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Brascher TC, de Bortoli L, Toledo-Silva G, Zacchi FL, Razzera G. In silico structural features of the CgNR5A: CgDAX complex and its role in regulating gene expression of CYP target genes in Crassostrea gigas. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 361:142443. [PMID: 38815811 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Contamination of aquatic environments has been steadily increasing due to human activities. The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas has been used as a key species in studies assessing the impacts of contaminants on human health and the aquatic biome. In this context, cytochrome P450 (CYPs) play a crucial role in xenobiotic metabolism. In vertebrates many of these CYPs are regulated by nuclear receptors (NRs) and little is known about the NRs role in C. gigas. Particularly, the CgNR5A represents a homologue of SF1 and LRH-1 found in vertebrates. Members of this group can regulate genes of CYPs involved in lipid/steroid metabolism, with their activity regulated by other NR, called as DAX-1, generating a NR complex on DNA response elements (REs). As C. gigas does not exhibit steroid biosynthesis pathways, CgNR5A may play other physiological roles. To clarify this issue, we conducted an in silico investigation of the interaction between CgNR5A and DNA to identify potential C. gigas CYP target genes. Using molecular docking and dynamics simulations of the CgNR5A on DNA molecules, we identified a monomeric interaction with extended REs. This RE was found in the promoter region of 30 CYP genes and also the NR CgDAX. When the upstream regulatory region was analyzed, CYP2C39, CYP3A11, CYP4C21, CYP7A1, CYP17A1, and CYP27C1 were mapped as the main genes regulated by CgNR5A. These identified CYPs belong to families known for their involvement in xenobiotic and lipid/steroid metabolism. Furthermore, we reconstructed a trimeric complex, previously proposed for vertebrates, with CgNR5A:CgDAX and subjected it to molecular dynamics simulations analysis. Heterotrimeric complex remained stable during the simulations, suggesting that CgDAX may modulate CgNR5A transcriptional activity. This study provides insights into the potential physiological processes involving these NRs in the regulation of CYPs associated with xenobiotic and steroid/lipid metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theo Cardozo Brascher
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil; Laboratório de Biomarcadores de Contaminação Aquática e Imunoquímica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil
| | - Leonardo de Bortoli
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil; Laboratório de Biomarcadores de Contaminação Aquática e Imunoquímica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil; Laboratório de Genômica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Toledo-Silva
- Laboratório de Genômica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil
| | - Flávia Lucena Zacchi
- Laboratório de Moluscos Marinhos, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88061-600, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Razzera
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil; Laboratório de Biomarcadores de Contaminação Aquática e Imunoquímica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil.
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Figueroa Blanco DR, Vidossich P, De Vivo M. Correct Nucleotide Selection Is Confined at the Binding Site of Polymerase Enzymes. J Chem Inf Model 2024. [PMID: 38901009 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
DNA polymerases (Pols) add incoming nucleotides (deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (dNTPs)) to growing DNA strands, a crucial step for DNA synthesis. The insertion of correct (vs incorrect) nucleotides relates to Pols' fidelity, which defines Pols' ability to faithfully replicate DNA strands in a template-dependent manner. We and others have demonstrated that reactant alignment and correct base pairing at the Pols catalytic site are crucial structural features to fidelity. Here, we first used equilibrium molecular simulations to demonstrate that the local dynamics at the protein-DNA interface in the proximity of the catalytic site is different when correct vs incorrect dNTPs are bound to polymerase β (Pol β). Formation and dynamic stability of specific interatomic interactions around the incoming nucleotide influence the overall binding site architecture. This explains why certain Pols' mutants can affect the local catalytic environment and influence the selection of correct vs incorrect nucleotides. In particular, this is here demonstrated by analyzing the interaction network formed by the residue R283, whose mutant R283A has an experimentally measured lower capacity of differentiating correct (G:dCTP) vs incorrect (G:dATP) base pairing in Pol β. We also used alchemical free-energy calculations to quantify the G:dCTP →G:dATP transformation in Pol β wild-type and mutant R283A. These results correlate well with the experimental trend, thus corroborating our mechanistic insights. Sequence and structural comparisons with other Pols from the same family suggest that these findings may also be valid in similar enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Ricardo Figueroa Blanco
- Laboratory of Molecular Modelling & Drug Discovery, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genoa 16163, Italy
| | - Pietro Vidossich
- Laboratory of Molecular Modelling & Drug Discovery, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genoa 16163, Italy
| | - Marco De Vivo
- Laboratory of Molecular Modelling & Drug Discovery, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genoa 16163, Italy
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Dey D, Chakravarti R, Bhattacharjee O, Majumder S, Chaudhuri D, Ahmed KT, Roy D, Bhattacharya B, Arya M, Gautam A, Singh R, Gupta R, Ravichandiran V, Chattopadhyay D, Ghosh A, Giri K, Roy S, Ghosh D. 2.5A mechanistic study on the tolerance of PAM distal end mismatch by SpCas9. J Biol Chem 2024:107439. [PMID: 38838774 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The therapeutic application of CRISPR-Cas9 is limited due to its off-target activity. To have a better understanding of this off-target effect, we have focused on its mismatch-prone PAM distal end. The off-target activity of SpCas9 depends directly on the nature of mismatches, which in turn results in deviation of the active site of SpCas9 due to structural instability in the RNA-DNA duplex strand. In order to test the hypothesis, we have designed an array of mismatched target sites at the PAM distal end and performed in vitro and cell line-based experiments, which showed a strong correlation for Cas9 activity. We found that target sites having multiple mismatches in the 18th to 15th position upstream of the PAM showed no to little activity. For further mechanistic validation, Molecular Dynamics simulations were performed, which revealed that certain mismatches showed elevated root mean square deviation (RMSD) values that can be attributed to conformational instability within the RNA-DNA duplex. Therefore, for successful prediction of the off-target effect of SpCas9, along with complementation-derived energy, the RNA-DNA duplex stability plays a crucial role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhritiman Dey
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Kolkata
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Dipanjan Roy
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Kolkata
| | | | - Mansi Arya
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Kolkata
| | - Anupam Gautam
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics, University of Tübingen, Sand 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; International Max Planck Research School 'From Molecules to Organisms', Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Max-Planck-Ring,5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Rajveer Singh
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Kolkata
| | - Rahul Gupta
- Indian Institute of Chemical Biology-Kolkata
| | | | | | | | - Kalyan Giri
- Department of Life Sciences, Presidency University, Kolkata, India
| | - Syamal Roy
- Indian Institute of Chemical Biology-Kolkata
| | - Dipanjan Ghosh
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Kolkata.
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Mishra SK, Sangeeta, Heermann DW, Bhattacherjee A. The role of nucleotide opening dynamics in facilitated target search by DNA-repair proteins. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2024; 1867:195026. [PMID: 38641240 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2024.195026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Preserving the genomic integrity stands a fundamental necessity, primarily achieved by the DNA repair proteins through their continuous patrolling on the DNA in search of lesions. However, comprehending how even a single base-pair lesion can be swiftly and specifically recognized amidst millions of base-pair sites remains a formidable challenge. In this study, we employ extensive molecular dynamics simulations using an appropriately tuned model of both protein and DNA to probe the underlying molecular principles. Our findings reveal that the dynamics of a non-canonical base generate an entropic signal that guides the one-dimensional search of a repair protein, thereby facilitating the recognition of the lesion site. The width of the funnel perfectly aligns with the one-dimensional diffusion length of DNA-binding proteins. The generic mechanism provides a physical basis for rapid recognition and specificity of DNA damage sensing and recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujeet Kumar Mishra
- School of Computational & Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Sangeeta
- School of Computational & Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Dieter W Heermann
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Arnab Bhattacherjee
- School of Computational & Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India; Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Issar U, Arora R, Kakkar R. In silico studies of the interaction of the minor groove binder Hoechst 33258 with B-DNA. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:4537-4552. [PMID: 37301606 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2220807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Interaction of the minor groove binder, Hoechst 33258, with the Dickerson-Drew DNA dodecamer sequence has been investigated using docking, MM/QM, MM/GBSA and molecular dynamics computations to study the modes of binding and the interactions responsible for the binding. Besides the original Hoechst 33258 ligand (HT), a total of 12 ionization and stereochemical states for the ligand are obtained at the physiological pH and have been docked into B-DNA. These states have one or the other or both benzimidazole rings in protonated states, apart from the piperazine nitrogen, which has a quaternary nitrogen in all the states. Most of these states are found to exhibit good docking scores and free energy of binding with B-DNA. The best docked state has been taken further for molecular dynamics simulations and compared with the original HT. This state is protonated at both benzimidazole rings besides the piperazine ring and hence has very highly negative coulombic interaction energy. In both cases, there are strong coulombic interactions, but these are offset by the almost equally unfavorable solvation energies. Thus, the nonpolar forces, particularly van der Waals contacts, dominate the interaction, and the polar interactions highlight subtle changes in the binding energies, leading to more highly protonated states having more negative binding energies.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Upasana Issar
- Computational Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
- Department of Chemistry, Kalindi College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Richa Arora
- Computational Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
- Department of Chemistry, Shivaji College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Rita Kakkar
- Computational Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
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Karwowski BT. The Influence of Oxidized Imino-Allantoin in the Presence of OXOG on Double Helix Charge Transfer: A Theoretical Approach. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5962. [PMID: 38892152 PMCID: PMC11172559 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25115962] [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: 04/14/2024] [Revised: 05/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The genome is continuously exposed to a variety of harmful factors that result in a significant amount of DNA damage. This article examines the influence of a multi-damage site containing oxidized imino-allantoin (OXIa) and 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (OXOdG) on the spatial geometry, electronic properties, and ds-DNA charge transfer. The ground stage of a d[A1OXIa2A3OXOG4A5]*d[T5C4T3C2T1] structure was obtained at the M06-2X/6-D95**//M06-2X/sto-3G level of theory in the condensed phase, with the energies obtained at the M06-2X/6-31++G** level. The non-equilibrated and equilibrated solvent-solute interactions were also considered. Theoretical studies reveal that the radical cation prefers to settle on the OXOG moiety, irrespective of the presence of OXIa in a ds-oligo. The lowest vertical and adiabatic ionization potential values were found for the OXOG:::C base pair (5.94 and 5.52 [eV], respectively). Conversely, the highest vertical and adiabatic electron affinity was assigned for OXIaC as follows: 3.15 and 3.49 [eV]. The charge transfers were analyzed according to Marcus' theory. The highest value of charge transfer rate constant for hole and excess electron migration was found for the process towards the OXOGC moiety. Surprisingly, the values obtained for the driving force and activation energy of electro-transfer towards OXIa2C4 located this process in the Marcus inverted region, which is thermodynamically unfavorable. Therefore, the presence of OXIa can slow down the recognition and removal processes of other DNA lesions. However, with regard to anticancer therapy (radio/chemo), the presence of OXIa in the structure of clustered DNA damage can result in improved cancer treatment outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boleslaw T Karwowski
- DNA Damage Laboratory of Food Science Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Lodz, ul. Muszynskiego 1, 90-151 Lodz, Poland
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Yang X, Liu C, Ren P. Exploring Biomolecular Conformational Dynamics with Polarizable Force Field AMOEBA and Enhanced Sampling Method Milestoning. J Chem Theory Comput 2024; 20:4065-4075. [PMID: 38742922 PMCID: PMC11187603 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.4c00053] [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] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Conformational dynamics play a crucial role in determining the behavior of the biomolecules. Polarizable force fields, such as AMOEBA, can accurately capture electrostatic interactions underlying the conformational space. However, applying a polarizable force field in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can be computationally expensive, especially in studying long-time-scale dynamics. To overcome this challenge, we incorporated the AMOEBA potential with Milestoning, an enhanced sampling method in this work. This integration allows us to efficiently sample the rare and important conformational states of a biomolecule by using many short and independent molecular dynamics trajectories with the AMOEBA force field. We applied this method to investigate the conformational dynamics of alanine dipeptide, DNA, and RNA A-B form conversion. Well-converged thermodynamic and kinetic properties were obtained, including the free energy difference, mean first passage time, and critical transitions between states. Our results demonstrate the power of integrating polarizable force fields with enhanced sampling methods in quantifying the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of biomolecules at the atomic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xudong Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Chengwen Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Pengyu Ren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Tipo J, Gottipati K, Choi KH. High-resolution RNA tertiary structures in Zika virus stem-loop A for the development of inhibitory small molecules. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2024; 30:609-623. [PMID: 38383158 PMCID: PMC11098461 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079796.123] [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: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Flaviviruses such as Zika (ZIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) are positive-sense RNA viruses belonging to Flaviviridae The flavivirus genome contains a 5' end stem-loop promoter sequence known as stem-loop A (SLA) that is recognized by the flavivirus polymerase NS5 during viral RNA synthesis and 5' guanosine cap methylation. The crystal structures of ZIKV and DENV SLAs show a well-defined fold, consisting of a bottom stem, side loop, and top stem-loop, providing unique interaction sites for small molecule inhibitors to disrupt the promoter function. To facilitate the identification of small molecule binding sites in flavivirus SLA, we determined high-resolution structures of the bottom and top stems of ZIKV SLA, which contain a single U- or G-bulge, respectively. Both bulge nucleotides exhibit multiple orientations, from folded back on the adjacent nucleotide to flipped out of the helix, and are stabilized by stacking or base triple interactions. These structures suggest that even a single unpaired nucleotide can provide flexibility to RNA structures, and its conformation is mainly determined by the stabilizing chemical environment. To facilitate discovery of small molecule inhibitors that interfere with the functions of ZIKV SLA, we screened and identified compounds that bind to the bottom and top stems of ZIKV SLA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerricho Tipo
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, USA
| | - Keerthi Gottipati
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Sealy Center for Structural Biology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA
| | - Kyung H Choi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Sealy Center for Structural Biology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA
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Bartas M, Brázda V, Pečinka P. Special Issue "Bioinformatics of Unusual DNA and RNA Structures". Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5226. [PMID: 38791265 PMCID: PMC11121459 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105226] [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: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Nucleic acids are not only static carriers of genetic information but also play vital roles in controlling cellular lifecycles through their fascinating structural diversity [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Bartas
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, 710 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic;
| | - Václav Brázda
- Institute of Biophysics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic;
| | - Petr Pečinka
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, 710 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic;
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Wang C, Yang J, Xu Z, Lv L, Chen S, Hong M, Liu JH. Promoter regulatory mode evolution enhances the high multidrug resistance of tmexCD1-toprJ1. mBio 2024; 15:e0021824. [PMID: 38564664 PMCID: PMC11077950 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00218-24] [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: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance could rapidly emerge from acquiring the mobile antibiotic resistance genes, which are commonly evolved from an intrinsic gene. The emergence of the plasmid-borne mobilized efflux pump gene cluster tmexCD1-toprJ1 renders the last-resort antibiotic tigecycline ineffective, although its evolutionary mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigate the regulatory mechanisms of the progenitor NfxB-MexCD-OprJ, a chromosomally encoded operon that does not mediate antibiotic resistance in the wild-type version, and its homologs, TNfxB1-TMexCD1-TOprJ1 mediating high-level tigecycline resistance, and TNfxB3-TMexCD3-TOprJ1. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that in nfxB-mexCD-oprJ, MexCD expression was under a weaker promoter, PmexC and inhibited by a strong repressor NfxB. For tmexCD1-toprJ1, TMexCD1 was highly expressed owing to the presence of a strong promoter, PtmexC1, and an inactive suppressor, TNfxB1, with a T39R mutation that rendered it unable to bind to promoter DNA. In tnfxB3-tmexCD3-toprJ1b, TMexCD3 expression was intermediate because of the local regulator TNfxB3, which binds to two inverted repeat sequences of PtmexC. Additionally, TNfxB3 exhibited lower protein expression and weaker DNA binding affinity than its ancestor NfxB, together with their promoter activities difference explaining the different expression levels of tmexCD-toprJ homologs. Distinct fitness burdens on these homologs-carrying bacteria were observed due to the corresponding expression level, which might be associated with their global prevalence. In summary, our data depict the mechanisms underlying the evolution and dissemination of an important mobile antibiotic resistance gene from an intrinsic chromosomal gene.IMPORTANCEAs antibiotic resistance seriously challenges global health, tigecycline is one of the few effective drugs in the pipeline against infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens. Our previous work identified a novel tigecycline resistance efflux pump gene cluster tmexCD1-toprJ1 in animals and humans, together with its various variants, a rising clinical concern. Herein, this study focused on how the local regulation modes of tmexCD1-toprJ1 evolved to a highly expressed efflux pump. Through comparative analysis between three tnfxB-tmexCD-toprJ homologs and their progenitor nfxB-mexCD-oprJ, modes, we demonstrated the evolutionary dynamics from a chromosomal silent gene to an active state. We found the de-repression of the local regulator and an increase of the promoter activity work together to promote a high production of drug efflux machines and enhance multidrug resistance. Our findings revealed that TMexCD1-TOprJ1 adopts a distinct evolutionary path to achieve higher multidrug resistance, urgently needing tight surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengzhen Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jun Yang
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zeling Xu
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Luchao Lv
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Sheng Chen
- State Key Lab of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery and the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Mei Hong
- College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Function and Regulation in Agricultural Organisms, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jian-Hua Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Balu KE, Almohdar D, Ratcliffe J, Tang Q, Parwal T, Çağlayan M. Structural and biochemical characterization of LIG1 during mutagenic nick sealing of oxidatively damaged ends at the final step of DNA repair. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.06.592774. [PMID: 38766188 PMCID: PMC11100680 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.06.592774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
DNA ligase 1 (LIG1) joins broken strand-breaks in the phosphodiester backbone to finalize DNA repair pathways. We previously reported that LIG1 fails on nick repair intermediate with 3'-oxidative damage incorporated by DNA polymerase (pol) β at the downstream steps of base excision repair (BER) pathway. Here, we determined X-ray structures of LIG1/nick DNA complexes containing 3'-8oxodG and 3'-8oxorG opposite either a templating Cytosine or Adenine and demonstrated that the ligase active site engages with mutagenic repair intermediates during steps 2 and 3 of the ligation reaction referring to the formation of DNA-AMP intermediate and a final phosphodiester bond, respectively. Furthermore, we showed the mutagenic nick sealing of DNA substrates with 3'-8oxodG:A and 3'-8oxorG:A by LIG1 wild-type, immunodeficiency disease-associated variants, and DNA ligase 3α (LIG3α) in vitro . Finally, we observed that LIG1 and LIG3α seal resulting nick after an incorporation of 8oxorGTP:A by polβ and AP-Endonuclease 1 (APE1) can clean oxidatively damaged ends at the final steps. Overall, our findings uncover a mechanistic insight into how LIG1 discriminates DNA or DNA/RNA junctions including oxidative damage and a functional coordination between the downstream enzymes, polβ, APE1, and BER ligases, to process mutagenic repair intermediates to maintain repair efficiency.
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Trinity L, Stege U, Jabbari H. Tying the knot: Unraveling the intricacies of the coronavirus frameshift pseudoknot. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1011787. [PMID: 38713726 PMCID: PMC11108256 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011787] [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: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding and targeting functional RNA structures towards treatment of coronavirus infection can help us to prepare for novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19), and any other coronaviruses that could emerge via human-to-human transmission or potential zoonotic (inter-species) events. Leveraging the fact that all coronaviruses use a mechanism known as -1 programmed ribosomal frameshifting (-1 PRF) to replicate, we apply algorithms to predict the most energetically favourable secondary structures (each nucleotide involved in at most one pairing) that may be involved in regulating the -1 PRF event in coronaviruses, especially SARS-CoV-2. We compute previously unknown most stable structure predictions for the frameshift site of coronaviruses via hierarchical folding, a biologically motivated framework where initial non-crossing structure folds first, followed by subsequent, possibly crossing (pseudoknotted), structures. Using mutual information from 181 coronavirus sequences, in conjunction with the algorithm KnotAli, we compute secondary structure predictions for the frameshift site of different coronaviruses. We then utilize the Shapify algorithm to obtain most stable SARS-CoV-2 secondary structure predictions guided by frameshift sequence-specific and genome-wide experimental data. We build on our previous secondary structure investigation of the singular SARS-CoV-2 68 nt frameshift element sequence, by using Shapify to obtain predictions for 132 extended sequences and including covariation information. Previous investigations have not applied hierarchical folding to extended length SARS-CoV-2 frameshift sequences. By doing so, we simulate the effects of ribosome interaction with the frameshift site, providing insight to biological function. We contribute in-depth discussion to contextualize secondary structure dual-graph motifs for SARS-CoV-2, highlighting the energetic stability of the previously identified 3_8 motif alongside the known dominant 3_3 and 3_6 (native-type) -1 PRF structures. Using a combination of thermodynamic methods and sequence covariation, our novel predictions suggest function of the attenuator hairpin via previously unknown pseudoknotted base pairing. While certain initial RNA folding is consistent, other pseudoknotted base pairs form which indicate potential conformational switching between the two structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Trinity
- Department of Computer Science, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Ulrike Stege
- Department of Computer Science, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Hosna Jabbari
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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13
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Akiyama N, Ishiguro K, Yokoyama T, Miyauchi K, Nagao A, Shirouzu M, Suzuki T. Structural insights into the decoding capability of isoleucine tRNAs with lysidine and agmatidine. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024; 31:817-825. [PMID: 38538915 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-024-01238-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
The anticodon modifications of transfer RNAs (tRNAs) finetune the codon recognition on the ribosome for accurate translation. Bacteria and archaea utilize the modified cytidines, lysidine (L) and agmatidine (agm2C), respectively, in the anticodon of tRNAIle to decipher AUA codon. L and agm2C contain long side chains with polar termini, but their functions remain elusive. Here we report the cryogenic electron microscopy structures of tRNAsIle recognizing the AUA codon on the ribosome. Both modifications interact with the third adenine of the codon via a unique C-A geometry. The side chains extend toward 3' direction of the mRNA, and the polar termini form hydrogen bonds with 2'-OH of the residue 3'-adjacent to the AUA codon. Biochemical analyses demonstrated that AUA decoding is facilitated by the additional interaction between the polar termini of the modified cytidines and 2'-OH of the fourth mRNA residue. We also visualized cyclic N6-threonylcarbamoyladenosine (ct6A), another tRNA modification, and revealed a molecular basis how ct6A contributes to efficient decoding.
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MESH Headings
- RNA, Transfer, Ile/chemistry
- RNA, Transfer, Ile/metabolism
- RNA, Transfer, Ile/genetics
- Cryoelectron Microscopy
- Anticodon/chemistry
- Anticodon/metabolism
- Ribosomes/metabolism
- Ribosomes/chemistry
- Nucleic Acid Conformation
- Models, Molecular
- Codon/genetics
- Lysine/metabolism
- Lysine/chemistry
- Lysine/analogs & derivatives
- Cytidine/analogs & derivatives
- Cytidine/chemistry
- Cytidine/metabolism
- RNA, Transfer/metabolism
- RNA, Transfer/chemistry
- RNA, Transfer/genetics
- Protein Biosynthesis
- Pyrimidine Nucleosides
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Affiliation(s)
- Naho Akiyama
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kensuke Ishiguro
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Laboratory for Protein Functional and Structural Biology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Takeshi Yokoyama
- Laboratory for Protein Functional and Structural Biology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Yokohama, Japan
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Kenjyo Miyauchi
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Asuteka Nagao
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mikako Shirouzu
- Laboratory for Protein Functional and Structural Biology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Suzuki
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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14
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Balu KE, Gulkis M, Almohdar D, Çağlayan M. Structures of LIG1 provide a mechanistic basis for understanding a lack of sugar discrimination against a ribonucleotide at the 3'-end of nick DNA. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107216. [PMID: 38522520 PMCID: PMC11035063 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Human DNA ligase 1 (LIG1) is the main replicative ligase that seals Okazaki fragments during nuclear replication and finalizes DNA repair pathways by joining DNA ends of the broken strand breaks in the three steps of the ligation reaction. LIG1 can tolerate the RNA strand upstream of the nick, yet an atomic insight into the sugar discrimination mechanism by LIG1 against a ribonucleotide at the 3'-terminus of nick DNA is unknown. Here, we determined X-ray structures of LIG1/3'-RNA-DNA hybrids and captured the ligase during pre- and post-step 3 the ligation reaction. Furthermore, the overlays of 3'-rA:T and 3'-rG:C step 3 structures with step 2 structures of canonical 3'-dA:T and 3'-dG:C uncover a network of LIG1/DNA interactions through Asp570 and Arg871 side chains with 2'-OH of the ribose at nick showing a final phosphodiester bond formation and the other ligase active site residues surrounding the AMP site. Finally, we demonstrated that LIG1 can ligate the nick DNA substrates with pre-inserted 3'-ribonucleotides as efficiently as Watson-Crick base-paired ends in vitro. Together, our findings uncover a novel atomic insight into a lack of sugar discrimination by LIG1 and the impact of improper sugar on the nick sealing of ribonucleotides at the last step of DNA replication and repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanal Elamparithi Balu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Mitchell Gulkis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Danah Almohdar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Melike Çağlayan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
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15
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Shao Z, Chen J, Wang S, Wang W, Zhu L. Sulfonamide-induced DNA hypomethylation disturbed sugar metabolism in rice (Oryza sativa L.). ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 187:108737. [PMID: 38735075 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
DNA methylation is well-accepted as a bridge to unravel the complex interplay between genome and environmental exposures, and its alteration regulated the cellular metabolic responses towards pollutants. However, the mechanism underlying site-specific aberrant DNA methylation and metabolic disorders under pollutant stresses remained elusive. Herein, the multilevel omics interferences of sulfonamides (i.e., sulfadiazine and sulfamerazine), a group of antibiotics pervasive in farmland soils, towards rice in 14 days of 1 mg/L hydroponic exposure were systematically evaluated. Metabolome and transcriptome analyses showed that 57.1-71.4 % of mono- and disaccharides were accumulated, and the differentially expressed genes were involved in the promotion of sugar hydrolysis, as well as the detoxification of sulfonamides. Most differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were hypomethylated ones (accounting for 87-95 %), and 92 % of which were located in the CHH context (H = A, C, or T base). KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that CHH-DMRs in the promoter regions were enriched in sugar metabolism. To reveal the significant hypomethylation of CHH, multi-spectroscopic and thermodynamic approaches, combined with molecular simulation were conducted to investigate the molecular interaction between sulfonamides and DNA in different sequence contexts, and the result demonstrated that sulfonamides would insert into the minor grooves of DNA, and exhibited a stronger affinity with the CHH contexts of DNA compared to CG or CHG contexts. Computational modeling of DNA 3D structures further confirmed that the binding led to a pitch increase of 0.1 Å and a 3.8° decrease in the twist angle of DNA in the CHH context. This specific interaction and the downregulation of methyltransferase CMT2 (log2FC = -4.04) inhibited the DNA methylation. These results indicated that DNA methylation-based assessment was useful for metabolic toxicity prediction and health risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zexi Shao
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Jie Chen
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Shuyuan Wang
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Wei Wang
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Lizhong Zhu
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China.
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16
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Lombardo Z, Mukerji I. Site-Specific Investigation of DNA Holliday Junction Dynamics and Structure with 6-Methylisoxanthopterin, a Fluorescent Guanine Analog. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.19.590264. [PMID: 38659790 PMCID: PMC11042373 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.19.590264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
DNA Holliday Junction (HJ) formation and resolution is requisite for maintaining genomic stability in processes such as replication fork reversal and double-strand break repair. If HJs are not resolved, chromosome disjunction and aneuploidy result, hallmarks of tumor cells. To understand the structural features that lead to processing of these four-stranded joint molecule structures, we seek to identify structural and dynamic features unique to the central junction core. We incorporate the fluorescent guanine analog 6-methylisoxanthopterin (6-MI) at ten different locations throughout a model HJ structure to obtain site-specific information regarding the structure and dynamics of bases relative to those in a comparable sequence context in duplex DNA. These comparisons were accomplished through measuring fluorescence lifetime, relative brightness, fluorescence anisotropy, and thermodynamic stability, along with fluorescence quenching assays. These time-resolved and steady-state fluorescence measurements demonstrate that the structural distortions imposed by strand crossing result in increased solvent exposure, less stacking of bases and greater extrahelical nature of bases within the junction core. The 6-MI base analogs in the junction reflect these structural changes through an increase in intensity relative to those in the duplex. Molecular dynamics simulations performed using a model HJ indicate the primary sources of deformation are in the shift and twist parameters of the bases at the central junction step. These results suggest that junction-binding proteins may use the unique structure and dynamics of the bases at the core for recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zane Lombardo
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Molecular Biophysics Program, Wesleyan University, 52 Lawn Ave, Middletown, Connecticut 06459, United States
| | - Ishita Mukerji
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Molecular Biophysics Program, Wesleyan University, 52 Lawn Ave, Middletown, Connecticut 06459, United States
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17
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Zuber PK, Said N, Hilal T, Wang B, Loll B, González-Higueras J, Ramírez-Sarmiento CA, Belogurov GA, Artsimovitch I, Wahl MC, Knauer SH. Concerted transformation of a hyper-paused transcription complex and its reinforcing protein. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3040. [PMID: 38589445 PMCID: PMC11001881 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47368-4] [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: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
RfaH, a paralog of the universally conserved NusG, binds to RNA polymerases (RNAP) and ribosomes to activate expression of virulence genes. In free, autoinhibited RfaH, an α-helical KOW domain sequesters the RNAP-binding site. Upon recruitment to RNAP paused at an ops site, KOW is released and refolds into a β-barrel, which binds the ribosome. Here, we report structures of ops-paused transcription elongation complexes alone and bound to the autoinhibited and activated RfaH, which reveal swiveled, pre-translocated pause states stabilized by an ops hairpin in the non-template DNA. Autoinhibited RfaH binds and twists the ops hairpin, expanding the RNA:DNA hybrid to 11 base pairs and triggering the KOW release. Once activated, RfaH hyper-stabilizes the pause, which thus requires anti-backtracking factors for escape. Our results suggest that the entire RfaH cycle is solely determined by the ops and RfaH sequences and provide insights into mechanisms of recruitment and metamorphosis of NusG homologs across all life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp K Zuber
- Biochemistry IV-Biophysical Chemistry, Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nelly Said
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Laboratory of Structural Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tarek Hilal
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Laboratory of Structural Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Research Center of Electron Microscopy and Core Facility BioSupraMol, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bing Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Bernhard Loll
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Laboratory of Structural Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jorge González-Higueras
- Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering, Schools of Engineering, Medicine and Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- ANID, Millennium Science Initiative Program, Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology, Santiago, Chile
| | - César A Ramírez-Sarmiento
- Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering, Schools of Engineering, Medicine and Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- ANID, Millennium Science Initiative Program, Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Irina Artsimovitch
- Department of Microbiology and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
| | - Markus C Wahl
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Laboratory of Structural Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
- Macromolecular Crystallography, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Stefan H Knauer
- Biochemistry IV-Biophysical Chemistry, Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany.
- Bristol-Myers Squibb GmbH & Co. KGaA, Munich, Germany.
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18
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Choi T, Li Z, Song G, Chen HF. Comprehensive Comparison and Critical Assessment of RNA-Specific Force Fields. J Chem Theory Comput 2024; 20:2676-2688. [PMID: 38447040 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.4c00066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulations play a pivotal role in elucidating the dynamic behaviors of RNA structures, offering a valuable complement to traditional methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance or X-ray. Despite this, the current precision of RNA force fields lags behind that of protein force fields. In this work, we systematically compared the performance of four RNA force fields (ff99bsc0χOL3, AMBERDES, ff99OL3_CMAP1, AMBERMaxEnt) across diverse RNA structures. Our findings highlight significant challenges in maintaining stability, particularly with regard to cross-strand and cross-loop hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, we observed the limitations in accurately describing the conformations of nonhelical structural motif, terminal nucleotides, and also base pairing and base stacking interactions by the tested RNA force fields. The identified deficiencies in existing RNA force fields provide valuable insights for subsequent force field development. Concurrently, these findings offer recommendations for selecting appropriate force fields in RNA simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taeyoung Choi
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, National Experimental Teaching Center for Life Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Zhengxin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, National Experimental Teaching Center for Life Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Ge Song
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, National Experimental Teaching Center for Life Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Hai-Feng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, National Experimental Teaching Center for Life Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
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19
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Xiao Y, Qin T, He S, Chen Y, Li H, He Q, Wang X, Yang S. Systematic investigation of TetR-family transcriptional regulators and their roles on lignocellulosic inhibitor acetate tolerance in Zymomonas mobilis. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2024; 12:1385519. [PMID: 38585710 PMCID: PMC10998469 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1385519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
TetR-family transcriptional regulators are widely distributed among bacteria and involved in various cellular processes such as multidrug and inhibitor resistance. Zymomonas mobilis is a industrial bacterium for lignocellulosic ethanol production. Although TetR-family regulators and their associated RND-family efflux pumps in Z. mobilis have been identified to be differentially expressed under various inhibitors and stressful conditions, there are no systematic investigation yet. In this study, bioinformatic analyses indicated that there are three TetR-family transcriptional regulators (ZMO0281, ZMO0963, ZMO1547) and two RND-family efflux pumps (ZMO0282-0285, ZMO0964-0966) adjacent to corresponding TetR-family regulators of ZMO0281 and ZMO0963 in Z. mobilis. Genetics studies were then carried out with various mutants of TetR-family regulators constructed, and ZMO0281 was characterized to be related to acetate tolerance. Combining transcriptomics and dual-reporter gene system, this study demonstrated that three TetR-family regulators repressed their adjacent genes specifically. Moreover, TetR-family regulator ZMO0281 might also be involved in other cellular processes in the presence of acetate. In addition, the upregulation of RND-family efflux pumps due to ZMO0281 deletion might lead to an energy imbalance and decreased cell growth in Z. mobilis under acetate stress. The systematic investigation of all three TetR-family regulators and their roles on a major lignocellulosic inhibitor acetate tolerance in Z. mobilis thus not only unravels the molecular mechanisms of TetR-family regulators and their potential cross-talks on regulating RND-family efflux pumps and other genes in Z. mobilis, but also provides guidance on understanding the roles of multiple regulators of same family in Z. mobilis and other microorganisms for efficient lignocellulosic biochemical production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yubei Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, and School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Tongjia Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, and School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
- Chinese Medicine College, Guangdong Yunfu Vocational College of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Shuche He
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, and School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yunhao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, and School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Han Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, and School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qiaoning He
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, and School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xia Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, and School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shihui Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, and School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
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20
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Argoubi W, Algethami FK, Raouafi N. Enhanced sensitivity in electrochemical detection of ochratoxin A within food samples using ferrocene- and aptamer-tethered gold nanoparticles on disposable electrodes. RSC Adv 2024; 14:8007-8015. [PMID: 38454949 PMCID: PMC10918640 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra08567h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Ensuring food security is crucial for public health, and the presence of mycotoxins, produced by fungi in improperly stored processed or unprocessed food, poses a significant threat. This research introduces a novel approach - a disposable aptasensing platform designed for the detection of ochratoxin A (OTA). The platform employs gold-nanostructured screen-printed carbon electrodes functionalized with a ferrocene derivative, serving as an integrated faradaic transducing system, and an anti-OTA aptamer as a bioreceptor site. Detection relies on the ferrocene electrochemical signal changes induced by the aptamer folding in the presence of the target molecule. Remarkably sensitive, the platform detects OTA within the range of 0.5 to 70 ng mL-1 and a detection limit of 11 pg mL-1. This limit is approximately 200 times below the levels stipulated by the European Commission for agricultural commodities. Notably, the sensing device exhibits efficacy in detecting OTA in complex media, such as roasted coffee beans and wine, without the need for sample pretreatment, yielding accurate recoveries. Furthermore, while label-free electrochemical aptasensors have proliferated, this study addresses a gap in understanding the binding mechanisms of some aptasensors. To enhance the experimental findings, a theoretical study was conducted to underscore the specificity of the anti-OTA aptamer as a donor for OTA detection. The molecular docking technique was employed to unveil the key binding region of the aptamer, providing valuable insights into the aptasensor specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wicem Argoubi
- Sensors and Biosensors Group, ACE-Lab (LR99ES15), Faculty of Science, University of Tunis El Manar 2092 Tunis El Manar Tunisia
| | - Faisal K Algethami
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) P.O. Box 90950 Riyadh 11623 Saudi Arabia
| | - Noureddine Raouafi
- Sensors and Biosensors Group, ACE-Lab (LR99ES15), Faculty of Science, University of Tunis El Manar 2092 Tunis El Manar Tunisia
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21
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Xia R, Xiao H, Xu M, Hou L, Han Y, Zhou Z. Insight into the inhibitory activity and mechanism of bovine cathelicidin BMAP 27 against Salmonella Typhimurium. Microb Pathog 2024; 187:106540. [PMID: 38190945 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2024.106540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
This study synthesized an antimicrobial peptide based on the bovine cathelicidin BMAP 27 sequence. It was found to have a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity, with exceptionally high activity against Salmonella. However, the antibacterial mechanism of BMAP 27 against Salmonella remains unclear. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of BMAP 27 against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium were determined to be 2 μM and 4 μM, respectively. After treatment with 2 MIC of BMAP 27, the absorbance of DNA in centrifugal supernatant increased from 0.244 to 1.464, and that of protein rose from 0.174 to 0.774, respectively. BMAP 27 has compromised the cell membrane as observed through field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and confirmed by the propidium iodide (PI) test. The alkaline phosphatase (AKP) enzyme activity in the supernatant of the 2 MIC treatment group was 2.15 times higher than the control group, indicating extracellular membrane damage. BMAP 27 treatment increased intracellular ROS levels as tested by dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH) staining. DNA interaction analysis revealed that BMAP 27 has a binding affinity towards DNA, causing its characteristic bands to disappear and peak intensity at 260 nm to reduce. Molecular docking identified its potential binding mode with DNA. The crystal violet biofilm staining results demonstrated that BMAP 27 inhibited S. Typhimurium biofilm formation by 43.1 % and cleared mature biofilms by 53.62 %. Confocal Laser scanning electron microscopy (CLSM) observed that BMAP 27 could kill bacteria within the biofilm and dislodge bacteria from the surface of glasses. Swimming tests identified that the motor capacity of S. Typhimurium was diminished by BMAP 27. By counting the total bacteria, BMAP 27 was revealed to exert bacteriostatic effects in chilled pork and orange juice, which might provide a basis for its application in the inhibition of Salmonella.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Xia
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Huazhi Xiao
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Min Xu
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Luying Hou
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Ye Han
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Zhijiang Zhou
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China.
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22
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Harini K, Sekijima M, Gromiha MM. PRA-Pred: Structure-based prediction of protein-RNA binding affinity. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 259:129490. [PMID: 38224813 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Understanding crucial factors that affect the binding affinity of protein-RNA complexes is vital for comprehending their recognition mechanisms. This study involved compiling experimentally measured binding affinity (ΔG) values of 217 protein-RNA complexes and extracting numerous structure-based features, considering RNA, protein, and interactions between protein and RNA. Our findings indicate the significance of RNA base-step parameters, interaction energies, number of atomic contacts in the complex, hydrogen bonds, and contact potentials in understanding the binding affinity. Further, we observed that these factors are influenced by the type of RNA strand and the function of the protein in a protein-RNA complex. Multiple regression equations were developed for different classes of complexes to perform the prediction of the binding affinity between the protein and RNA. We evaluated the models using the jack-knife test and achieved an overall correlation 0.77 between the experimental and predicted binding affinities with a mean absolute error of 1.02 kcal/mol. Furthermore, we introduced a web server, PRA-Pred, intended for the prediction of protein-RNA binding affinity, and it is freely accessible through https://web.iitm.ac.in/bioinfo2/prapred/. We propose that our approach could function as a potential resource for investigating protein-RNA recognitions and developing therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Harini
- Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - M Sekijima
- Department of Computer Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - M Michael Gromiha
- Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India; International Research Frontiers Initiative, School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, 226-8501, Japan; Department of Computer Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
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23
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van Heesch T, Bolhuis PG, Vreede J. Decoding dissociation of sequence-specific protein-DNA complexes with non-equilibrium simulations. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:12150-12160. [PMID: 37953329 PMCID: PMC10711434 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1014] [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: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Sequence-specific protein-DNA interactions are crucial in processes such as DNA organization, gene regulation and DNA replication. Obtaining detailed insights into the recognition mechanisms of protein-DNA complexes through experiments is hampered by a lack of resolution in both space and time. Here, we present a molecular simulation approach to quantify the sequence specificity of protein-DNA complexes, that yields results fast, and is generally applicable to any protein-DNA complex. The approach is based on molecular dynamics simulations in combination with a sophisticated steering potential and results in an estimate of the free energy difference of dissociation. We provide predictions of the nucleotide specific binding affinity of the minor groove binding Histone-like Nucleoid Structuring (H-NS) protein, that are in agreement with experimental data. Furthermore, our approach offers mechanistic insight into the process of dissociation. Applying our approach to the major groove binding ETS domain in complex with three different nucleotide sequences identified the high affinity consensus sequence, quantitatively in agreement with experiments. Our protocol facilitates quantitative prediction of protein-DNA complex stability, while also providing high resolution insights into recognition mechanisms. As such, our simulation approach has the potential to yield detailed and quantitative insights into biological processes involving sequence-specific protein-DNA interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thor van Heesch
- Van ’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Peter G Bolhuis
- Van ’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Jocelyne Vreede
- Van ’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
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24
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Segers M, Voorspoels A, Sakaue T, Carlon E. Mechanisms of DNA-Mediated Allostery. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023; 131:238402. [PMID: 38134780 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.131.238402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Proteins often regulate their activities via allostery-or action at a distance-in which the binding of a ligand at one binding site influences the affinity for another ligand at a distal site. Although less studied than in proteins, allosteric effects have been observed in experiments with DNA as well. In these experiments two or more proteins bind at distinct DNA sites and interact indirectly with each other, via a mechanism mediated by the linker DNA molecule. We develop a mechanical model of DNA/protein interactions which predicts three distinct mechanisms of allostery. Two of these involve an enthalpy-mediated allostery, while a third mechanism is entropy driven. We analyze experiments of DNA allostery and highlight the distinctive signatures allowing one to identify which of the proposed mechanisms best fits the data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Midas Segers
- Soft Matter and Biophysics, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Aderik Voorspoels
- Soft Matter and Biophysics, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Takahiro Sakaue
- Department of Physical Sciences, Aoyama Gakuin University, 5-10-1 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5258, Japan
| | - Enrico Carlon
- Soft Matter and Biophysics, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
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25
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Tarasova E, Khayat R. Dynamics and Conformations of a Full-Length CRESS-DNA Replicase. Viruses 2023; 15:2393. [PMID: 38140634 PMCID: PMC10747457 DOI: 10.3390/v15122393] [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: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Circular Rep-encoding single-stranded DNA (CRESS-DNA) viruses encode for a Replicase (Rep) that is essential for viral replication. Rep is a helicase with three domains: an endonuclease, an oligomeric, and an ATPase domain (ED, OD, and AD). Our recent cryo-EM structure of the porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) Rep provided the first structure of a CRESS-DNA Rep. The structure visualized the ED to be highly mobile, Rep to form a homo-hexamer, bound ssDNA and nucleotides, and the AD to adopt a staircase arrangement around the ssDNA. We proposed a hand-over-hand mechanism by the ADs for ssDNA translocation. The hand-over-hand mechanism requires extensive movement of the AD. Here, we scrutinize this mechanism using all-atom Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation of Rep in three states: (1) Rep bound to ssDNA and ADP, (2) Rep bound to ssDNA, and (3) Rep by itself. Each of the 700 nsec simulations converges within 200 nsec and provides important insight into the dynamics of Rep, the dynamics of Rep in the presence of these biomolecules, and the importance of ssDNA and ADP in driving the AD to adopt the staircase arrangement around the ssDNA. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of an all-atom MD simulation of a CRESS-DNA Rep. This study sets the basis of further MD studies aimed at obtaining a chemical understanding of how Rep uses nucleotide binding and hydrolysis to translocate ssDNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvira Tarasova
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, City College of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
| | - Reza Khayat
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, City College of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
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26
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Chen Z, Liu Z, Liu J, Xiao X. Research progress in the detection of common foodborne hazardous substances based on functional nucleic acids biosensors. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:3501-3517. [PMID: 37723667 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28555] [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: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
With the further improvement of food safety requirements, the development of fast, highly sensitive, and portable methods for the determination of foodborne hazardous substances has become a new trend in the food industry. In recent years, biosensors and platforms based on functional nucleic acids, along with a range of signal amplification devices and methods, have been established to enable rapid and sensitive determination of specific substances in samples, opening up a new avenue of analysis and detection. In this paper, functional nucleic acid types including aptamers, deoxyribozymes, and G-quadruplexes which are commonly used in the detection of food source pollutants are introduced. Signal amplification elements include quantum dots, noble metal nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, DNA walkers, and DNA logic gates. Signal amplification technologies including nucleic acid isothermal amplification, hybridization chain reaction, catalytic hairpin assembly, biological barcodes, and microfluidic system are combined with functional nucleic acids sensors and applied to the detection of many foodborne hazardous substances, such as foodborne pathogens, mycotoxins, residual antibiotics, residual pesticides, industrial pollutants, heavy metals, and allergens. Finally, the potential opportunities and broad prospects of functional nucleic acids biosensors in the field of food analysis are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijie Chen
- School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, the People's Republic of China
| | - Zhen Liu
- School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, the People's Republic of China
| | - Jingjing Liu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, the People's Republic of China
| | - Xilin Xiao
- School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, the People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, the People's Republic of China
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27
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Grille L, Gallego D, Darré L, da Rosa G, Battistini F, Orozco M, Dans PD. The pseudotorsional space of RNA. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 29:1896-1909. [PMID: 37793790 PMCID: PMC10653382 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079821.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
The characterization of the conformational landscape of the RNA backbone is rather complex due to the ability of RNA to assume a large variety of conformations. These backbone conformations can be depicted by pseudotorsional angles linking RNA backbone atoms, from which Ramachandran-like plots can be built. We explore here different definitions of these pseudotorsional angles, finding that the most accurate ones are the traditional η (eta) and θ (theta) angles, which represent the relative position of RNA backbone atoms P and C4'. We explore the distribution of η - θ in known experimental structures, comparing the pseudotorsional space generated with structures determined exclusively by one experimental technique. We found that the complete picture only appears when combining data from different sources. The maps provide a quite comprehensive representation of the RNA accessible space, which can be used in RNA-structural predictions. Finally, our results highlight that protein interactions lead to significant changes in the population of the η - θ space, pointing toward the role of induced-fit mechanisms in protein-RNA recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandro Grille
- Computational Biophysics Group, Department of Biological Sciences, CENUR Litoral Norte, Universidad de la República, 50000 Salto, Uruguay
- Bioinformatics Unit, Institute Pasteur of Montevideo, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Diego Gallego
- Molecular Modelling and Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Leonardo Darré
- Bioinformatics Unit, Institute Pasteur of Montevideo, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
- Molecular Modelling and Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gabriela da Rosa
- Computational Biophysics Group, Department of Biological Sciences, CENUR Litoral Norte, Universidad de la República, 50000 Salto, Uruguay
- Bioinformatics Unit, Institute Pasteur of Montevideo, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Federica Battistini
- Molecular Modelling and Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Modesto Orozco
- Molecular Modelling and Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pablo D Dans
- Computational Biophysics Group, Department of Biological Sciences, CENUR Litoral Norte, Universidad de la República, 50000 Salto, Uruguay
- Bioinformatics Unit, Institute Pasteur of Montevideo, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
- Molecular Modelling and Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
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28
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Chen Q, Chuai G, Zhang H, Tang J, Duan L, Guan H, Li W, Li W, Wen J, Zuo E, Zhang Q, Liu Q. Genome-wide CRISPR off-target prediction and optimization using RNA-DNA interaction fingerprints. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7521. [PMID: 37980345 PMCID: PMC10657421 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42695-4] [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: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The powerful CRISPR genome editing system is hindered by its off-target effects, and existing computational tools achieved limited performance in genome-wide off-target prediction due to the lack of deep understanding of the CRISPR molecular mechanism. In this study, we propose to incorporate molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in the computational analysis of CRISPR system, and present CRISOT, an integrated tool suite containing four related modules, i.e., CRISOT-FP, CRISOT-Score, CRISOT-Spec, CRISORT-Opti for RNA-DNA molecular interaction fingerprint generation, genome-wide CRISPR off-target prediction, sgRNA specificity evaluation and sgRNA optimization of Cas9 system respectively. Our comprehensive computational and experimental tests reveal that CRISOT outperforms existing tools with extensive in silico validations and proof-of-concept experimental validations. In addition, CRISOT shows potential in accurately predicting off-target effects of the base editors and prime editors, indicating that the derived RNA-DNA molecular interaction fingerprint captures the underlying mechanisms of RNA-DNA interaction among distinct CRISPR systems. Collectively, CRISOT provides an efficient and generalizable framework for genome-wide CRISPR off-target prediction, evaluation and sgRNA optimization for improved targeting specificity in CRISPR genome editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinchang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Spine and Spinal Cord Injury Repair and Regeneration (Tongji University), Ministry of Education, Orthopaedic Department of Tongji Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Translational Medical Center for Stem Cell Therapy and Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Research Institute of Intelligent Computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, 311121, China
| | - Guohui Chuai
- Translational Medical Center for Stem Cell Therapy and Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Shanghai Research Institute for Intelligent Autonomous Systems, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Haihang Zhang
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Gene Editing Technologies (Hainan), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jin Tang
- Research Institute of Intelligent Computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, 311121, China
| | - Liwen Duan
- Research Institute of Intelligent Computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, 311121, China
| | - Huan Guan
- Research Institute of Intelligent Computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, 311121, China
| | - Wenhui Li
- Research Institute of Intelligent Computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, 311121, China
| | - Wannian Li
- Key Laboratory of Spine and Spinal Cord Injury Repair and Regeneration (Tongji University), Ministry of Education, Orthopaedic Department of Tongji Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Jiaying Wen
- Key Laboratory of Spine and Spinal Cord Injury Repair and Regeneration (Tongji University), Ministry of Education, Orthopaedic Department of Tongji Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Erwei Zuo
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Gene Editing Technologies (Hainan), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Qing Zhang
- Roche R&D Center (China) Ltd., China Innovation Center of Roche, Shanghai, 201203, China.
- Ailomics Therapeutics, Shanghai, 201203, China.
| | - Qi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Spine and Spinal Cord Injury Repair and Regeneration (Tongji University), Ministry of Education, Orthopaedic Department of Tongji Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
- Translational Medical Center for Stem Cell Therapy and Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
- Research Institute of Intelligent Computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, 311121, China.
- Shanghai Research Institute for Intelligent Autonomous Systems, Shanghai, 201210, China.
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29
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Saha R, Bhattacharje G, De S, Das AK. Deciphering the conformational stability of MazE7 antitoxin in Mycobacterium tuberculosis from molecular dynamics simulation study. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-17. [PMID: 37965715 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2280675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
MazEF Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are associated with the persistent phenotype of the pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), aiding their survival. Though extensively studied, the mode of action between the antitoxin-toxin and DNA of this family remains largely unclear. Here, the important interactions between MazF7 toxin and MazE7 antitoxin, and how MazE7 binds its promoter/operator region have been studied. To elucidate this, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation has been performed on MazE7, MazF7, MazEF7, MazEF7-DNA, and MazE7-DNA complexes to investigate how MazF7 and DNA affect the conformational change and dynamics of MazE7 antitoxin. This study demonstrated that the MazE7 dimer is disordered and one monomer (Chain C) attains stability after binding to the MazF7 toxin. Both the monomers (Chain C and Chain D) however are stabilized when MazE7 binds to DNA. MazE7 is also observed to sterically inhibit tRNA from binding to MazF7, thus suppressing its toxic activity. Comparative structural analysis performed on all the available antitoxins/antitoxin-toxin-DNA structures revealed MazEF7-DNA mechanism was similar to another TA system, AtaRT_E.coli. Simulation performed on the crystal structures of AtaR, AtaT, AtaRT, AtaRT-DNA, and AtaR-DNA showed that the disordered AtaR antitoxin attains stability by AtaT and DNA binding similar to MazE7. Based on these analyses it can thus be hypothesized that the disordered antitoxins enable tighter toxin and DNA binding thus preventing accidental toxin activation. Overall, this study provides crucial structural and dynamic insights into the MazEF7 toxin-antitoxin system and should provide a basis for targeting this TA system in combating Mycobacterium tuberculosis.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rituparna Saha
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
| | - Gourab Bhattacharje
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
| | - Soumya De
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
| | - Amit Kumar Das
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
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30
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Schumacher MA, Lent N, Chen VB, Salinas R. Structures of the DarR transcription regulator reveal unique modes of second messenger and DNA binding. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7239. [PMID: 37945601 PMCID: PMC10636190 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42823-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The mycobacterial repressor, DarR, a TetR family regulator (TFR), was the first transcription regulator shown to bind c-di-AMP. However, the molecular basis for this interaction and the mechanism involved in DNA binding by DarR remain unknown. Here we describe DarR-c-di-AMP and DarR-DNA structures and complementary biochemical assays. The DarR-c-di-AMP structure reveals a unique effector binding site for a TFR, located between DarR dimer subunits. Strikingly, we show this motif also binds cAMP. The location of the adenine nucleotide binding site between subunits suggests this interaction may facilitate dimerization and hence DNA binding. Indeed, biochemical assays show cAMP enhances DarR DNA binding. Finally, DarR-DNA structures reveal a distinct TFR DNA-binding mechanism involving two interacting dimers on the DNA. Thus, the combined data unveil a newly described second messenger binding motif and DNA binding mode for this important family of regulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Schumacher
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
| | - Nicholas Lent
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Vincent B Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Raul Salinas
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
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31
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Zubova EA, Strelnikov IA. Experimental detection of conformational transitions between forms of DNA: problems and prospects. Biophys Rev 2023; 15:1053-1078. [PMID: 37974981 PMCID: PMC10643659 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-023-01143-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Under different conditions, the DNA double helix can take different geometric forms. Of the large number of its conformations, in addition to the "canonical" B form, the A, C, and Z forms are widely known, and the D, Hoogsteen, and X forms are less known. DNA locally takes the A, C, and Z forms in the cell, in complexes with proteins. We compare different methods for detecting non-canonical DNA conformations: X-ray, IR, and Raman spectroscopy, linear and circular dichroism in both the infrared and ultraviolet regions, as well as NMR (measurement of chemical shifts and their anisotropy, scalar and residual dipolar couplings and inter-proton distances from NOESY (nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy) data). We discuss the difficulties in applying these methods, the problems of theoretical interpretation of the experimental results, and the prospects for reliable identification of non-canonical DNA conformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena A. Zubova
- N.N. Semenov Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Kosygin St., Moscow, 119991 Russia
| | - Ivan A. Strelnikov
- N.N. Semenov Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Kosygin St., Moscow, 119991 Russia
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32
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Erban R, Togashi Y. Asymmetric Periodic Boundary Conditions for All-Atom Molecular Dynamics and Coarse-Grained Simulations of Nucleic Acids. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:8257-8267. [PMID: 37713594 PMCID: PMC10544013 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c03887] [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: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
Periodic boundary conditions are commonly applied in molecular dynamics simulations in the microcanonical (NVE), canonical (NVT), and isothermal-isobaric (NpT) ensembles. In their simplest application, a biological system of interest is placed in the middle of a solvation box, which is chosen 'sufficiently large' to minimize any numerical artifacts associated with the periodic boundary conditions. This practical approach brings limitations to the size of biological systems that can be simulated. Here, we study simulations of effectively infinitely long nucleic acids, which are solvated in the directions perpendicular to the polymer chain, while periodic boundary conditions are also applied along the polymer chain. We study the effects of these asymmetric periodic boundary conditions (APBC) on the simulated results, including the mechanical properties of biopolymers and the properties of the surrounding solvent. To get some further insights into the advantages of using the APBC, a coarse-grained worm-like chain model is first studied, illustrating how the persistence length can be extracted from the local properties of the polymer chain, which are less affected by the APBC than some global averages. This is followed by all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of DNA in ionic solutions, where we use the APBC to investigate sequence-dependent properties of DNA molecules and properties of the surrounding solvent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radek Erban
- Mathematical
Institute, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock
Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, U.K.
| | - Yuichi Togashi
- Department
of Bioinformatics, College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Noji-higashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577, Japan
- RIKEN
Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 2-2-3 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
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33
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Makowski JA, Kensinger AH, Cunningham CL, Frye CJ, Shine M, Lackey PE, Mihailescu MR, Evanseck JD. Delta SARS-CoV-2 s2m Structure, Dynamics, and Entropy: Consequences of the G15U Mutation. ACS PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY AU 2023; 3:434-443. [PMID: 37780540 PMCID: PMC10540284 DOI: 10.1021/acsphyschemau.3c00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Bioinformatic analysis of the Delta SARS-CoV-2 genome reveals a single nucleotide mutation (G15U) in the stem-loop II motif (s2m) relative to ancestral SARS-CoV-2. Despite sequence similarity, unexpected differences between SARS-CoV-2 and Delta SARS-CoV-2 s2m homodimerization experiments require the discovery of unknown structural and thermodynamic changes necessary to rationalize the data. Using our reported SARS-CoV-2 s2m model, we induced the G15U substitution and performed 3.5 microseconds of unbiased molecular dynamics simulation at 283 and 310 K. The resultant Delta s2m adopted a secondary structure consistent with our reported NMR data, resulting in significant deviations in the tertiary structure and dynamics from our SARS-CoV-2 s2m model. First, we find differences in the overall three-dimensional structure, where the characteristic 90° L-shaped kink of the SARS-CoV-2 s2m did not form in the Delta s2m resulting in a "linear" hairpin with limited bending dynamics. Delta s2m helical parameters are calculated to align closely with A-form RNA, effectively eliminating a hinge point to form the L-shape kink by correcting an upper stem defect in SARS-CoV-2 induced by a noncanonical and dynamic G:A base pair. Ultimately, the shape difference rationalizes the migration differences in reported electrophoresis experiments. Second, increased fluctuation of the Delta s2m palindromic sequence, within the terminal loop, compared to SARS-CoV-2 s2m results in an estimated increase of entropy of 6.8 kcal/mol at 310 K relative to the SARS-CoV-2 s2m. The entropic difference offers a unique perspective on why the Delta s2m homodimerizes less spontaneously, forming fewer kissing dimers and extended duplexes compared to SARS-CoV-2. In this work, both the L-shape reduction and palindromic entropic penalty provides an explanation of our reported in vitro electrophoresis homodimerization results. Ultimately, the structural, dynamical, and entropic differences between the SARS-CoV-2 s2m and Delta s2m serve to establish a foundation for future studies of the s2m function in the viral lifecycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A. Makowski
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for Computational Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15282, United States
| | - Adam H. Kensinger
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for Computational Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15282, United States
| | - Caylee L. Cunningham
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for Computational Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15282, United States
| | - Caleb J. Frye
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for Computational Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15282, United States
| | - Morgan Shine
- Department
of Biochemistry and Chemistry, Westminster
College, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania 16172, United States
| | - Patrick E. Lackey
- Department
of Biochemistry and Chemistry, Westminster
College, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania 16172, United States
| | - Mihaela Rita Mihailescu
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for Computational Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15282, United States
| | - Jeffrey D. Evanseck
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for Computational Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15282, United States
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34
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Roy TB, Sarma SP. Insights into the solution structure and transcriptional regulation of the MazE9 antitoxin in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Proteins 2023. [PMID: 37737533 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
The present study endeavors to decode the details of the transcriptional autoregulation effected by the MazE9 antitoxin of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis MazEF9 toxin-antitoxin system. Regulation of this bicistronic operon at the level of transcription is a critical biochemical process that is key for the organism's stress adaptation and virulence. Here, we have reported the solution structure of the DNA binding domain of MazE9 and scrutinized the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters operational in its interaction with the promoter/operator region, specific to the mazEF9 operon. A HADDOCK model of MazE9 bound to its operator DNA has been calculated based on the information on interacting residues obtained from these studies. The thermodynamics and kinetics of the interaction of MazE9 with the functionally related mazEF6 operon indicate that the potential for intracellular cross-regulation is unlikely. An interesting feature of MazE9 is the cis ⇌ trans conformational isomerization of proline residues in the intrinsically disordered C-terminal domain of this antitoxin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanaya Basu Roy
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Siddhartha P Sarma
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
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35
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Perry ZR, Pyle AM, Zhang C. Arena: Rapid and Accurate Reconstruction of Full Atomic RNA Structures From Coarse-grained Models. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:168210. [PMID: 37479079 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168210] [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: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
RNA tertiary structures from experiments or computational predictions often contain missing atoms, which prevent analyses requiring full atomic structures. Current programs for RNA reconstruction can be slow, inaccurate, and/or require specific atoms to be present in the input. We present Arena (Atomic Reconstruction of RNA), which reconstructs a full atomic RNA structure from residues that can have as few as one atom. Arena first fills in missing atoms and then iteratively refines their placement to reduce nonideal geometries. We benchmarked Arena on a dataset of 361 RNA structures, where Arena achieves high accuracy and speed compared to other structure reconstruction programs. For example, Arena was used to reconstruct full atomic structures from a single phosphorus atom per nucleotide to, on average, within 3.63 Å RMSD of the experimental structure, while virtually removing all clashes and running in <3 s, which is 353× and 46× faster than state-of-the-art programs PDBFixer and C2A, respectively. The Arena source code is available at https://github.com/pylelab/Arena and the webserver at https://zhanggroup.org/Arena/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zion R Perry
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. https://twitter.com/@zionrperry
| | - Anna Marie Pyle
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA; Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
| | - Chengxin Zhang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA; Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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36
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Troisi R, Napolitano V, Rossitto E, Osman W, Nagano M, Wakui K, Popowicz G, Yoshimoto K, Sica F. Steric hindrance and structural flexibility shape the functional properties of a guanine-rich oligonucleotide. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:8880-8890. [PMID: 37503836 PMCID: PMC10484730 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad634] [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: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Ligand/protein molecular recognition involves a dynamic process, whereby both partners require a degree of structural plasticity to regulate the binding/unbinding event. Here, we present the characterization of the interaction between a highly dynamic G-rich oligonucleotide, M08s-1, and its target protein, human α-thrombin. M08s-1 is the most active anticoagulant aptamer selected thus far. Circular dichroism and gel electrophoresis analyses indicate that both intramolecular and intermolecular G-quadruplex structures are populated in solution. The presence of thrombin stabilises the antiparallel intramolecular chair-like G-quadruplex conformation, that provides by far the main contribution to the biological activity of the aptamer. The crystal structure of the thrombin-oligonucleotide complex reveals that M08s-1 adopts a kinked structural organization formed by a G-quadruplex domain and a long duplex module, linked by a stretch of five purine bases. The quadruplex motif hooks the exosite I region of thrombin and the duplex region is folded towards the surface of the protein. This structural feature, which has never been observed in other anti-exosite I aptamers with a shorter duplex motif, hinders the approach of a protein substrate to the active site region and may well explain the significant increase in the anticoagulant activity of M08s-1 compared to the other anti-exosite I aptamers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romualdo Troisi
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80126, Italy
| | - Valeria Napolitano
- Institute of Structural Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany
- Biomolecular NMR and Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich at Department Chemie, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstraße 4, 85747, Garching, Germany
| | - Emanuele Rossitto
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80126, Italy
| | - Waleed Osman
- Research and Development Division, LinkBIO Co., Ltd., The ICI Center, 5270 Terada, Toride-shi, Ibaraki 302-0021, Japan
| | - Masanobu Nagano
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Koji Wakui
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Grzegorz M Popowicz
- Institute of Structural Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany
- Biomolecular NMR and Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich at Department Chemie, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstraße 4, 85747, Garching, Germany
| | - Keitaro Yoshimoto
- Research and Development Division, LinkBIO Co., Ltd., The ICI Center, 5270 Terada, Toride-shi, Ibaraki 302-0021, Japan
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Filomena Sica
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80126, Italy
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37
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Shri Preethi M, Premkumar K, Asha Devi S. Molecular docking study on vitamin D supplements to understand their interaction with VDR-RXRα heterodimer and VDRE of TAGAP gene. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:7009-7018. [PMID: 36002290 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2114939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
The expression level of T cell activation Rho GTPase activating protein (TAGAP) gene is higher in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients compared to healthy individuals. Vitamin D receptor element (VDRE) sequences present in the regulatory region of TAGAP gene are targeted by vitamin D dependent Vitamin D receptor (VDR) - retinoic acid X receptor (RXR) heterodimer complex to regulate the TAGAP gene expression. Reduction in the expression of the TAGAP gene can prevent different severity of RA disease conditions. Calcitriol is a proven vitamin D supplement prescribed to patients with RA. However, it is involved in causing hypercalcemia. Maxacalcitol, an analog of vitamin D, is shown to have less hypercalcemic activity when compared to calcitriol. This study was done to analyze and compare the binding modes of calcitriol and maxacalcitol with VDR. We also studied the interactions of these compounds with the VDR-RXRα heterodimer complex. In addition, the binding of the ligand-activated heterodimer complexes with VDREs of the TAGAP gene was also analyzed to comprehend the binding affinities of calcitriol and maxacalcitol to the gene. The current work utilizes in silico molecular docking and simulation analysis to understand the mechanism in each complex formation.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Shri Preethi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - K Premkumar
- Department of Biomedical Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - S Asha Devi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
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38
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Zhu N, Mealka M, Mitchel S, Milani C, Acuña LM, Rogers E, Lahana AN, Huxford T. X-ray Crystallographic Study of Preferred Spacing by the NF-κB p50 Homodimer on κB DNA. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1310. [PMID: 37759710 PMCID: PMC10527052 DOI: 10.3390/biom13091310] [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: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Though originally characterized as an inactive or transcriptionally repressive factor, the NF-κB p50 homodimer has become appreciated as a physiologically relevant driver of specific target gene expression. By virtue of its low affinity for cytoplasmic IκB protein inhibitors, p50 accumulates in the nucleus of resting cells, where it is a binding target for the transcriptional co-activator IκBζ. In this study, we employed X-ray crystallography to analyze the structure of the p50 homodimer on κB DNA from the promoters of human interleukin-6 (IL-6) and neutrophil-gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) genes, both of which respond to IκBζ. The NF-κB p50 homodimer binds 11-bp on IL-6 κB DNA, while, on NGAL κB DNA, the spacing is 12-bp. This begs the question: what DNA binding mode is preferred by NF-κB p50 homodimer? To address this, we engineered a "Test" κB-like DNA containing the core sequence 5'-GGGGAATTCCCC-3' and determined its X-ray crystal structure in complex with p50. This revealed that, when presented with multiple options, NF-κB p50 homodimer prefers to bind 11-bp, which necessarily imposes asymmetry on the complex despite the symmetry inherent in both the protein and its target DNA, and that the p50 dimerization domain can contact DNA via distinct modes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Tom Huxford
- Structural Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA 92182-1030, USA; (N.Z.); (M.M.); (S.M.); (C.M.); (L.M.A.); (E.R.); (A.N.L.)
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39
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Vecchioni S, Lu B, Livernois W, Ohayon YP, Yoder JB, Yang CF, Woloszyn K, Bernfeld W, Anantram MP, Canary JW, Hendrickson WA, Rothschild LJ, Mao C, Wind SJ, Seeman NC, Sha R. Metal-Mediated DNA Nanotechnology in 3D: Structural Library by Templated Diffraction. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2210938. [PMID: 37268326 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202210938] [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: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
DNA double helices containing metal-mediated DNA (mmDNA) base pairs are constructed from Ag+ and Hg2+ ions between pyrimidine:pyrimidine pairs with the promise of nanoelectronics. Rational design of mmDNA nanomaterials is impractical without a complete lexical and structural description. Here, the programmability of structural DNA nanotechnology toward its founding mission of self-assembling a diffraction platform for biomolecular structure determination is explored. The tensegrity triangle is employed to build a comprehensive structural library of mmDNA pairs via X-ray diffraction and generalized design rules for mmDNA construction are elucidated. Two binding modes are uncovered: N3-dominant, centrosymmetric pairs and major groove binders driven by 5-position ring modifications. Energy gap calculations show additional levels in the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO) of mmDNA structures, rendering them attractive molecular electronic candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Vecchioni
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Brandon Lu
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - William Livernois
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Yoel P Ohayon
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Jesse B Yoder
- IMCA-CAT, Argonne National Lab, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Chu-Fan Yang
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Karol Woloszyn
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - William Bernfeld
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
- ASPIRE Program, King School, Stamford, CT, 06905, USA
| | - M P Anantram
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - James W Canary
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Wayne A Hendrickson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Lynn J Rothschild
- NASA Ames Research Center, Planetary Sciences Branch, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Chengde Mao
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Shalom J Wind
- Department of Applied Physics and Applied Math, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Nadrian C Seeman
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Ruojie Sha
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
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40
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Rahman MS, Han MJ, Kim SW, Kang SM, Kim BR, Kim H, Lee CJ, Noh JE, Kim H, Lee JO, Jang SK. Structure-Guided Development of Bivalent Aptamers Blocking SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Molecules 2023; 28:4645. [PMID: 37375202 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28124645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused devastation to human society through its high virulence, infectivity, and genomic mutations, which reduced the efficacy of vaccines. Here, we report the development of aptamers that effectively interfere with SARS-CoV-2 infection by targeting its spike protein, which plays a pivotal role in host cell entry of the virus through interaction with the viral receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). To develop highly effective aptamers and to understand their mechanism in inhibiting viral infection, we determined the three-dimensional (3D) structures of aptamer/receptor-binding domain (RBD) complexes using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Moreover, we developed bivalent aptamers targeting two distinct regions of the RBD in the spike protein that directly interact with ACE2. One aptamer interferes with the binding of ACE2 by blocking the ACE2-binding site in RBD, and the other aptamer allosterically inhibits ACE2 by binding to a distinct face of RBD. Using the 3D structures of aptamer-RBD complexes, we minimized and optimized these aptamers. By combining the optimized aptamers, we developed a bivalent aptamer that showed a stronger inhibitory effect on virus infection than the component aptamers. This study confirms that the structure-based aptamer-design approach has a high potential in developing antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Shafiqur Rahman
- Department of Life Sciences, POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang-si 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Jung Han
- Department of Life Sciences, POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang-si 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Won Kim
- Department of Life Sciences, POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang-si 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Mu Kang
- Department of Life Sciences, POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang-si 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Bo Ri Kim
- Department of Life Sciences, POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang-si 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Heesun Kim
- Division of Integrative Bioscience & Biotechnology, POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Nam-gu, Pohang-si 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang Jun Lee
- Department of Life Sciences, POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang-si 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Eun Noh
- Department of Life Sciences, POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang-si 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Hanseong Kim
- Department of Life Sciences, POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang-si 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Jie-Oh Lee
- Department of Life Sciences, POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang-si 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Key Jang
- Department of Life Sciences, POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang-si 37673, Republic of Korea
- Division of Integrative Bioscience & Biotechnology, POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Nam-gu, Pohang-si 37673, Republic of Korea
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41
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Peng P, Ren Y, Wan F, Tan M, Wu H, Shen J, Qian C, Liu X, Xiang Y, Yu Q, Zhang L, Si Y, Liu Y. Sculponeatin A promotes the ETS1-SYVN1 interaction to induce SLC7A11/xCT-dependent ferroptosis in breast cancer. PHYTOMEDICINE : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHERAPY AND PHYTOPHARMACOLOGY 2023; 117:154921. [PMID: 37327642 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2023.154921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND E26 transformation specificity-1 (ETS1) is a transcription factor that is overexpressed in breast cancer (BC) and promotes tumor progression. Sculponeatin A (stA), a new diterpenoid extracted from Isodon sculponeatus, has no reported antitumor mechanism. PURPOSE Here, we explored the antitumor activity of stA in BC and further clarified its mechanism. METHODS Ferroptosis was detected by flow cytometric, glutathione, malondialdehyde, and iron determination assays. The effect of stA on the upstream signaling pathway of ferroptosis was detected by Western blot, gene expression, gene alterations and other approaches. The binding of stA and ETS1 was examined through a microscale thermophoresis assay and a drug affinity responsive target stability assay. An in vivo mouse model experiment was performed to evaluate the therapeutic and potential mechanism of stA. RESULTS stA exhibits therapeutic potential in BC by inducing SLC7A11/xCT-dependent ferroptosis. stA decreases the expression of ETS1, which is responsible for xCT-dependent ferroptosis in BC. stA inhibits the transcriptional expression of xCT by directly binding to the ETS domain of the ETS1 protein. In addition, stA promotes proteasomal degradation of ETS1 by triggering ubiquitin ligase synoviolin 1 (SYVN1)-mediated ubiquitination. The K318 site of ETS1 mediates ubiquitination of ETS1 by SYVN1. In a mouse model, stA inhibits tumor growth without causing obvious toxicity. CONCLUSION Taken together, the results confirm that stA promotes the ETS1-SYVN1 interaction to induce ferroptosis in BC mediated by ETS1 degradation. stA is expected to be used in research of candidate drugs for BC and drug design based on ETS1 degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Peng
- Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese Medicine Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Yuliang Ren
- Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Fang Wan
- Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Miao Tan
- Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Biomedical Research Institute, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Hui Wu
- Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese Medicine Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Biomedical Research Institute, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Jie Shen
- Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Biomedical Research Institute, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Chen Qian
- Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese Medicine Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Biomedical Research Institute, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Xuewen Liu
- Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese Medicine Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Biomedical Research Institute, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Yuchen Xiang
- Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Biomedical Research Institute, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Qingqing Yu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese Medicine Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Biomedical Research Institute, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Liang Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Biomedical Research Institute, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Yuan Si
- Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese Medicine Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Biomedical Research Institute, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China.
| | - Ying Liu
- Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese Medicine Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China; Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Biomedical Research Institute, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China.
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42
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Passalacqua LFM, Banco MT, Moon JD, Li X, Jaffrey SR, Ferré-D'Amaré AR. Intricate 3D architecture of a DNA mimic of GFP. Nature 2023; 618:1078-1084. [PMID: 37344591 PMCID: PMC10754392 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06229-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Numerous studies have shown how RNA molecules can adopt elaborate three-dimensional (3D) architectures1-3. By contrast, whether DNA can self-assemble into complex 3D folds capable of sophisticated biochemistry, independent of protein or RNA partners, has remained mysterious. Lettuce is an in vitro-evolved DNA molecule that binds and activates4 conditional fluorophores derived from GFP. To extend previous structural studies5,6 of fluorogenic RNAs, GFP and other fluorescent proteins7 to DNA, we characterize Lettuce-fluorophore complexes by X-ray crystallography and cryogenic electron microscopy. The results reveal that the 53-nucleotide DNA adopts a four-way junction (4WJ) fold. Instead of the canonical L-shaped or H-shaped structures commonly seen8 in 4WJ RNAs, the four stems of Lettuce form two coaxial stacks that pack co-linearly to form a central G-quadruplex in which the fluorophore binds. This fold is stabilized by stacking, extensive nucleobase hydrogen bonding-including through unusual diagonally stacked bases that bridge successive tiers of the main coaxial stacks of the DNA-and coordination of monovalent and divalent cations. Overall, the structure is more compact than many RNAs of comparable size. Lettuce demonstrates how DNA can form elaborate 3D structures without using RNA-like tertiary interactions and suggests that new principles of nucleic acid organization will be forthcoming from the analysis of complex DNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz F M Passalacqua
- Laboratory of Nucleic Acids, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Michael T Banco
- Laboratory of Nucleic Acids, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jared D Moon
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill-Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xing Li
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill-Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
- Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Samie R Jaffrey
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill-Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Adrian R Ferré-D'Amaré
- Laboratory of Nucleic Acids, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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43
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Satange R, Chang CC, Li L, Lin SH, Neidle S, Hou MH. Synergistic binding of actinomycin D and echinomycin to DNA mismatch sites and their combined anti-tumour effects. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:3540-3555. [PMID: 36919604 PMCID: PMC10164580 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Combination cancer chemotherapy is one of the most useful treatment methods to achieve a synergistic effect and reduce the toxicity of dosing with a single drug. Here, we use a combination of two well-established anticancer DNA intercalators, actinomycin D (ActD) and echinomycin (Echi), to screen their binding capabilities with DNA duplexes containing different mismatches embedded within Watson-Crick base-pairs. We have found that combining ActD and Echi preferentially stabilised thymine-related T:T mismatches. The enhanced stability of the DNA duplex-drug complexes is mainly due to the cooperative binding of the two drugs to the mismatch duplex, with many stacking interactions between the two different drug molecules. Since the repair of thymine-related mismatches is less efficient in mismatch repair (MMR)-deficient cancer cells, we have also demonstrated that the combination of ActD and Echi exhibits enhanced synergistic effects against MMR-deficient HCT116 cells and synergy is maintained in a MMR-related MLH1 gene knockdown in SW620 cells. We further accessed the clinical potential of the two-drug combination approach with a xenograft mouse model of a colorectal MMR-deficient cancer, which has resulted in a significant synergistic anti-tumour effect. The current study provides a novel approach for the development of combination chemotherapy for the treatment of cancers related to DNA-mismatches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roshan Satange
- Institute of Genomics and Bioinformatics, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung402, Taiwan
- Ph.D. Program in Medical Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung402, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Chun Chang
- Graduate Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung402, Taiwan
| | - Long‐Yuan Li
- Department of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung402, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Hao Lin
- Institute of Genomics and Bioinformatics, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung402, Taiwan
- Division of Chest Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua City, Taiwan
- Departement of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung402, Taiwan
| | - Stephen Neidle
- The School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX, UK
| | - Ming-Hon Hou
- Institute of Genomics and Bioinformatics, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung402, Taiwan
- Ph.D. Program in Medical Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung402, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung402, Taiwan
- Department of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung402, Taiwan
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44
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Harini K, Kihara D, Michael Gromiha M. PDA-Pred: Predicting the binding affinity of protein-DNA complexes using machine learning techniques and structural features. Methods 2023; 213:10-17. [PMID: 36924867 PMCID: PMC10563387 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2023.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein-DNA interactions play an important role in various biological processes such as gene expression, replication, and transcription. Understanding the important features that dictate the binding affinity of protein-DNA complexes and predicting their affinities is important for elucidating their recognition mechanisms. In this work, we have collected the experimental binding free energy (ΔG) for a set of 391 Protein-DNA complexes and derived several structure-based features such as interaction energy, contact potentials, volume and surface area of binding site residues, base step parameters of the DNA and contacts between different types of atoms. Our analysis on relationship between binding affinity and structural features revealed that the important factors mainly depend on the number of DNA strands as well as functional and structural classes of proteins. Specifically, binding site properties such as number of atom contacts between the DNA and protein, volume of protein binding sites and interaction-based features such as interaction energies and contact potentials are important to understand the binding affinity. Further, we developed multiple regression equations for predicting the binding affinity of protein-DNA complexes belonging to different structural and functional classes. Our method showed an average correlation and mean absolute error of 0.78 and 0.98 kcal/mol, respectively, between the experimental and predicted binding affinities on a jack-knife test. We have developed a webserver, PDA-PreD (Protein-DNA Binding affinity predictor), for predicting the affinity of protein-DNA complexes and it is freely available at https://web.iitm.ac.in/bioinfo2/pdapred/.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Harini
- Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - Daisuke Kihara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States; Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - M Michael Gromiha
- Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India; International Research Frontiers Initiative, School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan.
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45
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Zhang D, Gong L, Weng J, Li Y, Wang A, Li G. RNA Folding Based on 5 Beads Model and Multiscale Simulation. Interdiscip Sci 2023:10.1007/s12539-023-00561-3. [PMID: 37115389 DOI: 10.1007/s12539-023-00561-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
RNA folding prediction is very meaningful and challenging. The molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) of all atoms (AA) is limited to the folding of small RNA molecules. At present, most of the practical models are coarse grained (CG) model, and the coarse-grained force field (CGFF) parameters usually depend on known RNA structures. However, the limitation of the CGFF is obvious that it is difficult to study the modified RNA. Based on the 3 beads model (AIMS_RNA_B3), we proposed the AIMS_RNA_B5 model with three beads representing a base and two beads representing the main chain (sugar group and phosphate group). We first run the all atom molecular dynamic simulation (AAMDS), and fit the CGFF parameter with the AA trajectory. Then perform the coarse-grained molecular dynamic simulation (CGMDS). AAMDS is the foundation of CGMDS. CGMDS is mainly to carry out the conformation sampling based on the current AAMDS state and improve the folding speed. We simulated the folding of three RNAs, which belong to hairpin, pseudoknot and tRNA respectively. Compared to the AIMS_RNA_B3 model, the AIMS_RNA_B5 model is more reasonable and performs better.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinglin Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Design, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lidong Gong
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China
| | - Junben Weng
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Design, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yan Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Design, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Anhui Wang
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Design, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Guohui Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Design, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, China.
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Wilkinson ME, Frangieh CJ, Macrae RK, Zhang F. Structure of the R2 non-LTR retrotransposon initiating target-primed reverse transcription. Science 2023; 380:301-308. [PMID: 37023171 PMCID: PMC10499050 DOI: 10.1126/science.adg7883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Non-long terminal repeat (non-LTR) retrotransposons, or long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs), are an abundant class of eukaryotic transposons that insert into genomes by target-primed reverse transcription (TPRT). During TPRT, a target DNA sequence is nicked and primes reverse transcription of the retrotransposon RNA. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the Bombyx mori R2 non-LTR retrotransposon initiating TPRT at its ribosomal DNA target. The target DNA sequence is unwound at the insertion site and recognized by an upstream motif. An extension of the reverse transcriptase (RT) domain recognizes the retrotransposon RNA and guides the 3' end into the RT active site to template reverse transcription. We used Cas9 to retarget R2 in vitro to non-native sequences, suggesting future use as a reprogrammable RNA-based gene-insertion tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max E. Wilkinson
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Chris J. Frangieh
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Rhiannon K. Macrae
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Feng Zhang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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47
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Kohestani H, Wereszczynski J. The effects of RNA.DNA-DNA triple helices on nucleosome structures and dynamics. Biophys J 2023; 122:1229-1239. [PMID: 36798026 PMCID: PMC10111275 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.02.013] [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: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are an emerging epigenetic factor and have been recognized as playing a key role in many gene expression pathways. Structurally, binding of ncRNAs to isolated DNA is strongly dependent on sequence complementary and results in the formation of an RNA.DNA-DNA (RDD) triple helix. However, in vivo DNA is not isolated but is rather packed in chromatin fibers, the fundamental unit of which is the nucleosome. Biochemical experiments have shown that ncRNA binding to nucleosomal DNA is elevated at DNA entry and exit sites and is dependent on the presence of the H3 N-terminal tails. However, the structural and dynamical bases for these mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we have examined the mechanisms and effects of RDD formation in the context of the nucleosome using a series of all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. Results highlight the importance of DNA sequence on complex stability, elucidate the effects of the H3 tails on RDD structures, show how RDD formation impacts the structure and dynamics of the H3 tails, and show how RNA alters the local and global DNA double-helical structure. Together, our results suggest ncRNAs can modify nucleosome, and potentially higher-order chromatin, structures and dynamics as a means of exerting epigenetic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Havva Kohestani
- Department of Biology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Jeff Wereszczynski
- Departments of Physics & Biology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois.
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48
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Karwowski BT. The Influence of 5′,8-Cyclo-2′-Deoxyguanosine on ds-DNA Charge Transfer Depends on Its Diastereomeric Form: A Theoretical Study. Antioxidants (Basel) 2023; 12:antiox12040881. [PMID: 37107255 PMCID: PMC10135346 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12040881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The genetic information stored in the nucleobase sequence is continuously exposed to harmful extra- and intra-cellular factors, which can lead to different types of DNA damage, with more than 70 lesion types identified so far. In this article, the influence of a multi-damage site containing (5′R/S) 5′,8-cyclo-2′-deoxyguanosine (cdG) and 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine (OXOdG) on charge transfer through ds-DNA was taken into consideration. The spatial geometries of oligo-RcdG: d[A1(5′R)cG2A3OXOG4A5]*d[T5C4T3C2T1] and oligo-ScdG: d[A1(5′S)cG2A3OXOG4A5]*d[T5C4T3C2T1] were optimized at the M06-2X/6-D95**//M06-2X/sto-3G level of theory in the aqueous phase using ONIOM methodology. For all the electronic property energies under discussion, the M06-2X/6-31++G** level of theory was used. Additionally, the non-equilibrated and equilibrated solvent-solute interactions were into consideration. The obtained results confirm the predisposition of OXOdG to radical cation formation regardless of the presence of other lesions in a ds-DNA structure. In the case of electron transfer, however, the situation is different. An excess electron migration towards (5′S)cdG was found to be preferred in the case of oligo-ScdG, while in the case of oligo-RcdG, OXOdG was favored. The above observation was confirmed by the charge transfer rate constant, vertical/adiabatic ionization potential, and electron affinity energy values, as well as the charge and spin distribution analysis. The obtained results indicate that 5′,8-cyclo-2′-deoxyguanosine, depending on the C5′ atom chirality, can significantly influence the charge migration process through the double helix. The above can be manifested by the slowdown of DNA lesion recognition and removal processes, which can increase the probability of mutagenesis and subsequent pathological processes. With regard to anticancer therapy (radio/chemo), the presence of (5′S)cdG in the structure of formed clustered DNA damage can lead to improvements in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bolesław T. Karwowski
- DNA Damage Laboratory of Food Science Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Lodz, ul. Muszynskiego 1, 90-151 Lodz, Poland
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49
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Wang Z, Zhang C, He S, Xu D. An ultrasensitive fluorescence aptasensor for SARS-CoV-2 antigen based on hyperbranched rolling circle amplification. Talanta 2023; 255:124221. [PMID: 36608425 PMCID: PMC9792189 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2022.124221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Sensitive and accurate diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection at early stages can help to attenuate the effects of the COVID-19. Compared to RNA and antibodies detection, direct detection of viral antigens could reflect infectivity more appropriately. However, it is still a great challenge to construct a convenient, accurate and sensitive biosensor with a suitable molecular recognition element for SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Herein, we report a HRCA-based aptasensor for simple, ultrasensitive and quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein and pseudovirus. The aptamer sequence used here is selected from several published aptamers by enzyme-linked oligonucleotide assay and molecular docking simulation. The sensor forms an antibody-target-aptamer sandwich complex on the surface of microplates and elicits HRCA for fluorescent detection. Without complicated operations or special instruments and reagents, the aptasensor can detect S1 protein with a LOD of 89.7 fg/mL in the linear range of 100 fg/mL to 1 μg/mL. And it can also detect SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudovirus in artificial saliva with a LOD of 51 TU/μL. Therefore, this simple and ultrasensitive aptasensor has the potential to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection at early stages. It may improve the timeliness and accuracy of SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis and demonstrate a strategy to conduct aptasensors for other targets.
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50
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Lu W, Onuchic JN, Di Pierro M. An associative memory Hamiltonian model for DNA and nucleosomes. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011013. [PMID: 36972316 PMCID: PMC10079229 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011013] [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: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
A model for DNA and nucleosomes is introduced with the goal of studying chromosomes from a single base level all the way to higher-order chromatin structures. This model, dubbed the Widely Editable Chromatin Model (WEChroM), reproduces the complex mechanics of the double helix including its bending persistence length and twisting persistence length, and their respective temperature dependence. The WEChroM Hamiltonian is composed of chain connectivity, steric interactions, and associative memory terms representing all remaining interactions leading to the structure, dynamics, and mechanical characteristics of the B-DNA. Several applications of this model are discussed to demonstrate its applicability. WEChroM is used to investigate the behavior of circular DNA in the presence of positive and negative supercoiling. We show that it recapitulates the formation of plectonemes and of structural defects that relax mechanical stress. The model spontaneously manifests an asymmetric behavior with respect to positive or negative supercoiling, similar to what was previously observed in experiments. Additionally, we show that the associative memory Hamiltonian is also capable of reproducing the free energy of partial DNA unwrapping from nucleosomes. WEChroM is designed to emulate the continuously variable mechanical properties of the 10nm fiber and, by virtue of its simplicity, is ready to be scaled up to molecular systems large enough to investigate the structural ensembles of genes. WEChroM is implemented in the OpenMM simulation toolkits and is freely available for public use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqi Lu
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, & Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - José N. Onuchic
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, & Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry, & Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JNO); (MDP)
| | - Michele Di Pierro
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JNO); (MDP)
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