Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Helena Crijns, Lowie Adyns, Eva Ganseman, Seppe Cambier, Eline Vandekerckhove, Noemie Poertner, Lotte Vanbrabant, Sofie Struyf, Tanja Gerlza, Andreas Kungl, Paul Proost
Summary: This study investigated the interactions between glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and proteins, as well as the structural requirements for binding. Through peptide design and experiments, it was found that the affinity and specificity of peptides for GAGs can be tuned by adapting their amino acid sequence and the number of GAG-binding motifs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jesper Bergwik, Amanda Kristiansson, Jorgen Larsson, Simon Ekstrom, Bo Akerstrom, Maria Allhorn
Summary: A1M can bind to heparin and HS, and can be purified from human plasma using heparin affinity chromatography and size exclusion chromatography. The binding strength is inversely proportional to salt concentration and directly proportional to the sulfation degree of heparin and HS.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrea Denardo, Stefano Elli, Stefania Federici, Michela Asperti, Magdalena Gryzik, Paola Ruzzenenti, Fernando Carmona, Paolo Bergese, Annamaria Naggi, Paolo Arosio, Maura Poli
Summary: The study demonstrates the interaction between BMP6 and heparin/HS, with N-terminal and C-terminal domains mediating this interaction. Mutations affecting heparin affinity were identified, highlighting a potential clinical approach for high-hepcidin iron disorders.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENERAL SUBJECTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Benjamin Tajer, James A. Dutko, Shawn C. Little, Mary C. Mullins
Summary: The study explores the BMP2/7 heterodimer signaling mechanism in zebrafish embryos, revealing that BMP2 homodimers require nonredundant type I receptors Acvr1 and Bmpr1 for signaling, despite not being able to bind Acvr1 in vitro. The kinase activity of Acvr1 is essential for the signaling complex, suggesting that the potency of the heterodimer arises from recruiting both Acvr1 and Bmpr1.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Safak Chasan, Eliane Hesse, Passant Atallah, Matthias Gerstner, Solvig Diederichs, Astrid Schenker, Kay Grobe, Carsten Werner, Wiltrud Richter
Summary: This study demonstrates the crucial role of GAG sulfation as a niche instruction signal in determining the fate of chondral stem cells by silencing prohypertrophic pathways, providing the first proof-of-principle on how GAG modification-patterns can determine cell lineage-choice during tissue morphogenesis in vivo.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Faisal Hayat Nazir, Elena Camporesi, Gunnar Brinkmalm, Tammaryn Lashley, Christina E. Toomey, Hlin Kvartsberg, Henrik Zetterberg, Kaj Blennow, Bruno Becker
Summary: The study identified multiple molecular forms of neurogranin in cerebrospinal fluid, including monomeric full-length neurogranin, N- and C-terminal truncations, and larger forms of unknown composition.
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lakkoji Satish, Santanu Santra, Mikhail Tsurkan, Carsten Werner, Madhurima Jana, Harekrushna Sahoo
Summary: GDNF shows therapeutic potential in treating neurodegenerative diseases, and its activity relies heavily on interactions with sulfated glycans. Experimental and theoretical studies demonstrate that sulfated GAG molecules can strongly bind with GDNF peptide and induce an alpha-helical structure in the peptide to some extent.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Ni Chen, Wenhe Jin, Han Gao, Jiachan Hong, Luyi Sun, Jinrong Yao, Xin Chen, Jun Chen, Shiyi Chen, Zhengzhong Shao
Summary: In this study, a multilayer regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) coating loaded with heparin and bone morphogenetic protein binding peptide (BBP) was used to improve graft-host integration of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) artificial ligament. The drug release profiles of heparin and BBP on the coated PET artificial ligament indicated differential drug release, with heparin releasing a significant amount during the first 5 days and BBP releasing a small amount within 1 week. The drug-loaded RSF coating was shown to modulate the early inflammatory response and promote the maturation of the graft, improving graft-bone integration.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sarah Y. Ebstein, Ashique Rafique, Yi Zhou, Amanda Krasco, Welby Montalvo-Ortiz, Lola Yu, Luisaidy Custodio, Rene C. Adam, Nicolin Bloch, Ken Lee, Funmilola Adewale, Dominic Vergata, Antonio Luz, Sebastien Coquery, Benjamin Daniel, Erica Ullman, Matthew C. Franklin, Aynur Hermann, Tammy Huang, William Olson, Samuel Davis, Andrew J. Murphy, Matthew A. Sleeman, Joyce Wei, Dimitris Skokos
Summary: VSIG4 is a complement receptor expressed on tissue resident macrophages and is involved in immune function. This study identifies heparan sulfates as novel binding partners of VSIG4 and suggests a role for them in immune modulation. Heparan sulfates compete with known VSIG4 binding partners and may play a role in the complex regulation of VSIG4 in the immune system.
Article
Virology
Jiachen Huang, Pradeep Chopra, Lin Liu, Tamas Nagy, Jackelyn Murray, Ralph A. Tripp, Geert-Jan Boons, Jarrod J. Mousa
Summary: This study revealed the crystal structure of the hMPV F protein in the postfusion conformation from genotype B, highlighting structural differences between genotypes and receptor binding properties. Vaccine development experiments showed that immunization with postfusion hMPV B2 F protein generated neutralizing antibodies in BALB/c mice, providing protection against hMPV challenge.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Johannes Bulk, Valentyn Kyrychenko, Philipp M. Rensinghoff, Zahra Ghaderi Ardekani, Stephan Heermann
Summary: Vision is dependent on the correct development of the eye, which is tightly connected to the development of the forebrain. Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is a developmental disorder where the eye field and the forebrain fail to separate, leading to ocular abnormalities such as cyclopia, anophthalmia, and coloboma. This study identifies the importance of a balance between Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and their antagonists in eye and forebrain cleavage, and demonstrates that dysregulation of BMP signaling results in severe forms of HPE with anophthalmia. Additionally, the study suggests that BMP signaling also affects the development of hypothalamic cells during neurulation and neural keel formation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yoshiaki Soejima, Nahoko Iwata, Nanako Nakayama, Shinichi Hirata, Yasuhiro Nakano, Koichiro Yamamoto, Atsuhito Suyama, Kohei Oguni, Takahiro Nada, Satoshi Fujisawa, Fumio Otsuka
Summary: Orexin plays a key role in regulating sleep, wakefulness and feeding behavior. This study shows that Orexin regulates gonadotropin expression by interacting with GnRH and the pituitary BMP system, and this regulation involves clock gene expression.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yoshiaki Soejima, Nahoko Iwata, Ran Nishioka, Mako Honda, Yasuhiro Nakano, Koichiro Yamamoto, Atsuhito Suyama, Fumio Otsuka
Summary: Orexins play important roles in sleep-wake regulation and food intake in the central nervous system. This study investigated the functions of orexin in adrenal steroidogenesis and its interaction with bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). The results suggest that both orexin and BMP-6 accelerate adrenocortical steroidogenesis in human adrenocortical cells, and these pathways mutually inhibit each other.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Jinrui Zhang, Bo Li, Jianlin Zuo, Rui Gu, Bin Liu, Chao Ma, Jingjing Li, Kai Liu
Summary: The development of a novel protein adhesive with strong tissue adhesion and chondrogenic capabilities for cartilage repair has been reported in this study. This adhesive, fabricated by the electrostatic combination of chondroitin sulfate (CS) and positively charged elastin-like protein, showed robust adhesion properties on different tissue substrates and promoted cartilage tissue integration. It exhibited beneficial healing effects in a rat model of cartilage defect, making it a promising candidate for translational application in the field of cartilage repair.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Claudia Siverino, Shorouk Fahmy-Garcia, Viktoria Niklaus, Nicole Kops, Laura Dolcini, Massimiliano Maraglino Misciagna, Yanto Ridwan, Eric Farrell, Gerjo J. V. M. van Osch, Joachim Nickel
Summary: Bone Morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) like BMP2 and BMP7 have shown great potential in the treatment of severe bone defects. However, BMP9, although having the highest osteogenic potential in vitro, does not show superior bone forming capacity compared to BMP2 or BMP7 in vivo.
BIOACTIVE MATERIALS
(2023)