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Banerjee R, Mukherjee A, Adhikary A, Sharma S, Hussain MS, Ali ME, Nagotu S. Insights into the role of the conserved GTPase domain residues T62 and S277 in yeast Dnm1. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 253:127381. [PMID: 37838106 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127381] [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: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondrial division is a highly regulated process. The master regulator of this process is the multi-domain, conserved protein called Dnm1 in yeast. In this study, we systematically analyzed two residues, T62 and S277, reported to be putatively phosphorylated in the GTPase domain of the protein. These residues lie in the G2 and G5 motifs of the GTPase domain. Both residues are important for the function of the protein, as evident from in vivo and in vitro analysis of the non-phosphorylatable and phosphomimetic variants. Dnm1T62A/D and Dnm1S277A/D showed differences with respect to the protein localization and puncta dynamics in vivo, albeit both were non-functional as assessed by mitochondrial morphology and GTPase activity. Overall, the secondary structure of the protein variants was unaltered, but local conformational changes were observed. Interestingly, both Dnm1T62A/D and Dnm1S277A/D exhibited dominant-negative behavior when expressed in cells containing endogenous Dnm1. To our knowledge, we report for the first time a single residue (S277) change that does not alter the localization of Dnm1 but makes it non-functional in a dominant-negative manner. Intriguingly, the two residues analyzed in this study are present in the same domain but exhibit variable effects when mutated to alanine or aspartic acid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riddhi Banerjee
- Organelle Biology and Cellular Ageing Lab, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
| | - Agradeep Mukherjee
- Organelle Biology and Cellular Ageing Lab, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
| | - Ankita Adhikary
- Organelle Biology and Cellular Ageing Lab, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
| | - Shikha Sharma
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Knowledge City, Sector-81, Mohali, Punjab 140306, India
| | - Md Saddam Hussain
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
| | - Md Ehesan Ali
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Knowledge City, Sector-81, Mohali, Punjab 140306, India
| | - Shirisha Nagotu
- Organelle Biology and Cellular Ageing Lab, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India.
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2
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Gao B, Zhu S. Enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain activity by two microbial defensins. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1195156. [PMID: 37405160 PMCID: PMC10315472 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1195156] [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: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Peptide binders are of great interest to both basic and biomedical research due to their unique properties in manipulating protein functions in a precise spatial and temporal manner. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein is a ligand that captures human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) to initiate infection. The development of binders of RBDs has value either as antiviral leads or as versatile tools to study the functional properties of RBDs dependent on their binding positions on the RBDs. In this study, we report two microbe-derived antibacterial defensins with RBD-binding activity. These two naturally occurring binders bind wild-type RBD (WT RBD) and RBDs from various variants with moderate-to-high affinity (7.6-1,450 nM) and act as activators that enhance the ACE2-binding activity of RBDs. Using a computational approach, we mapped an allosteric pathway in WT RBD that connects its ACE2-binding sites to other distal regions. The latter is targeted by the defensins, in which a cation-π interaction could trigger the peptide-elicited allostery in RBDs. The discovery of the two positive allosteric peptides of SARS-CoV-2 RBD will promote the development of new molecular tools for investigating the biochemical mechanisms of RBD allostery.
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Gao B, Zhu S. Mutation-driven parallel evolution in emergence of ACE2-utilizing sarbecoviruses. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1118025. [PMID: 36910184 PMCID: PMC9996049 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1118025] [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: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutation and recombination are two major genetic mechanisms that drive the evolution of viruses. They both exert an interplay during virus evolution, in which mutations provide a first ancestral source of genetic diversity for subsequent recombination. Sarbecoviruses are a group of evolutionarily related β-coronaviruses including human severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and SARS-CoV-2 and a trove of related animal viruses called SARS-like CoVs (SL-CoVs). This group of members either use or not use angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as their entry receptor, which has been linked to the properties of their spike protein receptor binding domains (RBDs). This raises an outstanding question regarding how ACE2 binding originated within sarbecoviruses. Using a combination of analyses of phylogenies, ancestral sequences, structures, functions and molecular dynamics, we provide evidence in favor of an evolutionary scenario, in which three distinct ancestral RBDs independently developed the ACE2 binding trait via parallel amino acid mutations. In this process, evolutionary intermediate RBDs might be firstly formed through loop extensions to offer key functional residues accompanying point mutations to remove energetically unfavorable interactions and to change the dynamics of the functional loops, all required for ACE2 binding. Subsequent optimization in the context of evolutionary intermediates led to the independent emergence of ACE2-binding RBDs in the SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 clades of Asian origin and the clade comprising SL-CoVs of European and African descent. These findings will help enhance our understanding of mutation-driven evolution of sarbecoviruses in their early history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Gao
- Group of Peptide Biology and Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shunyi Zhu
- Group of Peptide Biology and Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Zhao G, Jia C, Zhu C, Fang M, Li C, Chen Y, He Y, Han S, He Y, Gao J, Wang T, Wang C, Wang J. γ-Core Guided Antibiotic Design Based on Human Enteric Defensin 5. MEMBRANES 2022; 13:51. [PMID: 36676858 PMCID: PMC9862697 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13010051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
An increase in the number of infections caused by resistant bacteria worldwide necessitates the development of alternatives to antibiotics. Human defensin (HD) 5 is an innate immune peptide with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, but its complicated structure makes its preparation difficult. Herein, we truncated the HD5 structure by extracting the highly conserved γ-core motif. A structure-activity study showed that this motif was ineffective in killing bacteria in the absence of specific spatial conformation. Notably, after the introduction of two intramolecular disulfide bonds, its antibacterial activity was markedly improved. Glu and Ser residues were then replaced with Arg to create the derivative RC18, which exhibited stronger potency than HD5, particularly against methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Mechanistically, RC18 bound to lipid A and lipoteichoic acid at higher affinities than HD5. Furthermore, RC18 was more efficient than HD5 in penetrating the bacterial membranes. Molecular dynamics simulation revealed that five Arg residues, Arg1, Arg7, Arg9, Arg15, and Arg18, mediated most of the polar interactions of RC18 with the phospholipid head groups during membrane penetration. In vivo experiments indicated that RC18 decreased MRSA colonization and dramatically improved the survival of infected mice, thus demonstrating that RC18 is a promising drug candidate to treat MRSA infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaomei Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Changsheng Jia
- Department of Pharmacy, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Cheng Zhu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Minchao Fang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Chenwenya Li
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Yin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Yingjuan He
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Songling Han
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Yongwu He
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Jining Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Tao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Cheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Junping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
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Dini I, De Biasi MG, Mancusi A. An Overview of the Potentialities of Antimicrobial Peptides Derived from Natural Sources. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:1483. [PMID: 36358138 PMCID: PMC9686932 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11111483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are constituents of the innate immune system in every kind of living organism. They can act by disrupting the microbial membrane or without affecting membrane stability. Interest in these small peptides stems from the fear of antibiotics and the emergence of microorganisms resistant to antibiotics. Through membrane or metabolic disruption, they defend an organism against invading bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi. High efficacy and specificity, low drug interaction and toxicity, thermostability, solubility in water, and biological diversity suggest their applications in food, medicine, agriculture, animal husbandry, and aquaculture. Nanocarriers can be used to protect, deliver, and improve their bioavailability effectiveness. High cost of production could limit their use. This review summarizes the natural sources, structures, modes of action, and applications of microbial peptides in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Any restrictions on AMPs' large-scale production are also taken into consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Dini
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Mancusi
- Department of Food Microbiology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Via Salute 2, 80055 Portici, Italy
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Lübeck M, Lübeck PS. Fungal Cell Factories for Efficient and Sustainable Production of Proteins and Peptides. Microorganisms 2022; 10:753. [PMID: 35456803 PMCID: PMC9025306 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10040753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Filamentous fungi are a large and diverse taxonomically group of microorganisms found in all habitats worldwide. They grow as a network of cells called hyphae. Since filamentous fungi live in very diverse habitats, they produce different enzymes to degrade material for their living, for example hydrolytic enzymes to degrade various kinds of biomasses. Moreover, they produce defense proteins (antimicrobial peptides) and proteins for attaching surfaces (hydrophobins). Many of them are easy to cultivate in different known setups (submerged fermentation and solid-state fermentation) and their secretion of proteins and enzymes are often much larger than what is seen from yeast and bacteria. Therefore, filamentous fungi are in many industries the preferred production hosts of different proteins and enzymes. Edible fungi have traditionally been used as food, such as mushrooms or in fermented foods. New trends are to use edible fungi to produce myco-protein enriched foods. This review gives an overview of the different kinds of proteins, enzymes, and peptides produced by the most well-known fungi used as cell factories for different purposes and applications. Moreover, we describe some of the challenges that are important to consider when filamentous fungi are optimized as efficient cell factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mette Lübeck
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, DK-9100 Aalborg, Denmark;
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Qi S, Gao B, Zhu S. A Fungal Defensin Inhibiting Bacterial Cell-Wall Biosynthesis with Non-Hemolysis and Serum Stability. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8020174. [PMID: 35205928 PMCID: PMC8877149 DOI: 10.3390/jof8020174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Defensins are a class of cationic disulfide-bridged antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) present in many eukaryotic organisms and even in bacteria. They primarily include two distinct but evolutionarily related superfamilies (cis and trans). Defensins in fungi belong to the members of the cis-superfamily with the cysteine-stabilized α-helical and β-sheet fold. To date, many fungal defensin-like peptides (fDLPs) have been found through gene mining of the genome resource, but only a few have been experimentally characterized. Here, we report the structural and functional characterization of Pyronesin4 (abbreviated as Py4), a fDLP previously identified by genomic sequencing of the basal filamentous ascomycete Pyronema confluens. Chemically, synthetic Py4 adopts a native-like structure and exhibits activity on an array of Gram-positive bacteria including some clinical isolates of Staphylococcus and Staphylococcus warneri, a conditioned pathogen inhabiting in human skin. Py4 markedly altered the bacterial morphology and caused cytoplasmic accumulation of the cell-wall synthesis precursor through binding to the membrane-bound Lipid II, indicating that it works as an inhibitor of cell-wall biosynthesis. Py4 showed no hemolysis and high mammalian serum stability. This work identified a new fungal defensin with properties relevant to drug exploration. Intramolecular epistasis between mutational sites of fDLPs is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudong Qi
- Group of Peptide Biology and Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China; (S.Q.); (B.G.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Bin Gao
- Group of Peptide Biology and Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China; (S.Q.); (B.G.)
| | - Shunyi Zhu
- Group of Peptide Biology and Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China; (S.Q.); (B.G.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-010-6480-7112
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Zhu S, Gao B, Umetsu Y, Peigneur S, Li P, Ohki S, Tytgat J. Adaptively evolved human oral actinomyces-sourced defensins show therapeutic potential. EMBO Mol Med 2021; 14:e14499. [PMID: 34927385 PMCID: PMC8819291 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.202114499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of eukaryote‐derived antimicrobial peptides as systemically administered drugs has proven a challenging task. Here, we report the first human oral actinomyces‐sourced defensin—actinomycesin—that shows promise for systemic therapy. Actinomycesin and its homologs are only present in actinobacteria and myxobacteria, and share similarity with a group of ancient invertebrate‐type defensins reported in fungi and invertebrates. Signatures of natural selection were detected in defensins from the actinomyces colonized in human oral cavity and ruminant rumen and dental plaque, highlighting their role in adaptation to complex multispecies bacterial communities. Consistently, actinomycesin exhibited potent antibacterial activity against oral bacteria and clinical isolates of Staphylococcus and synergized with two classes of human salivary antibacterial factors. Actinomycesin specifically inhibited bacterial peptidoglycan synthesis and displayed weak immunomodulatory activity and low toxicity on human and mammalian cells and ion channels in the heart and central nervous system. Actinomycesin was highly efficient in mice infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae and mice with MRSA‐induced experimental peritoneal infection. This work identifies human oral bacteria as a new source of systemic anti‐infective drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunyi Zhu
- Group of Peptide Biology and Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bin Gao
- Group of Peptide Biology and Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yoshitaka Umetsu
- Center for Nano Materials and Technology (CNMT), Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), Nomi, Japan
| | - Steve Peigneur
- Toxicology and Pharmacology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ping Li
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety (Chinese Academy of Sciences), National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Shinya Ohki
- Center for Nano Materials and Technology (CNMT), Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), Nomi, Japan
| | - Jan Tytgat
- Toxicology and Pharmacology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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