Carrier molecule

Transfer or soluble RNAs are specific carrier molecules for amino-acids during protein synthesis on ribosomes with ribosomal RNA as the template. There is at least one t-RNA molecule for each amino-acid. 

Cell membranes are lipophilic and designed to be barriers against large anionic molecules, although there is a natural mechanism for intercellular transport of anionic oligonucleotides. In order to enhance membrane transport, antisense oligonucleotides are frequentiy modified by covalent attachment of carrier molecules or lipophilic groups. 

Of interest is the manner in which cavities of the appropriate size are introduced into ion-selective membranes. These membranes typically consist of highly plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (see Membrane technology). Plasticizers (qv) are organic solvents such as phthalates, sebacates, trimelLitates, and organic phosphates of various kinds, and cavities may simply be the excluded volumes maintained by these solvent molecules themselves. More often, however, neutral carrier molecules (20) are added to the membrane. These molecules are shaped like donuts and have holes that have the same sizes as the ions of interest, eg, valinomycin [2001-95-8] C H QN O g, and nonactin [6833-84-7] have wrap around stmctures like methyl monensin... 

The citric acid cycle, a nine-step process, also diverts chemical energy to the production of ATP and the reduction of NAD and FAD. In each step of the citric acid cycle (also known as the Krebs cycle) a glucose metabolite is oxidized while one of the carrier molecules, NAD or FAD, is reduced. Enzymes, nature s chemical catalysts, do a remarkable job of coupling the oxidation and reduction reactions so that energy is transferred with great efficiency. 

The reduced carrier molecules NADFd and FADE , arc recycled in the rcspiratoiy chain. The reoxidation of these intermediaries releases additional energy for use in the production of more ATP ... 

Several authors " have suggested that in some systems voids, far from acting as diffusion barriers, may actually assist transport by permitting a dissociation-recombination mechanism. The presence of elements which could give rise to carrier molecules, e.g. carbon or hydrogen , and thus to the behaviour illustrated in Fig. 1.87, would particularly favour this mechanism. The oxidant side of the pore functions as a sink for vacancies diffusing from the oxide/gas interface by a reaction which yields gas of sufficiently high chemical potential to oxidise the metal side of the pore. The vacancies created by this reaction then travel to the metal/oxide interface where they are accommodated by plastic flow, or they may form additional voids by the mechanisms already discussed. The reaction sequence at the various interfaces (Fig. 1.87b) for the oxidation of iron (prior to the formation of Fe Oj) would be... 

Reactions involve several enzymes, which have to follow in sequence for lactic acid and alcohol fermentation. This is known as the glucose catabolism pathway, with emphasis on energetic and energy carrier molecules such as ATP, ADP, NAD+ and NADH. In this pathway the six-carbon substrate yields two three-carbon intermediates, each of which passes through a sequence of reactions to the stable end product of pyruvic acid. 

Certain solutes, eg, glucose, enter cells by facilitated diffusion, along a downhill gradient from high to low concentration. Specific carrier molecules, or transporters, are involved in such processes. 

Davio et al. (43) report efforts to obtain monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to STX. Because STX is a small molecule of approximately 300 daltons, well below the size necessary for immunogenicity, a carrier molecule must be conjugated to the hapten (STX). This technique must minimize alterations of the antigenic form. For the anti-STX antibodies tested to date, the ratios of immunoassay response factor to pharmacological potency for various STX derivatives differ substantially, the immunoassay being virtually unresponsive to some of the common natural derivatives (44). 

The concept of immunoassay was first described in 1945 when Landsteiner suggested that antibodies could bind selectively to small molecules (haptens) when they were conjugated to a larger carrier molecule. This hapten-specific concept was explored by Yalow and Berson in the late 1950s, and resulted in an immunoassay that was applied to insulin monitoring in humans. This pioneering work set the stage for the rapid advancement of immunochemical methods for clinical use. 

One of the best-studied carrier molecules is produced as a primary excretory constituent of the adult male mouse, known from its consistent high concentration as the major urinary protein (MUP). The basic 3-D structure of the protein was initially obtained from a monoclinic crystal of recombinant protein (MUP-I), constructed by induction in a bacterial expression system and purified to homogeneity (Kuser, 1990). A wild type version of MUP finally yielded to NMR analysis a clone of the r-isoform (162 residues) was labelled and compared with the crystal-structure (Lucke et al., 1990). Two views of the molecule... 

The prototypical aminosalicylate is sulfasalazine, which is comprised of mesalamine linked by a diazo bond to the carrier molecule sulfapyridine. This linkage prevents premature absorption of mesalamine in the small intestine. Once sulfasalazine is delivered to the colon, bacterial degradation of... 

Newer mesalamine products utilize non-sulfapyridine methods for drug delivery. Olsalazine uses two mesalamine molecules linked together, while balsalazide uses the inert carrier molecule 4-aminobenzoyl-P-alanine. Both drugs use a diazo bond similar to sulfasalazine. Other mesalamine formulations are pH-dependent formulations that release mesalamine at various points throughout the GI tract. 

The lipid bilayer arrangement of the plasma membrane renders it selectively permeable. Uncharged or nonpolar molecules, such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and fatty acids, are lipid soluble and may permeate through the membrane quite readily. Charged or polar molecules, such as glucose, proteins, and ions, are water soluble and impermeable, unable to cross the membrane unassisted. These substances require protein channels or carrier molecules to enter or leave the cell. 

Glucose and galactose enter the absorptive cells by way of secondary active transport. Cotransport carrier molecules associated with the disaccharidases in the brush border transport the monosaccharide and a Na+ ion from the lumen of the small intestine into the absorptive cell. This process is referred to as "secondary" because the cotransport carriers operate passively and do not require energy. However, they do require a concentration gradient for the transport of Na+ ions into the cell. This gradient is established by the active transport of Na+ ions out of the absorptive cell at the basolateral surface. Fructose enters the absorptive cells by way of facilitated diffusion. All monosaccharide molecules exit the absorptive cells by way of facilitated diffusion and enter the blood capillaries. 

Formation of Na+, K+-ATPase carrier molecules in the basolateral membrane of the tubular epithelial cells (promotes extrusion of Na+ ions from the cells and their movement into plasma by way of peritubular capillaries enhances the concentration gradient for passive diffusion through Na+ channels in the luminal membrane)... 

A carrier molecule containing four carbon atoms (the C4 unit) takes up a C2 unit (the activated acetic acid ), which is introduced into the cycle. The product is a six-carbon molecule (the C6 unit), citric acid, or its salt, citrate. CO2 is cleaved off in a cyclic process, so that a C5 unit is left this loses a further molecule of CO2 to give the C4 unit, oxalacetate. In the living cell, this process involves ten steps, which are catalysed by eight enzymes. However, the purpose of the TCA cycle is not the elimination of CO2, but the provision of reduction equivalents, i.e., of electrons, and... 

Nanosized objects perform various functions in the biomedical field. In the human body, nanosized particulate substances behave very differently from larger particles. In 1986, Maeda et al. found that the stained albumin, having a size of several nanometers, naturally accumulates in the region of cancerous tissues, which is now well known as the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Many studies in the field of nanoparticles are based on this finding. Another application of nanoparticles is the delivery system using various polyplexes that are composed of carrier molecules and plasmid DNA or nucleic acid drugs such as antisenses and siRNA. In addition, nanofibers are mainly used for biodegradable scaffolds in tissue... 

Carrier Molecule Hapten Hapten-carrier Immunogen... 

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