Browsing by Subject "Peptide fragments"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Association of N-Terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide Concentration in Early Pregnancy With Development of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Future Hypertension
    (American Medical Association, 2022) Hauspurg, Alisse; Marsh, Derek J.; McNeil, Rebecca B.; Bairey Merz, C. Noel; Greenland, Philip; Straub, Adam C.; Rouse, Caroline E.; Grobman, William A.; Pemberton, Victoria L.; Silver, Robert M.; Chen, Yii-Der Ida; Mercer, Brian M.; Levine, Lisa D.; Hameed, Afshan; Hoffman, Matthew K.; Simhan, Hyagriv N.; Catov, Janet M.; NICHD nuMoM2b and NHLBI nuMoM2b Heart Health Study Networks; Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine
    Importance: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are associated with future cardiovascular disease, perhaps because of subclinical cardiac dysfunction before pregnancy leading to impaired adaptation to pregnancy. Natriuretic peptides are promising biomarkers for detecting subclinical cardiac dysfunction outside of pregnancy. Objective: To investigate whether higher concentrations of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in early pregnancy would be associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and hypertension 2 to 7 years post partum. Design, setting, and participants: This cohort study used data from the The Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be Heart Health Study, a prospective multicenter observational study. A total of 4103 nulliparous women with complete data and no prepregnancy hypertension or diabetes who were treated at 8 clinical sites were included. Women were followed up with for 2 to 7 years after pregnancy. Data were collected from October 2010 to October 2017, and data were analyzed from August 2020 to November 2021. Exposures: NT-proBNP concentration, measured using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay from a first-trimester blood sample. Main outcomes and measures: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and incident hypertension (systolic blood pressure of 130 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure of 80 mm Hg or use of antihypertensive agents) at follow-up visit. Results: A total of 4103 women met inclusion criteria; the mean (SD) age was 27.0 (5.6) years. Among these women, 909 (22.2%) had an adverse pregnancy outcome, and 817 (19.9%) had hypertension at the follow-up visit. Higher NT-proBNP concentrations were associated with a lower risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio per doubling, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.73-0.91), which persisted after adjustment for age, self-reported race and ethnicity, early-pregnancy body mass index, smoking, and aspirin use. Similarly, higher NT-proBNP concentration in early pregnancy was also associated with a lower risk of incident hypertension 2 to 7 years after delivery (adjusted odds ratio per doubling, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.77-0.93), an association that persisted after controlling for confounders, including hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Conclusions and relevance: In this cohort study, higher NT-proBNP concentrations in early pregnancy were associated with a lower risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and hypertension 2 to 7 years post partum. These findings suggest that normal early-pregnancy cardiovascular physiology, as assessed by NT-proBNP concentration, may provide biologic insights into both pregnancy outcome and cardiovascular disease risk.
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    Blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease: Current state and future use in a transformed global healthcare landscape
    (Elsevier, 2023) Hampel, Harald; Hu, Yan; Cummings, Jeffrey; Mattke, Soeren; Iwatsubo, Takeshi; Nakamura, Akinori; Vellas, Bruno; O’Bryant, Sid; Shaw, Leslie M.; Cho, Min; Batrla, Richard; Vergallo, Andrea; Blennow, Kaj; Dage, Jeffrey; Schindler, Suzanne E.; Neurology, School of Medicine
    Timely detection of the pathophysiological changes and cognitive impairment caused by Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasingly pressing because of the advent of biomarker-guided targeted therapies that may be most effective when provided early in the disease. Currently, diagnosis and management of early AD are largely guided by clinical symptoms. FDA-approved neuroimaging and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers can aid detection and diagnosis, but the clinical implementation of these testing modalities is limited because of availability, cost, and perceived invasiveness. Blood-based biomarkers (BBBMs) may enable earlier and faster diagnoses as well as aid in risk assessment, early detection, prognosis, and management. Herein, we review data on BBBMs that are closest to clinical implementation, particularly those based on measures of amyloid-β peptides and phosphorylated tau species. We discuss key parameters and considerations for the development and potential deployment of these BBBMs under different contexts of use and highlight challenges at the methodological, clinical, and regulatory levels.
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    Cryo-EM structures of amyloid-β 42 filaments from human brains
    (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2022) Yang, Yang; Arseni, Diana; Zhang, Wenjuan; Huang, Melissa; Lövestam, Sofia; Schweighauser, Manuel; Kotecha, Abhay; Murzin, Alexey G.; Peak-Chew, Sew Y.; Macdonald, Jennifer; Lavenir, Isabelle; Garringer, Holly J.; Gelpi, Ellen; Newell, Kathy L.; Kovacs, Gabor G.; Vidal, Ruben; Ghetti, Bernardino; Falcon, Benjamin; Scheres, Sjors H.W.; Goedert, Michel; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine
    Filament assembly of amyloid-β peptides ending at residue 42 (Aβ42) is a central event in Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we report the cryo–electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of Aβ42 filaments from human brains. Two structurally related S-shaped protofilament folds give rise to two types of filaments. Type I filaments were found mostly in the brains of individuals with sporadic Alzheimer’s disease, and type II filaments were found in individuals with familial Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions. The structures of Aβ42 filaments from the brain differ from those of filaments assembled in vitro. By contrast, in AppNL-F knock-in mice, Aβ42 deposits were made of type II filaments. Knowledge of Aβ42 filament structures from human brains may lead to the development of inhibitors of assembly and improved imaging agents.
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    Leveraging large multi-center cohorts of Alzheimer disease endophenotypes to understand the role of Klotho heterozygosity on disease risk
    (PLOS, 2022-05-26) Ali, Muhammad; Sung, Yun Ju; Wang, Fengxian; Fernández, Maria V.; Morris, John C.; Fagan, Anne M.; Blennow, Kaj; Zetterberg, Henrik; Heslegrave, Amanda; Johansson, Per M.; Svensson, Johan; Nellgård, Bengt; Lleó, Alberto; Alcolea, Daniel; Clarimon, Jordi; Rami, Lorena; Molinuevo, José Luis; Suárez-Calvet, Marc; Morenas-Rodríguez, Estrella; Kleinberger, Gernot; Haass, Christian; Ewers, Michael; Levin, Johannes; Farlow, Martin R.; Perrin, Richard J.; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI); Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN); Cruchaga, Carlos; Neurology, School of Medicine
    Two genetic variants in strong linkage disequilibrium (rs9536314 and rs9527025) in the Klotho (KL) gene, encoding a transmembrane protein, implicated in longevity and associated with brain resilience during normal aging, were recently shown to be associated with Alzheimer disease (AD) risk in cognitively normal participants who are APOE ε4 carriers. Specifically, the participants heterozygous for this variant (KL-SVHET+) showed lower risk of developing AD. Furthermore, a neuroprotective effect of KL-VSHET+ has been suggested against amyloid burden for cognitively normal participants, potentially mediated via the regulation of redox pathways. However, inconsistent associations and a smaller sample size of existing studies pose significant hurdles in drawing definitive conclusions. Here, we performed a well-powered association analysis between KL-VSHET+ and five different AD endophenotypes; brain amyloidosis measured by positron emission tomography (PET) scans (n = 5,541) or cerebrospinal fluid Aβ42 levels (CSF; n = 5,093), as well as biomarkers associated with tau pathology: the CSF Tau (n = 5,127), phosphorylated Tau (pTau181; n = 4,778) and inflammation: CSF soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (sTREM2; n = 2,123) levels. Our results found nominally significant associations of KL-VSHET+ status with biomarkers for brain amyloidosis (e.g., CSF Aβ positivity; odds ratio [OR] = 0.67 [95% CI, 0.55-0.78], β = 0.72, p = 0.007) and tau pathology (e.g., biomarker positivity for CSF Tau; OR = 0.39 [95% CI, 0.19-0.77], β = -0.94, p = 0.007, and pTau; OR = 0.50 [95% CI, 0.27-0.96], β = -0.68, p = 0.04) in cognitively normal participants, 60-80 years old, who are APOE e4-carriers. Our work supports previous findings, suggesting that the KL-VSHET+ on an APOE ε4 genotype background may modulate Aβ and tau pathology, thereby lowering the intensity of neurodegeneration and incidence of cognitive decline in older controls susceptible to AD.
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    Research Progress on Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and the Role of the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2-Angiotensin-(1-7)-Mas Axis in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
    (Springer Nature, 2022) Zhang, Feng; Chen, Aidong; Pan, Yan; Wang, Xingxing; Xu, Yu; Desai, Ankit A.; Tang, Haiyang; Han, Ying; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease with a complex aetiology and high mortality. Functional and structural changes in the small pulmonary arteries lead to elevated pulmonary arterial pressure, resulting in right heart failure. The pathobiology of PAH is not fully understood, and novel treatment targets in PAH are desperately needed. The renin-angiotensin system is critical for maintaining homeostasis of the cardiovascular system. The system consists of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-angiotensin (Ang) II-angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R) axis and the ACE2-Ang-(1-7)-Mas receptor axis. The former, the ACE-Ang II-AT1R axis, is involved in vasoconstrictive and hypertensive actions along with cardiac and vascular remodelling. The latter, the ACE2-Ang-(1-7)-Mas axis, generally mediates counterbalancing effects against those mediated by the ACE-Ang II-AT1R axis. Based on established functions, the ACE2-Ang-(1-7)-Mas axis may represent a novel target for the treatment of PAH. This review focuses on recent advances in pulmonary circulation science and the role of the ACE2-Ang-(1-7)-Mas axis in PAH.
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    Substrate Binding Mode and Molecular Basis of a Specificity Switch in Oxalate Decarboxylase
    (American Chemical Society, 2016-04-12) Zhu, Wen; Easthon, Lindsey M.; Reinhardt, Laurie A.; Tu, Chingkuang; Cohen, Steven E.; Silverman, David N.; Allen, Karen N.; Richards, Nigel G.J.; Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, School of Science
    Oxalate decarboxylase (OxDC) catalyzes the conversion of oxalate into formate and carbon dioxide in a remarkable reaction that requires manganese and dioxygen. Previous studies have shown that replacing an active-site loop segment Ser(161)-Glu(162)-Asn(163)-Ser(164) in the N-terminal domain of OxDC with the cognate residues Asp(161)-Ala(162)-Ser-(163)-Asn(164) of an evolutionarily related, Mn-dependent oxalate oxidase gives a chimeric variant (DASN) that exhibits significantly increased oxidase activity. The mechanistic basis for this change in activity has now been investigated using membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) and isotope effect (IE) measurements. Quantitative analysis of the reaction stoichiometry as a function of oxalate concentration, as determined by MIMS, suggests that the increased oxidase activity of the DASN OxDC variant is associated with only a small fraction of the enzyme molecules in solution. In addition, IE measurements show that C-C bond cleavage in the DASN OxDC variant proceeds via the same mechanism as in the wild-type enzyme, even though the Glu(162) side chain is absent. Thus, replacement of the loop residues does not modulate the chemistry of the enzyme-bound Mn(II) ion. Taken together, these results raise the possibility that the observed oxidase activity of the DASN OxDC variant arises from an increased level of access of the solvent to the active site during catalysis, implying that the functional role of Glu(162) is to control loop conformation. A 2.6 Å resolution X-ray crystal structure of a complex between oxalate and the Co(II)-substituted ΔE162 OxDC variant, in which Glu(162) has been deleted from the active site loop, reveals the likely mode by which the substrate coordinates the catalytically active Mn ion prior to C-C bond cleavage. The "end-on" conformation of oxalate observed in the structure is consistent with the previously published V/K IE data and provides an empty coordination site for the dioxygen ligand that is thought to mediate the formation of Mn(III) for catalysis upon substrate binding.