The increasing prevalence of feline diabetes appears to be due to obesity and aging rather than to dietary carbohydrates. However, once cats become diabetic, consumption of a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet may be beneficial.

  2. Separation of negatively charged carbohydrates by capillary electrophoresis.

    PubMed

    Linhardt, R J; Pervin, A

    1996-01-12

    Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has recently emerged as a highly promising technique consuming an extremely small amount of sample and capable of the rapid, high-resolution separation, characterization, and quantitation of analytes. CE has been used for the separation of biopolymers, including acidic carbohydrates. Since CE is basically an analytical method for ions, acidic carbohydrates that give anions in weakly acid, neutral, or alkaline media are often the direct objects of this method. The scope of this review is limited to the use of CE for the analysis of carbohydrates containing carboxylate, sulfate, and phosphate groups as well as neutral carbohydrates that have been derivatized to incorporate strongly acidic functionality, such as sulfonate groups.

  3. Chiral reagents in glycosylation and modification of carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hao-Yuan; Blaszczyk, Stephanie A; Xiao, Guozhi; Tang, Weiping

    2018-02-05

    Carbohydrates play a significant role in numerous biological events, and the chemical synthesis of carbohydrates is vital for further studies to understand their various biological functions. Due to the structural complexity of carbohydrates, the stereoselective formation of glycosidic linkages and the site-selective modification of hydroxyl groups are very challenging and at the same time extremely important. In recent years, the rapid development of chiral reagents including both chiral auxiliaries and chiral catalysts has significantly improved the stereoselectivity for glycosylation reactions and the site-selectivity for the modification of carbohydrates. These new tools will greatly facilitate the efficient synthesis of oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, and glycoconjugates. In this tutorial review, we will summarize these advances and highlight the most recent examples.

  4. Structural Analysis of a Family 101 Glycoside Hydrolase in Complex with Carbohydrates Reveals Insights into Its Mechanism.

    PubMed

    Gregg, Katie J; Suits, Michael D L; Deng, Lehua; Vocadlo, David J; Boraston, Alisdair B

    2015-10-16

    O-Linked glycosylation is one of the most abundant post-translational modifications of proteins. Within the secretory pathway of higher eukaryotes, the core of these glycans is frequently an N-acetylgalactosamine residue that is α-linked to serine or threonine residues. Glycoside hydrolases in family 101 are presently the only known enzymes to be able to hydrolyze this glycosidic linkage. Here we determine the high-resolution structures of the catalytic domain comprising a fragment of GH101 from Streptococcus pneumoniae TIGR4, SpGH101, in the absence of carbohydrate, and in complex with reaction products, inhibitor, and substrate analogues. Upon substrate binding, a tryptophan lid (residues 724-WNW-726) closes on the substrate. The closing of this lid fully engages the substrate in the active site with Asp-764 positioned directly beneath C1 of the sugar residue bound within the -1 subsite, consistent with its proposed role as the catalytic nucleophile. In all of the bound forms of the enzyme, however, the proposed catalytic acid/base residue was found to be too distant from the glycosidic oxygen (>4.3 Å) to serve directly as a general catalytic acid/base residue and thereby facilitate cleavage of the glycosidic bond. These same complexes, however, revealed a structurally conserved water molecule positioned between the catalytic acid/base and the glycosidic oxygen. On the basis of these structural observations we propose a new variation of the retaining glycoside hydrolase mechanism wherein the intervening water molecule enables a Grotthuss proton shuttle between Glu-796 and the glycosidic oxygen, permitting this residue to serve as the general acid/base catalytic residue. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  5. Carbohydrates and Depression.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wurtman, Richard J.; Wurtman, Judith J.

    1989-01-01

    Describes the symptoms, such as appetite change and mood fluctuation, basic mechanisms, and some treatments of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Carbohydrate-Craving Obesity (CCO) and Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). Provides several tables and diagrams, and three reading references. (YP)

  6. Degradation properties of protein and carbohydrate during sludge anaerobic digestion.

    PubMed

    Yang, Guang; Zhang, Panyue; Zhang, Guangming; Wang, Yuanyuan; Yang, Anqi

    2015-09-01

    Degradation of protein and carbohydrate is vital for sludge anaerobic digestion performance. However, few studies focused on degradation properties of protein and carbohydrate. This study investigated detailed degradation properties of sludge protein and carbohydrate in order to gain insight into organics removal during anaerobic digestion. Results showed that carbohydrate was more efficiently degraded than protein and was degraded prior to protein. The final removal efficiencies of carbohydrate and protein were 49.7% and 32.2%, respectively. The first 3 days were a lag phase for protein degradation since rapid carbohydrate degradation in this phase led to repression of protease formation. Kinetics results showed that, after initial lag phase, protein degradation followed the first-order kinetic with rate constants of 0.0197 and 0.0018 d(-1) during later rapid degradation phase and slow degradation phase, respectively. Carbohydrate degradation also followed the first-order kinetics with a rate constant of 0.007 d(-1) after initial quick degradation phase. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Identification of carbohydrate anomers using ion mobility-mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Hofmann, J; Hahm, H S; Seeberger, P H; Pagel, K

    2015-10-08

    Carbohydrates are ubiquitous biological polymers that are important in a broad range of biological processes. However, owing to their branched structures and the presence of stereogenic centres at each glycosidic linkage between monomers, carbohydrates are harder to characterize than are peptides and oligonucleotides. Methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy can be used to characterize glycosidic linkages, but this technique requires milligram amounts of material and cannot detect small amounts of coexisting isomers. Mass spectrometry, on the other hand, can provide information on carbohydrate composition and connectivity for even small amounts of sample, but it cannot be used to distinguish between stereoisomers. Here, we demonstrate that ion mobility-mass spectrometry--a method that separates molecules according to their mass, charge, size, and shape--can unambiguously identify carbohydrate linkage-isomers and stereoisomers. We analysed six synthetic carbohydrate isomers that differ in composition, connectivity, or configuration. Our data show that coexisting carbohydrate isomers can be identified, and relative concentrations of the minor isomer as low as 0.1 per cent can be detected. In addition, the analysis is rapid, and requires no derivatization and only small amounts of sample. These results indicate that ion mobility-mass spectrometry is an effective tool for the analysis of complex carbohydrates. This method could have an impact on the field of carbohydrate synthesis similar to that of the advent of high-performance liquid chromatography on the field of peptide assembly in the late 1970s.

  8. Identification of carbohydrate anomers using ion mobility-mass spectrometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hofmann, J.; Hahm, H. S.; Seeberger, P. H.; Pagel, K.

    2015-10-01

    Carbohydrates are ubiquitous biological polymers that are important in a broad range of biological processes. However, owing to their branched structures and the presence of stereogenic centres at each glycosidic linkage between monomers, carbohydrates are harder to characterize than are peptides and oligonucleotides. Methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy can be used to characterize glycosidic linkages, but this technique requires milligram amounts of material and cannot detect small amounts of coexisting isomers. Mass spectrometry, on the other hand, can provide information on carbohydrate composition and connectivity for even small amounts of sample, but it cannot be used to distinguish between stereoisomers. Here, we demonstrate that ion mobility-mass spectrometry--a method that separates molecules according to their mass, charge, size, and shape--can unambiguously identify carbohydrate linkage-isomers and stereoisomers. We analysed six synthetic carbohydrate isomers that differ in composition, connectivity, or configuration. Our data show that coexisting carbohydrate isomers can be identified, and relative concentrations of the minor isomer as low as 0.1 per cent can be detected. In addition, the analysis is rapid, and requires no derivatization and only small amounts of sample. These results indicate that ion mobility-mass spectrometry is an effective tool for the analysis of complex carbohydrates. This method could have an impact on the field of carbohydrate synthesis similar to that of the advent of high-performance liquid chromatography on the field of peptide assembly in the late 1970s.

  9. Dietary Carbohydrates and Childhood Functional Abdominal Pain.

    PubMed

    Chumpitazi, Bruno P; Shulman, Robert J

    2016-01-01

    Childhood functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) affect a large number of children throughout the world. Carbohydrates (which provide the majority of calories consumed in the Western diet) have been implicated both as culprits for the etiology of symptoms and as potential therapeutic agents (e.g., fiber) in childhood FGIDs. In this review, we detail how carbohydrate malabsorption may cause gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g., bloating) via the physiologic effects of both increased osmotic activity and increased gas production from bacterial fermentation. Several factors may play a role, including: (1) the amount of carbohydrate ingested; (2) whether ingestion is accompanied by a meal or other food; (3) the rate of gastric emptying (how quickly the meal enters the small intestine); (4) small intestinal transit time (the time it takes for a meal to enter the large intestine after first entering the small intestine); (5) whether the meal contains bacteria with enzymes capable of breaking down the carbohydrate; (6) colonic bacterial adaptation to one's diet, and (7) host factors such as the presence or absence of visceral hypersensitivity. By detailing controlled and uncontrolled trials, we describe how there is a general lack of strong evidence supporting restriction of individual carbohydrates (e.g., lactose, fructose) for childhood FGIDs. We review emerging evidence suggesting that a more comprehensive restriction of fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAP) may be effective. Finally, we review how soluble fiber (a complex carbohydrate) supplementation via randomized controlled intervention trials in childhood functional gastrointestinal disorders has demonstrated efficacy. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  10. Pyrrolic tripodal receptors for carbohydrates. Role of functional groups and binding geometry on carbohydrate recognition.

    PubMed

    Cacciarini, Martina; Nativi, Cristina; Norcini, Martina; Staderini, Samuele; Francesconi, Oscar; Roelens, Stefano

    2011-02-21

    The contribution from several H-bonding groups and the impact of geometric requirements on the binding ability of benzene-based tripodal receptors toward carbohydrates have been investigated by measuring the affinity of a set of structures toward octyl β-D-glucopyranoside, selected as a representative monosaccharide. The results reported in the present study demonstrate that a judicious choice of correct geometry and appropriate functional groups is critical to achieve the complementary hydrogen bonding interactions required for an effective carbohydrate recognition.

  11. Carbohydrate intake and tennis: are there benefits?

    PubMed Central

    Kovacs, M S

    2006-01-01

    Carbohydrate supplementation in prolonged aerobic exercise has been shown to be effective in improving performance and deferring fatigue. However, there is confounding evidence with regard to carbohydrate supplementation and tennis performance, which may be due to the limited number of studies on this topic. This evidence based review, using database searches of Medline and SPORTDiscus, summarises the limited relevant literature to determine if carbohydrate supplementation benefits tennis performance, and, if so, the appropriate amounts and timing. Although more research is required, it appears that it may be beneficial in tennis sessions lasting more than 90 minutes. PMID:16632561

  12. Complex carbohydrates (image)

    MedlinePlus

    ... Glucose is used in the cells of the body and in the brain. Any unused glucose is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen for use later. Complex carbohydrate foods provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber that are important to the ...

  13. Carbohydrate CuAAC click chemistry for therapy and diagnosis.

    PubMed

    He, Xiao-Peng; Zeng, Ya-Li; Zang, Yi; Li, Jia; Field, Robert A; Chen, Guo-Rong

    2016-06-24

    Carbohydrates are important as signaling molecules and for cellular recognition events, therefore offering scope for the development of carbohydrate-mimetic diagnostics and drug candidates. As a consequence, the construction of carbohydrate-based bioactive compounds and sensors has become an active research area. While the advent of click chemistry has greatly accelerated the progress of medicinal chemistry and chemical biology, recent literature has seen an extensive use of such approaches to construct functionally diverse carbohydrate derivatives. Here we summarize some of the progress, covering the period 2010 to mid-2015, in Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition CuAAC "click chemistry" of carbohydrate derivatives, in the context of potential therapeutic and diagnostic tool development. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  14. Indium Triflate Catalyzed Peracetylation of Carbohydrates

    PubMed Central

    Bizier, Nicholas P.; Atkins, Shannon R.; Helland, Luke C.; Colvin, Shane F.; Twitchell, Joseph R.; Cloninger, Mary J.

    2008-01-01

    Peracetylation is a very common protection strategy that is widely implemented in carbohydrate synthesis. Here, a method for peracetylation of carbohydrates using catalytic In(OTf)3 in neat acetic anhydride is reported. In(OTf)3 has low toxicity and is mild and water tolerant, and the reactions are high yielding and efficient. Details regarding the scope and mechanism of the reaction are briefly discussed. PMID:18440500

  15. Classification of ligand molecules in PDB with fast heuristic graph match algorithm COMPLIG.

    PubMed

    Saito, Mihoko; Takemura, Naomi; Shirai, Tsuyoshi

    2012-12-14

    A fast heuristic graph-matching algorithm, COMPLIG, was devised to classify the small-molecule ligands in the Protein Data Bank (PDB), which are currently not properly classified on structure basis. By concurrently classifying proteins and ligands, we determined the most appropriate parameter for categorizing ligands to be more than 60% identity of atoms and bonds between molecules, and we classified 11,585 types of ligands into 1946 clusters. Although the large clusters were composed of nucleotides or amino acids, a significant presence of drug compounds was also observed. Application of the system to classify the natural ligand status of human proteins in the current database suggested that, at most, 37% of the experimental structures of human proteins were in complex with natural ligands. However, protein homology- and/or ligand similarity-based modeling was implied to provide models of natural interactions for an additional 28% of the total, which might be used to increase the knowledge of intrinsic protein-metabolite interactions. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Metabolic response to high-carbohydrate and low-carbohydrate meals in a nonhuman primate model.

    PubMed

    Fabbrini, Elisa; Higgins, Paul B; Magkos, Faidon; Bastarrachea, Raul A; Voruganti, V Saroja; Comuzzie, Anthony G; Shade, Robert E; Gastaldelli, Amalia; Horton, Jay D; Omodei, Daniela; Patterson, Bruce W; Klein, Samuel

    2013-02-15

    We established a model of chronic portal vein catheterization in an awake nonhuman primate to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the metabolic response to low-carbohydrate/high-fat (LCHF; 20% carbohydrate and 65% fat) and high-carbohydrate/low-fat (HCLF; 65% carbohydrate and 20% fat) meal ingestion. Each meal was given 1 wk apart to five young adult (7.8 ± 1.3 yr old) male baboons. A [U-¹³C]glucose tracer was added to the meal, and a [6,6-²H₂]glucose tracer was infused systemically to assess glucose kinetics. Plasma areas under the curve (AUCs) of glucose, insulin, and C-peptide in the femoral artery and of glucose and insulin in the portal vein were higher (P ≤ 0.05) after ingestion of the HCLF compared with the LCHF meal. Compared with the LCHF meal, the rate of appearance of ingested glucose into the portal vein and the systemic circulation was greater after the HCLF meal (P < 0.05). Endogenous glucose production decreased by ∼40% after ingestion of the HCLF meal but was not affected by the LCHF meal (P < 0.05). Portal vein blood flow increased (P < 0.001) to a similar extent after consumption of either meal. In conclusion, a LCHF diet causes minimal changes in the rate of glucose appearance in both portal and systemic circulations, does not affect the rate of endogenous glucose production, and causes minimal stimulation of C-peptide and insulin. These observations demonstrate that LCHF diets cause minimal perturbations in glucose homeostasis and pancreatic β-cell activity.

  17. Characterization of Protein-Carbohydrate Interactions by NMR Spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Grondin, Julie M; Langelaan, David N; Smith, Steven P

    2017-01-01

    Solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy can be used to monitor protein-carbohydrate interactions. Two-dimensional 1 H- 15 N heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC)-based techniques described in this chapter can be used quickly and effectively to screen a set of possible carbohydrate binding partners, to quantify the dissociation constant (K d ) of any identified interactions, and to map the carbohydrate binding site on the structure of the protein. Here, we describe the titration of a family 32 carbohydrate binding module from Clostridium perfringens (CpCBM32) with the monosaccharide N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc), in which we calculate the apparent dissociation of the interaction, and map the GalNAc binding site onto the structure of CpCBM32.

  18. Computational carbohydrate chemistry: what theoretical methods can tell us

    PubMed Central

    Woods, Robert J.

    2014-01-01

    Computational methods have had a long history of application to carbohydrate systems and their development in this regard is discussed. The conformational analysis of carbohydrates differs in several ways from that of other biomolecules. Many glycans appear to exhibit numerous conformations coexisting in solution at room temperature and a conformational analysis of a carbohydrate must address both spatial and temporal properties. When solution nuclear magnetic resonance data are used for comparison, the simulation must give rise to ensemble-averaged properties. In contrast, when comparing to experimental data obtained from crystal structures a simulation of a crystal lattice, rather than of an isolated molecule, is appropriate. Molecular dynamics simulations are well suited for such condensed phase modeling. Interactions between carbohydrates and other biological macromolecules are also amenable to computational approaches. Having obtained a three-dimensional structure of the receptor protein, it is possible to model with accuracy the conformation of the carbohydrate in the complex. An example of the application of free energy perturbation simulations to the prediction of carbohydrate-protein binding energies is presented. PMID:9579797

  19. High Carbohydrate-Fiber Nutrition for Running and Health.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Battinelli, Thomas

    1983-01-01

    The roles of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and fiber in producing energy for health and exercise are discussed. Long-distance runners should have a high intake of complex carbohydrates and fiber. (PP)

  20. Role of preoperative carbohydrate loading: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Bilku, D K; Dennison, A R; Hall, T C; Metcalfe, M S; Garcea, G

    2014-01-01

    Surgical stress in the presence of fasting worsens the catabolic state, causes insulin resistance and may delay recovery. Carbohydrate rich drinks given preoperatively may ameliorate these deleterious effects. A systematic review was undertaken to analyse the effect of preoperative carbohydrate loading on insulin resistance, gastric emptying, gastric acidity, patient wellbeing, immunity and nutrition following surgery. All studies identified through PubMed until September 2011 were included. References were cross-checked to ensure capture of cited pertinent articles. Overall, 17 randomised controlled trials with a total of 1,445 patients who met the inclusion criteria were identified. Preoperative carbohydrate drinks significantly improved insulin resistance and indices of patient comfort following surgery, especially hunger, thirst, malaise, anxiety and nausea. No definite conclusions could be made regarding preservation of muscle mass. Following ingestion of carbohydrate drinks, no adverse events such as apparent or proven aspiration during or after surgery were reported. Administration of oral carbohydrate drinks before surgery is probably safe and may have a positive influence on a wide range of perioperative markers of clinical outcome. Further studies are required to determine its cost effectiveness.

  1. Carbohydrate Analysis: Can We Control the Ripening of Bananas?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deal, S. Todd; Farmer, Catherine E.; Cerpovicz, Paul F.

    2002-04-01

    We have developed an experiment for nutritional/introductory biochemistry courses that focuses on carbohydrate analysis--specifically, the carbohydrates found in bananas and the change in carbohydrate composition as the banana ripens. Pairs of students analyze the starch and reducing sugar content of green, ripe, and overripe bananas. Using the techniques and knowledge gained from these analyses, they then investigate the influence of various storage methods on the ripening process. While this experiment was developed for an introductory-level biochemistry lab, it can easily be adapted for use in other laboratory programs that seek to teach the fundamentals of carbohydrate analysis.

  2. Carbohydrate phenotyping of human and animal milk glycoproteins.

    PubMed

    Gustafsson, Anki; Kacskovics, Imre; Breimer, Michael E; Hammarström, Lennart; Holgersson, Jan

    2005-03-01

    Breast-milk has a well-known anti-microbial effect, which is in part due to the many different carbohydrate structures expressed. This renders it a position as a potential therapeutic for treatment of infection by different pathogens, thus avoiding the drawbacks of many antibiotics. The plethora of carbohydrate epitopes in breast-milk is known to differ between species, with human milk expressing the most complex one. We have investigated the expression of protein-bound carbohydrate epitopes in milk from man, cow, goat, sheep, pig, horse, dromedary and rabbit. Proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE and the presence of carbohydrate epitopes on milk proteins were analysed by Western blotting using different lectins and carbohydrate-specific antibodies. We show that ABH, Lewis (Le)x, sialyl-Lex, Lea, sialyl-Lea and Leb carbohydrate epitopes are expressed mainly on man, pig and horse milk proteins. The blood group precursor structure H type 1 is expressed in all species investigated, while only pig, dromedary and rabbit milk proteins carry H type 2 epitopes. These epitopes are receptors for Helicobacter pylori (Leb and sialyl-Lex), enteropathogenic (H type 1, Lea and Lex) and enterotoxic Escherichia coli (heat-stable toxin; H type 1 and 2), and Campylobacter jejuni (H type 2). Thus, milk from these animals or their genetically modified descendants could have a therapeutic effect by inhibiting pathogen colonization and infection.

  3. Baroreflex sensitivity in acute hypoxia and carbohydrate loading.

    PubMed

    Klemenc, Matjaž; Golja, Petra

    2011-10-01

    Hypoxia decreases baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and can be a sufficient cause for syncope in healthy individuals. Carbohydrate loading enhances efferent sympathetic activity, which affects cardiac contractility, heart rate and vascular resistance, the main determinants of blood pressure. Thus, in both normoxia and hypoxia, carbohydrate loading may be more than simply metabolically beneficial, as it may affect blood pressure regulation. We hypothesised that carbohydrate loading will, in both normoxia and hypoxia, alter the regulation of blood pressure, as reflected in a change in baroreflex sensitivity. Fourteen subjects participated in two experiments, composed of a 15-min normoxic period, after which the subjects ingested water or an equal amount of water with carbohydrates. A 30-min rest period was then followed by a 10-min second normoxic and a 30-min hypoxic period. Blood pressure and heart rate were monitored continuously during the experiment to determine BRS. Despite an increased sympathetic activation, reflected in increased heart rate (P < 0.001) BRS was lower (P < 0.01) after carbohydrate loading, as compared to the water experiment, in both normoxic [23.7 (12.4) versus 28.8 (13.8) ms/mmHg] and hypoxic [16.8 (11.0) versus 24.3 (12.3) ms/mmHg] phases of the present study. As BRS was decreased in acute hypoxic exposure, the results confirm that hypoxia interferes with blood pressure regulation. However, although oral carbohydrate loading induced sympathoexcitation, it did not improve blood pressure regulation in hypoxia, as evident from the BRS data. Baroreflex effects of other forms of carbohydrate loading, not causing postprandial blood shifts to digestive system, should therefore be investigated.

  4. The active site architecture in peroxiredoxins: a case study on Mycobacterium tuberculosis AhpE.

    PubMed

    Pedre, Brandán; van Bergen, Laura A H; Palló, Anna; Rosado, Leonardo A; Dufe, Veronica Tamu; Molle, Inge Van; Wahni, Khadija; Erdogan, Huriye; Alonso, Mercedes; Proft, Frank De; Messens, Joris

    2016-08-11

    Peroxiredoxins catalyze the reduction of peroxides, a process of vital importance to survive oxidative stress. A nucleophilic cysteine, also known as the peroxidatic cysteine, is responsible for this catalytic process. We used the Mycobacterium tuberculosis alkyl hydroperoxide reductase E (MtAhpE) as a model to investigate the effect of the chemical environment on the specificity of the reaction. Using an integrative structural (R116A - PDB ; F37H - PDB ), kinetic and computational approach, we explain the mutational effects of key residues in its environment. This study shows that the active site residues are specifically oriented to create an environment which selectively favours a reaction with peroxides.

  5. Hepatocyte heterogeneity in the metabolism of carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Jungermann, K; Thurman, R G

    1992-01-01

    Periportal and perivenous hepatocytes possess different amounts and activities of the rate-generating enzymes of carbohydrate and oxidative energy metabolism and thus different metabolic capacities. This is the basis of the model of metabolic zonation, according to which periportal cells catalyze predominantly the oxidative catabolism of fatty and amino acids as well as glucose release and glycogen formation via gluconeogenesis, and perivenous cells carry out preferentially glucose uptake for glycogen synthesis and glycolysis coupled to liponeogenesis. The input of humoral and nervous signals into the periportal and perivenous zones is different; gradients of oxygen, substrates and products, hormones and mediators and nerve densities exist which are important not only for the short-term regulation of carbohydrate metabolism but also for the long-term regulation of zonal gene expression. The specialization of periportal and perivenous hepatocytes in carbohydrate metabolism has been well characterized. In vivo evidence is provided by the complex metabolic situation termed the 'glucose paradox' and by zonal flux differences calculated on the basis of the distribution of enzymes and metabolites. In vitro evidence is given by the different flux rates determined with classical invasive techniques, e.g. in periportal-like and perivenous-like hepatocytes in cell culture, in periportal- and perivenous-enriched hepatocyte populations and in perfused livers during orthograde and retrograde flow, as well as with noninvasive techniques using miniature oxygen electrodes, e.g. in livers perfused in either direction. Differences of opinion in the interpretation of studies with invasive and noninvasive techniques by the authors are discussed. The declining gradient in oxygen concentrations, the decreasing glucagon/insulin ratio and the different innervation could be important factors in the zonal expression of the genes of carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes. While it is clear that

  6. Meal frequency of pre-exercise carbohydrate feedings.

    PubMed

    Chryssanthopoulos, C; Petridou, A; Maridaki, M; Mougios, V

    2008-04-01

    This study compared the effect of single and multiple carbohydrate feedings before exercise on biochemical and physiological responses during exercise. Eight males performed 3 runs for 1 h at 70 % VO(2max) after consuming a meal containing 2.5 g carbohydrate per kg body mass in a single dose 3 h before exercise (SF), the same meal in 5 equal doses at 3, 2.5, 2, 1.5, and 1 h before exercise (MF), or a liquid placebo 3 h before exercise (P). RER and carbohydrate oxidation rates were higher in SF and MF compared to P trials, but there was no difference between SF and MF trials. Pre-exercise insulin was 2.0- and 3.4- fold higher in SF and MF, respectively, compared to P, and 1.7-fold higher in MF compared to SF. Glycerol and NEFA were higher in P compared to SF and MF trials before and at the end of exercise. In conclusion, a carbohydrate meal containing 2.5 g . kg(-1) ingested in doses over 3 h before running produced higher hyperinsulinemia pre-exercise than that produced when the meal was consumed in a single dose. Nevertheless, estimated carbohydrate utilization and adipose tissue lipolysis during exercise after multiple feedings seemed to be as high as after a single feeding.

  7. The case for low carbohydrate diets in diabetes management.

    PubMed

    Arora, Surender K; McFarlane, Samy I

    2005-07-14

    A low fat, high carbohydrate diet in combination with regular exercise is the traditional recommendation for treating diabetes. Compliance with these lifestyle modifications is less than satisfactory, however, and a high carbohydrate diet raises postprandial plasma glucose and insulin secretion, thereby increasing risk of CVD, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity and diabetes. Moreover, the current epidemic of diabetes and obesity has been, over the past three decades, accompanied by a significant decrease in fat consumption and an increase in carbohydrate consumption. This apparent failure of the traditional diet, from a public health point of view, indicates that alternative dietary approaches are needed. Because carbohydrate is the major secretagogue of insulin, some form of carbohydrate restriction is a prima facie candidate for dietary control of diabetes. Evidence from various randomized controlled trials in recent years has convinced us that such diets are safe and effective, at least in short-term. These data show low carbohydrate diets to be comparable or better than traditional low fat high carbohydrate diets for weight reduction, improvement in the dyslipidemia of diabetes and metabolic syndrome as well as control of blood pressure, postprandial glycemia and insulin secretion. Furthermore, the ability of low carbohydrate diets to reduce triglycerides and to increase HDL is of particular importance. Resistance to such strategies has been due, in part, to equating it with the popular Atkins diet. However, there are many variations and room for individual physician planning. Some form of low carbohydrate diet, in combination with exercise, is a viable option for patients with diabetes. However, the extreme reduction of carbohydrate of popular diets (<30 g/day) cannot be recommended for a diabetic population at this time without further study. On the other hand, the dire objections continually raised in the literature appear to have very little scientific

  8. Low carbohydrate diets may increase risk of neural tube defects.

    PubMed

    Desrosiers, Tania A; Siega-Riz, Anna Maria; Mosley, Bridget S; Meyer, Robert E

    2018-01-25

    Folic acid fortification significantly reduced the prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in the United States. The popularity of "low carb" diets raises concern that women who intentionally avoid carbohydrates, thereby consuming fewer fortified foods, may not have adequate dietary intake of folic acid. To assess the association between carbohydrate intake and NTDs, we analyzed data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study from 1,740 mothers of infants, stillbirths, and terminations with anencephaly or spina bifida (cases), and 9,545 mothers of live born infants without a birth defect (controls) conceived between 1998 and 2011. Carbohydrate and folic acid intake before conception were estimated from food frequency questionnaire responses. Restricted carbohydrate intake was defined as ≤5th percentile among controls. Odds ratios were estimated with logistic regression and adjusted for maternal race/ethnicity, education, alcohol use, folic acid supplement use, study center, and caloric intake. Mean dietary intake of folic acid among women with restricted carbohydrate intake was less than half that of other women (p < .01), and women with restricted carbohydrate intake were slightly more likely to have an infant with an NTD (AOR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.67). This is the first study to examine the association between carbohydrate intake and NTDs among pregnancies conceived postfortification. We found that women with restricted carbohydrate intake were 30% more likely to have an infant with anencephaly or spina bifida. However, more research is needed to understand the pathways by which restricted carbohydrate intake might increase the risk of NTDs. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Application of information theory to a three-body coarse-grained representation of proteins in the PDB: insights into the structural and evolutionary roles of residues in protein structure.

    PubMed

    Thompson, Jared J; Tabatabaei Ghomi, Hamed; Lill, Markus A

    2014-12-01

    Knowledge-based methods for analyzing protein structures, such as statistical potentials, primarily consider the distances between pairs of bodies (atoms or groups of atoms). Considerations of several bodies simultaneously are generally used to characterize bonded structural elements or those in close contact with each other, but historically do not consider atoms that are not in direct contact with each other. In this report, we introduce an information-theoretic method for detecting and quantifying distance-dependent through-space multibody relationships between the sidechains of three residues. The technique introduced is capable of producing convergent and consistent results when applied to a sufficiently large database of randomly chosen, experimentally solved protein structures. The results of our study can be shown to reproduce established physico-chemical properties of residues as well as more recently discovered properties and interactions. These results offer insight into the numerous roles that residues play in protein structure, as well as relationships between residue function, protein structure, and evolution. The techniques and insights presented in this work should be useful in the future development of novel knowledge-based tools for the evaluation of protein structure. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. [Specific problems posed by carbohydrate utilization in the rainbow trout].

    PubMed

    Bergot, F

    1979-01-01

    Carbohydrate incorporation in trout diets arises problems both at digestive and metabolic levels. Digestive utilization of carbohydrate closely depends on their molecular weight. In addition, in the case of complex carbohydrates (starches), different factors such as the level of incorporation, the amount consumed and the physical state of starch influence the digestibility. The measurement of digestibility in itself is confronted with methodological difficulties. The way the feces are collected can affect the digestion coefficient. Dietary carbohydrates actually serve as a source of energy. Nevertheless, above a certain level in the diet, intolerance phenomena may appear. The question that arises now is to establish the optimal part that carbohydrates can take in the metabolizable energy of a given diet.

  11. Defined presentation of carbohydrates on a duplex DNA scaffold.

    PubMed

    Schlegel, Mark K; Hütter, Julia; Eriksson, Magdalena; Lepenies, Bernd; Seeberger, Peter H

    2011-12-16

    A new method for the spatially defined alignment of carbohydrates on a duplex DNA scaffold is presented. The use of an N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS)-ester phosphoramidite along with carbohydrates containing an alkylamine linker allows for on-column labeling during solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis. This modification method during solid-phase synthesis only requires the use of minimal amounts of complex carbohydrates. The covalently attached carbohydrates are presented in the major groove of the B-form duplex DNA as potential substrates for murine type II C-type lectin receptors mMGL1 and mMGL2. CD spectroscopy and thermal melting revealed only minimal disturbance of the overall helical structure. Surface plasmon resonance and cellular uptake studies with bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells were used to assess the capability of these carbohydrate-modified duplexes to bind to mMGL receptors. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. A Measure of the Broad Substrate Specificity of Enzymes Based on ‘Duplicate’ Catalytic Residues

    PubMed Central

    Chakraborty, Sandeep; Ásgeirsson, Bjarni; Rao, Basuthkar J.

    2012-01-01

    The ability of an enzyme to select and act upon a specific class of compounds with unerring precision and efficiency is an essential feature of life. Simultaneously, these enzymes often catalyze the reaction of a range of similar substrates of the same class, and also have promiscuous activities on unrelated substrates. Previously, we have established a methodology to quantify promiscuous activities in a wide range of proteins. In the current work, we quantitatively characterize the active site for the ability to catalyze distinct, yet related, substrates (BRASS). A protein with known structure and active site residues provides the framework for computing ‘duplicate’ residues, each of which results in slightly modified replicas of the active site scaffold. Such spatial congruence is supplemented by Finite difference Poisson Boltzmann analysis which filters out electrostatically unfavorable configurations. The congruent configurations are used to compute an index (BrassIndex), which reflects the broad substrate profile of the active site. We identify an acetylhydrolase and a methyltransferase as having the lowest and highest BrassIndex, respectively, from a set of non-homologous proteins extracted from the Catalytic Site Atlas. The acetylhydrolase, a regulatory enzyme, is known to be highly specific for platelet-activating factor. In the methyltransferase (PDB: 1QAM), various combinations of glycine (Gly38/40/42), asparagine (Asn101/11) and glutamic acid (Glu59/36) residues having similar spatial and electrostatic profiles with the specified scaffold (Gly38, Asn101 and Glu59) exemplifies the broad substrate profile such an active site may provide. ‘Duplicate’ residues identified by relaxing the spatial and/or electrostatic constraints can be the target of directed evolution methodologies, like saturation mutagenesis, for modulating the substrate specificity of proteins. PMID:23166637

  13. Dietary carbohydrates and triacylglycerol metabolism.

    PubMed

    Roche, H M

    1999-02-01

    There is a growing body of scientific evidence which demonstrates that plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) concentration, especially in the postprandial state, is an important risk factor in relation to the development of CHD. Postprandial hypertriacylglycerolaemia is associated with a number of adverse metabolic risk factors, including the preponderance of small dense LDL, low HDL-cholesterol concentrations and elevated factor VII activity. Traditionally, a low-fat high-carbohydrate diet was used to prevent CHD because it effectively reduces plasma cholesterol concentrations, but this dietary regimen increases plasma TAG concentrations and reduces HDL-cholesterol concentrations. There is substantial epidemiological evidence which demonstrates that high plasma TAG and low plasma HDL concentrations are associated with an increased risk of CHD. Thus, there is reason for concern that the adverse effects of low-fat high-carbohydrate diets on TAG and HDL may counteract or negate the beneficial effect of reducing LDL-cholesterol concentrations. Although there have been no prospective studies to investigate whether reduced fat intake has an adverse effect on CHD, there is strong epidemiological evidence that reducing total fat intake is not protective against CHD. On the other hand, high-fat diets predispose to obesity, and central obesity adversely affects TAG metabolism. There is substantial evidence that in free-living situations low-fat high-carbohydrate diets lead to weight loss, which in turn will correct insulin resistance and plasma TAG metabolism. Clearly there is a need for prospective studies to resolve the issue as to whether low-fat high-carbohydrate diets play an adverse or beneficial role in relation to the development of CHD.

  14. doGlycans-Tools for Preparing Carbohydrate Structures for Atomistic Simulations of Glycoproteins, Glycolipids, and Carbohydrate Polymers for GROMACS.

    PubMed

    Danne, Reinis; Poojari, Chetan; Martinez-Seara, Hector; Rissanen, Sami; Lolicato, Fabio; Róg, Tomasz; Vattulainen, Ilpo

    2017-10-23

    Carbohydrates constitute a structurally and functionally diverse group of biological molecules and macromolecules. In cells they are involved in, e.g., energy storage, signaling, and cell-cell recognition. All of these phenomena take place in atomistic scales, thus atomistic simulation would be the method of choice to explore how carbohydrates function. However, the progress in the field is limited by the lack of appropriate tools for preparing carbohydrate structures and related topology files for the simulation models. Here we present tools that fill this gap. Applications where the tools discussed in this paper are particularly useful include, among others, the preparation of structures for glycolipids, nanocellulose, and glycans linked to glycoproteins. The molecular structures and simulation files generated by the tools are compatible with GROMACS.

  15. doGlycans–Tools for Preparing Carbohydrate Structures for Atomistic Simulations of Glycoproteins, Glycolipids, and Carbohydrate Polymers for GROMACS

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Carbohydrates constitute a structurally and functionally diverse group of biological molecules and macromolecules. In cells they are involved in, e.g., energy storage, signaling, and cell–cell recognition. All of these phenomena take place in atomistic scales, thus atomistic simulation would be the method of choice to explore how carbohydrates function. However, the progress in the field is limited by the lack of appropriate tools for preparing carbohydrate structures and related topology files for the simulation models. Here we present tools that fill this gap. Applications where the tools discussed in this paper are particularly useful include, among others, the preparation of structures for glycolipids, nanocellulose, and glycans linked to glycoproteins. The molecular structures and simulation files generated by the tools are compatible with GROMACS. PMID:28906114

  16. Multiple-Transportable Carbohydrate Effect on Long-Distance Triathlon Performance.

    PubMed

    Rowlands, David S; Houltham, Stuart D

    2017-08-01

    The ingestion of multiple (2:1 glucose-fructose) transportable carbohydrate in beverages at high rates (>78 g·h) during endurance exercise enhances exogenous carbohydrate oxidation, fluid absorption, gut comfort, and performance relative to glucose alone. However, during long-distance endurance competition, athletes prefer a solid-gel-drink format, and the effect size of multiple-transportable carbohydrate is unknown. This study aimed to determine the effect of multiple-transportable carbohydrate on triathlon competition performance when ingested within bars, gels, and drinks. A double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted within two national-body sanctioned half-ironman triathlon races held 3 wk apart in 74 well-trained male triathletes (18-60 yr; >2 yr competition experience). Carbohydrate comprising glucose/maltodextrin-fructose (2:1 ratio) or standard isocaloric carbohydrate (glucose/maltodextrin only) was ingested before (94 g) and during the cycle (2.5 g·km) and run (7.8 g·km) sections, averaging 78.6 ± 6.6 g·h, partitioned to bars (25%), gels (35%), and drink (40%). Postrace, 0- to 10-unit Likert-type scales were completed to assess gut comfort and energy. The trial returned low dropout rate (9%), high compliance, and sensitivity (typical error 2.2%). The effect of multiple-transportable carbohydrate on performance time was -0.53% (95% confidence interval = -1.30% to 0.24%; small benefit threshold = -0.54%), with likelihood-based risk analysis supporting adoption (benefit-harm ratio = 48.9%:0.3%; odds ratio = 285:1). Covariate adjustments for preexercise body weight and heat stress had negligible impact performance. Multiple-transportable carbohydrate possibly lowered nausea during the swim and bike; otherwise, effects on gut comfort and perceived energy were negligible. Multiple-transportable (2:1 maltodextrin/glucose-fructose) compared with single-transportable carbohydrate ingested in differing format provided a small benefit to long

  17. Low-Fat Versus Low-Carbohydrate Weight Reduction Diets

    PubMed Central

    Bradley, Una; Spence, Michelle; Courtney, C. Hamish; McKinley, Michelle C.; Ennis, Cieran N.; McCance, David R.; McEneny, Jane; Bell, Patrick M.; Young, Ian S.; Hunter, Steven J.

    2009-01-01

    OBJECTIVE Low-fat hypocaloric diets reduce insulin resistance and prevent type 2 diabetes in those at risk. Low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets are advocated as an alternative, but reciprocal increases in dietary fat may have detrimental effects on insulin resistance and offset the benefits of weight reduction. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We investigated a low-fat (20% fat, 60% carbohydrate) versus a low-carbohydrate (60% fat, 20% carbohydrate) weight reduction diet in 24 overweight/obese subjects ([mean ± SD] BMI 33.6 ± 3.7 kg/m2, aged 39 ± 10 years) in an 8-week randomized controlled trial. All food was weighed and distributed, and intake was calculated to produce a 500 kcal/day energy deficit. Insulin action was assessed by the euglycemic clamp and insulin secretion by meal tolerance test. Body composition, adipokine levels, and vascular compliance by pulse-wave analysis were also measured. RESULTS Significant weight loss occurred in both groups (P < 0.01), with no difference between groups (P = 0.40). Peripheral glucose uptake increased, but there was no difference between groups (P = 0.28), and suppression of endogenous glucose production was also similar between groups. Meal tolerance–related insulin secretion decreased with weight loss with no difference between groups (P = 0.71). The change in overall systemic arterial stiffness was, however, significantly different between diets (P = 0.04); this reflected a significant decrease in augmentation index following the low-fat diet, compared with a nonsignificant increase within the low-carbohydrate group. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates comparable effects on insulin resistance of low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets independent of macronutrient content. The difference in augmentation index may imply a negative effect of low-carbohydrate diets on vascular risk. PMID:19720791

  18. Carbohydrate intake, glycemic index and prostate cancer risk

    PubMed Central

    Vidal, Adriana C.; Williams, Christina D.; Allott, Emma H.; Howard, Lauren E.; Grant, Delores J.; McPhail, Megan; Sourbeer, Katharine N.; Pao-Hwa, Lin; Boffetta, Paolo; Hoyo, Cathrine; Freedland, Stephen J.

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND Reported associations between dietary carbohydrate and prostate cancer (PC) risk are poorly characterized by race. METHODS We analyzed the association between carbohydrate intake, glycemic index (GI), and PC risk in a study of white (N=262) and black (N=168) veterans at the Durham VA Hospital. Cases were 156 men with biopsy-confirmed PC and controls (N=274) had a PSA test but were not recommended for biopsy. Diet was assessed before biopsy with a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to estimate PC risk. RESULTS In multivariable analyses, higher carbohydrate intake, measured as percent of energy from carbohydrates, was associated with reduced PC risk (3rd vs. 1st tertile, OR=0.41, 95%CI 0.21–0.81, p=0.010), though this only reached significance in white men (p-trend=0.029). GI was unrelated to PC risk among all men, but suggestively linked with reduced PC risk in white men (p-trend=0.066) and increased PC risk in black men (p-trend=0.172), however the associations were not significant. Fiber intake was not associated with PC risk (all p-trends >0.55). Higher carbohydrate intake was associated with reduced risk of high-grade (p-trend=0.016), but not low-grade PC (p-trend=0.593). CONCLUSIONS Higher carbohydrate intake may be associated with reduced risk of overall and high-grade PC. Future larger studies are needed to confirm these findings. PMID:25417840

  19. Bio-energy conversion performance, biodegradability, and kinetic analysis of different fruit residues during discontinuous anaerobic digestion.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Chen; Yan, Hu; Liu, Yan; Huang, Yan; Zhang, Ruihong; Chen, Chang; Liu, Guangqing

    2016-06-01

    Huge amounts of fruit residues are produced and abandoned annually. The high moisture and organic contents of these residues makes them a big problem to the environment. Conversely, they are a potential resource to the world. Anaerobic digestion is a good way to utilize these organic wastes. In this study, the biomethane conversion performances of a large number of fruit residues were determined and compared using batch anaerobic digestion, a reliable and easily accessible method. The results showed that some fruit residues containing high contents of lipids and carbohydrates, such as loquat peels and rambutan seeds, were well fit for anaerobic digestion. Contrarily, residues with high lignin content were strongly recommended not to be used as a single substrate for methane production. Multiple linear regression model was adopted to simulate the correlation between the organic component of these fruit residues and their experimental methane yield, through which the experimental methane yield could probably be predicted for any other fruit residues. Four kinetic models were used to predict the batch anaerobic digestion process of different fruit residues. It was shown that the modified Gompertz and Cone models were better fit for the fruit residues compared to the first-order and Fitzhugh models. The first findings of this study could provide useful reference and guidance for future studies regarding the applications and potential utilization of fruit residues. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Dietary strategies for the management of cardiovascular risk: role of dietary carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Macdonald, Ian A

    2014-05-01

    Carbohydrate-rich foods are an essential component of the diet, providing the glucose that is continuously required by the nervous system and some other cells and tissues in the body for normal function. There is some concern that too much carbohydrate or certain types of carbohydrate such as fructose or the high glycaemic index carbohydrate foods that produce large, rapid increases in blood glucose may be detrimental to health. This review considers these issues and also summarises the public health advice currently available in Europe and the USA concerning dietary carbohydrates. The UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition is currently reviewing carbohydrates and health, and the subsequent report should help clarify some of the concerns regarding carbohydrates and health.

  1. One-step synthesis of carbohydrate esters as antibacterial and antifungal agents.

    PubMed

    AlFindee, Madher N; Zhang, Qian; Subedi, Yagya Prasad; Shrestha, Jaya P; Kawasaki, Yukie; Grilley, Michelle; Takemoto, Jon Y; Chang, Cheng-Wei Tom

    2018-02-01

    Carbohydrate esters are biodegradable, and the degraded adducts are naturally occurring carbohydrates and fatty acids which are environmentally friendly and non-toxic to human. A simple one-step regioselective acylation of mono-carbohydrates has been developed that leads to the synthesis of a wide range of carbohydrate esters. Screening of these acylated carbohydrates revealed that several compounds were active against a panel of bacteria and fungi, including Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium graminearum. Unlike prior studies on carbohydrate esters that focus only on antibacterial applications, our compounds are found to be active against both bacteria and fungi. Furthermore, the synthetic methodology is suitable to scale-up production for a variety of acylated carbohydrates. The identified lead compound, MAN014, can be used as an antimicrobial in applications such as food processing and preservation and for treatment of bacterial and fungal diseases in animals and plants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Lignocentric analysis of a carbohydrate-producing lignocellulosic biorefinery process.

    PubMed

    Narron, Robert H; Han, Qiang; Park, Sunkyu; Chang, Hou-Min; Jameel, Hasan

    2017-10-01

    A biologically-based lignocellulosic biorefinery process for obtaining carbohydrates from raw biomass was investigated across six diverse biomasses (three hardwoods & three nonwoods) for the purpose of decoding lignin's influence on sugar production. Acknowledging that lignin could positively alter the economics of an entire process if valorized appropriately, we sought to correlate the chemical properties of lignin within the process to the traditional metrics associated with carbohydrate production-cellulolytic digestibility and total sugar recovery. Based on raw carbohydrate, enzymatic recovery ranged from 40 to 64% w/w and total recovery ranged from 70 to 87% w/w. Using nitrobenzene oxidation to quantify non-condensed lignin structures, it was found that raw hardwoods bearing increasing non-condensed S/V ratios (2.5-5.1) render increasing total carbohydrate recovery from hardwood biomasses. This finding indicates that the chemical structure of hardwood lignin influences the investigated biorefinery process' ability to generate carbohydrates from a given raw hardwood feedstock. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Laforin, a dual specificity phosphatase that dephosphorylates complex carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Worby, Carolyn A; Gentry, Matthew S; Dixon, Jack E

    2006-10-13

    Laforin is the only phosphatase in the animal kingdom that contains a carbohydrate-binding module. Mutations in the gene encoding laforin result in Lafora disease, a fatal autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder, which is diagnosed by the presence of intracellular deposits of insoluble complex carbohydrates known as Lafora bodies. We demonstrate that laforin interacts with proteins known to be involved in glycogen metabolism and rule out several of these proteins as potential substrates. Surprisingly, we find that laforin displays robust phosphatase activity against a phosphorylated complex carbohydrate. Furthermore, this activity is unique to laforin, since several other phosphatases are unable to dephosphorylate polysaccharides. Finally, fusing the carbohydrate-binding module of laforin to the dual specific phosphatase VHR does not result in the ability of this phosphatase to dephosphorylate polysaccharides. Therefore, we hypothesize that laforin is unique in its ability to utilize a phosphorylated complex carbohydrate as a substrate and that this function may be necessary for the maintenance of normal cellular glycogen.

  4. Nickel-Catalyzed Proton-Deuterium Exchange (HDX) Procedures for Glycosidic Linkage Analysis of Complex Carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Price, Neil P J; Hartman, Trina M; Vermillion, Karl E

    2015-07-21

    The structural analysis of complex carbohydrates typically requires the assignment of three parameters: monosaccharide composition, the position of glycosidic linkages between monosaccharides, and the position and nature of noncarbohydrate substituents. The glycosidic linkage positions are often determined by permethylation analysis, but this can be complicated by high viscosity or poor solubility, resulting in under-methylation. This is a drawback because an under-methylated position may be misinterpreted as the erroneous site of a linkage or substituent. Here, we describe an alternative approach to linkage analysis that makes use of a nonreversible deuterium exchange of C-H protons on the carbohydrate backbone. The exchange reaction is conducted in deuterated water catalyzed by Raney nickel, and results in the selective exchange of C-H protons adjacent to free hydroxyl groups. Hence, the position of the residual C-H protons is indicative of the position of glycosidic linkages or other substituents and can be readily assigned by heteronuclear single quantum coherence-nuclear magnetic resonance (HSQC-NMR) or, following suitable derivatization, by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) analysis. Moreover, because the only changes to the parent sugar are proton/deuterium exchanges, the composition and linkage analysis can be determined in a single step.

  5. Carbohydrate and fat: considerations for energy and more

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Historically, carbohydrates and fats were valued on their caloric contributions to diets. Feeding recommendations for these feed fractions now address inclusion levels, as well as consideration of the positive and negative effects of specific types of these nutrients. Feed carbohydrate characterizat...

  6. Dietary carbohydrates, components of energy balance, and associated health outcomes.

    PubMed

    Smith, Harry A; Gonzalez, Javier T; Thompson, Dylan; Betts, James A

    2017-10-01

    The role of dietary carbohydrates in the development of obesity and associated metabolic dysfunction has recently been questioned. Within the last decade, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition carried out a comprehensive evaluation of the role of dietary carbohydrates in human health. The current review aims to complement and extend this report by providing specific consideration of the effects of the component parts of energy balance, their interactions, and their culmination on energy storage and health. PubMed was searched for all published trials that had a minimum follow-up period of 3 months and were designed to manipulate dietary carbohydrate intake, irrespective of resultant differences in absolute carbohydrate dose (grams per day). Dietary carbohydrate manipulation has little effect on the individual components of energy balance that have been assessed. However, the role of dietary carbohydrates in influencing physical activity has yet to be assessed using gold-standard measurement tools. Moreover, adherence to a diet of modified carbohydrate content has not been found to result in a consistent pattern of changes in weight or indirect measures of metabolic health. However, certain markers of cardiovascular disease risk (ie, blood triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) may respond positively to a reduction in dietary carbohydrates. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  7. Does Carbohydrate Intake During Endurance Running Improve Performance? A Critical Review.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Patrick B

    2016-12-01

    Wilson, PB. Does carbohydrate intake during endurance running improve performance? A critical review. J Strength Cond Res 30(12): 3539-3559, 2016-Previous review articles assessing the effects of carbohydrate ingestion during prolonged exercise have not focused on running. Given the popularity of distance running and the widespread use of carbohydrate supplements, this article reviewed the evidence for carbohydrate ingestion during endurance running. The criteria for inclusion were (a) experimental studies reported in English language including a performance task, (b) moderate-to-high intensity exercise >60 minutes (intermittent excluded), and (c) carbohydrate ingestion (mouth rinsing excluded). Thirty studies were identified with 76 women and 505 men. Thirteen of the 17 studies comparing a carbohydrate beverage(s) with water or a placebo found a between-condition performance benefit with carbohydrate, although heterogeneity in protocols precludes clear generalizations about the expected effect sizes. Additional evidence suggests that (a) performance benefits are most likely to occur during events >2 hours, although several studies showed benefits for tasks lasting 90-120 minutes; (b) consuming carbohydrate beverages above ad libitum levels increases gastrointestinal discomfort without improving performance; (c) carbohydrate gels do not influence performance for events lasting 16-21 km; and (d) multiple saccharides may benefit events >2 hours if intake is ≥1.3 g·min Given that most participants were fasted young men, inferences regarding women, adolescents, older runners, and those competing in fed conditions are hampered. Future studies should address these limitations to further elucidate the role of carbohydrate ingestion during endurance running.

  8. Comparison of various pretreatments for ethanol production enhancement from solid residue after rumen fluid digestion of rice straw.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Haibo; Zhang, Panyue; Ye, Jie; Wu, Yan; Liu, Jianbo; Fang, Wei; Xu, Dong; Wang, Bei; Yan, Li; Zeng, Guangming

    2018-01-01

    The rumen digested residue of rice straw contains high residual carbohydrates, which makes it a potential cellulosic ethanol feedstock. This study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of applying microwave assisted alkali (MAP), ultrasound assisted alkali (UAP), and ball milling pretreatment (BMP) to enhance ethanol production from two digested residues (2.5%-DR and 10%-DR) after rumen fluid digestion of rice straw at 2.5% and 10.0% solid content. Results revealed that 2.5%-DR and 10%-DR had a cellulose content of 36.4% and 41.7%, respectively. MAP and UAP improved enzymatic hydrolysis of digested residue by removing the lignin and hemicellulose, while BMP by decreasing the particle size and crystallinity. BMP was concluded as the suitable pretreatment, resulting in an ethanol yield of 116.65 and 147.42mgg -1 for 2.5%-DR and 10%-DR, respectively. The integrated system including BMP for digested residue at 2.5% solid content achieved a maximum energy output of 7010kJkg -1 . Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Carbohydrate Counting and Diabetes

    MedlinePlus

    ... of cooked nonstarchy vegetables or a cup of raw vegetables has only about 5 grams of carbohydrate. ... help you find added sugars, such as sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar, and invert sugar—a mixture ...

  10. Effects of high-fat and high-carbohydrate diets on fat and carbohydrate oxidation and plasma metabolites in healthy cats.

    PubMed

    Gooding, M A; Flickinger, E A; Atkinson, J L; Duncan, I J H; Shoveller, A K

    2014-06-01

    High-fat (HF) or high-carbohydrate (HC) diets (30% fat, 18.9% carbohydrate; HF and 10% fat, 46.3% carbohydrate; HC) and lengths of adaptation were investigated in cats (Felis catus; 10 ± 2 months, 3.6 ± 0.3 kg). Cats randomly received each treatment for 14 days in a crossover design with a 14-day washout period between each diet. Three 22-h indirect calorimetry studies were conducted after acute (day 0), semichronic (day 4) and chronic (day 13) dietary exposure. Blood samples were collected after a 24-h fast on days 1, 5 and 14. When cats consumed the HC and HF diet, oxidation of the restricted nutrient exceeded intake while oxidation of the nutrient in excess matched intake. Mean max energy expenditure (EE) of cats consuming the HF and HC diet were 107 and 102 kcal/kg(0.67)/day and occurred at a mean of 4 and 12 h post-feeding respectively. Maximal fat (0.90 g/h) and carbohydrate (carbohydrate; 1.42 g/h) oxidation were attained at 26 min and 10.4 h post-feeding respectively. The changes observed in macronutrient oxidation and EE suggest that cats adapt whole-body nutrient metabolism in response to changes in dietary macronutrient content, but may require longer than 14 day to adapt to a macronutrient that is present at a lower concentration in the diet. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  11. [Systematic evaluation of retention behavior of carbohydrates in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography].

    PubMed

    Fu, Qing; Wang, Jun; Liang, Tu; Xu, Xiaoyong; Jin, Yu

    2013-11-01

    A systematic evaluation of retention behavior of carbohydrates in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) was performed. The influences of mobile phase, stationary phase and buffer salt on the retention of carbohydrates were investigated. According to the results, the retention time of carbohydrates decreased as the proportion of acetonitrile in mobile phase decreased. Increased time of carbohydrates was observed as the concentration of buffer salt in mobile phase increased. The retention behavior of carbohydrates was also affected by organic solvent and HILIC stationary phase. Furthermore, an appropriate retention equation was used in HILIC mode. The retention equation lnk = a + blnC(B) + cC(B) could quantitatively describe the retention factors of carbohydrates of plant origin with good accuracy: the relative error of the predicted time to actual time was less than 0.3%. The evaluation results could provide guidance for carbohydrates to optimize the experimental conditions in HILIC method development especially for carbohydrate separation

  12. Carbohydrate intake, glycemic index and prostate cancer risk.

    PubMed

    Vidal, Adriana C; Williams, Christina D; Allott, Emma H; Howard, Lauren E; Grant, Delores J; McPhail, Megan; Sourbeer, Katharine N; Hwa, Lin Pao; Boffetta, Paolo; Hoyo, Cathrine; Freedland, Stephen J

    2015-03-01

    Reported associations between dietary carbohydrate and prostate cancer (PC) risk are poorly characterized by race. We analyzed the association between carbohydrate intake, glycemic index (GI), and PC risk in a study of white (N = 262) and black (N = 168) veterans at the Durham VA Hospital. Cases were 156 men with biopsy-confirmed PC and controls (N = 274) had a PSA test but were not recommended for biopsy. Diet was assessed before biopsy with a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to estimate PC risk. In multivariable analyzes, higher carbohydrate intake, measured as percent of energy from carbohydrates, was associated with reduced PC risk (3rd vs. 1st tertile, OR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.21-0.81, P = 0.010), though this only reached significance in white men (p-trend = 0.029). GI was unrelated to PC risk among all men, but suggestively linked with reduced PC risk in white men (p-trend = 0.066) and increased PC risk in black men (p-trend = 0.172), however, the associations were not significant. Fiber intake was not associated with PC risk (all p-trends > 0.55). Higher carbohydrate intake was associated with reduced risk of high-grade (p-trend = 0.016), but not low-grade PC (p-trend = 0.593). Higher carbohydrate intake may be associated with reduced risk of overall and high-grade PC. Future larger studies are needed to confirm these findings. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Carbohydrate recognition by the rhamnose-binding lectin SUL-I with a novel three-domain structure isolated from the venom of globiferous pedicellariae of the flower sea urchin Toxopneustes pileolus.

    PubMed

    Hatakeyama, Tomomitsu; Ichise, Ayaka; Unno, Hideaki; Goda, Shuichiro; Oda, Tatsuya; Tateno, Hiroaki; Hirabayashi, Jun; Sakai, Hitomi; Nakagawa, Hideyuki

    2017-08-01

    The globiferous pedicellariae of the venomous sea urchin Toxopneustes pileolus contains several biologically active proteins. We have cloned the cDNA of one of the toxin components, SUL-I, which is a rhamnose-binding lectin (RBL) that acts as a mitogen through binding to carbohydrate chains on target cells. Recombinant SUL-I (rSUL-I) was produced in Escherichia coli cells, and its carbohydrate-binding specificity was examined with the glycoconjugate microarray analysis, which suggested that potential target carbohydrate structures are galactose-terminated N-glycans. rSUL-I exhibited mitogenic activity for murine splenocyte cells and toxicity against Vero cells. The three-dimensional structure of the rSUL-I/l-rhamnose complex was determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis at a 1.8 Å resolution. The overall structure of rSUL-I is composed of three distinctive domains with a folding structure similar to those of CSL3, a RBL from chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) eggs. The bound l-rhamnose molecules are mainly recognized by rSUL-I through hydrogen bonds between its 2-, 3-, and 4-hydroxy groups and Asp, Asn, and Glu residues in the binding sites, while Tyr and Ser residues participate in the recognition mechanism. It was also inferred that SUL-I may form a dimer in solution based on the molecular size estimated via dynamic light scattering as well as possible contact regions in its crystal structure. © 2017 The Protein Society.

  14. Chemical Changes in Carbohydrates Produced by Thermal Processing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoseney, R. Carl

    1984-01-01

    Discusses chemical changes that occur in the carbohydrates found in food products when these products are subjected to thermal processing. Topics considered include browning reactions, starch found in food systems, hydrolysis of carbohydrates, extrusion cooking, processing of cookies and candies, and alterations in gums. (JN)

  15. Simulation of carbohydrates, from molecular docking to dynamics in water.

    PubMed

    Sapay, Nicolas; Nurisso, Alessandra; Imberty, Anne

    2013-01-01

    Modeling of carbohydrates is particularly challenging because of the variety of structures resulting for the high number of monosaccharides and possible linkages and also because of their intrinsic flexibility. The development of carbohydrate parameters for molecular modeling is still an active field. Nowadays, main carbohydrates force fields are GLYCAM06, CHARMM36, and GROMOS 45A4. GLYCAM06 includes the largest choice of compounds and is compatible with the AMBER force fields and associated. Furthermore, AMBER includes tools for the implementation of new parameters. When looking at protein-carbohydrate interaction, the choice of the starting structure is of importance. Such complex can be sometimes obtained from the Protein Data Bank-although the stereochemistry of sugars may require some corrections. When no experimental data is available, molecular docking simulation is generally used to the obtain protein-carbohydrate complex coordinates. As molecular docking parameters are not specifically dedicated to carbohydrates, inaccuracies should be expected, especially for the docking of polysaccharides. This issue can be addressed at least partially by combining molecular docking with molecular dynamics simulation in water.

  16. Recent progress in chemical and chemoenzymatic synthesis of carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Muthana, Saddam; Cao, Hongzhi; Chen, Xi

    2009-12-01

    The important roles that carbohydrates play in biological processes and their potential application in diagnosis, therapeutics, and vaccine development have made them attractive synthetic targets. Despite ongoing challenges, tremendous progresses have been made in recent years for the synthesis of carbohydrates. The chemical glycosylation methods have become more sophisticated and the synthesis of oligosaccharides has become more predictable. Simplified one-pot glycosylation strategy and automated synthesis are increasingly used to obtain biologically important glycans. On the other hand, chemoenzymatic synthesis continues to be a powerful alternative for obtaining complex carbohydrates. This review highlights recent progress in chemical and chemoenzymatic synthesis of carbohydrates with a particular focus on the methods developed for the synthesis of oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, glycolipids, and glycosylated natural products.

  17. Recent Progress in Chemical and Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Carbohydrates

    PubMed Central

    Muthana, Saddam; Cao, Hongzhi; Chen, Xi

    2011-01-01

    Summary The important roles that carbohydrates play in biological processes and their potential application in diagnosis, therapeutics, and vaccine development have made them attractive synthetic targets. Despite ongoing challenges, tremendous progresses have been made in recent years for the synthesis of carbohydrates. The chemical glycosylation methods have become more sophisticated and the synthesis of oligosaccharides has become more predictable. Simplified one-pot glycosylation strategy and automated synthesis are increasingly used to obtain biologically important glycans. On the other hand, chemoenzymatic synthesis continues to be a powerful alternative for obtaining complex carbohydrates. This review highlights recent progress in chemical and chemoenzymatic synthesis of carbohydrates with a particular focus on the methods developed for the synthesis of oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, glycolipids, and glycosylated natural products. PMID:19833544

  18. Effects of in ovo injection of carbohydrates on somatic characteristics and liver nutrient profiles of broiler embryos and hatchlings.

    PubMed

    Zhai, W; Bennett, L W; Gerard, P D; Pulikanti, R; Peebles, E D

    2011-12-01

    Effects of the in ovo injection of commercial diluent supplemented with dextrin or with dextrin in combination with various other carbohydrates on the somatic characteristics and liver nutrient profiles of Ross × Ross 708 broiler embryos and chicks were investigated. Results include information concerning the gluconeogenic energy status of the liver before and after hatch. Eggs containing live embryos were injected in the amnion on d 18 of incubation using an automated multiple-egg injector for the delivery of the following carbohydrates dissolved in 0.4 mL of commercial diluent: 1) 6.25% glucose and 18.75% dextrin; 2) 6.25% sucrose and 18.75% dextrin; 3) 6.25% maltose and 18.75% dextrin; and 4) 25% dextrin. Also, a noninjected control and a 0.4-mL diluent-injected control were included. Body weight relative to set egg weight on d 19 of incubation (E19) was increased by the injection of all carbohydrate solutions, and on the day of hatch was increased by the injection of diluent, sucrose and dextrin, and maltose and dextrin solutions. Hatchability of the fertilized eggs, residual yolk sac weight, and liver weight were not affected by any injection treatment; however, as compared with the 0.4 mL diluent-injected group, all of the supplementary carbohydrates, except for the glucose and dextrin combination group, increased liver glycogen and glucose concentrations on E19. Furthermore, all carbohydrates, except for the 25% dextrin treatment, decreased liver fat concentration on E19. From E19 to the day of hatch, liver glycogen concentrations dropped dramatically from an average of 3.2 to 0.6%. Despite treatment differences observed on E19 for liver glycogen, glucose, and fat concentrations, these differences were lost by the day of hatch. Nevertheless, liver glycogen and glucose concentrations were positively correlated on the day of hatch. In conclusion, the in ovo injection of various supplemental carbohydrates dissolved in 0.4 mL of commercial diluent altered the

  19. Bioconversion of sugar cane crop residues with white-rot fungiPleurotus sp.

    PubMed

    Ortega, G M; Martínez, E O; Betancourt, D; González, A E; Otero, M A

    1992-07-01

    Four mushroom strains ofPleurotus spp. were cultivated on sugar cane crop residues for 30 days at 26°C. Biochemical changes affected the substrate as a result of fungal growth, in terms of nitrogen, lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose contents. All strains showed a strong ligninolytic activity together with variable cellulolytic and xylanolytic action.Pleurotus sajor-caju attacked lignin and cellulose at the same rate, showing a degradation of 47% and 55%, respectively. A better balance was shown by theP. ostreatus-P. pulmonarius hybrid, which exhibited the poorest cellulolytic action (39%) and the highest ligninolytic activity (67%). The average composition of mushroom fruit bodies, in terms of nitrogen, carbohydrates, fats and amino acid profiles, was determined. Crude protein and total carbohydrate varied from 23% to 33% and 36% to 68% of dry matter, respectively. Fat ranged from 3.3% to 4.7% and amino acid content from 12.2% to 22.2%. Slight evidence for a nitrogen fixing capability was encountered in the substrate to fruit body balance.

  20. Comparing the responses of rumen ciliate protozoa and bacteria to excess carbohydrate.

    PubMed

    Teixeira, César R V; Lana, Rogério de Paula; Tao, Junyi; Hackmann, Timothy J

    2017-06-01

    When given excess carbohydrate, certain microbial species respond by storing energy (synthesizing reserve carbohydrate), but other species respond by dissipating the energy as heat (spilling energy). To determine the importance of these responses in the rumen microbial community, this study quantified the responses of mixed ciliate protozoa vs bacteria to glucose. We hypothesized that ciliates would direct more glucose to synthesis of reserve carbohydrate (and less to energy spilling) than would bacteria. Ciliates and bacteria were isolated from rumen fluid using filtration and centrifugation, resuspended in nitrogen-free buffer to limit growth, and dosed with 5 mM glucose. Compared with bacteria, ciliates consumed glucose >3-fold faster and synthesized reserve carbohydrate 4-fold faster. They incorporated 53% of glucose carbon into reserve carbohydrate-nearly double the value (27%) for bacteria. Energy spilling was not detected for ciliates, as all heat production (104%) was accounted by synthesis of reserve carbohydrate and endogenous metabolism. For bacteria, reserve carbohydrate and endogenous metabolism accounted for only 68% of heat production, and spilling was detected within 11 min of dosing glucose. These results suggest that ciliates alter the course of ruminal carbohydrate metabolism by outcompeting bacteria for excess carbohydrate, maximizing reserve carbohydrate synthesis, and minimizing energy spilling. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. The predictive value of hunger score on gastric evacuation after oral intake of carbohydrate solution.

    PubMed

    Weiji, Qiu; Shitong, Li; Yu, Luo; Tianfang, Hua; Ning, Kong; Lina, Zhang

    2018-01-12

    Surgical patients are asked to fast for a sufficient duration to ensure that the amount of residual liquid in the stomach is within the safe range, thereby reducing the risk of gastric reflux perioperatively. The authors hypothesized that subjective hunger numerical rating scale (NRS) score could also help assess the process of gastric emptying and determine the amount of fluid remaining in the stomach. The current study consisted of healthy volunteers recruited by advertisement and mutual introduction. Participants were asked to rate their subjective hunger feeling every 30 min after oral administration of 8 mL/kg carbohydrate nutrient solution that contained 10% maltodextrin and 2.5% sucrose. Consecutively, the gastric residual fluid was measured by magnetic resonance imagining (MRI). The Spearman's correlation coefficient, the ROC curves and the stepwise regression were used to analyze the predictive value of NRS for the gastric emptying process. The cohort consisted of 29 healthy volunteers enrolled in this study. The area under ROC curves estimated by the NRS score for the gastric residual volume of 2 mL/kg, 1 mL/kg, and 0.5 mL/kg were AUC 2.0  = 0.78, AUC 1.0  = 0.76, and AUC 0.5  = 0.72, respectively. The correlation coefficient between the NRS score and the residual liquid in the stomach was -0.57 (P < 0.01). The correlation coefficient between the increase of the NRS score and the decrease of gastric liquid residual volume was 0.46 (P < 0.01). The standardized estimate of NRS score for the residual volume was -0.18 (P < 0.01) and the standardized estimate of fasting time was -0.73 (P < 0.01). The subjective hunger NRS score can not accurately predict the gastric residual volume, but it can provide a reference for clinicians to judge the gastric emptying process and it should be used as a second check after oral intake of clear fluids before surgery according to the new fasting protocol.

  2. Separate influence of dietary carbohydrate and fibre on the metabolic control in diabetes.

    PubMed

    Riccardi, G; Rivellese, A; Pacioni, D; Genovese, S; Mastranzo, P; Mancini, M

    1984-02-01

    To clarify the separate influences of digestible carbohydrate and of dietary fibre on blood glucose control and serum lipoproteins, 14 diabetic patients (six Type 1 and eight Type 2) were submitted to three weight-maintaining diets for 10 days each: (1) low carbohydrate/low fibre diet with 42% carbohydrate and 20 g fibre; (2) high carbohydrate/low fibre diet (carbohydrate 53%, fibre 16 g); (3) high carbohydrate/ high fibre diet (carbohydrate 53%, fibre 54 g). In comparison with the low carbohydrate/low fibre diet, the 2-h post-prandial blood glucose and the daily blood glucose profile decreased significantly on the high carbohydrate/high fibre diet, without significant changes during the high carbohydrate/low fibre diet. The diet-induced modifications of blood glucose control were similar in both types of diabetic patients (two-way analysis of variance: F = 5.86, p less than 0.02 for dietary treatment and F = 2.09, NS for type of diabetes). Total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were also decreased after the high carbohydrate/high fibre diet in comparison with the low carbohydrate/low fibre diet (p less than 0.001 for both), while they were not significantly modified after the high carbohydrate/low fibre diet. Again the modifications of low density lipoprotein cholesterol induced by diet were similar in both types of diabetic patients (F = 10.02, p less than 0.005 for dietary treatment and F = 0.14 for type of diabetes, NS). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol was lower after the two test diets than after the low carbohydrate/low fibre diet.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  3. Determining a carbohydrate profile for Hansenula polymorpha

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Petersen, G. R.

    1985-01-01

    The determination of the levels of carbohydrates in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha required the development of new analytical procedures. Existing fractionation and analytical methods were adapted to deal with the problems involved with the lysis of whole cells. Using these new procedures, the complete carbohydrate profiles of H. polymorpha and selected mutant strains were determined and shown to correlate favourably with previously published results.

  4. Selection of dietary protein and carbohydrate by rats: Changes with maturation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yokogoshi, Hidehiko; Theall, Cynthia L.; Wurtman, Richard J.

    1985-01-01

    Weaning (21-day-old; 40-50 g) male rats given simultaneous access to foods, containing 18 percent casein and 15 or 70 percent carbohydrate (dextrin), tended to consume only 29-35 percent as much protein as carbohydrate (i.e., protein/carbohydrate ratios were 0.29-0.35). With maturation, when animals weighed 100 g or more, about half continued this pattern of nutrient choice, but the others abruptly began to consume considerably larger proportions of protein, exhibiting protein/carbohydrate ratios as high as 0.80-1.00. Each adult animal's protein/carbohydrate ratio tended to vary only slightly (s.e. = 3 percent of means). Adult protein/carbohydrate ratios were not correlated with fasting brain 5-HT or 5-HIAA levels. These marked differences among rats in eating behavior would not be observed when--as is usually the case--animals are given access to only one diet.

  5. Investigation of Carbohydrate Recognition via Computer Simulation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Johnson, Quentin R.; Lindsay, Richard J.; Petridis, Loukas

    Carbohydrate recognition by proteins, such as lectins and other (bio)molecules, can be essential for many biological functions. Interest has arisen due to potential protein and drug design and future bioengineering applications. A quantitative measurement of carbohydrate-protein interaction is thus important for the full characterization of sugar recognition. Here, we focus on the aspect of utilizing computer simulations and biophysical models to evaluate the strength and specificity of carbohydrate recognition in this review. With increasing computational resources, better algorithms and refined modeling parameters, using state-of-the-art supercomputers to calculate the strength of the interaction between molecules has become increasingly mainstream. We reviewmore » the current state of this technique and its successful applications for studying protein-sugar interactions in recent years.« less

  6. Investigation of Carbohydrate Recognition via Computer Simulation

    DOE PAGES

    Johnson, Quentin R.; Lindsay, Richard J.; Petridis, Loukas; ...

    2015-04-28

    Carbohydrate recognition by proteins, such as lectins and other (bio)molecules, can be essential for many biological functions. Interest has arisen due to potential protein and drug design and future bioengineering applications. A quantitative measurement of carbohydrate-protein interaction is thus important for the full characterization of sugar recognition. Here, we focus on the aspect of utilizing computer simulations and biophysical models to evaluate the strength and specificity of carbohydrate recognition in this review. With increasing computational resources, better algorithms and refined modeling parameters, using state-of-the-art supercomputers to calculate the strength of the interaction between molecules has become increasingly mainstream. We reviewmore » the current state of this technique and its successful applications for studying protein-sugar interactions in recent years.« less

  7. Characteristics of lactic acid bacteria isolates and their effect on silage fermentation of fruit residues.

    PubMed

    Yang, Jinsong; Tan, Haisheng; Cai, Yimin

    2016-07-01

    The natural lactic acid bacteria (LAB) population, chemical composition, and silage fermentation of fruit residues were studied. Eighty-two strains of LAB were isolated from fruit residues such as banana leaf and stem, pineapple peel, and papaya peel. All strains were gram-positive and catalase-negative bacteria, and they were divided into 7 groups (A-G) according to morphological and biochemical characters. Strains in groups A to F were rods, and group G was cocci. Group F produced gas from glucose; other groups did not. Groups A to C and F formed dl-lactic acid, whereas groups D, E, and G formed l-lactic acid. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence and DNA-DNA hybridization analysis, groups A to G strains were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum (54.9% of the total isolates), Lactobacillus paraplantarum (3.6%), Lactobacillus nagelii (8.5%), Lactobacillus perolens (4.9%), Lactobacillus casei (11.0%), Lactobacillus fermentum (9.8%), and Enterococcus gallinarum (7.3%), respectively. Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus casei are the most frequently isolated from fruit residues as a dominant species, and they could grow at a lower pH conditions and produce more lactic acid than other isolates. Pineapple and papaya peels contained higher crude protein (11.5-13.8%) and water-soluble carbohydrate (16.8-22.4%), but lower acid detergent fiber contents (21.2 to 26.4%) than banana stems and leaves (8.2% crude protein, 42.8% acid detergent fiber, and 5.1% water-soluble carbohydrate). Compared with banana stem and leaf silages, the pineapple and papaya peel silages were well preserved with a lower pH and higher lactate content. The study suggests that the fruit residues contain excellent LAB species and abundant feed nutrients, and that they can be preserved as silage to be potential food resources for livestock. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Effects of caffeine and carbohydrate mouth rinses on repeated sprint performance.

    PubMed

    Beaven, C Martyn; Maulder, Peter; Pooley, Adrian; Kilduff, Liam; Cook, Christian

    2013-06-01

    Our purpose was to examine the effectiveness of carbohydrate and caffeine mouth rinses in enhancing repeated sprint ability. Previously, studies have shown that a carbohydrate mouth rinse (without ingestion) has beneficial effects on endurance performance that are related to changes in brain activity. Caffeine ingestion has also demonstrated positive effects on sprint performance. However, the effects of carbohydrate or caffeine mouth rinses on intermittent sprints have not been examined previously. Twelve males performed 5 × 6-s sprints interspersed with 24 s of active recovery on a cycle ergometer. Twenty-five milliliters of either a noncaloric placebo, a 6% glucose, or a 1.2% caffeine solution was rinsed in the mouth for 5 s prior to each sprint in a double-blinded and balanced cross-over design. Postexercise maximal heart rate and perceived exertion were recorded, along with power measures. A second experiment compared a combined caffeine-carbohydrate rinse with carbohydrate only. Compared with the placebo mouth rinse, carbohydrate substantially increased peak power in sprint 1 (22.1 ± 19.5 W; Cohen's effect size (ES), 0.81), and both caffeine (26.9 ± 26.9 W; ES, 0.71) and carbohydrate (39.1 ± 25.8 W; ES, 1.08) improved mean power in sprint 1. Experiment 2 demonstrated that a combination of caffeine and carbohydrate improved sprint 1 power production compared with carbohydrate alone (36.0 ± 37.3 W; ES, 0.81). We conclude that carbohydrate and (or) caffeine mouth rinses may rapidly enhance power production, which could have benefits for specific short sprint exercise performance. The ability of a mouth-rinse intervention to rapidly improve maximal exercise performance in the absence of fatigue suggests a central mechanism.

  9. Relationship of carbohydrate molecular spectroscopic features in combined feeds to carbohydrate utilization and availability in ruminants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Xuewei; Yu, Peiqiang

    To date, there is no study on the relationship between carbohydrate (CHO) molecular structures and nutrient availability of combined feeds in ruminants. The objective of this study was to use molecular spectroscopy to reveal the relationship between CHO molecular spectral profiles (in terms of functional groups (biomolecular, biopolymer) spectral peak area and height intensity) and CHO chemical profiles, CHO subfractions, energy values, and CHO rumen degradation kinetics of combined feeds of hulless barley with pure wheat dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) at five different combination ratios (hulless barley to pure wheat DDGS: 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, 0:100). The molecular spectroscopic parameters assessed included: lignin biopolymer molecular spectra profile (peak area and height, region and baseline: ca. 1539-1504 cm-1); structural carbohydrate (STCHO, peaks area region and baseline: ca. 1485-1186 cm-1) mainly associated with hemi- and cellulosic compounds; cellulosic materials peak area (centered at ca. 1240 cm-1 with region and baseline: ca. 1272-1186 cm-1); total carbohydrate (CHO, peaks area region and baseline: ca. 1186-946 cm-1). The results showed that the functional groups (biomolecular, biopolymer) in the combined feeds are sensitive to the changes of carbohydrate chemical and nutrient profiles. The changes of the CHO molecular spectroscopic features in the combined feeds were highly correlated with CHO chemical profiles, CHO subfractions, in situ CHO rumen degradation kinetics and fermentable organic matter supply. Further study is needed to investigate possibility of using CHO molecular spectral features as a predictor to estimate nutrient availability in combined feeds for animals and quantify their relationship.

  10. Photoswitchable carbohydrate-based fluorosurfactants as tuneable ice recrystallization inhibitors.

    PubMed

    Adam, Madeleine K; Hu, Yingxue; Poisson, Jessica S; Pottage, Matthew J; Ben, Robert N; Wilkinson, Brendan L

    2017-02-01

    Cryopreservation is an important technique employed for the storage and preservation of biological tissues and cells. The limited effectiveness and significant toxicity of conventionally-used cryoprotectants, such as DMSO, have prompted efforts toward the rational design of less toxic alternatives, including carbohydrate-based surfactants. In this paper, we report the modular synthesis and ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) activity of a library of variably substituted, carbohydrate-based fluorosurfactants. Carbohydrate-based fluorosurfactants possessed a variable mono- or disaccharide head group appended to a hydrophobic fluoroalkyl-substituted azobenzene tail group. Light-addressable fluorosurfactants displayed weak-to-moderate IRI activity that could be tuned through selection of carbohydrate head group, position of the trifluoroalkyl group on the azobenzene ring, and isomeric state of the azobenzene tail fragment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Carbohydrate catabolic diversity of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli of human origin.

    PubMed

    McLaughlin, Heather P; Motherway, Mary O'Connell; Lakshminarayanan, Bhuvaneswari; Stanton, Catherine; Paul Ross, R; Brulc, Jennifer; Menon, Ravi; O'Toole, Paul W; van Sinderen, Douwe

    2015-06-16

    Because increased proportions of particular commensal bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli have been linked to human health through a variety of mechanisms, there is corresponding interest in identifying carbohydrates that promote growth and metabolic activity of these bacteria. We evaluated the ability of 20 carbohydrates, including several commercially available carbohydrates that are sold as prebiotic ingredients, to support growth of 32 human-derived isolates belonging to the genera Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, including those isolated from healthy elderly subjects. In general, bifidobacterial strains were shown to display more diverse carbohydrate utilization profiles compared to the tested Lactobacillus species, with several bifidobacterial strains capable of metabolizing xylo-oligosaccharide (XOS), arabinoxylan, maltodextrin, galactan and carbohydrates containing fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) components. In contrast, maltodextrin, galactan, arabinogalactan and galactomannan did not support robust growth (≥0.8 OD600 nm) of any of the Lactobacillus strains assessed. Carbohydrate fermentation was variable among strains tested of the same species for both genera. This study advances our knowledge of polysaccharide utilization by human gut commensals, and provides information for the rational design of selective prebiotic food ingredients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Sports Nutrition for the Primary Care Physician: The Importance of Carbohydrate.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wheeler, Keith B.

    1989-01-01

    Discusses the relationship between nutrition and fatigue and how carbohydrates and timing of carbohydrate consumption can affect fatigued athletes. Nutrition plays a significant role in successful training and competition. Key concerns are the specific needs of athletes for carbohydrates before, during, and after exercise. (Author/SM)

  13. Generation of organic acids and monosaccharides by hydrolytic and oxidative transformation of food processing residues.

    PubMed

    Fischer, Klaus; Bipp, Hans-Peter

    2005-05-01

    Carbohydrate-rich biomass residues, i.e. sugar beet molasses, whey powder, wine yeast, potato peel sludge, spent hops, malt dust and apple marc, were tested as starting materials for the generation of marketable chemicals, e.g. aliphatic acids, sugar acids and mono-/disaccharides. Residues were oxidized or hydrolyzed under acidic or alkaline conditions applying conventional laboratory digestion methods and microwave assisted techniques. Yields and compositions of the oxidation products differed according to the oxidizing agent used. Main products of oxidation by 30% HNO(3) were acetic, glucaric, oxalic and glycolic acids. Applying H(2)O(2)/CuO in alkaline solution, the organic acid yields were remarkably lower with formic, acetic and threonic acids as main products. Gluconic acid was formed instead of glucaric acid throughout. Reaction of a 10% H(2)O(2) solution with sugar beet molasses generated formic and lactic acids mainly. Na(2)S(2)O(8) solutions were very inefficient at oxidizing the residues. Glucose, arabinose and galactose were formed during acidic hydrolysis of malt dust and apple marc. The glucose content reached 0.35 g per gram of residue. Important advantages of the microwave application were lower reaction times and reduced reagent demands.

  14. The chemical component dictionary: complete descriptions of constituent molecules in experimentally determined 3D macromolecules in the Protein Data Bank.

    PubMed

    Westbrook, John D; Shao, Chenghua; Feng, Zukang; Zhuravleva, Marina; Velankar, Sameer; Young, Jasmine

    2015-04-15

    The Chemical Component Dictionary (CCD) is a chemical reference data resource that describes all residue and small molecule components found in Protein Data Bank (PDB) entries. The CCD contains detailed chemical descriptions for standard and modified amino acids/nucleotides, small molecule ligands and solvent molecules. Each chemical definition includes descriptions of chemical properties such as stereochemical assignments, chemical descriptors, systematic chemical names and idealized coordinates. The content, preparation, validation and distribution of this CCD chemical reference dataset are described. The CCD is updated regularly in conjunction with the scheduled weekly release of new PDB structure data. The CCD and amino acid variant reference datasets are hosted in the public PDB ftp repository at ftp://ftp.wwpdb.org/pub/pdb/data/monomers/components.cif.gz, ftp://ftp.wwpdb.org/pub/pdb/data/monomers/aa-variants-v1.cif.gz, and its mirror sites, and can be accessed from http://wwpdb.org. jwest@rcsb.rutgers.edu. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  15. The chemical component dictionary: complete descriptions of constituent molecules in experimentally determined 3D macromolecules in the Protein Data Bank

    PubMed Central

    Westbrook, John D.; Shao, Chenghua; Feng, Zukang; Zhuravleva, Marina; Velankar, Sameer; Young, Jasmine

    2015-01-01

    Summary: The Chemical Component Dictionary (CCD) is a chemical reference data resource that describes all residue and small molecule components found in Protein Data Bank (PDB) entries. The CCD contains detailed chemical descriptions for standard and modified amino acids/nucleotides, small molecule ligands and solvent molecules. Each chemical definition includes descriptions of chemical properties such as stereochemical assignments, chemical descriptors, systematic chemical names and idealized coordinates. The content, preparation, validation and distribution of this CCD chemical reference dataset are described. Availability and implementation: The CCD is updated regularly in conjunction with the scheduled weekly release of new PDB structure data. The CCD and amino acid variant reference datasets are hosted in the public PDB ftp repository at ftp://ftp.wwpdb.org/pub/pdb/data/monomers/components.cif.gz, ftp://ftp.wwpdb.org/pub/pdb/data/monomers/aa-variants-v1.cif.gz, and its mirror sites, and can be accessed from http://wwpdb.org. Contact: jwest@rcsb.rutgers.edu. Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:25540181

  16. Thermodynamic evidence for Ca2+-mediated self-aggregation of Lewis X gold glyconanoparticles. A model for cell adhesion via carbohydrate-carbohydrate interaction.

    PubMed

    de la Fuente, Jesús M; Eaton, Peter; Barrientos, Africa G; Menéndez, Margarita; Penadés, Soledad

    2005-05-04

    Thermodynamic evidence for the selective Ca(2+)-mediated self-aggregation via carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions of gold glyconanoparticles functionalized with the disaccharides lactose (lacto-Au) and maltose (malto-Au), or the biologically relevant trisaccharide Lewis X (Le(X)-Au), was obtained by isothermal titration calorimetry. The aggregation process was also directly visualized by atomic force microscopy. It was shown in the case of the trisaccharide Lewis X that the Ca(2+)-mediated aggregation is a slow process that takes place with a decrease in enthalpy of 160 +/- 30 kcal mol(-)(1), while the heat evolved in the case of lactose and maltose glyconanoparticles was very low and thermal equilibrium was quickly achieved. Measurements in the presence of Mg(2+) and Na(+) cations confirm the selectivity for Ca(2+) of Le(X)-Au glyconanoparticles. The relevance of this result to cell-cell adhesion process mediated by carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions is discussed.

  17. Serotonin, carbohydrates, and atypical depression.

    PubMed

    Møller, S E

    1992-01-01

    At least three categories of atypical depression have been described. The hysteroid dysphoria is characterized by repeated episodes of depressed mood in response to feeling rejected, and a craving for sweets and chocolate. Two other issues are characterized by a cyclical occurrence of changes of mood and appetite, i.e., the late luteal phase dysphoric disorder (DSM-III-R, appendix), or "the premenstrual syndrome" (PMS), and the major depression with seasonal pattern (DSM-III-R), or seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The reactive mood changes are frequently accompanied by features as hypersomnia, lethargy and increased appetite, particularly with a preference for carbohydrates. Central serotonin pathways participate in the regulation of mood and behavioural impulsivity, and modulate eating patterns qualitatively and quantitatively. Depressives with PMS og SAD benefit, in general, from treatments with serotonin potentiating drugs, suggesting that brain serotonin plays a role in the pathophysiology. Ingestion of carbohydrates increases the plasma ratio of tryptophan to other large neutral amino acids in man and animal, and the serotonin synthesis in the rat brain. Based on these findings it has been suggested that the excessive carbohydrate intake by patients with PMS and SAD reflects a self-medication that temporarily relieves the vegetative symptoms via an increased central serotonergic activity.

  18. Energy and carbohydrate for training and recovery.

    PubMed

    Burke, Louise M; Loucks, Anne B; Broad, Nick

    2006-07-01

    Soccer players should achieve an energy intake that provides sufficient carbohydrate to fuel the training and competition programme, supplies all nutrient requirements, and allows manipulation of energy or nutrient balance to achieve changes in lean body mass, body fat or growth. Although the traditional culture of soccer has focused on carbohydrate intake for immediate match preparation, top players should adapt their carbohydrate intake on a daily basis to ensure adequate fuel for training and recovery between matches. For players with a mobile playing style, there is sound evidence that dietary programmes that restore and even super-compensate muscle glycogen levels can enhance activity patterns during matches. This will presumably also benefit intensive training, such as twice daily practices. As well as achieving a total intake of carbohydrate commensurate with fuel needs, the everyday diet should promote strategic intake of carbohydrate and protein before and after key training sessions to optimize the adaptations and enhance recovery. The achievement of the ideal physique for soccer is a long-term goal that should be undertaken over successive years, and particularly during the off-season and pre-season. An increase in lean body mass or a decrease in body fat is the product of a targeted training and eating programme. Consultation with a sports nutrition expert can assist soccer players to manipulate energy and nutrient intake to meet such goals. Players should be warned against the accidental or deliberate mismatch of energy intake and energy expenditure, such that energy availability (intake minus the cost of exercise) falls below 125 kJ (30 kcal) per kilogram of fat-free mass per day. Such low energy availability causes disturbances to hormonal, metabolic, and immune function.

  19. Intact carbohydrate structures as part of the melanoidin skeleton.

    PubMed

    Cämmerer, Bettina; Jalyschko, Walentina; Kroh, Lothar W

    2002-03-27

    Model melanoidins from monomeric, oligomeric, and polymeric carbohydrates, and amino acids formed under aqueous as well as water-free reaction conditions, were submitted to acidic catalyzed hydrolysis. Their degradation products were detected qualitatively and quantitatively by HPTLC and HPLC-DAD. A considerable amount of monomer carbohydrates from hydrolysis of model melanoidins formed under water-free reaction conditions was detected. It can be seen clearly that the amount of carbohydrates released increased with increasing degree of polymerization of the carbohydrates used as starting material. In comparison, the hydrolysis of melanoidins formed in aqueous condition resulted in only a small glucose release. It seems that in the Maillard reaction under water-free conditions, a significant amount of di- and oligomer carbohydrates were incorporated into the melanoidin skeleton as complete oligomer with intact glycosidic bond, forming side chains at the melanoidin skeleton. Additional side chains could be formed by transglycosylation reactions. With increasing water content, hydrothermolytic as well as retro-aldol reactions of the starting carbonyl components became significant, and therefore the possibility of forming side chains decreased. The results are consistent with the postulated melanoidin structure being built up mainly from sugar degradation products, probably branched via amino compounds.

  20. Boronic acids for fluorescence imaging of carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Sun, Xiaolong; Zhai, Wenlei; Fossey, John S; James, Tony D

    2016-02-28

    "Fluorescence imaging" is a particularly exciting and rapidly developing area of research; the annual number of publications in the area has increased ten-fold over the last decade. The rapid increase of interest in fluorescence imaging will necessitate the development of an increasing number of molecular receptors and binding agents in order to meet the demand in this rapidly expanding area. Carbohydrate biomarkers are particularly important targets for fluorescence imaging given their pivotal role in numerous important biological events, including the development and progression of many diseases. Therefore, the development of new fluorescent receptors and binding agents for carbohydrates is and will be increasing in demand. This review highlights the development of fluorescence imaging agents based on boronic acids a particularly promising class of receptors given their strong and selective binding with carbohydrates in aqueous media.

  1. Carbohydrate Content in the GDM Diet: Two Views: View 1: Nutrition Therapy in Gestational Diabetes: The Case for Complex Carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Hernandez, Teri L

    2016-05-01

    IN BRIEF Restriction of dietary carbohydrate has been the cornerstone for treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, there is evidence that a balanced liberalization of complex carbohydrate as part of an overall eating plan in GDM meets treatment goals and may mitigate maternal adipose tissue insulin resistance, both of which may promote optimal metabolic outcomes for mother and offspring.

  2. Characterization of carbohydrate-protein matrices for nutrient delivery.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Yankun; Roos, Yrjö H

    2011-05-01

    Amorphous carbohydrates may show glass transition and crystallization as a result of thermal or water plasticization. Proteins often affect the state transitions of carbohydrates in carbohydrate-protein systems. Water sorption behavior and effects of water on glass transition and crystallization in freeze-dried lactose, trehalose, lactose-casein (3: 1), lactose-soy protein isolate (3:1), trehalose-casein (3:1), and trehalose-soy protein isolate (3:1) systems were studied. Water sorption was determined gravimetrically as a function of time, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) models were fitted to the experimental data. Glass transition temperature (T(g)) and instant crystallization temperature (T(ic)) in anhydrous and water plasticized systems were measured using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The Gordon-Taylor equation was used to model water content dependence of the T(g) values. The critical water content and water activity (a(w)) at 24 °C were calculated and crystallization of lactose and trehalose in the systems was followed at and above 0.54 a(w). Carbohydrate-protein systems showed higher amounts of sorbed water and less rapid sugar crystallization than pure sugars. A greater sugar crystallization delay was found in carbohydrate-casein systems than in carbohydrate-soy protein isolate systems. The T(g) and T(ic) values decreased with increasing water content and a(w). However, higher T(ic) values for lactose-protein systems were found than for lactose at the same a(w). Trehalose showed lower T(ic) value than lactose at 0.44 a(w) but no instant crystallization was measured below 0.44 a(w). State diagrams for each system are useful in selecting processing parameters and storage conditions in nutrient delivery applications. © 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®

  3. Carbohydrate-Loading: A Safe and Effective Method of Improving Endurance Performance.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beeker, Richard T.; Israel, Richard G.

    Carbohydrate-loading prior to distance events is a common practice among endurance athletes. The purposes of this paper are to review previous research and to clarify misconceptions which may exist concerning carbohydrate-loading. The most effective method of carbohydrate-loading involves a training run of sufficient intensity and duration to…

  4. A randomized trial of a low-carbohydrate diet for obesity.

    PubMed

    Foster, Gary D; Wyatt, Holly R; Hill, James O; McGuckin, Brian G; Brill, Carrie; Mohammed, B Selma; Szapary, Philippe O; Rader, Daniel J; Edman, Joel S; Klein, Samuel

    2003-05-22

    Despite the popularity of the low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat (Atkins) diet, no randomized, controlled trials have evaluated its efficacy. We conducted a one-year, multicenter, controlled trial involving 63 obese men and women who were randomly assigned to either a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet or a low-calorie, high-carbohydrate, low-fat (conventional) diet. Professional contact was minimal to replicate the approach used by most dieters. Subjects on the low-carbohydrate diet had lost more weight than subjects on the conventional diet at 3 months (mean [+/-SD], -6.8+/-5.0 vs. -2.7+/-3.7 percent of body weight; P=0.001) and 6 months (-7.0+/-6.5 vs. -3.2+/-5.6 percent of body weight, P=0.02), but the difference at 12 months was not significant (-4.4+/-6.7 vs. -2.5+/-6.3 percent of body weight, P=0.26). After three months, no significant differences were found between the groups in total or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. The increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations and the decrease in triglyceride concentrations were greater among subjects on the low-carbohydrate diet than among those on the conventional diet throughout most of the study. Both diets significantly decreased diastolic blood pressure and the insulin response to an oral glucose load. The low-carbohydrate diet produced a greater weight loss (absolute difference, approximately 4 percent) than did the conventional diet for the first six months, but the differences were not significant at one year. The low-carbohydrate diet was associated with a greater improvement in some risk factors for coronary heart disease. Adherence was poor and attrition was high in both groups. Longer and larger studies are required to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diets. Copyright 2003 Massachusetts Medical Society

  5. The role of complex carbohydrate catabolism in the pathogenesis of invasive streptococci

    PubMed Central

    Shelburne, Samuel A.; Davenport, Michael T.; Keith, David B.; Musser, James M.

    2009-01-01

    Historically, the study of bacterial catabolism of complex carbohydrates has contributed to understanding basic bacterial physiology. Recently, however, genome-wide screens of streptococcal pathogenesis have identified genes encoding proteins involved in complex carbohydrate catabolism as participating in pathogen infectivity. Subsequent studies have focused on specific mechanisms by which carbohydrate utilization proteins might contribute to the ability of streptococci to colonize and infect the host. Moreover, transcriptome and biochemical analyses have uncovered novel regulatory pathways by which streptococci link environmental carbohydrate availability to virulence factor production. Herein we review new insights into the role of complex carbohydrates in streptococcal host-pathogen interaction. PMID:18508271

  6. Impact of carbohydrates on weight regain.

    PubMed

    Bosy-Westphal, Anja; Müller, Manfred J

    2015-07-01

    Research on obesity treatment has shifted its focus from weight loss to weight-loss maintenance strategies. The conventional approach of a low-fat diet is challenged by insights from glycemic effects of carbohydrates on body weight regulation. Metabolic and endocrine adaptations to weight loss that contribute to weight regain involve reduced energy expenditure, increased insulin sensitivity, and enhanced orexigenic signals. This review summarizes the impact of carbohydrates on energetic efficiency, partitioning of weight regain as fat and lean mass, and appetite control. Both the amount and frequency of postprandial glycemia add to body weight regulation after weight loss and strengthen the concept of glycemic index and glycemic load. In addition, dietary fiber and slowly or poorly absorbable functional sugars modify gastrointestinal peptides involved in appetite and metabolic regulation and exert prebiotic effects. Current evidence suggests that a low-glycemic load diet with a preference for low-glycemic index foods and integration of slowly digestible, poorly absorbable carbohydrates may improve weight-loss maintenance. Future studies should investigate the health benefits of low glycemic functional sweeteners (e.g., isomaltulose and tagatose).

  7. Carbohydrates as Fat Replacers.

    PubMed

    Peng, Xingyun; Yao, Yuan

    2017-02-28

    The overconsumption of dietary fat contributes to various chronic diseases, which encourages attempts to develop and consume low-fat foods. Simple fat reduction causes quality losses that impede the acceptance of foods. Fat replacers are utilized to minimize the quality deterioration after fat reduction or removal to achieve low-calorie, low-fat claims. In this review, the forms of fats and their functions in contributing to food textural and sensory qualities are discussed in various food systems. The connections between fat reduction and quality loss are described in order to clarify the rationales of fat replacement. Carbohydrate fat replacers usually have low calorie density and provide gelling, thickening, stabilizing, and other texture-modifying properties. In this review, carbohydrates, including starches, maltodextrins, polydextrose, gums, and fibers, are discussed with regard to their interactions with other components in foods as well as their performances as fat replacers in various systems.

  8. Chemoselective Reactions for the Synthesis of Glycoconjugates from Unprotected Carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Villadsen, Klaus; Martos-Maldonado, Manuel C; Jensen, Knud J; Thygesen, Mikkel B

    2017-04-04

    Glycobiology is the comprehensive biological investigation of carbohydrates. The study of the role and function of complex carbohydrates often requires the attachment of carbohydrates to surfaces, their tagging with fluorophores, or their conversion into natural or non-natural glycoconjugates, such as glycopeptides or glycolipids. Glycobiology and its "omics", glycomics, require easy and robust chemical methods for the construction of these glycoconjugates. This review gives an overview of the rapidly expanding field of chemical reactions that selectively convert unprotected carbohydrates into glycoconjugates through the anomeric position. The discussion is divided in terms of the anomeric bond type of the newly formed glycoconjugates, including O-, N-, S-, and C-glycosides. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. The effects of marine carbohydrates and glycosylated compounds on human health.

    PubMed

    Kang, Hee-Kyoung; Seo, Chang Ho; Park, Yoonkyung

    2015-03-16

    Marine organisms have been recognized as a valuable source of bioactive compounds with industrial and nutraceutical potential. Recently, marine-derived carbohydrates, including polysaccharides and low molecular weight glycosylated oligosaccharides, have attracted much attention because of their numerous health benefits. Moreover, several studies have reported that marine carbohydrates exhibit various biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-infection, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic effects. The present review discusses the potential industrial applications of bioactive marine carbohydrates for health maintenance and disease prevention. Furthermore, the use of marine carbohydrates in food, cosmetics, agriculture, and environmental protection is discussed.

  10. Effects of Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets

    PubMed Central

    Bazzano, Lydia A.; Hu, Tian; Reynolds, Kristi; Yao, Lu; Bunol, Calynn; Liu, Yanxi; Chen, Chung-Shiuan; Klag, Michael J.; Whelton, Paul K.; He, Jiang

    2015-01-01

    Background Low-carbohydrate diets are popular for weight loss, but their cardiovascular effects have not been well-studied, particularly in diverse populations. Objective To examine the effects of a low-carbohydrate diet compared with a low-fat diet on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors. Design A randomized, parallel-group trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00609271) Setting A large academic medical center. Participants 148 men and women without clinical cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Intervention A low-carbohydrate (<40 g/d) or low-fat diet (<30% fat; <7% saturated fat). Both groups received dietary counseling at regular intervals throughout the trial. Measurements Data on weight, cardiovascular risk factors, and dietary composition were collected at 0, 3, 6, and 12 months. Results Sixty participants (82%) in the low-fat group and 59 (79%) in the low-carbohydrate group completed the intervention. At 12 months, participants on the low-carbohydrate diet had greater decreases in weight (mean difference in change, −3.5 kg [95% CI, −5.6 to −1.4 kg]; P < 0.001), fat mass (mean difference in change, −1.5% [CI, −2.6% to −0.4%]; P = 0.011), ratio of total to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (mean difference in change, −0.44 [CI, −0.71 to −0.16]; P = 0.002), and triglyceride level (mean difference in change, −0.16 mmol/L [−14.1 mg/dL] [CI, −0.31 to −0.01 mmol/L {−27.4 to −0.8 mg/dL}]; P = 0.038) and greater increases in HDL cholesterol level (mean difference in change, 0.18 mmol/L [7.0 mg/dL] [CI, 0.08 to 0.28 mmol/L {3.0 to 11.0 mg/dL}]; P< 0.001) than those on the low-fat diet. Limitation Lack of clinical cardiovascular disease end points. Conclusion The low-carbohydrate diet was more effective for weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor reduction than the low-fat diet. Restricting carbohydrate may be an option for persons seeking to lose weight and reduce cardiovascular risk factors. Primary Funding Source National

  11. Enzyme-based processing of soybean carbohydrate: Recent developments and future prospects.

    PubMed

    Al Loman, Abdullah; Ju, Lu-Kwang

    2017-11-01

    Soybean is well known for its high-value oil and protein. Carbohydrate is, however, an underutilized major component, representing almost 26-30% (w/w) of the dried bean. The complex soybean carbohydrate is not easily hydrolyzable and can cause indigestibility when included in food and feed. Enzymes can be used to hydrolyze the carbohydrate for improving soybean processing and value of soybean products. Here the enzyme-based processing developed for the following purposes is reviewed: hydrolysis of different carbohydrate-rich by/products from soybean processing, improvement of soybean oil extraction, and increase of nutritional value of soybean-based food and animal feed. Once hydrolyzed into fermentable sugars, soybean carbohydrate can find more value-added applications and further improve the overall economics of soybean processing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Effects of Carbohydrate Source on Genetic Competence in Streptococcus mutans.

    PubMed

    Moye, Zachary D; Son, Minjun; Rosa-Alberty, Ariana E; Zeng, Lin; Ahn, Sang-Joon; Hagen, Stephen J; Burne, Robert A

    2016-08-01

    The capacity to internalize and catabolize carbohydrates is essential for dental caries pathogens to persist and cause disease. The expression of many virulence-related attributes by Streptococcus mutans, an organism strongly associated with human dental caries, is influenced by the peptide signaling pathways that control genetic competence. Here, we demonstrate a relationship between the efficiency of competence signaling and carbohydrate source. A significant increase in the activity of the promoters for comX, comS, and comYA after exposure to competence-stimulating peptide (CSP) was observed in cells growing on fructose, maltose, sucrose, or trehalose as the primary carbohydrate source, compared to cells growing on glucose. However, only cells grown in the presence of trehalose or sucrose displayed a significant increase in transformation frequency. Notably, even low concentrations of these carbohydrates in the presence of excess glucose could enhance the expression of comX, encoding a sigma factor needed for competence, and the effects on competence were dependent on the cognate sugar:phosphotransferase permease for each carbohydrate. Using green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter fusions, we observed that growth in fructose or trehalose resulted in a greater proportion of the population activating expression of comX and comS, encoding the precursor of comX-inducing peptide (XIP), after addition of CSP, than growth in glucose. Thus, the source of carbohydrate significantly impacts the stochastic behaviors that regulate subpopulation responses to CSP, which can induce competence in S. mutans The signaling pathways that regulate development of genetic competence in Streptococcus mutans are intimately intertwined with the pathogenic potential of the organism, impacting biofilm formation, stress tolerance, and expression of known virulence determinants. Induction of the gene for the master regulator of competence, ComX, by competence-stimulating peptide (CSP

  13. Effects of Carbohydrate Source on Genetic Competence in Streptococcus mutans

    PubMed Central

    Moye, Zachary D.; Son, Minjun; Rosa-Alberty, Ariana E.; Zeng, Lin; Ahn, Sang-Joon

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT The capacity to internalize and catabolize carbohydrates is essential for dental caries pathogens to persist and cause disease. The expression of many virulence-related attributes by Streptococcus mutans, an organism strongly associated with human dental caries, is influenced by the peptide signaling pathways that control genetic competence. Here, we demonstrate a relationship between the efficiency of competence signaling and carbohydrate source. A significant increase in the activity of the promoters for comX, comS, and comYA after exposure to competence-stimulating peptide (CSP) was observed in cells growing on fructose, maltose, sucrose, or trehalose as the primary carbohydrate source, compared to cells growing on glucose. However, only cells grown in the presence of trehalose or sucrose displayed a significant increase in transformation frequency. Notably, even low concentrations of these carbohydrates in the presence of excess glucose could enhance the expression of comX, encoding a sigma factor needed for competence, and the effects on competence were dependent on the cognate sugar:phosphotransferase permease for each carbohydrate. Using green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter fusions, we observed that growth in fructose or trehalose resulted in a greater proportion of the population activating expression of comX and comS, encoding the precursor of comX-inducing peptide (XIP), after addition of CSP, than growth in glucose. Thus, the source of carbohydrate significantly impacts the stochastic behaviors that regulate subpopulation responses to CSP, which can induce competence in S. mutans. IMPORTANCE The signaling pathways that regulate development of genetic competence in Streptococcus mutans are intimately intertwined with the pathogenic potential of the organism, impacting biofilm formation, stress tolerance, and expression of known virulence determinants. Induction of the gene for the master regulator of competence, ComX, by competence

  14. Carbohydrate digestion in Lutzomyia longipalpis' larvae (Diptera - Psychodidae).

    PubMed

    Vale, Vladimir F; Moreira, Bruno H; Moraes, Caroline S; Pereira, Marcos H; Genta, Fernando A; Gontijo, Nelder F

    2012-10-01

    Lutzomyia longipalpis is the principal species of phlebotomine incriminated as vector of Leishmania infantum, the etiological agent of visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas. Despite its importance as vector, almost nothing related to the larval biology, especially about its digestive system has been published. The objective of the present study was to obtain an overview of carbohydrate digestion by the larvae. Taking in account that phlebotomine larvae live in the soil rich in decaying materials and microorganisms we searched principally for enzymes capable to hydrolyze carbohydrates present in this kind of substrate. The principal carbohydrases encountered in the midgut were partially characterized. One of them is a α-amylase present in the anterior midgut. It is probably involved with the digestion of glycogen, the reserve carbohydrate of fungi. Two other especially active enzymes were present in the posterior midgut, a membrane bound α-glucosidase and a membrane bound trehalase. The first, complete the digestion of glycogen and the other probably acts in the digestion of trehalose, a carbohydrate usually encountered in microorganisms undergoing hydric stress. In a screening done with the use of p-nitrophenyl-derived substrates other less active enzymes were also observed in the midgut. A general view of carbohydrate digestion in L. longipalpis was presented. Our results indicate that soil microorganisms appear to be the main source of nutrients for the larvae. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Genomic Reconstruction of Carbohydrate Utilization Capacities in Microbial-Mat Derived Consortia

    PubMed Central

    Leyn, Semen A.; Maezato, Yukari; Romine, Margaret F.; Rodionov, Dmitry A.

    2017-01-01

    Two nearly identical unicyanobacterial consortia (UCC) were previously isolated from benthic microbial mats that occur in a heliothermal saline lake in northern Washington State. Carbohydrates are a primary source of carbon and energy for most heterotrophic bacteria. Since CO2 is the only carbon source provided, the cyanobacterium must provide a source of carbon to the heterotrophs. Available genomic sequences for all members of the UCC provide opportunity to investigate the metabolic routes of carbon transfer between autotroph and heterotrophs. Here, we applied a subsystem-based comparative genomics approach to reconstruct carbohydrate utilization pathways and identify glycohydrolytic enzymes, carbohydrate transporters and pathway-specific transcriptional regulators in 17 heterotrophic members of the UCC. The reconstructed metabolic pathways include 800 genes, near a one-fourth of which encode enzymes, transporters and regulators with newly assigned metabolic functions resulting in discovery of novel functional variants of carbohydrate utilization pathways. The in silico analysis revealed the utilization capabilities for 40 carbohydrates and their derivatives. Two Halomonas species demonstrated the largest number of sugar catabolic pathways. Trehalose, sucrose, maltose, glucose, and beta-glucosides are the most commonly utilized saccharides in this community. Reconstructed regulons for global regulators HexR and CceR include central carbohydrate metabolism genes in the members of Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria, respectively. Genomics analyses were supplemented by experimental characterization of metabolic phenotypes in four isolates derived from the consortia. Measurements of isolate growth on the defined medium supplied with individual carbohydrates confirmed most of the predicted catabolic phenotypes. Not all consortia members use carbohydrates and only a few use complex polysaccharides suggesting a hierarchical carbon flow from cyanobacteria to

  16. Low-carbohydrate diet induces metabolic depression: a possible mechanism to conserve glycogen.

    PubMed

    Winwood-Smith, Hugh S; Franklin, Craig E; White, Craig R

    2017-10-01

    Long-term studies have found that low-carbohydrate diets are more effective for weight loss than calorie-restricted diets in the short term but equally or only marginally more effective in the long term. Low-carbohydrate diets have been linked to reduced glycogen stores and increased feelings of fatigue. We propose that reduced physical activity in response to lowered glycogen explains the diminishing weight loss advantage of low-carbohydrate compared with low-calorie diets over longer time periods. We explored this possibility by feeding adult Drosophila melanogaster a standard or a low-carbohydrate diet for 9 days and measured changes in metabolic rate, glycogen stores, activity, and body mass. We hypothesized that a low-carbohydrate diet would cause a reduction in glycogen stores, which recover over time, a reduction in physical activity, and an increase in resting metabolic rate. The low-carbohydrate diet reduced glycogen stores, which recovered over time. Activity was unaffected by diet, but metabolic rate was reduced, in the low-carbohydrate group. We conclude that metabolic depression could explain the decreased effectiveness of low-carbohydrate diets over time and recommend further investigation of long-term metabolic effects of dietary interventions and a greater focus on physiological plasticity within the study of human nutrition. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  17. Carbohydrates as T-cell antigens with implications in health and disease.

    PubMed

    Sun, Lina; Middleton, Dustin R; Wantuch, Paeton L; Ozdilek, Ahmet; Avci, Fikri Y

    2016-10-01

    Glycosylation is arguably the most ubiquitous post-translational modification on proteins in microbial and mammalian cells. During the past few years, there has been intensive research demonstrating that carbohydrates, either in pure forms or in conjunction with proteins or lipids, evoke and modulate adaptive immune responses. We now know that carbohydrates can be directly recognized by T cells or participate in T-cell stimulation as components of T-cell epitopes. T-cell recognition of carbohydrate antigens takes place via their presentation by major histocompatibility complex pathways on antigen-presenting cells. In this review, we summarize studies on carbohydrates as T-cell antigens modulating adaptive immune responses. Through discussion of glycan-containing antigens, such as glycoproteins, glycolipids, zwitterionic polysaccharides and carbohydrate-based glycoconjugate vaccines, we will illustrate the key molecular and cellular interactions between carbohydrate antigens and T cells and the implications of these interactions in health and disease. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. Digestible and indigestible carbohydrates: interactions with postprandial lipid metabolism.

    PubMed

    Lairon, Denis; Play, Barbara; Jourdheuil-Rahmani, Dominique

    2007-04-01

    The balance between fats and carbohydrates in the human diet is still a matter of very active debate. Indeed, the processing of ordinary mixed meals involves complex processes within the lumen of the upper digestive tract for digestion, in the small intestine mucosa for absorption and resecretion, and in peripheral tissues and in the circulation for final handling. The purpose of this review is to focus on available knowledge on the interactions of digestible or indigestible carbohydrates with lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in the postprandial state. The observations made in humans after test meals are reported and interpreted in the light of recent findings on the cellular and molecular levels regarding possible interplays between carbohydrates and lipid moieties in some metabolic pathways. Digestible carbohydrates, especially readily digestible starches or fructose, have been shown to exacerbate and/or delay postprandial lipemia, whereas some fiber sources can lower it. While interactions between dietary fibers and the process of lipid digestion and absorption have been studied mainly in the last decades, recent studies have shown that dietary carbohydrate moieties (e.g., glucose) can stimulate the intestinal uptake of cholesterol and lipid resecretion. In addition to the well-known glucose/fructose transporters, a number of transport proteins have recently been involved in intestinal lipid processing, whose implications in such interactions are discussed. The potential importance of postprandial insulinemia in these processes is also evaluated in the light of recent findings. The interactions of carbohydrates and lipid moieties in the postprandial state may result from both acute and chronic effects, both at transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels.

  19. Why use DFT methods in the study of carbohydrates?

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The recent advances in density functional theory (DFT) and computer technology allow us to study systems with more than 100 atoms routinely. This makes it feasible to study large carbohydrate molecules via quantum mechanical methods, whereas in the past, studies of carbohydrates were restricted to ...

  20. The Effects of Marine Carbohydrates and Glycosylated Compounds on Human Health

    PubMed Central

    Kang, Hee-Kyoung; Seo, Chang Ho; Park, Yoonkyung

    2015-01-01

    Marine organisms have been recognized as a valuable source of bioactive compounds with industrial and nutraceutical potential. Recently, marine-derived carbohydrates, including polysaccharides and low molecular weight glycosylated oligosaccharides, have attracted much attention because of their numerous health benefits. Moreover, several studies have reported that marine carbohydrates exhibit various biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-infection, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic effects. The present review discusses the potential industrial applications of bioactive marine carbohydrates for health maintenance and disease prevention. Furthermore, the use of marine carbohydrates in food, cosmetics, agriculture, and environmental protection is discussed. PMID:25785562

  1. UTILIZATION OF CARBOHYDRATES AND POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOLS BY MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS

    PubMed Central

    Sweeney, Edward E.; Jann, Gregory J.

    1962-01-01

    Sweeney, Edward E. (University of California, Los Angeles) and Gregory J. Jann. Utilization of carbohydrates and polyhydric alcohols by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. J. Bacteriol. 84:459–465. 1962.—A new procedure, using a massive inoculum and nongrowth basal medium, was employed for testing carbohydrate and polyhydric alcohol utilization by human tubercle bacilli. A positive reaction was represented by acidification of the test medium rather than by growth, which was the criterion for carbohydrate utilization in studies by earlier workers. The new procedure was both more sensitive and more rapid than growth techniques; results were obtained within days, compared to weeks or months required for growth testing. The massive-inoculum technique may be applied to compounds other than carbohydrates and polyhydric alcohols, and is a sensitive means of detecting changes wrought by various chemical and physical agents upon the metabolism of tubercle bacilli. Three H37Rv strains and six strains of human tubercle bacilli freshly isolated from patients were tested with 21 carbohydrates and polyhydric alcohols. All nine strains gave strong positive reactions for glucose and glycerol, and usually weak positive reactions for ribose and sorbose. Five of the nine strains were trehalose positive, and six (all fresh patient isolates) of the nine were mannose positive. PMID:13979661

  2. Does preoperative oral carbohydrate reduce hospital stay? A randomized trial.

    PubMed

    Webster, Joan; Osborne, Sonya Ranee; Gill, Richard; Chow, Carina Faran Kalan; Wallin, Siobhan; Jones, Lee; Tang, Annie

    2014-02-01

    Oral carbohydrate-rich fluids are used preoperatively to improve postoperative recovery, but their effectiveness for reducing length of hospital stay is uncertain. We assessed the effectiveness of preoperative loading with carbohydrates on the postoperative outcomes of 44 patients scheduled for elective colorectal surgery who were randomly allocated to a carbohydrate-rich fluid group or a usual care group during their preadmission clinic visit. Our primary outcome was the time patients required to be ready for discharge. Patients in the control group spent an average of 4.3 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.2-5.7) in the hospital and patients in the carbohydrate-rich fluid group spent 4.1 days (95% CI, 3.2-5.4) in the hospital until they met discharge criteria (P = .824). We found that the safety of administering preoperative oral carbohydrate-rich fluids is supported, but we were unable to confirm or refute the benefit of this treatment regimen for contributing to shorter hospital stays after elective colorectal surgery. Copyright © 2014 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Different allocation of carbohydrates and phenolics in dehydrated leaves of triticale.

    PubMed

    Hura, Tomasz; Dziurka, Michał; Hura, Katarzyna; Ostrowska, Agnieszka; Dziurka, Kinga

    2016-09-01

    Carbohydrates are used in plant growth processes, osmotic regulation and secondary metabolism. A study of the allocation of carbohydrates to a target set of metabolites during triticale acclimation to soil drought was performed. The study included a semi-dwarf cultivar 'Woltario' and a long-stemmed cultivar 'Moderato', differing in the activity of the photosynthetic apparatus under optimum growth conditions. Differences were found in the quantitative and qualitative composition of individual carbohydrates and phenolic compounds, depending on the developmental stage and water availability. Soluble carbohydrates in the semi-dwarf 'Woltario' cv. under soil drought were utilized for synthesis of starch, soluble phenolic compounds and an accumulation of cell wall carbohydrates. In the typical 'Moderato' cv., soluble carbohydrates were primarily used for the synthesis of phenolic compounds that were then incorporated into cell wall structures. Increased content of cell wall-bound phenolics in 'Moderato' cv. improved the cell wall tightness and reduced the rate of leaf water loss. In 'Woltario' cv., the increase in cell osmotic potential due to an enhanced concentration of carbohydrates and proline was insufficient to slow down the rate of leaf water loss. The mechanism of cell wall tightening in response to leaf desiccation may be the main key in the process of triticale acclimation to soil drought. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  4. Co-occurrence of carbohydrate malabsorption and primary epiploic appendagitis

    PubMed Central

    Schnedl, Wolfgang J; Kalmar, Peter; Mangge, Harald; Krause, Robert; Wallner-Liebmann, Sandra J

    2015-01-01

    Unspecific abdominal complaints including bloating and irregular bowel movements may be caused by carbohydrate malabsorption syndromes, e.g., lactose and fructose malabsorption. These symptoms were investigated with hydrogen (H2) breath tests and correlated to carbohydrate malabsorption. During performing these H2-breath tests the patient presented with an acute, localized, non-migratory pain in the left lower abdominal quadrant. Primary epiploic appendagitis is a rare cause of abdominal acute or subacute complaints and diagnosis of primary epiploic appendagitis (PEA) is made when computed tomography reveals a characteristic lesion. We report on a patient with co-occurrence of lactose and fructose malabsorption, which was treated successfully with a diet free of culprit carbohydrates, with PEA recovering without medication or surgical treatment within few days. Since the abdominal unspecific symptoms had been present for months, they appeared not to be correlated to the acute localized abdominal pain, therefore we speculate on a random co-occurrence of combined carbohydrate malabsorption and PEA. PMID:26401090

  5. Pattern of dietary carbohydrate intake among urbanized adult Nigerians

    PubMed Central

    AKAROLO-ANTHONY, SALLY N.; ODUBORE, FOLAKE O.; YILME, SUSAN; ARAGBADA, OMOLOLA; ODONYE, GEORGE; HU, FRANK; WILLETT, WALTER; SPIEGELMAN, DONNA; ADEBAMOWO, CLEMENT A.

    2013-01-01

    As the nutrition transition continues in Africa, it is crucial to identify population-specific dietary patterns. Healthy diets may then be promoted for prevention and alleviation of the chronic disease burden associated with nutrition. Using a semi-quantitate food frequency questionnaire, we conducted a cross-sectional study and computed the proportions of foods commonly consumed, and collected data on anthropometric characteristics. The median total energy intake per day from these carbohydrate sources was 1034 kcal (interquartile range (IOR) 621.5–1738.6 kcal). The main carbohydrate food eaten was rice (48.6%) followed by fufu (30.5%) and bread (13.1%). The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 63%, and 73% of the women in the study were either overweight or obese compared to 56% of men. Our study showed that parboiled long grain white rice is now the most commonly consumed carbohydrate by urbanized Nigerians. Other traditional carbohydrate foods are still consumed frequently and remain quite popular. PMID:23198770

  6. Biophysical studies on calcium and carbohydrate binding to carbohydrate recognition domain of Gal/GalNAc lectin from Entamoeba histolytica: insights into host cell adhesion.

    PubMed

    Yadav, Rupali; Verma, Kuldeep; Chandra, Mintu; Mukherjee, Madhumita; Datta, Sunando

    2016-09-01

    Entamoeba histolytica, an enteric parasite expresses a Gal/GalNAc-specific lectin that contributes to its virulence by establishing adhesion to host cell. In this study, carbohydrate recognition domain of Hgl (EhCRD) was purified and biophysical studies were conducted to understand the thermodynamic basis of its binding to carbohydrate and Ca(++) Here, we show that carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) of the lectin binds to calcium through DPN motif. To decipher the role of calcium in carbohydrate binding and host cell adhesion, biophysical and cell-based studies were carried out. We demonstrated that the presence of the cation neither change the affinity of the lectin for carbohydrates nor alters its conformation. Mutation of the calcium-binding motif in EhCRD resulted in complete loss of ability to bind calcium but retained its affinity for carbohydrates. Purified EhCRD significantly diminished adhesion of the amebic trophozoites to Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells as well as triggered red blood cell agglutination. The calcium-binding defective mutant abrogated amebic adhesion to CHO cells similar to the wild-type protein, but it failed to agglutinate RBCs suggesting a differential role of the cation in these two processes. This study provides the first molecular description of the role of calcium in Gal/GalNAc mediated host cell adhesion. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Japanese Biochemical Society. All rights reserved.

  7. Structural basis of carbohydrate recognition by lectin II from Ulex europaeus, a protein with a promiscuous carbohydrate-binding site.

    PubMed

    Loris, R; De Greve, H; Dao-Thi, M H; Messens, J; Imberty, A; Wyns, L

    2000-08-25

    Protein-carbohydrate interactions are the language of choice for inter- cellular communication. The legume lectins form a large family of homologous proteins that exhibit a wide variety of carbohydrate specificities. The legume lectin family is therefore highly suitable as a model system to study the structural principles of protein-carbohydrate recognition. Until now, structural data are only available for two specificity families: Man/Glc and Gal/GalNAc. No structural data are available for any of the fucose or chitobiose specific lectins. The crystal structure of Ulex europaeus (UEA-II) is the first of a legume lectin belonging to the chitobiose specificity group. The complexes with N-acetylglucosamine, galactose and fucosylgalactose show a promiscuous primary binding site capable of accommodating both N-acetylglucos amine or galactose in the primary binding site. The hydrogen bonding network in these complexes can be considered suboptimal, in agreement with the low affinities of these sugars. In the complexes with chitobiose, lactose and fucosyllactose this suboptimal hydrogen bonding network is compensated by extensive hydrophobic interactions in a Glc/GlcNAc binding subsite. UEA-II thus forms the first example of a legume lectin with a promiscuous binding site and illustrates the importance of hydrophobic interactions in protein-carbohydrate complexes. Together with other known legume lectin crystal structures, it shows how different specificities can be grafted upon a conserved structural framework. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

  8. Characterization of carbohydrates in rainwater from the southeastern North Carolina.

    PubMed

    Mullaugh, Katherine M; Byrd, Jade N; Avery, G Brooks; Mead, Ralph N; Willey, Joan D; Kieber, Robert J

    2014-07-01

    Carbohydrates have been widely reported in atmospheric aerosols, but have not previously been quantified in rainwater. We have identified and quantified a series of 11 specific compounds including monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, arabinose, galactose and pinitol), disaccharides (sucrose and trehalose), sugar alcohols (arabitol, dulcitol and mannitol) and the anhydrosaccharide levoglucosan. Rainwater analyzed in this study includes 52 distinct precipitation events in Wilmington, NC between June 2011 and October 2012. Our analysis indicates carbohydrates typically contribute <1% of total dissolved organic carbon in rain, but can account for as much as 10-35% during periods of high pollen or local fires. Concentrations of individual carbohydrates reached as high as 5.8 μM, with glucose and sucrose typically being the predominant species. The distribution of carbohydrates exhibited a distinct seasonal pattern, with higher concentrations of most carbohydrates, especially sucrose, in spring and summer, driven primarily by increased biogenic inputs during the growing season. Concentrations of carbohydrates were an order of magnitude higher in storms of terrestrial origin compared to marine events, further supporting a terrestrial biogenic origin of most species. Sequential sampling of Hurricane Irene showed significant quantities of carbohydrates present at the end of the storm when air mass back trajectories traversed over land. The highest level of levoglucosan, a compound associated with biomass burning, was detected in rain with an air mass back trajectory that traveled over a region affected by wildfires. When compared to aerosol concentrations reported by others, the sugar concentrations in rain demonstrate wet deposition is an important removal mechanism of this water-soluble and bioavailable fraction of atmospheric particulate organic matter. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical, and traditional applications of marine carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Ahmed, Abdul Bakrudeen Ali; Adel, Mohaddeseh; Karimi, Pegah; Peidayesh, Mahvash

    2014-01-01

    Marine carbohydrates are most important organic molecules made by photosynthetic organisms. It is very essential for humankind: the role in being an energy source for the organism and they are considered as an important dissolve organic compound (DOC) in marine environment's sediments. Carbohydrates found in different marine environments in different concentrations. Polysaccharides of carbohydrates play an important role in various fields such as pharmaceutical, food production, cosmeceutical, and so on. Marine organisms are good resources of nutrients, and they are rich carbohydrate in sulfated polysaccharide. Seaweeds (marine microalgae) are used in different pharmaceutical industries, especially in pharmaceutical compound production. Seaweeds have a significant amount of sulfated polysaccharides, which are used in cosmeceutical industry, besides based on the biological applications. Since then, traditional people, cosmetics products, and pharmaceutical applications consider many types of seaweed as an important organism used in food process. Sulfated polysaccharides containing seaweed have potential uses in the blood coagulation system, antiviral activity, antioxidant activity, anticancer activity, immunomodulating activity, antilipidepic activity, etc. Some species of marine organisms are rich in polysaccharides such as sulfated galactans. Various polysaccharides such as agar and alginates, which are extracted from marine organisms, have several applications in food production and cosmeceutical industries. Due to their high health benefits, compound-derived extracts of marine polysaccharides have various applications and traditional people were using them since long time ago. In the future, much attention is supposed to be paid to unraveling the structural, compositional, and sequential properties of marine carbohydrate as well. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Hearing Loss, Dizziness, and Carbohydrate Metabolism

    PubMed Central

    Albernaz, Pedro L. Mangabeira

    2015-01-01

    Introduction  Metabolic activity of the inner ear is very intense, and makes it sensitive to changes in the body homeostasis. This study involves a group of patients with inner ear disorders related to carbohydrate metabolism disturbances, including hearing loss, tinnitus, dizziness, and episodes of vertigo. Objectives  To describe the symptoms of metabolic inner ear disorders and the examinations required to establish diagnoses. These symptoms are often the first to allow for an early diagnosis of metabolic disorders and diabetes. Methods  Retrospective study of 376 patients with inner ear symptoms suggestive of disturbances of carbohydrate metabolism. The authors present patientś clinical symptoms and clinical evaluations, with emphasis on the glucose and insulin essays. Results  Authors based their conclusions on otolaryngological findings, diagnostic procedures and treatment principles. They found that auditory and vestibular symptoms usually occur prior to other manifestations of metabolic changes, leading to an early diagnosis of hyperinsulinemia, intestinal sugar malabsorption or diabetes. Previously undiagnosed diabetes mellitus type II was found in 39 patients. Conclusions  The identification of carbohydrate metabolism disturbances is important not only to minimize the patients' clinical symptoms, but also to help maintain their general health. PMID:27413410

  11. Effects of carbohydrates on satiety: differences between liquid and solid food.

    PubMed

    Pan, An; Hu, Frank B

    2011-07-01

    To examine the satiety effect of carbohydrates with a focus on the comparison of liquid and solid food and their implications for energy balance and weight management. A number of studies have examined the role of dietary fiber, whole grains, and glycemic index or glycemic load on satiety and subsequent energy intake, but results remain inconclusive. Intake of liquid carbohydrates, particularly sugar-sweetened beverages, has increased considerably across the globe in recent decades in both adolescents and adults. In general, liquid carbohydrates produce less satiety compared with solid carbohydrates. Some energy from liquids may be compensated for at subsequent meals but because the compensation is incomplete, it leads to an increase in total long-term energy intake. Recent studies also suggest some potential differential responses of satiety by characteristics of the patients (e.g., race, sex, and body weight status). These differences warrant further research. Satiety is a complex process influenced by a number of properties in food. The physical form (solid vs. liquid) of carbohydrates is an important component that may affect the satiety process and energy intake. Accumulating evidence suggests that liquid carbohydrates generally produce less satiety than solid forms.

  12. Recent Developments in Synthetic Carbohydrate-Based Diagnostics, Vaccines, and Therapeutics.

    PubMed

    Fernández-Tejada, Alberto; Cañada, F Javier; Jiménez-Barbero, Jesús

    2015-07-20

    Glycans are everywhere in biological systems, being involved in many cellular events with important implications for medical purposes. Building upon a detailed understanding of the functional roles of carbohydrates in molecular recognition processes and disease states, glycans are increasingly being considered as key players in pharmacological research. On the basis of the important progress recently made in glycochemistry, glycobiology, and glycomedicine, we provide a complete overview of successful applications and future perspectives of carbohydrates in the biopharmaceutical and medical fields. This review highlights the development of carbohydrate-based diagnostics, exemplified by glycan imaging techniques and microarray platforms, synthetic oligosaccharide vaccines against infectious diseases (e.g., HIV) and cancer, and finally carbohydrate-derived therapeutics, including glycomimetic drugs and glycoproteins. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. Carbohydrate conjugation through microwave-assisted functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes using perfluorophenyl azides.

    PubMed

    Kong, Na; Shimpi, Manishkumar R; Ramström, Olof; Yan, Mingdi

    2015-03-20

    Carbohydrate-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were synthesized using microwave-assisted reaction of perfluorophenyl azide with the nanotubes. The results showed that microwave radiation provides a rapid and effective means to covalently attach carbohydrates to SWNTs, producing carbohydrate-SWNT conjugates for biorecognition. The carbohydrate-functionalized SWNTs were furthermore shown to interact specifically with cognate carbohydrate-specific proteins (lectins), resulting in predicted recognition patterns. The carbohydrate-presenting SWNTs constitute a new platform for sensitive protein- or cell recognition, which pave the way for glycoconjugated carbon nanomaterials in biorecognition applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Patch Finder Plus (PFplus): a web server for extracting and displaying positive electrostatic patches on protein surfaces.

    PubMed

    Shazman, Shula; Celniker, Gershon; Haber, Omer; Glaser, Fabian; Mandel-Gutfreund, Yael

    2007-07-01

    Positively charged electrostatic patches on protein surfaces are usually indicative of nucleic acid binding interfaces. Interestingly, many proteins which are not involved in nucleic acid binding possess large positive patches on their surface as well. In some cases, the positive patches on the protein are related to other functional properties of the protein family. PatchFinderPlus (PFplus) http://pfp.technion.ac.il is a web-based tool for extracting and displaying continuous electrostatic positive patches on protein surfaces. The input required for PFplus is either a four letter PDB code or a protein coordinate file in PDB format, provided by the user. PFplus computes the continuum electrostatics potential and extracts the largest positive patch for each protein chain in the PDB file. The server provides an output file in PDB format including a list of the patch residues. In addition, the largest positive patch is displayed on the server by a graphical viewer (Jmol), using a simple color coding.

  15. Patch Finder Plus (PFplus): A web server for extracting and displaying positive electrostatic patches on protein surfaces

    PubMed Central

    Shazman, Shula; Celniker, Gershon; Haber, Omer; Glaser, Fabian; Mandel-Gutfreund, Yael

    2007-01-01

    Positively charged electrostatic patches on protein surfaces are usually indicative of nucleic acid binding interfaces. Interestingly, many proteins which are not involved in nucleic acid binding possess large positive patches on their surface as well. In some cases, the positive patches on the protein are related to other functional properties of the protein family. PatchFinderPlus (PFplus) http://pfp.technion.ac.il is a web-based tool for extracting and displaying continuous electrostatic positive patches on protein surfaces. The input required for PFplus is either a four letter PDB code or a protein coordinate file in PDB format, provided by the user. PFplus computes the continuum electrostatics potential and extracts the largest positive patch for each protein chain in the PDB file. The server provides an output file in PDB format including a list of the patch residues. In addition, the largest positive patch is displayed on the server by a graphical viewer (Jmol), using a simple color coding. PMID:17537808

  16. 21 CFR 172.866 - Synthetic glycerin produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... of carbohydrates. 172.866 Section 172.866 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates. Synthetic glycerin produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates may be safely used in food, subject to the provisions of this section: (a) It shall contain not in...

  17. 21 CFR 172.866 - Synthetic glycerin produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... of carbohydrates. 172.866 Section 172.866 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates. Synthetic glycerin produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates may be safely used in food, subject to the provisions of this section: (a) It shall contain not in...

  18. 21 CFR 172.866 - Synthetic glycerin produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... of carbohydrates. 172.866 Section 172.866 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates. Synthetic glycerin produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates may be safely used in food, subject to the provisions of this section: (a) It shall contain not in...

  19. 21 CFR 172.866 - Synthetic glycerin produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 3 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Synthetic glycerin produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates. 172.866 Section 172.866 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... carbohydrates. Synthetic glycerin produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates may be safely used in food...

  20. 21 CFR 172.866 - Synthetic glycerin produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... of carbohydrates. 172.866 Section 172.866 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates. Synthetic glycerin produced by the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates may be safely used in food, subject to the provisions of this section: (a) It shall contain not in...

  1. Effect of Carbohydrate Ingestion on Ratings of Perceived Exertion during a Marathon.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Utter, Alan C.; Kang, Jie; Robertson, Robert J.; Nieman, David C.; Chaloupka, Edward C.; Suminski, Richard R.; Piccinni, Cristiana R.

    2002-01-01

    Investigated the effects of carbohydrate substrate availability on ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and hormonal regulation during a competitive marathon. Data on marathon runners randomly assigned to receive carbohydrate or placebo indicated that those who ingested carbohydrate rather than placebo beverages were able to run at a higher…

  2. Low-carbohydrate diets: what are the potential short- and long-term health implications?

    PubMed

    Bilsborough, Shane A; Crowe, Timothy C

    2003-01-01

    Low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss are receiving a lot of attention of late. Reasons for this interest include a plethora of low-carbohydrate diet books, the over-sensationalism of these diets in the media and by celebrities, and the promotion of these diets in fitness centres and health clubs. The re-emergence of low-carbohydrate diets into the spotlight has lead many people in the general public to question whether carbohydrates are inherently 'bad' and should be limited in the diet. Although low-carbohydrate diets were popular in the 1970s they have resurged again yet little scientific fact into the true nature of how these diets work or, more importantly, any potential for serious long-term health risks in adopting this dieting practice appear to have reached the mainstream literature. Evidence abounds that low-carbohydrate diets present no significant advantage over more traditional energy-restricted, nutritionally balanced diets both in terms of weight loss and weight maintenance. Studies examining the efficacy of using low-carbohydrate diets for long-term weight loss are few in number, however few positive benefits exist to promote the adoption of carbohydrate restriction as a realistic, and more importantly, safe means of dieting. While short-term carbohydrate restriction over a period of a week can result in a significant loss of weight (albeit mostly from water and glycogen stores), of serious concern is what potential exists for the following of this type of eating plan for longer periods of months to years. Complications such as heart arrhythmias, cardiac contractile function impairment, sudden death, osteoporosis, kidney damage, increased cancer risk, impairment of physical activity and lipid abnormalities can all be linked to long-term restriction of carbohydrates in the diet. The need to further explore and communicate the untoward side-effects of low-carbohydrate diets should be an important public health message from nutrition professionals.

  3. Modified carbohydrate-chitosan compounds, methods of making the same and methods of using the same

    DOEpatents

    Venditti, Richard A; Pawlak, Joel J; Salam, Abdus; El-Tahlawy, Khaled Fathy

    2015-03-10

    Compositions of matter are provided that include chitosan and a modified carbohydrate. The modified carbohydrate includes a carbohydrate component and a cross linking agent. The modified carbohydrate has increased carboxyl content as compared to an unmodified counterpart carbohydrate. A carboxyl group of the modified carbohydrate is covalently bonded with an amino group of chitosan. The compositions of matter provided herein may include cross linked starch citrate-chitosan and cross linked hemicellulose citrate-chitosan, including foams thereof. These compositions yield excellent absorbency and metal chelation properties. Methods of making cross linked modified carbohydrate-chitosan compounds are also provided.

  4. Sonchus oleraceus Residue Improves Nutritive and Health-Promoting Value of Common Bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.): A Metabolic Study.

    PubMed

    Hassan, Mahmoud O; Saleh, Ahmed M; AbdElgawad, Hamada

    2018-03-07

    This study was conducted to evaluate the use of the phenolic-rich Sonchus oleraceus residue as an environmentally safe approach to induce the nutritive and health-promoting values of common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Bronco). S. oleraceus shoot residue, at rates of 150 and 300 g m -2 , has improved soil fertility via accumulation of soil macronutrients, organic matter, organic carbon, and total phenolics. The growth and yield of bean were significantly increased. Moreover, chemical composition of the treated seeds was significantly altered, whereas higher levels of total antioxidant capacity, proteins, carbohydrates, and most of the individual phenolic acids, flavonoids, vitamins, essential amino acids, and unsaturated fatty acids were recorded. Interestingly, a concentration dependent effect was also observed, for instance, a lower saturated-to-unsaturated fatty acid ratio was only observed in the case of the lower residue rate. These findings recommend the use of S. oleraceus in organic farming of bean to enhance the health benefits of the produced seeds.

  5. Associating cooking additives with sodium hydroxide to pretreat bamboo residues for improving the enzymatic saccharification and monosaccharides production.

    PubMed

    Huang, Caoxing; He, Juan; Wang, Yan; Min, Douyong; Yong, Qiang

    2015-10-01

    Cooking additive pulping technique is used in kraft mill to increase delignification degree and pulp yield. In this work, cooking additives were firstly applied in the sodium hydroxide pretreatment for improving the bioconversion of bamboo residues to monosaccharides. Meanwhile, steam explosion and sulfuric acid pretreatments were also carried out on the sample to compare their impacts on monosaccharides production. Results indicated that associating anthraquinone with sodium hydroxide pretreatment showed the best performance in improving the original carbohydrates recovery, delignification, enzymatic saccharification, and monosaccharides production. After consecutive pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification process, 347.49 g, 307.48 g, 142.93 g, and 87.15 g of monosaccharides were released from 1000 g dry bamboo residues pretreated by sodium hydroxide associating with anthraquinone, sodium hydroxide, steam explosion and sulfuric acid, respectively. The results suggested that associating cooking additive with sodium hydroxide is an effective pretreatment for bamboo residues to enhance enzymatic saccharification for monosaccharides production. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Evidence supporting oral sensitivity to complex carbohydrates independent of sweet taste sensitivity in humans.

    PubMed

    Low, Julia Y Q; Lacy, Kathleen E; McBride, Robert L; Keast, Russell S J

    2017-01-01

    Compared to simple sugars, complex carbohydrates have been assumed invisible to taste. However, two recent studies proposed that there may be a perceivable taste quality elicited by complex carbohydrates independent of sweet taste. There is precedent with behavioural studies demonstrating that rats are very attracted to complex carbohydrates, and that complex carbohydrates are preferred to simple sugars at low concentrations. This suggests that rats may have independent taste sensors for simple sugars and complex carbohydrates. The aim of this paper is to investigate oral sensitivities of two different classes of complex carbohydrates (a soluble digestible and a soluble non-digestible complex carbohydrate), and to compare these to other caloric and non-nutritive sweeteners in addition to the prototypical tastes using two commonly used psychophysical measures. There were strong correlations between the detection thresholds and mean intensity ratings for complex carbohydrates (maltodextrin, oligofructose) (r = 0.94, P < 0.001). There were no significant correlations between the detection thresholds of the complex carbohydrates (maltodextrin, oligofructose) and the sweeteners (glucose, fructose, sucralose, Rebaudioside A, erythritol) (all P > 0.05). However, moderate correlations were observed between perceived intensities of complex carbohydrates and sweeteners (r = 0.48-0.61, P < 0.05). These data provide evidence that complex carbohydrates can be sensed in the oral cavity over a range of concentrations independent of sweet taste sensitivity at low concentrations, but with partial overlap with sweet taste intensity at higher concentrations.

  7. Evidence supporting oral sensitivity to complex carbohydrates independent of sweet taste sensitivity in humans

    PubMed Central

    Lacy, Kathleen E.; Keast, Russell S. J.

    2017-01-01

    Compared to simple sugars, complex carbohydrates have been assumed invisible to taste. However, two recent studies proposed that there may be a perceivable taste quality elicited by complex carbohydrates independent of sweet taste. There is precedent with behavioural studies demonstrating that rats are very attracted to complex carbohydrates, and that complex carbohydrates are preferred to simple sugars at low concentrations. This suggests that rats may have independent taste sensors for simple sugars and complex carbohydrates. The aim of this paper is to investigate oral sensitivities of two different classes of complex carbohydrates (a soluble digestible and a soluble non-digestible complex carbohydrate), and to compare these to other caloric and non-nutritive sweeteners in addition to the prototypical tastes using two commonly used psychophysical measures. There were strong correlations between the detection thresholds and mean intensity ratings for complex carbohydrates (maltodextrin, oligofructose) (r = 0.94, P < 0.001). There were no significant correlations between the detection thresholds of the complex carbohydrates (maltodextrin, oligofructose) and the sweeteners (glucose, fructose, sucralose, Rebaudioside A, erythritol) (all P > 0.05). However, moderate correlations were observed between perceived intensities of complex carbohydrates and sweeteners (r = 0.48–0.61, P < 0.05). These data provide evidence that complex carbohydrates can be sensed in the oral cavity over a range of concentrations independent of sweet taste sensitivity at low concentrations, but with partial overlap with sweet taste intensity at higher concentrations. PMID:29281655

  8. STING Millennium: a web-based suite of programs for comprehensive and simultaneous analysis of protein structure and sequence

    PubMed Central

    Neshich, Goran; Togawa, Roberto C.; Mancini, Adauto L.; Kuser, Paula R.; Yamagishi, Michel E. B.; Pappas, Georgios; Torres, Wellington V.; Campos, Tharsis Fonseca e; Ferreira, Leonardo L.; Luna, Fabio M.; Oliveira, Adilton G.; Miura, Ronald T.; Inoue, Marcus K.; Horita, Luiz G.; de Souza, Dimas F.; Dominiquini, Fabiana; Álvaro, Alexandre; Lima, Cleber S.; Ogawa, Fabio O.; Gomes, Gabriel B.; Palandrani, Juliana F.; dos Santos, Gabriela F.; de Freitas, Esther M.; Mattiuz, Amanda R.; Costa, Ivan C.; de Almeida, Celso L.; Souza, Savio; Baudet, Christian; Higa, Roberto H.

    2003-01-01

    STING Millennium Suite (SMS) is a new web-based suite of programs and databases providing visualization and a complex analysis of molecular sequence and structure for the data deposited at the Protein Data Bank (PDB). SMS operates with a collection of both publicly available data (PDB, HSSP, Prosite) and its own data (contacts, interface contacts, surface accessibility). Biologists find SMS useful because it provides a variety of algorithms and validated data, wrapped-up in a user friendly web interface. Using SMS it is now possible to analyze sequence to structure relationships, the quality of the structure, nature and volume of atomic contacts of intra and inter chain type, relative conservation of amino acids at the specific sequence position based on multiple sequence alignment, indications of folding essential residue (FER) based on the relationship of the residue conservation to the intra-chain contacts and Cα–Cα and Cβ–Cβ distance geometry. Specific emphasis in SMS is given to interface forming residues (IFR)—amino acids that define the interactive portion of the protein surfaces. SMS may simultaneously display and analyze previously superimposed structures. PDB updates trigger SMS updates in a synchronized fashion. SMS is freely accessible for public data at http://www.cbi.cnptia.embrapa.br, http://mirrors.rcsb.org/SMS and http://trantor.bioc.columbia.edu/SMS. PMID:12824333

  9. Fructose and Sucrose Intake Increase Exogenous Carbohydrate Oxidation during Exercise

    PubMed Central

    Trommelen, Jorn; Fuchs, Cas J.; Beelen, Milou; Lenaerts, Kaatje; Jeukendrup, Asker E.; Cermak, Naomi M.; van Loon, Luc J. C.

    2017-01-01

    Peak exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates typically reach ~1 g·min−1 during exercise when ample glucose or glucose polymers are ingested. Fructose co-ingestion has been shown to further increase exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of fructose co-ingestion provided either as a monosaccharide or as part of the disaccharide sucrose on exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates during prolonged exercise in trained cyclists. Ten trained male cyclists (VO2peak: 65 ± 2 mL·kg−1·min−1) cycled on four different occasions for 180 min at 50% Wmax during which they consumed a carbohydrate solution providing 1.8 g·min−1 of glucose (GLU), 1.2 g·min−1 glucose + 0.6 g·min−1 fructose (GLU + FRU), 0.6 g·min−1 glucose + 1.2 g·min−1 sucrose (GLU + SUC), or water (WAT). Peak exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates did not differ between GLU + FRU and GLU + SUC (1.40 ± 0.06 vs. 1.29 ± 0.07 g·min−1, respectively, p = 0.999), but were 46% ± 8% higher when compared to GLU (0.96 ± 0.06 g·min−1: p < 0.05). In line, exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates during the latter 120 min of exercise were 46% ± 8% higher in GLU + FRU or GLU + SUC compared with GLU (1.19 ± 0.12, 1.13 ± 0.21, and 0.82 ± 0.16 g·min−1, respectively, p < 0.05). We conclude that fructose co-ingestion (0.6 g·min−1) with glucose (1.2 g·min−1) provided either as a monosaccharide or as sucrose strongly increases exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates during prolonged exercise in trained cyclists. PMID:28230742

  10. The changing roles of dietary carbohydrates: from simple to complex.

    PubMed

    Griel, Amy E; Ruder, Elizabeth H; Kris-Etherton, Penny M

    2006-09-01

    The dietary recommendations made for carbohydrate intake by many organizations/agencies have changed over time. Early recommendations were based on the need to ensure dietary sufficiency and focused on meeting micronutrient intake requirements. Because carbohydrate-containing foods are a rich source of micronutrients, starches, grains, fruits, and vegetables became the foundation of dietary guidance, including the base of the US Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid. Dietary sufficiency recommendations were followed by recommendations to reduce cholesterol levels and the risk for cardiovascular disease; reduction in total fat (and hence saturated fat) predominated. Beginning in the 1970s, carbohydrates were recommended as the preferred substitute for fat by the American Heart Association and others to achieve the recommended successive reductions in total fat and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Additional research on fats and fatty acids found that monounsaturated fatty acids could serve as an alternative substitution for saturated fats, providing equivalent lowering of LDL-C without concomitant reductions in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increases in triglycerides witnessed when carbohydrates replace saturated fat. This research led to a sharper focus in the guidelines in the 1990s toward restricting saturated fat and liberalizing a range of intake of total fat. Higher-fat diets, still low in saturated fatty acids, became alternative strategies to lower-fat diets. As the population has become increasingly overweight and obese, the emergence of the metabolic syndrome and its associated disruptions in glucose and lipid metabolism has led to reconsiderations of the role of carbohydrate-containing foods in the American diet. Consequently, a review of the evidence for and against high-carbohydrate diets is important to put this controversy into perspective. The current dietary recommendations for carbohydrate intake are supported by the

  11. Building a knowledge-based statistical potential by capturing high-order inter-residue interactions and its applications in protein secondary structure assessment.

    PubMed

    Li, Yaohang; Liu, Hui; Rata, Ionel; Jakobsson, Eric

    2013-02-25

    The rapidly increasing number of protein crystal structures available in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) has naturally made statistical analyses feasible in studying complex high-order inter-residue correlations. In this paper, we report a context-based secondary structure potential (CSSP) for assessing the quality of predicted protein secondary structures generated by various prediction servers. CSSP is a sequence-position-specific knowledge-based potential generated based on the potentials of mean force approach, where high-order inter-residue interactions are taken into consideration. The CSSP potential is effective in identifying secondary structure predictions with good quality. In 56% of the targets in the CB513 benchmark, the optimal CSSP potential is able to recognize the native secondary structure or a prediction with Q3 accuracy higher than 90% as best scored in the predicted secondary structures generated by 10 popularly used secondary structure prediction servers. In more than 80% of the CB513 targets, the predicted secondary structures with the lowest CSSP potential values yield higher than 80% Q3 accuracy. Similar performance of CSSP is found on the CASP9 targets as well. Moreover, our computational results also show that the CSSP potential using triplets outperforms the CSSP potential using doublets and is currently better than the CSSP potential using quartets.

  12. Determination of "net carbohydrates" using high-performance anion exchange chromatography.

    PubMed

    Lilla, Zach; Sullivan, Darryl; Ellefson, Wayne; Welton, Kevin; Crowley, Rick

    2005-01-01

    For labeling purposes, the carbohydrate content of foods has traditionally been determined by difference. This value includes sugars, starches, fiber, dextrins, sugar alcohols, polydextrose, and various other organic compounds. In some cases, the current method may lack sufficient specificity, precision, and accuracy. These are subsequently quantitated by high performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection and expressed as total nonfiber saccharides or percent "net carbohydrates." In this research, a new method was developed to address this need. The method consists of enzyme digestions to convert starches, dextrins, sugars, and polysaccharides to their respective monosaccharide components. These are subsequently quantified by high-performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detector and expressed as total nonfiber saccharides or percent "net carbohydrates." Hydrolyzed end products of various novel fibers and similar carbohydrates have been evaluated to ensure that they do not register as false positives in the new test method. The data generated using the "net carbohydrate" method were, in many cases, significantly different than the values produced using the traditional methodology. The recoveries obtained in a fortified drink matrix ranged from 94.9 to 105%. The coefficient of variation was 3.3%.

  13. Postprandial Glucose Surges after Extremely Low Carbohydrate Diet in Healthy Adults.

    PubMed

    Kanamori, Koji; Ihana-Sugiyama, Noriko; Yamamoto-Honda, Ritsuko; Nakamura, Tomoka; Sobe, Chie; Kamiya, Shigemi; Kishimoto, Miyako; Kajio, Hiroshi; Kawano, Kimiko; Noda, Mitsuhiko

    2017-09-01

    Carbohydrate-restricted diets are prevalent not only in obese people but also in the general population to maintain appropriate body weight. Here, we report that extreme carbohydrate restriction for one day affects the subsequent blood glucose levels in healthy adults. Ten subjects (median age 30.5 years, BMI 21.1 kg/m 2 , and HbA1c 5.5%), wearing with a continuous glucose monitoring device, were given isoenergetic test meals for 4 consecutive days. On day 1, day 2 (D2), and day 4 (D4), they consumed normal-carbohydrate (63-66% carbohydrate) diet, while on day 3, they took low-carbohydrate/high-fat (5% carbohydrate) diet. The daily energy intake was 2,200 kcal for males and 1,700 kcal for females. On D2 and D4, we calculated the mean 24-hr blood glucose level (MEAN/24h) and its standard deviation (SD/24h), the area under the curve (AUC) for glucose over 140 mg/dL within 4 hours after each meal (AUC/4h/140), the mean amplitude of the glycemic excursions (MAGE), the incremental AUC of 24-hr blood glucose level above the mean plus one standard deviation (iAUC/MEAN+SD). Indexes for glucose fluctuation on D4 were significantly greater than those on D2 (SD/24h; p = 0.009, MAGE; p = 0.013, AUC/4h/140 after breakfast and dinner; p = 0.006 and 0.005, and iAUC/MEAN+SD; p = 0.007). The value of MEAN/24h and AUC/4h/140 after lunch on D4 were greater than those on D2, but those differences were not statistically significant. In conclusion, consumption of low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet appears to cause higher postprandial blood glucose on subsequent normal-carbohydrate diet particularly after breakfast and dinner in healthy adults.

  14. Histo-blood group carbohydrates as facilitators for infection by Helicobacter pylori.

    PubMed

    Brandão de Mattos, Cinara Cássia; de Mattos, Luiz Carlos

    2017-09-01

    Helicobacter pylori infect millions of people around the world. It occupies a niche in the human gastrointestinal tract characterized by high expression of a repertoire of carbohydrates. ABO and Lewis histo-blood group systems are controlled by genes coding for functional glycosyltransferases which synthesize great diversity of related fucosylated carbohydrate in different tissues, including gastrointestinal mucosa, and exocrine secretions. The structural diversity of histo-blood group carbohydrates is highly complex and depends on epistatic interactions among gene-encoding glycosyltransferases. The histo-blood group glycosyltransferases act in the glycosylation of proteins and lipids in the human gastrointestinal tract allowing the expression of a variety of potential receptors in which H. pylori can adhere. These oligosaccharide molecules are part of the gastrointestinal repertoire of carbohydrates which act as potential receptors for microorganisms, including H. pylori. This Gram-negative bacillus is one of the main causes of the gastrointestinal diseases such as chronic active gastritis, peptic ulcer, and cancer of stomach. Previous reports showed that some H. pylori strains use carbohydrates as receptors to adhere to the gastric and duodenal mucosa. Since some histo-blood group carbohydrates are highly expressed in one but not in others histo-blood group phenotypes it has pointed out that quantitative differences among them influence the susceptibility to diseases caused by H. pylori. Additionally, some experiments using animal model are helping us to understand how this bacillus explore histo-blood group carbohydrates as potential receptors, offering possibility to explore new strategies of management of infection, disease treatment, and prevention. This text highlights the importance of structural diversity of ABO and Lewis histo-blood group carbohydrates as facilitators for H. pylori infection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Manipulation of Muscle Glycogen Concentrations Using High and Low Carbohydrate Diets and Exercise

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-08-01

    high in carbohydrates in the form of simple sugars (i.e., sucrose, fructose , lactose) and complex carbohydrates (i.e., starches, dietary fiber...AD-A 187 732 REPORT NO T32-87 MANIPULATION OF MUSCLE GLYCOGEN CONCENTRATIONS USING HIGH AND LOW CARBOHYDRATE DIETS AND EXERCISE U S ARMY RESEARCH...Muscle Glycogen Concentrations Using High and Low Carbohydrate Diets and Exercise 12. PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) Buchbinder, J., Pocost, J., Hodgess, L., Roche

  16. Snow on the Seafloor? Methods to Detect Carbohydrates in Deep-sea Sediments Impacted by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lincoln, S. A.; Freeman, K. H.

    2015-12-01

    A significant portion of the oil released from the Macondo well after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DwH) explosion reached the seafloor (1,2). The transfer of buoyant hydrocarbons from the sea surface and subsurface plumes to depths >1500 m, however, is not well understood. A prominent role for sinking marine snow--small, composite particles composed largely of extracellular polymeric substances exuded by algae and bacteria--has been proposed. Snow particles, rich in carbohydrates, may have sorbed and physically entrained oil from the water column as they sank. Several lines of evidence support this scenario: abundant snow was observed 3-4 weeks after the oil spill (3); oil and dispersants can induce marine snow formation (4); and flocculent material covering deep-sea corals near the DwH site contained biomarkers consistent with Macondo oil (5). To investigate whether the chemically complex marine oil snow leaves a direct sedimentary record, we analyzed carbohydrates at high resolution (2 mm intervals) in sediment cores collected at 4 sites in the northern Gulf of Mexico in 2013 using a modified phenol-sulfuric acid spectrophotometric method. We detected a sharp subsurface peak in carbohydrate concentrations near the Macondo well; we interpret this peak as post-DwH marine snow. Coeval carbohydrate, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and hopane profiles suggest a clear link between marine snow and Macondo oil components, as documented in a 3-year time-series at one site, and enable preliminary conclusions about the delivery and fate of marine snow components in sediments. We also characterized carbohydrates near the wellhead using fluorescent lectin-binding analyses developed for applications in cell biology. Particle morphologies include collapse structures suggestive of a water column origin. Finally, we explore the extent to which polysaccharide residues detected with selective lectins can be used to determine the provenance of marine snow (e.g., bacterial v. algal

  17. Carbohydrate Nanoparticles for Brain Delivery.

    PubMed

    Lalatsa, A; Barbu, E

    2016-01-01

    Many brain tumors and neurological diseases can greatly benefit from the use of emerging nanotechnologies based on targeted nanomedicines that are able to noninvasively transport highly potent and specific pharmaceuticals across the blood-brain barrier. Carbohydrates have received considerable interest as materials for drug carriers due to their natural origin and inherent biodegradability and biocompatibility, as well as due to their hydrophilic character and ease of chemical modification combined with low cost and the possibility for large-scale manufacturing. This chapter provides an overview of the latest research involving the use of carbohydrate-based nanoparticles for drug delivery to the central nervous system. After reviewing the challenges posed by delivering drugs into the brain, the current state-of-the-art approaches for delivery of actives across the blood-brain barrier, including invasive and noninvasive strategies, are presented. A particular focus has been placed on chitosan polymers as they are among the most promising carbohydrate nanocarriers for the preparation and testing of chitosan-based nanomedicines that led, in preclinical proof-of-concept studies, to enhanced brain drug levels and increased pharmacodynamics responses after intravenous, nasal, and oral administration. While chitosan nanoparticles are to date among the most studied and most promising carriers, approaches based on other polysaccharides such as dextran, pullulan, and cellulose warrant further research in the attempt to advance the existing technologies for overcoming the blood-brain barrier. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Carbohydrate binding properties of the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) rhizome lectin.

    PubMed

    Shibuya, N; Goldstein, I J; Shafer, J A; Peumans, W J; Broekaert, W F

    1986-08-15

    The interaction of the stinging nettle rhizome lectin (UDA) with carbohydrates was studied by using the techniques of quantitative precipitation, hapten inhibition, equilibrium dialysis, and uv difference spectroscopy. The Carbohydrate binding site of UDA was determined to be complementary to an N,N',N"-triacetylchitotriose unit and proposed to consist of three subsites, each of which has a slightly different binding specificity. UDA also has a hydrophobic interacting region adjacent to the carbohydrate binding site. Equilibrium dialysis and uv difference spectroscopy revealed that UDA has two carbohydrate binding sites per molecule consisting of a single polypeptide chain. These binding sites either have intrinsically different affinities for ligand molecules, or they may display negative cooperativity toward ligand binding.

  19. Gastrointestinal effects of low-digestible carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Grabitske, Hollie A; Slavin, Joanne L

    2009-04-01

    Low-digestible carbohydrates (LDCs) are carbohydrates that are incompletely or not absorbed in the small intestine but are at least partly fermented by bacteria in the large intestine. Fiber, resistant starch, and sugar alcohols are types of LDCs. Given potential health benefits (including a reduced caloric content, reduced or no effect on blood glucose levels, non-cariogenic effect) the prevalence of LDCs in processed foods is increasing. Many of the benefits of LDCs are related to the inability of human digestive enzymes to break down completely the carbohydrates into absorbable saccharides and the subsequent fermentation of unabsorbed carbohydrates in the colon. As a result, LDCs may affect laxation and cause gastrointestinal effects, including abdominal discomfort, flatus, and diarrhea, especially at higher or excessive intakes. Such responses, though transient, affect the perception of the well-being of consumers and their acceptance of food products containing LDCs. Current recommendations for fiber intake do not consider total LDC consumption nor recommend an upper limit for LDC intake based on potential gastrointestinal effects. Therefore, a review of published studies reporting gastrointestinal effects of LDCs was conducted. We included only studies published in refereed journals in English. Additionally, we excluded studies of subjects with incomplete or abnormal functioning gastrointestinal tracts or where antibiotics, stimulant laxatives, or other drugs affecting motility were included. Only in studies with a control period, either placebo treatment or no LDC treatment, were included. Studies must have included an acceptable measure of gastrointestinal effect. Sixty-eight studies and six review articles were evaluated. This review describes definitions, classifications, and mechanisms of LDCs, evaluates published human feeding studies of fifteen LDCs for associations between gastrointestinal effects and levels of LDC intake, and presents recommendations

  20. Accumulation of Reserve Carbohydrate by Rumen Protozoa and Bacteria in Competition for Glucose

    PubMed Central

    Denton, Bethany L.; Diese, Leanne E.; Firkins, Jeffrey L.

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine if rumen protozoa could form large amounts of reserve carbohydrate compared to the amounts formed by bacteria when competing for glucose in batch cultures. We separated large protozoa and small bacteria from rumen fluid by filtration and centrifugation, recombined equal protein masses of each group into one mixture, and subsequently harvested (reseparated) these groups at intervals after glucose dosing. This method allowed us to monitor reserve carbohydrate accumulation of protozoa and bacteria individually. When mixtures were dosed with a moderate concentration of glucose (4.62 or 5 mM) (n = 2 each), protozoa accumulated large amounts of reserve carbohydrate; 58.7% (standard error of the mean [SEM], 2.2%) glucose carbon was recovered from protozoal reserve carbohydrate at time of peak reserve carbohydrate concentrations. Only 1.7% (SEM, 2.2%) was recovered in bacterial reserve carbohydrate, which was less than that for protozoa (P < 0.001). When provided a high concentration of glucose (20 mM) (n = 4 each), 24.1% (SEM, 2.2%) of glucose carbon was recovered from protozoal reserve carbohydrate, which was still higher (P = 0.001) than the 5.0% (SEM, 2.2%) glucose carbon recovered from bacterial reserve carbohydrate. Our novel competition experiments directly demonstrate that mixed protozoa can sequester sugar away from bacteria by accumulating reserve carbohydrate, giving protozoa a competitive advantage and stabilizing fermentation in the rumen. Similar experiments could be used to investigate the importance of starch sequestration. PMID:25548053

  1. Terrestrial carbohydrates support freshwater zooplankton during phytoplankton deficiency.

    PubMed

    Taipale, Sami J; Galloway, Aaron W E; Aalto, Sanni L; Kahilainen, Kimmo K; Strandberg, Ursula; Kankaala, Paula

    2016-08-11

    Freshwater food webs can be partly supported by terrestrial primary production, often deriving from plant litter of surrounding catchment vegetation. Although consisting mainly of poorly bioavailable lignin, with low protein and lipid content, the carbohydrates from fallen tree leaves and shoreline vegetation may be utilized by aquatic consumers. Here we show that during phytoplankton deficiency, zooplankton (Daphnia magna) can benefit from terrestrial particulate organic matter by using terrestrial-origin carbohydrates for energy and sparing essential fatty acids and amino acids for somatic growth and reproduction. Assimilated terrestrial-origin fatty acids from shoreline reed particles exceeded available diet, indicating that Daphnia may convert a part of their dietary carbohydrates to saturated fatty acids. This conversion was not observed with birch leaf diets, which had lower carbohydrate content. Subsequent analysis of 21 boreal and subarctic lakes showed that diet of herbivorous zooplankton is mainly based on high-quality phytoplankton rich in essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. The proportion of low-quality diets (bacteria and terrestrial particulate organic matter) was <28% of the assimilated carbon. Taken collectively, the incorporation of terrestrial carbon into zooplankton was not directly related to the concentration of terrestrial organic matter in experiments or lakes, but rather to the low availability of phytoplankton.

  2. Terrestrial carbohydrates support freshwater zooplankton during phytoplankton deficiency

    PubMed Central

    Taipale, Sami J.; Galloway, Aaron W. E.; Aalto, Sanni L.; Kahilainen, Kimmo K.; Strandberg, Ursula; Kankaala, Paula

    2016-01-01

    Freshwater food webs can be partly supported by terrestrial primary production, often deriving from plant litter of surrounding catchment vegetation. Although consisting mainly of poorly bioavailable lignin, with low protein and lipid content, the carbohydrates from fallen tree leaves and shoreline vegetation may be utilized by aquatic consumers. Here we show that during phytoplankton deficiency, zooplankton (Daphnia magna) can benefit from terrestrial particulate organic matter by using terrestrial-origin carbohydrates for energy and sparing essential fatty acids and amino acids for somatic growth and reproduction. Assimilated terrestrial-origin fatty acids from shoreline reed particles exceeded available diet, indicating that Daphnia may convert a part of their dietary carbohydrates to saturated fatty acids. This conversion was not observed with birch leaf diets, which had lower carbohydrate content. Subsequent analysis of 21 boreal and subarctic lakes showed that diet of herbivorous zooplankton is mainly based on high-quality phytoplankton rich in essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. The proportion of low-quality diets (bacteria and terrestrial particulate organic matter) was <28% of the assimilated carbon. Taken collectively, the incorporation of terrestrial carbon into zooplankton was not directly related to the concentration of terrestrial organic matter in experiments or lakes, but rather to the low availability of phytoplankton. PMID:27510848

  3. Carbohydrates – Guidelines on Parenteral Nutrition, Chapter 5

    PubMed Central

    Bolder, U.; Ebener, C.; Hauner, H.; Jauch, K. W.; Kreymann, G.; Ockenga, J.; Traeger, K.

    2009-01-01

    The main role of carbohydrates in the human body is to provide energy. Carbohydrates should always be infused with PN (parenteral nutrition) in combination with amino acids and lipid emulsions to improve nitrogen balance. Glucose should be provided as a standard carbohydrate for PN, whereas the use of xylite is not generally recommended. Fructose solutions should not be used for PN. Approximately 60% of non-protein energy should be supplied as glucose with an intake of 3.0–3.5 g/kg body weight/day (2.1–2.4 mg/kg body weight/min). In patients with a high risk of hyperglycaemia (critically ill, diabetes, sepsis, or steroid therapy) an lower initial carbohydrate infusion rate of 1–2 g/kg body weight/day is recommended to achieve normoglycaemia. One should aim at reaching a blood glucose level of 80–110 mg/dL, and at least a glucose level <145 mg/dL should be achieved to reduce morbidity and mortality. Hyperglycaemia may require addition of an insulin infusion or a reduction (2.0–3.0 g/kg body weight/day) or even a temporary interruption of glucose infusion. Close monitoring of blood glucose levels is highly important. PMID:20049080

  4. Carbohydrate malabsorption in acutely malnourished children and infants: a systematic review

    PubMed Central

    Kvissberg, Matilda A.; Dalvi, Prasad S.; Kerac, Marko; Voskuijl, Wieger; Berkley, James A.; Priebe, Marion G.

    2016-01-01

    Context: Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) accounts for approximately 1 million child deaths per year. High mortality is linked with comorbidities, such as diarrhea and pneumonia. Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to determine the extent to which carbohydrate malabsorption occurs in children with SAM. Data Sources: The PubMed and Embase databases were searched. Reference lists of selected articles were checked. Data Extraction: All observational and controlled intervention studies involving children with SAM in which direct or indirect measures of carbohydrate absorption were analyzed were eligible for inclusion. A total of 20 articles were selected for this review. Data Synthesis: Most studies reported carbohydrate malabsorption, particularly lactose malabsorption, and suggested an increase in diarrhea and reduced weight gain in children on a lactose-containing diet. As most studies reviewed were observational, there was no conclusive scientific evidence of a causal relationship between lactose malabsorption and a worse clinical outcome among malnourished children. Conclusion: The combined data indicate that carbohydrate malabsorption is prevalent in children with SAM. Additional well-designed intervention studies are needed to determine whether outcomes of SAM complicated by carbohydrate malabsorption could be improved by altering the carbohydrate/lactose content of therapeutic feeds and to elucidate the precise mechanisms involved. PMID:26578625

  5. H2BC: a new technique for NMR analysis of complex carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Petersen, Bent O; Vinogradov, Evguenii; Kay, William; Würtz, Peter; Nyberg, Nils T; Duus, Jens Ø; Sørensen, Ole W

    2006-03-20

    It is demonstrated that the H2BC NMR pulse sequence (J. Am. Chem. Soc.2005, 127, 6154, Magn. Reson. Chem.2005, 43, 971-974) offers unambiguous assignments and significant simplification of NMR spectra of large and complex carbohydrates compared to other techniques for the establishment of correlations over more than one bond. H2BC almost exclusively correlates protons and proton-bearing carbon spins separated by two covalent bonds and is independent of occasionally vanishing (2)J(CH) coupling constants, which alleviates the problem of missing two-bond correlations in HMBC spectra. H2BC also solves the problem of distinguishing two- and three-bond correlations in HSQC-TOCSY or HMBC. It is a further asset of H2BC that the experiment is significantly shorter than HMBC and HSQC-TOCSY, and hence less sensitive to transverse relaxation. The H2BC experiment is demonstrated on an approximately 30-residue oligosaccharide from Francisella victoria.

  6. Physiological aspects of energy metabolism and gastrointestinal effects of carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Elia, M; Cummings, J H

    2007-12-01

    The energy values of carbohydrates continue to be debated. This is because of the use of different energy systems, for example, combustible, digestible, metabolizable, and so on. Furthermore, ingested macronutrients may not be fully available to tissues, and the tissues themselves may not be able fully to oxidize substrates made available to them. Therefore, for certain carbohydrates, the discrepancies between combustible energy (cEI), digestible energy (DE), metabolizable energy (ME) and net metabolizable energy (NME) may be considerable. Three food energy systems are in use in food tables and for food labelling in different world regions based on selective interpretation of the digestive physiology and metabolism of food carbohydrates. This is clearly unsatisfactory and confusing to the consumer. While it has been suggested that an enormous amount of work would have to be undertaken to change the current ME system into an NME system, the additional changes may not be as great as anticipated. In experimental work, carbohydrate is high in the macronutrient hierarchy of satiation. However, studies of eating behaviour indicate that it does not unconditionally depend on the oxidation of one nutrient, and argue against the operation of a simple carbohydrate oxidation or storage model of feeding behaviour to the exclusion of other macronutrients. The site, rate and extent of carbohydrate digestion in, and absorption from the gut are key to understanding the many roles of carbohydrate, although the concept of digestibility has different meanings. Within the nutrition community, the characteristic patterns of digestion that occur in the small (upper) vs large (lower) bowel are known to impact in contrasting ways on metabolism, while in the discussion of the energy value of foods, digestibility is defined as the proportion of combustible energy that is absorbed over the entire length of the gastrointestinal tract. Carbohydrates that reach the large bowel are fermented to

  7. Signal Amplification by Glyco-qPCR for Ultrasensitive Detection of Carbohydrates: Applications in Glycobiology**

    PubMed Central

    Kwon, Seok Joon; Lee, Kyung Bok; Solakyildirim, Kemal; Masuko, Sayaka; Ly, Mellisa; Zhang, Fuming; Li, Lingyun; Dordick, Jonathan S.; Linhardt, Robert J.

    2012-01-01

    Tiny amounts of carbohydrates (ca. 1 zmol) can be detected quantitatively by a real-time method based on the conjugation of carbohydrates with DNA markers (see picture). The proposed method (glyco-qPCR) provides uniform, ultrasensitive detection of carbohydrates, which can be applied to glycobiology, as well as carbohydrate-based drug discovery. PMID:23073897

  8. Carbohydrate levels in current-year shoots of sugar maple

    Treesearch

    John R. Donnelly

    1976-01-01

    Diurnal changes in carbohydrate concentrations in leaves and current-year stems of a mature sugar maple tree were studied in June and September. In leaves, alcohol-soluble sugar concentration was highest in the morning and lowest in late afternoon or early evening; diurnal changes in starch lagged about 5 hours behind changes in sugar. Carbohydrate concentrations in...

  9. Training of carbohydrate estimation for people with diabetes using mobile augmented reality.

    PubMed

    Domhardt, Michael; Tiefengrabner, Martin; Dinic, Radomir; Fötschl, Ulrike; Oostingh, Gertie J; Stütz, Thomas; Stechemesser, Lars; Weitgasser, Raimund; Ginzinger, Simon W

    2015-05-01

    Imprecise carbohydrate counting as a measure to guide the treatment of diabetes may be a source of errors resulting in problems in glycemic control. Exact measurements can be tedious, leading most patients to estimate their carbohydrate intake. In the presented pilot study a smartphone application (BE(AR)), that guides the estimation of the amounts of carbohydrates, was used by a group of diabetic patients. Eight adult patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 were recruited for the study. At the beginning of the study patients were introduced to BE(AR) in sessions lasting 45 minutes per patient. Patients redraw the real food in 3D on the smartphone screen. Based on a selected food type and the 3D form created using BE(AR) an estimation of carbohydrate content is calculated. Patients were supplied with the application on their personal smartphone or a loaner device and were instructed to use the application in real-world context during the study period. For evaluation purpose a test measuring carbohydrate estimation quality was designed and performed at the beginning and the end of the study. In 44% of the estimations performed at the end of the study the error reduced by at least 6 grams of carbohydrate. This improvement occurred albeit several problems with the usage of BE(AR) were reported. Despite user interaction problems in this group of patients the provided intervention resulted in a reduction in the absolute error of carbohydrate estimation. Intervention with smartphone applications to assist carbohydrate counting apparently results in more accurate estimations. © 2015 Diabetes Technology Society.

  10. Seasonal carbohydrate storage and mobilization in bearing and non-bearing pistachio (Pistacia vera) trees.

    PubMed

    Spann, Timothy M; Beede, Robert H; Dejong, Theodore M

    2008-02-01

    We analyzed annual carbohydrate storage and mobilization of bearing ("on") and non-bearing ("off") 'Kerman' pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) trees growing on three different rootstocks. On all rootstocks, carbohydrate storage in shoots and branches of "on" and "off" trees was lowest following the spring growth flush. In "off" trees, stored carbohydrates increased and remained high after the initial growth flush. In "on" trees, stem carbohydrates increased temporarily in early summer, but were mobilized in mid-season during kernel fill, and then increased again after nut harvest. During the dormant season, the only substantial differences in carbohydrate storage between previously "on" and "off" trees were found in the roots of the weakest rootstock. The annual carbohydrate storage and mobilization pattern in canopy branches of heavily cropped pistachio trees appeared to be driven by carbohydrate demands related to nut development and untempered by tree vigor. Mobilization of carbohydrates from current-season and 1- and 2-year-old stem wood of "on" trees during the primary period of kernel fill corresponded with the period of inflorescence bud abscission. Thus, the alternate bearing pattern associated with inflorescence bud abscission in 'Kerman' pistachio may be a function of mid-season mobilization of stored carbohydrates in current-season stems resulting in stimulation of inflorescence bud abscission.

  11. Carbohydrate–Aromatic Interactions in Proteins

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Protein–carbohydrate interactions play pivotal roles in health and disease. However, defining and manipulating these interactions has been hindered by an incomplete understanding of the underlying fundamental forces. To elucidate common and discriminating features in carbohydrate recognition, we have analyzed quantitatively X-ray crystal structures of proteins with noncovalently bound carbohydrates. Within the carbohydrate-binding pockets, aliphatic hydrophobic residues are disfavored, whereas aromatic side chains are enriched. The greatest preference is for tryptophan with an increased prevalence of 9-fold. Variations in the spatial orientation of amino acids around different monosaccharides indicate specific carbohydrate C–H bonds interact preferentially with aromatic residues. These preferences are consistent with the electronic properties of both the carbohydrate C–H bonds and the aromatic residues. Those carbohydrates that present patches of electropositive saccharide C–H bonds engage more often in CH−π interactions involving electron-rich aromatic partners. These electronic effects are also manifested when carbohydrate–aromatic interactions are monitored in solution: NMR analysis indicates that indole favorably binds to electron-poor C–H bonds of model carbohydrates, and a clear linear free energy relationships with substituted indoles supports the importance of complementary electronic effects in driving protein–carbohydrate interactions. Together, our data indicate that electrostatic and electronic complementarity between carbohydrates and aromatic residues play key roles in driving protein–carbohydrate complexation. Moreover, these weak noncovalent interactions influence which saccharide residues bind to proteins, and how they are positioned within carbohydrate-binding sites. PMID:26561965

  12. Accumulation of reserve carbohydrate by rumen protozoa and bacteria in competition for glucose.

    PubMed

    Denton, Bethany L; Diese, Leanne E; Firkins, Jeffrey L; Hackmann, Timothy J

    2015-03-01

    The aim of this study was to determine if rumen protozoa could form large amounts of reserve carbohydrate compared to the amounts formed by bacteria when competing for glucose in batch cultures. We separated large protozoa and small bacteria from rumen fluid by filtration and centrifugation, recombined equal protein masses of each group into one mixture, and subsequently harvested (reseparated) these groups at intervals after glucose dosing. This method allowed us to monitor reserve carbohydrate accumulation of protozoa and bacteria individually. When mixtures were dosed with a moderate concentration of glucose (4.62 or 5 mM) (n = 2 each), protozoa accumulated large amounts of reserve carbohydrate; 58.7% (standard error of the mean [SEM], 2.2%) glucose carbon was recovered from protozoal reserve carbohydrate at time of peak reserve carbohydrate concentrations. Only 1.7% (SEM, 2.2%) was recovered in bacterial reserve carbohydrate, which was less than that for protozoa (P < 0.001). When provided a high concentration of glucose (20 mM) (n = 4 each), 24.1% (SEM, 2.2%) of glucose carbon was recovered from protozoal reserve carbohydrate, which was still higher (P = 0.001) than the 5.0% (SEM, 2.2%) glucose carbon recovered from bacterial reserve carbohydrate. Our novel competition experiments directly demonstrate that mixed protozoa can sequester sugar away from bacteria by accumulating reserve carbohydrate, giving protozoa a competitive advantage and stabilizing fermentation in the rumen. Similar experiments could be used to investigate the importance of starch sequestration. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  13. Soil amino compound and carbohydrate contents influenced by organic amendments

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Amino compounds (i. e. amino acids and sugars), and carbohydrates are labile organic components and contribute to the improvement of soil fertility and quality. Animal manure and other organic soil amendments are rich in both amino compounds and carbohydrates, hence organic soil amendments might af...

  14. Phosphorous Nutritional Level, Carbohydrate Reserves and Flower Quality in Olives.

    PubMed

    Erel, Ran; Yermiyahu, Uri; Yasuor, Hagai; Cohen Chamus, Dan; Schwartz, Amnon; Ben-Gal, Alon; Dag, Arnon

    2016-01-01

    The olive tree is generally characterized by relatively low final fruit set consequential to a significant rate of undeveloped pistils, pistil abortion, and flower and fruitlet abscission. These processes are acknowledged to be governed by competition for resources between the developing vegetative and reproductive organs. To study the role of phosphorus (P) nutritional level on reproductive development, trees were grown under four levels of P for three years in large containers. Phosphorus nutritional level was positively related to rate of reproductive bud break, inflorescence weight, rate of hermaphrodite flowers, pistil weight, fruitlet persistence, fruit set and the consequential total number of fruits. The positive impact of P nutrition on the productivity parameters was not related to carbohydrate reserves or to carbohydrate transport to the developing inflorescence. Phosphorous deficient trees showed significant impairment of assimilation rate, and yet, carbohydrates were accumulated in inflorescences at levels comparable to or higher than trees receiving high P. In contrast to female reproductive organs, pollen viability was consistently higher in P deficient trees, possibly due to the enhanced carbohydrate availability. Overall, the positive effect of P on female reproductive development was found to be independent of the total carbohydrate availability. Hence, P is speculated to have a direct influence on reproductive processes.

  15. Carbohydrates, Sugar, and Your Child

    MedlinePlus

    ... added sugar, check the ingredients list for sugar, corn syrup, or other sweeteners, such as dextrose, fructose, honey, or molasses, to name just a few. Avoid products that have sugar or other sweeteners high on the ingredients list. Although carbohydrates have just ...

  16. The carbohydrate-binding module (CBM)-like sequence is crucial for rice CWA1/BC1 function in proper assembly of secondary cell wall materials.

    PubMed

    Sato, Kanna; Ito, Sachiko; Fujii, Takeo; Suzuki, Ryu; Takenouchi, Sachi; Nakaba, Satoshi; Funada, Ryo; Sano, Yuzou; Kajita, Shinya; Kitano, Hidemi; Katayama, Yoshihiro

    2010-11-01

    We recently reported that the cwa1 mutation disturbed the deposition and assembly of secondary cell wall materials in the cortical fiber of rice internodes. Genetic analysis revealed that cwa1 is allelic to bc1, which encodes glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored COBRA-like protein with the highest homology to Arabidopsis COBRA-like 4 (COBL4) and maize Brittle Stalk 2 (Bk2). Our results suggested that CWA1/BC1 plays a role in assembling secondary cell wall materials at appropriate sites, enabling synthesis of highly ordered secondary cell wall structure with solid and flexible internodes in rice. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of CWA1/BC1, as well as its orthologs (COBL4, Bk2) and other BC1-like proteins in rice, shows weak similarity to a family II carbohydrate-binding module (CBM2) of several bacterial cellulases. To investigate the importance of the CBM-like sequence of CWA1/BC1 in the assembly of secondary cell wall materials, Trp residues in the CBM-like sequence, which is important for carbohydrate binding, were substituted for Val residues and introduced into the cwa1 mutant. CWA1/BC1 with the mutated sequence did not complement the abnormal secondary cell walls seen in the cwa1 mutant, indicating that the CBM-like sequence is essential for the proper function of CWA1/BC1, including assembly of secondary cell wall materials.

  17. Separation of carbohydrates using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography.

    PubMed

    Fu, Qing; Liang, Tu; Li, Zhenyu; Xu, Xiaoyong; Ke, Yanxiong; Jin, Yu; Liang, Xinmiao

    2013-09-20

    A strategy was developed to rapidly evaluate chromatographic properties of hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) columns for separating carbohydrates. Seven HILIC columns (Silica, Diol, TSK Amide-80, XAmide, Click Maltose, Click β-CD, and Click TE-Cys columns) were evaluated by using three monosaccharide and seven disaccharides as probes. The influence of column temperature on the peak shape and tautomerization of carbohydrates, as well as column selectivity were investigated. The influence of surface charge property on the retention was also studied by using glucose, glucuronic acid, and glucosamine, which indicated that buffer salt concentration and pH value in mobile phase was necessary to control the ionic interactions between ionic carbohydrates and HILIC columns. According to evaluation results, the XAmide column was selected as an example to establish experimental schemes for separation of complex mixtures of oligosaccharide. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Microbial degradation of complex carbohydrates in the gut.

    PubMed

    Flint, Harry J; Scott, Karen P; Duncan, Sylvia H; Louis, Petra; Forano, Evelyne

    2012-01-01

    Bacteria that colonize the mammalian intestine collectively possess a far larger repertoire of degradative enzymes and metabolic capabilities than their hosts. Microbial fermentation of complex non-digestible dietary carbohydrates and host-derived glycans in the human intestine has important consequences for health. Certain dominant species, notably among the Bacteroidetes, are known to possess very large numbers of genes that encode carbohydrate active enzymes and can switch readily between different energy sources in the gut depending on availability. Nevertheless, more nutritionally specialized bacteria appear to play critical roles in the community by initiating the degradation of complex substrates such as plant cell walls, starch particles and mucin. Examples are emerging from the Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Verrucomicrobium phyla, but more information is needed on these little studied groups. The impact of dietary carbohydrates, including prebiotics, on human health requires understanding of the complex relationship between diet composition, the gut microbiota and metabolic outputs.

  19. How effective are traditional methods of compositional analysis in providing an accurate material balance for a range of softwood derived residues?

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Forest residues represent an abundant and sustainable source of biomass which could be used as a biorefinery feedstock. Due to the heterogeneity of forest residues, such as hog fuel and bark, one of the expected challenges is to obtain an accurate material balance of these feedstocks. Current compositional analytical methods have been standardised for more homogenous feedstocks such as white wood and agricultural residues. The described work assessed the accuracy of existing and modified methods on a variety of forest residues both before and after a typical pretreatment process. Results When “traditional” pulp and paper methods were used, the total amount of material that could be quantified in each of the six softwood-derived residues ranged from 88% to 96%. It was apparent that the extractives present in the substrate were most influential in limiting the accuracy of a more representative material balance. This was particularly evident when trying to determine the lignin content, due to the incomplete removal of the extractives, even after a two stage water-ethanol extraction. Residual extractives likely precipitated with the acid insoluble lignin during analysis, contributing to an overestimation of the lignin content. Despite the minor dissolution of hemicellulosic sugars, extraction with mild alkali removed most of the extractives from the bark and improved the raw material mass closure to 95% in comparison to the 88% value obtained after water-ethanol extraction. After pretreatment, the extent of extractive removal and their reaction/precipitation with lignin was heavily dependent on the pretreatment conditions used. The selective removal of extractives and their quantification after a pretreatment proved to be even more challenging. Regardless of the amount of extractives that were originally present, the analytical methods could be refined to provide reproducible quantification of the carbohydrates present in both the starting material and

  20. The relationship between carbohydrate and the mealtime insulin dose in type 1 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Bell, Kirstine J; King, Bruce R; Shafat, Amir; Smart, Carmel E

    2015-01-01

    A primary focus of the nutritional management of type 1 diabetes has been on matching prandial insulin therapy with carbohydrate amount consumed. Different methods exist to quantify carbohydrate including counting in one gram increments, 10g portions or 15g exchanges. Clinicians have assumed that counting in one gram increments is necessary to precisely dose insulin and optimize postprandial control. Carbohydrate estimations in portions or exchanges have been thought of as inadequate because they may result in less precise matching of insulin dose to carbohydrate amount. However, studies examining the impact of errors in carbohydrate quantification on postprandial glycemia challenge this commonly held view. In addition it has been found that a single mealtime bolus of insulin can cover a range of carbohydrate intake without deterioration in postprandial control. Furthermore, limitations exist in the accuracy of the nutrition information panel on a food label. This article reviews the relationship between carbohydrate quantity and insulin dose, highlighting limitations in the evidence for a linear association. These insights have significant implications for patient education and mealtime insulin dose calculations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.