Enzymes receptors’ similarities

Selected entries from Methods in Enzymology [vol, page(s)] Acetylthiocholine as substrate, 251, 101-102 assay by ESR, 251, 102-105 inhibitors, 251, 103 modification by symmetrical disulfide radical, 251, 100 thioester substrate, 248, 16 transition state and multisubstrate analogues, 249, 305 enzyme receptor, similarity to collagen, 245, 3. 

Receptor desensitization may also be mediated by second-messenger feedback. For example, adrenoceptors stimulate cAMP accumulation, which leads to activation of protein kinase A protein kinase A can phosphorylate residues on receptors, resulting in inhibition of receptor function. For the B2 receptor, phosphorylation occurs on serine residues both in the third cytoplasmic loop and in the carboxyl terminal tail of the receptor. Similarly, activation of protein kinase C by Gq-coupled receptors may lead to phosphorylation of this class of G protein-coupled receptors. This second-messenger feedback mechanism has been termed heterologous desensitization because activated protein kinase A or protein kinase C may phosphorylate any structurally similar receptor with the appropriate consensus sites for phosphorylation by these enzymes. 

The sulfonamide anti-bacterials, which, soon after their discovery in the late 1930s, seemed to reinforce the one-group one-action hypothesis, ended by dealing it a mortal blow. It soon became evident that the presence of a sulfonamide group would not introduce anti-bacterial properties unless the other conditions (such as para substitution) for fitting the enzyme-receptor were observed (see Section 9.3.1). If these conditions were met, the sulfonamide group could be replaced by a different group of similar polarity. For example,... 

Pulmonary endotheUal cells are important in the regulation of circulating hormones (Ryan 1982), and consequently it is not surprising that certain xenobiotics, which have physicochemical properties similar to those of the endogenous substrates, also serve as substrates or ligands for the specialised enzymes, receptors, binding sites, and transport mechanisms localised on or in endothelial cells. 

Potcntiomctric Biosensors Potentiometric electrodes for the analysis of molecules of biochemical importance can be constructed in a fashion similar to that used for gas-sensing electrodes. The most common class of potentiometric biosensors are the so-called enzyme electrodes, in which an enzyme is trapped or immobilized at the surface of an ion-selective electrode. Reaction of the analyte with the enzyme produces a product whose concentration is monitored by the ion-selective electrode. Potentiometric biosensors have also been designed around other biologically active species, including antibodies, bacterial particles, tissue, and hormone receptors. 

Cortisol-Cortisone Conversion. Under normal conditions, this equilibrium slightly favors the oxidized compound. Similarly, the conversion of corticosterone to 11-deoxycorticosterone is also mediated by the liP-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme system and requites NAD(P) /NAD(P)H. This conversion is especially important both in the protection of the human fetus from excessive glucocorticoid exposure, and in the protection of distal nephron mineral ocorticoid receptors from glucocorticoid exposure (14). The impairment of this conversion is thought to result in hypertension associated with renal insufficiency (15). 

The biggest limitation of the CoMFA method is the alignment step. The algorithm superimposes the portions of the inhibitors that are of similar stmcture, assuming that they bind with similar orientations in the active site of the enzyme, which is not necessarily the case. Also, because of a problem with alignment, a CoMFA may fail when a few molecules are very dissimilar from all others in the series. Like QSAR, CoMFA does not require a stmcture of the relevant biological receptor, but does require knowledge about a series of inhibitory compounds. 

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