Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jie Yang, Huaizhou Jin, Yihao Liu, Yaya Guo, Yongli Zhang
Summary: Munc18 chaperones play a key role in mediating membrane fusion between vesicles and plasma membranes. Recent studies have revealed that Munc18-1 and Munc18-3 form ternary complexes with their cognate SNAREs, which facilitate the binding of SNAP-25 or SNAP-23 to conclude SNARE assembly. This study provides further insights into the structure, dynamics, and function of these template complexes. Our findings demonstrate that a highly dynamic template complex mediates efficient and specific SNARE assembly.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Md Mofizur Rahman, Mohammed A. Abosheasha, Yoshihiro Ito, Motoki Ueda
Summary: Peptide-lipid hybrid vesicles were prepared by incorporating complementary DNA strands in their lipid domains. Controlled fusion of the vesicles was induced through hybridization of the complementary DNA strands during repeated heating and cooling cycles. The decrease in Forster resonance energy transfer efficiency and transmission electron microscopy analysis confirmed the presence of vesicle fusion. This approach provides a general strategy for the creation of polymersomes with membrane-fusion functionality.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Bence Feher, Levena Gascoigne, Sanne N. Giezen, Ilja K. Voets
Summary: Membrane fusion plays a vital role in biological processes such as cellular uptake, cell communication, and RNA delivery. This study focuses on the role of coiled-coil (CC) peptides, particularly the E-K complex, in membrane fusion. By substituting lysine amino acids with arginine at different positions in the peptide sequence, the researchers found that increasing the amount of arginine enhances the peptide's affinity to the membrane. Molecular dynamics simulations and coarse-grained simulations also showed that the interaction between the peptides and the membrane triggers increased membrane curvature without disrupting lipid packing. Furthermore, all modified peptides retained the ability to form CC complexes with E peptides. The findings suggest that the positioning of arginine is critical when designing CC fusion peptides. Peptides with arginines located at the N-terminus exhibit greater affinity to the lipid membrane. Introducing arginine into CC peptide sequences can enhance binding affinity to the membrane and may lead to more effective CC fusion peptides than the E-K complexes.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kirill Grushin, R. Venkat Kalyana Sundaram, Charles Sindelar, James E. Rothman
Summary: This study presents cryo-EM crystal structures of the core domain of Munc13, shedding light on the assembly mechanism of SNARE complexes and providing crucial insights into the function of synaptic vesicles.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Xinquan Yang, Weifeng Tu, Xuzhu Gao, Qi Zhang, Jinping Guan, Junlong Zhang
Summary: The mechanism of neuroendocrine cell exocytosis is regulated by multiple factors, including SNARE protein complexes, proteins, lipids, protein kinases, drugs, and toxins. Syntaxin-1 plays a crucial role in neuroendocrine cell exocytosis, and the accurate and rapid binding of syntaxin-1 to other SNARE proteins promotes membrane fusion. Investigating syntaxin-1 mutation-associated diseases could provide novel mechanistic therapeutic targets for the treatment of neuroendocrine disorders.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marcos Vilela-Picos, Federica Novelli, Antia Pazo, Alejandro Mendez-Ardoy, Giulia Marafon, Manuel Amorin, Alessandro Moretto, Juan R. Granja
Summary: Cyclic peptides containing a 0-unsaturated amino acid can switch between monomeric form and self-assembled peptide nanotube structures upon light irradiation. This process is controlled by reversible E-Z isomerization of the unsaturated 0-amino acid and is also influenced by pH. The light-driven assembly process can be induced in a confined environment and the resulting nanotubes have self-fusiogenic properties.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mikhail Khvotchev, Mikhail Soloviev
Summary: In this review, the recent advances in the development of functional peptides that can modify SNARE-binding interfaces and modulate SNARE function are discussed. The authors evaluate two systems based on peptide-nucleic acids (PNAs) and coiled coil peptides, and review how the self-assembly of SNARE motifs can be used to drive the assembly of complex re-engineered polypeptides.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hasan Ucar, Satoshi Watanabe, Jun Noguchi, Yuichi Morimoto, Yusuke Iino, Sho Yagishita, Noriko Takahashi, Haruo Kasai
Summary: The study reveals that fine and transient pushing of presynaptic boutons can significantly enhance the release of glutamate and the assembly of SNARE proteins, with effects persisting for more than 20 minutes. This enhancement is independent of cytosolic calcium, but relies on the assembly of SNARE proteins and actin polymerization in the boutons.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sho Takamori, Pietro Cicuta, Shoji Takeuchi, Lorenzo Di Michele
Summary: DNA-assisted selective electrofusion (DASE) utilizes membrane-anchored DNA constructs to bring together objects for fusion, and an electric impulse is applied to trigger fusion, combining the efficiency of standard electrofusion and the selectivity of fusogenic nanostructures.
Article
Cell Biology
Yaru Hu, Le Zhu, Cong Ma
Summary: The study demonstrates that structural changes in the juxtamembrane linker region of synaptobrevin-2 impact liposome fusion differently depending on the insertion position relative to conserved tryptophan residues. Proper helical extension and positioning of the tryptophan residues at the membrane interface are crucial for initiating membrane merger. Additionally, the tight coupling between SNARE motif and the transmembrane region of synaptobrevin-2 is necessary for liposome fusion regulated by Munc18-1 and Munc13-1.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Maximilian Peer, Hua Yuan, Yubo Zhang, Katharina Korbula, Peter Novick, Gang Dong
Summary: Exocytosis is an active process in which eukaryotes secrete materials and insert membrane proteins into the plasma membrane. In yeast, the final step of exocytosis involves the assembly of two t-SNAREs with a v-SNARE on secretory vesicles. The recruitment of Sso2 to the vesicle-docking site marked by Sec3 is an important aspect of this process. This study reveals the crystal structure of the Sec3 PH domain in complex with Sso2, providing insights into the interaction between these proteins and their role in driving fusion of secretory vesicles.
Article
Cell Biology
Chuqi Liu, Dexiang Liu, Shen Wang, Lu Gan, Xiangliang Yang, Cong Ma
Summary: Exosomes play crucial roles in cellular communication and tumorigenesis. This study identifies SNARE proteins as the key regulators of exosome secretion in breast cancer cells and demonstrates their conserved function in different cancer types. Furthermore, targeting VAMP-7 may hold promise as a therapeutic strategy for breast cancer.
JOURNAL OF EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yousef Bagheri, Ahsan Ausaf Ali, Puspam Keshri, James Chambers, Anne Gershenson, Mingxu You
Summary: A new DNA-based probe called DNA Zipper was introduced in this study, which enables imaging of membrane order and transient interactions in living cells. These programmable DNA probes, by fine-tuning DNA hybridization, can precisely extend the duration of membrane lipid interactions and have been applied to study the correlation between membrane order and T-cell receptor signaling activation.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Yiming Yang, Nandini Nagarajan Margam
Summary: Membrane fusion, from lifeless viral particles to complex multicellular organisms, is a crucial biological phenomenon with protein mediators called fusogens at its core. Despite their functional independence and lack of sequence identity, fusogens share structural similarity, suggesting a potential common mechanism for membrane fusion. This review focuses on the structural characteristics of small-molecular-weight fusogens, aiming to uncover the fundamental aspects of membrane-membrane interactions and pave the way for future research on novel fusogens in health and disease.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qi Zhang, Lu Gao, Feng Li, Yanping Bi
Summary: Natural and artificial lipid vesicles have been extensively used in nano-delivery, bio-analysis, and diagnosis. Dynamic DNA reactions have been developed for sensing and manipulating single lipid vesicles. This review summarizes the latest reports in bio-analysis and biomimetic cell research to interpret the integration of lipid vesicles and dynamic DNA nanotechnology.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Soojung Hahn, Gyuri Kim, Sang-Man Jin, Jae Hyeon Kim
Summary: This study utilized three-dimensional intestinal organoids to investigate the effects of metformin on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and found that metformin can enhance intestinal barrier function and reduce levels of inflammatory cytokines.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
V. V. Sudarev, M. S. Gette, S. V. Bazhenov, O. M. Tilinova, E. V. Zinovev, I. V. Manukhov, A. I. Kuklin, Yu. L. Ryzhykau, A. V. Vlasov
Summary: This study investigated the self-assembly processes of ferritin-based protein complexes and obtained structurally characterized oligomeric states. These results provide new potential and opportunities for the application of ferritin in various fields.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yalda Sabaghi, Farnaz Pourfarzad, Leila Zolghadr, Azita Bahrami, Tahereh Shojazadeh, Alireza Farasat, Nematollah Gheibi
Summary: p-Coumaric acid (p-CA) is a plant compound with anti-cancer activities. This study designed a nano-liposomal carrier containing p-CA to enhance its effectiveness against melanoma cells. The findings showed that the liposomal form of p-CA had a greater impact on the cells. Kinetic modeling indicated that the best fitting model was zero-order.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
M. D. Nazmul Hasan, Md Mahfuzur Rahman, Al Asmaul Husna, Nobuhiro Nozaki, Osamu Yamato, Naoki Miura
Summary: This study investigated the expression of ncRNAs other than miRNAs in different histologic subtypes of canine mammary gland tumors (MGT). Three aberrantly expressed ncRNAs were identified as potential biomarkers for differentiating MGT subtypes. YRNA and tRFs expression levels were found to be decreased in metastatic compared to primary MGT cell lines.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Seine A. Shintani
Summary: In this study, the researchers used signal analysis to study the instantaneous amplitude and phase of sarcomeric oscillations in skeletal muscle. They identified two types of oscillations, sarcomeric oscillations and sarcosynced oscillations, and visualized their behavior during propagating waves. The researchers discovered the presence of sarcomeric defect holes and sarcomeric collision holes, which are important indicators for understanding the oscillation properties of sarcomeres. This finding has important implications for improving our understanding of muscle function and its regulatory mechanisms.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shuanglin Zhang, Yuzhong Jia, Guolan Ma, Yanyan Yang, Zhenzhen Cao, Antao Luo, Zefu Zhang, Shihan Li, Jie Wen, Hanfeng Liu, Jihua Ma
Summary: Bupleurum is an antiarrhythmic agent that may exert its effects by inhibiting L-type calcium channels.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tomotaka Ohkubo, Yasuhiko Matsumoto, Hiroaki Sasaki, Kaoru Kinoshita, Yuki Ogasawara, Takashi Sugita
Summary: This study found that Citrobacter koseri inhibits the growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis, disrupting the balance between S. epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus, and exacerbating inflammation in atopic dermatitis.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Toshifumi Asano, Philipp Sasse, Takao Nakata
Summary: A Cre recombination-based fluorescent reporter system was developed to monitor cell-cell fusion. The system successfully detected the formation of multinuclear myotubes and placental syncytiotrophoblast. This tool could facilitate the study of cell-to-cell fusion.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ke Shi, Yunlong Shan, Xiao Sun, Kuida Chen, Qiong Luo, Qiang Xu
Summary: This study found that low expression of TP53INP2 is associated with poor survival in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. As the malignancy of CRC progresses, TP53INP2 expression gradually decreases. Knockdown of TP53INP2 promotes CRC cell proliferation and tumor growth. Mechanistically, TP53INP2 deficiency decreases phosphorylation of beta-catenin, leading to increased accumulation and enhanced nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity. Additionally, TP53INP2 sequesters TIM50, inhibiting its activation of beta-catenin. In conclusion, downregulation of TP53INP2 promotes CRC progression by activating beta-catenin.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Martina Rossi, Fabio Tomaselli, Alejandro Hochkoeppler
Summary: Oligomeric enzymes are known for their higher catalytic rates compared to monomeric enzymes, but the extent of additivity in their activity is still not well understood. This study used tetrameric rabbit lactate dehydrogenase as a model to examine the kinetics of its catalytic action. Surprisingly, when the concentration of the limiting reactant exceeded that of a single subunit, there was a significant slowdown in the enzyme's conformational rearrangements.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Amin Sahraei, Mohammad Javad Shamsoddini, Fakhrossadat Mohammadi, Leila Hassani
Summary: This study explored the inhibitory effects of gallium curcumin, indium curcumin, and vanadyl curcumin on the amyloid fibrillation of hen egg white lysozyme, as well as the binding interactions of these metal complexes with the enzyme. The results showed that indium curcumin and vanadyl curcumin exhibited higher binding affinities and stronger inhibitory effects on amyloid fibrillation compared to gallium curcumin.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Takahiro Sasaki, Yoshiki Kuse, Shinsuke Nakamura, Masamitsu Shimazawa
Summary: PGRN deficiency plays a significant role in cardiac remodeling and arrhythmias post-myocardial infarction (MI), potentially by promoting metabolic abnormalities in macrophages.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hongwei Zhao, Yiqiang Li, Yibo Zhang, Chi Zhang
Summary: Electrical brain stimulation technology is commonly used to treat brain neurological disorders, but it can cause side effects. This study investigated the impact of electric fields on nerve fibers and revealed the possible origin of side effects. The findings provide guidance for selecting electrical parameters in clinical stimulation therapy.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Julia S. Scott, Lake-Ee Quek, Andrew J. Hoy, Johannes V. Swinnen, Zeyad D. Nassar, Lisa M. Butler
Summary: The fatty acid elongation enzyme ELOVL5 plays a critical role in promoting metastasis in prostate cancer. Knocking down ELOVL5 leads to the accumulation of malonyl-CoA, which inhibits fatty acid oxidation in mitochondria. This study highlights the importance of fatty acid elongation in regulating cell viability and provides a potential target for prostate cancer treatment.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zan Zhou, Wen-jun Jiang, Li Li, Jun-qiang Si
Summary: This study investigates the effect of noise exposure on cognitive function in mice and explores the underlying molecular mechanisms. The findings suggest that noise exposure leads to increased inflammation, increased phosphorylation of Tau protein, and decreased levels of postsynaptic density protein, resulting in cognitive impairment.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)