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Yeganeh FA, Summerill C, Hu Z, Rahmani H, Taylor DW, Taylor KA. The cryo-EM 3D image reconstruction of isolated Lethocerus indicus Z-discs. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 2023; 44:271-286. [PMID: 37661214 PMCID: PMC10843718 DOI: 10.1007/s10974-023-09657-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
The Z-disk of striated muscle defines the ends of the sarcomere, which repeats many times within the muscle fiber. Here we report application of cryoelectron tomography and subtomogram averaging to Z-disks isolated from the flight muscles of the large waterbug Lethocerus indicus. We use high salt solutions to remove the myosin containing filaments and use gelsolin to remove the actin filaments of the A- and I-bands leaving only the thin filaments within the Z-disk which were then frozen for cryoelectron microscopy. The Lethocerus Z-disk structure is similar in many ways to the previously studied Z-disk of the honeybee Apis mellifera. At the corners of the unit cell are positioned trimers of paired antiparallel F-actins defining a large solvent channel, whereas at the trigonal positions are positioned F-actin trimers converging slowly towards their (+) ends defining a small solvent channel through the Z-disk. These near parallel F-actins terminate at different Z-heights within the Z-disk. The two types of solvent channel in Lethocerus are similar in size compared to those of Apis which are very different in size. Two types of α-actinin crosslinks were observed between oppositely oriented actin filaments. In one of these, the α-actinin long axis is almost parallel to the F-actins it crosslinks. In the other, the α-actinins are at a small but distinctive angle with respect to the crosslinked actin filaments. The utility of isolated Z-disks for structure determination is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Abbasi Yeganeh
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4380, USA
| | - Corinne Summerill
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4380, USA
- Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Perimeter College, Georgia State University, 33 Gilmer Street SE, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Zhongjun Hu
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4380, USA
- Facebook, Inc, 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - Hamidreza Rahmani
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4380, USA
- The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Dianne W Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4380, USA
| | - Kenneth A Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4380, USA.
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Hojjatian A, Taylor DW, Daneshparvar N, Fagnant PM, Trybus KM, Taylor KA. Double-headed binding of myosin II to F-actin shows the effect of strain on head structure. J Struct Biol 2023; 215:107995. [PMID: 37414375 PMCID: PMC10544818 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2023.107995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Force production in muscle is achieved through the interaction of myosin and actin. Strong binding states in active muscle are associated with Mg·ADP bound to the active site; release of Mg·ADP allows rebinding of ATP and dissociation from actin. Thus, Mg·ADP binding is positioned for adaptation as a force sensor. Mechanical loads on the lever arm can affect the ability of myosin to release Mg·ADP but exactly how this is done is poorly defined. Here we use F-actin decorated with double-headed smooth muscle myosin fragments in the presence of Mg·ADP to visualize the effect of internally supplied tension on the paired lever arms using cryoEM. The interaction of the paired heads with two adjacent actin subunits is predicted to place one lever arm under positive and the other under negative strain. The converter domain is believed to be the most flexible domain within myosin head. Our results, instead, point to the segment of heavy chain between the essential and regulatory light chains as the location of the largest structural change. Moreover, our results suggest no large changes in the myosin coiled coil tail as the locus of strain relief when both heads bind F-actin. The method would be adaptable to double-headed members of the myosin family. We anticipate that the study of actin-myosin interaction using double-headed fragments enables visualization of domains that are typically noisy in decoration with single-headed fragments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alimohammad Hojjatian
- Inst. of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States
| | - Dianne W Taylor
- Inst. of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States
| | - Nadia Daneshparvar
- Inst. of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States
| | - Patricia M Fagnant
- Dept of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405, United States
| | - Kathleen M Trybus
- Dept of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405, United States
| | - Kenneth A Taylor
- Inst. of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States.
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Hojjatian A, Rastegarpouyani H, Taylor DW, Taylor KA. Novel ADP State Found in Smooth Muscle Heavy Meromyosin by CryoEM. Microsc Microanal 2023; 29:912-914. [PMID: 37613403 DOI: 10.1093/micmic/ozad067.452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alimohammad Hojjatian
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
| | - Hosna Rastegarpouyani
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
| | - Dianne W Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
| | - Kenneth A Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
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Li J, Rahmani H, Yeganeh FA, Rastegarpouyani H, Taylor DW, Wood NB, Previs MJ, Iwamoto H, Taylor KA. Structure and Arrangement of Non-myosin Proteins in the Flight Muscle Thick Filament from the Bumble Bee, Bombus ignitus by CryoEM. Microsc Microanal 2023; 29:917-919. [PMID: 37613770 DOI: 10.1093/micmic/ozad067.454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Li
- Florida State University, Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Hamidreza Rahmani
- Florida State University, Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | | | | | - Dianne W Taylor
- Florida State University, Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Neil B Wood
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Michael J Previs
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Hiroyuki Iwamoto
- Scattering and Imaging Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, SPring-8, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Kenneth A Taylor
- Florida State University, Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Tallahassee, FL, USA
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Li J, Rahmani H, Abbasi Yeganeh F, Rastegarpouyani H, Taylor DW, Wood NB, Previs MJ, Iwamoto H, Taylor KA. Structure of the Flight Muscle Thick Filament from the Bumble Bee, Bombus ignitus, at 6 Å Resolution. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:377. [PMID: 36613818 PMCID: PMC9820631 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Four insect orders have flight muscles that are both asynchronous and indirect; they are asynchronous in that the wingbeat frequency is decoupled from the frequency of nervous stimulation and indirect in that the muscles attach to the thoracic exoskeleton instead of directly to the wing. Flight muscle thick filaments from two orders, Hemiptera and Diptera, have been imaged at a subnanometer resolution, both of which revealed a myosin tail arrangement referred to as “curved molecular crystalline layers”. Here, we report a thick filament structure from the indirect flight muscles of a third insect order, Hymenoptera, the Asian bumble bee Bombus ignitus. The myosin tails are in general agreement with previous determinations from Lethocerus indicus and Drosophila melanogaster. The Skip 2 region has the same unusual structure as found in Lethocerus indicus thick filaments, an α-helix discontinuity is also seen at Skip 4, but the orientation of the Skip 1 region on the surface of the backbone is less angled with respect to the filament axis than in the other two species. The heads are disordered as in Drosophila, but we observe no non-myosin proteins on the backbone surface that might prohibit the ordering of myosin heads onto the thick filament backbone. There are strong structural similarities among the three species in their non-myosin proteins within the backbone that suggest how one previously unassigned density in Lethocerus might be assigned. Overall, the structure conforms to the previously observed pattern of high similarity in the myosin tail arrangement, but differences in the non-myosin proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Li
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, USA
| | - Hamidreza Rahmani
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, USA
| | - Fatemeh Abbasi Yeganeh
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, USA
| | - Hosna Rastegarpouyani
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, USA
| | - Dianne W. Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, USA
| | - Neil B. Wood
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, University of Vermont, Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Michael J. Previs
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, University of Vermont, Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Hiroyuki Iwamoto
- Scattering and Imaging Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, SPring-8, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Kenneth A. Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, USA
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Rastegarpouyani H, Taylor DW, Yeganeh FA, Hojjatian A, Taylor KA. Cryo-EM sample preparation of native myosin filament from striated muscle. Acta Crystallogr A Found Adv 2022. [DOI: 10.1107/s2053273322099570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Li J, Rahmani H, Abbasi Yeganeh F, Rastegarpouyani H, Taylor DW, Iwamoto H, Taylor KA. Cryo-EM structure of the asynchronous flight muscle thick filament from the bumble bee, Bombus ignitius, at 6 Å resolution. Biophys J 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.11.1438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
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Rahmani H, Ma W, Hu Z, Daneshparvar N, Taylor DW, McCammon JA, Irving TC, Edwards RJ, Taylor KA. The myosin II coiled-coil domain atomic structure in its native environment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2024151118. [PMID: 33782130 PMCID: PMC8040620 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2024151118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The atomic structure of the complete myosin tail within thick filaments isolated from Lethocerus indicus flight muscle is described and compared to crystal structures of recombinant, human cardiac myosin tail segments. Overall, the agreement is good with three exceptions: the proximal S2, in which the filament has heads attached but the crystal structure doesn't, and skip regions 2 and 4. At the head-tail junction, the tail α-helices are asymmetrically structured encompassing well-defined unfolding of 12 residues for one myosin tail, ∼4 residues of the other, and different degrees of α-helix unwinding for both tail α-helices, thereby providing an atomic resolution description of coiled-coil "uncoiling" at the head-tail junction. Asymmetry is observed in the nonhelical C termini; one C-terminal segment is intercalated between ribbons of myosin tails, the other apparently terminating at Skip 4 of another myosin tail. Between skip residues, crystal and filament structures agree well. Skips 1 and 3 also agree well and show the expected α-helix unwinding and coiled-coil untwisting in response to skip residue insertion. Skips 2 and 4 are different. Skip 2 is accommodated in an unusual manner through an increase in α-helix radius and corresponding reduction in rise/residue. Skip 4 remains helical in one chain, with the other chain unfolded, apparently influenced by the acidic myosin C terminus. The atomic model may shed some light on thick filament mechanosensing and is a step in understanding the complex roles that thick filaments of all species undergo during muscle contraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamidreza Rahmani
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380
- Department of Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380
| | - Wen Ma
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Zhongjun Hu
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380
| | - Nadia Daneshparvar
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380
- Department of Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380
| | - Dianne W Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380
| | - J Andrew McCammon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Thomas C Irving
- Department of Biological Sciences, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL 60616
| | - Robert J Edwards
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27607
| | - Kenneth A Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380;
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Rahmani H, Daneshparvar N, Taylor DW, Ma W, Taylor KA. The Atomic Model for Myosin II Coiled-Coil Shows Novel Observations and Insights into Muscle Contraction. Biophys J 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.11.600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
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10
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Daneshparvar N, Taylor DW, O'Leary TS, Rahmani H, Abbasiyeganeh F, Previs MJ, Taylor KA. CryoEM structure of Drosophila flight muscle thick filaments at 7 Å resolution. Life Sci Alliance 2020; 3:3/8/e202000823. [PMID: 32718994 PMCID: PMC7391215 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202000823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Striated muscle thick filaments are composed of myosin II and several non-myosin proteins. Myosin II's long α-helical coiled-coil tail forms the dense protein backbone of filaments, whereas its N-terminal globular head containing the catalytic and actin-binding activities extends outward from the backbone. Here, we report the structure of thick filaments of the flight muscle of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster at 7 Å resolution. Its myosin tails are arranged in curved molecular crystalline layers identical to flight muscles of the giant water bug Lethocerus indicus Four non-myosin densities are observed, three of which correspond to ones found in Lethocerus; one new density, possibly stretchin-mlck, is found on the backbone outer surface. Surprisingly, the myosin heads are disordered rather than ordered along the filament backbone. Our results show striking myosin tail similarity within flight muscle filaments of two insect orders separated by several hundred million years of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Daneshparvar
- Department of Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.,Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Dianne W Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Thomas S O'Leary
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Hamidreza Rahmani
- Department of Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.,Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | | | - Michael J Previs
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Kenneth A Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
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Taylor KA, Hu Z, Taylor DW, Edwards RJ. Is the Myosin Head Conformation Coupled to the Thick Filament Backbone Structure? Biophys J 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.11.1782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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12
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Yeganeh FA, Summerill C, Hu Z, Rahmani H, Taylor DW, Taylor KA. 3-D Structure of Z-Disks Isolated from the Flight Muscle of Lethocerus Indicus. Biophys J 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.11.776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
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Abanda NN, Djieugoué JY, Khadka VS, Pefura-Yone EW, Mbacham WF, Vernet G, Penlap VM, Deng Y, Eyangoh SI, Taylor DW, Leke RGF. Absence of hybridization with the wild-type and mutant rpoB probes in the Genotype MTBDRplus assay detects 'disputed' rifampicin mutations. Clin Microbiol Infect 2017; 24:781.e1-781.e3. [PMID: 29217277 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2017.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates that fail to hybridize to at least one rpoB wild-type or any mutation probe on the Genotype MTBDRplus strip are assumed to be rifampicin-resistant. However, the precise mutation(s) are unknown. We sought to identify the mutations in isolates with such hybridization patterns and determine if the mutations are associated with resistance to rifampicin. METHODS In this study, 275 M. tuberculosis isolates were screened with the Genotype MTBDRplus assay to identify isolates with the hybridization pattern. These isolates were sequenced and their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) determined using the Bactec MGIT 960 system. RESULTS Among the 275 isolates tested, 15 (6%) isolates with the hybridization pattern were identified. Sequencing showed that failure to hybridize to rpoB wild-type probes resulted from the presence of 'disputed' rifampicin mutations, which are mutations not always associated with a rifampicin-resistant phenotype. All, except 3/15, isolates had a rifampicin-resistant phenotype (MIC > 1 μg/mL). One of the three isolates with a rifampicin-susceptible phenotype had the same mutation at position 526 (His526Leu) as another isolate that had a rifampicin-resistant phenotype. CONCLUSION The recommendation of the Genotype MTBDRplus assay to assume rifampicin resistance based solely on failure to hybridize to rpoB wild-type probe allows the identification of important RIF-resistant isolates. About 20% (3/15) of such isolates could be missed by relying only on the standard MGIT 960 DST assay for drug susceptibility testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- N N Abanda
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, HI, USA; Biotechnology Centre, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | | | - V S Khadka
- Bioinformatics Core, Department of Complementary & Integrative Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, HI, USA
| | - E W Pefura-Yone
- Pneumology Service, Yaoundé Jamot Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - W F Mbacham
- Biotechnology Centre, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - G Vernet
- Centre Pasteur du Cameroun, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - V M Penlap
- Centre Pasteur du Cameroun, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Y Deng
- Biotechnology Centre, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - S I Eyangoh
- Centre Pasteur du Cameroun, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - D W Taylor
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, HI, USA.
| | - R G F Leke
- Biotechnology Centre, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
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Hu G, Taylor DW, Liu J, Taylor KA. Identification of interfaces involved in weak interactions with application to F-actin-aldolase rafts. J Struct Biol 2017; 201:199-209. [PMID: 29146292 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2017.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Revised: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/12/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Macromolecular interactions occur with widely varying affinities. Strong interactions form well defined interfaces but weak interactions are more dynamic and variable. Weak interactions can collectively lead to large structures such as microvilli via cooperativity and are often the precursors of much stronger interactions, e.g. the initial actin-myosin interaction during muscle contraction. Electron tomography combined with subvolume alignment and classification is an ideal method for the study of weak interactions because a 3-D image is obtained for the individual interactions, which subsequently are characterized collectively. Here we describe a method to characterize heterogeneous F-actin-aldolase interactions in 2-D rafts using electron tomography. By forming separate averages of the two constituents and fitting an atomic structure to each average, together with the alignment information which relates the raw motif to the average, an atomic model of each crosslink is determined and a frequency map of contact residues is computed. The approach should be applicable to any large structure composed of constituents that interact weakly and heterogeneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guiqing Hu
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, United States
| | - Dianne W Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, United States
| | - Jun Liu
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, United States
| | - Kenneth A Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, United States.
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Banerjee C, Hu Z, Huang Z, Warrington JA, Taylor DW, Trybus KM, Lowey S, Taylor KA. The structure of the actin-smooth muscle myosin motor domain complex in the rigor state. J Struct Biol 2017; 200:325-333. [PMID: 29038012 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2017.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Myosin-based motility utilizes catalysis of ATP to drive the relative sliding of F-actin and myosin. The earliest detailed model based on cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) and X-ray crystallography postulated that higher actin affinity and lever arm movement were coupled to closure of a feature of the myosin head dubbed the actin-binding cleft. Several studies since then using crystallography of myosin-V and cryoEM structures of F-actin bound myosin-I, -II and -V have provided details of this model. The smooth muscle myosin II interaction with F-actin may differ from those for striated and non-muscle myosin II due in part to different lengths of important surface loops. Here we report a ∼6 Å resolution reconstruction of F-actin decorated with the nucleotide-free recombinant smooth muscle myosin-II motor domain (MD) from images recorded using a direct electron detector. Resolution is highest for F-actin and the actin-myosin interface (3.5-4 Å) and lowest (∼6-7 Å) for those parts of the MD at the highest radius. Atomic models built into the F-actin density are quite comparable to those previously reported for rabbit muscle actin and show density from the bound ADP. The atomic model of the MD, is quite similar to a recently published structure of vertebrate non-muscle myosin II bound to F-actin and a crystal structure of nucleotide free myosin-V. Larger differences are observed when compared to the cryoEM structure of F-actin decorated with rabbit skeletal muscle myosin subfragment 1. The differences suggest less closure of the 50 kDa domain in the actin bound skeletal muscle myosin structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaity Banerjee
- Department of Computer Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4530, United States
| | - Zhongjun Hu
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Kasha Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, United States
| | - Zhong Huang
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Kasha Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, United States
| | - J Anthony Warrington
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Kasha Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, United States
| | - Dianne W Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Kasha Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, United States
| | - Kathleen M Trybus
- Health Science Research Facility 130, 149 Beaumont Avenue, Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, United States
| | - Susan Lowey
- Health Science Research Facility 130, 149 Beaumont Avenue, Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, United States
| | - Kenneth A Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Kasha Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, United States.
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Hu Z, Taylor DW, Edwards RJ, Taylor KA. Coupling between myosin head conformation and the thick filament backbone structure. J Struct Biol 2017; 200:334-342. [PMID: 28964844 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2017.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The recent high-resolution structure of the thick filament from Lethocerus asynchronous flight muscle shows aspects of thick filament structure never before revealed that may shed some light on how striated muscles function. The phenomenon of stretch activation underlies the function of asynchronous flight muscle. It is most highly developed in flight muscle, but is also observed in other striated muscles such as cardiac muscle. Although stretch activation is likely to be complex, involving more than a single structural aspect of striated muscle, the thick filament itself, would be a prime site for regulatory function because it must bear all of the tension produced by both its associated myosin motors and any externally applied force. Here we show the first structural evidence that the arrangement of myosin heads within the interacting heads motif is coupled to the structure of the thick filament backbone. We find that a change in helical angle of 0.16° disorders the blocked head preferentially within the Lethocerus interacting heads motif. This observation suggests a mechanism for how tension affects the dynamics of the myosin heads leading to a detailed hypothesis for stretch activation and shortening deactivation, in which the blocked head preferentially binds the thin filament followed by the free head when force production occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongjun Hu
- Florida State University, Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, USA
| | - Dianne W Taylor
- Florida State University, Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, USA
| | - Robert J Edwards
- Duke University Medical Center, Department of Cell Biology, Durham, NC 27607, UK
| | - Kenneth A Taylor
- Florida State University, Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, USA.
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17
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Hu Z, Taylor DW, Reedy MK, Edwards RJ, Taylor KA. Structure of myosin filaments from relaxed Lethocerus flight muscle by cryo-EM at 6 Å resolution. Sci Adv 2016; 2:e1600058. [PMID: 27704041 PMCID: PMC5045269 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1600058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
We describe a cryo-electron microscopy three-dimensional image reconstruction of relaxed myosin II-containing thick filaments from the flight muscle of the giant water bug Lethocerus indicus. The relaxed thick filament structure is a key element of muscle physiology because it facilitates the reextension process following contraction. Conversely, the myosin heads must disrupt their relaxed arrangement to drive contraction. Previous models predicted that Lethocerus myosin was unique in having an intermolecular head-head interaction, as opposed to the intramolecular head-head interaction observed in all other species. In contrast to the predicted model, we find an intramolecular head-head interaction, which is similar to that of other thick filaments but oriented in a distinctly different way. The arrangement of myosin's long α-helical coiled-coil rod domain has been hypothesized as either curved layers or helical subfilaments. Our reconstruction is the first report having sufficient resolution to track the rod α helices in their native environment at resolutions ~5.5 Å, and it shows that the layer arrangement is correct for Lethocerus. Threading separate paths through the forest of myosin coiled coils are four nonmyosin peptides. We suggest that the unusual position of the heads and the rod arrangement separated by nonmyosin peptides are adaptations for mechanical signal transduction whereby applied tension disrupts the myosin heads as a component of stretch activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongjun Hu
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306–4380, USA
| | - Dianne W. Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306–4380, USA
| | - Michael K. Reedy
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27607, USA
| | - Robert J. Edwards
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27607, USA
| | - Kenneth A. Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306–4380, USA
- Corresponding author.
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Hu Z, Taylor DW, Reedy MK, Perz-Edwards RJ, Taylor KA. The Structure of the Relaxed Thick Filaments from Lethocerus Asynchronous Flight Muscle. Biophys J 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.11.1616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
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Dai A, Ye F, Taylor DW, Hu G, Ginsberg MH, Taylor KA. The Structure of a Full-length Membrane-embedded Integrin Bound to a Physiological Ligand. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:27168-27175. [PMID: 26391523 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.682377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased ligand binding to integrin ("activation") underpins many biological processes, such as leukocyte trafficking, cell migration, host-pathogen interaction, and hemostasis. Integrins exist in several conformations, ranging from compact and bent to extended and open. However, the exact conformation of membrane-embedded, full-length integrin bound to its physiological macromolecular ligand is still unclear. Integrin αIIbβ3, the most abundant integrin in platelets, has been a prototype for integrin activation studies. Using negative stain electron microscopy and nanodisc-embedding to provide a membrane-like environment, we visualized the conformation of full-length αIIbβ3 in both a Mn(2+)-activated, ligand-free state and a Mn(2+)-activated, fibrin-bound state. Activated but ligand-free integrins exist mainly in the compact conformation, whereas fibrin-bound αIIbβ3 predominantly exists in a fully extended, headpiece open conformation. Our results show that membrane-embedded, full-length integrin adopts an extended and open conformation when bound to its physiological macromolecular ligand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aguang Dai
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4380 and
| | - Feng Ye
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0726
| | - Dianne W Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4380 and
| | - Guiqing Hu
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4380 and
| | - Mark H Ginsberg
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0726
| | - Kenneth A Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4380 and.
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Abstract
Filarial infections remain a major public health and socio-economic problem across the tropics, despite considerable effort to reduce disease burden or regionally eliminate the infection with mass drug administration programmes. The sustainability of these programmes is now open to question owing to a range of issues, not least of which is emerging evidence for drug resistance. Vaccination, if developed appropriately, remains the most cost-effective means of long-term disease control. The rationale for the feasibility of vaccination against filarial parasites including onchocerciasis (river blindness, Onchocerca volvulus) and lymphatic filariasis (Wuchereria bancrofti or Brugia malayi) is founded on evidence from both humans and animal models for the development of protective immunity. Nonetheless, enormous challenges need to be faced in terms of overcoming parasite-induced suppression without inducing pathology as well as the need to both recognize and tackle evolutionary and ecological obstacles to successful vaccine development. Nonetheless, new technological advances in addition to systems biology approaches offer hope that optimal immune responses can be induced that will prevent infection, disease and/or transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon A Babayan
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, and Centre for Immunity, Infection & Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
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21
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Rujeni N, Nausch N, Midzi N, Mduluza T, Taylor DW, Mutapi F. Schistosoma haematobium infection levels determine the effect of praziquantel treatment on anti-schistosome and anti-mite antibodies. Parasite Immunol 2012; 34:330-40. [PMID: 22429049 PMCID: PMC3417378 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3024.2012.01363.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2011] [Accepted: 03/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Field studies show an association between schistosome infection and atopy, but the effects of anti-helminthic treatment on this association have not yet been investigated in human populations with different schistosome endemicity levels. This study aimed to compare the effects of anti-helminthic treatment on responses directed against the house dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Derp1) and Schistosoma haematobium in Zimbabwean populations living in high and low schistosome infection areas. Derp1- and schistosome-specific IgE and IgG4 antibodies were quantified by ELISA before and 6 weeks after anti-helminthic treatment. Following treatment, there were changes in the immune responses, which varied with place of residence. After allowing for the effects of sex, age and baseline infection intensity, there was no significant treatment effect on the change in anti-schistosome IgE and IgG4 in the high infection area. However, the anti-schistosome IgE/IgG4 ratio increased significantly, while anti-Derp1 IgE responses decreased as a result of treatment. In the low infection area, treatment resulted in a significant increase in anti-worm IgE levels, but there was no significant treatment effect on anti-schistosome or anti-Derp1 IgE/IgG4 ratios. Thus, the study shows that the level of schistosome endemicity affects the host responses to schistosome and mite antigens following anti-helminthic treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Rujeni
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, Edinburgh, UK.
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22
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Baumann BAJ, Taylor DW, Huang Z, Tama F, Fagnant PM, Trybus KM, Taylor KA. Phosphorylated smooth muscle heavy meromyosin shows an open conformation linked to activation. J Mol Biol 2011; 415:274-87. [PMID: 22079364 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2011.10.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2011] [Revised: 10/22/2011] [Accepted: 10/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Smooth muscle myosin and smooth muscle heavy meromyosin (smHMM) are activated by regulatory light chain phosphorylation, but the mechanism remains unclear. Dephosphorylated, inactive smHMM assumes a closed conformation with asymmetric intramolecular head-head interactions between motor domains. The "free head" can bind to actin, but the actin binding interface of the "blocked head" is involved in interactions with the free head. We report here a three-dimensional structure for phosphorylated, active smHMM obtained using electron crystallography of two-dimensional arrays. Head-head interactions of phosphorylated smHMM resemble those found in the dephosphorylated state but occur between different molecules, not within the same molecule. The light chain binding domain structure of phosphorylated smHMM differs markedly from that of the "blocked" head of dephosphorylated smHMM. We hypothesize that regulatory light chain phosphorylation opens the inhibited conformation primarily by its effect on the blocked head. Singly phosphorylated smHMM is not compatible with the closed conformation if the blocked head is phosphorylated. This concept has implications for the extent of myosin activation at low levels of phosphorylation in smooth muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce A J Baumann
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
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23
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Moldowan JM, Dahl J, Huizinga BJ, Fago FJ, Hickey LJ, Peakman TM, Taylor DW. The molecular fossil record of oleanane and its relation to angiosperms. Science 2010; 265:768-71. [PMID: 17736275 DOI: 10.1126/science.265.5173.768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Oleanane has been reported in Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary source rocks and their related oils and has been suggested as a marker for flowering plants. Correspondence of oleanane concentrations relative to the ubiquitous microbial marker 17alpha-hopane with angiosperm diversification (Neocomian to Miocene) suggests that oleanane concentrations in migrated petroleum can be used to identify the maximum age of unknown or unavailable source rock. Rare occurrences of pre-Cretaceous oleanane suggest either that a separate lineage leads to the angiosperms well before the Early Cretaceous or that other plant groups have the rarely expressed ability to synthesize oleanane precursors.
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24
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Abstract
The legumes are an important group of flowering plants with a poorly documented evolutionary history. New fossil evidence provides data on the timing of the origin of the two derived subfamilies of legumes (the Mimosoideae and Papilionoideae). These data strongly suggest the importance of bee pollinators during a major period of angiosperm diversification.
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25
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Taylor DW, Kelly DF, Cheng A, Taylor KA. On the freezing and identification of lipid monolayer 2-D arrays for cryoelectron microscopy. J Struct Biol 2007; 160:305-12. [PMID: 17561414 PMCID: PMC2268103 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2007.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2005] [Revised: 04/02/2007] [Accepted: 04/04/2007] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Lipid monolayers provide a convenient vehicle for the crystallization of biological macromolecules for 3-D electron microscopy. Although numerous examples of 3-D images from 2-D protein arrays have been described from negatively stained specimens, only six structures have been done from frozen-hydrated specimens. We describe here a method that makes high quality frozen-hydrated specimens of lipid monolayer arrays for cryoelectron microscopy. The method uses holey carbon films with patterned holes for monolayer recovery, blotting and plunge freezing to produce thin aqueous films which cover >90% of the available grid area. With this method, even specimens with relatively infrequent crystals can be screened using automated data collection techniques. Though developed for microscopic examination of 2-D arrays, the method may have wider application to the preparation of single particle specimens for 3-D image reconstruction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dianne W Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, USA.
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26
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27
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Hampton CM, Taylor DW, Taylor KA. Novel structures for alpha-actinin:F-actin interactions and their implications for actin-membrane attachment and tension sensing in the cytoskeleton. J Mol Biol 2007; 368:92-104. [PMID: 17331538 PMCID: PMC1919418 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2007.01.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2006] [Revised: 01/22/2007] [Accepted: 01/25/2007] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
We have applied correspondence analysis to electron micrographs of 2-D rafts of F-actin cross-linked with alpha-actinin on a lipid monolayer to investigate alpha-actinin:F-actin binding and cross-linking. More than 8000 actin crossover repeats, each with one to five alpha-actinin molecules bound, were selected, aligned, and grouped to produce class averages of alpha-actinin cross-links with approximately 9-fold improvement in the stochastic signal-to-noise ratio. Measurements and comparative molecular models show variation in the distance separating actin-binding domains and the angle of the alpha-actinin cross-links. Rafts of F-actin and alpha-actinin formed predominantly polar 2-D arrays of actin filaments, with occasional insertion of filaments of opposite polarity. Unique to this study are the numbers of alpha-actinin molecules bound to successive crossovers on the same actin filament. These "monofilament"-bound alpha-actinin molecules may reflect a new mode of interaction for alpha-actinin, particularly in protein-dense actin-membrane attachments in focal adhesions. These results suggest that alpha-actinin is not simply a rigid spacer between actin filaments, but rather a flexible cross-linking, scaffolding, and anchoring protein. We suggest these properties of alpha-actinin may contribute to tension sensing in actin bundles.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kenneth A. Taylor
- *Corresponding Author Phone: (850)644-3357, Fax: (850)644-7244, e-mail:
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28
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Schoffstall B, Brunet NM, Williams S, Miller VF, Barnes AT, Wang F, Compton LA, McFadden LA, Taylor DW, Seavy M, Dhanarajan R, Chase PB. Ca2+ sensitivity of regulated cardiac thin filament sliding does not depend on myosin isoform. J Physiol 2006; 577:935-44. [PMID: 17008370 PMCID: PMC1890378 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2006.120105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms in vertebrate striated muscles are distinguished functionally by differences in chemomechanical kinetics. These kinetic differences may influence the cross-bridge-dependent co-operativity of thin filament Ca(2+) activation. To determine whether Ca(2+) sensitivity of unloaded thin filament sliding depends upon MHC isoform kinetics, we performed in vitro motility assays with rabbit skeletal heavy meromyosin (rsHMM) or porcine cardiac myosin (pcMyosin). Regulated thin filaments were reconstituted with recombinant human cardiac troponin (rhcTn) and alpha-tropomyosin (rhcTm) expressed in Escherichia coli. All three subunits of rhcTn were coexpressed as a functional complex using a novel construct with a glutathione S-transferase (GST) affinity tag at the N-terminus of human cardiac troponin T (hcTnT) and an intervening tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease site that allows purification of rhcTn without denaturation, and removal of the GST tag without proteolysis of rhcTn subunits. Use of this highly purified rhcTn in our motility studies resulted in a clear definition of the regulated motility profile for both fast and slow MHC isoforms. Maximum sliding speed (pCa 5) of regulated thin filaments was roughly fivefold faster with rsHMM compared with pcMyosin, although speed was increased by 1.6- to 1.9-fold for regulated over unregulated actin with both MHC isoforms. The Ca(2+) sensitivity of regulated thin filament sliding speed was unaffected by MHC isoform. Our motility results suggest that the cellular changes in isoform expression that result in regulation of myosin kinetics can occur independently of changes that influence thin filament Ca(2+) sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda Schoffstall
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Biological Science, Bio Unit One, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4370, USA
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29
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Liu J, Taylor DW, Krementsova EB, Trybus KM, Taylor KA. Three-dimensional structure of the myosin V inhibited state by cryoelectron tomography. Nature 2006; 442:208-11. [PMID: 16625208 DOI: 10.1038/nature04719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2006] [Accepted: 03/15/2006] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Unconventional myosin V (myoV) is an actin-based molecular motor that has a key function in organelle and mRNA transport, as well as in membrane trafficking. MyoV was the first member of the myosin superfamily shown to be processive, meaning that a single motor protein can 'walk' hand-over-hand along an actin filament for many steps before detaching. Full-length myoV has a low actin-activated MgATPase activity at low [Ca2+], whereas expressed constructs lacking the cargo-binding domain have a high activity regardless of [Ca2+] (refs 5-7). Hydrodynamic data and electron micrographs indicate that the active state is extended, whereas the inactive state is compact. Here we show the first three-dimensional structure of the myoV inactive state. Each myoV molecule consists of two heads that contain an amino-terminal motor domain followed by a lever arm that binds six calmodulins. The heads are followed by a coiled-coil dimerization domain (S2) and a carboxy-terminal globular cargo-binding domain. In the inactive structure, bending of myoV at the head-S2 junction places the cargo-binding domain near the motor domain's ATP-binding pocket, indicating that ATPase inhibition might occur through decreased rates of nucleotide exchange. The actin-binding interfaces are unobstructed, and the lever arm is oriented in a position typical of strong actin-binding states. This structure indicates that motor recycling after cargo delivery might occur through transport on actively treadmilling actin filaments rather than by diffusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Liu
- The Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4380, USA
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30
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Kelly DF, Taylor DW, Bakolitsa C, Bobkov AA, Bankston L, Liddington RC, Taylor KA. Structure of the alpha-actinin-vinculin head domain complex determined by cryo-electron microscopy. J Mol Biol 2006; 357:562-73. [PMID: 16430917 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2005.12.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2005] [Revised: 12/21/2005] [Accepted: 12/23/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The vinculin binding site on alpha-actinin was determined by cryo-electron microscopy of 2D arrays formed on phospholipid monolayers doped with a nickel chelating lipid. Chicken smooth muscle alpha-actinin was cocrystallized with the beta1-integrin cytoplasmic domain and a vinculin fragment containing residues 1-258 (vinculin(D1)). Vinculin(D1) was located at a single site on alpha-actinin with 60-70% occupancy. In these arrays, alpha-actinin lacks molecular 2-fold symmetry and the two ends of the molecule, which contain the calmodulin-like and actin binding domains, are held in distinctly different environments. The vinculin(D1) difference density has a shape very suggestive of the atomic structure. The atomic model of the complex juxtaposes the alpha-actinin binding site on vinculin(D1) with the N-terminal lobe of the calmodulin-like domain on alpha-actinin. The results show that the interaction between two species with weak affinity can be visualized in a membrane-like environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah F Kelly
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, USA
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31
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Abstract
In this study with the filarial model Litomosoides sigmodontis, we demonstrate that the worms ingest host red blood cells at a precise moment of their life-cycle, immediately after the fourth moult. The red blood cells (RBC) were identified microscopically in live worms immobilized in PBS at 4 degrees C, and their density assessed. Two hosts were used: Mongolian gerbils, where microfilaraemia is high, and susceptible BALB/c mice with lower microfilaraemia. Gerbils were studied at 12 time-points, between day 9 post-inoculation (the worms were young 4th stage larvae) and day 330 p.i. (worms were old adults). Only the very young adult filarial worms had red blood cells in their gut. Haematophagy was observed between days 25 and 56 p.i. and peaked between day 28 and day 30 p.i. in female worms. In males, haematophagy was less frequent and intense. Similar kinetics of haematophagy were found in BALB/c mice, but frequency and intensity tended to be lower. Haematophagy seems useful to optimize adult maturation. These observations suggest that haematophagy is an important step in the life-cycle of L. sigmodontis. This hitherto undescribed phenomenon might be characteristic of other filarial species including human parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Attout
- Parasitologie Comparée et Modèles expérimentaux, associé a l'INSERM (U567), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle et Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, 61 rue Buffon, 75231 Paris 05, France
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32
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Abstract
The pathogenesis of onchocercal chorioretinopathy is poorly understood. In this article, Philip Cooper, Ronald Guderian, Roberto Proaño and David Taylor discuss the important clinical, histological and epidemiological features of the resulting lesions that cause blindness, and review the numerous mechanisins that have been put forward to explain its pathogenesis. The pathogenesis of anterior segment disease, particulary sclerosing keratitis, has been reviewed in depth previously(1) and will not be discussed here.
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Affiliation(s)
- P J Cooper
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Building 4, Room 126, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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33
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Abstract
BACKGROUND A better understanding of Canadian blood donor beliefs and motivations is needed to develop targeted interventions. Recruiters must know how motivation variables and correlation patterns differ with donor experience and sex. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Data addressing reasons for donating, statements about the blood supply, beliefs about donation consequences, and reasons for avoiding donation were collected from 450 undergraduates. Principal components analysis was used to investigate the underlying factorial structure of each domain. Men-women and donor-nondonor differences were explored with multivariate analysis of variance techniques. RESULTS A bivariate model better represented donor beliefs than did a bipolar conceptualization. Negative beliefs distinguished donors and nondonors more so than did positive factors. Altruism dominated reasons for donating, whereas logistic factors accounted for the most variance in donation avoidance. Women were more concerned about adverse physical consequences, and nondonors expressed higher levels of groundless donation-related fears. CONCLUSION Recruiters should consider the sex and donation experience of targets when they develop recruitment and retention strategies. Education programs aimed at overcoming fears and heightening awareness of need are recommended, as are operational improvements aimed at reducing barriers posed by time and inconvenience.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Hupfer
- DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
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34
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Makhov AM, Taylor DW, Griffith JD. Two-dimensional crystallization of herpes simplex virus type 1 single-stranded DNA-binding protein, ICP8, on a lipid monolayer. Biochim Biophys Acta 2004; 1701:101-8. [PMID: 15450179 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2004.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2004] [Revised: 06/14/2004] [Accepted: 06/17/2004] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Herpes simplex virus type 1 single-stranded DNA-binding protein (ICP8) has been crystallized on a positively charged lipid monolayer. The crystals belong to the planar group p2 with a=39 nm, b=23.2 nm and gamma=87.2 degrees. The projected map of ICP8 crystals calculated at a resolution of 3.9 nm shows four ICP8 monomers per unit cell with the crystals formed by a parallel arrangement of 16.2 nm helical ICP8 filaments. This novel filamentous form has not been reported before. The ICP8 monomers show different appearances in projection, suggesting that they may adopt different orientations, probably reflecting the strong intermolecular and lipid-filament interactions in the crystal. When the 23 nm diameter filaments formed by ICP8 in solution at low temperature in the presence of magnesium were generated and then layered on the phospholipid monolayer, highly ordered arrays of an 8.5 nm filament with a shallow 31.2 nm pitch were observed and reconstruction revealed a double-helical structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M Makhov
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7295, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7295, USA.
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35
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Liu J, Taylor DW, Taylor KA. A 3-D reconstruction of smooth muscle alpha-actinin by CryoEm reveals two different conformations at the actin-binding region. J Mol Biol 2004; 338:115-25. [PMID: 15050827 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2004.02.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2003] [Revised: 02/05/2004] [Accepted: 02/11/2004] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Cryoelectron microscopy was used to obtain a 3-D image at 2.0 nm resolution of 2-D arrays of smooth muscle alpha-actinin. The reconstruction reveals a well-resolved long central domain with 90 degrees of left-handed twist and near 2-fold symmetry. However, the molecular ends which contain the actin binding and calmodulin-like domains, have different structures oriented approximately 90 degrees to each other. Atomic structures for the alpha-actinin domains were built by homology modeling and assembled into an atomic model. Model building suggests that in the 2-D arrays, the two calponin homology domains that comprise the actin-binding domain have a closed conformation at one end and an open conformation at the other end due to domain swapping. The open and closed conformations of the actin-binding domain suggests flexibility that may underlie Ca2+ regulation. The approximately 90 degrees orientation difference at the molecular ends may underlie alpha-actinin's ability to crosslink actin filaments in nearly any orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Liu
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, USA
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Abstract
In this study we examined regional immune responses to Fasciola hepatica infection in the natural ruminant host. Naïve cattle and those pre-exposed to a drug-abbreviated infection were subsequently challenged and lymph nodes extracted at slaughter. In vitro proliferation and cytokine production by mononuclear cells isolated from hepatic and mesenteric lymph nodes were measured after culture with whole fluke antigen (WFA). Hepatic lymph node cells had a significantly greater response to parasite antigen than mesenteric lymph node cells (P < 0.02), although there was no difference in the magnitude of the proliferative response between naïve and pre-exposed challenged cattle. Mononuclear cells from hepatic lymph nodes produced interferon gamma, interleukin 2 and interleukin 4 after culture with parasite antigen, indicative of a mixed, T helper type 0, response. Comparison of the hepatic node response to a variety of F. hepatica antigens showed that proliferation was lower after culture with cathepsin-L, than with a high molecular weight fraction, WFA or excretory-secretory antigen. Cell culture supernatant fluid from unstimulated hepatic lymph node cells showed an IgG1 response to antigens of 48, 52-70, 82, 96 and 120-190 kDa on Western blot in pre-exposed, but not naïve, challenged animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- D V Hoyle
- Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK.
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Hoyle DV, Dalton JP, Chase-Topping M, Taylor DW. Pre-exposure of cattle to drug-abbreviated Fasciola hepatica infections: the effect upon subsequent challenge infection and the early immune response. Vet Parasitol 2003; 111:65-82. [PMID: 12523980 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-4017(02)00326-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
In this study we examined whether juvenile liver flukes are capable of stimulating protective immune responses in cattle. Four experimental groups of cattle were studied as follows: group A, a positive control, received a primary infection on day 0 and a secondary infection 28 days later; group B also received two infections but the primary infection was terminated by drug treatment on day 5; group C, received infections on days 0, 5 and 10 which were terminated by drug treatments on days 1, 6 and 11 and then a secondary infection on day 28; group D received an infection only on day 28. Juvenile flukes appear to induce protective responses because: (a) group B animals had significantly lower levels of gamma-GT (P<0.05) than group D; (b) both groups B and C exhibited lower parenchymal phase GLDH levels (P=0.006 and 0.041, respectively); and (c) both groups B and C had lower secondary phase eosinophilia (P=0.002 and 0.02, respectively) than those in group D. Sera taken from groups A-C contained antibodies reacting to a variety of proteins in adult fluke somatic antigen and excretory-secretory preparations, particularly to proteins of 52-60, 68-72 and 82-96 kDa. After secondary challenge the antibody responses of group A to these proteins declined while reactivity to proteins of 28-30 kDa increased. Antibody responses to the 28-30 kDa proteins were not detected in groups B-D until 3 weeks later than those observed in group A. Antibody responses to Fasciola hepatica cathepsin L proteases, which are known to induce protection, were monophasic, of the IgG1 isotype only and were not observed prior to secondary challenge in any of the four groups. In contrast, the response to another protective antigen fraction, a high molecular sized haem protein, was of a mixed IgG1/IgG2 nature and was detected within 14 days of primary infection. However, no significant difference in antibody titres to either protein preparation was observed after the secondary infection when groups B and C were compared to group D.
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Affiliation(s)
- D V Hoyle
- Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, Scotland, UK.
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Rothwell PM, Eliasziw M, Gutnikov SA, Fox AJ, Taylor DW, Mayberg MR, Warlow CP, Barnett HJM. Analysis of pooled data from the randomised controlled trials of endarterectomy for symptomatic carotid stenosis. Lancet 2003; 361:107-16. [PMID: 12531577 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(03)12228-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 985] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endarterectomy reduces risk of stroke in certain patients with recently symptomatic internal carotid stenosis. However, investigators have made different recommendations about the degree of stenosis above which surgery is effective, partly because of differences between trials in the methods of measurement of stenosis. To accurately assess the overall effect of surgery, and to increase power for secondary analyses, we pooled trial data and reassessed carotid angiograms. METHODS We pooled data from the European Carotid Surgery Trial (ECST), North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial, and Veterans Affairs trial 309 from the original electronic data files. Outcome events were re-defined, if necessary, to achieve comparability. Pre-randomisation carotid angiograms from ECST were re-measured by the method used in the other two trials. RESULTS Risks of main outcomes in both treatment groups and effects of surgery did not differ between trials. Data for 6092 patients, with 35000 patient-years of follow-up, were therefore pooled. Surgery increased the 5-year risk of ipsilateral ischaemic stroke in patients with less than 30% stenosis (n=1746, absolute risk reduction -2.2%, p=0.05), had no effect in patients with 30-49% stenosis (1429, 3.2%, p=0.6), was of marginal benefit in those with 50-69% stenosis (1549, 4.6%, p=0.04), and was highly beneficial in those with 70% stenosis or greater without near-occlusion (1095, 16.0%, p<0.001). There was a trend towards benefit from surgery in patients with near-occlusion at 2 years' follow-up (262, 5.6%, p=0.19), but no benefit at 5 years (-1.7%, p=0.9). INTERPRETATION Re-analysis of the trials with the same measurements and definitions yielded highly consistent results. Surgery is of some benefit for patients with 50-69% symptomatic stenosis, and highly beneficial for those with 70% symptomatic stenosis or greater but without near-occlusion. Benefit in patients with carotid near-occlusion is marginal in the short-term and uncertain in the long-term.
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Affiliation(s)
- P M Rothwell
- Stroke Prevention Research Unit, University Department of Clinical Neurology, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, UK.
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Elliott RJ, Taylor DW. Theory of correlations and scattering of lattice vibrations by defects using double-time Green's functions. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2002. [DOI: 10.1088/0370-1328/83/2/302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Suswam EA, Taylor DW, Ross CA, Martin RJ. Changes in properties of adenosine transporters in Trypanosoma evansi and modes of selection of resistance to the melaminophenyl arsenical drug, Mel Cy. Vet Parasitol 2001; 102:193-208. [PMID: 11777599 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-4017(01)00533-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Resistance to arsenical drugs in trypanosomes has been linked to changes in adenosine uptake. The transport of melaminophenyl arsenicals into Trypanosoma brucei was shown to be mediated by an unusual adenosine nucleoside transporter, P2 (Carter and Fairlamb, 1993), and the loss of this transporter is associated with resistance to melaminophenyl arsenicals in these parasites. To further understand the mechanisms of arsenical resistance, we generated several lines of Mel Cy-resistant T. evansi from a drug-sensitive isolate using both in vivo and in vitro selection methods. Uptake of the melaminophenyl arsenical, Mel Cy on the P2 transporter was studied in the drug-sensitive as well as Mel Cy-resistant parasites, by means of inhibition of Mel Cy-induced lysis of trypanosomes, in an in vitro lysis assay. Adenosine uptake was also investigated using competition inhibition assays. Our study shows that T. evansi, TREU 1840, possesses the P1/P2 adenosine transport system as reported in T. brucei and T. equiperdum. However, in T. evansi, the P2 transporter is the larger transport process instead of the P1. The P2 transporter in T. evansi mediated the uptake of Mel Cy in the drug-sensitive parasites. The P2 was retained in all the arsenical-resistant T. evansi lines studied. However, the activity of the transporter was reduced to different extents in the different-resistant lines. The residual P2 activity related well to the levels of drug resistance in each line, suggesting that P2 activity could be an important marker for arsenical resistance. Furthermore, important differences were observed between the in vivo- and the in vitro-selected arsenical-resistant parasites suggesting that there may be differences in resistance phenotypes selected on the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Suswam
- Center for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
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O'Neil-Dunne I, Achur RN, Agbor-Enoh ST, Valiyaveettil M, Naik RS, Ockenhouse CF, Zhou A, Megnekou R, Leke R, Taylor DW, Gowda DC. Gravidity-dependent production of antibodies that inhibit binding of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes to placental chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan during pregnancy. Infect Immun 2001; 69:7487-92. [PMID: 11705924 PMCID: PMC98838 DOI: 10.1128/iai.69.12.7487-7492.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
During pregnancy, Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes sequester in the placenta by adhering to chondroitin 4-sulfate, creating a risk factor for both the mother and the fetus. The primigravidae are at higher risk for placental malaria than the multigravidae. This difference in susceptibility has been attributed to the lack of antibodies that block the adhesion of infected erythrocytes to placental chondroitin 4-sulfate in primigravid women. However, recent results show that many primigravidae at term have antibody levels similar to those of multigravidae, and thus the significance of antiadhesion antibodies in providing protection against malaria during pregnancy remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed plasma samples from women of various gravidities at different gestational stages for antiadhesion antibodies. The majority of women, regardless of gravidity, had similar levels of antibodies at term. Most primigravidae had low levels of or no antiadhesion antibodies prior to ~20 weeks of pregnancy and then produced antibodies. Multigravidae also lacked antibodies until ~12 weeks of pregnancy, but thereafter they efficiently produced antibodies. In pregnant women who had placental infection at term, higher levels of antiadhesion antibodies correlated with lower levels of placental parasitemia. The difference in kinetics of antibody production between primigravidae and multigravidae correlated with the prevalence of malaria in these groups, suggesting that antibodies are produced during pregnancy in response to placental infection. The early onset of efficient antibody response in multigravidae and the delayed production to antibodies in primigravidae appear to account for the gravidity-dependent differential susceptibilities of pregnant women to placental malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- I O'Neil-Dunne
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
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Staalsoe T, Megnekou R, Fievét N, Ricke CH, Zornig HD, Leke R, Taylor DW, Deloron P, Hviid L. Acquisition and decay of antibodies to pregnancy-associated variant antigens on the surface of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes that protect against placental parasitemia. J Infect Dis 2001; 184:618-26. [PMID: 11494167 DOI: 10.1086/322809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2001] [Revised: 04/03/2001] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Otherwise clinically immune women in areas endemic for malaria are highly susceptible to Plasmodium falciparum malaria during their first pregnancy. Pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM) is characterized by placental accumulation of infected erythrocytes that adhere to chondroitin sulfate A (CSA). Susceptibility to PAM decreases with increasing parity, apparently due to acquisition of antibodies directed against the variant surface antigens (VSAs) that mediate the adhesion to CSA (VSA(CSA)). This study found that levels of VSA(CSA)-specific antibodies depend on endemicity, that anti-VSA(CSA) IgG is acquired during gestation week 20, and that plasma levels of the antibodies decline during the postpartum period. There is evidence that VSA(CSA)-specific antibodies are linked to placental infection and that high antibody levels contribute to the control of placental infection by inhibiting parasite adhesion to CSA. Data suggest that VSA(CSA) is a target for vaccination against PAM.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Staalsoe
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet) and Institute for Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark.
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Tang J, Taylor DW, Taylor KA. The three-dimensional structure of alpha-actinin obtained by cryoelectron microscopy suggests a model for Ca(2+)-dependent actin binding. J Mol Biol 2001; 310:845-58. [PMID: 11453692 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.2001.4789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The three-dimensional structure of alpha-actinin from rabbit skeletal muscle was determined by cryoelectron microscopy in combination with homology modeling of the separate domain structures based on results previously determined by X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. alpha-Actinin was induced to form two-dimensional arrays on a positively charged lipid monolayer and micrographs were collected from unstained, frozen hydrated specimens at tilt angles from 0 degrees to 60 degrees. Interpretation of the 15 A-resolution three-dimensional structure was done by manually docking homologous models of the three key domains, actin-binding, three-helix motif and the C-terminal calmodulin-like domains. The initial model was refined quantitatively to improve its fit to the experimental reconstruction. The molecular model of alpha-actinin provides the first view of the overall structure of a complete actin cross-linking protein. The structure is characterized by close proximity of the C-terminal, calmodulin-like domain to the linker between the two calponin-homology domains that comprise the actin-binding domain. This location suggests a hypothesis to explain the involvement of the C-terminal domain in Ca(2+)-dependent actin binding of non-muscle isoforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Tang
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, USA
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Sawhney SM, Taylor DW, Russell GC. Polymorphism of bovine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I genes revealed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction enzyme analysis. Anim Genet 2001; 32:27-31. [PMID: 11419341 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2052.2001.00718.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The polymorphic exon 2-exon 3 region of bovine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I genes was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from genomic DNA samples with characterized class I polymorphism. The primers for amplification were designed in conserved regions at the borders of exons 2 and 3, based on all available cDNA sequences. The primers should, therefore, amplify most expressed class I genes, but may also amplify non-expressed class I genes. The PCR amplified class I gene fragments of 700 bp were characterized on the basis of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The PCR-RFLP analysis of class I genes showed that the bands in each digestion could be classified as non-polymorphic, as shared between several bovine lymphocyte antigen (BoLA)-A types, or as specific to a single BoLA-A type. The same primers were then used for amplification of class I gene fragments from eight Sahiwal animals, a breed which originated in the Indian subcontinent. These studies showed that BoLA class I PCR-RFLP could be used to study class I polymorphism in family groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Sawhney
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 141004, Punjab, India.
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Quakyi IA, Ndoutse L, Ngu J, Lohoue J, Fogako J, Befidi-Mengue R, Harun LT, Eno A, Walker-Abbey A, Folefack A, Alake G, Taylor DW, Tchinda V, Megnekou R, Ndountse L, Tietche F, Wansi E, Leke RG, Titanji V, Leke R, Sama G, Manga L, Johnson AH, Mvondo JL, Nyonglema P, Djokam R, Bomba-Nkolo C, Tsafack M, Hickey MA, Bigoga J, Bomba-Nkolo D, Kouontchou S, Meli J, Njeungue E, Metenou S, Same-Ekobo A. The epidemiology of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in two Cameroonian villages: Simbok and Etoa. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2000. [DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2000.63.222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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Quakyi IA, Leke RG, Befidi-Mengue R, Tsafack M, Bomba-Nkolo D, Manga L, Tchinda V, Njeungue E, Kouontchou S, Fogako J, Nyonglema P, Harun LT, Djokam R, Sama G, Eno A, Megnekou R, Metenou S, Ndountse L, Same-Ekobo A, Alake G, Meli J, Ngu J, Tietche F, Lohoue J, Mvondo JL, Wansi E, Leke R, Folefack A, Bigoga J, Bomba-Nkolo C, Titanji V, Walker-Abbey A, Hickey MA, Johnson AH, Taylor DW, Ndoutse L. The epidemiology of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in two Cameroonian villages: Simbok and Etoa. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2000; 63:222-30. [PMID: 11421368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2023] Open
Abstract
In support of ongoing immunologic studies on immunity to Plasmodium falciparum, demographic, entomologic, parasitologic, and clinical studies were conducted in two Cameroonian villages located 3 km apart. Simbok (population = 907) has pools of water present year round that provide breeding sites for Anopheles gambiae, whereas Etoa (population = 485) has swampy areas that dry up annually in which A. funestus breed. Results showed that individuals in Simbok receive an estimated 1.9 and 1.2 infectious bites per night in the wet and dry season, respectively, whereas individuals in Etoa receive 2.4 and 0.4 infectious bites per night, respectively. Although transmission patterns differ, the rate of acquisition of immunity to malaria appears to be similar in both villages. A prevalence of 50-75% was found in children < 10 years old, variable levels in children 11-15 years old, and 31% in adults. Thus, as reported in other parts of Africa, individuals exposed to continuous transmission of P. falciparum slowly acquired significant, but not complete, immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- I A Quakyi
- Department of Biology, Reiss Science Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia 20057, USA
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Allen JE, Daub J, Guiliano D, McDonnell A, Lizotte-Waniewski M, Taylor DW, Blaxter M. Analysis of genes expressed at the infective larval stage validates utility of Litomosoides sigmodontis as a murine model for filarial vaccine development. Infect Immun 2000; 68:5454-8. [PMID: 10948183 PMCID: PMC101817 DOI: 10.1128/iai.68.9.5454-5458.2000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We used an expressed sequence tag approach to analyze genes expressed by the infective larvae of the rodent filarial parasite Litomosoides sigmodontis. One hundred fifty two new genes were identified, including several proposed as vaccine candidates in studies with human filarial parasites. Our findings have important implications for the use of L. sigmodontis as a model for filarial infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- J E Allen
- Institute of Cell, Animal, and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, United Kingdom
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Abstract
Although substantial resources have been spent developing clinical practice guidelines, little effort has been made to evaluate the effectiveness of their implementation. In the absence of effective implementation, CPGs will have minimal impact on changing behaviours. This article critically reviews the literature and identifies a number of reasons why these guidelines have not been implemented successfully. If CPGs are to have a positive impact upon clinical behaviour and practice, then more aggressive and positive implementation strategies are indicated. Five key ingredients for successful implementation of quality CPGs are identified and recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Randall
- College of Respiratory Therapists of Ontario
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Le Goff L, Loke P, Ali HF, Taylor DW, Allen JE. Interleukin-5 is essential for vaccine-mediated immunity but not innate resistance to a filarial parasite. Infect Immun 2000; 68:2513-7. [PMID: 10768938 PMCID: PMC97453 DOI: 10.1128/iai.68.5.2513-2517.2000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of protective immune mechanisms effective against filarial nematodes has been hampered by the inability of these important human pathogens to infect laboratory mice. Recently, Litomosoides sigmodontis, a natural parasite of rats, has been developed as a valuable model for the study of filarial infection. BALB/c mice are fully susceptible to infection with L. sigmodontis third-stage larvae and develop patent infection. In contrast, mice on the C57BL background are resistant, and parasites undergo only a single molt and do not mature to adulthood. We used interleukin-5 (IL-5)-deficient mice on the C57BL/6 background to address the role of IL-5 and eosinophils in the innate resistance of C57BL/6 mice. We found no differences in parasite survival between IL-5-deficient and C57BL/6 mice. However, when these mice were used for the analysis of vaccine-mediated immunity, a critical role for IL-5 was elucidated. Mice genetically deficient in IL-5 were unable to generate a protective immune response when vaccinated with irradiated larvae, whereas C57BL/6 mice were fully protected from challenge infection. These studies help to clarify the highly controversial role of eosinophils in filarial infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Le Goff
- Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, United Kingdom
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