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Mesdaghi S, Price RM, Madine J, Rigden DJ. Deep Learning-based structure modelling illuminates structure and function in uncharted regions of β-solenoid fold space. J Struct Biol 2023; 215:108010. [PMID: 37544372 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2023.108010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Repeat proteins are common in all domains of life and exhibit a wide range of functions. One class of repeat protein contains solenoid folds where the repeating unit consists of β-strands separated by tight turns. β-solenoids have distinguishing structural features such as handedness, twist, oligomerisation state, coil shape and size which give rise to their diversity. Characterised β-solenoid repeat proteins are known to form regions in bacterial and viral virulence factors, antifreeze proteins and functional amyloids. For many of these proteins, the experimental structure has not been solved, as they are difficult to crystallise or model. Here we use various deep learning-based structure-modelling methods to discover novel predicted β-solenoids, perform structural database searches to mine further structural neighbours and relate their predicted structure to possible functions. We find both eukaryotic and prokaryotic adhesins, confirming a known functional linkage between adhesin function and the β-solenoid fold. We further identify exceptionally long, flat β-solenoid folds as possible structures of mucin tandem repeat regions and unprecedentedly small β-solenoid structures. Additionally, we characterise a novel β-solenoid coil shape, the FapC Greek key β-solenoid as well as plausible complexes between it and other proteins involved in Pseudomonas functional amyloid fibres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahram Mesdaghi
- The University of Liverpool, Institute of Systems, Molecular & Integrative Biology, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom; Computational Biology Facility, MerseyBio, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca M Price
- The University of Liverpool, Institute of Systems, Molecular & Integrative Biology, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - Jillian Madine
- The University of Liverpool, Institute of Systems, Molecular & Integrative Biology, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom.
| | - Daniel J Rigden
- The University of Liverpool, Institute of Systems, Molecular & Integrative Biology, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom.
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2
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Tichkule S, Cacciò SM, Robinson G, Chalmers RM, Mueller I, Emery-Corbin SJ, Eibach D, Tyler KM, van Oosterhout C, Jex AR. Global population genomics of two subspecies of Cryptosporidium hominis during 500 years of evolution. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6550530. [PMID: 35302613 PMCID: PMC9004413 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryptosporidiosis is a major global health problem and a primary cause of diarrhea, particularly in young children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The zoonotic Cryptosporidium parvum and anthroponotic Cryptosporidium hominis cause most human infections. Here, we present a comprehensive whole-genome study of C. hominis, comprising 114 isolates from 16 countries within five continents. We detect two lineages with distinct biology and demography, which diverged circa 500 years ago. We consider these lineages two subspecies and propose the names C. hominis hominis and C. hominis aquapotentis (gp60 subtype IbA10G2). In our study, C. h. hominis is almost exclusively represented by isolates from LMICs in Africa and Asia and appears to have undergone recent population contraction. In contrast, C. h. aquapotentis was found in high-income countries, mainly in Europe, North America, and Oceania, and appears to be expanding. Notably, C. h. aquapotentis is associated with high rates of direct human-to-human transmission, which may explain its success in countries with well-developed environmental sanitation infrastructure. Intriguingly, we detected genomic regions of introgression following secondary contact between the subspecies. This resulted in high diversity and divergence in genomic islands of putative virulence genes, including muc5 (CHUDEA2_430) and a hypothetical protein (CHUDEA6_5270). This diversity is maintained by balancing selection, suggesting a co-evolutionary arms race with the host. Finally, we find that recent gene flow from C. h. aquapotentis to C. h. hominis, likely associated with increased human migration, maybe driving the evolution of more virulent C. hominis variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swapnil Tichkule
- Population Health and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Simone M Cacciò
- Department of Infectious Disease, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Guy Robinson
- Cryptosporidium Reference Unit, Public Health Wales Microbiology, Singleton Hospital, Swansea, UK.,Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, UK
| | - Rachel M Chalmers
- Cryptosporidium Reference Unit, Public Health Wales Microbiology, Singleton Hospital, Swansea, UK.,Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, UK
| | - Ivo Mueller
- Population Health and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Samantha J Emery-Corbin
- Population Health and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Daniel Eibach
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Hamburg, Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Germany
| | - Kevin M Tyler
- Biomedical Research Centre, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK.,Center of Excellence for Bionanoscience Research, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Cock van Oosterhout
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - Aaron R Jex
- Population Health and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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3
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Kshirsagar PG, Gulati M, Junker WM, Aithal A, Spagnol G, Das S, Mallya K, Gautam SK, Kumar S, Sorgen P, Pandey KK, Batra SK, Jain M. Characterization of recombinant β subunit of human MUC4 mucin (rMUC4β). Sci Rep 2021; 11:23730. [PMID: 34887447 PMCID: PMC8660890 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02860-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
MUC4 is a transmembrane mucin expressed on various epithelial surfaces, including respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, and helps in their lubrication and protection. MUC4 is also aberrantly overexpressed in various epithelial malignancies and functionally contributes to cancer development and progression. MUC4 is putatively cleaved at the GDPH site into a mucin-like α-subunit and a membrane-tethered growth factor-like β-subunit. Due to the presence of several functional domains, the characterization of MUC4β is critical for understanding MUC4 biology. We developed a method to produce and purify multi-milligram amounts of recombinant MUC4β (rMUC4β). Purified rMUC4β was characterized by Far-UV CD and I-TASSER-based protein structure prediction analyses, and its ability to interact with cellular proteins was determined by the affinity pull-down assay. Two of the three EGF-like domains exhibited typical β-fold, while the third EGF-like domain and vWD domain were predominantly random coils. We observed that rMUC4β physically interacts with Ezrin and EGFR family members. Overall, this study describes an efficient and simple strategy for the purification of biologically-active rMUC4β that can serve as a valuable reagent for a variety of biochemical and functional studies to elucidate MUC4 function and generating domain-specific antibodies and vaccines for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakash G Kshirsagar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985870 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5870, USA
| | - Mansi Gulati
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985870 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5870, USA
| | - Wade M Junker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985870 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5870, USA.,Sanguine Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Abhijit Aithal
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985870 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5870, USA
| | - Gaelle Spagnol
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985870 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5870, USA
| | - Srustidhar Das
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985870 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5870, USA
| | - Kavita Mallya
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985870 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5870, USA
| | - Shailendra K Gautam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985870 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5870, USA
| | - Sushil Kumar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985870 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5870, USA
| | - Paul Sorgen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985870 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5870, USA
| | - Krishan K Pandey
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Surinder K Batra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985870 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5870, USA. .,Sanguine Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Omaha, NE, USA. .,Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA. .,Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
| | - Maneesh Jain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985870 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5870, USA. .,Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
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4
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Dieci G. Removing quote marks from the RNA polymerase II CTD 'code'. Biosystems 2021; 207:104468. [PMID: 34216714 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2021.104468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In eukaryotes, RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is responsible for the synthesis of all mRNAs and myriads of short and long untranslated RNAs, whose fabrication involves close spatiotemporal coordination between transcription, RNA processing and chromatin modification. Crucial for such a coordination is an unusual C-terminal domain (CTD) of the Pol II largest subunit, made of tandem repetitions (26 in yeast, 52 in chordates) of the heptapeptide with the consensus sequence YSPTSPS. Although largely unstructured and with poor sequence content, the Pol II CTD derives its extraordinary functional versatility from the fact that each amino acid in the heptapeptide can be posttranslationally modified, and that different combinations of CTD covalent marks are specifically recognized by different protein binding partners. These features have led to propose the existence of a Pol II CTD code, but this expression is generally used by authors with some caution, revealed by the frequent use of quote marks for the word 'code'. Based on the theoretical framework of code biology, it is argued here that the Pol II CTD modification system meets the requirements of a true organic code, where different CTD modification states represent organic signs whose organic meanings are biological reactions contributing to the many facets of RNA biogenesis in coordination with RNA synthesis by Pol II. Importantly, the Pol II CTD code is instantiated by adaptor proteins possessing at least two distinct domains, one of which devoted to specific recognition of CTD modification profiles. Furthermore, code rules can be altered by experimental interchange of CTD recognition domains of different adaptor proteins, a fact arguing in favor of the arbitrariness, and thus bona fide character, of the Pol II CTD code. Since the growing family of CTD adaptors includes RNA binding proteins and histone modification complexes, the Pol II CTD code is by its nature integrated with other organic codes, in particular the splicing code and the histone code. These issues will be discussed taking into account fascinating developments in Pol II CTD research, like the discovery of novel modifications at non-consensus sites, the recently recognized CTD physicochemical properties favoring liquid-liquid phase separation, and the discovery that the Pol II CTD, originated before the divergence of most extant eukaryotic taxa, has expanded and diversified with developmental complexity in animals and plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Dieci
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 23/A, 43124, Parma, Italy.
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5
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Brockhausen I, Melamed J. Mucins as anti-cancer targets: perspectives of the glycobiologist. Glycoconj J 2021; 38:459-474. [PMID: 33704667 DOI: 10.1007/s10719-021-09986-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Mucins are highly O-glycosylated glycoproteins that carry a heterogenous variety of O-glycan structures. Tumor cells tend to overexpress specific mucins, such as the cell surface mucins MUC1 and MUC4 that are engaged in signaling and cell growth, and exhibit abnormal glycosylation. In particular, the Tn and T antigens and their sialylated forms are common in cancer mucins. We review herein methods chosen to use cancer-associated glycans and mucins as targets for the design of anti-cancer immunotherapies. Mucin peptides from the glycosylated and transmembrane domains have been combined with immune-stimulating adjuvants in a wide variety of approaches to produce anti-tumor antibodies and vaccines. These mucin conjugates have been tested on cancer cells in vitro and in mice with significant successes in stimulating anti-tumor responses. The clinical trials in humans, however, have shown limited success in extending survival. It seems critical that the individual-specific epitope expression of cancer mucins is considered in future therapies to result in lasting anti-tumor responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inka Brockhausen
- Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart St, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
| | - Jacob Melamed
- Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart St, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
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Sun J, Mu Y, Liu T, Jing H, Obadi M, Yang Y, Dong S, Xu B. Evaluation of glycation reaction of ovalbumin with dextran: Glycation sites identification by capillary liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Food Chem 2020; 341:128066. [PMID: 33035859 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.128066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
An important relationship exists between the changes in glycation sites and structure of proteins. A combination of liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry was used to identify the glycation information from ovalbumin (OVA) after dextran (Dex) conjugation under water heating (WH) or microwave heating (MH) conditions. After Dex conjugation, 12O-linked glycation sites were identified in the OVA-Dex-MH conjugates, whereas 6O-linked, 2N-linked glycation sites were detected in the OVA-Dex-WH conjugates. These findings indicate that the amino acids at different positions in OVA molecular structure have different glycation reactivity under MH or WH induction systems. In addition, β-sheet and β-turn structures showed high glycation reactivity. The increased surface hydrophobicity of OVA-Dex conjugates was possibly attributed to the glycation sites that were mainly found in hydrophilic amino acids. Our study provides useful information for the glycation mechanism research of OVA and Dex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Sun
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China.
| | - Yaoyao Mu
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
| | - Tengmei Liu
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
| | - Hui Jing
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
| | - Mohammed Obadi
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
| | - Yanjun Yang
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | | | - Bin Xu
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China.
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