Xenopus laevis : the pituitary gland

The pituitary gland is a small suspension part of the brain. Within it are two lobes, the anterior and the posterior lobes. Within these two lobes are five (5) different types of cells:-

• Chromophil
•  Acidophil
• Basophil
•  Chromophobe
• Glial

I am one of these cells. I am important for the development for the oocyte. I am a Basophil of the pituitary gland and I secrete hormones into the blood stream to promote the body’s reproduction organs to start and maintain the reproductive cells, it which they create. Yes, the pituitary gland is found in both males and females. One thing that you should note, my other cell conterparts are responsible for many other hormones that pertain to different functions and services of the body. However, my duties are solely to that of reproduction.

Cell Type – Oocyte (Egg) Cell of Xenopus Laevis

Add your thoughts heLook out I am about to Hit you!! With my cell. ( For educational purposes I cannot put the name of my cell in that first sentence).

Dear Rhonda, the oocyte.
I am Brandon, the sperm cell and I am trying to attempt to communicate to you. You may be wondering but how the in the world is this possible when you’re in a different body compared to mines. Well, to be honest we can only communicate once we’re in the same body, so yes I am very close by, I hope!! This can only occur due to sexual interactions between the body I am in and the body you are in. However, in some cases, if we belong to the same body, which in this case our parent is a hermaphrodite.

Before I meet you, ( prior to fertilization), I release a hormone, known as mass sperm proteins, or MSP. These proteins bind to receptors on your other membrane, which is exactly like a ligand binding to a receptor. This process is known as long distance communication, Endocrine signalling.

MSP is used by the sperm to stimulate the ovary to undergo oocyte maturation and contraction of the ovarian sheath. This prepares the oocyte and releases it for fertilization to take place.

References.
Michael A. Miller, Sung Ming han, and Pauline A. Cottee. ” Sperm and Oocyte communication mechanisms controlling Fertility. Accessed on November 23rd, 2013 .http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2963114/re… (optional)

BiochemMystery MaNiAcS

This is my life…. I am an Oocyte (EGG) Cell!

 

 

          In research and development, the oocytes and embryos of Xenopus Laevis are widely used as model systems as their handling and manipulation is easily achieved. Oocytes are tetraploid cells (having four sets of chromosomes) located within the ovarian lobe of adult female frogs and are surrounded by a layer of follicle cells. The large nucleus within the oocyte is called a germinal vesicle and contains genetic information and mitochondrial DNA.

            It is the largest single cell in the body (filling up the ovarian volume) and has many similar structures to that of a somatic cell. Oocytes have two poles, the animal pole and the vegital pole. There are permeable to small molecues but when fertiliztion does not occur, they convert to impermeable molecules. 

         The oocyte is an…

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Beta Oxidation

Beta Oxidation

Hey guys,
So the project for Biochemistry this semester was a video project. My group decided to based our video on Beta oxidation, giving the necessary steps and explaining them in detail. Please give us your support by looking at the video and commenting if you so desire.

Many Thanks.

Brandon.

Ribbbbbbbbbb-it

African Clawed Frog. (Xenopus laevis)

Hello All!

I am a cell found inside this wonderful creature. My beginnings first starts, by stimulation of the pituitary gland, which kicks off the production of myself and my brothers and sisters. When my dad becomes mature, my role is to get out there and find myself a female companion, with the hopes and dreams into developing and growing into a tall,awesome, figure like my dad.

I have an three sections to my body. My head has an acrosomal cap on the anterior and below has a nucleus, where all my DNA can be found. My acrosomal head, contains enzymes, which I heard is the surest way to a woman’s heart. In the middle, mitochondria can be found, this gives me energy and my tail helps me to about freely.

Any Ideas to what I am ?

Feel free to comment your answers or thoughts on what you think I might be.    🙂

Stay tuned for more exciting news from the Cloaca. [ Huge hint 😉 ]

Brandon. c:

References:

Garvey, N. 2000. “Xenopus laevis” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed September 24, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Xenopus_laevis/

Kaplan, Melissa. 1995. Natural History of the Upland Clawed Frog. http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/xenopus.html. Accessed on September 24, 2013.

http://www.frog-garden.com/frog-reproduction.html accessed on September 24, 2013.

Hello Guys.

Its Exam time at the university. When it’s over I shall continue showing the world of biochemistry.

Any questions or queries, message me on Facebook (:

http://www.facebook.com/brandonraphael.mohammed

Brandon. (:

 

Digest-alase! Digestion and Enzymes .

The following is a review on a published article, “The Effect of Enzymes on Digestion.”, by Michael R. Bedford. Please note that his writings dealt with digestion in Birds.

Contrary to popular belief, that nutrients are always fully digested and absorbed in the blood stream, it is very unlikely that they ever do. Nutrients digestibilities vary between different dietary substances, however there are fours processes that help aid with digestibility. These four mechanisms are:

• Deteriorating the cell wall 
• Destroying ANF’s (supplements)
• Supplying the Host’s Enzymes
• Using intestinal bacteria

Destroying the cell wall.

Taken from www,newscenter.lbl,gov.

In this mechanism, Beta-glucanase, an enzymes, was used to break down the complex cell wall, rapidily allowing amylases and proteases to break down the cell’s content.

Getting rid of the ANF’s.

ANFs’ are supplements such as, non-starch polysaccharides, proteins, and amino acids.

It was observed that Beta-glucanase turned out to be soluble in barley. This was due to the Beta-glucan component being dissolved completely by the endosperm of the cell wall. ANF’s create viscosity, which reduces the effect of enzymes. Enzymes used to reduce intestinal viscosity are believed to improve digestion in the intestinal tract.

Viscosity. Taken from photos.runics.com

Supplying the Host’s Enzymes.

Latest investigations has lead researchers to believe that the digestive tract may not have adequate enzymatic and absorption capacity to deal with all kinds of diets. However, work done by Bedford and Classen, proves that by adding the host enzymes, through means of supplements do in fact increase the rate at which these substances are digested.

Taken from http://www.return2health.net/articles/wp-content/uploads/Enzymes1.jpg

 

Microbial presence?

The are millions of microbes present in your digestive tract. These microbes aid in digestion by breaking down the digestive substances to feed their own needs and produce, in some cases, helpful by products. Evidence to support the presence of microbes in our digestive tract is due to the presences of their by products in faeces.

Bacteria on the walls of the intestines

References.

Bedford. Michael. R. 1996. ” The Effects of Enzymes on Digestion.” The Journal of Applied Poultry Research. Applied Poultry Inc, 1996. Accessed on April 11 2013.

Classen, H.L, T.A. Scotl, G.C. Irish, P. Hucl, M, and M.R Bedford, 1995.”The relationship of chemical and physical measurements to the apparent metabolize energy (AME) of wheat when fed to broiler chickens with and without and enzyme source”.Proc. of 2nd European Symp. on Feed Enzymes, Pages 65-77 Noordwijkerhout, NL. Accessed on April 11 2013.

Quiz Time!

This quiz is purely on enzymes only.

1. What class of enzymes breaks down substrates by adding or losing, hydrogen and oxygen?

A) Hydrolases

B) Transferases

C) Oxidoreductases

D)Ligases

 

2. Ligases is the only one of the six major classes of enzymes to

A) Undergo hydrolysis

B) Combine molecules

C) Oxidise a substrate

D)Rearrange the structure of a substrate.

 

3.Uncompetitive Inhibitors binds to

A) Active site only

B) Enzyme-substrate complex only

C) Both the free enzyme and enzyme-substrate complex

D) To the substrate molecule only

 

4. Mixed Inhibitors binds to either the free enzyme or to the enzyme-substrate complex. How does this affect Vmax and Km?

A) Nothing is affected

B) Vmax increases and Km can increase and decrease

C) Vmax is reduced and Km can increase and decrease

D) Vmax remains constant, while Km increases

 

5) Which type inhibitor binds only to the active site?

A) Non-competitive

B) Uncompetitive

C) Competitive

D)Mixed

 

Best of luck.

Thank you for you time.

Wordle

Please take into consideration, that this blog is an assignment given to us by our teacher. I am using this blog to introduce biochemistry into the lives of people that know little about it.

If you wish to create your own wordle for your site or blog, etc. you can @ http://www.wordle.net/create

Brandon. (:

Wordle!!

Reversible Inhibition.

What is an Inhibitor?

An inhibitor is any substance that diminishes the velocity of an enzyme catalysed reaction.

There are two main categories of inhibition- Reversible and Non-reversible. This entry deals with reversible inhibitors only. There are four types of reversible enzymes.

These are:

• Competitive Inhibtors
• Non-competitive Inhibitors
• Uncompetitive Inhibitors
• Mixed Inhibitors

 

Competitive inhibitors.

These inhibitors compete with the substrate molecules for the active site of the enzyme. Competitive inhibitors only bind to the active site of the free enzyme, note that it never binds to the enzyme-substrate complex. Competitive inhibitors do not change the Vmax, maximum velocity, of the reaction, however the substrate affinity binding to the active site of the enzyme, decreases. This means Km increases. (Remember high affinity = low Km and vice versa) .

Taken from http://www.MyMcat.com

In the case of allosteric enzymes. Both substrate and inhibitor cannot bind to the enzyme at the same time. When the Inhibitor binds to one active site, it temporarily changes the shape of the other active site, preventing the substrate from binding.

Taken from “Describe an Induced fit model” , http://www.tokresource.org

 

Non-Competitive Inhibitors.

Unlike competitive inhibitors,which only bind to the active site of the enzyme, non-competitive inhibitors can bind to the free enzyme as well as the enzyme substrate complex. Since the substrate can still bind to the enzyme, this tells us that Km is unchanged, however Vmax is reduced as the enzyme does not function with the inhibitor.

Taken from http://www.mymcat.com/wiki/Enzyme_Inhibition

 

Uncompetitive Inhibitors.

These inhibitors only bind to the enzyme substrate complex. This means that the substrate can bind to enzyme although the inhibitor is already bound to it. This also tells us that both Vmax and Km are reduced.

Taken from http://www.mymcat.com/wiki/Enzyme_Inhibition

 

Mixed Inhibitors.

Mixed inhibitors get the term “mixed” because they can act as competitive inhibitors, and only bind to the active site, or act and uncompetitive inhibitors and bind to the enzyme substrate complex. As a result of this, substrate affinity to the enzyme can either increase or decrease,(i.e. low or high Km values). From uncompetitive inhibitors, Vmax will always be reduced as the presence of the inhibitor decreases the velocity.