2,776 research outputs found

    A network biology-based approach to evaluating the effect of environmental contaminants on human interactome and diseases

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    Environmental contaminant exposure can pose significant risks to human health. Therefore, evaluating the impact of this exposure is of great importance; however, it is often difficult because both the molecular mechanism of disease and the mode of action of the contaminants are complex. We used network biology techniques to quantitatively assess the impact of environmental contaminants on the human interactome and diseases with a particular focus on seven major contaminant categories: persistent organic pollutants (POPs), dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, perfluorochemicals (PFCs), metals, and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs). We integrated publicly available data on toxicogenomics, the diseasome, protein–protein interactions (PPIs), and gene essentiality and found that a few contaminants were targeted to many genes, and a few genes were targeted by many contaminants. The contaminant targets were hub proteins in the human PPI network, whereas the target proteins in most categories did not contain abundant essential proteins. Generally, contaminant targets and disease-associated proteins were closely associated with the PPI network, and the closeness of the associations depended on the disease type and chemical category. Network biology techniques were used to identify environmental contaminants with broad effects on the human interactome and contaminant-sensitive biomarkers. Moreover, this method enabled us to quantify the relationship between environmental contaminants and human diseases, which was supported by epidemiological and experimental evidence. These methods and findings have facilitated the elucidation of the complex relationship between environmental exposure and adverse health outcomes

    Pharmacologic Activities of 3’-Hydroxypterostilbene: Cytotoxic, Anti- Oxidant, Anti-Adipogenic, Anti-Inflammatory, Histone Deacetylase and Sirtuin 1 Inhibitory Activity

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    Purpose: Delineate the selected pharmacodynamics of a naturally occurring stilbene 3’- Hydroxypterostilbene. Objective: Characterize for the first time the pharmacodynamics bioactivity in several in-vitro assays with relevant roles in heart disease, inflammation, cancer, and diabetes etiology and pathophysiology. Methods: 3’-Hydroxypterostilbene was studied in in-vitro assays to identify possible bioactivity. Results: 3’-Hydroxypterostilbene demonstrated anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, antiadipogenic, histone deacetylase, and sirtuin-1 inhibitory activity. Conclusions: The importance of understanding individual stilbene pharmacologic activities were delineated. Small changes in chemical structure of stilbene compounds result in significant pharmacodynamic differences

    Fungicidal Activities and Mechanisms of Action of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae Lipodepsipeptide Syringopeptins 22A and 25A

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    The plant-associated bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae simultaneously produces two classes of metabolites: the small cyclic lipodepsinonapeptides such as the syringomycins and the larger cyclic lipodepsipeptide syringopeptins SP22 or SP25. The syringomycins inhibit a broad spectrum of fungi (but particularly yeasts) by lipid-dependent membrane interaction. The syringopeptins are phytotoxic and inhibitory to Gram-positive bacteria. In this study, the fungicidal activities of two major syringopeptins, SP22A and SP25A, and their mechanisms of action were investigated and compared to those of syringomycin E. SP22A and SP25A were observed to inhibit the fungal yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans although less effectively than syringomycin E. S. cerevisiae mutants defective in ergosterol and sphingolipid biosyntheses were less susceptible to SP22A and SP25A but the relative inhibitory capabilities of SRE vs. SP22A and SP25A were maintained. Similar differences were observed for capabilities to cause cellular K+ and Ca2+ fluxes in S. cerevisiae. Interestingly, in phospholipid bilayers the syringopeptins are found to induce larger macroscopic ionic conductances than syringomycin E but form single channels with similar properties. These findings suggest that the syringopeptins target the yeast plasma membrane, and, like syringomycin E, employ a lipid-dependent channel-forming mechanism of action. The differing degrees of growth inhibition by these lipodepsipeptides may be explained by differences in their hydrophobicities. The more hydrophobic SP22A and SP25A might interact more strongly with the yeast cell wall that would create a selective barrier for their incorporation into the plasma membrane
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