Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marie Kostelanska, Karel Holada
Summary: In this study, the efficiency of three phthalocyanine derivatives in photodynamic treatment of seven mouse adapted prion strains originating from different species was investigated. The results showed that the susceptibility of the prion strains to photodynamic oxidative elimination of PrPTSE epitopes varied, and the efficiency of the phthalocyanine derivatives in epitope elimination also differed. This suggests that the structural properties of both the phthalocyanine and the PrPTSE strain may affect the effectiveness of photodynamic prion inactivation.
Article
Microbiology
Juan Carlos Espinosa, Olivier Andreoletti, Alba Marin-Moreno, Severine Lugan, Patricia Aguilar-Calvo, Herve Cassard, Patricia Lorenzo, Jean-Yves Douet, Ana Villa-Diaz, Naima Aron, Irene Prieto, Alvina Huor, Juan Maria Torres
Summary: This study shows that interference with prion propagation in a host expressing two different prion protein genes is related to the transmissibility of the prion in the host expressing only the interfering prion protein. The interference detected occurs in a prion strain-dependent manner and favors the propagation of the murine PrP allele. These findings suggest that host-specific factors may play a role in interfering with prion propagation in addition to the PrP amino acid sequence.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Simone Baiardi, Angela Mammana, Sofia Dellavalle, Marcello Rossi, Veronica Redaelli, Elisa Colaizzo, Giuseppe Di Fede, Anna Ladogana, Sabina Capellari, Piero Parchi
Summary: The study systematically characterized the clinical and histo-molecular features of the MV2 subtype with kuru plaques in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. They evaluated the neurological histories, biomarkers, MRI and EEG results of 126 patients and found that the MV2K subtype has distinct features, including a longer disease duration, prominent cerebellar symptoms, and positive cerebrospinal fluid tests. The use of real-time quaking-induced conversion assay and brain diffusion-weighted MRI can improve early clinical diagnosis in most patients.
Review
Cell Biology
Alyssa J. Block, Jason C. Bartz
Summary: Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders that affect various mammalian species. Different strains of prions exist with distinct characteristics. The development of the prion hypothesis challenged the conventional understanding of infectious agents. The prevailing hypothesis suggests that strain-specific conformation of PrPSc encodes prion strain diversity.
CELL AND TISSUE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Ignazio Cali, Juan Carlos Espinosa, Satish K. Nemani, Alba Marin-Moreno, Manuel V. Camacho, Rabail Aslam, Tetsuyuki Kitamoto, Brian S. Appleby, Juan Maria Torres, Pierluigi Gambetti
Summary: Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease can be classified into different subtypes associated with genotypes and PrPD types. The three molecular profiles of T1 present unique characteristics, raising the question of whether T1(20) and T1(21) represent distinct prion strains.
ACTA NEUROPATHOLOGICA COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Szymon W. Manka, Adam Wenborn, John Collinge, Jonathan D. F. Wadsworth
Summary: Mammalian prions are deadly transmissible pathogens that cause neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals. There are still important gaps in our understanding of prion biology, including the replication mechanisms, molecular basis of prion strains and inter-species transmission barriers, and the structural definition of neurotoxic PrP species. Recent advances in cryo-electron microscopy have made it possible to determine the structures of ex vivo prion fibrils, providing a foundation for understanding prion strain diversity.
CELL AND TISSUE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Dongdong Yin, Lei Yin, Hao Guo, Jieru Wang, Xuehuai Shen, Ruihong Zhao, Xiaocheng Pan, Yin Dai
Summary: A rapid diagnostic method for detecting PEDV was developed in this study, combining the CRISPR/Cas13a system with recombinase aided amplification. The method achieved differentiation between wild-type strains and attenuated vaccine strains. It showed high sensitivity and specificity, with visual readout for result determination.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Andrea Reis Bernardes-Engemann, Gabriela Ferreira Tomki, Vanessa Brito de Souza Rabello, Fernando Almeida-Silva, Dayvison Francis Saraiva Freitas, Maria Clara Gutierrez-Galhardo, Rodrigo Almeida-Paes, Rosely Maria Zancope-Oliveira
Summary: This study analyzed 100 Sporothrix spp. strains obtained from 1999 to 2018, and found that 13 strains were non-wild type and two strains were resistant to different drugs. Patients infected with non-wild type strains required prolonged treatment and higher doses of antifungal drugs, with one patient experiencing permanent sequelae and three patients dying from sporotrichosis.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Virology
Andy Haegeman, Ilse De Leeuw, Wannes Philips, Nick De Regge
Summary: The current epidemic in Asia caused by LSDV recombinants presents challenges to existing DIVA PCR tests, and a new duplex real-time PCR capable of differentiating Neethling-based vaccine strains from circulating wild-type strains has been developed and validated. The new assay demonstrated high diagnostic specificity and robustness, making it a promising tool for controlling the LSDV epidemic in Asia.
Review
Biology
Xiunan Yi, Hal S. Alper
Summary: The metabolic capacity of yeast strains can vary within the same species, which affects their performance in metabolic engineering. Understanding the characteristics of different strains is crucial for successful metabolic engineering applications.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Kristoffer Krogerus, Eugene Fletcher, Nils Rettberg, Brian Gibson, Richard Preiss
Summary: Yeast breeding, especially for industrial brewing yeast, is challenging due to sterile strains with complex genomes. By using the CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate specified mating type transformants, researchers successfully bred yeast hybrids with enhanced beta-lyase activity for brewing. This study highlights the power of combining modern genetic tools with traditional breeding methods for yeast development in the brewing industry.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ruben Gomez-Gutierrez, Ujjayini Ghosh, Wai-Ming Yau, Nazaret Gamez, Katherine Do, Carlos Kramm, Hamid Shirani, Laura Vegas-Gomez, Jonathan Schulz, Ines Moreno-Gonzalez, Antonia Gutierrez, K. Peter R. Nilsson, Robert Tycko, Claudio Soto, Rodrigo Morales
Summary: The study examines the seeding properties of two structurally defined synthetic misfolded Aβ strains (2F and 3F) and their different pathological features, including aggregation rates, plaque formation, tropism to specific brain regions, recruitment of different Aβ peptides, and induction of microglial and astroglial responses. Moreover, the study analyzes the atomic-level characterization of purified Aβ polymorphs and provides relevant information on the pathological significance of misfolded Aβ strains.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Airi Tarutani, Haruka Miyata, Takashi Nonaka, Kazuko Hasegawa, Mari Yoshida, Yuko Saito, Shigeo Murayama, Andrew C. Robinson, David M. A. Mann, Taisuke Tomita, Masato Hasegawa
Summary: Tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by abnormal tau inclusions. Recent studies suggest that structural differences in patient-derived tau strains underlie the diversity of tauopathies, and that seeded aggregation can mimic the pathogenesis of sporadic tauopathy in cultured cells. The disease-specific conformation of tau aggregates determines the tau isoform substrate for templated amplification and influences prion-like seeding activity.
Review
Cell Biology
Takao Ishikawa
Summary: The baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used in life sciences research. Although yeast has limitations in neuroscience applications, yeast prions share common characteristics with mammalian prion proteins, making yeast a useful system for studying these proteins. Yeast-based assays are also cost-effective and safe for researchers, providing a valuable screening tool for potential anti-prion compounds before further testing in mammalian cell systems.
NEURAL REGENERATION RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Jaime Vaquer-Alicea, Marc I. Diamond, Lukasz A. Joachimiak
Summary: Tauopathies encompass a variety of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the aggregation of tau protein in fibrillar form in the brain, strongly associated with dementia. The spread of pathological tau conformers between brain cells is similar to prion-like propagation. Research indicates that tau can indefinitely propagate in cells and exhibit distinct structures in different cases of the disease.
ACTA NEUROPATHOLOGICA
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthew E. C. Bourkas, Hamza Arshad, Zaid A. M. Al-Azzawi, Ondrej Halgas, Ronald A. Shikiya, Mohadeseh Mehrabian, Gerold Schmitt-Ulms, Jason C. Bartz, Joel C. Watts
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2019)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Saffire H. Krance, Russell Luke, Marc Shenouda, Ahmad R. Israwi, Sarah J. Colpitts, Lina Darwish, Maximilian Strauss, Joel C. Watts
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
John Q. Bettinger, Kevin A. Welle, Jennifer R. Hryhorenko, Sina Ghaemmaghami
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2020)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Heather H. C. Lau, Martin Ingelsson, Joel C. Watts
Summary: Alzheimer's disease shares considerable clinical and pathological variability with human prion diseases. A beta peptide can assemble into a spectrum of aggregate strains similar to prion protein, exhibiting key hallmarks of prion strains and potentially driving phenotypic heterogeneity in Alzheimer's disease.
ACTA NEUROPATHOLOGICA
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Cassandra M. Burke, Kenneth M. K. Mark, Daniel J. Walsh, Geoffrey P. Noble, Alexander D. Steele, Abigail B. Diack, Jean C. Manson, Joel C. Watts, Surachai Supattapone
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Kyle Swovick, Denis Firsanov, Kevin A. Welle, Jennifer R. Hryhorenko, John P. Wise, Craig George, Todd L. Sformo, Andrei Seluanov, Vera Gorbunova, Sina Ghaemmaghami
Summary: The study found that organismal life span is negatively correlated with protein turnover rates. Long-lived species have slower rates of protein turnover but can tolerate protein misfolding stress more effectively.
MOLECULAR & CELLULAR PROTEOMICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hanan Alwaseem, Simone Giovani, Michele Crotti, Kevin Welle, Craig T. Jordan, Sina Ghaemmaghami, Rudi Fasan
Summary: By utilizing a probe-based P450 fingerprinting strategy, engineered P450 catalysts were rapidly evolved for the regio- and stereoselective hydroxylation of micheliolide, resulting in a broad panel of novel analogs that provided insights into the structure-activity relationship of micheliolide's antileukemic activity. This approach also allowed for the generation of affinity probes for analyzing the protein targeting profile of micheliolide in leukemia cells through chemical proteomics analyses, leading to the discovery of new micheliolide-based antileukemic agents and an improved understanding of its mechanism of action. The study highlights the value of the P450-mediated C-H functionalization strategy for late-stage diversification and elucidation of biomolecular targets in a complex bioactive molecule.
ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hamza Arshad, Zeel Patel, Mohadeseh Mehrabian, Matthew E. C. Bourkas, Zaid A. M. Al-Azzawi, Gerold Schmitt-Ulms, Joel C. Watts
Summary: The study found that the antibiotic G418 interferes with the ability of stably transfected cultured cells to become infected with prions, suggesting a selective interference with de novo prion infection.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Hamza Arshad, Joel C. Watts
Summary: In recent years, advances in gene editing technology have allowed for the propagation of prions in immortalized cell lines from the central nervous system, expanding the range of prion strains that can be propagated in cultured cells and tissue-based models.
CELL AND TISSUE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ethan J. Walker, John Q. Bettinger, Kevin A. Welle, Jennifer R. Hryhorenko, Adrian M. Molina Vargas, Mitchell R. O'Connell, Sina Ghaemmaghami
Summary: This study provides proteome-wide evidence that the thermodynamic folding stability of proteins strongly influences the oxidation rates of buried methionine residues. These findings highlight the utility of using oxidation rates as a metric of folding stability and suggest a correlation between folding stability and optimal growth temperatures.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
John Q. Bettinger, Matthew Simon, Anatoly Korotkov, Kevin A. Welle, Jennifer R. Hryhorenko, Andrei Seluanov, Vera Gorbunova, Sina Ghaemmaghami
Summary: The oxidation of methionine is an important post-translational modification of proteins, with diverse effects on cell physiology. However, the large-scale investigation of methionine oxidation has been hindered by technical limitations. In this study, a new methodology called methionine oxidation by blocking (MobB) was developed, allowing for accurate quantification of low levels of methionine oxidation. Using this method, over 280 novel sites for in vivo methionine oxidation were identified in the brain tissues of mice. The results suggest that methionine oxidation may be a biologically regulated process rather than a result of stochastic chemical damage.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hamza Arshad, Zeel Patel, Genki Amano, Le yao Li, Zaid A. M. Al-Azzawi, Surachai Supattapone, Gerold Schmitt-Ulms, Joel C. Watts
Summary: The bank vole prion protein can act as a universal acceptor of prions from different species. Through a cell culture paradigm, it has been found that bank vole prion protein can facilitate cross-species prion replication, and a single amino acid change can alter its permissiveness to prions. This cellular model will be valuable for studying the molecular features of bank vole prion protein as a universal prion acceptor.
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ruiyue Tan, Margaret Hoare, Kevin A. Welle, Kyle Swovick, Jennifer R. Hryhorenko, Sina Ghaemmaghami
Summary: The folding of proteins during translation while bound to the ribosome is not well understood. This study developed a method using mass spectrometry to measure the stability of nascent polypeptide chains. The results showed that the ribosome significantly influences the stability of the nascent polypeptides, with variations depending on different folding domains and localized charge distributions within the polypeptides. The study suggests that electrostatic interactions between the ribosome and nascent polypeptides play a role in these stability modulations.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yi Lin, Xiaoming Zhou, Masato Kato, Daifei Liu, Sina Ghaemmaghami, Benjamin P. Tu, Steven L. McKnight
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2020)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
John Bettinger, Sina Ghaemmaghami
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ankita Chadda, Alexander G. Kozlov, Binh Nguyen, Timothy M. Lohman, Eric A. Galburt
Summary: In this study, it was found that the DNA damage response in Mycobacterium tuberculosis differs from well-studied model bacteria. The DNA repair helicase UvrD1 in Mtb is activated through a redox-dependent process and is closely associated with the homo-dimeric Ku protein. Additionally, Ku protein is shown to stimulate the helicase activity of UvrD1.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2024)