Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuhei Araiso, Kenichiro Imai, Toshiya Endo
Summary: Mitochondria play a crucial role in energy production, metabolism, signaling, and apoptosis. The cell relies on translocators in the mitochondrial membranes to import mitochondrial proteins from the cytosol. Recent high-resolution structures have provided insights into the pathways and exits for the translocation of mitochondrial precursor proteins.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Vivek Kumar, Archana Chugh
Summary: In this study, a novel peptide-based macromolecule delivery strategy targeting chloroplasts was successfully developed, offering advantages such as non-invasiveness, biocompatibility, low-toxicity, and target-specific delivery.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Manuel Osorio-Valeriano, Florian Altegoer, Chandan K. Das, Wieland Steinchen, Gael Panis, Lara Connolley, Giacomo Giacomelli, Helge Feddersen, Laura Corrales-Guerrero, Pietro I. Giammarinaro, Juri Hanssmann, Marc Bramkamp, Patrick H. Viollier, Sean Murray, Lars V. Schaefer, Gert Bange, Martin Thanbichler
Summary: ParB-like CTPases play a key role in the segregation of bacterial chromosomes and low-copy number plasmids by forming large nucleoprotein complexes across the centromere. CTP hydrolysis helps limit the sliding time of ParB clamps and establish a diffusion gradient critical for DNA segregation. Understanding the CTPase cycle of ParB advances our knowledge of this prototypic CTP-dependent molecular switch.
Review
Plant Sciences
Keisuke Yoshida, Toru Hisabori
Summary: Thiol/disulfide-based redox regulation is a common post-translational protein modification in plant chloroplasts, tightly associated with the light-induced activation of photosynthetic enzymes. The thioredoxin-mediated pathway has long been recognized as the fundamental machinery of chloroplast redox regulation, but recent studies have revealed the presence of multiple Trx isoforms and Trx-like proteins, as well as potential redox regulation targets among chloroplast enzymes. The discovery of novel redox-regulated processes and functional diversity in the Trx family proteins has shed new light on the molecular basis and physiological importance of this redox regulation system in chloroplasts.
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Lihui Zhao, Miaomiao Teng, Xiaoli Zhao, Yunxia Li, Jiaqi Sun, Wentian Zhao, Yuefei Ruan, Kenneth M. Y. Leung, Fengchang Wu
Summary: Legacy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have raised concerns due to their widespread presence in the environment and potential hazards to wildlife and human health. Although there are increasing numbers of effective PFAS alternatives, these alternatives also pose new challenges. This paper reviews how PFASs bind to transport proteins, nuclear receptors, and membranes, and discusses the variations in affinity for endogenous proteins introduced by structural features of PFAS alternatives. The toxic effects and mechanisms of action of legacy PFASs can be compared with their alternatives using binding models, and future studies should integrate in vitro experiments and in silico quantitative structure-activity relationship modeling for better toxicity predictions.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Denes Berta, Sascha Gehrke, Kinga Nyiri, Beata G. Vertessy, Edina Rosta
Summary: This study reveals the mechanism of GTP hydrolysis catalyzed by the Ras.GAP complex and determines the reaction pathways of oncogenic Ras mutants. A fast and accurate program is designed to design GAP mutants that activate G12D Ras, and a machine learning model is built for ultrafast screening. This work provides a method for designing protein sequences with enhanced catalytic activity and predicts that some GAP mutants can reactivate oncogenic G12D.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Praneeth Bommisetti, Vahe Bandarian
Summary: This study provides critical insights into the biochemical mechanism underlying tRNA modification by the MnmEG. The formation of a flavin-iminium intermediate, FAD[N-5 & boxH;CH2](+), was identified as the central step in the MnmEG reaction, and it was demonstrated to be the universal intermediate for all MnmEG homologues. Additionally, a stable RNA-protein complex, possibly noncovalent in nature, was discovered.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ridhima Gomkale, Andreas Linden, Piotr Neumann, Alexander Benjamin Schendzielorz, Stefan Stoldt, Olexandr Dybkov, Markus Kilisch, Christian Schulz, Luis Daniel Cruz-Zaragoza, Blanche Schwappach, Ralf Ficner, Stefan Jakobs, Henning Urlaub, Peter Rehling
Summary: The TOM and TIM23 complexes facilitate the transport of nuclear-encoded proteins into the mitochondrial matrix. By using a stalled client protein, the authors purified the translocation supercomplex and gained insights into the TOM-TIM23 interface and the mechanism of protein handover from the TOM to the TIM23 complex.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sergey A. Vishnivetskiy, Elizabeth K. Huh, Preethi C. Karnam, Samantha Oviedo, Eugenia Gurevich, Vsevolod V. Gurevich
Summary: Arrestins preferentially bind phosphorylated G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) through their conserved middle loop, which directly interacts with the bound GPCR. Mutagenesis studies reveal that the middle loop primarily acts as a suppressor of binding to non-preferred forms of the receptor. Certain mutations in the middle loop enhance the binding to unphosphorylated light-activated rhodopsin, making them potential candidates for improving phosphorylation-independent arrestins. However, enhanced forms of arrestin do not bind GPCRs exactly like the wild-type protein, indicating the need for caution when interpreting the structures of arrestin-receptor complexes with different enhanced arrestin mutants and reengineered receptors.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sergey A. Vishnivetskiy, Liana D. Weinstein, Chen Zheng, Eugenia V. Gurevich, Vsevolod V. Gurevich
Summary: Arresin-1 shows selectivity for light-activated phosphorylated rhodopsin, and this selectivity is mediated by two structural elements in the molecule. In the crystal structure, there are some residues close to rhodopsin that do not belong to the selectivity mechanism. Mutations in these residues enhance binding to unphosphorylated rhodopsin and increase its selectivity for phosphorylated rhodopsin. This challenges the current model of arrestin-receptor interactions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Luyao Bao, Juan Hu, Bowen Zhan, Mingzhe Chi, Zhengyang Li, Sen Wang, Chan Shan, Zhaozhao Zhao, Yanchao Guo, Xiaoming Ding, Chaoneng Ji, Shengce Tao, Ting Ni, Xuelian Zhang, Guoping Zhao, Jixi Li
Summary: This study reports the crystal structures of RNase J from Mycobacterium tuberculosis in apo-state and complex with single strand RNA, revealing its physiological function in RNA metabolism.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xin Chai, Xiushun Wang, Liwei Rong, Manfei Luo, Li Yuan, Qiuxin Li, Baoye He, Jingjing Jiang, Daili Ji, Min Ouyang, Qingtao Lu, Lixin Zhang, Jean-David Rochaix, Wei Chi
Summary: This study reveals a previously unknown function of the inner envelope membrane-bound AAA-ATPase FtsHi1 in maintaining R-loop homeostasis in chloroplasts of Arabidopsis thaliana. It is shown that FtsHi1 acts as an ATP-dependent helicase and prevents the accumulation of R-loops by unwinding both DNA-DNA and DNA-RNA duplexes. The dual function of FtsHi1 in protein import and chloroplast gene expression suggests a mechanical link between these two processes in higher plant chloroplasts.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Katarzyna Walczewska-Szewc, Wieslaw Nowak
Summary: Commonly used techniques cannot capture the structural reorganizations of disordered regions of proteins, making it difficult to assess their functions solely based on experiments. Using computational molecular dynamics simulation methods, we studied the Kir6.2/SUR1 potassium channel and identified the dynamics of its disordered regions and their possible functions. Our research confirmed the crucial role of certain fragments in mechanical signal transfer and ligand binding, advancing our understanding of this vital complex.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL INFORMATION AND MODELING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Katarzyna Walczewska-Szewc, Wieslaw Nowak
Summary: Traditional techniques fail to capture the structural reorganizations of protein disordered regions, making it difficult to assess their functions solely based on experiments. To address this, we used computational molecular dynamics simulations to study the dynamics of disordered regions in the Kir6.2/SUR1 potassium channel. Our findings shed light on the action of this critical complex.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL INFORMATION AND MODELING
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Benjamin Grupp, Thomas Gronemeyer
Summary: Septins, the fourth component of the cytoskeleton, play essential roles in various intracellular processes. Despite their structural similarity to P-Loop NTPases, the role of nucleotide binding and GTP hydrolysis by septins is still debated.
BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sarah Rottet, Celine Besagni, Felix Kessler
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS
(2015)
Article
Plant Sciences
Juliana Almeida, Mariana da Silva Azevedo, Livia Spicher, Gaetan Glauser, Katharina vom Dorp, Luzia Guyer, Andrea del Valle Carranza, Ramon Asis, Amanda Pereira de Souza, Marcos Buckeridge, Diego Demarco, Cecile Bres, Christophe Rothan, Lazaro Eustaquio Pereira Peres, Stefan Hoertensteiner, Felix Kessler, Peter Doermann, Fernando Carrari, Magdalena Rossi
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2016)
Article
Plant Sciences
Livia Spicher, Gaetan Glauser, Felix Kessler
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2016)
Article
Plant Sciences
Sarah Rottet, Julie Devillers, Gaetan Glauser, Veronique Douet, Celine Besagni, Felix Kessler
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2016)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Monica Zufferey, Cyrille Montandon, Veronique Douet, Emilie Demarsy, Birgit Agne, Sacha Baginsky, Felix Kessler
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2017)
Article
Plant Sciences
Livia Spicher, Juliana Almeida, Katharina Gutbrod, Rosa Pipitone, Peter Doermann, Gaetan Glauser, Magdalena Rossi, Felix Kessler
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2017)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tina B. Schreier, Antoine Clery, Michael Schlaefli, Florian Galbier, Martha Stadler, Emilie Demarsy, Daniele Albertini, Benjamin A. Maier, Felix Kessler, Stefan Hoertensteiner, Samuel C. Zeeman, Oliver Koetting
Editorial Material
Biology
Felix Kessler, Paolo Longoni
Article
Biology
Sonia Accossato, Felix Kessler, Venkatasalam Shanmugabalaji
Article
Biology
Rosa Pipitone, Simona Eicke, Barbara Pfister, Gaetan Glauser, Denis Falconet, Clarisse Uwizeye, Thibaut Pralon, Samuel C. Zeeman, Felix Kessler, Emilie Demarsy
Summary: Using Serial Block Face Scanning Electron Microscopy, researchers revealed the structural changes and key stages during chloroplast differentiation. They described two distinct phases of chloroplast biogenesis: a Structure Establishment Phase and a Chloroplast Proliferation Phase, as well as the roles and regulation of proteins and lipids at different developmental stages.
Article
Biology
Sonia Ouadi, Nicolas Sierro, Simon Goepfert, Lucien Bovet, Gaetan Glauser, Armelle Vallat, Manuel C. Peitsch, Felix Kessler, Nikolai V. IVanov
Summary: This study compares the newly assembled clove genome with Eucalyptus grandis to investigate genome evolution in the Myrtaceae family and identifies potential genes involved in the biosynthesis of eugenol. The findings provide important genomic resources for clove research and the Myrtaceae family.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Luca Morelli, Salvador Torres-Montilla, Gaetan Glauser, Venkatasalam Shanmugabalaji, Felix Kessler, Manuel Rodriguez-Concepcion
Summary: The accumulation of phytonutrients in plant tissues can be enhanced by stimulating biosynthesis and providing suitable structures. Artificial chromoplasts induced by the bacterial protein crtB can accumulate high levels of carotenoids and other health-related isoprenoids. Increasing plastoglobule proliferation and reactive oxygen species production can further promote the accumulation of these metabolites and the conversion from chloroplasts to chromoplasts.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jiajia Li, Dongyan Kong, Ting Song, Zhenzhu Hu, Qiang Li, Benze Xiao, Felix Kessler, Zhengfeng Zhang, Guosheng Xie
Summary: This study revealed that OsFBN7 interacts with OsKAS Ia/Ib enzymes and promotes the clustering of Plastoglobules (PG) in chloroplasts, leading to increased levels of lipid precursors and membrane lipids. Furthermore, OsFBN7 enhances the abundance and stability of OsKAS Ia/Ib, and upregulates the expression of genes involved in PG formation. These findings propose a new model for the regulation of chloroplast and PG membrane lipids by OsFBN7.
Article
Biology
Thibaut Pralon, Venkatasalam Shanmugabalaji, Paolo Longoni, Gaetan Glauser, Brigitte Ksas, Joy Collombat, Saskia Desmeules, Michel Havaux, Giovanni Finazzi, Felix Kessler
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2019)
Review
Family Studies
Silvia Chwartzmann Halpern, Felipe Barreto Schuch, Juliana Nichterwitz Scherer, Anne Orgler Sordi, Mayra Pachado, Carla Dalbosco, Leticia Fara, Flavio Pechansky, Felix Kessler, Lisia Von Diemen
CHILD ABUSE REVIEW
(2018)