âThatâs something we can test. If it does, caspase-1 inhibitors mightâand I emphasize mightâbecome a component of a curative cocktail.â G. Doitsh et al., âCell death by pyroptosis drives CD4 T-cell depletion in HIV-1 infection,â Nature, doi:10.1038/nature12940, 2013.
Decades ago it was believed that a cascade of enzymes controls the activity of HMG-CoA reductase: an HMG-CoA reductase kinase was thought to inactivate the enzyme, and the kinase in turn was held to be activated via phosphorylation by HMG-CoA reductase kinase kinase.
This enzyme provides the rate-limiting step for serotonin synthesis, in the same manner that norepinephrine and dopamine synthesis in adrenergic and dopaminergic neurons is controlled by the ability of the related enzyme, L-tyrosine hydroxylase, to convert L-tyrosine to L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA).