Category: The Science
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Chondroitin sulfate
CHONDROITIN SULFATE is a sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) composed of a chain of alternating sugars (N-acetylgalactosamine and glucuronic acid). It is usually found attached to proteins as part of a proteoglycan. A chondroitin chain can have over 100 individual sugars, each of which can be sulfated in variable positions and quantities. Chondroitin sulfate is an important structural component of cartilage, and provides much of its…
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Methaemalbumin in Man (1939)
(Pseudo-methaemoglobin) Section of Therapeutics and Pharmacology and a list of related articles
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Buggy Love Potion: The Science of Insect Sex Hormones
Listen up, you sexy six-legged sirens and alluring arthropods! 🐞💋 Get ready to have your mind blown and your exoskeleton rocked. Insect sex hormones: They’re real, they’re spectacular, and they’re changing the game of love in the miniature world! From ecdysone’s double life to gonadotropins’ matchmaking skills, these hormones are the unsung heroes of insect…
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Sex-determining region Y protein (SRY), or testis-determining factor (TDF)
Sex-determining region Y protein (SRY), or testis-determining factor (TDF), is a DNA-binding protein (also known as gene-regulatory protein/transcription factor) encoded by the SRY gene that is responsible for the initiation of male sex determination in therian mammals (placental mammals and marsupials). SRY is an intronless sex-determining gene on the Y chromosome. Mutations in this gene lead to a range of disorders of sex development with varying effects on an individual’s phenotype and genotype. SRY is a member of the SOX (SRY-like box)…
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DAX1
DAX1 (dosage-sensitive sex reversal, adrenal hypoplasia critical region, on chromosome X, gene 1) is a nuclear receptor protein that in humans is encoded by the NR0B1 gene (nuclear receptor subfamily 0, group B, member 1). The NR0B1 gene is located on the short (p) arm of the X chromosome between bands Xp21.3 and Xp21.2, from base pair 30,082,120 to base pair 30,087,136. Function This gene encodes a protein…
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DMRT1
Doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor 1, also known as DMRT1, is a protein which in humans is encoded by the DMRT1 gene. Function DMRT1 is a dose sensitive transcription factor protein that regulates Sertoli cells and germ cells. The DMRT1 gene is located at the end of the 9th chromosome. This gene is found in a cluster with two other members…
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Steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) protein and a few related things
The steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) protein is a transcription factor involved in sex determination by controlling the activity of genes related to the reproductive glands or gonads and adrenal glands. This protein is encoded by the NR5A1 gene, a member of the nuclear receptor subfamily, located on the long arm of chromosome 9 at position 33.3. It was originally identified as a regulator of genes encoding cytochrome P450 steroid hydroxylases, however, further roles…
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Elevated alpha-fetoprotein
Elevated alpha-fetoprotein refers to a state where alpha-fetoprotein levels are outside of the reference range. There are two categories of AFP tests: tests performed on serum (blood plasma), and tests performed on amniotic fluid. Tests performed on serum are further categorized by the reason for performing the test: maternal serum, adult tumor marker, and pediatric tumor marker. Serum The standard…
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Bovine serum albumin (Fraction V)
Bovine serum albumin (BSA or “Fraction V”) is a serum albumin protein derived from cows. It is often used as a protein concentration standard in lab experiments. The nickname “Fraction V” refers to albumin being the fifth fraction of the original Edwin Cohn purification methodology that made use of differential solubility characteristics of plasma proteins. By manipulating solvent concentrations, pH, salt levels, and temperature, Cohn was able…
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Serum albumin aka blood albumin
Serum albumin, often referred to simply as blood albumin, is an albumin (a type of globular protein) found in vertebrate blood. Human serum albumin is encoded by the ALB gene. Other mammalian forms, such as bovine serum albumin, are chemically similar. Serum albumin is produced by the liver, occurs dissolved in blood plasma and is the most abundant blood protein in mammals. Albumin is essential for maintaining the oncotic pressure needed for proper distribution of body fluids between…
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Ovotransferrin aka conalbumin
Ovotransferrin (conalbumin) is a glycoprotein of egg white albumen. Egg white albumen is composed of multiple proteins, of which ovotransferrin is the most heat reliable. It has a molecular weight of 76,000 daltons and contains about 700 amino acids. Ovotransferrin makes up approximately 13% of egg albumen (in contrast to ovalbumin, which comprises 54%). As a member of the transferrin and metalloproteinase family, ovotransferrin has been found to possess antibacterial…
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Subtilisin
Subtilisin is a protease (a protein-digesting enzyme) initially obtained from Bacillus subtilis. Subtilisins belong to subtilases, a group of serine proteases that – like all serine proteases – initiate the nucleophilic attack on the peptide (amide) bond through a serine residue at the active site. Subtilisins typically have molecular weights 27kDa. They can be obtained from certain types of soil bacteria, for example, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens from which they are secreted in large amounts. Nomenclature “Subtilisin”…
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Proprotein convertases (PPCs) are a family of proteins that activate other proteins
Many proteins are inactive when they are first synthesized, because they contain chains of amino acids that block their activity. Proprotein convertases remove those chains and activate the protein. The prototypical proprotein convertase is FURIN. Proprotein convertases have medical significance, because they are involved in many important biological processes, such as cholesterol synthesis. Compounds called proprotein convertase inhibitors…
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The Two-Faced Troublemaker: Bacillus cereus, the Jekyll and Hyde of Bacteria
Bacillus cereus is the bacterial world’s very own shape-shifting supervillain! This microscopic menace is the master of disguise, equally at home in your garden soil as it is crashing your dinner party. Picture, if you will, a rod-shaped rascal with a penchant for party-crashing. B. cereus is the uninvited guest that turns your lovely meal…
