Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Keonyong Lee, Kate Molloy O'Neill, Jayoung Ku, Stanislav Yefimovic Shvartsman, Yoosik Kim
Summary: The segmentation of the Drosophila embryo is regulated by localized maternal signals, including Bicoid and Nanos. The terminal system, controlled by mitogen-activated protein kinase, patterns the non-segmented termini. However, the spatial extent of this system in regulating gap genes beyond poles is unknown. Through study on mutagenized embryos, researchers discovered that the terminal system can establish multiple gene expression boundaries along the anteroposterior axis, displaying a potential bistability.
KOREAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Eamon Fitzgerald, Jennie Roberts, Daniel A. Tennant, James P. Boardman, Amanda J. Drake
Summary: Research found that hypoxia in neonates increases cellular uptake of branched chain amino acids, and membrane-mediated transport through SLC7A5 and SLC3A2 is not essential for this process.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gavuthami Murugesan, Viviana G. Correia, Angelina S. Palma, Wengang Chai, Chunxia Li, Ten Feizi, Eva Martin, Brigitte Laux, Alexandra Franz, Klaus Fuchs, Bernd Weigle, Paul R. Crocker
Summary: Siglec-15 is a sialic acid-binding Ig-like lectin expressed on osteoclast progenitors, contributing to osteoclast development and function. Although previous studies suggested its interaction with sialylated glycans, particularly sTn, the present study found that Siglec-15 has higher affinity for other sialylated glycans. Activation of the SYK/MAPK signaling pathway was observed following antibody cross-linking of Siglec-15, which may modulate macrophage function.
Article
Biology
Marycruz Flores-Flores, Luis Manuel Munoz-Nava, Rafael Rodriguez-Munoz, Jeremiah Zartman, Marcos Nahmad
Summary: Cell recruitment is the process in which a differentiated cell induces neighboring cells to adopt its same cell fate. In Drosophila, cells expressing the wing selector gene vestigial drive a feed-forward recruitment signal, but previous studies did not reveal these dynamics.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Saurabh Mishra, Shaina H. Hasan, Rima M. Sakhawala, Shereen Chaudhry, Richard J. Maraia
Summary: RNA polymerase III achieves high level tRNA synthesis through termination-associated reinitiation-recycling mechanism involving the C11 subunit with different domains playing specific roles in termination, reinitiation-recycling, and RNA 3'-cleavage.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Ina Rudloff, Holly K. Ung, Jennifer K. Dowling, Ashley Mansell, Laura D'Andrea, Andrew M. Ellisdon, James C. Whisstock, Philip J. Berger, Claudia A. Nold-Petry, Marcel F. Nold
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Daniel Bakopoulos, Lauren Forbes Beadle, Katherine M. Esposito, Christen K. Mirth, Coral G. Warr, Travis K. Johnson
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2020)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Milena M. Awad, Melanie L. Hutton, Adam J. Quek, William P. Klare, Steven J. Mileto, Kate Mackin, Diane Ly, Viola Oorschot, Marijana Bosnjak, Grant Jenkin, Paul J. Conroy, Nick West, Alex Fulcher, Adam Costin, Christopher J. Day, Michael P. Jennings, Robert L. Medcalf, Martina Sanderson-Smith, Stuart J. Cordwell, Ruby H. P. Law, James C. Whisstock, Dena Lyras
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lilian Hor, Jing Pan, James C. Whisstock, Robert N. Pike, Lakshmi C. Wijeyewickrema
MOLECULAR IMMUNOLOGY
(2020)
Review
Immunology
Charles Bayly-Jones, Siew Siew Pang, Bradley A. Spicer, James C. Whisstock, Michelle A. Dunstone
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2020)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jade R. Kannangara, Christen K. Mirth, Coral G. Warr
Summary: Steroid hormones play a significant role in the development of mammals and insects, and their production is influenced by environmental conditions. In insects, the hormone ecdysone regulates developmental transitions in response to environmental factors such as nutrition, with signaling pathways involving neuropeptides and peptide hormones.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daniel Bakopoulos, James C. Whisstock, Coral G. Warr, Travis K. Johnson
Summary: Macrophages are an ancient blood cell lineage critical for homeostasis and defence against pathogens. The PDGF- and VEGF-receptor related (Pvr) pathway plays a key role in regulating macrophage self-renewal, with Pvf2 and Pvf3 acting via distinct mechanisms and at different time points. This study provides insights into the dynamic transcriptional control of Pvf2 and its regulation of macrophage self-renewal rates.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Prashath Karunaraj, Olivia Tidswell, Elizabeth J. Duncan, Mackenzie R. Lovegrove, Grace Jefferies, Travis K. Johnson, Caroline W. Beck, Peter K. Dearden
Summary: This study investigates the molecular function of Noggin/Noggin-like genes in the arthropod pea aphid and reveals their role in regulating both bone morphogenic protein and receptor tyrosine kinase signaling pathways. Surprisingly, the clip domain is not essential for the inhibition of bone morphogenic protein signaling. These findings suggest that ancestral noggin/noggin-like genes were multifunctional regulators of signaling in the evolution of animals.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Charles Bayly-Jones, Christopher J. Lupton, Claudia Fritz, Hariprasad Venugopal, Daniel Ramsbeck, Michael Wermann, Christian Jaeger, Alex de Marco, Stephan Schilling, Dagmar Schlenzig, James C. Whisstock
Summary: Meprin alpha, a zinc-dependent metalloprotease, is mainly expressed in the brush border membrane of proximal tubules in the kidney and enterocytes in the small intestine and colon. It plays important roles in inflammation, immunity, and extracellular matrix remodelling. Dysregulated meprin alpha is associated with various diseases. Cryo-electron microscopy reveals the unique structure of meprin alpha, including its giant helical assembly and the distinctive active site.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Simon J. A. Wiedemeyer, Guojie Wu, T. L. Phuong Pham, Heike Lang-Henkel, Benjamin Perez Urzua, James C. Whisstock, Ruby H. P. Law, Torsten Steinmetzer
Summary: Two series of macrocyclic plasmin inhibitors with high selectivity were synthesized, and crystal structures of these inhibitors in complex with a Ser195Ala microplasmin mutant were determined. The inhibitors bind to the open active site of plasmin without steric hindrance, explaining their excellent selectivity against other trypsin-like serine proteases. The substitution of the N-terminal phenylsulfonyl group of a previously described inhibitor led to two analogues with sub-nanomolar inhibition constants.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Sarah Mele, Felipe Martelli, Jiayi Lin, Oguz Kanca, John Christodoulou, Hugo J. Bellen, Matthew D. W. Piper, Travis K. Johnson
Summary: Amino acid disorders (AADs) are rare inherited conditions that affect one in 6500 live births, often leading to neurological decline and death in infants. Dietary modification can be an effective treatment for some AADs like phenylketonuria, but the potential for dietary therapy remains largely unexplored for most AADs. Drosophila is a suitable animal model for nutrigenomic disease modeling due to its conserved amino acid pathways, genetic tractability, and the availability of a customizable synthetic diet.
TRENDS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM
(2023)
Article
Biology
Charles Bayly-Jones, Bill H. T. Ho, Corinna Lau, Eleanor W. W. Leung, Laura D'Andrea, Christopher J. J. Lupton, Susan M. M. Ekkel, Hariprasad Venugopal, James C. C. Whisstock, Tom E. E. Mollnes, Bradley A. A. Spicer, Michelle A. A. Dunstone
Summary: The cryo-EM structure of monoclonal antibody aE11 bound to polyC9 reveals that the binding site within the Membrane Attack Complex is a quaternary discontinuous epitope formed by two separate surfaces of the oligomeric C9 periphery.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Developmental Biology
Samuel R. Cheers, Anne E. O'Connor, Travis K. Johnson, D. Jo Merriner, Moira K. O'Bryan, Jessica E. M. Dunleavy
Summary: This study reveals the crucial role of spastin, a member of the meiotic AAA ATPase protein clade, in regulating microtubule dynamics during spermatogenesis. Spastin loss leads to a complete loss of functional germ cells, enlarged spermatid nuclei with aneuploidy, and severe abnormalities in manchette structure and acrosome biogenesis. These findings have potential relevance to individuals carrying spastin variants and to the medically assisted reproductive technology industry.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Hieu T. Nim, Louis Dang, Harshini Thiyagarajah, Daniel Bakopoulos, Michael See, Natalie Charitakis, Tennille Sibbritt, Michael P. Eichenlaub, Stuart K. Archer, Nicolas Fossat, Richard E. Burke, Patrick P. L. Tam, Coral G. Warr, Travis K. Johnson, Mirana Ramialison
Summary: This study presents an efficient pipeline for genome-wide gene discovery in heart development and congenital heart disease based on a cardiac-specific cis-regulatory element signature. The pipeline identified 35 novel candidate genes and validated their role in heart development through functional studies in Drosophila cardiac tissue. This approach allows for the discovery of genes associated with heart development without limitations to genes exclusively expressed in the heart.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katherine H. Shaw, Craig Dent, Travis K. Johnson, Alisha Anderson, Marien de Bruyne, Coral G. Warr
Summary: Research shows that olfactory behaviors in fruit flies are regulated by a large odorant receptor gene family, with variant alleles at the Or22 locus affecting the response properties of ab3A neurons and leading to changes in odorant preference and oviposition site preference in fruit flies.
