Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1936. / Vita. Bibliography: p. [40].

No description available.

Reproduction de : Thèse de doctorat : Chimie-Physique : Lyon 1 : 2002. / Titre provenant de l'écran titre. 152 réf. bibliogr.

The H$ sp+$-translocating inorganic pyrophosphatase from vacuolar membranes of red beet storage roots (Beta vulgaris L.) was purified after solubilization in Triton X-100 through a combination of anion-exchange and size exclusion chromatographies. SDS-PAGE showed strong correlation between a 67 kDa polypeptide and pyrophosphatase activity. Radiation-inactivation studies of the H$ sp+$-PPase indicate a functional size of 91 kDa for hydrolysis and 320 kDa for H$ sp+$ translocation, suggesting an oligomeric structure for the holoenzyme. Affinity purified antibodies were used to screen cDNA libraries of Arabidopsis thaliana yielding clones which contained sequences matching amino acid sequences obtained from tryptic fragments of the 67 kDa hydrolytic subunit. The predicted protein is highly hydrophobic with a molecular size of 81 kDa. Southern analyses show a single copy for the H$ sp+$-PPase in Arabidopsis. The lack of sequence identities between the H$ sp+$-PPase and other known proteins implies a novel class of ion translocases.

Pyrophosphate retention and half-life values, and pyrophosphatase activity, were determined in 24 organic soil materials containing < 20% ash. Pyrophosphate retention was correlated with ash content (r = 0,876**) but still was weak. Pyrophosphatase activity (11,6 to 148,1 mmol.kg('-1).2h('-1)) was higher in virgin than in cultivated materials and was promoted apparently by nonspecific acid phosphatases. The interaction between water-soluble pyrophosphate and pyrophosphatase activity explained 77% of the variation in log-transformed half-life values ranging from 0,1 to 3,7 days. Copper decreased significantly pyrophosphatase activity. However, pyrophosphate hydrolysis rate was not affected significantly by Cu contents up to 1177 mg.kg('-1) in humic materials. Because of rapid rates of pyrophosphate hydrolysis in humic and mesic materials compared with rate of P uptake by onions, no significant difference in bulb yield and P uptake were obtained at harvest between pyrophosphate and orthophosphate fertilizers.

No description available.

The presence of thiols in living systems is critical for the maintenance of cellular redox homeostasis, the maintenance of protein thiol-disulfide ratios and the protection of cells from reactive oxygen species. In addition to the well studied tripeptide glutathione (??-Glu-Cys-Gly), a number of compounds have been identified that contribute to these essential cellular roles. Many of these molecules are of great clinical interest due to their essential role in the biochemistry of a number of deadly pathogens, as well as their possible role as therapeutic agents in the treatment of a number of diseases. A series of studies were undertaken using theoretical, chemical and biochemical approaches on a selection of thiols, ergothioneine, the ovothiols and mycothiol, to further our understanding of these necessary biological components. Ergothioneine is present at significant physiological levels in humans and other mammals; however, a definitive role for this thiol has yet to be determined. It has been implicated in radical scavenging in vivo and shows promise as a therapeutic agent against disease states caused by oxidative damage. Given the clinical importance of this intracellular thiol, further investigation into the behaviour of ergothioneine appeared warranted. A high level theoretical study was performed to determine the thermodynamic driving force behind the instability of the ergothioneine disulfide, as well as the thermodynamics of the reactions of ergothioneine with a selection of biologically relevant reactive oxygen species. These results were compared to those determined for a glutathione model compound, as well as the related ovothiols. The latter are believed to act as hydrogen peroxide scavengers in vivo and are currently under review as possible therapeutics against oxidative damage. The structural differences between the ovothiols and ergothioneine dramatically affect their reactivity and this study investigates the thermodynamic driving forces behind these differences. Mycothiol is the major thiol found in the Actinomycetales bacteria, which include the causative agent of tuberculosis, and the enzymes which use mycothiol have been identified as important targets for the development of novel antimicrobials. To better understand the in vivo behaviour of mycothiol, a thorough conformational search was performed to determine what, if any, trends exist among the low energy conformers expected to be present in solution. Knowledge of the conformations preferred by mycothiol may aid in the design of substrate-based inhibitors targeted at mycothiol-dependent enzymes. In addition, the efforts towards the identification of a mycothiol-dependent glyoxalase system are described. The glyoxalase system is essential for the detoxification of methylglyoxal, a toxic by-product of glycolysis, and this system would serve as a target for the design of new therapeutics against tuberculosis and other pathogenic Actinomycetales bacteria. In addition to the study of intracellular thiols, this work details a preliminary theoretical study of the thermodynamics of the phosphorylation of proteinaceous serine residues by inositol pyrophosphates in eukaryotic cell-free extracts. It has been postulated that this observed activity may represent a novel signalling pathway in eukaryotes. This study focused on the effect of inositol pyrophosphate structure and overall charge on the thermodynamics of these reactions. This information should contribute to our understanding of this novel cellular phosphorylation process.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2009. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Inositol pyrophosphates (PP-InsPs) are a family of molecules recently discovered to be implicated in a number of plant pathways such as auxin regulation, phosphate (Pi) sensing, and jasmonate-(JA)-regulated plant defense. Transgenic plants that overexpress inositol tetrakisphosphate 1-kinase (ITPK1) and the kinase domain of the dual domain diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate kinase 2 (VIP2KD) have been previously studied to display uniquely elevated PP-InsPs. Here it is reported that the JA defense pathway is constitutively upregulated in VIP2KD OX plants, resulting in a lower rate of herbivory on the transgenic plants. ITPK1 OX, although also having elevated PP-InsPs, was fed upon by insect larvae comparably to Wild-Type Arabidopsis (WT). The data implicate VIP2, InsP8, and possibly the PP-InsP biosynthesis as a whole. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Plants and insects have been evolving defenses against each other since they first emerged together post-Cambrian explosion. They each have evolved targeted metabolic pathways to produce chemicals with which to repel, harm, or even trick one another. In Arabidopsis thaliana, one of the most widely studied defense mechanisms is the jasmonic acid defense pathway, which responds to the herbivory of insects like caterpillars by setting off an array of genetic switches. The plant enters a stressed state wherein it represses the genes focused on growth and development and encourages the expression of genes focused on protecting vital resources and thwarting the attacker. This work examines a connection between the phosphate-sensing pathways and the jasmonic acid defense pathways in plants, and the following data show that plants with elevated inositol pyrophosphates (a phosphate storage molecule) are resistant to the herbivory of common pest caterpillars.