Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yan Zhang, Xiaoyun Pang, Jian Li, Jiashu Xu, Victor W. Hsu, Fei Sun
Summary: By using cryoelectron microscopy, researchers have revealed the protein lattice formed by SNX1, which helps to understand how it functions in generating transport carriers. Comparing the structure of SNX1 with that of an endosomal coat complex formed by retromer coupled to a SNX provides insights into the molecular organization of SNX and the intermediary stages of assembly leading to the formation of the complex on the membrane.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tobias Bock-Bierbaum, Kathrin Funck, Florian Wollweber, Elisa Lisicki, Karina von der Malsburg, Alexander von der Malsburg, Janina Laborenz, Jeffrey K. Noel, Manuel Hessenberger, Sibylle Jungbluth, Carola Bernert, Severine Kunz, Dietmar Riedel, Hauke Lilie, Stefan Jakobs, Martin van der Laan, Oliver Daumke
Summary: Mitochondrial cristae membranes are where oxidative phosphorylation occurs in cells, and cristae junctions serve as selective entry gates into the cristae space. The Mic60-Mic19 subcomplex acts as a molecular strut, controlling the architecture and function of cristae junctions.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yao Zhang, Jingyi Yu, Xuan Wang, Daniel M. Durachko, Sulin Zhang, Daniel J. Cosgrove
Summary: Plants have evolved complex nanofibril-based cell walls to meet diverse biological and physical constraints, with cellulose and matrix polysaccharides playing important mechanical roles. By simulating the assembly and tensile mechanics of cell walls, researchers found that fibril-fibril sliding in cellulose networks leads to plasticity, revealing design principles of biomaterials.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yashpal Rawal, Lijia Jia, Aviv Meir, Shuo Zhou, Hardeep Kaur, Eliza A. Ruben, Youngho Kwon, Kara A. Bernstein, Maria Jasin, Alexander B. Taylor, Sandeep Burma, Robert Hromas, Alexander V. Mazin, Weixing Zhao, Daohong Zhou, Elizabeth V. Wasmuth, Eric C. Greene, Patrick Sung, Shaun K. Olsen
Summary: This study reports cryogenic electron microscopy reconstructions of human BCDX2 in apo and ssDNA-bound states. The structures reveal the participation of the amino-terminal domains of RAD51B, RAD51C and RAD51D in inter-subunit interactions for complex formation and ssDNA-binding specificity. Single-molecule DNA curtain analysis provides insights into how BCDX2 enhances RAD51-ssDNA nucleoprotein filament assembly. Additionally, the cryogenic electron microscopy and functional analyses explain how RAD51C alterations found in patients with cancer inactivate DNA binding and the HR mediator activity of BCDX2.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xizi Chen, Yilun Qi, Zihan Wu, Xinxin Wang, Jiabei Li, Dan Zhao, Haifeng Hou, Yan Li, Zishuo Yu, Weida Liu, Mo Wang, Yulei Ren, Ze Li, Huirong Yang, Yanhui Xu
Summary: This study elucidates the assembly mechanism of human TFIID-based PIC, showing two tracks for modular reorganization and direct promoter deposition, converging at a holo PIC with around 50 subunits. TFIID stabilizes PIC organization and supports CAK-mediated phosphorylation of Pol II.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Erik Zupa, Martin Wurtz, Annett Neuner, Thomas Hoffmann, Mandy Rettel, Anna Boehler, Bram J. A. Vermeulen, Sebastian Eustermann, Elmar Schiebel, Stefan Pfeffer
Summary: This study elucidates the molecular architecture and conformational plasticity of the augmin complex, providing insights into its role in branched microtubule formation and advancing our understanding of spindle formation in mitosis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lucas M. P. Chataigner, Christos Gogou, Maurits A. den Boer, Catia P. Frias, Dominique M. E. Thies-Weesie, Joke C. M. Granneman, Albert J. R. Heck, Dimphna H. Meijer, Bert J. C. Janssen
Summary: Cell-surface expressed contactin 1 and neurofascin 155 play important roles in controlling wiring of the nervous system. The crystallographic structures of the binding regions of contactin 1 and neurofascin 155 provide insights into the diverse adhesion sites formed through competing and complementary interfaces, post-translational glycosylation, splice differences, and structural plasticity. The structures also explain how these proteins enable the formation of specific intercellular distances and bridging of larger distances in the synapse.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Zhuangfeng Weng, Jiefu Zheng, Yiyi Zhou, Zuer Lu, Yixi Wu, Dongyi Xu, Huanhuan Li, Huanhuan Liang, Yingfang Liu
Summary: This study reports the structural characterization of the MCM8/9 complex using cryo-electron microscopy. The complex is arranged as a heterohexamer with a central channel for DNA binding. The N-terminal OB domains of MCM8/9 have hairpin structures that unwind duplex DNA. Activation by HROB leads to a change in symmetry and rotational motion of the C-tier ring, which is important for the unwinding ability of MCM8/9.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tian Xie, Guangjun Xu, Yun Liu, Bradley Quade, Weichun Lin, Xiao-chen Bai
Summary: MuSK is a receptor tyrosine kinase that is essential for the neuromuscular junction. Its activation requires both agrin and LRP4 coreceptors. This study presents the cryo-EM structure of the extracellular ternary complex of agrin/LRP4/MuSK, revealing how LRP4 recruits agrin and MuSK to activate MuSK receptor.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tian Xie, Guangjun Xu, Yun Liu, Bradley Quade, Weichun Lin, Xiao-chen Bai
Summary: MuSK is a receptor tyrosine kinase that plays a crucial role in the formation and maintenance of the neuromuscular junction. This study reveals the structure of the agrin/LRP4/MuSK ternary complex and uncovers the mechanism of how agrin and LRP4 coactivate the MuSK receptor.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ashish Sethi, Stephen M. Rawlinson, Abhinav Dubey, Ching-Seng Ang, Yoon Hee Choi, Fei Yan, Kazuma Okada, Ashley M. Rozario, Aaron M. Brice, Naoto Ito, Nicholas A. Williamson, Danny M. Hatters, Toby D. M. Bell, Haribabu Arthanari, Gregory W. Moseley, Paul R. Gooley
Summary: Viruses interact extensively with host proteins to modulate the infected cell's biology, often through multifunctional viral proteins. Traditional models cannot explain specific functions observed in certain viral proteins. In this study, we found that the unique phenotype of rabies virus P3 protein is determined by conformational arrangements rather than the presence of functional modules.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jennifer M. Podgorski, Krista Freeman, Sophia Gosselin, Alexis Huet, James F. Conway, Mary Bird, John Grecco, Shreya Patel, Deborah Jacobs-Sera, Graham Hatfull, Johann Peter Gogarten, Janne Ravantti, Simon J. White
Summary: Many double-stranded DNA viruses, including tailed bacteriophages and herpesviruses, use the HK97-fold in their major capsid protein. The evolution of capsid structural stability within the actinobacteriophages has been investigated using cryo-EM structure determination, structural comparisons, phylogenetic analyses, and AlphaFold predictions. The actinobacteriophage major capsid proteins can be classified into 15 groups based on their HK97-fold.
Article
Cell Biology
Tian Tian, Lili Chen, Zhen Dou, Zhisen Yang, Xinjiao Gao, Xiao Yuan, Chengliang Wang, Ran Liu, Zuojun Shen, Ping Gui, Maikun Teng, Xianlei Meng, Donald L. Hill, Lin Li, Xuan Zhang, Xing Liu, Linfeng Sun, Jianye Zang, Xuebiao Yao
Summary: This study reveals the molecular basis of how human CCAN interacts with duplex DNA and its importance in accurate chromosome segregation through cryo-electron microscopy and functional analyses.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Frederik V. Schmidt, Luca Schulz, Jan Zarzycki, Simone Prinz, Niels N. Oehlmann, Tobias J. Erb, Johannes G. Rebelein
Summary: Nitrogenases are enzymes that can catalyze the reduction of dinitrogen to ammonia. Recent research has shown that nitrogenases can also reduce carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide to hydrocarbon compounds. In this study, the structure of the iron nitrogenase complex from Rhodobacter capsulatus was determined using cryogenic electron microscopy, revealing the presence of an [Fe8S9C-(R)-homocitrate] cluster in the active site. The study also highlighted differences in the interface between the two catalytic halves of the iron and molybdenum nitrogenases, which may influence the nitrogenase mechanism.
NATURE STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Inokentijs Josts, Katharina Veith, Vincent Normant, Isabelle J. Schalk, Henning Tidow
Summary: The study reported the crystal structure of the inner membrane protein FoxB, revealing its mechanism in Fe-siderophore uptake. Through in vitro assays and in vivo studies, the results establish FoxB as an inner membrane reductase involved in releasing iron from ferrioxamine during Fesiderophore uptake.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Maria Lastra Cagigas, Nicole S. Bryce, Nicholas Ariotti, Simon Brayford, Peter W. Gunning, Edna C. Hardeman
Summary: The actin/tropomyosin filaments play a crucial role in cell-substrate adhesion assembly and regulation of mechanosensing, matrix remodelling, and transformation towards a cancer phenotype. Knock-out of Tpm1.8/1.9 disrupts the formation of dorsal actin bundles, hindering recruitment of critical mechanosensors, while re-expression can restore cell adhesion.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Rashid Mehmood, Maria J. N. Amaldoss, Sajjad S. Mofarah, Qinxiang Zheng, Natasha K. Kaushik, Nicholas Ariotti, Aditya Rawal, Jia-Lin Yang, Pramod Koshy, Charles C. Sorrell
Summary: This study introduces a new green stealth engineering strategy for developing biocompatible ceria-based nanocatalysts with lifetime biocatalytic properties, using environmentally friendly natural materials and stimuli-responsive molecules. The surface functionalization approach involves a zwitterionic charge-switchable glycopolymeric stealth coating that enables targeted design for optimal performance in both physiological and tumor microenvironments. The novel approach has the potential to be widely applicable in the biomedical field by overcoming environmental, processing, and physiological barriers.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Yimeng Li, Malgorzata Milewska, Yee Yee Khine, Nicholas Ariotti, Martina H. Stenzel
Summary: Preventing bacterial infection by using anti-adhesive compounds is an alternative to antibiotic treatment. In this study, trehalose-based polymers were used as anti-adhesive agents, which showed good dispersibility and non-toxicity. Additionally, loading ciprofloxacin onto cellulose nanofibers showed efficient inhibition of bacterial adhesion and growth.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nathan R. Zaccai, Zuzana Kadlecova, Veronica Kane Dickson, Kseniya Korobchevskaya, Jan Kamenicky, Oleksiy Kovtun, Perunthottathu K. Umasankar, Antoni G. Wrobel, Jonathan G. G. Kaufman, Sally R. Gray, Kun Qu, Philip R. Evans, Marco Fritzsche, Filip Sroubek, Stefan Hoening, John A. G. Briggs, Bernard T. Kelly, David J. Owen, Linton M. Traub
Summary: Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) is a key mechanism for controlling the cell surface proteome in mammalian cells. This study shows that FCHO plays a crucial role in this process by marking the initiation sites of clathrin-coated pits (CCPs) and interacting with other proteins to drive the growth and maturation of CCPs.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michael D. Healy, Joanna Sacharz, Kerrie E. McNally, Calum McConville, Vikas A. Tillu, Ryan J. Hall, Molly Chilton, Peter J. Cullen, Mehdi Mobli, Rajesh Ghai, David A. Stroud, Brett M. Collins
Summary: SNX17 controls the endosomal recycling of transmembrane cargo proteins through its association with the Commander trafficking complex and the PDLIM family of proteins. The interaction between SNX17 and PDLIM is mediated by a unique peptide interaction involving electrostatic contacts and a conserved proline-containing loop sequence. This interaction may play a role in regulating the activity of SNX17 in conjunction with Commander and actin-rich endosomal trafficking domains.
Article
Cell Biology
Elin Larsson, Bjoern Moren, Kerrie-Ann McMahon, Robert G. Parton, Richard Lundmark
Summary: Research reveals that the large GTPase dynamin 2 does not mediate caveolae fission from the plasma membrane, as previously thought. Instead, dynamin 2 associates with a subset of caveolae and restrains their presence on the plasma membrane via a GTPase-independent mechanism.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Leeba Ann Chacko, Felix Mikus, Nicholas Ariotti, Gautam Dey, Vaishnavi Ananthanarayanan
Summary: Association of microtubules with mitochondria is crucial for determining cell division symmetry in fission yeast. Mutant cells with enhanced or no attachment of mitochondria to microtubules exhibited aberrant dynamics, resulting in nuclear positioning errors and asymmetric cell division. This led to unequal distribution of mitochondria in daughter cells, with the one receiving more mitochondria growing faster. Overall, our findings demonstrate the existence of homeostatic feedback controls between mitochondria and microtubules in fission yeast, which directly impact mitochondrial partitioning and cell growth.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yeping Wu, Ye-Wheen Lim, Robert G. Parton
Summary: Oxidative stress is a common feature in many diseases, but cells have evolved complex mechanisms to respond to this stress. Recent studies suggest that oxidative stress can cause disassembly of caveolae, releasing caveola proteins that regulate redox balance in the cell. These studies highlight the crucial role of caveolae in maintaining cellular susceptibility to oxidative stress-induced cell death and in cellular homeostasis and wound healing.
BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Yeping Wu, Ye-Wheen Lim, David A. Stroud, Nick Martel, Thomas E. Hall, Harriet P. Lo, Charles Ferguson, Michael T. Ryan, Kerrie-Ann McMahon, Robert G. Parton
Summary: Using quantitative whole-cell proteomics, researchers found that the oxidative stress response is the major pathway dysregulated in cells lacking the caveola structural protein CAVIN1. CAVIN1 deletion compromised sensitivity to oxidative stress and wound-induced reactive oxygen species accumulation, affecting regeneration. Oxidative stress triggered lipid peroxidation and caveolar disassembly, allowing release of CAVIN1 and direct interaction with NRF2, resulting in NRF2 degradation and resistance to lipid-peroxidation-induced ferroptosis in CAVIN1-null cells.
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Remi Safi, Miguel Sanchez-Alvarez, Marta Bosch, Caroline Demangel, Robert G. Parton, Albert Pol
Summary: Microbes have developed strategies to exploit lipid droplets (LDs), which are major lipid storage organelles in eukaryotes, as a source of nutrients for host colonization. However, recent studies have shown that LDs possess protein-mediated antibiotic activity, which is upregulated in response to danger signals and sepsis. LDs may serve as a chokepoint utilized by the innate immune system to defend against intracellular pathogens.
IMMUNOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Azelle Hawdon, Niall D. Geoghegan, Monika Mohenska, Anja Elsenhans, Charles Ferguson, Jose M. Polo, Robert G. Parton, Jennifer Zenker
Summary: The spatial sorting of RNA transcripts in mouse preimplantation embryos plays a crucial role in gene expression and cell fate determination. Basally directed RNA transport is facilitated by microtubules and lysosomes. Despite higher accumulation in basal regions, higher translation activity occurs at the dispersed apical RNA foci, demonstrating spatial heterogeneities in RNA subtypes, organelle interactions, and translation events. Biased inheritance of RNA transcripts and differential translation capacity regulate cell fate allocation during embryonic development.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shayli Varasteh Moradi, Yue Wu, Patricia Walden, Zhenling Cui, Wayne A. Johnston, Dmitri Petrov, Kirill Alexandrov
Summary: Researchers used CFPS technology combined with AlphaLISA protein interaction technology to identify intraviral and viral-human protein interactions of SARS-CoV-2, providing potential targets for the development of antiviral therapeutics.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michael D. Healy, Brett M. Collins
Summary: PDZ and LIM domain proteins play important roles in the actin cytoskeleton and are involved in actin organization and function in metazoans. They act as scaffolds, linking various proteins to actin and its binding partner alpha-actinin. In addition to their well-known role in actin organization, emerging evidence suggests their involvement in actin-dependent membrane trafficking in the endosomal system.
BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Guillaume Longatte, Fabio Lisi, Xueqian Chen, James Walsh, Wenqian Wang, Nicholas Ariotti, Till Boecking, Katharina Gaus, J. Justin Gooding
Summary: Single molecule experiments have gained significant attention recently. Many of these studies involve encapsulating a single molecule into nanoscale containers. The encapsulation efficiency of single molecules is an important parameter to consider, and previous theories have focused on encapsulating single molecules into perfectly sized monodispersed containers. However, experimental nanocontainers often have a size distribution and may require encapsulating a single binding pair instead of a single molecule. This study extends the Poisson distribution theory to predict the encapsulation efficiency of two different molecules in an association equilibrium, taking into account the container size distribution and the effect of adsorption to the container.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Hamish C. Craig, Yin Yao, Nicholas Ariotti, Mohan Setty, Rechana Remadevi, Michael M. Kasumovic, Rangam Rajkhowa, Aditya Rawal, Sean J. Blamires
Summary: This study used advanced spectroscopic and microscopic methods to investigate the structure and function of silk, and found that the mechanical properties and nanoscale void formations vary along a single fiber in wild and domesticated silkworm species. These voids contribute to temperature regulation within the silkworm cocoons.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2022)