Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology
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Zinc is well-known to have a central role in human inflammation and immunity and is itself an anti-inflammatory and antiviral agent. Despite its massively documented role in such processes, the underlying chemistry of zinc in relation to specific proteins and pathways of the immune system has not received much focus. This short review provides an overview of this topic, with emphasis on the structures of key proteins, zinc coordination chemistry, and probable mechanisms involved in zinc-based immunity, with some focus points for future chemical and biological research.
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Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), a key player in mitosis, is overexpressed in a wide range of tumor types and has been validated as a target for tumor therapy. In addition to its N-terminal kinase domain, Plk1 harbors a C-terminal protein-protein interaction domain, referred to as the polo-box domain (PBD). ⋯ Although peptide-based inhibitors are invaluable tools for elucidating the nature of the binding interface, small molecules are better suited for the induction of mitotic arrest and apoptosis in tumor cells by Plk1 inhibition. This review describes the considerable progress that has been made in developing small-molecule and peptide-based inhibitors of the Plk1 PBD.
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Life of higher organisms is essentially dependent on the efficient synthesis of ATP by oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria. An important and as yet unsolved question of energy metabolism is how are the variable rates of ATP synthesis at maximal work load during exercise or mental work and at rest or during sleep regulated. ⋯ A new molecular hypothesis on the physiological regulation of oxidative phosphorylation is proposed, assuming a hormonally controlled dynamic equilibrium in vivo between two states of energy metabolism, a relaxed state with low ROS (reactive oxygen species) formation, and an excited state with elevated formation of ROS, which are known to accelerate aging and to cause degenerative diseases and cancer. The hypothesis is based on the allosteric ATP inhibition of cytochrome c oxidase at high intramitochondrial ATP/ADP ratios ("second mechanism of respiratory control"), which is switched on by cAMP-dependent phosphorylation and switched off by calcium-induced dephosphorylation of the enzyme.