Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hiroshi Inaba, Kazusato Oikawa, Kazuya Ishikawa, Yutaka Kodama, Kazunori Matsuura, Keiji Numata
Summary: Studies on how exogenous molecules modulate properties of plant microtubules are important. Researchers developed a Tau-derived peptide (TP) that binds to microtubules and modulates their properties. They generated transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing TP-fused superfolder GFP (sfGFP-TP) and studied its binding properties and effects on plant microtubules. The expressed sfGFP-TP binds to plant microtubules without inhibiting plant growth and can stabilize microtubules under depolymerizing conditions. This study provides a new tool for analyzing and modulating plant microtubules.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mitali Shah, Leeba Ann Chacko, Joel P. Joseph, Vaishnavi Ananthanarayanan
Summary: The ability of mitochondria to undergo fission and fusion, and to be transported and anchored within a cell relies heavily on the cytoskeletal filaments, particularly microtubules, F-actin, and intermediate filaments. The dynamic relationship between the cytoskeleton and mitochondria shapes the form and position of the mitochondria, ultimately influencing the functioning of the cell.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Tobias M. Hain, Michal Bykowski, Matthias Saba, Myfanwy E. Evans, Gerd E. Schroeder-Turk, Lucja Kowalewska
Summary: Bicontinuous membranes in cell organelles demonstrate nature's ability to create complex nanostructures, with the SPIRE tool being able to accurately identify and analyze their features. Studying the structure of etioplasts reveals insights into storage capacities with different volume proportions and the role of plastid ribosome localization in their functioning.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kai Xu, Ning Li, Yiwen Zhang, Shenghua Gao, Yanxu Yin, Minghua Yao, Fei Wang
Summary: Through genome-wide identification, we identified and studied 18 members of the pepper FtsH family, including 5 FtsHi members. We found that CaFtsH1 and CaFtsH8 play important roles in pepper chloroplast development and photosynthesis. We discovered that CaFtsH1 and CaFtsH8 proteins are located in chloroplasts and specifically expressed in pepper green tissues. Silencing of CaFtsH1 and CaFtsH8 resulted in albino leaf phenotypes and downregulation of chloroplast-related gene expression.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Sarah Lensch, Michael H. Herschl, Connor H. Ludwig, Joydeb Sinha, Michaela M. Hinks, Adi Mukund, Taihei Fujimori, Lacramioara Bintu
Summary: This study systematically investigates gene coupling in mammalian cells and finds that gene silencing and reactivation can act at a distance, involving histone modification and chromatin regulator recruitment. The configuration of insulator elements also plays a role in this process.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Valerie Campanacci, Agathe Urvoas, Liza Ammar Khodja, Magali Aumont-Nicaise, Magali Noiray, Sylvie Lachkar, Patrick A. Curmi, Philippe Minard, Benoit Gigant
Summary: The study demonstrates the binding of CPAP's PN2-3 domain with tubulin and the similarity in binding mode with fungal and bacterial inhibitors. This finding uncovers the characteristic features of cellular partners binding to this site and highlights the structural convergence of CPAP with small-molecule inhibitors.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Hao Yuan, Tao Wang, Tong Zhu, Zhihui Feng, Fei Wang, Yupeng Tian, Liulin Xiong, Xiaohe Tian
Summary: Interactions between lipid droplets (LDs) and mitochondria are crucial for beta-oxidation and fatty acid (FA) storage. Studying these interactions using fluorescent dyes often faces limitations such as low signal-to-noise ratios and overlapping spectra. To overcome this issue, a series of rare earth complexes named Eu(TTA)(3)-L1-3 were developed. In particular, Eu(TTA)(3)-L3, which changes from a 'turn-off' to a 'turn-on' fluorescence state upon interacting with RNA, was successfully used to monitor changes in LDs and mitochondria under two-photon conditions during oleic acid treatment and starvation-induced autophagy. This research provides an effective tool for comprehensive study of LDs and mitochondria interaction and expands the possibilities for designing dual-targeting single fluorescent probes.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY FRONTIERS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Tingyan Cao, Minghui Qin, Shuai Zhu, Yuanbao Li
Summary: This study characterized a LIM protein, GhWLIM1C, in upland cotton and found that it plays a crucial role in plant pathogen defense through actin cytoskeleton assembly and gene expression regulation. Silencing of GhWLIM1C decreased cotton resistance to the fungal pathogen Verticillium dahliae, which was associated with down-regulated plant defense response. These findings provide new evidence for the importance of plant LIM proteins in pathogen resistance and their relationship with actin cytoskeleton assembly.
Article
Plant Sciences
Xiuming Xu, Yingjia Shen, Yuchen Zhang, Qianying Li, Wenqing Wang, Luzhen Chen, Guangcheng Chen, Wei Lun Ng, Md Nazrul Islam, Porntep Punnarak, Hailei Zheng, Xueyi Zhu
Summary: In 2003, a new mangrove species, Kandelia obovata, was identified. This study compared the chloroplast (cp) genomes of Kandelia candel and Kandelia obovata and found that both species have 128 genes encoded in their cp genomes. However, Kandelia obovata has a larger cp genome size due to the presence of more and longer repeat sequences. These genome differences suggest possible adaptations to different environments separated by the South China Sea.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Biology
Asha Anand, Gopal Pandi
Summary: Regulation of gene expression in biological systems involves complex processes with multiple checkpoints at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and translational levels, mediated by protein factors, secondary metabolites, and noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). In plants, ncRNAs play a crucial role in modulating mRNA and protein profiles for growth and development under normal conditions, and act as key players for plant defense during adverse conditions, with chloroplasts and mitochondria being important organelles involved in maintaining cell homeostasis and gene regulation coordination.
Article
Microbiology
Kelsey M. McCoy, Keith J. Fritzsching, Ann E. McDermott
Summary: Bacterial replication relies on the cytoskeletal protein FtsZ, which forms filaments that scaffold and recruit other essential division proteins. The study demonstrates that E. coli FtsZ filaments are primarily composed of a tense conformation of the monomer, providing important insights into the structure and function of FtsZ filaments.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Zixu He, Diankai Liu, Ya Liu, Xiaohua Li, Wen Shi, Huimin Ma
Summary: A novel Golgi-targeted fluorescent probe has been developed for sensing and imaging nitric oxide (NO) in the Golgi apparatus. The probe shows accurate Golgi-targeting ability and high selectivity for NO. The study also reveals a significant increase of NO in the Golgi apparatus in an Alzheimer's disease model.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Deserah D. D. Strand, Berkley J. J. Walker
Summary: Humans have been using biology to produce valuable compounds for a long time, and biotechnology has the potential to solve urgent global problems. However, the stoichiometry of ATP and reducing equivalents produced by photosynthesis may not match the demands of synthetic metabolism, leading to inefficiency or damage. This review discusses the role of photosynthesis in the biotech industry and the energetic considerations of using it for synthetic biology.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joicymara S. Xavier, Thanh-Binh Nguyen, Malancha Karmarkar, Stephanie Portelli, Pamela M. Rezende, Joao P. L. Velloso, David B. Ascher, Douglas E. Pires
Summary: ThermoMutDB is a manually curated database containing experimental data of thermodynamic parameters for proteins, allowing users to contribute new data points and programmatically access the database via a RESTful API. It also includes corrections for annotation errors in previously curated entries, making it a valuable research tool.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vanessa Zaiatz-Bittencourt, Fiona Jones, Miriam Tosetto, Caitriona Scaife, Gerard Cagney, Evan Jones, Glen A. Doherty, Elizabeth J. Ryan
Summary: The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in regulating chronic inflammation and its involvement in the development of autoimmune diseases and cancer. Microbial short-chain fatty acids, such as butyrate, have immunomodulatory effects and are believed to mediate the host-microbiome interaction. This study demonstrates that butyrate has a strong anti-inflammatory effect on NK cells and restricts their function through downregulation of mTORC1 activity, c-Myc mRNA expression, and metabolism.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Arnaud Germain, Dinesh K. Barupal, Susan M. Levine, Maureen R. Hanson
Review
Plant Sciences
Andrew B. Gipson, Ludovic Giloteaux, Maureen R. Hanson, Stephane Bentolila
Letter
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maureen R. Hanson, Arnaud Germain
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Ludovic Giloteaux, Adam O'Neal, Jesus Castro-Marrero, Susan M. Levine, Maureen R. Hanson
JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2020)
Review
Plant Sciences
Maureen R. Hanson, Patricia L. Conklin
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stephane Bentolila, Andrew B. Gipson, Alexander J. Kehl, Lauren N. Hamm, Michael L. Hayes, R. Michael Mulligan, Maureen R. Hanson
Summary: The study revealed the functional role of the RanBP2 zinc finger domain in plant organelle splicing, with OZ2 promoting the splicing of mitochondrial nad genes and rps3 transcripts, affecting the stability of complex I and respiratory ability of oz2 mutants, thereby impacting plant development.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Andrew B. Gipson, Maureen R. Hanson, Stephane Bentolila
Summary: OZ1 is a crucial protein involved in multiple RNA editing events in the chloroplast, interacting primarily with PPR proteins through its Znf domains and unique C-terminal region. Truncation assays of OZ1 revealed the necessity of its Znf domains for restoring chloroplast RNA editing in vivo, highlighting their key role in the editing process and interaction with RNA-binding factors like ORRM1. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the chloroplast plant editosome model.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Myat T. Lin, Heidi Salihovic, Frances K. Clark, Maureen R. Hanson
Summary: We developed a computational workflow to assemble Rubisco enzyme subunits from transcriptomics data and predicted ancestral Rubiscos of the Solanaceae family. Our findings identified superior ancestral Rubiscos with improved kinetics for C-3 plants, which have the potential to help plants adapt to anthropogenic climate change. This study also advanced our understanding of the evolution of Rubisco's catalytic traits.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jessica Maya, Sabrina M. Leddy, C. Gunnar Gottschalk, Daniel L. Peterson, Maureen R. Hanson
Summary: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a disabling multisystem illness characterized by fatigue, inflammatory symptoms, cognitive dysfunction, and post-exertional malaise. This study found that ME/CFS patients have altered fatty acid metabolism in immune cells, specifically Natural Killer cells, CD4+ T cells, and CD8+ T cells. These metabolic shifts may impact T and NK cell effector function and shed light on the mechanism of action of the illness.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katherine A. Glass, Arnaud Germain, Yuhsin V. Huang, Maureen R. Hanson
Summary: The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the changes in urine metabolome between ME/CFS patients and healthy subjects following exertion. The results showed that there were no significant changes in urine metabolome of ME/CFS patients during recovery, while significant changes were observed in healthy subjects, suggesting a lack of adaptation to severe stress in ME/CFS patients.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Ludovic Giloteaux, Jiayin Li, Mady Hornig, W. Ian Lipkin, David Ruppert, Maureen R. R. Hanson
Summary: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex disease characterized by unexplained fatigue and other symptoms. This study found increased levels of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and IL2 cytokine in plasma of ME/CFS patients. The correlations between specific proteins and clinical data suggest immune response and hemostasis dysfunctions in ME/CFS.
JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Geoffrey E. Moore, Betsy A. Keller, Jared Stevens, Xiangling Mao, Staci R. Stevens, John K. Chia, Susan M. Levine, Carl J. Franconi, Maureen R. Hanson
Summary: This study aimed to quantify the duration of post-exertional malaise (PEM) symptoms. Using the Symptom Severity Scale (SSS), the severity and duration of PEM symptoms in ME/CFS patients and healthy controls were assessed. The results showed a significantly prolonged recovery time in ME/CFS patients, with an average of about two weeks, compared to only two days in the control group. These data provide valuable insights for understanding and managing exercise-induced symptoms in ME/CFS patients.
MEDICINA-LITHUANIA
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adam J. O'Neal, Katherine A. Glass, Christopher J. Emig, Adela A. Vitug, Steven J. Henry, Dikoma C. Shungu, Xiangling Mao, Susan M. Levine, Maureen R. Hanson
Summary: This study investigates the presence of an infectious trigger and immune dysregulation in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Although the specific pathogen cannot be identified, the results reveal sex-based differences in steady-state humoral immunity in both patients and healthy controls.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Vishalsingh R. Chaudhari, Maureen R. Hanson
Summary: This study presents an improved method that combines the features of BioBricks and Golden Gate techniques, utilizing Type IIS enzymes to achieve faster and more efficient assembly with reduced scarring, decreased library size, and user input. Additionally, it enables faster assembly of operon-style constructs, a feature that requires extensive workaround in Golden Gate.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Arnaud Germain, Susan M. Levine, Maureen R. Hanson
Summary: By utilizing a proteomics approach, significant differences were found in the levels of 19 proteins related to extracellular matrix, immune system, and cell-cell communication pathways between ME/CFS patients and controls. The study highlights the importance of the ephrin pathway in ME/CFS development.