Plasma binding ligands

Signalling for apoptosis can involve a plasma Fas ligand which binds to the PM Fas receptor with resultant activation of an associated cytosol-side Fas death domain of Fas and activation of caspase 8. Caspase 8 is a thiol protease and once activated initiates a so-called caspase cascade leading to activation of further caspases (with consequent proteolysis) and activation of a DNase (leading to DNA destruction with formation of a characteristic DNA fragment ladder ). Caspase 8 acts on mitochondria with resultant release of cytochrome c, which promotes caspase 3 activation by caspase 8 and hence the caspase cascade . Another signalling pathway for apoptosis involves tumour necrosis factor (TNF) binding to the TNF receptor with consequent activation of a cytosolic-side TNF receptor-associated death domain (TRADD) and resultant activation of the caspase cascade and cell death. 

Measurement of Aldosterone in Blood and Urine Simple and refiable immunoassay methods for measuring aldosterone in blood and urine are readily available. These methods differ primarily in the specificity of the antialdosterone antibodies. Most direct radioimmunoassay methods for plasma aldosterone use antisera generated against an aldosterone-3-monooxime-bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugate, and use an T-labeled ligand and ANS at pH 3.6 to displace aldosterone from plasma-binding proteins. ... 

Affinity chromatography is used in the preparation of more highly purified Factor IX concentrates (53—55) as well as in the preparation of products such as antithrombin III [9000-94-6] (56,57). Heparin [9005-49-6], a sulfated polysaccharide (58), is the ligand used most commonly in these appHcations because it possesses specific binding sites for a number of plasma proteins (59,60). 

Fig. 13. Model for the ligand binding site of the receptor (87). The view of the receptor is from the extracellular face of the plasma...

Figure 1. Simplified schematic of receptor-mediated signal transduction in neutrophils. Binding of ligand to the receptor activates a guanine-nucleotide-binding protein (G protein), which then stimulates phospholipase C. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bis-phosphate is cleaved to produce diacylglycerol (DAG) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3). DAG stimulates protein kinase C. IP3 causes the release of Ca from intracellular stores, which results in an increase in the cytosolic Ca concentration. This increase in Ca may stimulate protein kinase C, calmodulin-dependent protein kinases, and phospholipase A2. Protein phosphorylation events are thought to be important in stimulating degranulation and oxidant production. In addition, ionic fluxes occur across the plasma membrane. It is possible that phospholipase A2 and ionic channels may be governed by G protein interactions. ...

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