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Li L, Sun H, Chen J, Ding C, Yang X, Han H, Sun Q. Mitigation of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis via recombinant Orosomucoid 2, an acute phase protein modulating the Erk1/2-PPARγ-Cd36 pathway. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112697. [PMID: 37355990 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The therapeutic administration of recombinant proteins is utilized in a multitude of research studies for treating various diseases. In this study, we investigate the therapeutic potential of Orosomucoid 2 (Orm2), an acute phase protein predominantly secreted by hepatocytes, for treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Our results show that high Orm2 expression prevents high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced obesity in mice. Pharmacological administration of recombinant ORM2 protein ameliorates hepatic steatosis, inflammation, hepatocyte injury, and fibrosis in mouse livers afflicted by NAFLD and NASH under dietary stress. Orm2 knockout mice develop spontaneous obesity under a regular diet and exacerbate HFD-induced steatosis, steatohepatitis, and fibrosis. Mechanistically, Orm2 deletion activates the Erk1/2-PPARγ-Cd36 signaling pathway, increasing fatty acid uptake and absorption in hepatocytes and mice. Overall, our findings underscore the critical role of Orm2 in preventing NASH and associated NAFLD in the context of obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Li
- Department of Animal Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Haoming Sun
- Department of Animal Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jionghao Chen
- Department of Animal Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Cong Ding
- Department of Animal Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xiaojun Yang
- Department of Animal Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Hua Han
- Department of Biomedicine, Future Agriculture Institute, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Qingzhu Sun
- Department of Animal Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
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Arslan M, Uluçay T, Kale S, Kalyoncu S. Engineering of conserved residues near antibody heavy chain complementary determining region 3 (HCDR3) improves both affinity and stability. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2023; 1871:140915. [PMID: 37059314 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2023.140915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Affinity and stability are crucial parameters in antibody development and engineering approaches. Although improvement in both metrics is desirable, trade-offs are almost unavoidable. Heavy chain complementarity determining region 3 (HCDR3) is the best-known region for antibody affinity but its impact on stability is often neglected. Here, we present a mutagenesis study of conserved residues near HCDR3 to elicit the role of this region in the affinity-stability trade-off. These key residues are positioned around the conserved salt bridge between VH-K94 and VH-D101 which is crucial for HCDR3 integrity. We show that the additional salt bridge at the stem of HCDR3 (VH-K94:VH-D101:VH-D102) has an extensive impact on this loop's conformation, therefore simultaneous improvement in both affinity and stability. We find that the disruption of π-π stacking near HCDR3 (VH-Y100E:VL-Y49) at the VH-VL interface cause an irrecoverable loss in stability even if it improves the affinity. Molecular simulations of putative rescue mutants exhibit complex and often non-additive effects. We confirm that our experimental measurements agree with the molecular dynamic simulations providing detailed insights for the spatial orientation of HCDR3. VH-V102 right next to HCDR3 salt bridge might be an ideal candidate to overcome affinity-stability trade-off.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merve Arslan
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Balçova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey; Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylül University, Balçova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey
| | - Tuğçe Uluçay
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Balçova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey
| | - Seyit Kale
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Balçova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey
| | - Sibel Kalyoncu
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Balçova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey.
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Martins SA, Santos J, Silva RDM, Rosa C, Cabo Verde S, Correia JDG, Melo R. How promising are HIV-1-based virus-like particles for medical applications. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:997875. [PMID: 36275021 PMCID: PMC9585283 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.997875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
New approaches aimed at identifying patient-specific drug targets and addressing unmet clinical needs in the framework of precision medicine are a strong motivation for researchers worldwide. As scientists learn more about proteins that drive known diseases, they are better able to design promising therapeutic approaches to target those proteins. The field of nanotechnology has been extensively explored in the past years, and nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as promising systems for target-specific delivery of drugs. Virus-like particles (VLPs) arise as auspicious NPs due to their intrinsic properties. The lack of viral genetic material and the inability to replicate, together with tropism conservation and antigenicity characteristic of the native virus prompted extensive interest in their use as vaccines or as delivery systems for therapeutic and/or imaging agents. Owing to its simplicity and non-complex structure, one of the viruses currently under study for the construction of VLPs is the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Typically, HIV-1-based VLPs are used for antibody discovery, vaccines, diagnostic reagent development and protein-based assays. This review will be centered on the use of HIV-1-based VLPs and their potential biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia A. Martins
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Joana Santos
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Rúben D. M. Silva
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cátia Rosa
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sandra Cabo Verde
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - João D. G. Correia
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- *Correspondence: João D. G. Correia, ; Rita Melo,
| | - Rita Melo
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- *Correspondence: João D. G. Correia, ; Rita Melo,
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Network Biology and Artificial Intelligence Drive the Understanding of the Multidrug Resistance Phenotype in Cancer. Drug Resist Updat 2022; 60:100811. [DOI: 10.1016/j.drup.2022.100811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Abstract
A variety of effector proteins contribute to host defense in Caenorhabditis elegans. However, beyond lytic enzymes and antimicrobial peptides and proteins, little is known about the exact function of these infection-related effectors. This study set out to identify pathogen-dependent cytokine-like molecules, focusing on C-type lectin domain-containing proteins (CLECs). In total, 38 CLECs that are differentially regulated in response to bacterial infections have been previously identified by microarray and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) analyses in C. elegans. We successfully cloned 18 of these 38 CLECs and chose to focus on CLEC-47 because, among these 18 cloned CLECs, it was the smallest protein and was recombinantly expressed at the highest levels in prokaryotic cells examined by SDS-PAGE. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR/qPCR) showed that the expression of clec-47 was induced by a variety of Gram-positive bacterial pathogens, including Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Cutibacterium acnes, but was suppressed by the Gram-negative bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. By expressing CLEC-47 in HEK 293 cells, we showed that CLEC-47 is released into the culture media, which the Golgi apparatus inhibitors (brefeldin A [BFA] and GolgiStop) could block. Purified recombinant CLEC-47 (maltose binding protein [MBP]–CLEC-47–His) did not display antimicrobial activity against ESKAPE pathogen isolates but bound directly to murine macrophage J774A.1 cells. Recombinant CLEC-47 attracted and recruited J774A.1 cells in a chemotaxis assay. In addition, qPCR studies and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) showed that CLEC-47 activates J774A.1 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner to express the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and Macrophage Inflammatory Protein 2 (MIP-2). Moreover, C. elegans, fed with CLEC-47-expressing Escherichia coli, demonstrated enhanced expression of several antimicrobial proteins (CNC-1, CNC-2, CPR-1, and CPR-2) as well as the detoxification protein MTL-1. These data suggest that CLEC-47 functions as a novel cytokine-like signaling molecule and exemplify how the study of infection-related effectors in C. elegans can help elucidate the evolution of immune responses.
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Fondi M, Gonzi S, Dziurzynski M, Turano P, Ghini V, Calvanese M, Colarusso A, Lauro C, Parrilli E, Tutino ML. Modelling hCDKL5 Heterologous Expression in Bacteria. Metabolites 2021; 11:metabo11080491. [PMID: 34436432 PMCID: PMC8401935 DOI: 10.3390/metabo11080491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
hCDKL5 refers to the human cyclin-dependent kinase like 5 that is primarily expressed in the brain. Mutations in its coding sequence are often causative of hCDKL5 deficiency disorder, a devastating neurodevelopmental disorder currently lacking a cure. The large-scale recombinant production of hCDKL5 is desirable to boost the translation of preclinical therapeutic approaches into the clinic. However, this is hampered by the intrinsically disordered nature of almost two-thirds of the hCDKL5 sequence, making this region more susceptible to proteolytic attack, and the observed toxicity when the enzyme is accumulated in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic host cells. The bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125 (PhTAC125) is the only prokaryotic host in which the full-length production of hCDKL5 has been demonstrated. To date, a system-level understanding of the metabolic burden imposed by hCDKL5 production is missing, although it would be crucial for upscaling of the production process. Here, we combined experimental data on protein production and nutrients assimilation with metabolic modelling to infer the global consequences of hCDKL5 production in PhTAC125 and to identify potential overproduction targets. Our analyses showed a remarkable accuracy of the model in simulating the recombinant strain phenotype and also identified priority targets for optimised protein production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Fondi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto F.no Florence, 50019 Florence, Italy;
- Centro Studi Dinamiche Complesse (CSDC), University of Florence, Sesto F.no Florence, 50019 Florence, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Stefano Gonzi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto F.no Florence, 50019 Florence, Italy;
| | - Mikolaj Dziurzynski
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Paola Turano
- Magnetic Resonance Center (CERM) and Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, via Sacconi 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Fiorentino, Italy; (P.T.); (V.G.)
- Consorzio Interuniversitario Risonanze Magnetiche MetalloProteine (CIRMMP), via Sacconi 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Veronica Ghini
- Magnetic Resonance Center (CERM) and Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, via Sacconi 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Fiorentino, Italy; (P.T.); (V.G.)
- Consorzio Interuniversitario Risonanze Magnetiche MetalloProteine (CIRMMP), via Sacconi 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Marzia Calvanese
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Complesso Universitario Monte Sant’Angelo, 80126 Napoli, Italy; (M.C.); (A.C.); (C.L.); (E.P.); (M.L.T.)
| | - Andrea Colarusso
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Complesso Universitario Monte Sant’Angelo, 80126 Napoli, Italy; (M.C.); (A.C.); (C.L.); (E.P.); (M.L.T.)
- Istituto Nazionale Biostrutture e Biosistemi—I.N.B.B., Viale Medaglie d’Oro, 305-00136 Roma, Italy
| | - Concetta Lauro
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Complesso Universitario Monte Sant’Angelo, 80126 Napoli, Italy; (M.C.); (A.C.); (C.L.); (E.P.); (M.L.T.)
- Istituto Nazionale Biostrutture e Biosistemi—I.N.B.B., Viale Medaglie d’Oro, 305-00136 Roma, Italy
| | - Ermenegilda Parrilli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Complesso Universitario Monte Sant’Angelo, 80126 Napoli, Italy; (M.C.); (A.C.); (C.L.); (E.P.); (M.L.T.)
| | - Maria Luisa Tutino
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Complesso Universitario Monte Sant’Angelo, 80126 Napoli, Italy; (M.C.); (A.C.); (C.L.); (E.P.); (M.L.T.)
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