Article
Neurosciences
Femke M. Feringa, Annemiek A. van Berkel, Anushka Nair, Matthijs Verhage
Summary: Depletion of presynaptic proteins MUNC18-1 or syntaxin-1 triggers an atypical, staged cell death pathway characterized by consecutive neurite retraction, ultimately leading to, but not driven by, apoptosis.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lei Wan, Xi Chen, Wolfhard Almers
Summary: Syntaxin plays a crucial role in catalyzing membrane fusion during exocytosis and forms clusters in the plasma membrane. The mechanism of cluster formation differs between on-granule and off-granule clusters in live PC12 cells.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biology
Xianping Wang, Jihong Gong, Le Zhu, Huidan Chen, Ziqi Jin, Xiaoqiang Mo, Shen Wang, Xiaofei Yang, Cong Ma
Summary: This study reveals that the extension of the 3a domain in Munc18-1/Syntaxin-1 is crucial for the Munc13-1 mediated SNARE complex assembly and membrane fusion. Specific amino acid residues play a key role in this process.
Article
Neurosciences
Jihong Gong, Xianping Wang, Chaoyang Cui, Yuyang Qin, Ziqi Jin, Cong Ma, Xiaofei Yang
Summary: Experimental data support the notion that opening of the syntaxin-1 linker region is a key step in initiating SNARE complex assembly, while the extended state of Munc18-1 domain 3a can compensate for this action.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wei Li, Ying Xing, Yue Wang, Tao Xu, Eli Song, Wei Feng
Summary: As the prototype of Sec1/Munc18 (SM) family proteins, Munc18-1 can control intracellular membrane fusion by manipulating the distinct conformations of syntaxin-1. The structure of the Mint1-MID-Munc18-1-syntaxin-1 complex is determined, revealing that Munc18-1 recognizes Mint1-MID and syntaxin-1 simultaneously via two opposite sites.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yongli Zhang, Frederick M. Hughson
Summary: SNARE proteins and SM proteins are crucial in driving intracellular membrane fusion, with their interactions playing important roles in SNARE assembly. SM proteins as molecular chaperones facilitate fast and accurate SNARE assembly. Collaboration between SM proteins and other SNARE chaperones, along with SNARE and SM protein deficiencies, also contribute to human diseases.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF BIOCHEMISTRY, VOL 90, 2021
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Mitchell J. Rechtzigel, Brandon L. Meyerink, Hannah Leppert, Tyler B. Johnson, Jacob T. Cain, Gavin Ferrandino, Danielle G. May, Kyle J. Roux, Jon J. Brudvig, Jill M. Weimer
Summary: Batten disease, a unique lysosomal storage disorder, shows early and severe manifestation in the central nervous system. The neuron-specific roles of disease-associated proteins are not well understood. This study demonstrates significant overlap in protein interactomes of three transmembrane Batten proteins (CLN3, CLN6, and CLN8), leading to synaptic depletion of key partners and altered synaptic SNARE complexing, suggesting a novel shared etiology.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Elisa Cali, Clarissa Rocca, Vincenzo Salpietro, Henry Houlden
Summary: SNAREs are a heterogeneous family of proteins involved in synaptic vesicle exocytosis and transmission, with mutations in associated genes leading to a spectrum of neurological conditions known as SNAREopathies. These conditions range from simple febrile seizures to severe early-onset epileptic encephalopathies. Research focuses on the core SNARE proteins and related regulators in delineating epileptic phenotypes.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Dany Khalifeh, Emilie Neveu, Dirk Fasshauer
Summary: Many intracellular pathogens, including bacteria and large viruses, modify vesicle trafficking within host cells to avoid degradation. Recent studies have found SNARE proteins, which are core machinery for vesicle fusion, encoded in the genomes of pathogenic bacteria and giant viruses. These findings suggest that both bacteria and viruses interfere with host vesicle trafficking and utilize a repertoire of trafficking factors.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ting Li, Dingyi Lu, Chengcheng Yao, Tingting Li, Hua Dong, Zhan Li, Guang Xu, Jiayi Chen, Hao Zhang, Xiaoyu Yi, Haizhen Zhu, Guangqin Liu, Kaiqing Wen, Haixin Zhao, Jun Gao, Yakun Zhang, Qiuying Han, Teng Li, Weina Zhang, Jie Zhao, Tao Li, Zhaofang Bai, Moshi Song, Xinhua He, Tao Zhou, Qing Xia, Ailing Li, Xin Pan
Summary: The research reveals the crucial role of KANSL1 gene in modulating autophagosome-lysosome fusion and identifies 13-cis retinoic acid as a potential treatment for mitophagic defects and neurobehavioral abnormalities in mice lacking Kansl1.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hong Huang, Qinqin Ouyang, Min Zhu, Haijia Yu, Kunrong Mei, Rong Liu
Summary: The study reveals that mTORC1 inhibits SNARE complex formation by phosphorylating VAMP8, thus blocking autophagosome-lysosome fusion. SCFD1 is identified as a crucial protein in autolysosomes required for SNARE complex formation and autophagosome-lysosome fusion.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Annemiek A. van Berkel, Tatiana C. Santos, Hesho Shaweis, Jan R. T. van Weering, Ruud F. Toonen, Matthijs Verhage
Summary: Loss of the exocytic protein MUNC18-1 or its target-SNARE partners SNAP25 and syntaxin-1 leads to rapid, cell-autonomous neurodegeneration, with abnormalities observed in cis-, medial-, and trans-Golgi compartments. While anterograde transport pathways remain intact, deficiencies in retrograde transport to the Golgi may explain the observed cellular abnormalities and cell death in MUNC18-1-deficient neurons.
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Fajuan Tang, Dongqiong Xiao, Lin Chen, Hu Gao, Xihong Li
Summary: Munc18-1 plays a crucial role in regulating synaptic vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter release, as well as in neurosynaptic plasticity, neurodevelopment, and neuroendocrine cell release functions. Aberrant expression of Munc18-1 is implicated in the pathogenesis of various neurological diseases.
MOLECULAR MEDICINE REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yukiya Ohnishi, Daisuke Tsuji, Kohji Itoh
Summary: This study demonstrates that oxidative stress inhibits endocytosis and reduces the lysosomal localization of VAMP8, an autophagy-related SNARE protein, in a human neuroblastoma cell line. Moreover, oxidative stress also blocks the fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes. This research suggests that the oxidative stress-induced inhibition of VAMP8 trafficking to lysosomes is associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases due to impaired autophagy.
BIOLOGICAL & PHARMACEUTICAL BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Johannes Luppe, Heinrich Sticht, Francois Lecoquierre, Alice Goldenberg, Kathleen M. Gorman, Ben Molloy, Emanuele Agolini, Antonio Novelli, Silvana Briuglia, Outi Kuismin, Carlo Marcelis, Antonio Vitobello, Anne-Sophie Denomme-Pichon, Sophie Julia, Johannes R. Lemke, Rami Abou Jamra, Konrad Platzer
Summary: The study identified eight individuals with ultra rare variants in STX1A who presented with a spectrum of intellectual disability, autism, and epilepsy. The phenotypic course varied depending on the type of variant, with missense variants mainly causing epilepsy and single amino acid deletions and the splice variant causing intellectual disability and autistic behavior. In silico modeling showed different impaired protein-protein interactions for missense variants and single amino acid deletions. These findings suggest two different pathogenic mechanisms underlying STX1A-related neurodevelopmental disorders.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ifigeneia Mavranezouli, Jo Varley-Campbell, Sarah Stockton, Jennifer Francis, Clare Macdonald, Sunita Sharma, Peter Fleming, Elizabeth Punter, Charlotte Barry, Maija Kallioinen, Nina Khazaezadeh, David Jewell
Summary: Breastfeeding interventions in the UK are not cost-effective under current criteria.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Demitre Serletis, Carling MacDonald, Qi Xu, Colin J. Kazina, Shyamala Dakshinamurti, Samantha Marin, Marc R. Del Bigio
Summary: This report presents a rare case of hemimegalencephaly and concomitant tuberous sclerosis complex with severe neonatal-onset epilepsy. The patient underwent a successful anatomical hemispherectomy at a very young age. Although the seizures initially stopped post-operatively, they recurred and required ongoing medication treatment.
CHILDS NERVOUS SYSTEM
(2022)
Letter
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Conor James MacDonald, Pauline Frenoy
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jamil N. Kanji, Nathan Zelyas, Kanti Pabbaraju, David Granger, Anita Wong, Stephanie A. Murphy, Emily Buss, Clayton MacDonald, Byron M. Berenger, Mathew A. Diggle, Natalie C. Marshall, John M. Conly, Graham Tipples
Summary: This study reviewed 4,818 samples positive for SARS-CoV-2 and found that coinfections with other respiratory viruses were uncommon, with enterovirus or rhinovirus being the most prevalent coinfecting viruses.
INFECTION CONTROL AND HOSPITAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Gavin D. Perkins, Chen Ji, Bronwen A. Connolly, Keith Couper, Ranjit Lall, J. Kenneth Baillie, Judy M. Bradley, Paul Dark, Chirag Dave, Anthony De Soyza, Anna Dennis, Anne Devrell, Sara Fairbairn, Hakim Ghani, Ellen A. Gorman, Christopher A. Green, Nicholas Hart, Siew Wan Hee, Zoe Kimbley, Shyam Madathil, Nicola McGowan, Benjamin Messer, Jay Naisbitt, Chloe Norman, Dhruv Parekh, Emma M. Parkin, Jaimin Patel, Scott E. Regan, Clare Ross, Anthony J. Rostron, Mohammad Saim, Anita K. Simonds, Emma Skilton, Nigel Stallard, Michael Steiner, Rama Vancheeswaran, Joyce Yeung, Daniel F. McAuley
Summary: Among patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure due to COVID-19, an initial strategy of CPAP significantly reduced the risk of tracheal intubation or mortality compared with conventional oxygen therapy, but there was no significant difference between an initial strategy of HFNO compared with conventional oxygen therapy. The study may have been underpowered for the comparison of HFNO vs conventional oxygen therapy, and early study termination and crossover among the groups should be considered when interpreting the findings.
JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Kamilla M. E. Laidlaw, Katherine M. Paine, Daniel D. Bisinski, Grant Calder, Karen Hogg, Sophia Ahmed, Sally James, Peter J. O'Toole, Chris MacDonald
Summary: Cell surface protein trafficking is regulated in response to nutrient availability. Recycling of internalized protein and lipid cargoes is attenuated during glucose starvation, potentially due to changes in endosomal PI3K activity and the involvement of Gpa2.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Haiyang Zhang, Amber C. Churchill, Ian C. Anderson, Chioma Igwenagu, Sally A. Power, Jonathan M. Plett, Catriona A. Macdonald, Elise Pendall, Yolima Carrillo, Jeff R. Powell
Summary: This study assessed the variation in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in symbiotic fungi and a host plant in response to experimental warming and drought. The results showed that climate change exacerbated fungal phosphorus accumulation and modified the composition of symbiotic fungal communities.
Article
Plant Sciences
Amber C. Churchill, Haiyang Zhang, Kathryn J. Fuller, Burhan Amiji, Ian C. Anderson, Craig V. M. Barton, Yolima Carrillo, Karen L. M. Catunda, Manjunatha H. Chandregowda, Chioma Igwenagu, Vinod Jacob, Gil Won Kim, Catriona A. Macdonald, Belinda E. Medlyn, Ben D. Moore, Elise Pendall, Jonathan M. Plett, Alison K. Post, Jeff R. Powell, David T. Tissue, Mark G. Tjoelker, Sally A. Power
Summary: Shifts in climate extremes can have significant impacts on rangelands and managed pastures. The PACE experiment in Southeast Australia showed that winter/spring drought and elevated temperature decreased pasture productivity, particularly for C-4 grasses. Warming also negatively affected cool-season productivity. Overall, future warmer and drier climates will have profound implications for the livestock industry and natural grazer communities.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ozren Polasek, Kerri Wazny, Davies Adeloye, Peige Song, Kit Y. Chan, Danladi A. Bojude, Sajjad Ali, Sheri Bastien, Francisco Becerra-Posada, Florencia Borrescio-Higa, Sohaila Cheema, Darien A. Cipta, Smiljana Cvjetkovic, Lina D. Castro, Bassey Ebenso, Omolade Femi-Ajao, Balasankar Ganesan, Anton Glasnovic, Longtao He, Jean M. Heraud, Chinonso Igwesi-Chidobe, Per O. Iversen, Bismeen Jadoon, Abdulkarim J. Karim, Johra Khan, Raaj K. Biswas, Giuseppe Lanza, Shaun W. H. Lee, You Li, Li-Lin Liang, Mat Lowe, Mohammad M. Islam, Ana Marusic, Suleiman Mshelia, Anthony M. Manyara, Mila N. N. Htay, Michelle Parisi, Prince Peprah, Emma Sacks, Kabiru O. Akinyemi, Fariba Shahraki-Sanavi, Konstantin Sharov, Elena S. Rotarou, Srdjan Stankov, Wenang Supriyatiningsih, Benjamin T. Y. Chan, Mark Tremblay, Dialechti Tsimpida, Sandro Vento, Josipa Glasnovic, Liang Wang, Xin Wang, Zhi X. Ng, Jianrong Zhang, Yanfeng Zhang, Harry Campbell, Mickey Chopra, Simon Cousens, Goran Krstic, Calum Macdonald, Parisa Mansoori, Smruti Patel, Aziz Sheikh, Mark Tomlinson, Alexander C. Tsai, Sachiyo Yoshida, Igor Rudan
Summary: This study used the CHNRI method to identify research priorities related to COVID-19, highlighting the importance of vaccination and healthcare delivery in low- and middle-income countries. The research emphasizes the urgent need for health policy and systems research in these countries.
JOURNAL OF GLOBAL HEALTH
(2022)
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Emma C. Regan, Danqing Wang, Eunice Y. Paik, Yongxin Zeng, Long Zhang, Jihang Zhu, Allan H. MacDonald, Hui Deng, Feng Wang
Summary: This Review discusses two approaches for realizing emergent excitonic physics in two-dimensional semiconductor heterostructures: the introduction of a moire superlattice and the formation of an optical cavity.
NATURE REVIEWS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Patrick Reith, Svenja Braam, Niek Welkenhuysen, Sarah Lecinski, Jack Shepherd, Chris MacDonald, Mark C. Leake, Stefan Hohmann, Sviatlana Shashkova, Marija Cvijovic
Summary: Lithium has been shown to prolong life span in various species, but not yet in budding yeast. In this study, we investigate the influence of lithium on yeast cells' viability and find that it can extend long-term survival under glucose deprivation. We also observe that lithium affects the cellular adaptation to oxidative stress and acute glucose starvation. These findings provide novel insights into the effects of lithium on eukaryotic cells.
Article
Cell Biology
Kamilla M. E. Laidlaw, Grant Calder, Chris MacDonald
Summary: Laidlaw et al. demonstrate the mechanisms of nutrient transporter recycling, including substrate withdrawal-triggered endosomal recycling pathway and the regulatory role of ubiquitination. These mechanisms play a critical role in controlling the activity of surface membrane proteins.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Xin-Xin Fu, Rui Duan, Si-Yu Wang, Qiao-Quan Zhang, Bin Wei, Ting Huang, Peng-Yu Gong, Yan E, Teng Jiang, Ying-Dong Zhang
Summary: This study found that lamotrigine treatment can improve cognitive function and pathological damage related to Alzheimer's disease. The beneficial effects may be mediated by the regulation of specific gene expression in the brain. These results suggest that lamotrigine may be a promising therapeutic drug for Alzheimer's disease.
NEURAL REGENERATION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biology
Sarah Lecinski, Jack W. Shepherd, Kate Bunting, Lara Dresser, Steven D. Quinn, Chris MacDonald, Mark C. Leake
Summary: In this study, we explore the diffusion and molecular crowding characteristics of molecular crowding agents using super-resolved fluorescence microscopy and ensemble time-resolved spectroscopy. We first characterize them in vitro and then apply the insights to live cells. We also propose a method to internalize fluorescent beads as viscoelasticity markers in the cytoplasm of live yeast cells.