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Richter Ankersen posted an update 5 hours, 50 minutes ago
The caspase-12 gene was upregulated only at 4 weeks in T1D mice compared with control mice, and the upregulation was suppressed by SF. In addition, the combined administration of SF and PX12, which is an inhibitor of thioredoxin (Trx), eliminated the protective effects of SF. We conclude that HG induced the development of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in hippocampal neurons, eventually leading to the apoptosis of neurons. SF prevented the ERS and attenuates the hippocampal neuron apoptosis induced by HG both in vitro and in vivo. The underlying mechanism may be involved in the suppression of the CHOP-Bax/Bcl-2, JNK and caspase-12 signaling pathways by SF through the Trx-1 target protein. The proteins MinD, MinE and MinC are constitutive for the spatiotemporal organization of cell division in Escherichia coli, in particular, for positioning the division machinery at mid-cell. To achieve this function, the ATPase MinD and the ATPase-activating protein MinE undergo coordinated pole-to-pole oscillations and have thus become a paradigm for protein pattern formation in biology. The exact molecular mechanisms enabling MinDE self-organization, and particularly the role of cooperativity in the membrane binding of MinD, thought to be a key requirement, have remained poorly understood. However, for bottom-up synthetic biology aiming at a de novo design of key cellular features, elucidating these mechanisms is of great relevance. By combining in vitro reconstitution with rationally guided mutagenesis of MinD, we found that when bound to membranes, MinD displays new interfaces for multimerization, which are distinct from the canonical MinD dimerization site. We propose that these additional transient interactions contribute to the local self-enhancement of MinD at the membrane, while their relative lability maintains the structural plasticity required for MinDE wave propagation. This could represent a powerful structural regulation feature not reported so far for self-organizing proteins. The study of complex and dynamic biomolecular assemblies is a key challenge in structural biology and requires the use of multiple methodologies providing complementary spatial and temporal information. NMR spectroscopy is a powerful technique that allows high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules as well as investigating their dynamic properties in solution. However, for high molecular weight systems, such as biomolecular complexes or multi-domain proteins, it is often only possible to obtain sparse NMR data, posing significant challenges to structure determination. Combining NMR data with information obtained from other solution techniques is therefore an attractive approach. The combination of NMR with small angle X-ray and/or neutron scattering (SAXS/SANS) has been shown to be particularly fruitful. These scattering approaches provide low resolution information of biomolecules in solution and reflect ensemble-averaged contributions of dynamic conformations for scattering molecules up to Megadalton molecular weight. Here, we review recent developments in the combination of NMR and SAS experiments. We briefly outline the different types of information that provided by these two approaches. We then discuss computational methods that have been developed to integrate NMR and SAS data, particularly considering the presence of dynamic structural ensembles and flexibility of the investigated biomolecules. Finally, recent examples of the successful combination of NMR and SAS are presented to illustrate the utility of their combination. The widespread emergence of antibiotic resistance in pathogens necessitates the development of antibacterial agents inhibiting underexplored targets in bacterial metabolism. One such target is phospho-MurNAc-pentapeptide translocase (MraY), an essential integral membrane enzyme that catalyzes the first committed step of peptidoglycan biosynthesis. MraY has long been considered a promising candidate for antibiotic development in part because it is the target of five classes of naturally occurring nucleoside inhibitors with potent in vivo and in vitro antibacterial activity. Although these inhibitors each have a nucleoside moiety, they vary dramatically in their core structures, and they have different activity properties. Isethion Until recently, the structural basis of MraY inhibition was poorly understood. Several recent structures of MraY and its human paralog, GlcNAc-1-P-transferase, have provided insights into MraY inhibition that are consistent with known inhibitor activity data and can inform rational drug design for this important antibiotic target. Ste24, an integral membrane protein zinc metalloprotease, is found in every kingdom of eukaryotes. It was discovered approximately 20 years ago by yeast genetic screens identifying it as a factor responsible for processing the yeast mating a-factor pheromone. In animals, Ste24 processes prelamin A, a component of the nuclear lamina; mutations in the human ortholog of Ste24 diminish its activity, giving rise to genetic diseases of accelerated aging (progerias). Additionally, lipodystrophy, acquired from the standard highly active antiretroviral therapy used to treat AIDS patients, likely results from off-target interactions of HIV (aspartyl) protease inhibitor drugs with Ste24. Ste24 possesses a novel “α-barrel” structure, consisting of a ring of seven transmembrane α-helices enclosing a large (>12,000 Å3) interior volume that contains the active-site and substrate-binding region; this “membrane-interior reaction chamber” is unprecedented in integral membrane protein structures. Additionally, the surface of the membrane-interior reaction chamber possesses a strikingly large negative electrostatic surface potential, adding additional “functional mystery.” Recent publications implicate Ste24 as a key factor in several endoplasmic reticulum processes, including the unfolded protein response, a cellular stress response of the endoplasmic reticulum, and removal of misfolded proteins from the translocon. Ste24, with its provocative structure, enigmatic mechanism, and recently emergent new biological roles including “translocon unclogger” and (non-enyzmatic) broad-spectrum viral restriction factor, presents far differently than before 2016, when it was viewed as a “CAAX protease” responsible for cleavage of prenylated (farnesylated or geranylgeranylated) substrates. The emphasis of this review is on Ste24 of the “Post-CAAX-Protease Era.”