Biochemistry and Protein Interactions of the CYREN Microprotein.

Over the past decade, advances in genomics have identified thousands of additional protein-coding small open reading frames (smORFs) missed by traditional gene finding approaches. These smORFs encode peptides and small proteins, commonly termed micropeptides or microproteins. Several of these newly discovered microproteins have biological functions and operate through interactions with proteins and protein complexes within the cell. CYREN1 is a characterized microprotein that regulates double-strand break repair in mammalian cells through interaction with Ku70/80 heterodimer. Ku70/80 binds to and stabilizes double-strand breaks and recruits the machinery needed for nonhomologous end join repair. In this study, we examined the biochemical properties of CYREN1 to better understand and explain its cellular protein interactions. Our findings support that CYREN1 is an intrinsically disordered microprotein and this disordered structure allows it to enriches several proteins, including a newly discovered interaction with SF3B1 via a distinct short linear motif (SLiMs) on CYREN1. Since many microproteins are predicted to be disordered, CYREN1 is an exemplar of how microproteins interact with other proteins and reveals an unknown scaffolding function of this microprotein that may link NHEJ and splicing.

Design and Applications of Protein-Cage-Based Nanomaterials.

Materials science is beginning to focus on biotemplation, and in support of that trend, it is realized that protein cages-proteins that assemble from multiple monomers into architectures with hollow interiors-can instill a number of unique advantages to nanomaterials. In addition, the structural and functional plasticity of many protein-cage systems permits their engineering for specific applications. In this review, the most commonly used viral and non-viral protein cages, which exhibit a wide diversity of size, functionality, and chemical and thermal stabilities, are described. Moreover, how they have been exploited for nanomaterial and nanotechnology applications is summarized.

Posttransplant diabetes mellitus: incidence and risk factors.

OBJECTIVE: Posttransplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is a common and serious complication of renal transplantation. Estimates of the incidence of PTDM after renal transplantation vary between 2% and 54%. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the incidence and risk factors for PTDM among our renal transplant patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study we evaluated 121 nondiabetic patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who underwent kidney transplantation for the first time at our centers since 2005. All patients received the same protocol of immunosuppressive therapy. PTDM was defined according to the clinical practice recommendations of the American Diabetes Association. RESULTS: At 12 months following renal transplantation, 9.9% of patients developed PTDM. Patients with PTDM were significantly older (P = .013) and had higher body mass index (P = .001). There were significant differences (P

Infertility among female renal transplant recipients.

We studied 122 women with renal allograft transplantation to evaluate their reproductive systems. The patients were recruited from the three main kidney transplant surgery centers in Tehran, from September to October 2005. Fifteen (12%) patients were either in the menopausal stage or had hysterectomies, and the other 33(27%) were unmarried. Of the 76(62%) married women at the reproductive age, 10 (13.1%) had infertility that was defined as the failure of a married woman to conceive after 12 months of frequent intercourse without contraception. Three patients had male factor infertility, three others had ovulatory problems, and four cases were undefined. Only six cases were actively treated by ovulation induction +/- an intrauterine inducer (IUI); two patients became pregnant, while the other four refused infertility treatment. The reasons of unwillingness for infertility treatment included old age (40 years) in one patient, positive HBsAg in one, renal retransplantation in one, and previous clomiphene therapy failure in another. We conclude that the prevalence of infertility among female renal transplant recipients is the same as the general population, and the causes are mostly treatable. However, many are less motivated to be treated for this problem.

Unwanted pregnancy among kidney transplant recipients in Iran.

To investigate the incidence of unwanted pregnancy among kidney transplant recipients, we studied 86 pregnancies in 64 women with a transplanted kidney. Twenty-five pregnancies were unwanted (29.1%). Pregnancy was terminated by induced abortion in seven patients, and four pregnancies were lost due to spontaneous abortion with one intrauterine fetal death. Only 13 (52%) pregnancies resulted in a live birth. Most of the unwanted pregnancies occurred in women using coitus interruptus (92%) as the only method of contraception. It is concluded that because fertility greatly improves after kidney transplantation, it is necessary to have a family planning counseling session before surgery. If a patient is not interested in future pregnancy, an effective method of contraception should be offered. A woman who has decided against childbearing in the future may decide to have a tubal ligation at the time of transplantation surgery.