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Yu J, Xu Y, Huang Y, Zhu Y, Zhou L, Zhang Y, Li B, Liu H, Fu A, Xu M. MS2/GmAMS1 encodes a bHLH transcription factor important for tapetum degeneration in soybean. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2024; 43:211. [PMID: 39127985 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-024-03300-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
KEY MESSAGE GmAMS1 is the only functional AMS and works with GmTDF1-1 and GmMS3 to orchestrate the tapetum degeneration in soybean. Heterosis could significantly increase the production of major crops as well as soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Stable male-sterile/female-fertile mutants including ms2 are useful resources to apply in soybean hybrid production. Here, we identified the detailed mutated sites of two classic mutants ms2 (Eldorado) and ms2 (Ames) in MS2/GmAMS1 via the high-throughput sequencing method. Subsequently, we verified that GmAMS1, a bHLH transcription factor, is the only functional AMS member in soybean through the complementary experiment in Arabidopsis; and elucidated the dysfunction of its homolog GmAMS2 is caused by the premature stop codon in the gene's coding sequence. Further qRT-PCR analysis and protein-protein interaction assays indicated GmAMS1 is required for expressing downstream members in the putative DYT1-TDF1-AMS-MYB80/MYB103/MS188-MS1 cascade module, and might regulate the upstream members in a feedback mechanism. GmAMS1 could interact with GmTDF1-1 and GmMS3 via different region, which contributes to dissect the mechanism in the tapetum degeneration process. Additionally, as a core member in the conserved cascade module controlling the tapetum development and degeneration, AMS is conservatively present in all land plant lineages, implying that AMS-mediated signaling pathway has been established before land plants diverged, which provides further insight into the tapetal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junping Yu
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, Shaanxi, China.
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology Shaanxi Province, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China.
| | - Yan Xu
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology Shaanxi Province, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Yuanyuan Huang
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology Shaanxi Province, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Yuxue Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology Shaanxi Province, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Lulu Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology Shaanxi Province, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Yunpeng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology Shaanxi Province, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Bingyao Li
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology Shaanxi Province, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Hao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology Shaanxi Province, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Aigen Fu
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology Shaanxi Province, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Min Xu
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, Shaanxi, China.
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology Shaanxi Province, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China.
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2
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Guarra F, Colombo G. Conformational Dynamics, Energetics, and the Divergent Evolution of Allosteric Regulation: The Case of the Yeast MAPK Family. Chembiochem 2024; 25:e202400175. [PMID: 38775368 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202400175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Allosteric mechanisms provide finely-tuned control over signalling proteins. Proteins of the same family may share high sequence identity and structural similarity but show distinct traits of allosteric control and evolutionary divergent regulation. Revealing the determinants of such properties may be important to understand the molecular bases of different regulatory pathways. Herein, we investigate whether and how evolutionarily-divergent traits of allosteric regulation in homologous proteins can be decoded in terms of internal dynamics and interaction networks that support functionally oriented conformations. In this framework, we start from the comparative analysis of the dynamics and energetics of the yeast MAP Kinases (MAPKs) Fus3 and Kss1 in their native basins. Importantly, distinctive dynamic and energetic stabilization features emerge, which can be related to the two proteins' differential ability to be phosphorylated and engage with the allosteric activator Ste5. We then expanded our study to other evolutionarily-related MAPKs. We show that the dynamical and energetical traits defining the distinct regulatory profiles of Fus3 and Kss1 can be traced along their evolutionary tree. Overall, our approach is able to reconnect (latent) allostery with the principal elements of protein structural stabilization and dynamics, showing how allosteric regulation was encrypted in MAPKs structure well before Ste5 appearance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Guarra
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 12, 27100, Pavia, Italia
| | - Giorgio Colombo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 12, 27100, Pavia, Italia
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3
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Shepherdson JL, Hutchison K, Don DW, McGillivray G, Choi TI, Allan CA, Amor DJ, Banka S, Basel DG, Buch LD, Carere DA, Carroll R, Clayton-Smith J, Crawford A, Dunø M, Faivre L, Gilfillan CP, Gold NB, Gripp KW, Hobson E, Holtz AM, Innes AM, Isidor B, Jackson A, Katsonis P, Amel Riazat Kesh L, Küry S, Lecoquierre F, Lockhart P, Maraval J, Matsumoto N, McCarrier J, McCarthy J, Miyake N, Moey LH, Németh AH, Østergaard E, Patel R, Pope K, Posey JE, Schnur RE, Shaw M, Stolerman E, Taylor JP, Wadman E, Wakeling E, White SM, Wong LC, Lupski JR, Lichtarge O, Corbett MA, Gecz J, Nicolet CM, Farnham PJ, Kim CH, Shinawi M. Variants in ZFX are associated with an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder with recurrent facial gestalt. Am J Hum Genet 2024; 111:487-508. [PMID: 38325380 PMCID: PMC10940019 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2024.01.007] [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: 08/06/2023] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic variants in multiple genes on the X chromosome have been implicated in syndromic and non-syndromic intellectual disability disorders. ZFX on Xp22.11 encodes a transcription factor that has been linked to diverse processes including oncogenesis and development, but germline variants have not been characterized in association with disease. Here, we present clinical and molecular characterization of 18 individuals with germline ZFX variants. Exome or genome sequencing revealed 11 variants in 18 subjects (14 males and 4 females) from 16 unrelated families. Four missense variants were identified in 11 subjects, with seven truncation variants in the remaining individuals. Clinical findings included developmental delay/intellectual disability, behavioral abnormalities, hypotonia, and congenital anomalies. Overlapping and recurrent facial features were identified in all subjects, including thickening and medial broadening of eyebrows, variations in the shape of the face, external eye abnormalities, smooth and/or long philtrum, and ear abnormalities. Hyperparathyroidism was found in four families with missense variants, and enrichment of different tumor types was observed. In molecular studies, DNA-binding domain variants elicited differential expression of a small set of target genes relative to wild-type ZFX in cultured cells, suggesting a gain or loss of transcriptional activity. Additionally, a zebrafish model of ZFX loss displayed an altered behavioral phenotype, providing additional evidence for the functional significance of ZFX. Our clinical and experimental data support that variants in ZFX are associated with an X-linked intellectual disability syndrome characterized by a recurrent facial gestalt, neurocognitive and behavioral abnormalities, and an increased risk for congenital anomalies and hyperparathyroidism.
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Affiliation(s)
- James L Shepherdson
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Katie Hutchison
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - George McGillivray
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Tae-Ik Choi
- Department of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
| | - Carolyn A Allan
- Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, and Department of Endocrinology, Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - David J Amor
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Siddharth Banka
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Health Innovation Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Donald G Basel
- Division of Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | | | | | - Renée Carroll
- Adelaide Medical School and Robinson Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Jill Clayton-Smith
- Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Ali Crawford
- Medical Genomics Research, Illumina Inc, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Morten Dunø
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Laurence Faivre
- Centre de Référence Anomalies du Développement et Syndromes Malformatifs, FHU TRANSLAD, Hôpital d'Enfants, Dijon, France; INSERM UMR1231, Equipe GAD, Université de Bourgogne-Franche Comté, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Christopher P Gilfillan
- Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Endocrinology, Eastern Health, Box Hill Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Nina B Gold
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Medical Genetics and Metabolism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Karen W Gripp
- Division of Medical Genetics, Nemours Children's Hospital, Wilmington, DE, USA
| | - Emma Hobson
- Yorkshire Regional Genetics Service, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Department of Clinical Genetics, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds, UK
| | - Alexander M Holtz
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - A Micheil Innes
- Departments of Medical Genetics and Pediatrics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Bertrand Isidor
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Service de Génétique Médicale, 44000 Nantes, France; Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, CNRS, INSERM, l'institut du Thorax, 44000 Nantes, France
| | - Adam Jackson
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Health Innovation Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Panagiotis Katsonis
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Leila Amel Riazat Kesh
- Yorkshire Regional Genetics Service, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Department of Clinical Genetics, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds, UK
| | - Sébastien Küry
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Service de Génétique Médicale, 44000 Nantes, France; Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, CNRS, INSERM, l'institut du Thorax, 44000 Nantes, France
| | - François Lecoquierre
- Univ Rouen Normandie, Inserm U1245 and CHU Rouen, Department of Genetics and Reference Center for Developmental Disorders, 76000 Rouen, France
| | - Paul Lockhart
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Julien Maraval
- Centre de Référence Anomalies du Développement et Syndromes Malformatifs, FHU TRANSLAD, Hôpital d'Enfants, Dijon, France; INSERM UMR1231, Equipe GAD, Université de Bourgogne-Franche Comté, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Naomichi Matsumoto
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Julie McCarrier
- Division of Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Josephine McCarthy
- Department of Endocrinology, Eastern Health, Box Hill Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Noriko Miyake
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan; Department of Human Genetics, Research Institute, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan
| | - Lip Hen Moey
- Department of Genetics, Penang General Hospital, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Andrea H Németh
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Oxford Centre for Genomic Medicine, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Elsebet Østergaard
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rushina Patel
- Medical Genetics, Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Kate Pope
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Jennifer E Posey
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Marie Shaw
- Adelaide Medical School and Robinson Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | | | - Julie P Taylor
- Medical Genomics Research, Illumina Inc, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Erin Wadman
- Division of Medical Genetics, Nemours Children's Hospital, Wilmington, DE, USA
| | - Emma Wakeling
- North East Thames Regional Genetic Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Susan M White
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Lawrence C Wong
- Medical Genetics, Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center, Downey, CA, USA
| | - James R Lupski
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Olivier Lichtarge
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mark A Corbett
- Adelaide Medical School and Robinson Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Jozef Gecz
- Adelaide Medical School and Robinson Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia; South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Charles M Nicolet
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Peggy J Farnham
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Cheol-Hee Kim
- Department of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea.
| | - Marwan Shinawi
- Division of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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4
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Pugachev AD, Kozlenko AS, Makarova NI, Rostovtseva IA, Ozhogin IV, Dmitriev VS, Borodkin GS, Tkachev VV, Utenyshev AN, Sazykina MA, Sazykin IS, Azhogina TN, Karchava SK, Klimova MV, Metelitsa AV, Lukyanov BS. Molecular design and synthesis of methoxy-substitued spiropyrans with photomodulated NIR-fluorescence. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2023; 22:2651-2673. [PMID: 37733213 DOI: 10.1007/s43630-023-00479-1] [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: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
This study focuses on the molecular design and synthesis of salt spiropyrans with near-IR fluorescence. The structure of the obtained compounds was confirmed by NMR, IR and mass spectroscopy. In the course of studying the spectral and photoluminescent characteristics, it was possible to reveal the effect of some substituents in various positions on the properties of spiropyran dyes. Due to the structural similarity of one of the isomers to cyanine dyes, the obtained compounds are of interest as potential fluorescent probes for bioimagimg, in particular, for DNA studies. To reveal their ability of binding to DNA molecules molecular docking was carried out. Toxic effects of compounds demonstrating NIR fluorescence were studied on biofilms, as well as using bacterial lux-biosensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artem D Pugachev
- Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 344090 Stachki prosp., 194/2, Rostov-On-Don, Russian Federation.
| | - Anastasia S Kozlenko
- Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 344090 Stachki prosp., 194/2, Rostov-On-Don, Russian Federation
| | - Nadezhda I Makarova
- Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 344090 Stachki prosp., 194/2, Rostov-On-Don, Russian Federation
| | - Irina A Rostovtseva
- Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 344090 Stachki prosp., 194/2, Rostov-On-Don, Russian Federation
| | - Ilya V Ozhogin
- Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 344090 Stachki prosp., 194/2, Rostov-On-Don, Russian Federation
| | - Vitaly S Dmitriev
- Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 344090 Stachki prosp., 194/2, Rostov-On-Don, Russian Federation
| | - Gennady S Borodkin
- Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 344090 Stachki prosp., 194/2, Rostov-On-Don, Russian Federation
| | - Valery V Tkachev
- Federal Research Center of Problems of Chemical Physics and Medicinal Chemistry RAS, 142432 Ac. Semenov Avenue, 1, Moscow Region, Chernogolovka, Russian Federation
| | - Andrey N Utenyshev
- Federal Research Center of Problems of Chemical Physics and Medicinal Chemistry RAS, 142432 Ac. Semenov Avenue, 1, Moscow Region, Chernogolovka, Russian Federation
| | - Marina A Sazykina
- Academy of Biology and Biotechnologies, Southern Federal University, 344090 Stachki prosp., 194/1, Rostov-On-Don, Russian Federation
| | - Ivan S Sazykin
- Academy of Biology and Biotechnologies, Southern Federal University, 344090 Stachki prosp., 194/1, Rostov-On-Don, Russian Federation
| | - Tatiana N Azhogina
- Academy of Biology and Biotechnologies, Southern Federal University, 344090 Stachki prosp., 194/1, Rostov-On-Don, Russian Federation
| | - Shorena K Karchava
- Academy of Biology and Biotechnologies, Southern Federal University, 344090 Stachki prosp., 194/1, Rostov-On-Don, Russian Federation
| | - Maria V Klimova
- Academy of Biology and Biotechnologies, Southern Federal University, 344090 Stachki prosp., 194/1, Rostov-On-Don, Russian Federation
| | - Anatoly V Metelitsa
- Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 344090 Stachki prosp., 194/2, Rostov-On-Don, Russian Federation
| | - Boris S Lukyanov
- Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 344090 Stachki prosp., 194/2, Rostov-On-Don, Russian Federation
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5
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Konecki DM, Hamrick S, Wang C, Agosto MA, Wensel TG, Lichtarge O. CovET: A covariation-evolutionary trace method that identifies protein structure-function modules. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:104896. [PMID: 37290531 PMCID: PMC10338321 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104896] [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: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Measuring the relative effect that any two sequence positions have on each other may improve protein design or help better interpret coding variants. Current approaches use statistics and machine learning but rarely consider phylogenetic divergences which, as shown by Evolutionary Trace studies, provide insight into the functional impact of sequence perturbations. Here, we reframe covariation analyses in the Evolutionary Trace framework to measure the relative tolerance to perturbation of each residue pair during evolution. This approach (CovET) systematically accounts for phylogenetic divergences: at each divergence event, we penalize covariation patterns that belie evolutionary coupling. We find that while CovET approximates the performance of existing methods to predict individual structural contacts, it performs significantly better at finding structural clusters of coupled residues and ligand binding sites. For example, CovET found more functionally critical residues when we examined the RNA recognition motif and WW domains. It correlates better with large-scale epistasis screen data. In the dopamine D2 receptor, top CovET residue pairs recovered accurately the allosteric activation pathway characterized for Class A G protein-coupled receptors. These data suggest that CovET ranks highest the sequence position pairs that play critical functional roles through epistatic and allosteric interactions in evolutionarily relevant structure-function motifs. CovET complements current methods and may shed light on fundamental molecular mechanisms of protein structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Konecki
- Quantitative and Computational Biosciences Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Spencer Hamrick
- Chemical, Physical, and Structural Biology Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Chen Wang
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Melina A Agosto
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Theodore G Wensel
- Quantitative and Computational Biosciences Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA; Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA; Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA; Cancer and Cell Biology Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Olivier Lichtarge
- Quantitative and Computational Biosciences Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA; Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA; Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA; Cancer and Cell Biology Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA; Computational and Integrative Biomedical Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
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6
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Mackeown M, Kung YA, Davila-Calderon J, Ford WP, Luo L, Henry B, Li ML, Brewer G, Shih SR, Tolbert BS. The 5'UTR of HCoV-OC43 adopts a topologically constrained structure to intrinsically repress translation. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:103028. [PMID: 36805339 PMCID: PMC9930382 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.103028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2, which is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, has highlighted the need for rapid characterization of viral mechanisms associated with cellular pathogenesis. Viral UTRs represent conserved genomic elements that contribute to such mechanisms. Structural details of most CoV UTRs are not available, however. Experimental approaches are needed to allow for the facile generation of high-quality viral RNA tertiary structural models, which can facilitate comparative mechanistic efforts. By integrating experimental and computational techniques, we herein report the efficient characterization of conserved RNA structures within the 5'UTR of the HCoV-OC43 genome, a lab-tractable model coronavirus. We provide evidence that the 5'UTR folds into a structure with well-defined stem-loops (SLs) as determined by chemical probing and direct detection of hydrogen bonds by NMR. We combine experimental base-pair restraints with global structural information from SAXS to generate a 3D model that reveals that SL1-4 adopts a topologically constrained structure wherein SLs 3 and 4 coaxially stack. Coaxial stacking is mediated by short linker nucleotides and allows SLs 1 to 2 to sample different cojoint orientations by pivoting about the SL3,4 helical axis. To evaluate the functional relevance of the SL3,4 coaxial helix, we engineered luciferase reporter constructs harboring the HCoV-OC43 5'UTR with mutations designed to abrogate coaxial stacking. Our results reveal that the SL3,4 helix intrinsically represses translation efficiency since the destabilizing mutations correlate with increased luciferase expression relative to wildtype without affecting reporter mRNA levels, thus highlighting how the 5'UTR structure contributes to the viral mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Mackeown
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Yu-An Kung
- Research Center for Emerging Viral Infections, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | | | - William P Ford
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Le Luo
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Barrington Henry
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Mei-Ling Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Gary Brewer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Shin-Ru Shih
- Research Center for Emerging Viral Infections, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Blanton S Tolbert
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
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7
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AlZahrani WM, AlGhamdi SA, Sohrab SS, Rehan M. Investigating a Library of Flavonoids as Potential Inhibitors of a Cancer Therapeutic Target MEK2 Using in Silico Methods. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054446. [PMID: 36901876 PMCID: PMC10002492 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The second leading cause of death in the world is cancer. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) 1 and 2 (MEK1/2) stand out among the different anticancer therapeutic targets. Many MEK1/2 inhibitors are approved and widely used as anticancer drugs. The class of natural compounds known as flavonoids is well-known for their therapeutic potential. In this study, we focus on discovering novel inhibitors of MEK2 from flavonoids using virtual screening, molecular docking analyses, pharmacokinetic prediction, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. A library of drug-like flavonoids containing 1289 chemical compounds prepared in-house was screened against the MEK2 allosteric site using molecular docking. The ten highest-scoring compounds based on docking binding affinity (highest score: -11.3 kcal/mol) were selected for further analysis. Lipinski's rule of five was used to test their drug-likeness, followed by ADMET predictions to study their pharmacokinetic properties. The stability of the best-docked flavonoid complex with MEK2 was examined for a 150 ns MD simulation. The proposed flavonoids are suggested as potential inhibitors of MEK2 and drug candidates for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wejdan M. AlZahrani
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shareefa A. AlGhamdi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence: (S.A.A.); (M.R.)
| | - Sayed S. Sohrab
- Special Infectious Agents Unit-BSL3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohd Rehan
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence: (S.A.A.); (M.R.)
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8
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Rehan M, Zargar UR, Sheikh IA, Alharthy SA, Almashjary MN, Abuzenadah AM, Beg MA. Potential Disruption of Systemic Hormone Transport by Tobacco Alkaloids Using Computational Approaches. TOXICS 2022; 10:toxics10120727. [PMID: 36548560 PMCID: PMC9784225 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10120727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Tobacco/nicotine is one of the most toxic and addictive substances and continues to pose a significant threat to global public health. The harmful effects of smoking/nicotine affect every system in the human body. Nicotine has been associated with effects on endocrine homeostasis in humans such as the imbalance of gonadal steroid hormones, adrenal corticosteroid hormones, and thyroid hormones. The present study was conducted to characterize the structural binding interactions of nicotine and its three important metabolites, cotinine, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine, and 5'-hydroxycotinine, against circulatory hormone carrier proteins, i.e., sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG), and thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG). Nicotine and its metabolites formed nonbonded contacts and/or hydrogen bonds with amino acid residues of the carrier proteins. For SHBG, Phe-67 and Met-139 were the most important amino acid residues for nicotine ligand binding showing the maximum number of interactions and maximum loss in ASA. For CBG, Trp-371 and Asn-264 were the most important amino acid residues, and for TBG, Ser-23, Leu-269, Lys-270, Asn-273, and Arg-381 were the most important amino acid residues. Most of the amino acid residues of carrier proteins interacting with nicotine ligands showed a commonality with the interacting residues for the native ligands of the proteins. Taken together, the results suggested that nicotine and its three metabolites competed with native ligands for binding to their carrier proteins. Thus, nicotine and its three metabolites may potentially interfere with the binding of testosterone, estradiol, cortisol, progesterone, thyroxine, and triiodothyronine to their carrier proteins and result in the disbalance of their transport and homeostasis in the blood circulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Rehan
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ummer R. Zargar
- Department of Zoology, Government Degree College, Anantnag 192101, Kashmir, India
| | - Ishfaq A. Sheikh
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Reproductive Biology Laboratory, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saif A. Alharthy
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Toxicology and Forensic Sciences Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Animal House Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Majed N. Almashjary
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Animal House Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Hematology Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Adel M. Abuzenadah
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohd A. Beg
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Reproductive Biology Laboratory, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
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9
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AlZahrani WM, AlGhamdi SA, Zughaibi TA, Rehan M. Exploring the Natural Compounds in Flavonoids for Their Potential Inhibition of Cancer Therapeutic Target MEK1 Using Computational Methods. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:195. [PMID: 35215307 PMCID: PMC8876294 DOI: 10.3390/ph15020195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway plays an important role in cancer cell proliferation and survival. MAPKs' protein kinases MEK1/2 serve as important targets in drug designing against cancer. The natural compounds' flavonoids are known for their anticancer activity. This study aims to explore flavonoids for their inhibition ability, targeting MEK1 using virtual screening, molecular docking, ADMET prediction, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Flavonoids (n = 1289) were virtually screened using molecular docking and have revealed possible inhibitors of MEK1. The top five scoring flavonoids based on binding affinity (highest score for MEK1 is -10.8 kcal/mol) have been selected for further protein-ligand interaction analysis. Lipinski's rule (drug-likeness) and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity predictions were followed to find a good balance of potency. The selected flavonoids of MEK1 have been refined with 30 (ns) molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The five selected flavonoids are strongly suggested to be promising potent inhibitors for drug development as anticancer therapeutics of the therapeutic target MEK1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wejdan M. AlZahrani
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Shareefa A. AlGhamdi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 22252, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Torki A. Zughaibi
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 22252, Saudi Arabia;
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohd Rehan
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 22252, Saudi Arabia;
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
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10
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Tsutakawa SE, Bacolla A, Katsonis P, Bralić A, Hamdan SM, Lichtarge O, Tainer JA, Tsai CL. Decoding Cancer Variants of Unknown Significance for Helicase-Nuclease-RPA Complexes Orchestrating DNA Repair During Transcription and Replication. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:791792. [PMID: 34966786 PMCID: PMC8710748 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.791792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
All tumors have DNA mutations, and a predictive understanding of those mutations could inform clinical treatments. However, 40% of the mutations are variants of unknown significance (VUS), with the challenge being to objectively predict whether a VUS is pathogenic and supports the tumor or whether it is benign. To objectively decode VUS, we mapped cancer sequence data and evolutionary trace (ET) scores onto crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy structures with variant impacts quantitated by evolutionary action (EA) measures. As tumors depend on helicases and nucleases to deal with transcription/replication stress, we targeted helicase–nuclease–RPA complexes: (1) XPB-XPD (within TFIIH), XPF-ERCC1, XPG, and RPA for transcription and nucleotide excision repair pathways and (2) BLM, EXO5, and RPA plus DNA2 for stalled replication fork restart. As validation, EA scoring predicts severe effects for most disease mutations, but disease mutants with low ET scores not only are likely destabilizing but also disrupt sophisticated allosteric mechanisms. For sites of disease mutations and VUS predicted to be severe, we found strong co-localization to ordered regions. Rare discrepancies highlighted the different survival requirements between disease and tumor mutations, as well as the value of examining proteins within complexes. In a genome-wide analysis of 33 cancer types, we found correlation between the number of mutations in each tumor and which pathways or functional processes in which the mutations occur, revealing different mutagenic routes to tumorigenesis. We also found upregulation of ancient genes including BLM, which supports a non-random and concerted cancer process: reversion to a unicellular, proliferation-uncontrolled, status by breaking multicellular constraints on cell division. Together, these genes and global analyses challenge the binary “driver” and “passenger” mutation paradigm, support a gradient impact as revealed by EA scoring from moderate to severe at a single gene level, and indicate reduced regulation as well as activity. The objective quantitative assessment of VUS scoring and gene overexpression in the context of functional interactions and pathways provides insights for biology, oncology, and precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan E Tsutakawa
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Albino Bacolla
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Panagiotis Katsonis
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Amer Bralić
- Laboratory of DNA Replication and Recombination, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Samir M Hamdan
- Laboratory of DNA Replication and Recombination, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Olivier Lichtarge
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - John A Tainer
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Cancer Biology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Chi-Lin Tsai
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
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11
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Lees-Miller JP, Cobban A, Katsonis P, Bacolla A, Tsutakawa SE, Hammel M, Meek K, Anderson DW, Lichtarge O, Tainer JA, Lees-Miller SP. Uncovering DNA-PKcs ancient phylogeny, unique sequence motifs and insights for human disease. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 163:87-108. [PMID: 33035590 PMCID: PMC8021618 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2020.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) is a key member of the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase-like (PIKK) family of protein kinases with critical roles in DNA-double strand break repair, transcription, metastasis, mitosis, RNA processing, and innate and adaptive immunity. The absence of DNA-PKcs from many model organisms has led to the assumption that DNA-PKcs is a vertebrate-specific PIKK. Here, we find that DNA-PKcs is widely distributed in invertebrates, fungi, plants, and protists, and that threonines 2609, 2638, and 2647 of the ABCDE cluster of phosphorylation sites are highly conserved amongst most Eukaryotes. Furthermore, we identify highly conserved amino acid sequence motifs and domains that are characteristic of DNA-PKcs relative to other PIKKs. These include residues in the Forehead domain and a novel motif we have termed YRPD, located in an α helix C-terminal to the ABCDE phosphorylation site loop. Combining sequence with biochemistry plus structural data on human DNA-PKcs unveils conserved sequence and conformational features with functional insights and implications. The defined generally progressive DNA-PKcs sequence diversification uncovers conserved functionality supported by Evolutionary Trace analysis, suggesting that for many organisms both functional sites and evolutionary pressures remain identical due to fundamental cell biology. The mining of cancer genomic data and germline mutations causing human inherited disease reveal that robust DNA-PKcs activity in tumors is detrimental to patient survival, whereas germline mutations compromising function are linked to severe immunodeficiency and neuronal degeneration. We anticipate that these collective results will enable ongoing DNA-PKcs functional analyses with biological and medical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Lees-Miller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Alexander Cobban
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Panagiotis Katsonis
- Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Albino Bacolla
- Departments of Cancer Biology and of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 6767 Bertner Avenue, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Susan E Tsutakawa
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Michal Hammel
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Katheryn Meek
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, And Department of Pathobiology & Diagnostic Investigation, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Dave W Anderson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Olivier Lichtarge
- Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - John A Tainer
- Departments of Cancer Biology and of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 6767 Bertner Avenue, Houston, TX, 77030, USA; Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
| | - Susan P Lees-Miller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada.
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12
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Brosey CA, Houl JH, Katsonis P, Balapiti-Modarage LPF, Bommagani S, Arvai A, Moiani D, Bacolla A, Link T, Warden LS, Lichtarge O, Jones DE, Ahmed Z, Tainer JA. Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Nsp3 macrodomain structure with insights from human poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) structures with inhibitors. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 163:171-186. [PMID: 33636189 PMCID: PMC7901392 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2021.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Arrival of the novel SARS-CoV-2 has launched a worldwide effort to identify both pre-approved and novel therapeutics targeting the viral proteome, highlighting the urgent need for efficient drug discovery strategies. Even with effective vaccines, infection is possible, and at-risk populations would benefit from effective drug compounds that reduce the lethality and lasting damage of COVID-19 infection. The CoV-2 MacroD-like macrodomain (Mac1) is implicated in viral pathogenicity by disrupting host innate immunity through its mono (ADP-ribosyl) hydrolase activity, making it a prime target for antiviral therapy. We therefore solved the structure of CoV-2 Mac1 from non-structural protein 3 (Nsp3) and applied structural and sequence-based genetic tracing, including newly determined A. pompejana MacroD2 and GDAP2 amino acid sequences, to compare and contrast CoV-2 Mac1 with the functionally related human DNA-damage signaling factor poly (ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG). Previously, identified targetable features of the PARG active site allowed us to develop a pharmacologically useful PARG inhibitor (PARGi). Here, we developed a focused chemical library and determined 6 novel PARGi X-ray crystal structures for comparative analysis. We applied this knowledge to discovery of CoV-2 Mac1 inhibitors by combining computation and structural analysis to identify PARGi fragments with potential to bind the distal-ribose and adenosyl pockets of the CoV-2 Mac1 active site. Scaffold development of these PARGi fragments has yielded two novel compounds, PARG-345 and PARG-329, that crystallize within the Mac1 active site, providing critical structure-activity data and a pathway for inhibitor optimization. The reported structural findings demonstrate ways to harness our PARGi synthesis and characterization pipeline to develop CoV-2 Mac1 inhibitors targeting the ADP-ribose active site. Together, these structural and computational analyses reveal a path for accelerating development of antiviral therapeutics from pre-existing drug optimization pipelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris A Brosey
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - Jerry H Houl
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Panagiotis Katsonis
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | | | - Shobanbabu Bommagani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA
| | - Andy Arvai
- Integrative Structural & Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Davide Moiani
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Albino Bacolla
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Todd Link
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Leslie S Warden
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Olivier Lichtarge
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Darin E Jones
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA
| | - Zamal Ahmed
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - John A Tainer
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA; Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
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13
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Cea-Rama I, Coscolín C, Katsonis P, Bargiela R, Golyshin PN, Lichtarge O, Ferrer M, Sanz-Aparicio J. Structure and evolutionary trace-assisted screening of a residue swapping the substrate ambiguity and chiral specificity in an esterase. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:2307-2317. [PMID: 33995922 PMCID: PMC8105184 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.04.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of enzymes with high substrate ambiguity remains limited because their large active sites allow substrate docking freedom to an extent that seems incompatible with stereospecificity. One possibility is that some of these enzymes evolved a set of evolutionarily fitted sequence positions that stringently allow switching substrate ambiguity and chiral specificity. To explore this hypothesis, we targeted for mutation a serine ester hydrolase (EH3) that exhibits an impressive 71-substrate repertoire but is not stereospecific (e.e. 50%). We used structural actions and the computational evolutionary trace method to explore specificity-swapping sequence positions and hypothesized that position I244 was critical. Driven by evolutionary action analysis, this position was substituted to leucine, which together with isoleucine appears to be the amino acid most commonly present in the closest homologous sequences (max. identity, ca. 67.1%), and to phenylalanine, which appears in distant homologues. While the I244L mutation did not have any functional consequences, the I244F mutation allowed the esterase to maintain a remarkable 53-substrate range while gaining stereospecificity properties (e.e. 99.99%). These data support the possibility that some enzymes evolve sequence positions that control the substrate scope and stereospecificity. Such residues, which can be evolutionarily screened, may serve as starting points for further designing substrate-ambiguous, yet chiral-specific, enzymes that are greatly appreciated in biotechnology and synthetic chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Cea-Rama
- Institute of Physical Chemistry “Rocasolano”, CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Rafael Bargiela
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, LL57 2UW Bangor, UK
| | - Peter N. Golyshin
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, LL57 2UW Bangor, UK
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, LL57 2UW Bangor, UK
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14
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Slater O, Miller B, Kontoyianni M. Decoding Protein-protein Interactions: An Overview. Curr Top Med Chem 2021; 20:855-882. [PMID: 32101126 DOI: 10.2174/1568026620666200226105312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Drug discovery has focused on the paradigm "one drug, one target" for a long time. However, small molecules can act at multiple macromolecular targets, which serves as the basis for drug repurposing. In an effort to expand the target space, and given advances in X-ray crystallography, protein-protein interactions have become an emerging focus area of drug discovery enterprises. Proteins interact with other biomolecules and it is this intricate network of interactions that determines the behavior of the system and its biological processes. In this review, we briefly discuss networks in disease, followed by computational methods for protein-protein complex prediction. Computational methodologies and techniques employed towards objectives such as protein-protein docking, protein-protein interactions, and interface predictions are described extensively. Docking aims at producing a complex between proteins, while interface predictions identify a subset of residues on one protein that could interact with a partner, and protein-protein interaction sites address whether two proteins interact. In addition, approaches to predict hot spots and binding sites are presented along with a representative example of our internal project on the chemokine CXC receptor 3 B-isoform and predictive modeling with IP10 and PF4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Slater
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL 62026, United States
| | - Bethany Miller
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL 62026, United States
| | - Maria Kontoyianni
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL 62026, United States
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15
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Moiani D, Link TM, Brosey CA, Katsonis P, Lichtarge O, Kim Y, Joachimiak A, Ma Z, Kim IK, Ahmed Z, Jones DE, Tsutakawa SE, Tainer JA. An efficient chemical screening method for structure-based inhibitors to nucleic acid enzymes targeting the DNA repair-replication interface and SARS CoV-2. Methods Enzymol 2021; 661:407-431. [PMID: 34776222 PMCID: PMC8474023 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
We present a Chemistry and Structure Screen Integrated Efficiently (CASSIE) approach (named for Greek prophet Cassandra) to design inhibitors for cancer biology and pathogenesis. CASSIE provides an effective path to target master keys to control the repair-replication interface for cancer cells and SARS CoV-2 pathogenesis as exemplified here by specific targeting of Poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) and ADP-ribose glycohydrolase ARH3 macrodomains plus SARS CoV-2 nonstructural protein 3 (Nsp3) Macrodomain 1 (Mac1) and Nsp15 nuclease. As opposed to the classical massive effort employing libraries with large numbers of compounds against single proteins, we make inhibitor design for multiple targets efficient. Our compact, chemically diverse, 5000 compound Goldilocks (GL) library has an intermediate number of compounds sized between fragments and drugs with predicted favorable ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) and toxicological profiles. Amalgamating our core GL library with an approved drug (AD) library, we employ a combined GLAD library virtual screen, enabling an effective and efficient design cycle of ranked computer docking, top hit biophysical and cell validations, and defined bound structures using human proteins or their avatars. As new drug design is increasingly pathway directed as well as molecular and mechanism based, our CASSIE approach facilitates testing multiple related targets by efficiently turning a set of interacting drug discovery problems into a tractable medicinal chemistry engineering problem of optimizing affinity and ADME properties based upon early co-crystal structures. Optimization efforts are made efficient by a computationally-focused iterative chemistry and structure screen. Thus, we herein describe and apply CASSIE to define prototypic, specific inhibitors for PARG vs distinct inhibitors for the related macrodomains of ARH3 and SARS CoV-2 Nsp3 plus the SARS CoV-2 Nsp15 RNA nuclease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Moiani
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States,Department of Molecular & Cellular Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Todd M. Link
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States,Department of Molecular & Cellular Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Chris A. Brosey
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States,Department of Molecular & Cellular Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Panagiotis Katsonis
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Olivier Lichtarge
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Youngchang Kim
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Andrzej Joachimiak
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Zhijun Ma
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - In-Kwon Kim
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Zamal Ahmed
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States,Department of Molecular & Cellular Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Darin E. Jones
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Susan E. Tsutakawa
- Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States,Corresponding authors:
| | - John A. Tainer
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States,Department of Molecular & Cellular Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States,Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States,Corresponding authors:
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16
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Evolutionary History of Alzheimer Disease-Causing Protein Family Presenilins with Pathological Implications. J Mol Evol 2020; 88:674-688. [DOI: 10.1007/s00239-020-09966-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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17
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PyVibMS: a PyMOL plugin for visualizing vibrations in molecules and solids. J Mol Model 2020; 26:290. [PMID: 32986131 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-020-04508-z] [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: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Visualizing vibrational motions calculated with different ab initio packages requires dedicated post-processing tools. Here, we present a PyMOL plugin called PyVibMS for visualizing the vibrational motions for both molecular and solid systems calculated by mainstream quantum chemical computer programs including Gaussian, Q-Chem, VASP, and CRYSTAL. Benefiting from the continuing development of the PyMOL platform, PyVibMS provides powerful functionalities and user-friendly interface. PyVibMS was written in Python and its open-source nature makes it flexible and sustainable. As an example, the motions of the Konkoli-Cremer local vibrational modes are shown in this work for the first time. PyVibMS is freely available at https://github.com/smutao/PyVibMS . Graphical abstract In this work, a PyMOL plugin named PyVibMS is developed to visualize molecular and lattice vibrations.
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18
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Jain R, Grover A. Maslinic acid differentially exploits the MAPK pathway in estrogen-positive and triple-negative breast cancer to induce mitochondrion-mediated, caspase-independent apoptosis. Apoptosis 2020; 25:817-834. [PMID: 32940876 DOI: 10.1007/s10495-020-01636-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer accounts for 1.4 million new cases every year. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one the leading cause of mortality in developing countries and is associated with early age onset (under 40 years old). Chemotherapy has a poor success rate in patients with TNBC as compared to other types of breast cancers. It is due to the lack of expression of three validated molecular markers for breast cancer, the estrogen and progesterone receptors, and the amplification of HER-2/Neu. Therefore, a clear need exists for a greater understanding of TNBC at all levels and for the development of better therapies. We have studied the anti-tumor effects of a potential drug, maslinic acid, which can be extracted from olive oil industry waste. This natural product showed inhibitory effect at concentrations ranging from 30 to 50 µM within 24 h. It exhibited divergent effects in cell cycle progression for the MCF7 (estrogen positive) cell line when compared with TNBCs like MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468. Also, maslinic acid treatment altered the mitochondrial membrane electrochemical potential and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels to cause a caspase-independent programmed cell death. In silico approaches and immunoblotting suggested the involvement of the MAPK pathway explaining the variability in cell cycle progression along with the apoptotic cell death caused by maslinic acid.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Jain
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - A Grover
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India.
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19
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Faure G, Joseph AP, Craveur P, Narwani TJ, Srinivasan N, Gelly JC, Rebehmed J, de Brevern AG. iPBAvizu: a PyMOL plugin for an efficient 3D protein structure superimposition approach. SOURCE CODE FOR BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2019; 14:5. [PMID: 31700529 PMCID: PMC6825713 DOI: 10.1186/s13029-019-0075-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Background Protein 3D structure is the support of its function. Comparison of 3D protein structures provides insight on their evolution and their functional specificities and can be done efficiently via protein structure superimposition analysis. Multiple approaches have been developed to perform such task and are often based on structural superimposition deduced from sequence alignment, which does not take into account structural features. Our methodology is based on the use of a Structural Alphabet (SA), i.e. a library of 3D local protein prototypes able to approximate protein backbone. The interest of a SA is to translate into 1D sequences into the 3D structures. Results We used Protein blocks (PB), a widely used SA consisting of 16 prototypes, each representing a conformation of the pentapeptide skeleton defined in terms of dihedral angles. Proteins are described using PB from which we have previously developed a sequence alignment procedure based on dynamic programming with a dedicated PB Substitution Matrix. We improved the procedure with a specific two-step search: (i) very similar regions are selected using very high weights and aligned, and (ii) the alignment is completed (if possible) with less stringent parameters. Our approach, iPBA, has shown to perform better than other available tools in benchmark tests. To facilitate the usage of iPBA, we designed and implemented iPBAvizu, a plugin for PyMOL that allows users to run iPBA in an easy way and analyse protein superimpositions. Conclusions iPBAvizu is an implementation of iPBA within the well-known and widely used PyMOL software. iPBAvizu enables to generate iPBA alignments, create and interactively explore structural superimposition, and assess the quality of the protein alignments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilhem Faure
- INSERM, U 1134, DSIMB, Univ Paris, Univ de la Réunion, Univ des Antilles, F-75739 Paris, France
| | - Agnel Praveen Joseph
- INSERM, U 1134, DSIMB, Univ Paris, Univ de la Réunion, Univ des Antilles, F-75739 Paris, France.,INSERM UMR_S 1134, DSIMB, Université de Paris, Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine (INTS), 6, rue Alexandre Cabanel, F-75739, Paris cedex 15, France.,Laboratoire d'Excellence GR-Ex, F-75739 Paris, France.,4Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
| | - Pierrick Craveur
- INSERM, U 1134, DSIMB, Univ Paris, Univ de la Réunion, Univ des Antilles, F-75739 Paris, France.,INSERM UMR_S 1134, DSIMB, Université de Paris, Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine (INTS), 6, rue Alexandre Cabanel, F-75739, Paris cedex 15, France.,Laboratoire d'Excellence GR-Ex, F-75739 Paris, France.,5Molecular Graphics Laboratory, Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
| | - Tarun J Narwani
- INSERM, U 1134, DSIMB, Univ Paris, Univ de la Réunion, Univ des Antilles, F-75739 Paris, France.,INSERM UMR_S 1134, DSIMB, Université de Paris, Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine (INTS), 6, rue Alexandre Cabanel, F-75739, Paris cedex 15, France.,Laboratoire d'Excellence GR-Ex, F-75739 Paris, France
| | | | - Jean-Christophe Gelly
- INSERM, U 1134, DSIMB, Univ Paris, Univ de la Réunion, Univ des Antilles, F-75739 Paris, France.,INSERM UMR_S 1134, DSIMB, Université de Paris, Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine (INTS), 6, rue Alexandre Cabanel, F-75739, Paris cedex 15, France.,Laboratoire d'Excellence GR-Ex, F-75739 Paris, France
| | - Joseph Rebehmed
- INSERM, U 1134, DSIMB, Univ Paris, Univ de la Réunion, Univ des Antilles, F-75739 Paris, France.,INSERM UMR_S 1134, DSIMB, Université de Paris, Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine (INTS), 6, rue Alexandre Cabanel, F-75739, Paris cedex 15, France.,Laboratoire d'Excellence GR-Ex, F-75739 Paris, France.,7Department of Computer Science and Mathematics, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Alexandre G de Brevern
- INSERM, U 1134, DSIMB, Univ Paris, Univ de la Réunion, Univ des Antilles, F-75739 Paris, France.,INSERM UMR_S 1134, DSIMB, Université de Paris, Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine (INTS), 6, rue Alexandre Cabanel, F-75739, Paris cedex 15, France.,Laboratoire d'Excellence GR-Ex, F-75739 Paris, France
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20
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Ban X, Lahiri P, Dhoble AS, Li D, Gu Z, Li C, Cheng L, Hong Y, Li Z, Kaustubh B. Evolutionary Stability of Salt Bridges Hints Its Contribution to Stability of Proteins. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2019; 17:895-903. [PMID: 31333816 PMCID: PMC6620738 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2019.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The contribution of newly designed salt bridges to protein stabilization remains controversial even today. In order to solve this problem, we investigated salt bridges from two aspects: spatial distribution and evolutionary characteristics of salt bridges. Firstly, we analyzed spatial distribution of salt bridges in proteins, elucidating the basic requirements of forming salt bridges. Then, from an evolutionary point of view, the evolutionary characteristics of salt bridges as well as their neighboring residues were investigated in our study. The results demonstrate that charged residues appear more frequently than other neutral residues at certain positions of sequence even under evolutionary pressure, which are able to form electrostatic interactions that could increase the evolutionary stability of corresponding amino acid regions, enhancing their importance to stability of proteins. As a corollary, we conjectured that the newly designed salt bridges with more contribution to proteins, not only, are qualified spatial distribution of salt bridges, but also, are needed to further increase the evolutionary stability of corresponding amino acid regions. Based on analysis, the 8 mutations were accordingly constructed in the 1,4-α-glucan branching enzyme (EC 2.4.1.18, GBE) from Geobacillus thermoglucosidans STB02, of which 7 mutations improved thermostability of GBE. The enhanced thermostability of 7 mutations might be a result of additional salt bridges on residue positions that at least one of amino acids positions is conservative, improving their contribution of stabilization to proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Ban
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Pratik Lahiri
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL-61801, USA
| | - Abhishek S. Dhoble
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL-61801, USA
| | - Dan Li
- The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhengbiao Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Synergetic Innovation Center of Food Safety and Nutrition, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Caiming Li
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Li Cheng
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Yan Hong
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Zhaofeng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Synergetic Innovation Center of Food Safety and Nutrition, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Bhalerao Kaustubh
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL-61801, USA
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21
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Almannai M, Wang J, Dai H, El-Hattab AW, Faqeih EA, Saleh MA, Al Asmari A, Alwadei AH, Aljadhai YI, AlHashem A, Tabarki B, Lines MA, Grange DK, Benini R, Alsaman AS, Mahmoud A, Katsonis P, Lichtarge O, Wong LJC. FARS2 deficiency; new cases, review of clinical, biochemical, and molecular spectra, and variants interpretation based on structural, functional, and evolutionary significance. Mol Genet Metab 2018; 125:281-291. [PMID: 30177229 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2018.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Revised: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
An increasing number of mitochondrial diseases are found to be caused by pathogenic variants in nuclear encoded mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. FARS2 encodes mitochondrial phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (mtPheRS) which transfers phenylalanine to its cognate tRNA in mitochondria. Since the first case was reported in 2012, a total of 21 subjects with FARS2 deficiency have been reported to date with a spectrum of disease severity that falls between two phenotypes; early onset epileptic encephalopathy and a less severe phenotype characterized by spastic paraplegia. In this report, we present an additional 15 individuals from 12 families who are mostly Arabs homozygous for the pathogenic variant Y144C, which is associated with the more severe early onset phenotype. The total number of unique pathogenic FARS2 variants known to date is 21 including three different partial gene deletions reported in four individuals. Except for the large deletions, all variants but two (one in-frame deletion of one amino acid and one splice-site variant) are missense. All large deletions and the single splice-site variant are in trans with a missense variant. This suggests that complete loss of function may be incompatible with life. In this report, we also review structural, functional, and evolutionary significance of select FARS2 pathogenic variants reported here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Almannai
- Section of Medical Genetics, Children's Hospital, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Julia Wang
- Medical Scientist Training Program and Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hongzheng Dai
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ayman W El-Hattab
- Division of Clinical Genetics and Metabolic Disorders, Pediatric Department, Tawam Hospital, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Eissa A Faqeih
- Section of Medical Genetics, Children's Hospital, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed A Saleh
- Section of Medical Genetics, Children's Hospital, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali Al Asmari
- Section of Medical Genetics, Children's Hospital, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali H Alwadei
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yaser I Aljadhai
- Department of Neuroimaging and Intervention, Medical Imaging Administration, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amal AlHashem
- Department of Pediatric, Prince Sultan Medical Military City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Brahim Tabarki
- Divisions of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Matthew A Lines
- Division of Metabolics and Newborn Screening, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Dorothy K Grange
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ruba Benini
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulaziz S Alsaman
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Adel Mahmoud
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Panagiotis Katsonis
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Olivier Lichtarge
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lee-Jun C Wong
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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22
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Costa CRC, Belchor MN, Rodrigues CFB, Toyama DDO, de Oliveira MA, Novaes DP, Toyama MH. Edema Induced by a Crotalus durissus terrificus Venom Serine Protease (Cdtsp 2) Involves the PAR Pathway and PKC and PLC Activation. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19082405. [PMID: 30111691 PMCID: PMC6121655 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19082405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Revised: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Snake venom serine proteases (SVSPs) represent an essential group of enzymatic toxins involved in several pathophysiological effects on blood homeostasis. Some findings suggest the involvement of this class of enzymatic toxins in inflammation. In this paper, we purified and isolated a new gyroxin isoform from the Crotalus durissus terrificus (Cdt) venom, designated as Cdtsp 2, which showed significant proinflammatory effects in a murine model. In addition, we performed several studies to elucidate the main pathway underlying the edematogenic effect induced by Cdtsp 2. Enzymatic assays and structural analysis (primary structure analysis and three-dimensional modeling) were closely performed with pharmacological assays. The determination of edematogenic activity was performed using Cdtsp 2 isolated from snake venom, and was applied to mice treated with protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor, dexamethasone (Dexa), antagonists for protease-activated receptors (PARs), or saline (negative control). Additionally, we measured the levels of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), malondialdehyde (MDA), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Cdtsp 2 is characterized by an approximate molecular mass of 27 kDa, an isoelectric point (pI) of 4.5, and significant fibrinolytic activity, as well as the ability to hydrolyze Nα-benzoyl-l-arginine 4-nitroanilide (BAPNA). Its primary and three-dimensional structures revealed Cdtsp 2 as a typical snake venom serine protease that induces significant edema via the metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA), involving PARs, PKC, PLC, and COX-2 receptors, as well as inducing a significant increase in MDA levels. Our results showed that Cdtsp 2 is a serine protease with significant enzymatic activity, and it may be involved in the degradation of PAR1 and PAR2, which activate PLC and PKC to mobilize AA, while increasing oxidative stress. In this article, we provide a new perspective for the role of SVSPs beyond their effects on blood homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline R C Costa
- Institute of Biosciences, Coastal Campus, BIOMOLPEP, São Paulo State University (UNESP), 11330-900 São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Mariana Novo Belchor
- Institute of Biosciences, Coastal Campus, BIOMOLPEP, São Paulo State University (UNESP), 11330-900 São Paulo, Brazil.
| | | | - Daniela de Oliveira Toyama
- Institute of Biosciences, Coastal Campus, BIOMOLPEP, São Paulo State University (UNESP), 11330-900 São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Marcos A de Oliveira
- Institute of Biosciences, Coastal Campus, LABIMES, São Paulo State University (UNESP), 11330-900 São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Danielle P Novaes
- Institute of Biosciences, Coastal Campus, BIOMOLPEP, São Paulo State University (UNESP), 11330-900 São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Marcos Hikari Toyama
- Institute of Biosciences, Coastal Campus, BIOMOLPEP, São Paulo State University (UNESP), 11330-900 São Paulo, Brazil.
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23
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Combinatorial inhibition of PTPN12-regulated receptors leads to a broadly effective therapeutic strategy in triple-negative breast cancer. Nat Med 2018; 24:505-511. [PMID: 29578538 DOI: 10.1038/nm.4507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer diagnosed in more than 200,000 women each year and is recalcitrant to targeted therapies. Although TNBCs harbor multiple hyperactive receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), RTK inhibitors have been largely ineffective in TNBC patients thus far. We developed a broadly effective therapeutic strategy for TNBC that is based on combined inhibition of receptors that share the negative regulator PTPN12. Previously, we and others identified the tyrosine phosphatase PTPN12 as a tumor suppressor that is frequently inactivated in TNBC. PTPN12 restrains several RTKs, suggesting that PTPN12 deficiency leads to aberrant activation of multiple RTKs and a co-dependency on these receptors. This in turn leads to the therapeutic hypothesis that PTPN12-deficient TNBCs may be responsive to combined RTK inhibition. However, the repertoire of RTKs that are restrained by PTPN12 in human cells has not been systematically explored. By methodically identifying the suite of RTK substrates (MET, PDGFRβ, EGFR, and others) inhibited by PTPN12, we rationalized a combination RTK-inhibitor therapy that induced potent tumor regression across heterogeneous models of TNBC. Orthogonal approaches revealed that PTPN12 was recruited to and inhibited these receptors after ligand stimulation, thereby serving as a feedback mechanism to limit receptor signaling. Cancer-associated mutation of PTPN12 or reduced PTPN12 protein levels diminished this feedback mechanism, leading to aberrant activity of these receptors. Restoring PTPN12 protein levels restrained signaling from RTKs, including PDGFRβ and MET, and impaired TNBC survival. In contrast with single agents, combined inhibitors targeting the PDGFRβ and MET receptors induced the apoptosis in TNBC cells in vitro and in vivo. This therapeutic strategy resulted in tumor regressions in chemo-refractory patient-derived TNBC models. Notably, response correlated with PTPN12 deficiency, suggesting that impaired receptor feedback may establish a combined addiction to these proto-oncogenic receptors. Taken together, our data provide a rationale for combining RTK inhibitors in TNBC and other malignancies that lack receptor-activating mutations.
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24
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Mushtaq M, Ali RH, Kashuba V, Klein G, Kashuba E. S18 family of mitochondrial ribosomal proteins: evolutionary history and Gly132 polymorphism in colon carcinoma. Oncotarget 2018; 7:55649-55662. [PMID: 27489352 PMCID: PMC5342443 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.10957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
S18 family of mitochondrial ribosomal proteins (MRPS18, S18) consists of three members, S18-1 to -3. Earlier, we found that overexpression of S18-2 protein resulted in immortalization and eventual transformation of primary rat fibroblasts. The S18-1 and -3 have not exhibited such abilities. To understand the differences in protein properties, the evolutionary history of S18 family was analyzed. The S18-3, followed by S18-1 and S18-2 emerged as a result of ancient gene duplication in the root of eukaryotic species tree, followed by two metazoan-specific gene duplications. However, the most conserved metazoan S18 homolog is the S18-1; it shares the most sequence similarity with S18 proteins of bacteria and of other eukaryotic clades. Evolutionarily conserved residues of S18 proteins were analyzed in various cancers. S18-2 is mutated at a higher rate, compared with S18-1 and -3 proteins. Moreover, the evolutionarily conserved residue, Gly132 of S18-2, shows genetic polymorphism in colon adenocarcinomas that was confirmed by direct DNA sequencing.Concluding, S18 family represents the yet unexplored important mitochondrial ribosomal proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Mushtaq
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, S-17177, Sweden
| | - Raja Hashim Ali
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, School of Computer Science and Communication, Solna, SE-17 177, Sweden
| | - Vladimir Kashuba
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, S-17177, Sweden.,Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics of NASU, Kyiv, 03680, Ukraine
| | - George Klein
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, S-17177, Sweden
| | - Elena Kashuba
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, S-17177, Sweden.,R.E. Kavetsky Institute of Experimental Pathology, Oncology and Radiobiology, NASU, Kyiv, 03022, Ukraine
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25
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Peptide probes derived from pertuzumab by molecular dynamics modeling for HER2 positive tumor imaging. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005441. [PMID: 28406988 PMCID: PMC5390981 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
A high level of HER2 expression in breast cancer correlates with a higher tumor growth rate, high metastatic potential, and a poor long-term patient survival rate. Pertuzumab, a human monoclonal antibody, can reduce the effect of HER2 overexpression by preventing HER2 dimerization. In this study, a combination protocol of molecular dynamics modeling and MM/GBSA binding free energy calculations was applied to design peptides that interact with HER2 based on the HER2/pertuzumab crystal structure. Based on a β hairpin in pertuzumab from Glu46 to Lys65—which plays a key role in interacting with HER2—mutations were carried out in silico to improve the binding free energy of the hairpin that interacts with the Phe256-Lys314 of the HER2 protein. Combined the use of one-bead-one-compound library screening, among all the mutations, a peptide (58F63Y) with the lowest binding free energy was confirmed experimentally to have the highest affinity, and it may be used as a new probe in diagnosing and treating HER2-positive breast cancer. Many therapeutic approaches, including the human monoclonal antibodies trastuzumab and pertuzumab, target the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) of any breast cancer that features HER2 overexpression. Compared to these antibodies, peptides have many advantages, including lower cost, easier synthesis, high affinity, and lower toxicity. Here, we first designed peptides that interact with HER2 protein based on the HER2/pertuzumab crystal structure (PDB entry: 1S78), using a combination protocol of molecular dynamics modeling, molecular mechanics/generalized Born solvent-accessible surface area (MM/GBSA) binding free energy calculations. Then, combined with the peptide library screening, six peptides were selected for further analysis and experimental validations. The results of ex vivo and in vivo experiments confirmed that one peptide (58F63Y) in particular has a strong affinity and high specificity to HER2-overexpressing tumors. This may due to more paired residues and lower binding free energy in peptide 58F63Y and HER2 complex based on free energy decomposition analysis and distances calculation. While both in silico and in vitro screenings point to the same high-affinity peptide, the findings suggest that in silico screening based on calculated binding free energies is rather reliable. Additionally, based on the calculation of binding free energies among mutants, we can reduce the library capacity of one-bead-one-compound screening. In summary, we present a rather simple and rapid means of deriving a peptide with a clear binding site to its target protein.
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26
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Kim T, Choi J, Lee S, Yeo KJ, Cheong HK, Kim KK. Structural Studies on the Extracellular Domain of Sensor Histidine Kinase YycG from Staphylococcus aureus and Its Functional Implications. J Mol Biol 2016; 428:3074-89. [PMID: 27389096 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2016.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 06/15/2016] [Accepted: 06/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial two-component signal transduction systems are used to adapt to fluctuations in the environment. YycG, a key two-component histidine kinase in Staphylococcus aureus, plays an essential role in cell viability and regulates cell wall metabolism, biofilm formation, virulence, and antibiotic resistance. For these reasons, YycG is considered a compelling target for the development of novel antibiotics. However, to date, the signaling mechanism of YycG and its stimulus are poorly understood mainly because of a lack of structural information on YycG. To address this deficiency, we determined the crystal structure of the extracellular domain of S. aureus YycG (YycGex) at 2.0-Å resolution. The crystal structure indicated two subunits with an extracellular Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) topology packed into a dimer with interloop interactions. Disulfide scanning using cysteine-substituted mutants revealed that YycGex possessed dimeric interfaces not only in the loop but also in the helix α1. Cross-linking studies using intact YycG demonstrated that it was capable of forming high molecular weight oligomers on the cell membrane. Furthermore, we also observed that two auxiliary proteins of YycG, YycH and YycI, cooperatively interfered with the multimerization of YycG. From these results, we propose that signaling through YycG is regulated by multimerization and binding of YycH and YycI. These structural studies, combined with biochemical analyses, provide a better understanding of the signaling mechanism of YycG, which is necessary for developing novel antibacterial drugs targeting S. aureus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Truc Kim
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon 440-746, Republic of Korea
| | - Jongkeun Choi
- Department of Cosmetic Science, Chungwoon University, San 29, Namjang, Hongsung, Chungnam 350-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangho Lee
- Departments of Biological Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwon Joo Yeo
- Division of Magnetic Resonance, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), 162 Yeongudanji-Ro, Ochang, Chungbuk 363-883, Republic of Korea
| | - Hae-Kap Cheong
- Division of Magnetic Resonance, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), 162 Yeongudanji-Ro, Ochang, Chungbuk 363-883, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyeong Kyu Kim
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon 440-746, Republic of Korea.
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The architecture of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe CCR4-NOT complex. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10433. [PMID: 26804377 PMCID: PMC4737751 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
CCR4-NOT is a large protein complex present both in cytoplasm and the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. Although it is involved in a variety of distinct processes related to expression of genetic information such as poly(A) tail shortening, transcription regulation, nuclear export and protein degradation, there is only fragmentary information available on some of its nine subunits. Here we show a comprehensive structural characterization of the native CCR4-NOT complex from Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Our cryo-EM 3D reconstruction of the complex, combined with techniques such as immunomicroscopy, RNA-nanogold labelling, docking of the available high-resolution structures and models of different subunits and domains, allow us to propose its full molecular architecture. We locate all functionally defined domains endowed with deadenylating and ubiquitinating activities, the nucleus-specific RNA-interacting subunit Mmi1, as well as surfaces responsible for protein–protein interactions. This information provides insight into cooperation of the different CCR4-NOT complex functions. CCR4-NOT is a protein complex involved in a variety of important genetic processes. Here, the authors report the mid-resolution structure of this complex, and model the positions and contacts between the subunits, providing structural support for the previously reported functions of the complex.
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Lua RC, Wilson SJ, Konecki DM, Wilkins AD, Venner E, Morgan DH, Lichtarge O. UET: a database of evolutionarily-predicted functional determinants of protein sequences that cluster as functional sites in protein structures. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 44:D308-12. [PMID: 26590254 PMCID: PMC4702906 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv1279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The structure and function of proteins underlie most aspects of biology and their mutational perturbations often cause disease. To identify the molecular determinants of function as well as targets for drugs, it is central to characterize the important residues and how they cluster to form functional sites. The Evolutionary Trace (ET) achieves this by ranking the functional and structural importance of the protein sequence positions. ET uses evolutionary distances to estimate functional distances and correlates genotype variations with those in the fitness phenotype. Thus, ET ranks are worse for sequence positions that vary among evolutionarily closer homologs but better for positions that vary mostly among distant homologs. This approach identifies functional determinants, predicts function, guides the mutational redesign of functional and allosteric specificity, and interprets the action of coding sequence variations in proteins, people and populations. Now, the UET database offers pre-computed ET analyses for the protein structure databank, and on-the-fly analysis of any protein sequence. A web interface retrieves ET rankings of sequence positions and maps results to a structure to identify functionally important regions. This UET database integrates several ways of viewing the results on the protein sequence or structure and can be found at http://mammoth.bcm.tmc.edu/uet/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhonald C Lua
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Stephen J Wilson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Daniel M Konecki
- Department of Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Angela D Wilkins
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA Computational and Integrative Biomedical Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Eric Venner
- Department of Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Daniel H Morgan
- Department of Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Olivier Lichtarge
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA Department of Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Houston, TX 77030, USA Computational and Integrative Biomedical Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Vimala A, Ramakrishnan C, Gromiha MM. Identifying a potential receptor for the antibacterial peptide of sponge Axinella donnani endosymbiont. Gene 2015; 566:166-74. [PMID: 25939848 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2015.04.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2015] [Revised: 04/03/2015] [Accepted: 04/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Marine sponges and their associated bacteria are rich sources of novel secondary metabolites with therapeutic usefulness. In our earlier work, we have identified a novel antibacterial peptide from the marine sponge Axinella donnani endosymbiotic bacteria. In this work, we have carried out a comparative genomic analysis and identified a set of 60 proteins as probable receptor which is common in all the strains. The analysis on binding substrate showed that β barrel assembly machinery (BamA) of the outer membrane protein 85 (omp85) superfamily is a potential receptor protein for the antibacterial peptide. It plays a central role in OMP biogenesis, especially in cell viability. Further, the triplet and quartet motifs RGF and YGDG, respectively in L6 loop are conserved over all the strains and these conserved residues interact with antibacterial peptide to inhibit the BamA function, which is essential for OMP biogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Vimala
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 Tamilnadu, India.
| | - C Ramakrishnan
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 Tamilnadu, India
| | - M Michael Gromiha
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 Tamilnadu, India.
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Hussain A, Idrees M, Asif M, Ali L, Rasool M. Phylogenetic and 2D/3D Analysis of HCV 1a NS4A Gene/Protein in Pakistani Isolates. HEPATITIS MONTHLY 2015; 15:e19936. [PMID: 26288631 PMCID: PMC4532788 DOI: 10.5812/hepatmon.15(6)2015.19936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2014] [Revised: 07/19/2014] [Accepted: 09/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The nonstructural protein NS4A of hepatitis C virus is composed of 54 amino acids. This small size protein has vital role in many cellular functions. The most important reported function is being a cofactor of viral enzymes serine protease and helicase. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to analyze the phylogenetic variation, its impact in terms of translation and any functional change in protein structure at primary 2D/3D structure using computational tools from Pakistani patients isolates. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patient sera infected with Hepatitis C virus, genotype 1A, were obtained from Molecular Diagnostics lab, CEMB, University of the Punjab Lahore by using BD Vacutainer collection tubes (Becton Dickenson). RESULTS Phylogenetic analysis of the gene revealed that Pakistani 1a HCV strains are in the start of third cluster and there is a difference between inter Pakistani isolates at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. CONCLUSIONS Mutations were present in the central domain of NS4A (amino acids 21 - 34).
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Affiliation(s)
- Abrar Hussain
- Department of Biotechnology and Informtics, BUITEMS, Quetta, Pakistan
- National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Idrees
- National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
- Corresponding Author: Muhammad Idrees, National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. Tel: +92-3214769212, E-mail:
| | - Muhammad Asif
- Department of Biotechnology and Informtics, BUITEMS, Quetta, Pakistan
| | - Liaqat Ali
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Mahmood Rasool
- Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, (CEGMR), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Donegan RK, Hill SE, Freeman DM, Nguyen E, Orwig SD, Turnage KC, Lieberman RL. Structural basis for misfolding in myocilin-associated glaucoma. Hum Mol Genet 2014; 24:2111-24. [PMID: 25524706 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddu730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Olfactomedin (OLF) domain-containing proteins play roles in fundamental cellular processes and have been implicated in disorders ranging from glaucoma, cancers and inflammatory bowel disorder, to attention deficit disorder and childhood obesity. We solved crystal structures of the OLF domain of myocilin (myoc-OLF), the best studied such domain to date. Mutations in myoc-OLF are causative in the autosomal dominant inherited form of the prevalent ocular disorder glaucoma. The structures reveal a new addition to the small family of five-bladed β-propellers. Propellers are most well known for their ability to act as hubs for protein-protein interactions, a function that seems most likely for myoc-OLF, but they can also act as enzymes. A calcium ion, sodium ion and glycerol molecule were identified within a central hydrophilic cavity that is accessible via movements of surface loop residues. By mapping familial glaucoma-associated lesions onto the myoc-OLF structure, three regions sensitive to aggregation have been identified, with direct applicability to differentiating between neutral and disease-causing non-synonymous mutations documented in the human population worldwide. Evolutionary analysis mapped onto the myoc-OLF structure reveals conserved and divergent regions for possible overlapping and distinctive functional protein-protein or protein-ligand interactions across the broader OLF domain family. While deciphering the specific normal biological functions, ligands and binding partners for OLF domains will likely continue to be a challenging long-term experimental pursuit, atomic detail structural knowledge of myoc-OLF is a valuable guide for understanding the implications of glaucoma-associated mutations and will help focus future studies of this biomedically important domain family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca K Donegan
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA
| | - Shannon E Hill
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA
| | - Dana M Freeman
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA
| | - Elaine Nguyen
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA
| | - Susan D Orwig
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA
| | - Katherine C Turnage
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA
| | - Raquel L Lieberman
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA
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32
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Tracing the evolution of FERM domain of Kindlins. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2014; 80:193-204. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2014.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2014] [Revised: 07/31/2014] [Accepted: 08/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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Homan EP, Lietman C, Grafe I, Lennington J, Morello R, Napierala D, Jiang MM, Munivez EM, Dawson B, Bertin TK, Chen Y, Lua R, Lichtarge O, Hicks J, Weis MA, Eyre D, Lee BHL. Differential effects of collagen prolyl 3-hydroxylation on skeletal tissues. PLoS Genet 2014; 10:e1004121. [PMID: 24465224 PMCID: PMC3900401 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2013] [Accepted: 12/04/2013] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the genes encoding cartilage associated protein (CRTAP) and prolyl 3-hydroxylase 1 (P3H1 encoded by LEPRE1) were the first identified causes of recessive Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI). These proteins, together with cyclophilin B (encoded by PPIB), form a complex that 3-hydroxylates a single proline residue on the α1(I) chain (Pro986) and has cis/trans isomerase (PPIase) activity essential for proper collagen folding. Recent data suggest that prolyl 3-hydroxylation of Pro986 is not required for the structural stability of collagen; however, the absence of this post-translational modification may disrupt protein-protein interactions integral for proper collagen folding and lead to collagen over-modification. P3H1 and CRTAP stabilize each other and absence of one results in degradation of the other. Hence, hypomorphic or loss of function mutations of either gene cause loss of the whole complex and its associated functions. The relative contribution of losing this complex's 3-hydroxylation versus PPIase and collagen chaperone activities to the phenotype of recessive OI is unknown. To distinguish between these functions, we generated knock-in mice carrying a single amino acid substitution in the catalytic site of P3h1 (Lepre1H662A). This substitution abolished P3h1 activity but retained ability to form a complex with Crtap and thus the collagen chaperone function. Knock-in mice showed absence of prolyl 3-hydroxylation at Pro986 of the α1(I) and α1(II) collagen chains but no significant over-modification at other collagen residues. They were normal in appearance, had no growth defects and normal cartilage growth plate histology but showed decreased trabecular bone mass. This new mouse model recapitulates elements of the bone phenotype of OI but not the cartilage and growth phenotypes caused by loss of the prolyl 3-hydroxylation complex. Our observations suggest differential tissue consequences due to selective inactivation of P3H1 hydroxylase activity versus complete ablation of the prolyl 3-hydroxylation complex. The prolyl 3-hydroxylase complex serves to hydroxylate a single residue in type I collagen and also serves as a collagen chaperone. The complex is comprised of prolyl 3-hydroxylase 1, cartilage associated protein, and cyclophilin B. Mutations have been identified in the genes encoding the complex members in patients with recessive Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Recent data suggest that prolyl 3-hydroxylation of collagen does not alter the stability of collagen but may rather mediate protein-protein interactions. Additionally, the collagen chaperoning function of the complex is an important rate limiting step in the modification of type I collagen. Irrespective of whether patients with mutations in the genes encoding the members of the prolyl 3-hydroxylase complex have hypomorphic or complete loss of function alleles, either circumstance leads to the loss of both functions of the prolyl 3-hydroxylase complex. Thus, it is unknown how collagen chaperoning and/or hydroxylation affect bone and cartilage homeostasis. In this study, we generated a mouse model lacking the prolyl 3-hydroxylation activity of the complex while maintaining the chaperoning function. We found that the hydroxylase mutant mice have normal cartilage and normal cortical bone but decreased trabecular bone, suggesting that there is a differential requirement for hydroxylation in different tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica P. Homan
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Caressa Lietman
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Ingo Grafe
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Lennington
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Roy Morello
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
| | - Dobrawa Napierala
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Ming-Ming Jiang
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Elda M. Munivez
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Brian Dawson
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Terry K. Bertin
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Yuqing Chen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Rhonald Lua
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Olivier Lichtarge
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - John Hicks
- Department of Pathology, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Mary Ann Weis
- Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - David Eyre
- Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Brendan H. L. Lee
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Pasi M, Tiberti M, Arrigoni A, Papaleo E. xPyder: a PyMOL plugin to analyze coupled residues and their networks in protein structures. J Chem Inf Model 2012; 52:1865-74. [PMID: 22721491 DOI: 10.1021/ci300213c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
A versatile method to directly identify and analyze short- or long-range coupled or communicating residues in a protein conformational ensemble is of extreme relevance to achieve a complete understanding of protein dynamics and structural communication routes. Here, we present xPyder, an interface between one of the most employed molecular graphics systems, PyMOL, and the analysis of dynamical cross-correlation matrices (DCCM). The approach can also be extended, in principle, to matrices including other indexes of communication propensity or intensity between protein residues, as well as the persistence of intra- or intermolecular interactions, such as those underlying protein dynamics. The xPyder plugin for PyMOL 1.4 and 1.5 is offered as Open Source software via the GPL v2 license, and it can be found, along with the installation package, the user guide, and examples, at http://linux.btbs.unimib.it/xpyder/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Pasi
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy
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35
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Bachman BJ, Venner E, Lua RC, Erdin S, Lichtarge O. ETAscape: analyzing protein networks to predict enzymatic function and substrates in Cytoscape. Bioinformatics 2012; 28:2186-8. [PMID: 22689386 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/bts331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Most proteins lack experimentally validated functions. To address this problem, we implemented the Evolutionary Trace Annotation (ETA) method in the Cytoscape network visualization environment. The result is the ETAscape plugin, which builds a structural genomics network based on local structural and evolutionary similarities among proteins and then globally diffuses known annotations across the resulting network. The plugin displays these novel functional annotations, their confidence, the molecular basis for individual matches and the set of matches that lead to a prediction. AVAILABILITY The ETA Network Plugin is available publicly for download at http://mammoth.bcm.tmc.edu/networks/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Bachman
- Departments of Molecular and Human Genetics, Program Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Sun YX, Huang YX, Li FL, Wang HY, Fan C, Bao YL, Sun LG, Ma ZQ, Kong J, Li YX. IVSPlat 1.0: an integrated virtual screening platform with a molecular graphical interface. Chem Cent J 2012; 6:2. [PMID: 22222098 PMCID: PMC3264508 DOI: 10.1186/1752-153x-6-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2011] [Accepted: 01/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The virtual screening (VS) of lead compounds using molecular docking and pharmacophore detection is now an important tool in drug discovery. VS tasks typically require a combination of several software tools and a molecular graphics system. Thus, the integration of all the requisite tools in a single operating environment could reduce the complexity of running VS experiments. However, only a few freely available integrated software platforms have been developed. RESULTS A free open-source platform, IVSPlat 1.0, was developed in this study for the management and automation of VS tasks. We integrated several VS-related programs into a molecular graphics system to provide a comprehensive platform for the solution of VS tasks based on molecular docking, pharmacophore detection, and a combination of both methods. This tool can be used to visualize intermediate and final results of the VS execution, while also providing a clustering tool for the analysis of VS results. A case study was conducted to demonstrate the applicability of this platform. CONCLUSIONS IVSPlat 1.0 provides a plug-in-based solution for the management, automation, and visualization of VS tasks. IVSPlat 1.0 is an open framework that allows the integration of extra software to extend its functionality and modified versions can be freely distributed. The open source code and documentation are available at http://kyc.nenu.edu.cn/IVSPlat/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Xue Sun
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, P.R. China
- School of Computer Science and Information Technology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, P.R. China
| | - Yan Xin Huang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, P.R. China
| | - Feng Li Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, P.R. China
- School of Computer Science and Information Technology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, P.R. China
| | - Hong Yan Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, P.R. China
| | - Cong Fan
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, P.R. China
| | - Yong Li Bao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, P.R. China
| | - Lu Guo Sun
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, P.R. China
| | - Zhi Qiang Ma
- School of Computer Science and Information Technology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, P.R. China
| | - Jun Kong
- School of Computer Science and Information Technology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, P.R. China
| | - Yu Xin Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, P.R. China
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Abstract
The evolutionary trace (ET) is the single most validated approach to identify protein functional determinants and to target mutational analysis, protein engineering and drug design to the most relevant sites of a protein. It applies to the entire proteome; its predictions come with a reliability score; and its results typically reach significance in most protein families with 20 or more sequence homologs. In order to identify functional hot spots, ET scans a multiple sequence alignment for residue variations that correlate with major evolutionary divergences. In case studies this enables the selective separation, recoding, or mimicry of functional sites and, on a large scale, this enables specific function predictions based on motifs built from select ET-identified residues. ET is therefore an accurate, scalable and efficient method to identify the molecular determinants of protein function and to direct their rational perturbation for therapeutic purposes. Public ET servers are located at: http://mammoth.bcm.tmc.edu/.
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Adikesavan AK, Katsonis P, Marciano DC, Lua R, Herman C, Lichtarge O. Separation of recombination and SOS response in Escherichia coli RecA suggests LexA interaction sites. PLoS Genet 2011; 7:e1002244. [PMID: 21912525 PMCID: PMC3164682 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2011] [Accepted: 06/29/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
RecA plays a key role in homologous recombination, the induction of the DNA damage response through LexA cleavage and the activity of error-prone polymerase in Escherichia coli. RecA interacts with multiple partners to achieve this pleiotropic role, but the structural location and sequence determinants involved in these multiple interactions remain mostly unknown. Here, in a first application to prokaryotes, Evolutionary Trace (ET) analysis identifies clusters of evolutionarily important surface amino acids involved in RecA functions. Some of these clusters match the known ATP binding, DNA binding, and RecA-RecA homo-dimerization sites, but others are novel. Mutation analysis at these sites disrupted either recombination or LexA cleavage. This highlights distinct functional sites specific for recombination and DNA damage response induction. Finally, our analysis reveals a composite site for LexA binding and cleavage, which is formed only on the active RecA filament. These new sites can provide new drug targets to modulate one or more RecA functions, with the potential to address the problem of evolution of antibiotic resistance at its root. In eubacteria, genome integrity is in large part orchestrated by RecA, which directly participates in recombination, induction of DNA damage response through LexA repressor cleavage and error-prone DNA synthesis. Yet, most of the interaction sites necessary for these vital processes are largely unknown. By comparing divergences among RecA sequences and computing putative functional regions, we discovered four functional sites of RecA. Targeted point-mutations were then tested for both recombination and DNA damage induction and reveal distinct RecA functions at each one of these sites. In particular, one new set of mutants is deficient in promoting LexA cleavage and yet maintains the ability to induce the DNA damage response. These results reveal specific amino acid determinants of the RecA–LexA interaction and suggest that LexA binds RecAi and RecAi+6 at a composite site on the RecA filament, which could explain the role of the active filament during LexA cleavage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anbu K Adikesavan
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
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