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Yang Y, Ye Y, Deng Y, Gao L. Uridine and its role in metabolic diseases, tumors, and neurodegenerative diseases. Front Physiol 2024; 15:1360891. [PMID: 38487261 PMCID: PMC10937367 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1360891] [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: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Uridine is a pyrimidine nucleoside found in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid with a concentration higher than the other nucleosides. As a simple metabolite, uridine plays a pivotal role in various biological processes. In addition to nucleic acid synthesis, uridine is critical to glycogen synthesis through the formation of uridine diphosphate glucose in which promotes the production of UDP-GlcNAc in the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway and supplies UDP-GlcNAc for O-GlcNAcylation. This process can regulate protein modification and affect its function. Moreover, Uridine has an effect on body temperature and circadian rhythms, which can regulate the metabolic rate and the expression of metabolic genes. Abnormal levels of blood uridine have been found in people with diabetes and obesity, suggesting a link of uridine dysregulation and metabolic disorders. At present, the role of uridine in glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism is controversial, and the mechanism is not clear, but it shows the trend of long-term damage and short-term benefit. Therefore, maintaining uridine homeostasis is essential for maintaining basic functions and normal metabolism. This article summarizes the latest findings about the metabolic effects of uridine and the potential of uridine metabolism as therapeutic target in treatment of metabolic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueyuan Yang
- Department of Endocrinology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yahong Ye
- Department of Internal Medicine, QuanZhou Women’s and Children’s Hospital, QuanZhou, China
| | - Yingfeng Deng
- Department of Diabetes and Cancer Metabolism, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States
| | - Ling Gao
- Department of Endocrinology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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Wang Z, Zou T, Feng S, Wu F, Zhang J. Boronic acid-functionalized magnetic porphyrin-based covalent organic framework for selective enrichment of cis-diol-containing nucleosides. Anal Chim Acta 2023; 1278:341691. [PMID: 37709444 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341691] [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: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
In this study, a novel boronic acid-functionalized magnetic porphyrin-based covalent organic framework (COF) with a core-shell structure was designed and synthesized for the selective enrichment and detection of nucleosides. Firstly, brominated porphyrin-based COF was in situ grown on Fe3O4-NH2 nanospheres (denoted as Fe3O4@Br-COF), then a post-synthetic modification strategy was used to introduce boronic acid into the framework via Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction to obtain boronic acid functionalized magnetic COF (denoted as Fe3O4@BA-COF). Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling possesses the advantages of mild synthesis conditions, high tolerance to functionalities, and ease of handling and separation, which is considered as a promising candidate for functionalizing COF. It is worth mentioning that the porphyrin-based COF possesses a unique nitrogen-rich skeleton and "trap" structure formed by four pyrrole rings, which can provide hydrogen bond and make it more suitable for trapping analytes than other types of COF. The boronic acid group provides boronate affinity, which enables better selective enrichment of cis-diol-containing nucleoside. The morphology and structure of the prepared Fe3O4@BA-COF was characterized by various methods. Based on the Fe3O4@BA-COF, a facile magnetic solid phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography method (MSPE-HPLC) was used to extract and detect adenosine, guanosine, uridine, and cytidine in urine samples. This work not only provides a mild and feasible post-synthetic modification method for fabrication of boronic acid-functionalized magnetic COF, but also provides an efficient and rapid method to selectively enrich and detect hydrophilic nucleosides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyi Wang
- School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Hubei Key Laboratory of Novel Reactor and Green Chemical Technology, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430205, China
| | - Ting Zou
- School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Hubei Key Laboratory of Novel Reactor and Green Chemical Technology, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430205, China
| | - Shitao Feng
- School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Hubei Key Laboratory of Novel Reactor and Green Chemical Technology, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430205, China
| | - Fengshou Wu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Novel Biomass-Based Environmental and Energy Materials in Petroleum and Chemical Industry, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430205, China
| | - Juan Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Hubei Key Laboratory of Novel Reactor and Green Chemical Technology, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430205, China.
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Naes SM, Ab-Rahim S, Mazlan M, Amir Hashim NA, Abdul Rahman A. Increased ENT2 expression and its association with altered purine metabolism in cell lines derived from different stages of colorectal cancer. Exp Ther Med 2023; 25:212. [PMID: 37123217 PMCID: PMC10133795 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2023.11911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent malignant cancer types worldwide. Although the purine metabolism pathway is vital for cancer cell survival, little is known about the role of equilibrative nucleoside transporter 2 (ENT2) in CRC development and its association with purine metabolites. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the levels of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT), hypoxanthine and uric acid (UA), as well as xanthine oxidase (XO) activity, and investigate their association with ENT2 expression levels in a normal human colon cell line and CRC cell lines derived from different stages of CRC. These analyses were performed using the normal colon CCD-841CoN cell line and a panel of human CRC cell lines comprising SW480, HCT15 and HCT116, which represent Dukes' B, C and D stages, respectively. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was performed to determine the level of ENT2 mRNA expression. In cells of all CRC stages, the levels of HPRT and hypoxanthine were significantly higher (P<0.05), while XO activity and UA levels were significantly decreased (P<0.05), compared with those in the CCD-841CoN cell line. ENT2 expression was found to be elevated in cells derived from all stages of CRC. The Dukes' D stage cell line had higher levels of HPRT and hypoxanthine, although its ENT2 level was not significantly lower than that of the Dukes' B and C stage cell lines. Increased levels of HPRT and hypoxanthine in various stages of CRC may indicate an increase in the activity of the salvage pathway. The increased expression of ENT2 implies the importance of the ENT2 protein in facilitating hypoxanthine transport, which is required for enhanced DNA synthesis via hypoxanthine recycling. In conclusion, ENT2 may have potential as a target in the development of CRC therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Safaa M. Naes
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Selangor, Kampus Sungai Buloh, Jalan Hospital Sungai Buloh, Selangor 47000, Malaysia
- Institute of Medical and Molecular Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Selangor, Kampus Sungai Buloh, Jalan Hospital Sungai Buloh, Selangor 47000, Malaysia
| | - Sharaniza Ab-Rahim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Selangor, Kampus Sungai Buloh, Jalan Hospital Sungai Buloh, Selangor 47000, Malaysia
| | - Musalmah Mazlan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Selangor, Kampus Sungai Buloh, Jalan Hospital Sungai Buloh, Selangor 47000, Malaysia
| | - Nurul Azmir Amir Hashim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Selangor, Kampus Sungai Buloh, Jalan Hospital Sungai Buloh, Selangor 47000, Malaysia
| | - Amirah Abdul Rahman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Selangor, Kampus Sungai Buloh, Jalan Hospital Sungai Buloh, Selangor 47000, Malaysia
- Correspondence to: Dr Amirah Abdul Rahman, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Selangor, Kampus Sungai Buloh, Jalan Hospital, Sungai Buloh, Selangor 47000, Malaysia
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Zhang K, Zhang Z, Guo X, Guo R, Zhu L, Qiu X, Yu X, Chai J, Gu C, Feng Z. Changes in nutrient consumption patterns of Lactobacillus fermentum mediated by sodium lactate. JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE 2023; 103:1775-1783. [PMID: 36305089 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.12295] [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: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND During high-cell-density culture of Lactobacillus fermentum, the optimal pH is often maintained by adding NaOH. During cultivation at controlled pH, L. fermentum experiences osmotic stress due to the continuous accumulation of sodium lactate as a neutralizer product, affecting its survival in subsequent processing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the nutrient consumption patterns of L. fermentum ATCC 14931 under sodium lactate stress and to screen nutrients that help it resist osmotic stress. RESULTS The consumption and consumption rates of amino acids, purines, pyrimidines, vitamins, and metal ions were analyzed in chemically defined media containing 0.13, 0.31, or 0.62 mm L-1 sodium lactate. The highest consumption rates were found for arginine, guanine, folic acid, and Mn2+ , and the most consumed nutrients were glutamate + glutamine, guanine, ascorbic acid, and Na+ . Arginine 2.58 mm L-1 , guanine 0.23 mm L-1 , and Mn2+ 0.25 mm L-1 were added to the medium at sodium lactate concentrations of 0.13 and 0.62 mm L-1 , and arginine 2.58 mm L-1 , guanine 0.26 mm L-1 , and Mn2+ 0.25 mm L-1 at a sodium lactate concentration of 0.31 mm L-1 . The viable cell counts of L. fermentum ATCC 14931 were approximately 1.02-fold (P < 0.05) of the counts observed in control medium at all three concentrations of sodium lactate. CONCLUSION The present results suggest that certain nutrients accelerate the growth of L. fermentum under sodium lactate stress and enhance its resistance to this adverse condition. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Zongcai Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Xiaoxue Guo
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Ruijia Guo
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Lin Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Xinrong Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Xiaohan Yu
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Jun Chai
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Chunhe Gu
- Spice and Beverage Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wanning, China
| | - Zhen Feng
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- Spice and Beverage Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wanning, China
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Ren X, Huang L, Wang C, Ge Y, Zhang K, Jiang D, Liu X, Zhang Q, Wang Y. Urinary analysis based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering for the noninvasive screening of lung cancer. ENGINEERED REGENERATION 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.engreg.2022.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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Pastor-Anglada M, Mata-Ventosa A, Pérez-Torras S. Inborn Errors of Nucleoside Transporter (NT)-Encoding Genes ( SLC28 and SLC29). Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:8770. [PMID: 35955904 PMCID: PMC9369021 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The proper regulation of nucleotide pools is essential for all types of cellular functions and depends on de novo nucleotide biosynthesis, salvage, and degradation pathways. Despite the apparent essentiality of these processes, a significant number of rare diseases associated with mutations in genes encoding various enzymes of these pathways have been already identified, and others are likely yet to come. However, knowledge on genetic alterations impacting on nucleoside and nucleobase transporters is still limited. At this moment three gene-encoding nucleoside and nucleobase transporter proteins have been reported to be mutated in humans, SLC29A1, SLC29A3, and SLC28A1, impacting on the expression and function of ENT1, ENT3, and CNT1, respectively. ENT1 alterations determine Augustine-null blood type and cause ectopic calcification during aging. ENT3 deficiency translates into various clinical manifestations and syndromes, altogether listed in the OMIM catalog as histiocytosis-lymphoadenopathy plus syndrome (OMIM#602782). CNT1 deficiency causes uridine-cytidineuria (URCTU) (OMIM#618477), a unique type of pyrimidineuria with an as yet not well-known clinical impact. Increasing knowledge on the physiological, molecular and structural features of these transporter proteins is helping us to better understand the biological basis behind the biochemical and clinical manifestations caused by these deficiencies. Moreover, they also support the view that some metabolic compensation might occur in these disturbances, because they do not seem to significantly impact nucleotide homeostasis, but rather other biological events associated with particular subtypes of transporter proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marçal Pastor-Anglada
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biomedicina Molecular, Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBER EHD), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Aida Mata-Ventosa
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biomedicina Molecular, Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBER EHD), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Sandra Pérez-Torras
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biomedicina Molecular, Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBER EHD), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
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Rasmussen HB, Jürgens G, Thomsen R, Taboureau O, Zeth K, Hansen PE, Hansen PR. Cellular Uptake and Intracellular Phosphorylation of GS-441524: Implications for Its Effectiveness against COVID-19. Viruses 2021; 13:v13071369. [PMID: 34372575 PMCID: PMC8310262 DOI: 10.3390/v13071369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
GS-441524 is an adenosine analog and the parent nucleoside of the prodrug remdesivir, which has received emergency approval for treatment of COVID-19. Recently, GS-441524 has been proposed to be effective in the treatment of COVID-19, perhaps even being superior to remdesivir for treatment of this disease. Evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of GS-441524 requires understanding of its uptake and intracellular conversion to GS-441524 triphosphate, the active antiviral substance. We here discuss the potential impact of these pharmacokinetic steps of GS-441524 on the formation of its active antiviral substance and effectiveness for treatment of COVID-19. Available protein expression data suggest that several adenosine transporters are expressed at only low levels in the epithelial cells lining the alveoli in the lungs, i.e., the alveolar cells or pneumocytes from healthy lungs. This may limit uptake of GS-441524. Importantly, cellular uptake of GS-441524 may be reduced during hypoxia and inflammation due to decreased expression of adenosine transporters. Similarly, hypoxia and inflammation may lead to reduced expression of adenosine kinase, which is believed to convert GS-441524 to GS-441524 monophosphate, the perceived rate-limiting step in the intracellular formation of GS-441524 triphosphate. Moreover, increases in extracellular and intracellular levels of adenosine, which may occur during critical illnesses, has the potential to competitively decrease cellular uptake and phosphorylation of GS-441524. Taken together, tissue hypoxia and severe inflammation in COVID-19 may lead to reduced uptake and phosphorylation of GS-441524 with lowered therapeutic effectiveness as a potential outcome. Hypoxia may be particularly critical to the ability of GS-441524 to eliminate SARS-CoV-2 from tissues with low basal expression of adenosine transporters, such as alveolar cells. This knowledge may also be relevant to treatments with other antiviral adenosine analogs and anticancer adenosine analogs as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Berg Rasmussen
- Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Mental Health Centre Sct. Hans, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University Center, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark; (K.Z.); (P.E.H.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Gesche Jürgens
- Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Zealand University Hospital, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark;
| | - Ragnar Thomsen
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark;
| | - Olivier Taboureau
- INSERM U1133, CNRS UMR 8251, Université de Paris, F-75013 Paris, France;
| | - Kornelius Zeth
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University Center, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark; (K.Z.); (P.E.H.)
| | - Poul Erik Hansen
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University Center, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark; (K.Z.); (P.E.H.)
| | - Peter Riis Hansen
- Department of Cardiology, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, DK-2900 Hellerup, Denmark;
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Lopes CR, Lourenço VS, Tomé ÂR, Cunha RA, Canas PM. Use of knockout mice to explore CNS effects of adenosine. Biochem Pharmacol 2020; 187:114367. [PMID: 33333075 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The initial exploration using pharmacological tools of the role of adenosine receptors in the brain, concluded that adenosine released as such acted on A1R to inhibit excitability and glutamate release from principal neurons throughout the brain and that adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR) were striatal-'specific' receptors controlling dopamine D2R. This indicted A1R as potential controllers of neurodegeneration and A2AR of psychiatric conditions. Global knockout of these two receptors questioned the key role of A1R and instead identified extra-striatal A2AR as robust controllers of neurodegeneration. Furthermore, transgenic lines with altered metabolic sources of adenosine revealed a coupling of ATP-derived adenosine to activate A2AR and a role of A1R as a hurdle to initiate neurodegeneration. Additionally, cell-selective knockout of A2AR unveiled the different roles of A2AR in different cell types (neurons/astrocytes) in different portions of the striatal circuits (dorsal versus lateral) and in different brain areas (hippocampus/striatum). Finally, a new transgenic mouse line with deletion of all adenosine receptors seems to indicate a major allostatic rather than homeostatic role of adenosine and may allow isolating P2R-mediated responses to unravel their role in the brain, a goal close to heart of Geoffrey Burnstock, to whom we affectionately dedicate this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cátia R Lopes
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Vanessa S Lourenço
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ângelo R Tomé
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal; Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo A Cunha
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal; Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Paula M Canas
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal
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Lemieux MJ, Overduin M. Structure and function of proteins in membranes and nanodiscs. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2020; 1863:183445. [PMID: 32841614 PMCID: PMC7443088 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2020.183445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The field of membrane structural biology represents a fast-moving field with exciting developments including native nanodiscs that allow preparation of complexes of post-translationally modified proteins bound to biological lipids. This has led to conceptual advances including biological membrane:protein assemblies or “memteins” as the fundamental functional units of biological membranes. Tools including cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography are maturing such that it is becoming increasingly feasible to solve structures of large, multicomponent complexes, while complementary methods including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy yield unique insights into interactions and dynamics. Challenges remain, including elucidating exactly how lipids and ligands are recognized at atomic resolution and transduce signals across asymmetric bilayers. In this special volume some of the latest thinking and methods are gathered through the analysis of a range of transmembrane targets. Ongoing work on areas including polymer design, protein labelling and microfluidic technologies will ensure continued progress on improving resolution and throughput, providing deeper understanding of this most important group of targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Joanne Lemieux
- Department of Biochemistry, Membrane Protein Disease Research Group, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Michael Overduin
- Department of Biochemistry, Membrane Protein Disease Research Group, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada.
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