Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sunghark Kwon
Summary: This study analyzed the structure of FADS from the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae and predicted possible substrate-binding modes, providing a structural basis for understanding the catalytic mechanism of SpFADS and developing novel inhibitors.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anusree Lohithakshan, Raja Narayanasamy, Upasana S. Potteth, Shwetha Keshava, Vibha Nagaraja, Dandamudi Usharani, Ravi Kumar
Summary: The study characterized the biochemical characteristics of FADS from Staphylococcus aureus, showing its riboflavin kinase and FMN adenylyltransferase activities. Mutations in conserved residues K289 and F290 affected enzyme activities. Understanding the mechanism of action of FADS could be helpful in discovering species-specific antibacterial drugs.
Article
Immunology
Andreas Hoefer, Silvia Herrera-Leon, Lucas Dominguez, Maria Ordobas Gavin, Beatriz Romero, Ximena Belen Araujo Piedra, Cristina Sobrino Calzada, Maria Jose Uria Gonzalez, Laura Herrera-Leon
Summary: This article describes the zoonotic transmission of diphtheria caused by toxigenic C. ulcerans from domestic animals in Spain, confirming the reemergence of diphtheria as a public health threat.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Paul Ramp, Christopher Pfleger, Jonas Dittrich, Christina Mack, Holger Gohlke, Michael Bott
Summary: myo-, scyllo-, and d-chiro-inositol are cyclic sugar alcohols with various biological functions and serve as carbon sources for microbes. Inositol dehydrogenases (IDHs) catalyze the oxidation of inositol and initiate its catabolism. Corynebacterium glutamicum encodes seven potential IDHs, and this study identified four of them as key enzymes involved in inositol catabolism. These IDHs exhibit distinct substrate preferences for different inositol isomers, and the study provides insights into substrate specificity through modeling and sequence alignments.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marcus Vinicius Canario Viana, Jose Henrique Galdino, Rodrigo Profeta, Manuela Oliveira, Luis Tavares, Siomar de Castro Soares, Paulo Carneiro, Alice Rebecca Wattam, Vasco Azevedo
Summary: Several Corynebacterium silvaticum strains from Portugal show unique genetic diversity and may be able to produce diphtheria toxin, causing caseous lymphadenitis in wild boars, domestic pigs, and roe deer. These findings contribute to the identification and epidemiology of the species.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hui Wei, Ali Movahedi, Songzhi Xu, Yanyan Zhang, Guoyuan Liu, Soheila Aghaei-Dargiri, Mostafa Ghaderi Zefrehei, Sheng Zhu, Chunmei Yu, Yanhong Chen, Fei Zhong, Jian Zhang
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the profiles and functions of the PtFAD gene family in poplar. PtFAD genes play vital roles in plant growth, development, and response to environmental stresses. Specifically, the PtFAD3/7/8 genes are key regulators in the conversion of linoleic and linolenic acids under osmotic stress.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Wen Chen, Dongxiao Zhang, Yifei Zeng, Jianchun Cui, Jiale Yu, Junyue Wang, Shuqi Li, Qiao Huang, Khattak Mazher Mansoor
Summary: This study aimed to detect the dominant bacterium in granulomatous mastitis (GM) patients and analyze the association between clinical characteristics and infectious factors. Corynebacterium was found to be the only genus with significant differences between the GM pus group and the other three groups, with C. kroppenstedtii being the predominant species. The detection of Corynebacterium can predict GM onset, especially in patients with high prolactin levels or a history of recent lactation.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lars L. Santema, Lorenzo Basile, Claudia Binda, Marco W. Fraaije
Summary: A highly thermostable bacterial MAO enzyme, MAO(Tb), has been identified and studied, showing efficient activity towards n-alkylamines with n-heptylamine as the best substrate. The enzyme has a crystal structure highly similar to human MAO A and MAO B, but lacks a C-terminal extension found in the mammalian counterparts. The bacterial MAO also displays a slightly different active site access tunnel, which may explain its specificity towards long aliphatic amines.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giulia Calloni, R. Martin Vabulas
Summary: Understanding the role of FAD in mammalian cryptochromes is crucial for comprehending circadian rhythms in human health and disease. While the weak binding of FAD in vitro suggests it may be functionless, the FAD-binding pocket is important for ubiquitylation and stabilization of cryptochromes. Studies have shown that increased supplies of FAD stabilize cryptochromes in cell culture and depletion of the FAD precursor affects the expression of circadian genes in mice.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Wedad M. Nageeb, Helal F. Hetta
Summary: This study constructed a pan-genome of 310 C. striatum genome sequences and found that antimicrobial resistance genes are mainly located in the dispensable genome. Virulence factors were also found in the dispensable genome. A total of 115 phage species were identified, but only 44 intact prophage regions were found.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yong Wang, Xiaoxu Chen, Wenkang Cai, Linzhi Tan, Yutong Yu, Boyang Han, Yuxuan Li, Yuanzhe Xie, Yeyu Su, Xiaozhou Luo, Tao Liu
Summary: Incorporation of structurally novel noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins was achieved through biosynthesis, with nearly 50 ncAAs synthesized from simple small-molecule precursors. Furthermore, bioorthogonal reactive groups could be incorporated into proteins with high yields for subsequent chemical conjugation.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Amanda Malvessi Cattani, Camila Vieira Pinheiro, Irene Silveira Schrank, Franciele Maboni Siqueira
Summary: The study identified a putative FADSyn from Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and demonstrated its potential involvement in FAD biosynthesis through in vitro enzymatic assays. This finding expands the potential drug targets for disease control and reveals metabolic pathways attributed to mycoplasmas.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Akimasa Miyanaga, Fumitaka Kudo, Tadashi Eguchi
Summary: Adenylation (A) domains are essential for the biosynthesis of nonribosomal peptides and related natural products. They selectively transfer acyl substrates onto cognate carrier proteins, expanding the structural diversity of natural products. Interrupted A domains with embedded auxiliary domains can modify the incorporated acyl units.
CURRENT OPINION IN CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Thiago Augusto Goncalves, Victoria Sodre, Stephanie Nemesio da Silva, Nathalia Vilela, Geizecler Tomazetto, Juscemacia Nascimento Araujo, Joao Renato C. Muniz, Taicia Pacheco Fill, Andre Damasio, Wanius Garcia, Fabio Marcio Squina
Summary: The biochemical and structural characterization of two novel hydroxycinnamic acid catabolic enzymes provides valuable insights into the conversion of ferulic acid into high-value molecules, contributing to the development of plant biomass biorefineries.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Andreas Hoefer, Despina Pampaka, Silvia Herrera-Leon, Sonia Peiro, Sarai Varona, Noemi Lopez-Perez, Josefa Masa-Calles, Laura Herrera-Leon
Summary: This study analyzed toxigenic and nontoxigenic Corynebacterium isolates submitted to the national reference laboratory in Spain between 2014 and 2019. The results showed a predominance of Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium belfantii, with 7 new sequence types described for the first time in Spain. Some isolates carried antibiotic resistance genes, and patients with toxigenic isolates had adverse outcomes.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrea Moreno, Victor Taleb, Maria Sebastian, Ernesto Anoz-Carbonell, Marta Martinez-Julvez, Milagros Medina
Summary: The biosynthesis of flavins involves two enzymes, RFK and FMNAT, with different structural and functional characteristics in bacteria and mammals. Prokaryotic FADS, including those from pathogens, show variability in less conserved regions, allowing for alternative strategies in flavin homeostasis. Targeting FADSs from pathogens could lead to species-specific inhibitors.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sandra Perez-Dominguez, Silvia Caballero-Mancebo, Carlos Marcuello, Marta Martinez-Julvez, Milagros Medina, Anabel Lostao
Summary: This study analyzed the mechanical properties and stability of the plastidic ferredoxin-NADP(+) reductase (FNR) and NADP(+) complex. The results showed that FNR has a strong affinity for NADP(+) and the Y303 mutation affects the mechanical stability of the interaction between them.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Juan Luis Pacheco-Garcia, Dmitry S. Loginov, Ernesto Anoz-Carbonell, Pavla Vankova, Rogelio Palomino-Morales, Eduardo Salido, Petr Man, Milagros Medina, Athi N. Naganathan, Angel L. Pey
Summary: This study investigates the allosteric communication in NQO1 protein by mutating buried leucine residues. The mutations mainly affect the conformational stability and solubility of the protein in the apo state. The findings provide insights into the mutational landscape and functional mapping of NQO1 protein.
Article
Microbiology
Martha Minjarez-Saenz, Marta Martinez-Julvez, Inmaculada Yruela, Milagros Medina
Summary: This study compiled a list of flavoproteins in Brucella ovis and revealed their importance in the activities, survival, virulence, and infectivity of the strain. The list provides valuable insights into the peculiarities of B. ovis and can be utilized in the search for new biocatalysts or antimicrobial targets.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Ruth Soler-Agesta, Joaquin Marco-Brualla, Martha Minjarez-Saenz, Christina Y. Yim, Marta Martinez-Julvez, Matthew R. Price, Raquel Moreno-Loshuertos, Tyler D. Ames, Jose Jimeno, Alberto Anel
Summary: PT-112 was found to induce immunogenic cell death in tumor cells, with increased sensitivity in cells with mitochondrial dysfunction and reliance on glycolysis. The mechanism of cell death induced by PT-112 involves autophagy and accumulation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species. The findings suggest a potential relationship between stress response and immunogenic cell death in cancer cells.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Juan Luis Pacheco-Garcia, Ernesto Anoz-Carbonell, Dmitry S. Loginov, Daniel Kavan, Eduardo Salido, Petr Man, Milagros Medina, Angel L. Pey
Summary: Our knowledge on the genetic diversity of the human genome is increasing rapidly, but determining genotype-phenotype correlations requires a combination of experimental and computational work. Mutations in the disease-associated NQO1 protein can have unexpected functional effects, and even mutations predicted to be highly deleterious may have varied impacts on protein function. Current predictive tools and models struggle to explain these effects, reinforcing the idea that naturally occurring mutations can be highly damaging. Using a combination of biophysics and structural biology tools can improve our understanding of genotype-phenotype correlations and improve computational tools for predicting disease-prone variants.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Patricia Ferreira, Juan Carro, Beatriz Balcells, Angel T. Martinez, Ana Serrano
Summary: In this study, the quinone reductase activity in three AAO flavooxidases was analyzed, with O-2 as the preferred oxidizing substrate. The results suggest that the aryl-alcohol dehydrogenase activity of these enzymes, although less significant than their oxidase activity, may play a physiological role in fungal decay of lignocellulose by preventing repolymerization through the reduction of quinones. These findings expand the understanding of the role of AAO in lignin biodegradation.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alessia Nisco, Tiago M. A. Carvalho, Maria Tolomeo, Daria Di Molfetta, Piero Leone, Michele Galluccio, Milagros Medina, Cesare Indiveri, Stephan Joel Reshkin, Rosa Angela Cardone, Maria Barile
Summary: FLAD1 is crucial for flavin homeostasis and cellular metabolism, and its prognostic significance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) was investigated in this study. The results showed that increased FADS expression/activity is associated with malignancy and stemness.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maribel Rivero, Sergio Boneta, Nerea Novo, Adrian Velazquez-Campoy, Victor Polo, Milagros Medina
Summary: Enzymes catalysing sequential reactions control the transport and flux of reactants and intermediates in metabolic pathways. However, information about the transfer of cofactors, in particular flavins, is lacking. In this study, we investigate the interaction between riboflavin kinase and one of its potential FMN clients, pyridoxine-5'-phosphate oxidase, using isothermal titration calorimetry. The results suggest efficient enzyme activity through transfer of FMN from RFK to PNPOx.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sean Sierra-Patev, Byoungnam Min, Miguel Naranjo-Ortiz, Brian Looney, Zachary Konkel, Jason C. Slot, Yuichi Sakamoto, Jacob L. Steenwyk, Antonis Rokas, Juan Carro, Susana Camarero, Patricia Ferreira, Gonzalo Molpeceres, Francisco J. Ruiz-Duenas, Ana Serrano, Bernard Henrissat, Elodie Drula, Karen W. Hughes, Juan L. Mata, Noemia Kazue Ishikawa, Ruby Vargas-Isla, Shuji Ushijima, Chris A. Smith, John Donoghue, Steven Ahrendt, William Andreopoulos, Guifen He, Kurt LaButti, Anna Lipzen, Vivian Ng, Robert Riley, Laura Sandor, Kerrie Barry, Angel T. Martinez, Yang Xiao, John G. Gibbons, Kazuhisa Terashima, Igor V. Grigoriev, David Hibbett
Summary: This study sequenced the genomes of various Lentinula species and identified four major clades. The sampling of shiitake mushrooms was expanded in China and three lineages within Lentinula edodes were recognized as potential species. Genes involved in the biosynthesis of the organosulfur flavor compound lenthionine were found to have diversified in Lentinula. The pangenome analysis revealed a large number of orthogroups, with only a fraction being shared among all strains, emphasizing the need for conservation of wild populations.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nerea Novo, Silvia Romero-Tamayo, Carlos Marcuello, Sergio Boneta, Irene Blasco-Machin, Adrian Velazquez-Campoy, Raquel Villanueva, Raquel Moreno-Loshuertos, Anabel Lostao, Milagros Medina, Patricia Ferreira
Summary: AIF is a moonlighting flavoenzyme that is involved in the assembly of mitochondrial respiratory complexes in healthy cells but can also trigger DNA cleavage and cell death. This study demonstrates the molecular assembly of a DNA-degradosome complex involving AIF, CypA, and histone H2AX, and the cooperative effects of these components in degrading genomic DNA. Additionally, the study reveals that AIF possesses nuclease activity that is stimulated by the presence of Mg2+ or Ca2+, which allows it to efficiently degrade genomic DNA alone or in cooperation with CypA. It is also found that the TopIB and DEK motifs in AIF are responsible for its nuclease activity. These findings enhance our understanding of AIF's role in promoting apoptosis and provide potential avenues for the development of new therapeutic strategies.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cristina Sarasa-Buisan, Etienne Emonot, Marta Martinez-Julvez, Emma Sevilla, Adrian Velazquez-Campoy, Serge Crouzy, M. Teresa Bes, Isabelle Michaud-Soret, Maria F. Fillat
Summary: Metal and redox homeostasis in cyanobacteria is tightly controlled by the FUR proteins. This study focuses on the characterization of the FurC protein in Anabaena sp. PCC7120 and reveals its involvement in metal and redox regulation. The study provides insights into the mechanisms of FurC and the reversible inactivation of the protein through disulfide bonds and metal catalyzed oxidation.