Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xia Xiang, Enheng Zhu, Diao Xiong, Yin Wen, Yu Xing, Lirong Yue, Shuang He, Nanyu Han, Zunxi Huang
Summary: This study constructed five variants of lipase through site-directed mutagenesis and found that substituting residues from the 25-loop could enhance the stability of both the N-terminus and C-terminus, resulting in improved thermostability.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Physiology
Thomas G. H. Diekwisch
Summary: Enamel research has experienced significant growth from the late 20th century until today, largely thanks to influential scientists, such as Alan G. Fincham. Alan played a crucial role in various groundbreaking discoveries during this period, including the identification of key amelogenin peptides, determination of their amino acid sequence, identification of phosphorylation site, and proposing the amelogenin nanosphere theory. Additionally, Alan's mentoring and problem-based learning approach greatly impacted predoctoral dental education at the University of Southern California and in the United States.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Sandra Eltschkner, Samantha Mellinger, Soren Buus, Morten Nielsen, Kajsa M. M. Paulsson, Karin Lindkvist-Petersson, Helena Westerdahl
Summary: Long-distance migratory animals such as birds and bats have evolved a unique adaptive immunity with highly duplicated Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes to withstand diverse pathogens. A study on the MHC class I protein, Acar3, from the great reed warbler reveals a peculiar peptide-binding mode that potentially facilitates interactions with innate immune receptors. The investigation highlights the importance of studying the immune system of wild animals to uncover unique immune mechanisms absent in humans and model organisms.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Qin Li, Ying Xia, Ting Zhao, Yuanyuan Gong, Shangling Fang, Maobin Chen
Summary: The study focused on improving the catalytic characteristics of phenolic acid decarboxylase for potential applications in food additives and the flavor and fragrance industry. Mutants with enhanced substrate affinities and turnover rates were created through site-directed mutagenesis of the wild-type enzyme. The extension of specific termini of the enzyme contributed to improved resistance to different environmental conditions and enhanced substrate binding.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rutambhara Purohit, Amal Kanti Bera
Summary: Panx1 protein plays a crucial role in cell activities, and mutations can affect channel function. The R217H mutation reduces channel currents and impacts cell death processes, but does not affect when CT is completely removed.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nicolas Papadopoulos, Audrey Nedelec, Allison Derenne, Teodor Asvadur Sulea, Christian Pecquet, Ilyas Chachoua, Gaelle Vertenoeil, Thomas Tilmant, Andrei-Jose Petrescu, Gabriel Mazzucchelli, Bogdan I. Iorga, Didier Vertommen, Stefan N. Constantinescu
Summary: In myeloproliferative neoplasms, frameshift mutants of calreticulin turn into rogue cytokines by inducing constitutive activation of the Thrombopoietin Receptor (TpoR). Here, the authors define how mutant calreticulin acquires specificity for TpoR binding and triggers its constitutive activation.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Karl E. E. Steffensen, John F. F. Dawson
Summary: Actin is crucial for eukaryotic cellular processes, and its C-terminus directly modulates actin's structure and properties to facilitate the binding and function of actin-binding proteins (ABPs). Previous challenges in characterizing the C-terminus have been overcome with advances in electron microscopy, providing high-resolution structures and insights into subtle structural changes mediated by actin's C-terminus. This review discusses the importance of actin's C-terminus in actin structural changes and functions, and highlights how modern structural characterization techniques aid in understanding its role in cellular processes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Paul A. Hubbard, Chuanwu Xia, Anna L. Shen, Jung-Ja P. Kim
Summary: The influence of the carboxy-terminal residues of NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (CYPOR) on catalytic activity and structure has been investigated, showing that deletion of bulky residues at the carboxy terminus can lead to increased mobility and altered interactions with cofactors. Moreover, deletion or substitution of Trp677 combined with deletion of Ser678 can result in changes in the enzyme's affinity for NADP+ and alterations in cytochrome c reductase activity.
ARCHIVES OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Susan Kelso, Stephen Orlicky, Jonah Beenstock, Derek F. Ceccarelli, Igor Kurinov, Gerald Gish, Frank Sicheri
Summary: Skp2 and cyclin A are cell-cycle regulators that control the activity of CDK2; the N terminus of Skp2 can interact directly with cyclin A. The structure of the complex between the N terminus of Skp2 and cyclin A reveals a bipartite mode of interaction with two motifs in Skp2 recognizing two discrete surfaces on cyclin A, shedding light on the inhibitory effect of Skp2 on CDK2-cyclin A kinase activity.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Liang Zhou, Jingjing Duan
Summary: In this study, it was found that the positive charges of GluN1 C-terminus determine the translocation of CaM to the nucleus, regulating synaptic transmission and the gene expression of multiple cell surface receptors, consequently affecting NMDAR-mediated synaptic transduction.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rebecca Conners, Rayen Ignacia Leon-Quezada, Mathew McLaren, Nicholas J. Bennett, Bertram Daum, Jasna Rakonjac, Vicki A. M. Gold
Summary: Phages, viruses that infect bacteria, are prevalent in every ecosystem on Earth and have various applications in molecular biology and biotechnology. The structure and mechanisms of infection and assembly of filamentous phages, particularly the Ff phages, have been largely unknown. In this study, the researchers used cryo-electron microscopy and a highly efficient system to produce short Ff-derived nanorods, successfully determining the structure of a filamentous virus including the tips. By combining the structure with mutagenesis, they identified important phage domains involved in bacterial attack and release of new viral progeny, leading to the proposal of new models for the phage lifecycle.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Julia Krischer, Sarah Koenig, Wolfram Weisheit, Maria Mittag, Claudia Buechel
Summary: The C-terminus of CryP affects the redox state of flavin, while BolA and ID42612 bind to CryP through different mechanisms and are influenced by the redox state of flavin.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Kaitao Zhao, Zunhui Ke, Hongbing Hu, Yahui Liu, Aixin Li, Rong Hua, Fangteng Guo, Junfeng Xiao, Yu Zhang, Ling Duan, Xin-Fu Yan, Yong-Gui Gao, Bing Liu, Yuchen Xia, Yan Li
Summary: The N terminus of Nsp1 stabilizes the binding of the Nsp1 C terminus to ribosomes and acts as a nonspecific barrier to block the mRNA channel, thus abrogating host mRNA translation.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Xiang Shi, Pierre-Antoine Albouy, Pascale Launois
Summary: This study presents a different view that the evolution of X-ray patterns reflects changes in crystalline texture rather than polymorphism. This enables a quantitative description of X-ray fiber patterns but also highlights some fundamental structural issues.
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Ming Li, Sunday A. Akintelu, Bo Yao
Summary: The study introduces a new method for post-assembly modification of peptides via C(sp(3))-H functionalization on aliphatic side chains to access functionalized peptides as therapeutics. This method, which is well tolerant of secondary amides, allows for position-specific modification of peptides at the C-terminus.
Review
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Ophir D. Klein, Olivier Duverger, Wendy Shaw, Rodrigo S. Lacruz, Derk Joester, Janet Moradian-Oldak, Megan K. Pugach, J. Timothy Wright, Sarah E. Millar, Ashok B. Kulkarni, John D. Bartlett, Thomas G. H. Diekwisch, Pamela DenBesten, James P. Simmer
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCE
(2017)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Nilusha Priyadarshani Boralugodage, Rajith Jayasingha Arachchige, Arnab Dutta, Garry W. Buchko, Wendy J. Shaw
CATALYSIS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Arnab Dutta, Wendy J. Shaw
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Vincent Fourmond, Eric S. Wiedner, Wendy J. Shaw, Christophe Leger
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2019)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Kelly L. Materna, Noemie Lalaoui, Joseph A. Laureanti, Aaron P. Walsh, Belinda Pettersson Rimgard, Reiner Lomoth, Anders Thapper, Sascha Ott, Wendy J. Shaw, Haining Tian, Leif Hammarstrom
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Joe A. Laureanti, Bojana Ginovska, Garry W. Buchko, Gregory K. Schenter, Margaret Hebert, Oleg A. Zadvornyy, John W. Peters, Wendy J. Shaw
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wendy J. Shaw, Barbara J. Tarasevich, Garry W. Buchko, Rajith M. J. Arachchige, Sarah D. Burton
JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
(2020)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Eric S. Wiedner, Aaron M. Appel, Simone Raugei, Wendy J. Shaw, R. Morris Bullock
Summary: Pendant amines play a crucial role in chemical reactivity, especially for molecular catalysts. Inspired by [FeFe]-hydrogenases, synthetic catalysts have been developed to incorporate a pendant amine for multifunctionality. Cyclic diphosphine ligands containing pendant amines have profound effects on catalyst reactivity and have been used for oxidation and hydrogen production electrocatalysts. The optimal benefit of the pendant amine requires suitable basicity and positioning relative to the metal center.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Garry W. Buchko, Sebastian T. Mergelsberg, Barbara J. Tarasevich, Wendy J. Shaw
Summary: This study investigated the structure of Amelogenin under different pH conditions using NMR experiments, revealing that its self-assembly form changes with pH variation, with the N-terminus playing a key role in intermolecular interactions.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Garry W. Buchko, Mowei Zhou, Cat Hoang Vesely, Jinhui Tao, Wendy J. Shaw, Ryan A. Mehl, Richard B. Cooley
Summary: In this study, the researchers successfully expressed and purified C-13-, N-15-labeled murine amelogenin protein with phosphorylation at Ser-16 using a modified genetic code expansion protocol. This protein will be a valuable tool for studying the process of amelogenesis and mineralization.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marjolein Oostrom, Sarah Akers, Noah Garrett, Emma Hanson, Wendy Shaw, Joseph A. Laureanti
Summary: In order to improve our ability to predict the impact of protein scaffolds on catalysis, it is necessary to develop robust classification schemes to define protein features that will influence reactivity. One important feature is a protein's ability to bind metals, as metals play a critical role in catalytic conversion by metalloenzymes. In this study, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) were used to classify metal cofactor binding pockets within protein scaffolds.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jiahua Zhou, Piaoping Yang, Pavel A. Kots, Maximilian Cohen, Ying Chen, Caitlin M. Quinn, Matheus Dorneles de Mello, J. Anibal Boscoboinik, Wendy J. Shaw, Stavros Caratzoulas, Weiqing Zheng, Dionisios G. Vlachos
Summary: Investigated the role of oxygen-containing functional groups in carbon materials and found that phenolic groups are the main acid sites in gas-phase reactions, while carboxylic groups are less acidic. Developed a methodology to identify acid sites in oxygenated carbon materials using comprehensive surface characterizations and calculations.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Joseph A. Laureanti, Qiwen Su, Wendy J. Shaw
Summary: An artificial metalloenzyme was activated by assembling a molecular complex within a structured protein scaffold, showing electrocatalytic hydrogen production activity in a wide pH range. This demonstrates the importance of protein scaffold in enhancing the performance of artificial enzymes.
DALTON TRANSACTIONS
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Joseph A. Laureanti, Molly O'Hagan, Wendy J. Shaw
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY & FUELS
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Aaron P. Walsh, Joseph A. Laureanti, Sriram Katipamula, Geoffrey M. Chambers, Nilusha Priyadarshani, Sheri Lense, J. Timothy Bays, John C. Linehan, Wendy J. Shaw
FARADAY DISCUSSIONS
(2019)