Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sergi Rodriguez-Calado, Petra Van Damme, Francesc Xavier Aviles, Ana Paula Candiota, Sebastian Tanco, Julia Lorenzo
Summary: The cellular role of CCP6 was assessed using BioID, and 37 putative interactors of CCP6 were identified. CCP6 was found to be present in the pericentriolar material and involved in centrosome and centriole functions, as well as in the formation and maintenance of primary cilia. The CCP6 proximal partner list also included proteins associated with cilium assembly and Joubert syndrome.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Petra Van Damme, Camilla Osberg, Veronique Jonckheere, Nina Glomnes, Kris Gevaert, Thomas Arnesen, Henriette Aksnes
Summary: N-terminal acetylation of proteins is a conserved modification in eukaryotes, and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a valuable model for studying this process. The bulk of N-terminal acetylation in S. cerevisiae is catalyzed by NatA, NatB, and NatC. In this study, the authors identified 57 yeast NatC substrates using a combination of techniques. They also uncovered some non-NatC NAT activity, suggesting redundancy between NatC and NatE/Naa50. Furthermore, the authors demonstrated the evolutionary conservation of NatC from yeast to humans and its potential implications for studying pathogenic variants. Overall, this work provides valuable insights into NatC-mediated N-terminal acetylation.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Ana Teresa Pinto, Ana Beatriz Machado, Hugo Osorio, Marta Laranjeiro Pinto, Rui Vitorino, Goncalo Justino, Catia Santa, Flavia Castro, Tania Cruz, Carla Rodrigues, Jorge Lima, Jose Luis R. Sousa, Ana Patricia Cardoso, Rita Figueira, Armanda Monteiro, Margarida Marques, Bruno Manadas, Jarne Pauwels, Kris Gevaert, Marc Mareel, Sonia Rocha, Tiago Duarte, Maria Jose Oliveira
Summary: Resistance to radiotherapy is a major problem in cancer treatment. Investigating the response of macrophages to ionizing radiation could help overcome tumor radio resistance.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Gianluca D'Onofrio, Claudia Cuccurullo, Silje Kathrine Larsen, Mariasavina Severino, Alessandra D'Amico, Kirsten Bronstad, Mohammed AlOwain, Jennifer L. Morrison, Patricia G. Wheeler, Bryn D. Webb, Abdullah Alfalah, Michele Iacomino, Paolo Uva, Antonietta Coppola, Giuseppe Merla, Vincenzo Damiano Salpietro, Federico Zara, Pasquale Striano, Andrea Accogli, Thomas Arnesen, Leonilda Bilo
Summary: NAA20 is the catalytic subunit of the NatB complex and is involved in N-terminal acetylation of human proteome. Pathogenic biallelic variants in NAA20 have been associated with a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by cognitive impairment, microcephaly, ataxia, brain malformations, dysmorphism, and variable occurrence of cardiac defect and epilepsy. Two sisters with compound heterozygous variants in NAA20 were identified, and in vitro studies showed a reduction in NAA20 catalytic activity due to a missense variant.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Tine Claeys, Maxime Menu, Robbin Bouwmeester, Kris Gevaert, Lennart Martens
Summary: Using data from 183 public human data sets, a machine learning model was trained to identify tissue and cell-type specific protein patterns. The model achieved high accuracy in predicting tissues (98%) and cell types (99%) based on protein abundance. The results provide valuable insights into tissue-specific proteins and can be applied to various downstream applications.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Thomas Arnesen, Henriette Aksnes, Carmela Giglione
Summary: Although located at the ends of proteins, N- and C-termini play critical roles in numerous cellular functions. The International Society of Protein Termini (ISPT) has been formed recently, indicating the increasing interest from scientists in this field. The Protein Termini 2022 conference brought together an interdisciplinary community to discuss the impact of protein ends on protein functionality.
TRENDS IN BIOCHEMICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Thomas Arnesen, Henriette Aksnes
Summary: This study identified ACTMAP as the dedicated actin aminopeptidase and showed that its absence is associated with abnormal muscle physiology.
TRENDS IN BIOCHEMICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Naomi Stuer, Petra Van Damme, Sofie Goormachtig, Judith Van Dingenen
Summary: Both pathogenic and symbiotic microorganisms can manipulate the immune response and physiology of their host by releasing effector proteins. Recent studies challenge the conventional notion that effectors are secreted proteins translocated by primary amino acid sequence motifs, and propose unconventional secretion and effector structures. Additionally, advanced proteomics approaches offer potential for the comprehensive characterization of fungal and oomycete effectomes.
TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Joren De Ryck, Petra Van Damme, Sofie Goormachtig
Summary: The type III secretion system (T3SS) is a well-studied pathogenicity determinant used by bacteria to translocate effectors (T3Es) into host cells for immune evasion and niche establishment. This article explores different approaches to functionally characterize T3Es, including host localization studies, virulence screenings, biochemical activity assays, and large-scale omics studies. Using Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC) as a case study, the advances in these methods and understanding of effector biology are discussed. Complementary data obtained from these methods offer crucial insights into the entire function of effectors and contribute to a better understanding of phytopathogens, presenting opportunities for tackling them.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andreia Ferreira, Evy Timmerman, An Staes, Marnik Vuylsteke, Louis De Muynck, Kris Gevaert
Summary: By using affinity-enrichment mass spectrometry, we identified novel potential protein ligands that may interact with (3S-)HS. Our dataset expands the repertoire of proteins that depend on 3S-HS in (patho)physiological conditions, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms involved.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Sylvia Varland, Kirsten Marie Bronstad, Stephanie J. Skinner, Thomas Arnesen
Summary: Researchers have identified a new NAA30 gene variant that disrupts the protein's N-terminal acetyltransferase activity. This finding suggests that NAA30 gene mutations may be associated with genetic diseases.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS PART A
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Henriette Aksnes, Nina McTiernan, Thomas Arnesen
Summary: Most proteins receive an acetyl group at the N terminus through the action of N-terminal acetyltransferases (NATs) during their synthesis. This modification plays a role in various aspects of protein functionality, as shown in studies of NAT-lacking cells. Recent genetic cases have highlighted the crucial roles of N-terminal acetylation in human physiology and pathology. In this overview, we discuss the properties, substrate coverage, cellular roles, and connections to human disease of human NAT enzymes.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Ursula Fels, Patrick Willems, Margaux De Meyer, Kris Gevaert, Petra Van Damme
Summary: By applying dual proteome profiling, this study obtained a detailed and holistic proteomic perspective on host-pathogen interactions during Salmonella infection. Data-independent acquisition (DIA) proteomics outperformed data-dependent acquisition (DDA) in identifying the downregulated bacterial proteome response during early stages of infection. This study revealed specific proteomic signatures and interdependent host/pathogen responses, as well as potential novel infection markers and signaling responses.
Review
Microbiology
Laure Simoens, Igor Fijalkowski, Petra Van Damme
Summary: The development of genomic techniques has expanded our understanding of the diversity and richness of prokaryotic genomes. Recent studies have revealed the existence of small open reading frames (sORFs) encoding small proteins in bacterial genomes and highlighted their important biological roles. However, there are still many challenges to fully understand these small proteins.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2023)