Two paralogous groups of liver fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) have been described: the mammalian type liver FABPs and the basic type (Lb-FABPs) characterized in several vertebrates but not in mammals. The two groups have similar sequences and share a highly conserved three-dimensional structure, but their specificity and stoichiometry of binding are different. The crystal structure of chicken Lb-FABP complexed with cholic acid and that of the apoprotein refined to 2.0 A resolution are presented in this paper. The two forms of the protein crystallize in different space groups, and significant changes are observed between the two conformations. The holoprotein binds two molecules of cholate in the interior cavity, and the contacts observed between the two ligands can help to explain the reason for this stoichiometry of binding. Most of the amino acids involved in ligand binding are conserved in other members of the Lb-FABP family. Since the amino acid sequence of the Lb-FABPs is more similar to that of the bile acid-binding proteins than to that of the L-FABPs, the possibility that the Lb-FABPs might be more appropriately called liver bile acid-binding proteins (L-BABPs) is suggested.

The lectin from the common mushroom Agaricus bisporus, the most popular edible species in Western countries, has potent antiproliferative effects on human epithelial cancer cells, without any apparent cytotoxicity. This property confers to it an important therapeutic potential as an antineoplastic agent. The three-dimensional structure of the lectin was determined by x-ray diffraction. The protein is a tetramer with 222 symmetry, and each monomer presents a novel fold with two ␤ sheets connected by a helix-loop-helix motif. Selectivity was studied by examining the binding of four monosaccharides and seven disaccharides in two different crystal forms. The T-antigen disaccharide, Gal␤1-3GalNAc, mediator of the antiproliferative effects of the protein, binds at a shallow depression on the surface of the molecule. The binding of N-acetylgalactosamine overlaps with that moiety of the T antigen, but surprisingly, Nacetylglucosamine, which differs from N-acetylgalactosamine only in the configuration of epimeric hydroxyl 4, binds at a totally different site on the opposite side of the helix-loop-helix motif. The lectin thus has two distinct binding sites per monomer that recognize the different configuration of a single epimeric hydroxyl. The structure of the protein and its two carbohydrate-binding sites are described in detail in this study.

Abstract-In this article, the history of the LDL receptor is recounted by its codiscoverers. Their early work on the LDL receptor explained a genetic cause of heart attacks and led to new ways of thinking about cholesterol metabolism. The LDL receptor discovery also introduced three general concepts to cell biology: receptor-mediated endocytosis, receptor recycling, and feedback regulation of receptors. The latter concept provides the mechanism by which statins selectively lower plasma LDL, reducing heart attacks and prolonging life.

A novel lectin has been isolated from the fruiting bodies of the common edible mushroom Boletus edulis (king bolete, penny bun, porcino or cep) by affinity chromatography on a chitin column. We propose for the lectin the name BEL (B. edulis lectin). BEL inhibits selectively the proliferation of several malignant cell lines and binds the neoplastic cell-specific T-antigen disaccharide, Galβ1-3GalNAc. The lectin was structurally characterized: the molecule is a homotetramer and the 142-amino acid sequence of the chains was determined. The protein belongs to the saline-soluble family of mushroom fruiting body-specific lectins. BEL was also crystallized and its three-dimensional structure was determined by X-ray diffraction to 1.15 Å resolution. The structure is similar to that of Agaricus bisporus lectin. Using the appropriate co-crystals, the interactions of BEL with specific mono- and disaccharides were also studied by X-ray diffraction. The six structures of carbohydrate complexes reported here provide details of the interactions of the ligands with the lectin and shed light on the selectivity of the two distinct binding sites present in each protomer.

A novel lectin was purified from the fruiting bodies of king bolete mushrooms (Boletus edulis, also called porcino, cep or penny bun). The lectin was structurally characterized i.e its amino acid sequence and three-dimensional structure were determined. The new protein is a homodimer and each protomer folds as β-trefoil domain and therefore we propose the name Boletus edulis lectin (BEL) β-trefoil to distinguish it from the other lectin that has been described in these mushrooms. The lectin has potent anti-proliferative effects on human cancer cells, which confers to it an interesting therapeutic potential as an antineoplastic agent. Several crystal forms of the apoprotein and of complexes with different carbohydrates were studied by X-ray diffraction. The structure of the apoprotein was solved at 1.12 Å resolution. The interaction of the lectin with lactose, galactose, N-acetylgalactosamine and T-antigen disaccharide, Galβ1-3GalNAc, was examined in detail. All the three potential binding sites present in the β-trefoil fold are occupied in at least one crystal form and are described in detail in this paper. No important conformational changes are observed in the lectin when comparing its co-crystals with carbohydrates with those of the ligand-free protein.

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The flat pampas in the state of Santa Fe in Argentina have soils with high silt content, variable carbon content, and diverse degrees of structural degradation. Aggregate stability has been used as an indicator of the structural condition of the soil. This study aimed to quantify the effect of the addition of crop residues and root activity on the agents of aggregation and mechanisms of aggregate breakdown in soils with different carbon contents and textures cultivated under no-till. An experimental trial was conducted on a loamy soil (Typic Hapludoll, SantaIsabel series) and a silty soil (Typic Argiudoll, Esperanza series) under controlled conditions for 112 days with the following treatments: (i) with and without wheat plant growth and (ii) with and without addition of wheat residues. Soil structural stability by a method allowing for differentiation of aggregate breakdown by slaking, mechanical effect and microcracking, total organic carbon content, particulate organic carbon, glomalin and carbohydrate fractions was assessed. In general, the addition of residues and the presence of plant with active roots increased the presence of all aggregation agents and decreased aggregate breakdown processes in both soils. Soluble carbohydrates and proteins related to glomalin were the most important aggregating agents and their function was to reduce the magnitude of breakdown mechanisms, slaking and microcracking, evidencing a greater impact on the silty soil.

Carp FEL (fishelectin or fish-egg lectin) is a 238-amino-acid lectin that can be purified from fish eggs by exploiting its selective binding to Sepharose followed by elution with N-acetylglucosamine. Its amino-acid sequence and other biochemical properties have previously been reported. The glycoprotein has four disulfide bridges and the structure of the oligosaccharides linked to Asn27 has been described. Here, the three-dimensional structures of apo carp FEL (cFEL) and of its complex with N-acetylglucosamine determined by X-ray crystallography at resolutions of 1.35 and 1.70 Å, respectively, are reported. The molecule folds as a six-bladed β-propeller and internal short consensus amino-acid sequences have been identified in all of the blades. A calcium atom binds at the bottom of the funnel-shaped tunnel located in the centre of the propeller. Two ligand-binding sites, α and β, are present in each of the two protomers in the dimer. The first site, α, is closer to the N-terminus of the chain and is located in the crevice between the second and the third blades, while the second site, β, is located between the fourth and the fifth blades. The amino acids that participate in the contacts have been identified, as well as the conserved water molecules in all of the sites. Both sites can bind the two anomers, α and β, of N-acetylglucosamine, as is clearly recognizable in the electron-density maps. The lectin presents sequence homology to members of the tachylectin family, which are known to have a function in the innate immune system of arthropods, and homologous genes are present in the genomes of other fish and amphibians. This structure is the first of a protein of this group and, given the degree of homology with other members of the family, it is expected that it will be useful to experimentally determine other crystal structures using the coordinates of cFEL as a search probe in molecular replacement.