Zsuzsanna Ortutay

Åbo Akademi University · Genome editing core

The proprotein convertase enzyme FURIN promotes the proteolytic maturation of pro-proteins and thereby it serves as an important factor for maintaining cellular homeostasis. In T cells, FURIN is critical for maintaining the T regulatory cell dependent peripheral immune tolerance and intact T helper cell polarization. The enzymatic activity of FURIN...

Background: The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) enzyme controls blood cholesterol levels by downregulating the expression of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR). Pathogenic lipids (e.g. lipopolysaccharide) are removed from the circulation by an LDLR/PCSK9-dependent mechanism, thus it has been suggested that PCSK9 inhi...

Introduction: R-Ras GTPase has recently been implicated in the regulation of immune functions, particularly in dendritic cell (DC) maturation, immune synapse formation, and subsequent T cell responses. Methods: Here, we investigated the role of R-Ras in allergen-induced immune response (type 2 immune response) in Rras deficient (R-Ras KO) and wi...

Figure S1. Gating strategies used in flow cytometry. (A) Spleens were harvested from euthanized mice. Single cell suspension was created as described in Materials and Methods and red blood cells lysed before staining the cells for surface markers and applying them onto the flow cytometer. Cell debris was excluded and remaining cells were studied fo...

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and IL-7 are related cytokines that mediate growth and differentiation events in the immune system. They signal through IL-7Rα-containing receptors. Target cells of TSLP in Th2 responses include CD4 T cells and dendritic cells (DCs). Although it has been reported that expression of TSLP receptor (TSLPR) on CD4 T...

This book addresses the difficulties experienced by wet lab researchers with the statistical analysis of molecular biology related data. The authors explain how to use R and Bioconductor for the analysis of experimental data in the field of molecular biology. The content is based upon two university courses for bioinformatics and experimental biolo...

Antigen emergence rapidly stimulates T cells, which leads to changes in cytokine production, cell proliferation, and differentiation. Some of the key molecules involved in these events, such as TGF-β1 and NOTCH1, are synthesized initially as inactive precursors and are proteolytically activated during T cell activation. PCSKs regulate proprotein ma...

The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin enzymes proteolytically convert immature proproteins into bioactive molecules, and thereby they serve as key regulators of cellular homeostasis. The archetype proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin, FURIN, is a direct target gene of the IL-12/STAT4 pathway and it is upregulated in Th1 cells. We have previo...

Members of the substilisin/kexin like proprotein convertase (PCSK) protease family cleave and convert immature pro-proteins into their biologically active forms. By cleaving for example prohormones, cytokines and cell membrane proteins, PCSKs participate in maintaining the homeostasis in a healthy human body. Conversely, erratic enzymatic function...

To analyze enzymes involved in joint damage by simultaneous investigation of glycosidases and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in patients with various joint diseases. Activities of glycosidases (beta-D-glucuronidase, beta-D-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase, beta-D-N-acetyl-galactosaminidase, beta-D-galactosidase, and alpha-D-mannosidase) were tested at an...

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a helical cytokine exerting pleiotropic activities including the regulation of hematopoiesis, B cell activation and acute-phase reaction. The structure-function relationship of the molecule is the subject of intensive investigation using point and deletion mutants. Our objective was to analyse the role of the N-terminal 18-4...