1
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Zhou P, Qiu T, Wang X, Yang X, Shi H, Zhu C, Dai W, Xing M, Zhang X, Xu J, Zhou D. One HA stalk topping multiple heads as a novel influenza vaccine. Emerg Microbes Infect 2024; 13:2290838. [PMID: 38044872 PMCID: PMC10810646 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2290838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Classic chimeric hemagglutinin (cHA) was designed to induce immune responses against the conserved stalk domain of HA. However, it is unclear whether combining more than one HA head domain onto one stalk domain is immunogenic and further induce immune responses against influenza viruses. Here, we constructed numerous novel cHAs comprising two or three fuzed head domains from different subtypes grafted onto one stalk domain, designated as cH1-H3, cH1-H7, cH1-H3-H7, and cH1-H7-H3. The three-dimensional structures of these novel cHAs were modelled using bioinformatics simulations. Structural analysis showed that the intact neutralizing epitopes were exposed in cH1-H7 and were predicted to be immunogenic. The immunogenicity of the cHAs constructs was evaluated in mice using a chimpanzee adenoviral vector (AdC68) vaccine platform. The results demonstrated that cH1-H7 expressed by AdC68 (AdC68-cH1-H7) induced the production of high levels of binding antibodies, neutralizing antibodies, and hemagglutinin inhibition antibodies against homologous pandemic H1N1, drifted seasonal H1N1, and H7N9 virus. Moreover, vaccinated mice were fully protected from a lethal challenge with the aforementioned influenza viruses. Hence, cH1-H7 cHAs with potent immunogenicity might be a potential novel vaccine to provide protection against different subtypes of influenza virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Zhou
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tianyi Qiu
- Institute of Clinical Science, ZhongShan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
- Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiang Wang
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xi Yang
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hongyang Shi
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China
| | - Caihong Zhu
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Weiqian Dai
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China
| | - Man Xing
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyan Zhang
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jianqing Xu
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Dongming Zhou
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
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2
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Arai S, Kobayashi R, Adachi M, Kimura K, Masai H. Possibility of two-dimensional ordering of cryptochrome 4a from European robin. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 737:150513. [PMID: 39126860 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.150513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Cryptochrome (Cry) in some species could act as a quantum senser to detect the inclination angle of geomagnetic field, the function of which attributes the magnetic sensitivity of spins of unpaired electrons in radical pair (RP) in CRY generated by blue light irradiation. However, the effect of blue light on the structure and molecular behavior of Cry has not been well investigated. We conducted the size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analyses to inspect the molecular structure and behavior of cryptochrome 4a (ErCry4a) from European robin, a representative magnetosensory animal. The results indicated that ErCry4a could form flat-shape oligomers. Moreover, blue light irradiation induced the contraction of the ErCry4a molecule at the monomer scale and simultaneously accelerated the two-dimensional oligomerization of ErCry4a. This oligomerization may enhance the regularity of the two-dimensional arrangement of ErCry4a molecules, providing a positive effect for detecting the inclination angle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeki Arai
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), 4-9-1 Anagwa, Inage-ku, Chiba-city, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan.
| | - Ryoma Kobayashi
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), 4-9-1 Anagwa, Inage-ku, Chiba-city, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Motoyasu Adachi
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), 4-9-1 Anagwa, Inage-ku, Chiba-city, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Koji Kimura
- Graduate School of Engineering Global College, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8555, Japan; Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, SPring-8, Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo, 679-5198, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Masai
- Department of Materials and Chemistry, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-8-31 Midorigaoka, Ikeda, Osaka, 563-8577, Japan
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3
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Brandt N, Köper F, Hausmann J, Bräuer AU. Spotlight on plasticity-related genes: Current insights in health and disease. Pharmacol Ther 2024; 260:108687. [PMID: 38969308 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2024.108687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
The development of the central nervous system is highly complex, involving numerous developmental processes that must take place with high spatial and temporal precision. This requires a series of complex and well-coordinated molecular processes that are tighly controlled and regulated by, for example, a variety of proteins and lipids. Deregulations in these processes, including genetic mutations, can lead to the most severe maldevelopments. The present review provides an overview of the protein family Plasticity-related genes (PRG1-5), including their role during neuronal differentiation, their molecular interactions, and their participation in various diseases. As these proteins can modulate the function of bioactive lipids, they are able to influence various cellular processes. Furthermore, they are dynamically regulated during development, thus playing an important role in the development and function of synapses. First studies, conducted not only in mouse experiments but also in humans, revealed that mutations or dysregulations of these proteins lead to changes in lipid metabolism, resulting in severe neurological deficits. In recent years, as more and more studies have shown their involvement in a broad range of diseases, the complexity and broad spectrum of known and as yet unknown interactions between PRGs, lipids, and proteins make them a promising and interesting group of potential novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Brandt
- Research Group Anatomy, Department of Human Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Franziska Köper
- Research Group Anatomy, Department of Human Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Jens Hausmann
- Research Group Anatomy, Department of Human Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Anja U Bräuer
- Research Group Anatomy, Department of Human Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany; Research Center for Neurosensory Science, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.
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4
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Besli N, Bulut Hİ, Onaran İ, Carmena-Bargueño M, Pérez-Sánchez H. Comparative assessment of different anti-CD147/Basigin 2 antibodies as a potential therapeutic anticancer target by molecular modeling and dynamic simulation. Mol Divers 2024:10.1007/s11030-024-10832-w. [PMID: 38587771 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-024-10832-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Cluster of differentiation 147 (CD147) is an attractive target for anticancer therapy since it is pivotal in developing and progressing several of malignant tumors in the context of its high expression levels. Although anti-CD147 antibodies by different laboratories are designed for the Ig-like domains of CD147, there is a demand to provide priority among these anti-CD147 antibodies for developing of therapeutic anti-CD147 antibody before experimental validations. This study uses molecular docking and dynamic simulation techniques to compare the binding modes and affinities of nine antibody models against the Ig-like domains of CD147. After obtaining the model antibodies by homology modeling via Robetta, we predicted the CDRs of nine antibodies and the epitopes of CD147 to reach more accurate results for antigen affinity in molecular docking. Next, from HADDOCK 2.4., we meticulously handpicked the most superior model clusters (Z-Score: - 2.5 to - 1.2) and identified that meplazumab had higher affinities according to the success rate as the percentage of a scoring scale. We achieved stable simulations of CD147-antibody interaction. Our outcomes hold hypothetical importance for further experimental cancer research on the design and development of the relevant model antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nail Besli
- Department of Medical Biology, Hamidiye School of Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Halil İbrahim Bulut
- Faculty of Medicine, Medical Program, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - İlhan Onaran
- Department of Medical Biology, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Miguel Carmena-Bargueño
- Computer Engineering Department, Structural Bioinformatics and High Performance Computing Research Group (BIO-HPC), UCAM Universidad Católica de Murcia, Guadalupe, Spain
| | - Horacio Pérez-Sánchez
- Computer Engineering Department, Structural Bioinformatics and High Performance Computing Research Group (BIO-HPC), UCAM Universidad Católica de Murcia, Guadalupe, Spain.
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5
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Krzysiak TC, Choi YJ, Kim YJ, Yang Y, DeHaven C, Thompson L, Ponticelli R, Mermigos MM, Thomas L, Marquez A, Sipula I, Kemper JK, Jurczak M, Thomas G, Gronenborn AM. Inhibitory protein-protein interactions of the SIRT1 deacetylase are choreographed by post-translational modification. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e4938. [PMID: 38533551 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Regulation of SIRT1 activity is vital to energy homeostasis and plays important roles in many diseases. We previously showed that insulin triggers the epigenetic regulator DBC1 to prime SIRT1 for repression by the multifunctional trafficking protein PACS-2. Here, we show that liver DBC1/PACS-2 regulates the diurnal inhibition of SIRT1, which is critically important for insulin-dependent switch in fuel metabolism from fat to glucose oxidation. We present the x-ray structure of the DBC1 S1-like domain that binds SIRT1 and an NMR characterization of how the SIRT1 N-terminal region engages DBC1. This interaction is inhibited by acetylation of K112 of DBC1 and stimulated by the insulin-dependent phosphorylation of human SIRT1 at S162 and S172, catalyzed sequentially by CK2 and GSK3, resulting in the PACS-2-dependent inhibition of nuclear SIRT1 enzymatic activity and translocation of the deacetylase in the cytoplasm. Finally, we discuss how defects in the DBC1/PACS-2-controlled SIRT1 inhibitory pathway are associated with disease, including obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Troy C Krzysiak
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - You-Jin Choi
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Joon Kim
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Yunhan Yang
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Christopher DeHaven
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Lariah Thompson
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ryan Ponticelli
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Mara M Mermigos
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Laurel Thomas
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Andrea Marquez
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ian Sipula
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jongsook Kim Kemper
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Michael Jurczak
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Gary Thomas
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Angela M Gronenborn
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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6
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Chen J, Ham BK, Kochian LV, Lucas WJ. A cucumber protein, Phloem Phosphate Stress-Repressed 1, rapidly degrades in response to a phosphate stress condition. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:2176-2190. [PMID: 38113277 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Under depleted external phosphate (Pi), many plant species adapt to this stress by initiating downstream signaling cascades. In plants, the vascular system delivers nutrients and signaling agents to control physiological and developmental processes. Currently, limited information is available regarding the direct role of phloem-borne long-distance signals in plant growth and development under Pi stress conditions. Here, we report on the identification and characterization of a cucumber protein, Cucumis sativus Phloem Phosphate Stress-Repressed 1 (CsPPSR1), whose level in the phloem translocation stream rapidly responds to imposed Pi-limiting conditions. CsPPSR1 degradation is mediated by the 26S proteasome; under Pi-sufficient conditions, CsPPSR1 is stabilized by its phosphorylation within the sieve tube system through the action of CsPPSR1 kinase. Further, we discovered that CsPPSR1 kinase was susceptible to Pi starvation-induced degradation in the sieve tube system. Our findings offer insight into a molecular mechanism underlying the response of phloem-borne proteins to Pi-limited stress conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jieyu Chen
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
- Global Institute for Food Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Byung-Kook Ham
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
- Global Institute for Food Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Leon V Kochian
- Global Institute for Food Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
- Department of Plant Sciences & Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - William J Lucas
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
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7
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Wang J, Xu Y, Wang X, Li J, Hua Z. Mechanism of Mutation-Induced Effects on the Catalytic Function of TEV Protease: A Molecular Dynamics Study. Molecules 2024; 29:1071. [PMID: 38474583 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29051071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2024] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Tobacco etch virus protease (TEVp) is wildly exploited for various biotechnological applications. These applications take advantage of TEVp's ability to cleave specific substrate sequences to study protein function and interactions. A major limitation of this enzyme is its relatively slow catalytic rate. In this study, MD simulations were conducted on TEV enzymes and known highly active mutants (eTEV and uTEV3) to explore the relationship between mutation, conformation, and catalytic function. The results suggest that mutations distant from the active site can influence the substrate-binding pocket through interaction networks. MD analysis of eTEV demonstrates that, by stabilizing the orientation of the substrate at the catalytic site, mutations that appropriately enlarge the substrate-binding pocket will be beneficial for Kcat, enhancing the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme. On the contrary, mutations in uTEV3 reduced the flexibility of the active pocket and increased the hydrogen bonding between the substrate and enzyme, resulting in higher affinity. At the same time, the MD simulation demonstrates that mutations outside of the active site residues could affect the dynamic movement of the binding pocket by altering residue networks and communication pathways, thereby having a profound impact on reactivity. These findings not only provide a molecular mechanistic explanation for the excellent mutants, but also serve as a guiding framework for rational computational design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyao Wang
- School of Biopharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Yicong Xu
- School of Biopharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Xujian Wang
- School of Biopharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Jiahuang Li
- School of Biopharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Changzhou High-Tech Research Institute, Nanjing University, Changzhou 213164, China
| | - Zichun Hua
- School of Biopharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Changzhou High-Tech Research Institute, Nanjing University, Changzhou 213164, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Nanjing 210023, China
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Le TN, Dinh TT, Mai-Hoang TD, Razzazi-Fazeli E, Tran-Van H. Serine protease inhibitor 3 (Serpin3) from Penaeus vannamei selectively interacts with Vibrio parahaemolyticus PirA vp. JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES 2024:e13935. [PMID: 38403934 DOI: 10.1111/jfd.13935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND) represents a significant challenge in the field of shrimp aquaculture. This disease is primarily caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains harbouring the pVA1 plasmid encoding the PirAvp and PirBvp toxins. To combat this epidemic and mitigate its devastating consequences, it is crucial to identify and characterize the receptors responsible for the binding of these pathogenic toxins. Our studied discovered that Penaeus vannamei's Serine protease inhibitor 3 (PvSerpin3) derived from shrimp hepatopancreatic tissues could bind to recombinant PirAvp , confirming its role as a novel PirAvp -binding protein (PA BP). Through comprehensive computational methods, we revealed two truncated PirAvp -binding proteins derived from PvSerpin3 called Serpin3(13) and Serpin3(22), which had higher affinity to PirAvp than the full-length PvSerpin3. The PA BP genes were amplified from a cDNA library that was reversed from total RNA extracted from shrimp, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Three PA BP inclusion bodies were refolded to obtain the soluble form, and the recovery efficacy was found to be 100% for Serpin3 and Serpin3(13), while Serpin3(22) had a recovery efficacy of roundly 50%. Co-Immunoprecipitation (co-IP) and dot blot assays substantiated the interaction of these recombinant PA BPs with both recombinant PirAvp and VPAHPND (XN89)-producing natural toxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thanh-Nguyen Le
- Laboratory of Biosensors, Department of Molecular and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Science, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
- Laboratory of Molecular Biotechnology, University of Science, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
- Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
| | - Thuan-Thien Dinh
- Laboratory of Biosensors, Department of Molecular and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Science, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
- Laboratory of Molecular Biotechnology, University of Science, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
- Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
| | - Thuy-Dung Mai-Hoang
- Laboratory of Biosensors, Department of Molecular and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Science, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
- Laboratory of Molecular Biotechnology, University of Science, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
- Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
| | - Ebrahim Razzazi-Fazeli
- VetCore Facility for Research, Proteomics Facility, Veterinary Medicine University, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hieu Tran-Van
- Laboratory of Biosensors, Department of Molecular and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Science, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
- Laboratory of Molecular Biotechnology, University of Science, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
- Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
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9
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Pushan SS, Samantaray M, Rajagopalan M, Ramaswamy A. Structural dynamics of influenza A (H1N1) hemagglutinin protein: a comparative study of Indian (2018) isolate with its evolutionary neighbor, Californian (2009) strain. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-14. [PMID: 38379377 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2317985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
This work highlights the structure and dynamics of two trimeric HA proteins of the H1N1 virus from different origins, the pandemic Californian (HACal) and its closest Indian neighbor (HAInd), reported in 2009 and 2018, respectively. Because of mutation, HAInd acquires new N-glycosylation and epitope binding sites along with mutations at RBD, which might trigger an altered viral-host interaction mechanism. Molecular dynamics simulations performed on HA trimers for a period of 250 ns reveal the highly dynamic nature of HACal trimers inherited by the flexibility of HA monomers. In the trimer, the dynamics of one monomer are more pronounced compared to others, and the enhanced dynamics of RBD especially gain attention as they plays a key role during fusion. Conversely, the mutant HAInd trimer effectively establishes more H-bond interactions, and accordingly, the trimer undergoes more stabilized dynamics with a relatively lower amplitude of RBD dynamics, as endorsed by the reduced RMSD, Rg, and SASA variations. The cooperative and anti-cooperative motions dissected for the subdomains of both strains also reveal a prominent anticorrelative motion of RBD against other subdomains. In agreement, the free energy landscape of stable HAInd is also characterized by a single lowest wide energy basin instead of the two minimum energy basins of the HACal trimer. In essence, the mutant HAInd acquires a highly stable conformation with novel functional features, which calls for (i) further investigation on the emerging mutation-mediated variation in viral-host binding mechanism and (ii) the need for further design of site-specific potential inhibitors to face future challenges.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilpa Sri Pushan
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University (A Central University), Kalapet, Puducherry, India
| | - Mahesh Samantaray
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University (A Central University), Kalapet, Puducherry, India
| | - Muthukumaran Rajagopalan
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur
| | - Amutha Ramaswamy
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University (A Central University), Kalapet, Puducherry, India
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10
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Mawla GD, Kamal SM, Cao LY, Purhonen P, Hebert H, Sauer RT, Baker TA, Römling U. The membrane-cytoplasmic linker defines activity of FtsH proteases in Pseudomonas aeruginosa clone C. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:105622. [PMID: 38176647 PMCID: PMC10850787 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Pandemic Pseudomonas aeruginosa clone C strains encode two inner-membrane associated ATP-dependent FtsH proteases. PaftsH1 is located on the core genome and supports cell growth and intrinsic antibiotic resistance, whereas PaftsH2, a xenolog acquired through horizontal gene transfer from a distantly related species, is unable to functionally replace PaftsH1. We show that purified PaFtsH2 degrades fewer substrates than PaFtsH1. Replacing the 31-amino acid-extended linker region of PaFtsH2 spanning from the C-terminal end of the transmembrane helix-2 to the first seven highly divergent residues of the cytosolic AAA+ ATPase module with the corresponding region of PaFtsH1 improves hybrid-enzyme substrate processing in vitro and enables PaFtsH2 to substitute for PaFtsH1 in vivo. Electron microscopy indicates that the identity of this linker sequence influences FtsH flexibility. We find membrane-cytoplasmic (MC) linker regions of PaFtsH1 characteristically glycine-rich compared to those from FtsH2. Consequently, introducing three glycines into the membrane-proximal end of PaFtsH2's MC linker is sufficient to elevate its activity in vitro and in vivo. Our findings establish that the efficiency of substrate processing by the two PaFtsH isoforms depends on MC linker identity and suggest that greater linker flexibility and/or length allows FtsH to degrade a wider spectrum of substrates. As PaFtsH2 homologs occur across bacterial phyla, we hypothesize that FtsH2 is a latent enzyme but may recognize specific substrates or is activated in specific contexts or biological niches. The identity of such linkers might thus play a more determinative role in the functionality of and physiological impact by FtsH proteases than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina D Mawla
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Shady M Kamal
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm; Sweden
| | - Lian-Ying Cao
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm; Sweden
| | - Pasi Purhonen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Health Systems, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Huddinge; Sweden
| | - Hans Hebert
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Health Systems, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Huddinge; Sweden
| | - Robert T Sauer
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tania A Baker
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
| | - Ute Römling
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm; Sweden.
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11
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Roy BG, Choi J, Fuchs MF. Predictive Modeling of Proteins Encoded by a Plant Virus Sheds a New Light on Their Structure and Inherent Multifunctionality. Biomolecules 2024; 14:62. [PMID: 38254661 PMCID: PMC10813169 DOI: 10.3390/biom14010062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Plant virus genomes encode proteins that are involved in replication, encapsidation, cell-to-cell, and long-distance movement, avoidance of host detection, counter-defense, and transmission from host to host, among other functions. Even though the multifunctionality of plant viral proteins is well documented, contemporary functional repertoires of individual proteins are incomplete. However, these can be enhanced by modeling tools. Here, predictive modeling of proteins encoded by the two genomic RNAs, i.e., RNA1 and RNA2, of grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) and their satellite RNAs by a suite of protein prediction software confirmed not only previously validated functions (suppressor of RNA silencing [VSR], viral genome-linked protein [VPg], protease [Pro], symptom determinant [Sd], homing protein [HP], movement protein [MP], coat protein [CP], and transmission determinant [Td]) and previously identified putative functions (helicase [Hel] and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase [Pol]), but also predicted novel functions with varying levels of confidence. These include a T3/T7-like RNA polymerase domain for protein 1AVSR, a short-chain reductase for protein 1BHel/VSR, a parathyroid hormone family domain for protein 1EPol/Sd, overlapping domains of unknown function and an ABC transporter domain for protein 2BMP, and DNA topoisomerase domains, transcription factor FBXO25 domain, or DNA Pol subunit cdc27 domain for the satellite RNA protein. Structural predictions for proteins 2AHP/Sd, 2BMP, and 3A? had low confidence, while predictions for proteins 1AVSR, 1BHel*/VSR, 1CVPg, 1DPro, 1EPol*/Sd, and 2CCP/Td retained higher confidence in at least one prediction. This research provided new insights into the structure and functions of GFLV proteins and their satellite protein. Future work is needed to validate these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon G. Roy
- Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, 15 Castle Creek Drive, Geneva, NY 14456, USA; (J.C.); (M.F.F.)
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Nervig CS, Gustat JR, Owen SC. Split-Protein Therapeutic Platforms: Identifying Binder Pairs. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2720:75-84. [PMID: 37775658 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3469-1_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Therapeutic proteins, including enzymes, interferons, interleukins, and growth factors, are emerging as important modalities to treat many diseases that elude management by small molecule drugs. One challenge of protein treatment is the propensity for off-target or systemic activity. A promising approach to overcome such toxicity is to create conditionally active constructs by splitting the therapeutic protein into two, or more, inactive fragments and by fusing these fragments to binders (e.g., antibodies) that target distinct epitopes on a cell surface. When these antibodies bind to their respective targets, the protein fragments are brought into proximity and then reconstitute into the active form of the therapeutic protein. In this chapter, we describe approaches to determine antibody pairs that enable the reconstitution of the active protein. General computational and empirical methods are provided to facilitate the identification of pairs starting only from protein sequence data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine S Nervig
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - James R Gustat
- Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Shawn C Owen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
- Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
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13
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Alabdulraheem ZTJ, Durdagi S. Ab initio and comparative 3D modeling of FAM222A-encoded protein and target-driven-based virtual screening for the identification of novel therapeutics against Alzheimer's disease. J Mol Graph Model 2023; 125:108575. [PMID: 37552909 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2023.108575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
The complex nature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) makes it difficult to understand the exact molecular processes leading to neuron death. However, two molecular factors - the production of amyloid-beta plaques and tau tangles - are considered to be linked to AD. A genetic marker for brain atrophy, FAM222A, has been identified by the unique cross-phenotype meta-analysis of genetics imaging and the molecular features show an interaction between the protein aggregatin encoded by FAM222A and amyloid beta (Aβ)-peptide (1-42) via its N-terminal Aβ binding domain, thus increasing Aβ aggregation. Function of Aggregatin protein is unclear, and its 3D structure has not been investigated in experimental analysis, so far. Hence, in the present study, first time in literature, 3D models of FAM222A-encoded Aggregatin were systematically constructed by applying diverse homology modeling approaches and they were used as target structures at the virtual screening of FDA-approved drugs and drugs currently under research in clinical trials. Then, the identified hit molecules were chosen for further molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and post-MD analyses. Our integrated ligand-based and protein-driven-based virtual screening results show that Cefpiramide, Diniprofylline, Fostriecin, and Droperidol may target Aggregatin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyad Tareq Jasim Alabdulraheem
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Serdar Durdagi
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey; Molecular Therapy Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey; Computational Drug Design Center (HITMER), Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey.
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14
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Pfanzagl V, Gruber-Grünwald C, Leitgeb U, Furtmüller PG, Obinger C. Posttranslational modification and heme cavity architecture of human eosinophil peroxidase-insights from first crystal structure and biochemical characterization. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105402. [PMID: 38229400 PMCID: PMC10679500 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) is the most abundant granule protein exocytosed by eosinophils, specialized human phagocytes. Released EPO catalyzes the formation of reactive oxidants from bromide, thiocyanate, and nitrite that kill tissue-invading parasites. However, EPO also plays a deleterious role in inflammatory diseases, making it a potential pharmacological target. A major hurdle is the high similarity to the homologous myeloperoxidase (MPO), which requires a detailed understanding of the small structural differences that can be used to increase the specificity of the inhibitors. Here, we present the first crystal structure of mature leukocyte EPO at 1.6 Å resolution together with analyses of its posttranslational modifications and biochemical properties. EPO has an exceptionally high number of positively charged surface patches but only two occupied glycosylation sites. The crystal structure further revealed the existence of a light (L) and heavy (H) chain as a result of proteolytic cleavage. Detailed comparison with the structure of human MPO allows us to identify differences that may contribute to the known divergent enzymatic properties. The crystal structure revealed fully established ester links between the prosthetic group and the protein, the comparably weak imidazolate character of the proximal histidine, and the conserved structure of the catalytic amino acids and Ca2+-binding site. Prediction of the structure of unprocessed proeosinophil peroxidase allows further structural analysis of the three protease cleavage sites and the potential pro-convertase recognition site in the propeptide. Finally, EPO biosynthesis and its biochemical and biophysical properties are discussed with respect to the available data from the well-studied MPO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Pfanzagl
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Clemens Gruber-Grünwald
- BOKU Core Facility Mass Spectrometry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Urban Leitgeb
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Paul G Furtmüller
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Obinger
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
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Balasubramaniyan M, Vinayagam V, Kizhakedathil MPJ, Perumal K. Enhancing encapsulation of filarial antigen Brugia malayi thioredoxin in nano-liposomes: The role of lecithin composition. ADMET AND DMPK 2023; 12:379-389. [PMID: 38720924 PMCID: PMC11075166 DOI: 10.5599/admet.2089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Background and purpose Lymphatic filariasis is a debilitating infectious disease prevalent in endemic areas, necessitating the development of an effective vaccine for eradication. Although recombinant vaccine candidates have been deemed safe, they often fail to provide sufficient protection, which can be overcome by encapsulating them in nano-liposomes. In this study, we have optimised the liposomal composition for enhanced stability and encapsulation of filarial antigen Brugia malayi thioredoxin (Bm-TRX). Experimental approach Nano-liposomes were prepared using egg phosphatidylcholine (EPC) and cholesterol via thin-film hydration, followed by sonication and characterizing. Encapsulation efficiency was optimised using different weight ratios of EPC to cholesterol (8:2, 7:3, and 6:4) and total lipid (EPC+Cholesterol) concentration to antigen Bm-TRX (10:1, 10:2, and 10:3) followed by release kinetics study. Key results Optimised parameters yielded spherical liposomes measuring 209 nm in diameter with narrow polydispersity. Our findings demonstrated the highest encapsulation efficiency of 70.685 % and stability of 10 hours for an EPC to cholesterol weight ratio of 7:3. The in silico study proved the antigenic nature of TRX. Conclusion The liposomal formulations loaded with TRX, as optimized in this study, hold promise for improving antigen efficiency by enhancing stability, bioavailability, and prophylactic effects by acting as immune potentiators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malathi Balasubramaniyan
- Department Centre for Nanoscience and Technology, Anna University, Guindy, Chennai 600025, Tamilnadu, India
- Department of Biotechnology, Vignan's Foundation for Science, Technology & Research University, Vadlamudi 522213, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Vimalraj Vinayagam
- Department of Chemistry, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, 638401, Tamilnadu, India
| | | | - Kaliraj Perumal
- Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Guindy, Chennai 600025, Tamilnadu, India
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Debroy B, Chowdhury S, Pal K. Designing a novel and combinatorial multi-antigenic epitope-based vaccine "MarVax" against Marburg virus-a reverse vaccinology and immunoinformatics approach. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 2023; 21:143. [PMID: 38012426 PMCID: PMC10681968 DOI: 10.1186/s43141-023-00575-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Marburg virus (MARV) is a member of the Filoviridae family and causes Marburg virus disease (MVD) among humans and primates. With fatality rates going up to 88%, there is currently no commercialized cure or vaccine to combat the infection. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) classified MARV as priority pathogen A, which presages the need for a vaccine candidate which can provide stable, long-term adaptive immunity. The surface glycoprotein (GP) and fusion protein (FP) mediate the adherence, fusion, and entry of the virus into the host cell via the TIM-I receptor. Being important antigenic determinants, studies reveal that GP and FP are prone to evolutionary mutations, underscoring the requirement of a vaccine construct capable of eliciting a robust and sustained immune response. In this computational study, a reverse vaccinology approach was employed to design a combinatorial vaccine from conserved and antigenic epitopes of essential viral proteins of MARV, namely GP, VP24, VP30, VP35, and VP40 along with an endogenous protein large polymerase (L). METHODS Epitopes for T-cell and B-cell were predicted using TepiTool and ElliPro, respectively. The surface-exposed TLRs like TLR2, TLR4, and TLR5 were used to screen high-binding affinity epitopes using the protein-peptide docking platform MdockPeP. The best binding epitopes were selected and assembled with linkers to design a recombinant multi-epitope vaccine construct which was then modeled in Robetta. The in silico biophysical and biochemical analyses of the recombinant vaccine were performed. The docking and MD simulation of the vaccine using WebGro and CABS-Flex against TLRs support the stable binding of vaccine candidates. A virtual immune simulation to check the immediate and long-term immunogenicity was carried out using the C-ImmSim server. RESULTS The biochemical characteristics and docking studies with MD simulation establish the recombinant protein vaccine construct MarVax as a stable, antigenic, and potent vaccine molecule. Immune simulation studies reveal 1-year passive immunity which needs to be validated by in vivo studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bishal Debroy
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Adamas University, Barasat-Barrackpore Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700126, India
| | - Sribas Chowdhury
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Adamas University, Barasat-Barrackpore Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700126, India
| | - Kuntal Pal
- Cancer Biology Laboratory, Adamas University, Barasat-Barrackpore Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700126, India.
- School of Biosciences and Technology (SBST), Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India.
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Pant R, Kumar R, Sharma S, Karuppasamy R, Veerappapillai S. Exploring the potential of Halalkalibacterium halodurans laccase for endosulfan and chlorophacinone degradation: insights from molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-15. [PMID: 37990551 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2283165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Pesticides are widely used in agriculture but at the same time, a majority of them are known to cause serious harm to health and the environment. In the recent past, laccases have been reported as key enzymes having the ability to degrade pollutants by converting them into less toxic forms. In this investigation, laccase from polyextremophilic bacterium Halalkalibacterium halodurans C-125 was analyzed for its structural, physicochemical, and functional characterization using in silico approaches. The 3D model of the said enzyme is unknown; therefore, the model was generated by template-independent modeling using ROBETTA, I-TASSER, and Alphafold server. The best-generated model from Alphafold with a confidence of 0.95 was validated from ERRAT and Verify 3D scores of 89.95 and 91.80%, respectively. The Ramachandran plot generated using the PROCHECK server further predicted the accuracy of the model with 93.7% and 5.9% of residues present in most favored and additional allowed regions of the plot respectively. The active sites, ion binding sites, and subcellular localization of laccase were also predicted. The generated model was docked with 121 pollutants (pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and rodenticides) for its degradation potential towards these pollutants. Two ligands chlorophacinone (based on the highest binding energy) and endosulfan (based on agricultural uses) were selected for molecular dynamic simulation studies. Endosulfan as a pesticide is banned but in some countries governments allow its use for special purposes which need serious consideration on developing bioremediation approaches for endosulfan degradation. MD simulation studies revealed that both chlorophacinone and endosulfan form hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic bonds with the active site of laccase and chlorophacinone-laccase complex were more stable in comparison to endosulfan. The present investigation provides insight into the structural features of laccase and its potential for the degradation of pesticides which can be further validated by experimental data.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajat Pant
- Department of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Netaji Subhas University of Technology, Dwarka, New Delhi, India
| | - Ravi Kumar
- Department of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Netaji Subhas University of Technology, Dwarka, New Delhi, India
- Department of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (University of Delhi), New Delhi, India
| | - Shilpa Sharma
- Department of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Netaji Subhas University of Technology, Dwarka, New Delhi, India
| | - Ramanathan Karuppasamy
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Shanthi Veerappapillai
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
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Sukkar B, Oktay L, Sahaboglu A, Moayedi A, Zenouri S, Al-Maghout T, Cantó A, Miranda M, Durdagi S, Hosseinzadeh Z. Inhibition of altered Orai1 channels in Müller cells protects photoreceptors in retinal degeneration. Glia 2023; 71:2511-2526. [PMID: 37533369 DOI: 10.1002/glia.24429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
The expressions of ion channels by Müller glial cells (MGCs) may change in response to various retinal pathophysiological conditions. There remains a gap in our understanding of MGCs' responses to photoreceptor degeneration towards finding therapies. The study explores how an inhibition of store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) and its major component, Orai1 channel, in MGCs protects photoreceptors from degeneration. The study revealed increased Orai1 expression in the MGCs of retinal degeneration 10 (rd10) mice. Enhanced expression of oxidative stress markers was confirmed as a crucial pathological mechanism in rd10 retina. Inducing oxidative stress in rat MGCs resulted in increasing SOCE and Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) currents. SOCE inhibition by 2-Aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB) protected photoreceptors in degenerated retinas. Finally, molecular simulations proved the structural and dynamical features of 2-APB to the target structure Orai1. Our results provide new insights into the physiology of MGCs regarding retinal degeneration and shed a light on SOCE and Orai1 as new therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basma Sukkar
- Paul Flechsig Institute, Centre of Neuropathology and Brain Research, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lalehan Oktay
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ayse Sahaboglu
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Centre for Ophthalmology, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Aylin Moayedi
- Paul Flechsig Institute, Centre of Neuropathology and Brain Research, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Shima Zenouri
- Paul Flechsig Institute, Centre of Neuropathology and Brain Research, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tamer Al-Maghout
- Department of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine and Physiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Antolin Cantó
- Departamento Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Valencia, Spain
| | - María Miranda
- Departamento Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Valencia, Spain
| | - Serdar Durdagi
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey
- Molecular Therapy Laboratory, School of Pharmacy, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Zohreh Hosseinzadeh
- Paul Flechsig Institute, Centre of Neuropathology and Brain Research, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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Turzo SMBA, Seffernick JT, Lyskov S, Lindert S. Predicting ion mobility collision cross sections using projection approximation with ROSIE-PARCS webserver. Brief Bioinform 2023; 24:bbad308. [PMID: 37609950 PMCID: PMC10516336 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbad308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Ion mobility coupled to mass spectrometry informs on the shape and size of protein structures in the form of a collision cross section (CCSIM). Although there are several computational methods for predicting CCSIM based on protein structures, including our previously developed projection approximation using rough circular shapes (PARCS), the process usually requires prior experience with the command-line interface. To overcome this challenge, here we present a web application on the Rosetta Online Server that Includes Everyone (ROSIE) webserver to predict CCSIM from protein structure using projection approximation with PARCS. In this web interface, the user is only required to provide one or more PDB files as input. Results from our case studies suggest that CCSIM predictions (with ROSIE-PARCS) are highly accurate with an average error of 6.12%. Furthermore, the absolute difference between CCSIM and CCSPARCS can help in distinguishing accurate from inaccurate AlphaFold2 protein structure predictions. ROSIE-PARCS is designed with a user-friendly interface, is available publicly and is free to use. The ROSIE-PARCS web interface is supported by all major web browsers and can be accessed via this link (https://rosie.graylab.jhu.edu).
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Bargeen Alam Turzo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Resource for Native Mass Spectrometry Guided Structural Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Justin T Seffernick
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Resource for Native Mass Spectrometry Guided Structural Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Sergey Lyskov
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Steffen Lindert
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Resource for Native Mass Spectrometry Guided Structural Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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Shamseddine L, Roblin C, Veyrier I, Basset C, De Macedo L, Boyeldieu A, Maresca M, Nicoletti C, Brasseur G, Kieffer-Jaquinod S, Courvoisier-Dezord É, Amouric A, Carpentier P, Campo N, Bergé M, Polard P, Perrier J, Duarte V, Lafond M. Mechanistic and functional aspects of the Ruminococcin C sactipeptide isoforms. iScience 2023; 26:107563. [PMID: 37664601 PMCID: PMC10470295 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In a scenario where the discovery of new molecules to fight antibiotic resistance is a public health concern, ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides constitute a promising alternative. In this context, the Gram-positive human gut symbiont Ruminococcus gnavus E1 produces five sactipeptides, Ruminococcins C1 to C5 (RumC1-C5), co-expressed with two radical SAM maturases. RumC1 has been shown to be effective against various multidrug resistant Gram-positives clinical isolates. Here, after adapting the biosynthesis protocol to obtain the four mature RumC2-5 we then evaluate their antibacterial activities. Establishing first that both maturases exhibit substrate tolerance, we then observed a variation in the antibacterial efficacy between the five isoforms. We established that all RumCs are safe for humans with interesting multifunctionalities. While no synergies where observed for the five RumCs, we found a synergistic action with conventional antibiotics targeting the cell wall. Finally, we identified crucial residues for antibacterial activity of RumC isoforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lama Shamseddine
- University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR5249, CEA, IRIG, Laboratoire Chimie et Biologie des Métaux, 38054 Grenoble, France
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, iSm2, 13013 Marseille, France
| | - Clarisse Roblin
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, iSm2, 13013 Marseille, France
| | - Iris Veyrier
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, iSm2, 13013 Marseille, France
| | - Christian Basset
- University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR5249, CEA, IRIG, Laboratoire Chimie et Biologie des Métaux, 38054 Grenoble, France
| | - Lisa De Macedo
- University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR5249, CEA, IRIG, Laboratoire Chimie et Biologie des Métaux, 38054 Grenoble, France
| | - Anne Boyeldieu
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires (LMGM), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Toulouse, France
| | - Marc Maresca
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, iSm2, 13013 Marseille, France
| | - Cendrine Nicoletti
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, iSm2, 13013 Marseille, France
| | - Gaël Brasseur
- Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, CNRS-Université Aix-Marseille UMR, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France
| | - Sylvie Kieffer-Jaquinod
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, INSERM, IRIG, Biologie à Grande Echelle (BGE), 38054 Grenoble, France
| | | | - Agnès Amouric
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, iSm2, 13013 Marseille, France
| | - Philippe Carpentier
- University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR5249, CEA, IRIG, Laboratoire Chimie et Biologie des Métaux, 38054 Grenoble, France
| | - Nathalie Campo
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires (LMGM), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Toulouse, France
| | - Mathieu Bergé
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires (LMGM), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Toulouse, France
| | - Patrice Polard
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires (LMGM), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Toulouse, France
| | - Josette Perrier
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, iSm2, 13013 Marseille, France
| | - Victor Duarte
- University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR5249, CEA, IRIG, Laboratoire Chimie et Biologie des Métaux, 38054 Grenoble, France
| | - Mickael Lafond
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, iSm2, 13013 Marseille, France
- INRAE, Aix-Marseille University, UMR1163 Biodiversité et Biotechnologie Fongiques, 13009 Marseille, France
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Kanak KR, Dass RS, Pan A. Anti-quorum sensing potential of selenium nanoparticles against LasI/R, RhlI/R, and PQS/MvfR in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a molecular docking approach. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1203672. [PMID: 37635941 PMCID: PMC10449602 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1203672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an infectious pathogen which has the ability to cause primary and secondary contagions in the blood, lungs, and other body parts of immunosuppressed individuals, as well as community-acquired diseases, such as folliculitis, osteomyelitis, pneumonia, and others. This opportunistic bacterium displays drug resistance and regulates its pathogenicity via the quorum sensing (QS) mechanism, which includes the LasI/R, RhlI/R, and PQS/MvfR systems. Targeting the QS systems might be an excellent way to treat P. aeruginosa infections. Although a wide array of antibiotics, namely, newer penicillins, cephalosporins, and combination drugs are being used, the use of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) to cure P. aeruginosa infections is extremely rare as their mechanistic interactions are weakly understood, which results in carrying out this study. The present study demonstrates a computational approach of binding the interaction pattern between SeNPs and the QS signaling proteins in P. aeruginosa, utilizing multiple bioinformatics approaches. The computational investigation revealed that SeNPs were acutely 'locked' into the active region of the relevant proteins by the abundant residues in their surroundings. The PatchDock-based molecular docking analysis evidently indicated the strong and significant interaction between SeNPs and the catalytic cleft of LasI synthase (Phe105-Se = 2.7 Å and Thr121-Se = 3.8 Å), RhlI synthase (Leu102-Se = 3.7 Å and Val138-Se = 3.2 Å), transcriptional receptor protein LasR (Lys42-Se = 3.9 Å, Arg122-Se = 3.2 Å, and Glu124-Se = 3.9 Å), RhlR (Tyr43-Se = 2.9 Å, Tyr45-Se = 3.4 Å, and His61-Se = 3.5 Å), and MvfR (Leu208-Se = 3.2 Å and Arg209-Se = 4.0 Å). The production of acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) was inhibited by the use of SeNPs, thereby preventing QS as well. Obstructing the binding affinity of transcriptional regulatory proteins may cause the suppression of LasR, RhlR, and MvfR systems to become inactive, thereby blocking the activation of QS-regulated virulence factors along with their associated gene expression. Our findings clearly showed that SeNPs have anti-QS properties against the established QS systems of P. aeruginosa, which strongly advocated that SeNPs might be a potent solution to tackle drug resistance and a viable alternative to conventional antibiotics along with being helpful in therapeutic development to cure P. aeruginosa infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanak Raj Kanak
- Fungal Genetics and Mycotoxicology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University (A Central University), Pondicherry, India
| | - Regina Sharmila Dass
- Fungal Genetics and Mycotoxicology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University (A Central University), Pondicherry, India
| | - Archana Pan
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University (A Central University), Pondicherry, India
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22
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Cui G, Jiang Z, Chen Y, Li Y, Ai S, Sun R, Yi X, Zhong G. Evolutional insights into the interaction between Rab7 and RILP in lysosome motility. iScience 2023; 26:107040. [PMID: 37534141 PMCID: PMC10391735 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Lysosome motility is critical for the cellular function. However, Rab7-related transport elements showed genetic differences between vertebrates and invertebrates, making the mechanism of lysosomal motility mysterious. We suggested that Rab7 interacted with RILP as a feature of highly evolved organisms since they could interact with each other in Spodoptera frugiperda but not in Drosophila melanogaster. The N-terminus of Sf-RILP was identified to be necessary for their interaction, and Glu61 was supposed to be the key point for the stability of the interaction. A GC-rich domain on the C-terminal parts of Sf-RILP hampered the expression of Sf-RILP and its interaction with Sf-Rab7. Although the corresponding vital amino acids in the mammalian model at the C-terminus of Sf-RILP turned to be neutral, the C-terminus would also help with the homologous interactions between RILP fragments in insects. The significantly different interactions in invertebrates shed light on the biodiversity and complexity of lysosomal motility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaofeng Cui
- College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization, Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou 510520, China
| | - Zhiyan Jiang
- College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Yaoyao Chen
- College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Yun Li
- College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Shupei Ai
- College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Ranran Sun
- College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Xin Yi
- College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Guohua Zhong
- College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
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23
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Gollan M, Black G, Munoz-Munoz J. A computational approach to optimising laccase-mediated polyethylene oxidation through carbohydrate-binding module fusion. BMC Biotechnol 2023; 23:18. [PMID: 37415113 PMCID: PMC10324223 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-023-00787-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Plastic pollution is a major global concern to the health and wellbeing of all terrestrial and marine life. However, no sustainable method for waste management is currently viable. This study addresses the optimisation of microbial enzymatic polyethylene oxidation through rational engineering of laccases with carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) domains. An explorative bioinformatic approach was taken for high-throughput screening of candidate laccases and CBM domains, representing an exemplar workflow for future engineering research. Molecular docking simulated polyethylene binding whilst a deep-learning algorithm predicted catalytic activity. Protein properties were examined to interpret the mechanisms behind laccase-polyethylene binding. The incorporation of flexible GGGGS(x3) hinges were found to improve putative polyethylene binding of laccases. Whilst CBM1 family domains were predicted to bind polyethylene, they were suggested to detriment laccase-polyethylene associations. In contrast, CBM2 domains reported improved polyethylene binding and may thus optimise laccase oxidation. Interactions between CBM domains, linkers, and polyethylene hydrocarbons were heavily reliant on hydrophobicity. Preliminary polyethylene oxidation is considered a necessity for consequent microbial uptake and assimilation. However, slow oxidation and depolymerisation rates inhibit the large-scale industrial implementation of bioremediation within waste management systems. The optimised polyethylene oxidation of CBM2-engineered laccases represents a significant advancement towards a sustainable method of complete plastic breakdown. Results of this study offer a rapid, accessible workflow for further research into exoenzyme optimisation whilst elucidating mechanisms behind the laccase-polyethylene interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Gollan
- Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ST, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom.
| | - Gary Black
- Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ST, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom
| | - Jose Munoz-Munoz
- Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ST, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom
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24
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de Haas RJ, Tas RP, van den Broek D, Zheng C, Nguyen H, Kang A, Bera AK, King NP, Voets IK, de Vries R. De novo designed ice-binding proteins from twist-constrained helices. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2220380120. [PMID: 37364125 PMCID: PMC10319034 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2220380120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Attaining molecular-level control over solidification processes is a crucial aspect of materials science. To control ice formation, organisms have evolved bewildering arrays of ice-binding proteins (IBPs), but these have poorly understood structure-activity relationships. We propose that reverse engineering using de novo computational protein design can shed light on structure-activity relationships of IBPs. We hypothesized that the model alpha-helical winter flounder antifreeze protein uses an unusual undertwisting of its alpha-helix to align its putative ice-binding threonine residues in exactly the same direction. We test this hypothesis by designing a series of straight three-helix bundles with an ice-binding helix projecting threonines and two supporting helices constraining the twist of the ice-binding helix. Our findings show that ice-recrystallization inhibition by the designed proteins increases with the degree of designed undertwisting, thus validating our hypothesis, and opening up avenues for the computational design of IBPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robbert J. de Haas
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, WE6708, The Netherlands
| | - Roderick P. Tas
- Laboratory of Self-Organizing Soft Matter, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, MB5600, The Netherlands
| | - Daniëlle van den Broek
- Laboratory of Self-Organizing Soft Matter, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, MB5600, The Netherlands
| | - Chuanbao Zheng
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, WE6708, The Netherlands
| | - Hannah Nguyen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Alex Kang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Asim K. Bera
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Neil P. King
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Ilja K. Voets
- Laboratory of Self-Organizing Soft Matter, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, MB5600, The Netherlands
| | - Renko de Vries
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, WE6708, The Netherlands
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25
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Aberle B, Kowalczyk D, Massini S, Egler-Kemmerer AN, Gergel S, Hammer SC, Hauer B. Methylation of Unactivated Alkenes with Engineered Methyltransferases To Generate Non-natural Terpenoids. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202301601. [PMID: 36997338 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202301601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023]
Abstract
Terpenoids are built from isoprene building blocks and have numerous biological functions. Selective late-stage modification of their carbon scaffold has the potential to optimize or transform their biological activities. However, the synthesis of terpenoids with a non-natural carbon scaffold is often a challenging endeavor because of the complexity of these molecules. Herein we report the identification and engineering of (S)-adenosyl-l-methionine-dependent sterol methyltransferases for selective C-methylation of linear terpenoids. The engineered enzyme catalyzes selective methylation of unactivated alkenes in mono-, sesqui- and diterpenoids to produce C11 , C16 and C21 derivatives. Preparative conversion and product isolation reveals that this biocatalyst performs C-C bond formation with high chemo- and regioselectivity. The alkene methylation most likely proceeds via a carbocation intermediate and regioselective deprotonation. This method opens new avenues for modifying the carbon scaffold of alkenes in general and terpenoids in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Aberle
- Department of Technical Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Daniel Kowalczyk
- Department of Technical Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Simon Massini
- Department of Technical Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Alexander-N Egler-Kemmerer
- Department of Technical Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Sebastian Gergel
- Department of Technical Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
- Faculty of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Biocatalysis, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Stephan C Hammer
- Department of Technical Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
- Faculty of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Biocatalysis, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Bernhard Hauer
- Department of Technical Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
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26
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Tîrziu A, Avram S, Madă L, Crișan-Vida M, Popovici C, Popovici D, Faur C, Duda-Seiman C, Păunescu V, Vernic C. Design of a Synthetic Long Peptide Vaccine Targeting HPV-16 and -18 Using Immunoinformatic Methods. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:1798. [PMID: 37513985 PMCID: PMC10384861 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15071798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 cause the majority of cervical cancers worldwide. Despite the availability of three prophylactic vaccines based on virus-like particles (VLP) of the major capsid protein (L1), these vaccines are unable to clear an existing infection. Such infected persons experience an increased risk of neoplastic transformation. To overcome this problem, this study proposes an alternative synthetic long peptide (SLP)-based vaccine for persons already infected, including those with precancerous lesions. This new vaccine was designed to stimulate both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, providing a robust and long-lasting immune response. The SLP construct includes both HLA class I- and class II-restricted epitopes, identified from IEDB or predicted using NetMHCPan and NetMHCIIPan. None of the SLPs were allergenic nor toxic, based on in silico studies. Population coverage studies provided 98.18% coverage for class I epitopes and 99.81% coverage for class II peptides in the IEDB world population's allele set. Three-dimensional structure ab initio prediction using Rosetta provided good quality models, which were assessed using PROCHECK and QMEAN4. Molecular docking with toll-like receptor 2 identified potential intrinsic TLR2 agonist activity, while molecular dynamics studies of SLPs in water suggested good stability, with favorable thermodynamic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandru Tîrziu
- Department of Functional Sciences, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Speranța Avram
- Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 91-95 Splaiul Independentei, 050095 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Leonard Madă
- Syonic SRL, Grigore T Popa Street, No. 81, 300254 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Mihaela Crișan-Vida
- Department of Automation and Computers, Politehnica University of Timisoara, 300006 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Casiana Popovici
- Section of Bioinformatics, Division of Systems Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Dan Popovici
- Department of Mathematics, University of the West Timişoara, Bd. Vasile Pârvan No. 4, 300223 Timişoara, Romania
| | - Cosmin Faur
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", Dropiei Street, No. 7, sc B, ap 8, 300661 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Corina Duda-Seiman
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Faculty of Chemistry, Biology, Geography, West University of Timisoara, 16 Pestalozzi, 300115 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Virgil Păunescu
- Department of Functional Sciences, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
- Center for Gene and Cellular Therapies in the Treatment of Cancer Timisoara-OncoGen, Clinical Emergency County Hospital "Pius Brinzeu" Timisoara, No. 156 Liviu Rebreanu, 300723 Timisoara, Romania
- Immuno-Physiology and Biotechnologies Center, Department of Functional Sciences, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, No. 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Corina Vernic
- Department of Functional Sciences, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
- Discipline of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
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27
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Guo C, Alfaro-Aco R, Zhang C, Russell RW, Petry S, Polenova T. Structural basis of protein condensation on microtubules underlying branching microtubule nucleation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3682. [PMID: 37344496 PMCID: PMC10284871 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39176-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Targeting protein for Xklp2 (TPX2) is a key factor that stimulates branching microtubule nucleation during cell division. Upon binding to microtubules (MTs), TPX2 forms condensates via liquid-liquid phase separation, which facilitates recruitment of microtubule nucleation factors and tubulin. We report the structure of the TPX2 C-terminal minimal active domain (TPX2α5-α7) on the microtubule lattice determined by magic-angle-spinning NMR. We demonstrate that TPX2α5-α7 forms a co-condensate with soluble tubulin on microtubules and binds to MTs between two adjacent protofilaments and at the intersection of four tubulin heterodimers. These interactions stabilize the microtubules and promote the recruitment of tubulin. Our results reveal that TPX2α5-α7 is disordered in solution and adopts a folded structure on MTs, indicating that TPX2α5-α7 undergoes structural changes from unfolded to folded states upon binding to microtubules. The aromatic residues form dense interactions in the core, which stabilize folding of TPX2α5-α7 on microtubules. This work informs on how the phase-separated TPX2α5-α7 behaves on microtubules and represents an atomic-level structural characterization of a protein that is involved in a condensate on cytoskeletal filaments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changmiao Guo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Raymundo Alfaro-Aco
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Chunting Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Ryan W Russell
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Sabine Petry
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
| | - Tatyana Polenova
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
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28
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Chen H, Lu C, Tan Y, Weber-Boyvat M, Zheng J, Xu M, Xiao J, Liu S, Tang Z, Lai C, Li M, Olkkonen VM, Yan D, Zhong W. Oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe (OCRL) controls leukemic T-cell survival by preventing excessive PI(4,5)P 2 hydrolysis in the plasma membrane. J Biol Chem 2023:104812. [PMID: 37172724 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is one of the deadliest and most aggressive hematological malignancies, but its pathological mechanism in controlling cell survival is not fully understood. Oculocerebrorenal syndrome (also called Lowe syndrome) is a rare X-linked recessive disorder characterized by cataracts, intellectual disability, and proteinuria. This disease has been shown to be caused by mutation of Oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe 1 (OCRL1; OCRL), encoding a phosphatidylinositol 4,5-diphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] 5-phosphatase involved in regulating membrane trafficking, however, its function in cancer cells is unclear. Here, we uncovered that OCRL1 is overexpressed in T-ALL cells and knockdown of OCRL1 results in cell death, indicating the essential role of OCRL in controlling T-ALL cell survival. We show OCRL is primarily localized in the Golgi, and can translocate to plasma membrane (PM) upon ligand stimulation. We found OCRL interacts with OSBP-related protein 4L (ORP4L), which facilitates OCRL translocation from the Golgi to the PM upon cluster of differentiation 3 (CD3) stimulation. Thus, OCRL represses the activity of ORP4L to prevent excessive PI(4,5)P2 hydrolysis by phosphoinositide phospholipase C β3 (PLCβ3) and uncontrolled Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We propose OCRL1 deletion leads to accumulation of PI(4,5)P2 in the PM, disrupting the normal Ca2+ oscillation pattern in the cytosol and leading to mitochondrial Ca2+ overloading, ultimately causing T-ALL cell mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death. These results highlight a critical role for OCRL in maintaining moderate PI(4,5)P2 availability in T-ALL cells. Our findings also raise the possibility of targeting OCRL1 to treat T-ALL disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanzhao Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Chen Lu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Yuhui Tan
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Marion Weber-Boyvat
- Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research, Biomedicum 2U, FI-00290 Helsinki, Finland. Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland; Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Neurophysiology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jie Zheng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Mengyang Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Jie Xiao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Shuang Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Zhiquan Tang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Chaofeng Lai
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Mingchuan Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China; Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Vesa M Olkkonen
- Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research, Biomedicum 2U, FI-00290 Helsinki, Finland. Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Daoguang Yan
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China; Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Wenbin Zhong
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China; Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
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29
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Ogun OJ, Soremekun OS, Thaller G, Becker D. An In Silico Functional Analysis of Non-Synonymous Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms of Bovine CMAH Gene and Potential Implication in Pathogenesis. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12040591. [PMID: 37111477 PMCID: PMC10142285 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12040591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The sugar molecule N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) is one of the most common sialic acids discovered in mammals. Cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH) catalyses the conversion of N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) to Neu5Gc, and it is encoded by the CMAH gene. On the one hand, food metabolic incorporation of Neu5Gc has been linked to specific human diseases. On the other hand, Neu5Gc has been shown to be highly preferred by some pathogens linked to certain bovine diseases. We used various computational techniques to perform an in silico functional analysis of five non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) of the bovine CMAH (bCMAH) gene identified from the 1000 Bull Genomes sequence data. The c.1271C>T (P424L) nsSNP was predicted to be pathogenic based on the consensus result from different computational tools. The nsSNP was also predicted to be critical based on sequence conservation, stability, and post-translational modification site analysis. According to the molecular dynamic simulation and stability analysis, all variations promoted stability of the bCMAH protein, but mutation A210S significantly promoted CMAH stability. In conclusion, c.1271C>T (P424L) is expected to be the most harmful nsSNP among the five detected nsSNPs based on the overall studies. This research could pave the way for more research associating pathogenic nsSNPs in the bCMAH gene with diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwamayowa Joshua Ogun
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, University of Kiel, Olshausenstraße 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Opeyemi S Soremekun
- The African Computational Genomics (TACG) Research Group, MRC/UVRI and LSHTM, Entebbe 5159, Uganda
- Molecular Bio-Computation and Drug Design Laboratory, School of Health Sciences, Westville Campus, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa
| | - Georg Thaller
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, University of Kiel, Olshausenstraße 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Doreen Becker
- Institute of Genome Biology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany
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30
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Rozano L, Mukuka YM, Hane JK, Mancera RL. Ab Initio Modelling of the Structure of ToxA-like and MAX Fungal Effector Proteins. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076262. [PMID: 37047233 PMCID: PMC10094246 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic fungal diseases in crops are mediated by the release of effector proteins that facilitate infection. Characterising the structure of these fungal effectors is vital to understanding their virulence mechanisms and interactions with their hosts, which is crucial in the breeding of plant cultivars for disease resistance. Several effectors have been identified and validated experimentally; however, their lack of sequence conservation often impedes the identification and prediction of their structure using sequence similarity approaches. Structural similarity has, nonetheless, been observed within fungal effector protein families, creating interest in validating the use of computational methods to predict their tertiary structure from their sequence. We used Rosetta ab initio modelling to predict the structures of members of the ToxA-like and MAX effector families for which experimental structures are known to validate this method. An optimised approach was then used to predict the structures of phenotypically validated effectors lacking known structures. Rosetta was found to successfully predict the structure of fungal effectors in the ToxA-like and MAX families, as well as phenotypically validated but structurally unconfirmed effector sequences. Interestingly, potential new effector structural families were identified on the basis of comparisons with structural homologues and the identification of associated protein domains.
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Pushan SS, Samantaray M, Rajagopalan M, Ramaswamy A. Evolution of Indian Influenza A (H1N1) Hemagglutinin Strains: A Comparative Analysis of the Pandemic Californian HA Strain. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1111869. [PMID: 37006623 PMCID: PMC10061220 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1111869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The need for a vaccine/inhibitor design has become inevitable concerning the emerging epidemic and pandemic viral infections, and the recent outbreak of the influenza A (H1N1) virus is one such example. From 2009 to 2018, India faced severe fatalities due to the outbreak of the influenza A (H1N1) virus. In this study, the potential features of reported Indian H1N1 strains are analyzed in comparison with their evolutionarily closest pandemic strain, A/California/04/2009. The focus is laid on one of its surface proteins, hemagglutinin (HA), which imparts a significant role in attacking the host cell surface and its entry. The extensive analysis performed, in comparison with the A/California/04/2009 strain, revealed significant point mutations in all Indian strains reported from 2009 to 2018. Due to these mutations, all Indian strains disclosed altered features at the sequence and structural levels, which are further presumed to be associated with their functional diversity as well. The mutations observed with the 2018 HA sequence such as S91R, S181T, S200P, I312V, K319T, I419M, and E523D might improve the fitness of the virus in a new host and environment. The higher fitness and decreased sequence similarity of mutated strains may compromise therapeutic efficacy. In particular, the mutations observed commonly, such as serine-to-threonine, alanine-to-threonine, and lysine-to-glutamine at various regions, alter the physico-chemical features of receptor-binding domains, N-glycosylation, and epitope-binding sites when compared with the reference strain. Such mutations render diversity among all Indian strains, and the structural and functional characterization of these strains becomes inevitable. In this study, we observed that mutational drift results in the alteration of the receptor-binding domain, the generation of new variant N-glycosylation along with novel epitope-binding sites, and modifications at the structural level. Eventually, the pressing need to develop potentially distinct next-generation therapeutic inhibitors against the HA strains of the Indian influenza A (H1N1) virus is also highlighted here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilpa Sri Pushan
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
| | - Mahesh Samantaray
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
| | - Muthukumaran Rajagopalan
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, India
| | - Amutha Ramaswamy
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
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Besch A, Marsiglia WM, Mohammadi M, Zhang Y, Traaseth NJ. Gatekeeper mutations activate FGF receptor tyrosine kinases by destabilizing the autoinhibited state. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2213090120. [PMID: 36791110 PMCID: PMC9974468 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2213090120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Many types of human cancers are being treated with small molecule ATP-competitive inhibitors targeting the kinase domain of receptor tyrosine kinases. Despite initial successful remission, long-term treatment almost inevitably leads to the emergence of drug resistance mutations at the gatekeeper residue hindering the access of the inhibitor to a hydrophobic pocket at the back of the ATP-binding cleft. In addition to reducing drug efficacy, gatekeeper mutations elevate the intrinsic activity of the tyrosine kinase domain leading to more aggressive types of cancer. However, the mechanism of gain-of-function by gatekeeper mutations is poorly understood. Here, we characterized fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) tyrosine kinases harboring two distinct gatekeeper mutations using kinase activity assays, NMR spectroscopy, bioinformatic analyses, and MD simulations. Our data show that gatekeeper mutations destabilize the autoinhibitory conformation of the DFG motif locally and of the kinase globally, suggesting they impart gain-of-function by facilitating the kinase's ability to populate the active state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alida Besch
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY10003
| | | | - Moosa Mohammadi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, NY10016
| | - Yingkai Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY10003
- Simons Center for Computational Physical Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY10003
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Kordes S, Beck J, Shanmugaratnam S, Flecks M, Höcker B. Physics-based approach to extend a de novo TIM barrel with rationally designed helix-loop-helix motifs. Protein Eng Des Sel 2023; 36:gzad012. [PMID: 37707513 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzad012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Computational protein design promises the ability to build tailor-made proteins de novo. While a range of de novo proteins have been constructed so far, the majority of these designs have idealized topologies that lack larger cavities which are necessary for the incorporation of small molecule binding sites or enzymatic functions. One attractive target for enzyme design is the TIM-barrel fold, due to its ubiquity in nature and capability to host versatile functions. With the successful de novo design of a 4-fold symmetric TIM barrel, sTIM11, an idealized, minimalistic scaffold was created. In this work, we attempted to extend this de novo TIM barrel by incorporating a helix-loop-helix motif into its βα-loops by applying a physics-based modular design approach using Rosetta. Further diversification was performed by exploiting the symmetry of the scaffold to integrate two helix-loop-helix motifs into the scaffold. Analysis with AlphaFold2 and biochemical characterization demonstrate the formation of additional α-helical secondary structure elements supporting the successful extension as intended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Kordes
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth 95447, Germany
| | - Julian Beck
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth 95447, Germany
| | | | - Merle Flecks
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth 95447, Germany
| | - Birte Höcker
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth 95447, Germany
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Zhang T, Chen X, Yuan C, Pang X, Shangguan P, Liu Y, Han L, Sun J, Lam JWY, Liu Y, Wang J, Shi B, Zhong Tang B. Near-Infrared Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogens for In Vivo Theranostics of Alzheimer's Disease. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202211550. [PMID: 36336656 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202211550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Optimized theranostic strategies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) remain almost absent from bench to clinic. Current probes and drugs attempting to prevent β-amyloid (Aβ) fibrosis encounter failures due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration challenge and blind intervention time window. Herein, we design a near-infrared (NIR) aggregation-induced emission (AIE) probe, DNTPH, via balanced hydrophobicity-hydrophilicity strategy. DNTPH binds selectively to Aβ fibrils with a high signal-to-noise ratio. In vivo imaging revealed its excellent BBB permeability and long-term tracking ability with high-performance AD diagnosis. Remarkably, DNTPH exhibits a strong inhibitory effect on Aβ fibrosis and promotes fibril disassembly, thereby attenuating Aβ-induced neurotoxicity. DNTPH treatment significantly reduced Aβ plaques and rescued learning deficits in AD mice. Thus, DNTPH serves as the first AIE in vivo theranostic agent for real-time NIR imaging of Aβ plaques and AD therapy simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianfu Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, the Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Division of Life Science, and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiaoyu Chen
- Henan-Macquarie University Joint Centre for Biomedical Innovation, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, 475004, Kaifeng, China
| | - Congmin Yuan
- Department of Chemistry, the Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Division of Life Science, and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiaobin Pang
- Henan Key Laboratory of Brain Targeted Bio-nanomedicine, School of Life Sciences & School of Pharmacy, Henan University, 475004, Kaifeng, China
| | - Ping Shangguan
- Henan-Macquarie University Joint Centre for Biomedical Innovation, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, 475004, Kaifeng, China
| | - Yisheng Liu
- Henan-Macquarie University Joint Centre for Biomedical Innovation, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, 475004, Kaifeng, China
| | - Lulu Han
- Henan-Macquarie University Joint Centre for Biomedical Innovation, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, 475004, Kaifeng, China
| | - Jianwei Sun
- Department of Chemistry, the Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Division of Life Science, and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jacky W Y Lam
- Department of Chemistry, the Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Division of Life Science, and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Henan Key Laboratory of Brain Targeted Bio-nanomedicine, School of Life Sciences & School of Pharmacy, Henan University, 475004, Kaifeng, China
| | - Jiefei Wang
- Henan-Macquarie University Joint Centre for Biomedical Innovation, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, 475004, Kaifeng, China
| | - Bingyang Shi
- Henan-Macquarie University Joint Centre for Biomedical Innovation, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, 475004, Kaifeng, China.,Centre for motor neuron disease, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ben Zhong Tang
- Department of Chemistry, the Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Division of Life Science, and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.,School of Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Aggregate Science and Technology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 518172, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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35
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Shcherbakova L, Pardo M, Roumeliotis T, Choudhary J. Identifying and characterising Thrap3, Bclaf1 and Erh interactions using cross-linking mass spectrometry. Wellcome Open Res 2023; 6:260. [PMID: 35865489 PMCID: PMC9270653 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17160.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) is a powerful technology capable of yielding structural insights across the complex cellular protein interaction network. However, up to date most of the studies utilising XL-MS to characterise individual protein complexes' topology have been carried out on over-expressed or recombinant proteins, which might not accurately represent native cellular conditions. Methods: We performed XL-MS using MS-cleavable crosslinker disuccinimidyl sulfoxide (DSSO) after immunoprecipitation of endogenous BRG/Brahma-associated factors (BAF) complex and co-purifying proteins. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD027611. Results: Although we did not detect the expected enrichment of crosslinks within the BAF complex, we identified numerous crosslinks between three co-purifying proteins, namely Thrap3, Bclaf1 and Erh. Thrap3 and Bclaf1 are mostly disordered proteins for which no 3D structure is available. The XL data allowed us to map interaction surfaces on these proteins, which overlap with the non-disordered portions of both proteins. The identified XLs are in agreement with homology-modelled structures suggesting that the interaction surfaces are globular. Conclusions: Our data shows that MS-cleavable crosslinker DSSO can be used to characterise in detail the topology and interaction surfaces of endogenous protein complexes without the need for overexpression. We demonstrate that Bclaf1, Erh and Thrap3 interact closely with each other, suggesting they might form a novel complex, hereby referred to as BET complex. This data can be exploited for modelling protein-protein docking to characterise the three-dimensional structure of the complex. Endogenous XL-MS might be challenging due to crosslinker accessibility, protein complex abundance or isolation efficiency, and require further optimisation for some complexes like the BAF complex to detect a substantial number of crosslinks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mercedes Pardo
- Cancer Biology, Institute of Cancer Research, UK, London, UK
| | | | - Jyoti Choudhary
- Cancer Biology, Institute of Cancer Research, UK, London, UK,
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36
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Shcherbakova L, Pardo M, Roumeliotis T, Choudhary J. Identifying and characterising Thrap3, Bclaf1 and Erh interactions using cross-linking mass spectrometry. Wellcome Open Res 2023; 6:260. [PMID: 35865489 PMCID: PMC9270653 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17160.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) is a powerful technology capable of yielding structural insights across the complex cellular protein interaction network. However, up to date most of the studies utilising XL-MS to characterise individual protein complexes' topology have been carried out on over-expressed or recombinant proteins, which might not accurately represent native cellular conditions. Methods: We performed XL-MS using MS-cleavable crosslinker disuccinimidyl sulfoxide (DSSO) after immunoprecipitation of endogenous BRG/Brahma-associated factors (BAF) complex and co-purifying proteins. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD027611. Results: Although we did not detect the expected enrichment of crosslinks within the BAF complex, we identified numerous crosslinks between three co-purifying proteins, namely Thrap3, Bclaf1 and Erh. Thrap3 and Bclaf1 are mostly disordered proteins for which no 3D structure is available. The XL data allowed us to map interaction surfaces on these proteins, which overlap with the non-disordered portions of both proteins. The identified XLs are in agreement with homology-modelled structures suggesting that the interaction surfaces are globular. Conclusions: Our data shows that MS-cleavable crosslinker DSSO can be used to characterise in detail the topology and interaction surfaces of endogenous protein complexes without the need for overexpression. We demonstrate that Bclaf1, Erh and Thrap3 interact closely with each other, suggesting they might form a novel complex, hereby referred to as TEB complex. This data can be exploited for modelling protein-protein docking to characterise the three-dimensional structure of the complex. Endogenous XL-MS might be challenging due to crosslinker accessibility, protein complex abundance or isolation efficiency, and require further optimisation for some complexes like the BAF complex to detect a substantial number of crosslinks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mercedes Pardo
- Cancer Biology, Institute of Cancer Research, UK, London, UK
| | | | - Jyoti Choudhary
- Cancer Biology, Institute of Cancer Research, UK, London, UK,
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37
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Robles LM, Reichenberg LH, Grissom Ⅲ JH, Chi RJ, Piller KJ. Recombinant MBP-pσ1 expressed in soybean seeds delays onset and reduces developing disease in an animal model of multiple sclerosis. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY (TOKYO, JAPAN) 2022; 39:367-379. [PMID: 37283612 PMCID: PMC10240915 DOI: 10.5511/plantbiotechnology.22.0926a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
It is estimated that multiple sclerosis (MS) affects over 2.8 million people worldwide, with a prevalence that is expected to continue growing over time. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this autoimmune disease. For several decades, antigen-specific treatments have been used in animal models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) to demonstrate their potential for suppressing autoimmune responses. Successes with preventing and limiting ongoing MS disease have been documented using a wide variety of myelin proteins, peptides, autoantigen-conjugates, and mimics when administered by various routes. While those successes were not translatable in the clinic, we have learned a great deal about the roadblocks and hurdles that must be addressed if such therapies are to be useful. Reovirus sigma1 protein (pσ1) is an attachment protein that allows the virus to target M cells with high affinity. Previous studies showed that autoantigens tethered to pσ1 delivered potent tolerogenic signals and diminished autoimmunity following therapeutic intervention. In this proof-of-concept study, we expressed a model multi-epitope autoantigen (human myelin basic protein, MBP) fused to pσ1 in soybean seeds. The expression of chimeric MBP-pσ1 was stable over multiple generations and formed the necessary multimeric structures required for binding to target cells. When administered to SJL mice prophylactically as an oral therapeutic, soymilk formulations containing MBP-pσ1 delayed the onset of clinical EAE and significantly reduced developing disease. These results demonstrate the practicality of soybean as a host for producing and formulating immune-modulating therapies to treat autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - James H. Grissom Ⅲ
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, USA
| | - Richard J. Chi
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, USA
| | - Kenneth J. Piller
- SoyMeds, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, USA
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, USA
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38
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Ghadaksaz A, Imani Fooladi AA, Mahmoodzadeh Hosseini H, Nejad Satari T, Amin M. Targeting the EGFR in cancer cells by fusion protein consisting of arazyme and third loop of TGF-alpha: an in silico study. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022; 40:11744-11757. [PMID: 34379041 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1963318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The anticancer effects of arazyme, a bacterial metalloprotease, have been revealed in previous studies. Because of the overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in tumor cells, targeting this receptor is one of the approaches to cancer therapy. In the present study, we designed fusion protein by using a non-mitogenic binding sequence of TGFα, arazyme, and a suitable linker. The I-TASSER and Robetta web servers were employed to predict the territory structures of the Arazyme-linker-TGFαL3, and TGFαL3-linker-Arazyme. Then, models were validated by using PROCHECK, ERRAT, ProSA, and MolProbity web servers. After docking to EGFR, Arazyme-linker-TGFαL3 showed a higher binding affinity and was selected to be optimized through 100 ns Molecular dynamic (MD) simulation. Next, the stability of ligand-bound receptor was examined utilizing MD simulation for 100 ns. Furthermore, the binding free energy calculation and free energy decomposition were carried out employing MM-PBSA and MM-GBSA methods, respectively. The root mean square deviation and fluctuation (RMSD, RMSF), the radius of gyration, H-bond, and binding free energy analysis revealed the stability of the complex during simulation time. Finally, linear and conformational epitopes of B cells, as well as MHC class I and MHC class II were predicted by using different web servers. Meanwhile, the potential B cell and T cell epitopes were identified throughout arazyme protein sequence. Collectively, this study suggests a novel chimera protein candidate prevent cancer cells potentially by inducing an immune response and inhibiting cell proliferation. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdolamir Ghadaksaz
- Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Ali Imani Fooladi
- Applied Microbiology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamideh Mahmoodzadeh Hosseini
- Applied Microbiology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Taher Nejad Satari
- Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohsen Amin
- Department of Drug and Food Control, Faculty of Pharmacy, and The Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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39
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He J, Turzo SBA, Seffernick JT, Kim SS, Lindert S. Prediction of Intrinsic Disorder Using Rosetta ResidueDisorder and AlphaFold2. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:8439-8446. [PMID: 36251522 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c05508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The combination of deep learning and sequence data has transformed protein structure prediction and modeling, evidenced in the success of AlphaFold (AF). For this reason, many methods have been developed to take advantage of this success in areas where inaccurate structural modeling may limit computational predictiveness. For example, many methods have been developed to predict protein intrinsic disorder from sequence, including our Rosetta ResidueDisorder (RRD) approach. Intrinsically disordered regions in proteins are parts of the sequence that do not form ordered, folded structures under typical physiological conditions. In the original implementation of RRD, Rosetta ab initio models were generated, and disordered regions were predicted based on residue scores (disordered residues typically exist in regions of unfavorable scores). In this work, we show that by (i) replacing the ab initio modeling with AF (using the same scoring and disorder assignment approach) and (ii) updating the score function, the predictiveness improved significantly. Residues were better ranked by the order/disorder, evidenced by an improvement in receiver operating characteristic area-under-the-curve from 0.69 to 0.78 on a large (229 protein) and balanced data set (relatively even ordered versus disordered residues). Finally, the binary prediction accuracy also improved from 62% to 74% on the same data set. Our results show that the combined AF-RRD approach was as good as or better than all existing methods by these metrics (AF-RRD had the highest prediction accuracy).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiadi He
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Sm Bargeen Alam Turzo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Justin T Seffernick
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Stephanie S Kim
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Steffen Lindert
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
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40
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Itagi P, Kante A, Lagunes L, Deeds EJ. Understanding the separation of timescales in bacterial proteasome core particle assembly. Biophys J 2022; 121:3975-3986. [PMID: 36016496 PMCID: PMC9674962 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The 20S proteasome core particle (CP) is a molecular machine that is a key component of cellular protein degradation pathways. Like other molecular machines, it is not synthesized in an active form but rather as a set of subunits that assemble into a functional complex. The CP is conserved across all domains of life and is composed of 28 subunits, 14 α and 14 β, arranged in four stacked seven-member rings (α7β7β7α7). While details of CP assembly vary across species, the final step in the assembly process is universally conserved: two half proteasomes (HPs; α7β7) dimerize to form the CP. In the bacterium Rhodococcus erythropolis, experiments have shown that the formation of the HP is completed within minutes, while the dimerization process takes hours. The N-terminal propeptide of the β subunit, which is autocatalytically cleaved off after CP formation, plays a key role in regulating this separation of timescales. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of how the propeptide achieves this regulation is unclear. In this work, we used molecular dynamics simulations to characterize HP conformations and found that the HP exists in two states: one where the propeptide interacts with key residues in the HP dimerization interface and likely blocks dimerization, and one where this interface is free. Furthermore, we found that a propeptide mutant that dimerizes extremely slowly is essentially always in the nondimerizable state, while the wild-type rapidly transitions between the two. Based on these simulations, we designed a propeptide mutant that favored the dimerizable state in molecular dynamics simulations. In vitro assembly experiments confirmed that this mutant dimerizes significantly faster than wild-type. Our work thus provides unprecedented insight into how this critical step in CP assembly is regulated, with implications both for efforts to inhibit proteasome assembly and for the evolution of hierarchical assembly pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pushpa Itagi
- Center for Computational Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas; Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, California
| | - Anupama Kante
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas; Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California
| | - Leonila Lagunes
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California
| | - Eric J Deeds
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California; Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
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41
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Chu AE, Fernandez D, Liu J, Eguchi RR, Huang PS. De Novo Design of a Highly Stable Ovoid TIM Barrel: Unlocking Pocket Shape towards Functional Design. BIODESIGN RESEARCH 2022; 2022:9842315. [PMID: 37850141 PMCID: PMC10521652 DOI: 10.34133/2022/9842315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to finely control the structure of protein folds is an important prerequisite to functional protein design. The TIM barrel fold is an important target for these efforts as it is highly enriched for diverse functions in nature. Although a TIM barrel protein has been designed de novo, the ability to finely alter the curvature of the central beta barrel and the overall architecture of the fold remains elusive, limiting its utility for functional design. Here, we report the de novo design of a TIM barrel with ovoid (twofold) symmetry, drawing inspiration from natural beta and TIM barrels with ovoid curvature. We use an autoregressive backbone sampling strategy to implement our hypothesis for elongated barrel curvature, followed by an iterative enrichment sequence design protocol to obtain sequences which yield a high proportion of successfully folding designs. Designed sequences are highly stable and fold to the designed barrel curvature as determined by a 2.1 Å resolution crystal structure. The designs show robustness to drastic mutations, retaining high melting temperatures even when multiple charged residues are buried in the hydrophobic core or when the hydrophobic core is ablated to alanine. As a scaffold with a greater capacity for hosting diverse hydrogen bonding networks and installation of binding pockets or active sites, the ovoid TIM barrel represents a major step towards the de novo design of functional TIM barrels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander E. Chu
- Biophysics Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Fernandez
- Program in Chemistry, Engineering, And Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford ChEM-H, Macromolecular Structure Knowledge Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jingjia Liu
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Raphael R. Eguchi
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford ChEM-H, Macromolecular Structure Knowledge Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Po-Ssu Huang
- Biophysics Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford ChEM-H, Macromolecular Structure Knowledge Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Bio-X Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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42
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Fobe TL, Walker CC, Meek GA, Shirts MR. Folding Coarse-Grained Oligomer Models with PyRosetta. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:6354-6369. [PMID: 36179376 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Non-biological foldamers are a promising class of macromolecules that share similarities to classical biopolymers such as proteins and nucleic acids. Currently, designing novel foldamers is a non-trivial process, often involving many iterations of trial synthesis and characterization until folded structures are observed. In this work, we aim to tackle these foldamer design challenges using computational modeling techniques. We developed CG PyRosetta, an extension to the popular protein folding python package, PyRosetta, which introduces coarse-grained (CG) residues into PyRosetta, enabling the folding of toy CG foldamer models. Although these models are simplified, they can help explore overarching physical hypotheses about how oligomers can form. Through systematic variation of CG parameters in these models, we can investigate various folding hypotheses at the CG scale to inform the design process of new foldamer chemistries. In this study, we demonstrate CG PyRosetta's ability to identify minimum energy structures with a diverse structural search over a range of simple models, as well as two hypothesis-driven parameter scans investigating the effects of side-chain size and internal backbone angle on secondary structures. We are able to identify several types of secondary structures from single- and double-helices to sheet-like and knot-like structures. We show how side-chain size and backbone bond angle both play an important role in the structure and energetics of these toy models. Optimal side-chain sizes promote favorable packing of side chains, while specific backbone bond angles influence the specific helix type found in folded structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodore L Fobe
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado80309, United States
| | - Christopher C Walker
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado80309, United States
| | - Garrett A Meek
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado80309, United States
| | - Michael R Shirts
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado80309, United States
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43
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Allsopp R, Pavlova A, Cline T, Salyapongse AM, Gillilan RE, Di YP, Deslouches B, Klauda JB, Gumbart JC, Tristram-Nagle S. Antimicrobial Peptide Mechanism Studied by Scattering-Guided Molecular Dynamics Simulation. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:6922-6935. [PMID: 36067064 PMCID: PMC10392866 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c03193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In an effort to combat rising antimicrobial resistance, our labs have rationally designed cationic, helical, amphipathic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as alternatives to traditional antibiotics since AMPs incur bacterial resistance in weeks, rather than days. One highly positively charged AMP, WLBU2 (+13e), (RRWV RRVR RWVR RVVR VVRR WVRR), has been shown to be effective in killing both Gram-negative (G(-)) and Gram-positive (G(+)) bacteria by directly perturbing the bacterial membrane nonspecifically. Previously, we used two equilibrium experimental methods: synchrotron X-ray diffuse scattering (XDS) providing lipid membrane thickness and neutron reflectometry (NR) providing WLBU2 depth of penetration into three lipid model membranes (LMMs). The purpose of the present study is to use the results from the scattering experiments to guide molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the detailed biophysics of the interactions of WLBU2 with LMMs of Gram-negative outer and inner membranes, and Gram-positive cell membranes, to elucidate the mechanisms of bacterial killing. Instead of coarse-graining, backmapping, or simulating without bias for several microseconds, all-atom (AA) simulations were guided by the experimental results and then equilibrated for ∼0.5 μs. Multiple replicas of the inserted peptide were run to probe stability and reach a combined time of at least 1.2 μs for G(-) and also 2.0 μs for G(+). The simulations with experimental comparisons help rule out certain structures and orientations and propose the most likely set of structures, orientations, and effects on the membrane. The simulations revealed that water, phosphates, and ions enter the hydrocarbon core when WLBU2 is positioned there. For an inserted peptide, the three types of amino acids, arginine, tryptophan, and valine (R, W, V), are arranged with the 13 Rs extending from the hydrocarbon core to the phosphate group, Ws are located at the interface, and Vs are more centrally located. For a surface state, R, W, and V are positioned relative to the bilayer interface as expected from their hydrophobicities, with Rs closest to the phosphate group, Ws close to the interface, and Vs in between. G(-) and G(+) LMMs are thinned ∼1 Å by the addition of WLBU2. Our results suggest a dual anchoring mechanism for WLBU2 both in the headgroup and in the hydrocarbon region that promotes a defect region where water and ions can flow across the slightly thinned bacterial cell membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Allsopp
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Anna Pavlova
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Tyler Cline
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Aria M Salyapongse
- Biological Physics Group, Physics Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Richard E Gillilan
- Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Y Peter Di
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Berthony Deslouches
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Jeffery B Klauda
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - James C Gumbart
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Stephanie Tristram-Nagle
- Biological Physics Group, Physics Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
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44
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Nuñez-Ortiz N, Díaz-Rosales P, García JA, Serra CR, Enes P, Tafalla C, Gomez-Casado E. Immunostimulant properties of full-length and truncated Marinobacter algicola flagellins, and their effects against viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) in trout. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 128:695-702. [PMID: 35981702 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2022.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Adjuvants that would help optimize fish vaccines against bacterial and viral pathogens are highly demanded by the aquaculture sector. Flagellin has been proposed as an immunostimulant and an adjuvant for more than a decade. However, the adjuvant ability of flagellins with hypervariable region deleted is still unclear in fish. In this study, we evaluated the immune-stimulating capacity of two recombinant flagellins, the wild-type flagellin F from Marinobacter algicola and a version with the hypervariable region deleted (FredV2), to induce the transcription of a wide range of immune genes using two rainbow trout cell lines: a monocyte/macrophage-cell line (RTS-11) and an epithelial cell line from intestine (RTgutGC). Additionally, we studied the capacity of both flagellins to limit the replication of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) on the RTgutGC cell line. Our results demonstrated that both recombinant flagellins can significantly increase the transcription of IL-1β1, IL-6, and IL-8 in both cell lines. However, other cytokines such as IFNγ1, and TNFα or antimicrobial peptides such as hepcidin were induced by both flagellins in RTgutGC but not in RTS-11 cells. Furthermore, both flagellins were capable of reducing the replication of VHSV in RTgutGC cells. Although the immunostimulatory and the antiviral capacities exerted by F were slightly more potent than those obtained with FredV2, the effects were retained after losing the hypervariable region. Our results provide new information on the immunostimulating and antiviral capacities of flagellins that point to their potential as suitable adjuvants for the future optimization of vaccines in aquaculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Nuñez-Ortiz
- Animal Health Research Center (CISA), INIA-CSIC, Valdeolmos-Alalpardo, 28130, Madrid, Spain; Department of Biotechnology, INIA-CSIC, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Díaz-Rosales
- Animal Health Research Center (CISA), INIA-CSIC, Valdeolmos-Alalpardo, 28130, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose A García
- Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Claudia R Serra
- CIIMAR, Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Paula Enes
- CIIMAR, Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Carolina Tafalla
- Animal Health Research Center (CISA), INIA-CSIC, Valdeolmos-Alalpardo, 28130, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eduardo Gomez-Casado
- Department of Biotechnology, INIA-CSIC, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), 28040, Madrid, Spain.
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45
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Nagel M, Moretti R, Paschke R, von Bergen M, Meiler J, Kalkhof S. Integrative model of the FSH receptor reveals the structural role of the flexible hinge region. Structure 2022; 30:1424-1431.e3. [PMID: 35973423 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2022.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) belongs to the glycoprotein hormone receptors, a subfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). FSHR is involved in reproductive processes such as gonadal development and maturation. Structurally, the extensive extracellular domain, which contains the hormone-binding site and is linked to the transmembrane domain by the hinge region (HR), is characteristic for these receptors. How this HR is involved in hormone binding and signal transduction is still an open question. We combined in vitro and in situ chemical crosslinking, disulfide pattern analysis, and mutation data with molecular modeling to generate experimentally driven full-length models. These models provide insights into the interface, important side-chain interactions, and activation mechanism. The interface indicates a strong involvement of the connecting loop. A major rearrangement of the HR seems implausible due to the tight arrangement and fixation by disulfide bonds. The models are expected to allow for testable hypotheses about signal transduction and drug development for GPHRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Nagel
- Department for Molecular Systems Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany; Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA; Division of Endocrinology, Department of Endocrinology and Nephrology, University Clinic Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rocco Moretti
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Ralf Paschke
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Endocrinology and Nephrology, University Clinic Leipzig, Germany; Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Departments of Oncology, Pathology, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology & Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Martin von Bergen
- Department for Molecular Systems Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jens Meiler
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA; Leipzig University Medical School, Institute for Drug Discovery, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Stefan Kalkhof
- Department for Molecular Systems Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany; Institute for Bioanalysis, University of Applied Sciences Coburg, Coburg, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department of Preclinical Development and Validation, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
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46
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Turzo SMBA, Seffernick JT, Rolland AD, Donor MT, Heinze S, Prell JS, Wysocki VH, Lindert S. Protein shape sampled by ion mobility mass spectrometry consistently improves protein structure prediction. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4377. [PMID: 35902583 PMCID: PMC9334640 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32075-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Ion mobility (IM) mass spectrometry provides structural information about protein shape and size in the form of an orientationally-averaged collision cross-section (CCSIM). While IM data have been used with various computational methods, they have not yet been utilized to predict monomeric protein structure from sequence. Here, we show that IM data can significantly improve protein structure determination using the modelling suite Rosetta. We develop the Rosetta Projection Approximation using Rough Circular Shapes (PARCS) algorithm that allows for fast and accurate prediction of CCSIM from structure. Following successful testing of the PARCS algorithm, we use an integrative modelling approach to utilize IM data for protein structure prediction. Additionally, we propose a confidence metric that identifies near native models in the absence of a known structure. The results of this study demonstrate the ability of IM data to consistently improve protein structure prediction. Collision cross sections (CCS) from ion mobility mass spectrometry provide information about protein shape and size. Here, the authors develop an algorithm to predict CCS and integrate experimental ion mobility data into Rosetta-based molecular modelling to predict protein structures from sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Bargeen Alam Turzo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Resource for Native Mass Spectrometry Guided Structural Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Justin T Seffernick
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Resource for Native Mass Spectrometry Guided Structural Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Amber D Rolland
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Materials Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - Micah T Donor
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Materials Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - Sten Heinze
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Resource for Native Mass Spectrometry Guided Structural Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - James S Prell
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Materials Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - Vicki H Wysocki
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Resource for Native Mass Spectrometry Guided Structural Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Steffen Lindert
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Resource for Native Mass Spectrometry Guided Structural Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
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47
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Kapoor K, Chen T, Tajkhorshid E. Posttranslational modifications optimize the ability of SARS-CoV-2 spike for effective interaction with host cell receptors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2119761119. [PMID: 35737823 PMCID: PMC9282386 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2119761119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike glycoprotein is the prime target for vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutic antibodies against the virus. While anchored in the viral envelope, for effective virulence, the spike needs to maintain structural flexibility to recognize the host cell surface receptors and bind to them, a property that can heavily depend upon the dynamics of the unresolved domains, most prominently the stalk. Construction of the complete, membrane-bound spike model and the description of its dynamics are critical steps in understanding the inner working of this key element of the viral infection by SARS-CoV-2. Combining homology modeling, protein-protein docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we have developed a full spike structure in a native membrane. Multimicrosecond MD simulations of this model, the longest known single trajectory of the full spike, reveal conformational dynamics employed by the protein to explore the surface of the host cell. In agreement with cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), three flexible hinges in the stalk allow for global conformational heterogeneity of spike in the fully glycosylated system mediated by glycan-glycan and glycan-lipid interactions. The dynamical range of the spike is considerably reduced in its nonglycosylated form, confining the area explored by the spike on the host cell surface. Furthermore, palmitoylation of the membrane domain amplifies the local curvature that may prime the fusion. We show that the identified hinge regions are highly conserved in SARS coronaviruses, highlighting their functional importance in enhancing viral infection, and thereby, provide points for discovery of alternative therapeutics against the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karan Kapoor
- Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Tianle Chen
- Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Emad Tajkhorshid
- Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
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48
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Mayer G, Shpilt Z, Kowalski H, Tshuva EY, Friedler A. Targeting Protein Interaction Hotspots Using Structured and Disordered Chimeric Peptide Inhibitors. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:1811-1823. [PMID: 35758642 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The main challenge in inhibiting protein-protein interactions (PPI) for therapeutic purposes is designing molecules that bind specifically to the interaction hotspots. Adding to the complexity, such hotspots can be within both structured and disordered interaction interfaces. To address this, we present a strategy for inhibiting the structured and disordered hotspots of interactions using chimeric peptides that contain both structured and disordered parts. The chimeric peptides we developed are comprised of a cyclic structured part and a disordered part, which target both disordered and structured hotspots. We demonstrate our approach by developing peptide inhibitors for the interactions of the antiapoptotic iASPP protein. First, we developed a structured, α-helical stapled peptide inhibitor, derived from the N-terminal domain of MDM2. The peptide bound two hotspots on iASPP at the low micromolar range and had a cytotoxic effect on A2780 cancer cells with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 10 ± 1 μM. We then developed chimeric peptides comprising the structured stapled helical peptide and the disordered p53-derived LinkTer peptide that we previously showed to inhibit iASPP by targeting its disordered RT loop. The chimeric peptide targeted both structured and disordered domains in iASPP with higher affinity compared to the individual structured and disordered peptides and caused cancer cell death. Our strategy overcomes the inherent difficulty in inhibiting the interactions of proteins that possess structured and disordered regions. It does so by using chimeric peptides derived from different interaction partners that together target a much wider interface covering both the structured and disordered domains. This paves the way for developing such inhibitors for therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy Mayer
- The Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Zohar Shpilt
- The Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Hadar Kowalski
- The Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Edit Y Tshuva
- The Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Assaf Friedler
- The Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
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49
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Joseph BB, Edeen PT, Meadows S, Binti S, Fay DS. An unexpected role for the conserved ADAM-family metalloprotease ADM-2 in Caenorhabditis elegans molting. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010249. [PMID: 35639786 PMCID: PMC9187072 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Molting is a widespread developmental process in which the external extracellular matrix (ECM), the cuticle, is remodeled to allow for organismal growth and environmental adaptation. Studies in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans have identified a diverse set of molting-associated factors including signaling molecules, intracellular trafficking regulators, ECM components, and ECM-modifying enzymes such as matrix metalloproteases. C. elegans NEKL-2 and NEKL-3, two conserved members of the NEK family of protein kinases, are essential for molting and promote the endocytosis of environmental steroid-hormone precursors by the epidermis. Steroids in turn drive the cyclic induction of many genes required for molting. Here we report a role for the sole C. elegans ADAM–meltrin metalloprotease family member, ADM-2, as a mediator of molting. Loss of adm-2, including mutations that disrupt the metalloprotease domain, led to the strong suppression of molting defects in partial loss-of-function nekl mutants. ADM-2 is expressed in the epidermis, and its trafficking through the endo-lysosomal network was disrupted after NEKL depletion. We identified the epidermally expressed low-density lipoprotein receptor–related protein, LRP-1, as a candidate target of ADM-2 regulation. Whereas loss of ADM-2 activity led to the upregulation of apical epidermal LRP-1, ADM-2 overexpression caused a reduction in LRP-1 levels. Consistent with this, several mammalian ADAMs, including the meltrin ADAM12, have been shown to regulate mammalian LRP1 via proteolysis. In contrast to mammalian homologs, however, the regulation of LRP-1 by ADM-2 does not appear to involve the metalloprotease function of ADM-2, nor is proteolytic processing of LRP-1 strongly affected in adm-2 mutants. Our findings suggest a noncanonical role for an ADAM family member in the regulation of a lipoprotein-like receptor and lead us to propose that endocytic trafficking may be important for both the internalization of factors that promote molting as well as the removal of proteins that can inhibit the process. The molecular and cellular features of molting in nematodes share many similarities with cellular and developmental processes that occur in mammals. This includes the degradation and reorganization of extracellular matrix materials that surround cells, as well as the intracellular machineries that allow cells to sample and modify their environments. In the current study, we found an unexpected function for a conserved protein that cleaves other proteins on the external surface of cells. Rather than promoting molting through extracellular matrix reorganization, however, the ADM-2 protease appears to function as a negative regulator of molting. This observation can be explained in part by data showing that ADM-2 negatively regulates a cell surface receptor required for molting. Surprisingly, it appears to do so through a mechanism that does not involve proteolysis. Our data provide insights into the mechanisms controlling molting and link several conserved proteins to show how they function together during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Braveen B. Joseph
- Department of Molecular Biology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Phillip T. Edeen
- Department of Molecular Biology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Sarina Meadows
- Department of Molecular Biology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Shaonil Binti
- Department of Molecular Biology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - David S. Fay
- Department of Molecular Biology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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50
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León-González JA, Flatet P, Juárez-Ramírez MS, Farías-Rico JA. Folding and Evolution of a Repeat Protein on the Ribosome. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:851038. [PMID: 35707224 PMCID: PMC9189291 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.851038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Life on earth is the result of the work of proteins, the cellular nanomachines that fold into elaborated 3D structures to perform their functions. The ribosome synthesizes all the proteins of the biosphere, and many of them begin to fold during translation in a process known as cotranslational folding. In this work we discuss current advances of this field and provide computational and experimental data that highlight the role of ribosome in the evolution of protein structures. First, we used the sequence of the Ankyrin domain from the Drosophila Notch receptor to launch a deep sequence-based search. With this strategy, we found a conserved 33-residue motif shared by different protein folds. Then, to see how the vectorial addition of the motif would generate a full structure we measured the folding on the ribosome of the Ankyrin repeat protein. Not only the on-ribosome folding data is in full agreement with classical in vitro biophysical measurements but also it provides experimental evidence on how folded proteins could have evolved by duplication and fusion of smaller fragments in the RNA world. Overall, we discuss how the ribosomal exit tunnel could be conceptualized as an active site that is under evolutionary pressure to influence protein folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Alberto León-González
- Synthetic Biology Program, Center for Genome Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Perline Flatet
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - María Soledad Juárez-Ramírez
- Synthetic Biology Program, Center for Genome Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - José Arcadio Farías-Rico
- Synthetic Biology Program, Center for Genome Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Cuernavaca, Mexico
- *Correspondence: José Arcadio Farías-Rico,
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