Showing papers by "Marla J. Berry published in 2003"
TL;DR: It is suggested that the coupling effect is critical to preventing nonproductive decoding attempts and hence forms a basis for effective selenoprotein synthesis.
75 citations
TL;DR: Insects appear to have diverged from both higher and lower organisms in their defense mechanisms against oxidative damage, and their thioredoxin reductases exhibit distinct properties from those of higher and higher species.
Abstract: Background : Insects appear to have diverged from both higher and lower organisms in their defense mechanisms against oxidative damage. They do not encode glutathione peroxidases or glutathione reductases, and their thioredoxin reductases exhibit distinct properties from those of higher and lower species. Nonetheless, appropriate balance of antioxidants and pro-oxidants, and protection from damaging reactive oxygen species are clearly crucial in insects for viability, normal functioning of signalling pathways and morphogenesis, and have been implicated in studies on longevity in flies and other organisms. We have used RNAi in D. melanogaster embryos and in Schneider S2 cells to inhibit expression of these proteins. We report that inhibition of either dselH or dselK expression significantly reduces viability in embryos. We further show that dselH silencing decreases total anti-oxidant capacity in embryos and Schneider cells, and increases lipid peroxidation in cells. Conversely, transient expression of dselH in the cell line decreases lipid peroxidation, and reverses the toxic effects of a glutathione-depleting drug. The latter correlates with sparing of glutathione levels.
49 citations