Author
Kurt M. Bohren
Other affiliations: University of Bern, United States Department of Agriculture
Bio: Kurt M. Bohren is an academic researcher from Baylor College of Medicine. The author has contributed to research in topics: Aldose reductase & Aldehyde Reductase. The author has an hindex of 28, co-authored 53 publications receiving 3593 citations. Previous affiliations of Kurt M. Bohren include University of Bern & United States Department of Agriculture.
Papers published on a yearly basis
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TL;DR: Southern hybridization analysis of human genomic DNA indicates a multigene system for aldose reductase, suggesting the existence of additional proteins, and the aldo-keto reductases superfamily of proteins may have a more significant and hitherto not fully appreciated role in general cellular metabolism.
434 citations
TL;DR: The structure of a recombinant human placenta aldose reductase is refined and it is revealed that the enzyme contains a parallel beta 8/alpha 8-barrel motif and establishes a new motif for NADP-binding oxidoreductases.
Abstract: Aldose reductase, which catalyzes the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-dependent reduction of a wide variety of aromatic and aliphatic carbonyl compounds, is implicated in the development of diabetic and galactosemic complications involving the lens, retina, nerves, and kidney. A 1.65 angstrom refined structure of a recombinant human placenta aldose reductase reveals that the enzyme contains a parallel beta 8/alpha 8-barrel motif and establishes a new motif for NADP-binding oxidoreductases. The substrate-binding site is located in a large, deep elliptical pocket at the COOH-terminal end of the beta barrel with a bound NADPH in an extended conformation. The highly hydrophobic nature of the active site pocket greatly favors aromatic and apolar substrates over highly polar monosaccharides. The structure should allow for the rational design of specific inhibitors that might provide molecular understanding of the catalytic mechanism, as well as possible therapeutic agents.
404 citations
TL;DR: The identification of a novel intronless SUMO gene, SUMO-4, that encodes a 95-amino acid protein having an 86% amino acid homology withsumO-2, which is associated with type I diabetes mellitus susceptibility in families and suggests that it may be involved in the pathogenesis of type Iabetes.
358 citations
TL;DR: The maturation process of SUMO-4 to active form containing C-terminal di-glycine residues is inhibited by a unique proline residue located at position 90 (Pro-90), which appears to be unable to form covalent isopeptide bonds with substrates.
238 citations
TL;DR: The data indicate that cooperative interaction among the three TonE-like sequences in the human AR may be necessary for their enhancer function, suggesting that the mechanism of osmotic regulation of gene expression in these animals is similar.
205 citations
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TL;DR: This integrating paradigm provides a new conceptual framework for future research and drug discovery in diabetes-specific microvascular disease and seems to reflect a single hyperglycaemia-induced process of overproduction of superoxide by the mitochondrial electron-transport chain.
Abstract: Diabetes-specific microvascular disease is a leading cause of blindness, renal failure and nerve damage, and diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis leads to increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke and limb amputation. Four main molecular mechanisms have been implicated in glucose-mediated vascular damage. All seem to reflect a single hyperglycaemia-induced process of overproduction of superoxide by the mitochondrial electron-transport chain. This integrating paradigm provides a new conceptual framework for future research and drug discovery.
8,289 citations
TL;DR: Athrosclerosis and cardiomyopathy in type 2 diabetes are caused in part by pathway-selective insulin resistance, which increases mitochondrial ROS production from free fatty acids and by inactivation of antiatherosclerosis enzymes by ROS.
Abstract: Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the development of diabetes complications, both microvascular and cardiovascular. The metabolic abnormalities of diabetes cause mitochondrial superoxide overproduction in endothelial cells of both large and small vessels, as well as in the myocardium. This increased superoxide production causes the activation of 5 major pathways involved in the pathogenesis of complications: polyol pathway flux, increased formation of AGEs (advanced glycation end products), increased expression of the receptor for AGEs and its activating ligands, activation of protein kinase C isoforms, and overactivity of the hexosamine pathway. It also directly inactivates 2 critical antiatherosclerotic enzymes, endothelial nitric oxide synthase and prostacyclin synthase. Through these pathways, increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause defective angiogenesis in response to ischemia, activate a number of proinflammatory pathways, and cause long-lasting epigenetic changes that drive persistent expression of proinflammatory genes after glycemia is normalized ("hyperglycemic memory"). Atherosclerosis and cardiomyopathy in type 2 diabetes are caused in part by pathway-selective insulin resistance, which increases mitochondrial ROS production from free fatty acids and by inactivation of antiatherosclerosis enzymes by ROS. Overexpression of superoxide dismutase in transgenic diabetic mice prevents diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, and cardiomyopathy. The aim of this review is to highlight advances in understanding the role of metabolite-generated ROS in the development of diabetic complications.
3,822 citations
TL;DR: Cell volume may be considered a second message in the transmission of hormonal signals, and alterations of cell volume and volume regulatory mechanisms participate in a wide variety of cellular functions including epithelial transport, metabolism, excitation, hormone release, migration, cell proliferation, and cell death.
Abstract: Lang, Florian, Gillian L. Busch, Markus Ritter, Harald Volkl, Siegfried Waldegger, Erich Gulbins, and Dieter Haussinger. Functional Significance of Cell Volume Regulatory Mechanisms. Physiol. Rev. ...
1,839 citations
TL;DR: A decade has passed since SUMO was discovered to be a reversible post-translational protein modifier and many enzymes that participate in regulated SUMO-conjugation and -deconjugation pathways have been identified and characterized.
Abstract: A decade has passed since SUMO (small ubiquitin-related modifier) was discovered to be a reversible post-translational protein modifier. During this time many enzymes that participate in regulated SUMO-conjugation and -deconjugation pathways have been identified and characterized. In parallel, the search for SUMO substrates has produced a long list of targets, which appear to be involved in most cellular functions. Sumoylation is a highly dynamic process and its outcomes are extremely diverse, ranging from changes in localization to altered activity and, in some cases, stability of the modified protein. At first glance, these effects have nothing in common; however, it seems that they all result from changes in the molecular interactions of the sumoylated proteins.
1,663 citations
TL;DR: The diverse effects of SUMO modification are discussed and models proposed to explain SUMO actions.
1,646 citations