Article
Cell Biology
Linhua Tai, Yun Zhu, He Ren, Xiaojun Huang, Chuanmao Zhang, Fei Sun
Summary: The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a large protein complex in eukaryotes that regulates the transport of molecules between the nucleus and cytoplasm. By using cryo-electron microscopy and AlphaFold2, researchers determined the structure of the outer rings of the Xenopus laevis NPC and identified the composition and interactions of its components. This detailed structural information represents a significant advancement in understanding the assembly of the NPC.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nydia Tejeda-Munoz, Edward M. De Robertis
Summary: Lysosomes play a crucial role in early dorsal axis development in Xenopus, and their function is intertwined with membrane trafficking and vertebrate axis formation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kirill S. Tenkov, Mikhail V. Dubinin, Alexander A. Vedernikov, Yuliya A. Chelyadnikova, Konstantin N. Belosludtsev
Summary: The present study investigates the in vivo effect of triclosan on frogs and reveals a dose-dependent impact on their survival. Triclosan damages the liver tissue, reduces the osmotic resistance of red blood cells, and suppresses the respiration rate and calcium retention capacity of frog liver mitochondria. These findings highlight the significance of triclosan on aquatic organisms.
COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY C-TOXICOLOGY & PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Charlotte Guyomar, Clement Bousquet, Siou Ku, John M. Heumann, Gabriel Guilloux, Natacha Gaillard, Claire Heichette, Laurence Duchesne, Michel O. Steinmetz, Romain Gibeaux, Denis Chretien, Julie P. Welburn
Summary: Microtubules, structures with a diameter of about 25 nm, play critical roles in cellular functions such as motility, compartmentalization, and division. This study reveals that microtubules consist of variable numbers of protofilaments and tubulin subunit helical-starts, as well as variable numbers of seams. Interestingly, the number and location of seams vary along individual microtubules, leading to the formation of holes within their lattices. These findings demonstrate that the organization of microtubules is an intrinsic property of tubulin and requires unique lateral interactions without longitudinal ones.
Article
Cell Biology
Lei Li, Ying Xu, Jihong Zheng, Zhe Kuang, Cong Zhang, Na Li, Gufa Lin, Chao Zhang
Summary: The study revealed a specific regulatory pattern of the melanocortin system in Xenopus laevis, where MRAP2 proteins directly interact with MC4R proteins on the cell surface in a functional antiparallel dimeric topology.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Linhua Tai, Guoliang Yin, Fei Sun, Yun Zhu
Summary: The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a large protein assembly that penetrates the nuclear membrane. Recent breakthroughs in cryo-EM and artificial intelligence-based modeling have allowed for improved understanding of the complex structure of the NPC. This review article summarizes the history and latest advancements in studying the architecture of the NPC, as well as future directions for research.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Guillaume Holzer, Paola De Magistris, Cathrin Gramminger, Ruchika Sachdev, Adriana Magalska, Allana Schooley, Anja Scheufen, Birgitt Lennartz, Marianna Tatarek-Nossol, Hongqi Lue, Monika Linder, Ulrike Kutay, Christian Preisinger, Daniel Moreno-Andres, Wolfram Antonin
Summary: Nup50 plays a crucial role in NPC assembly independent of its nuclear transport function. It interacts with Nup153 and MEL28/ELYS through a conserved central region, and its N-terminal fragment stimulates the Ran GTPase guanine nucleotide exchange factor RCC1 to facilitate NPC assembly at the end of mitosis.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexander A. Tokmakov, Ken-Ichi Sato
Summary: This study found that intracellular ROS levels increase in aged frog oocytes and eggs, and that targeted inhibition of NADPH oxidase with apocynin significantly reduces ROS levels, maintaining normal cell function.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wanlu Zhang, Azqa Khan, Jlenia Vitale, Annett Neuner, Kerstin Rink, Christian Luechtenborg, Britta Bruegger, Thomas H. Soellner, Elmar Schiebel
Summary: The short amphipathic alpha-helix of Apq12 regulates the function of Brl1 and Brr6, leading to defects in NPC biogenesis and NE integrity when disrupted. Overexpression of Apq12 promotes over-proliferation of the ONM/ER and accumulation of phosphatidic acid at the NE, possibly during NPC biogenesis.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jiajia Liu, Zishuo Nie, Yuanlong Li, Ming Yang, Yunlong Zhang
Summary: This paper proposed a microstructural analysis for coal-rock based on low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LNMR) technology, the L-weighing method, to accurately and quantitatively characterize the evolution of coal microstructures before and after supercritical CO2 treatment. The experimental results of the L-weighing method and the LNMR method were compared and analyzed, and it was found that there were differences between the two methods but the overall laws were basically the same. The L-weighing method quantitatively characterizes the water content in coal and determines water consumption and microscopic component extraction in coal with supercritical CO2, while the LNMR method only determines the dissolution of H-containing substances in the coal by supercritical CO2. According to the combined analysis with the L-weighing method and the LNMR method, it was found that the supercritical CO2 treatment led to water consumption, extraction of microscopic components, volume expansion, permeability increase, and pore connectivity increase in the coal microstructure.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tiantian Zheng, Anton Zilman
Summary: The nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) in eukaryotic cells are responsible for macromolecular transport in and out of the nucleus. The NPCs contain intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and efficiently transport cargoes in crowded conditions. A computational model of the NPC shows that self-regulating mechanisms and the spatial architecture of the IDP assembly contribute to efficient transport.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vishnu V. Krishnamurthy, Hyojeong Hwang, Jia Fu, Jing Yang, Kai Zhang
Summary: Optogenetics utilizes light-inducible protein-protein interactions to control signaling activity with precision, offering attractive spatial and temporal resolution for studying embryonic development. In a comparative study, a cytoplasm-to-membrane translocation-based optogenetic system outperformed membrane-anchored dimerization systems in activating receptor tyrosine kinase signaling in live Xenopus embryos. This engineering strategy may have broad applicability to other signaling pathways involving membrane-bound receptors, as demonstrated by triggering Wnt activity through optogenetic activation of LRP6.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shouhong Wang, Yuki Shibata, Liezhen Fu, Yuta Tanizaki, Nga Luu, Lingyu Bao, Zhaoyi Peng, Yun-Bo Shi
Summary: Animal regeneration is a natural process that relies on the level of thyroid hormone (T3), which is responsible for the loss of regenerative ability in many organs during development. The metamorphic stages in amphibians, similar to postembryonic development in humans, provide a good model to study the gradual loss of regenerative ability and the role of T3 in this process.
CELL AND BIOSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Hong-Mei Li, Ying-Chi Zhang, Yuan -Yuan Li, Qing-Qing Zhu, Jie Li, Hai-Ming Xu, Yi-Ming Xiong, Zhan-Fen Qin
Summary: Benzophenone-type UV filters (BPs) are commonly found in aquatic environments and can pose ecological risks to aquatic populations. This study investigated the adverse effects of three commonly used BPs on testis development in Xenopus laevis. The results showed that exposure to BPs resulted in abnormal testes morphology, reduced cell proliferation, and altered gene expression. The effects of BPs were not concentration-dependent, and even environmentally relevant concentrations could inhibit testis differentiation and cause testis dysgenesis. These findings suggest that BPs may pose a potential risk to amphibians in aquatic environments.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Meng Li, Meile Lv, Tingting Liu, Gaoyi Du, Qangwei Wang
Summary: In this study, exposure to cis-BF at environmentally relevant concentrations resulted in lipid metabolic disorder and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in Xenopus laevis, providing new insights into the potential long-term hazards of pyrethroids.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Gaoxingyu Huang, Xiechao Zhan, Chao Zeng, Xuechen Zhu, Ke Liang, Yanyu Zhao, Pan Wang, Qifan Wang, Qiang Zhou, Qinghua Tao, Minhao Liu, Jianlin Lei, Chuangye Yan, Yigong Shi
Summary: The structure of the nuclear ring subunit of the nuclear pore complex (NPC) is reported in this study. The nuclear ring subunit consists of two Y complexes, each with nucleoporin ELYS closely associated with Nup160 and Nup37. Unlike other ring subunits, the nuclear ring subunit contains only one molecule each of Nup205 and Nup93. A composite atomic model of the central ring scaffold is generated, facilitating functional understanding of vertebrate NPC.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jianhua Luo, Qi Yang, Xiaofeng Zhang, Yuanyuan Zhang, Li Wan, Xiechao Zhan, Yao Zhou, Liuqing He, Danyang Li, Dazhi Jin, Ying Zhen, Jing Huang, Yanyan Li, Liang Tao
Summary: The study identified tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) as the receptor for TcdB4, a dominant virulence factor of hypervirulent clade 2 Clostridioides difficile. TFPI is highly expressed in the intestinal glands and protects the colonic epithelium from TcdB2/4. These findings reveal new mechanisms for CDI pathogenesis.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiechao Zhan, Yichen Lu, Xiaofeng Zhang, Chuangye Yan, Yigong Shi
Summary: Describes the two reactions involved in pre-mRNA splicing and presents the cryo-EM structures of intermediate spliceosomal complexes, providing insights into the molecular choreography and mechanism of exon ligation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhouyan Guo, Chen Chu, Yichen Lu, Xiaofeng Zhang, Yihang Xiao, Mingxuan Wu, Shuaixin Gao, Catherine C. L. Wong, Xiechao Zhan, Chengcheng Wang
Summary: This study presents the cryo-EM structure of the yeast SIN3-HDAC complex Rpd3L, revealing a distinctive organization mechanism compared with other class I HDAC complexes. The structure shows two distinct arms that interact with different subunits, resulting in an asymmetric architecture of Rpd3L.
NATURE STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fenghua Yang, Tong Bian, Xiechao Zhan, Zhe Chen, Zhihan Xing, Nicolas A. A. Larsen, Xiaofeng Zhang, Yigong Shi
Summary: The authors report the high-resolution structures of two assembly precursors of human U2 snRNP and reveal that the RNA helicases DDX42 and DDX46 are mutually exclusive in terms of SF3B1-binding. The N-terminal sequences of DDX42 and DDX46 anchor on SF3B1, but their helicase domains have different interactions with U2 snRNA and TAT-SF1. Mutations in SF3B1 directly target the residues in the RNA path that interact with DDX42 and DDX46.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Chengcheng Wang, Zhouyan Guo, Chen Chu, Yichen Lu, Xiaofeng Zhang, Xiechao Zhan
Summary: The switch-independent 3 (SIN3)/histone deacetylase (HDAC) complexes, consisting of SIN3L and SIN3S, have distinct assembly modes and play crucial roles in regulating chromatin accessibility and gene expression. The cryo-electron microscopy structures of SIN3L and SIN3S complexes from S. pombe reveal the organization mechanisms of these complexes, providing insights into histone deacetylase complexes.
Article
Cell Biology
Gaoxingyu Huang, Xiechao Zhan, Chao Zeng, Ke Liang, Xuechen Zhu, Yanyu Zhao, Pan Wang, Qifan Wang, Qiang Zhou, Qinghua Tao, Minhao Liu, Jianlin Lei, Chuangye Yan, Yigong Shi
Summary: This study presents the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the inner ring subunit from the Xenopus laevis NPC, revealing the molecular basis for the assembly of the inner ring subunit in vertebrate NPC.
