Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Wenjun Zhan, Ge Gao, Zhiyu Liu, Xiaoyang Liu, Lingling Xu, Manli Wang, Hai-Dong Xu, Runqun Tang, Jingyuan Cao, Xianbao Sun, Gaolin Liang
Summary: A rationally designed peptide conjugate that self-assembles into fibrous structures upon activation of bacterial alkaline phosphatase has been developed to combat Staphylococcus aureus infection. The assemblies interact with the cell lipid membrane and disrupt membrane integrity, leading to the killing of S. aureus.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Beom Jin Kim, Yu Fang, Hongjian He, Bing Xu
Summary: This study discovered a readily available peptide that selectively inhibits cancer cells by forming peptide assemblies on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) through enzyme-instructed self-assembly (EISA), resulting in ER stress and eventual cell death. It offers a promising new strategy for potential cancer therapy by targeting cancer cell subcellular organelles.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Marta Diaz-Caballero, Susanna Navarro, Miquel Nuez-Martinez, Francesca Peccati, Luis Rodriguez-Santiago, Mariona Sodupe, Francesc Teixidor, Salvador Ventura
Summary: Researchers have designed a new type of peptide nanomaterial consisting solely of histidine and tyrosine residues, which exhibit biocompatible amyloid-like fibrils and hydrogels with hydrolytic and electrocatalytic activities. These nanofibers show controllable mesoscopic properties at different pH levels, transitioning between active beta-sheet fibrils and inactive random coil species. The structural insights derived from molecular dynamic simulations offer understanding on how these amyloid-like fibrils achieve a combination of structural and catalytic properties.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Prajakta Tathe, K. V. S. Rammohan Chowdary, Krushna Chandra Murmu, Punit Prasad, Subbareddy Maddika
Summary: In this study, the researchers discovered that the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1 can dephosphorylate histone H2B and plays a critical role in transcription. SHP-1 dephosphorylates H2B at tyrosine 121, promoting H2B ubiquitination and maintaining basal autophagic flux. This study reveals the importance of SHP-1-regulated modification of H2B in eukaryotic transcription.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kyle L. Dunbar, Maria Dell, Evelyn M. Molloy, Hannah Buettner, Jana Kumpfmueller, Christian Hertweck
Summary: The final steps of CTA maturation involve a surprising split-merge pathway utilizing a thiotemplated intermediate, with the involvement of an aldo-keto reductase and a transthioamidating transglutaminase. This sheds light on largely unexplored pathways for NRPS-independent peptide biosynthesis.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zuntao Xu, Enze Li, Gan Xue, Cheng Zhang, Yachun Yang, Yong Ding
Summary: This study reveals that OsHUB2 represses the function of OsTrx1 and H3K4me3 levels at Ehd1, and suggests that OsHUB2-mediated H2B ubiquitination plays critical roles together with H3K4me3 in rice heading date regulation.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Hadar Tzemach Korenfeld, Adi Avram-Shperling, Yifat Zukerman, Anais Iluz, Hanna Boocholez, Lilach Ben-Shimon, Shay Ben-Aroya
Summary: Mono-ubiquitination of histone H2B (H2B-Ub1) plays a central role in regulating biological processes such as the DNA damage response, gene transcription, and DNA replication. This study demonstrates that deubiquitination of H2B-Ub1 is essential for recovery from replication stress.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Man-Di Wang, Gan-Tian Lv, Hong-Wei An, Ni-Yuan Zhang, Hao Wang
Summary: This study reports a programmable peptide molecule that enables specific and efficient assembly by binding to targeting receptor proteins. By designing different peptide sequences and receptor bindings, it is possible to promote oligomerization and functional regulation of protein complexes.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Liying Wang, Zhiliang Xu, Libin Wang, Chao Liu, Huafang Wei, Ruidan Zhang, Yinghong Chen, Lina Wang, Wenwen Liu, Sai Xiao, Wei Li, Wei Li
Summary: The study reveals that RNF20 is crucial for early stage somatic cell reprogramming, with Rnf20 knockout leading to failure in reprogramming at the initial stage. The absence of RNF20 affects the transcription of MET-related genes and early pluripotency genes, ultimately hindering the establishment of a pluripotent gene network.
CELL PROLIFERATION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ai Sato, Keisuke Ikeda, Hiroyuki Nakao, Minoru Nakano
Summary: Self-assembling peptides have the potential to form various nanostructures and are useful in nanomedicine and drug delivery. This study investigated the thermodynamic properties of alkyl-chain-modified self-assembling peptides and found that the aggregation process was driven by different thermodynamic forces at different temperatures. By determining the contributions of different components to self-assembly, this study provides fundamental insights into the design of self-assembling peptides.
Article
Biology
Li Zhang, Pan Luo, Jie Bai, Lei Wu, Dong-Wei Di, Hai-Qing Liu, Jing-Jing Li, Ya-Li Liu, Allah Jurio Khaskheli, Chang-Ming Zhao, Guang-Qin Guo
Summary: The study identified CKRW2 as a mutant form of HUB1 in Arabidopsis, which encodes an E3 ligase required for histone H2B monoubiquitination. The research suggests the involvement of H2Bub1 in regulating auxin biosynthesis.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Xuejiao Yang, Zeyuan Cao, Honglei Lu, Huaimin Wang
Summary: Peptide-based materials show great potential for biomedical applications, but manipulating peptide assemblies in living cells is still a challenge. Recent research has focused on using endogenous triggers to construct peptide assemblies in vivo, with a particular emphasis on advancements in cancer therapy.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2021)
News Item
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sunliang Cui, Linwei Zeng
Summary: Three classes of beta-amino amides with well-defined stereocentres can be synthesized using ambiphilic ynamides as two-carbon synthons in a four-component reaction.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Min Zhang, Fan Zheng, Yujie Xiong, Chen Shao, Chengliang Wang, Minhao Wu, Xiaojia Niu, Fenfen Dong, Xuan Zhang, Chuanhai Fu, Jianye Zang
Summary: Our study demonstrates that the interaction of spMis18 with histone H2A-H2B and DNA is crucial for the recruitment of spMis18 and Cnp1 to the centromere in fission yeast. Mutations in the acidic region and deletion of the extreme C-terminus of spMis18 significantly affect its localization and delay chromosome segregation during mitosis, indicating the importance of these interactions in faithful chromosome segregation.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biophysics
Avigail Baruch-Leshem, Corinne Chevallard, Frederic Gobeaux, Patrick Guenoun, Jean Daillant, Philippe Fontaine, Michel Goldmann, Ariel Kushmaro, Hanna Rapaport
Summary: The order of the catalytic triad residues along amphiphilic beta-strands affects both assembly structures and catalytic activity. The amphiphilic peptide ESH achieved the highest catalytic efficiency at a concentration of 250 μM.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dongsik Yang, Beom Jin Kim, Hongjian He, Bing Xu
Summary: A new type of tryptophan-rich short peptides has been discovered, which act as hydrogelators, form supramolecular assemblies via enzymatic dephosphorylation, and exhibit cell compatibility. These peptides largely accumulate in lysosomes, are compatible with mammalian cells, and can transiently reduce the cytotoxicity of phenylalanine-rich peptide assemblies.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adrianna N. Shy, Huaimin Wang, Zhaoqianqi Feng, Bing Xu
Summary: This study successfully developed new materials with the ability to form heterotypic peptide hydrogels using information revealed by structural biology. The ratio of complementary peptides affects the properties of the resulting hydrogels, while electrostatic interactions modulate the self-assembly process.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Dongsik Yang, Hongjian He, Beom Jin Kim, Bing Xu
Summary: This study found that peptides with negatively charged peptides (NCPs) can self-assemble to form micelles at neutral or basic pH, facilitating the trafficking of histone proteins. Structure-activity studies revealed that self-assembly, proper stereochemistry, and acidic repeats are crucial for successful trafficking of H2B.
BIOCONJUGATE CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Weiyi Tan, Qiuxin Zhang, Jiaqing Wang, Meihui Yi, Hongjian He, Bing Xu
Summary: Introducing a sulfur atom into phosphopeptides enables rapid targeting of Golgi apparatus and selective killing of cancer cells. The resulting thiophosphopeptide self-assembles after alkaline phosphatase-catalyzed dephosphorylation, enters cells, and accumulates in Golgi apparatus, inhibiting cancer cells effectively.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hongjian He, Jiaqi Guo, Jiashu Xu, Jiaqing Wang, Shuang Liu, Bing Xu
Summary: This study demonstrates how nanoscale phosphopeptide assemblies cluster ALP to enable cellular uptake through caveolae-mediated endocytosis and endosomal escape. Dephosphorylation of phosphopeptides leads to the formation of peptidic nanofibers for endosomal escape. Inhibiting TNAP or disrupting lipid rafts abolishes the endocytosis process, while decreasing the transformation to nanofibers prevents endosomal escape.
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Qiuxin Zhang, Weiyi Tan, Bing Xu
Summary: In this study, we synthesized pyrrole-conjugated phosphopeptides and investigated their effects on cell viability. The results showed that the introduction of a heteroaromatic motif at the N-terminal of short peptides reduced their inhibitory activity against cancer cells and hindered morphological changes during enzymatic dephosphorylation.
BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Weiyi Tan, Qiuxin Zhang, Pengyu Hong, Bing Xu
Summary: This study utilizes an enzyme-instructed self-assembling thiophosphopeptide as a probe to reveal the state of the Golgi Apparatus (GA) in live cells. Results show that the probe accumulates in the GA at different rates depending on cell types and is sensitive to alkaline phosphatase expression. This self-assembling probe offers a novel approach for high-resolution imaging of subcellular organelles.
BIOCONJUGATE CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Weiyi Tan, Qiuxin Zhang, Monica C. Quinones-Frias, Alan Y. Hsu, Yichi Zhang, Avital Rodal, Pengyu Hong, Hongbo R. Luo, Bing Xu
Summary: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of unconventional peptide thioesters in selectively targeting the Golgi apparatus, thereby controlling cell fate. These peptide thioesters enter cells through specific endocytic pathways and accumulate in the Golgi apparatus, disrupting protein trafficking and leading to cell death.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qiuxin Zhang, Weiyi Tan, Bing Xu
Summary: Enzymatic noncovalent synthesis (ENS) is a mechanism that utilizes enzymatic reactions to produce spatially organized higher-order supramolecular assemblies, which can modulate cellular processes. This Review highlights the recent progress in the application of ENS for targeted subcellular organelles, showcasing its potential in understanding diseases, controlling cell behaviors, and developing new therapeutics.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Meihui Yi, Fengbin Wang, Weiyi Tan, Jer-Tsong Hsieh, Edward H. Egelman, Bing Xu
Summary: This study demonstrates the use of enzymatic responsive rigid-rod aromatics as substrates to target undruggable phosphatases and kill cancer cells in a bone microenvironment. The compounds effectively kill metastatic prostate cancer cells and mimic osteoblast cells, with high cellular uptake rate.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shuang Liu, Qiuxin Zhang, Hongjian He, Meihui Yi, Weiyi Tan, Jiaqi Guo, Bing Xu
Summary: In this study, intranuclear nanoribbons formed by dephosphorylation of phosphorylated peptides catalyzed by alkaline phosphatase were demonstrated to selectively kill osteosarcoma cells. These peptides rapidly kill the cancer cells by interacting with histone proteins, while being nontoxic to normal cells.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jiaqi Guo, Fengbin Wang, Yimeng Huang, Hongjian He, Weiyi Tan, Meihui Yi, Edward H. Egelman, Bing Xu
Summary: A method for creating cell spheroids using triggered d-peptide self-assembly is reported. The peptides are dephosphorylated in cells and assembled to facilitate fibronectin fibrillogenesis and spheroid formation. Cryogenic electron microscopy was used to determine the atomic structure of the self-assembled nanofibers, and fluorescent imaging showed that they interact with fibronectin to induce spheroid formation.
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Adrianna N. Shy, Jiashu Xu, Beom Jin Kim, Bing Xu
Summary: This study focuses on the enzyme-instructed self-assembly (EISA) of a phosphopeptide (1P) derived from the protein crystal structures of Merlin and CRL4(DCAF-1). The results demonstrate that even with the presence of a hydrophilic peptide, 1P can form a hydrogel at a very low volume fraction. Additionally, diastereomer 2P and enantiomer 3P of 1P are able to form hydrogels via EISA at higher concentrations than 1P.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Huyeon Choi, Gaeun Park, Eunhye Shin, Seon Woo Shin, Batakrishna Jana, Seongeon Jin, Sangpil Kim, Huaimin Wang, Sang Kyu Kwak, Bing Xu, Ja-Hyoung Ryu
Summary: Mitochondria-targeting nucleopeptide can sequester ATP by self-assembling, leading to apoptosis of cancer cells.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Meihui Yi, Weiyi Tan, Jiaqi Guo, Bing Xu
Summary: Enzymatic noncovalent synthesis allows for the control of multimolecular crowding in cells, offering opportunities for modulating cellular functions and various biomedical applications.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
