Protein-protein interactions(PPIs)are fundamental to many biological processes that play an important role in the occurrence and development of a variety of diseases.Targeting the interaction between tumour-related pr...Protein-protein interactions(PPIs)are fundamental to many biological processes that play an important role in the occurrence and development of a variety of diseases.Targeting the interaction between tumour-related proteins with emerging small molecule drugs has become an attractive approach for treatment of human diseases,especially tumours.Encouragingly,selective PPI-based therapeutic agents have been rapidly advancing over the past decade,providing promising perspectives for novel therapies for patients with cancer.In this review we comprehensively clarify the discovery and development of small molecule modulators of PPIs from multiple aspects,focusing on PPIs in disease,drug design and discovery strategies,structure-activity relationships,inherent dilemmas,and future directions.展开更多
Autophagy is a cellular process in which proteins and organelles are engulfed in autophagosomal vesicles and transported to the lysosome/vacuole for degradation.Protein–protein interactions(PPIs)play a crucial role a...Autophagy is a cellular process in which proteins and organelles are engulfed in autophagosomal vesicles and transported to the lysosome/vacuole for degradation.Protein–protein interactions(PPIs)play a crucial role at many stages of autophagy,which present formidable but attainable targets for autophagy regulation.Moreover,selective regulation of PPIs tends to have a lower risk in causing undesired off-target effects in the context of a complicated biological network.Thus,small-molecule regulators,including peptides and peptidomimetics,targeting the critical PPIs involved in autophagy provide a new opportunity for innovative drug discovery.This article provides general background knowledge of the critical PPIs involved in autophagy and reviews a range of successful attempts on discovering regulators targeting those PPIs.Successful strategies and existing limitations in this field are also discussed.展开更多
Protein-mediated interactions are the fundamental mechanism through which cells regulate health and disease.These interactions require physical contact between proteins and their respective targets of interest.These t...Protein-mediated interactions are the fundamental mechanism through which cells regulate health and disease.These interactions require physical contact between proteins and their respective targets of interest.These targets include not only other proteins but also nucleic acids and other important molecules as well.These proteins are often involved in multibody complexes that work dynamically to regulate cellular health and function.Various techniques have been adapted to study these important interactions,such as affinity-based assays,mass spectrometry,and fluorescent detection.The application of these techniques has led to a greater understanding of how protein interactions are responsible for both the instigation and resolution of acute inflammatory diseases.These pursuits aim to provide opportunities to target specific protein interactions to alleviate acute inflammation.展开更多
Essential proteins are inseparable in cell growth and survival. The study of essential proteins is important for understanding cellular functions and biological mechanisms. Therefore, various computable methods have b...Essential proteins are inseparable in cell growth and survival. The study of essential proteins is important for understanding cellular functions and biological mechanisms. Therefore, various computable methods have been proposed to identify essential proteins. Unfortunately, most methods based on network topology only consider the interactions between a protein and its neighboring proteins, and not the interactions with its higher-order distance proteins. In this paper, we propose the DSEP algorithm in which we integrated network topology properties and subcellular localization information in protein–protein interaction(PPI) networks based on four-order distances, and then used random walks to identify the essential proteins. We also propose a method to calculate the finite-order distance of the network, which can greatly reduce the time complexity of our algorithm. We conducted a comprehensive comparison of the DSEP algorithm with 11 existing classical algorithms to identify essential proteins with multiple evaluation methods. The results show that DSEP is superior to these 11 methods.展开更多
The E3 ubiquitin ligase,carboxyl terminus of heat shock protein 70(Hsp70)interacting protein(CHIP),also functions as a co-chaperone and plays a crucial role in the protein quality control system.In this study,we aimed...The E3 ubiquitin ligase,carboxyl terminus of heat shock protein 70(Hsp70)interacting protein(CHIP),also functions as a co-chaperone and plays a crucial role in the protein quality control system.In this study,we aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of overexpressed CHIP on Alzheimer’s disease.We used an adeno-associated virus vector that can cross the blood-brain barrier to mediate CHIP overexpression in APP/PS1 mouse brain.CHIP overexpression significantly ameliorated the performance of APP/PS1 mice in the Morris water maze and nest building tests,reduced amyloid-βplaques,and decreased the expression of both amyloid-βand phosphorylated tau.CHIP also alleviated the concentration of microglia and astrocytes around plaques.In APP/PS1 mice of a younger age,CHIP overexpression promoted an increase in ADAM10 expression and inhibitedβ-site APP cleaving enzyme 1,insulin degrading enzyme,and neprilysin expression.Levels of HSP70 and HSP40,which have functional relevance to CHIP,were also increased.Single nuclei transcriptome sequencing in the hippocampus of CHIP overexpressed mice showed that the lysosomal pathway and oligodendrocyte-related biological processes were up-regulated,which may also reflect a potential mechanism for the neuroprotective effect of CHIP.Our research shows that CHIP effectively reduces the behavior and pathological manifestations of APP/PS1 mice.Indeed,overexpression of CHIP could be a beneficial approach for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.展开更多
5-Formyluracil(5fU)is a vital DNA marker that is widely distributed in the cells of organisms.A unique feature of 5fU is the possession of a potentially reactive aldehyde group in its structure that could realize addi...5-Formyluracil(5fU)is a vital DNA marker that is widely distributed in the cells of organisms.A unique feature of 5fU is the possession of a potentially reactive aldehyde group in its structure that could realize addition and condensation reactions.However,the biological functional details of 5fU remain mostly elusive,especially,regarding its relatedness with proteins.In this current study,we show that 5fU bases have a strong affinity toward nucleosome core particles,and that could yield regulable DNA–protein conjugates(DPCs)via chemical interactions between amino and aldehyde groups,and reductants could be applied to stabilize or dissociate the interactions.Besides,we developed a photocaged method to exploit the relationship between 5fU and nucleosomes.Finally,by applying a combination of the existence of 5fU–histone interactions in vivo by ChIP analysis of histone H4 with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry(LC–MS),we probed further,the DPCs’influence on nucleosome and enzyme.Collectively,our results showed that the 5fU–protein interactions increase the occupancy and stability of nucleosomes,affect enzyme recognition,and block DNA replication.These might imply that,in vivo,the DPCs between 5fU and nucleosome core particles might play a key role in 5fU-associated pathways such as DNA repair,transcriptional regulation,or development.展开更多
The B-box(BBX)family of proteins consists of zinc-finger transcription factors with one or two highly conserved B-box motifs at their N-termini.BBX proteins play crucial roles in various aspects of plant growth and de...The B-box(BBX)family of proteins consists of zinc-finger transcription factors with one or two highly conserved B-box motifs at their N-termini.BBX proteins play crucial roles in various aspects of plant growth and development,including seedling photomorphogenesis,shade avoidance,flowering time,and biotic and abiotic stress responses.Previous studies have identified many different BBXs from several plant species,although the BBX family members in maize are largely unknown.Genome-wide identification and comprehensive analysis of maize BBX(ZmBBX)expression and interaction networks would therefore provide valuable information for understanding their functions.In this study,36 maize BBXs in three major clades were identified.The ZmBBXs within a given clade were found to share similar domains,motifs,and genomic structures.Gene duplication analyses revealed that the expansion of BBX proteins in maize has mainly occurred by segmental duplication.The expression levels of ZmBBXs were analyzed in various organs and tissues,and under different abiotic stress conditions.Protein–protein interaction networks of ZmBBXs were established using bioinformatic tools and verified by bimolecular fluorescence complementation(BiFC)assays.Our findings can facilitate a greater understanding of the complexity of the ZmBBX family and provide novel clues for unravelling ZmBBX protein functions.展开更多
The Ca^(2+)/CaM signal transduction pathway helps plants adapt to environmental stress. However, our knowledge on the functional proteins of C^(2+)/CaM pathway in peanut(Arachis hypogeae L.) remains limited. In the pr...The Ca^(2+)/CaM signal transduction pathway helps plants adapt to environmental stress. However, our knowledge on the functional proteins of C^(2+)/CaM pathway in peanut(Arachis hypogeae L.) remains limited. In the present study, a novel calmodulin 4(CaM4)-binding protein S-adenosyl-methionine synthetase 1(SAMS1) in peanut was identified using a yeast two-hybrid assay. Expression of AhSAMS1was induced by Ca^(2+), ABA, and salt stress. To elucidate the function of AhSAMS1, physiological and phenotypic analyses were performed with wild-type and transgenic materials. Overexpression of AhSAMS1increased spermidine and spermidine synthesis while decreased the contents of ethylene, thereby eliminating excessive reactive oxygen species(ROS) in transgenic lines under salt stress. AhSAMS1 reduced uptake of Na+and leakage of K+from mesophyll cells, and was less sensitive to salt stress during early seedling growth, in agreement with the induction of SOS and NHX genes Transcriptomics combined with epigenetic regulation uncovered relationships between differentially expressed genes and differentially methylated regions, which raised the salt tolerance and plants growth. Our findings support a model in which the role of AhSAMS1 in the ROS-dependent regulation of ion homeostasis was enhanced by Ca^(2+)/CaM while AhSAMS1-induced methylation was regulated by CaM, thus providing a new strategy for increasing the tolerance of plants to salt stress.展开更多
Background:To develop a protein-protein interaction network of Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria(PNH)and Aplastic anemia(AA)based on genetic genes and to predict pathways underlying the molecular complexes in the ne...Background:To develop a protein-protein interaction network of Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria(PNH)and Aplastic anemia(AA)based on genetic genes and to predict pathways underlying the molecular complexes in the network.Methods:In this research,the PNH and AA-related genes were screened through Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM).The plugins and Cytoscape were used to search literature and build a protein-protein interaction network.Results:The protein-protein interaction network contains two molecular complexes that are five higher than the correlation integral values.The target genes of this study were obtained:CD59,STAT3,TERC,TNF,AKT1,C5AR1,EPO,IL6,IL10 and so on.We also found that many factors regulate biological behaviors:neutrophils,macrophages,vascular endothelial growth factor,immunoglobulin,interleukin,cytokine receptor,interleukin-6 receptor,tumor necrosis factor,and so on.This research provides a bioinformatics foundation for further explaining the mechanism of common development of both.Conclusion:This indicates that the PNH and AA is a complex process regulated by many cellular pathways and multiple genes.展开更多
SNF1-related protein kinase 2(SnRK2)family members are essential components of the plant abscisic acid(ABA)signaling pathway initiated by osmotic stress and triggering a drought stress response.This study characterize...SNF1-related protein kinase 2(SnRK2)family members are essential components of the plant abscisic acid(ABA)signaling pathway initiated by osmotic stress and triggering a drought stress response.This study characterized the molecular properties of TaSnRK2.4 and its function in mediating adaptation to drought in Triticum aestivum.Transcripts of TaSnRK2.4 were upregulated upon drought and ABA signaling and associated with drought-and ABA-responsive cis-elements ABRE and DRE,and MYB and MYC binding sites in the promoter as indicated by reporter GUS protein staining and activity driven by truncations of the promoter.Yeast two-hybrid,BiFC,and Co-IP assays indicated that TaSnRK2.4 protein interacts with TaPP2C01 and an ABF transcription factor(TF)TaABF2.The results suggested that TaSnRK2.4 forms a functional TaPP2C01-TaSnRK2.4-TaABF2 module with its upstream and downstream partners.Transgene analysis revealed that TaSnRK2.4 and TaABF2 positively regulate drought tolerance whereas TaPP2C01 acts negatively by modulating stomatal movement,osmotic adjustment,reactive oxygen species(ROS)homeostasis,and root morphology.Expression analysis,yeast one-hybrid,and transcriptional activation assays indicated that several osmotic stress-responsive genes,including TaSLAC1-4,TaP5CS3,TaSOD5,TaCAT1,and TaPIN4,are regulated by TaABF2.Transgene analysis verified their functions in positively regulating stomatal movement(TaSLAC1-4),proline accumulation(TaP5CS3),SOD activity(TaSOD5),CAT activity(TaCAT1),and root morphology(TaPIN4).There were high correlations between plant biomass and yield with module transcripts in a wheat variety panel cultivated under drought conditions in the field.Our findings provide insights into understanding plant drought response underlying the SnRK2 signaling pathway in common wheat.展开更多
Jujube witches’broom(JWB)caused by phytoplasma has a severely negative effect on multiple metabolisms in jujube.The GST gene family in plants participates in the regulation of a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses...Jujube witches’broom(JWB)caused by phytoplasma has a severely negative effect on multiple metabolisms in jujube.The GST gene family in plants participates in the regulation of a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses.This study aims to identify and reveal the changes in the jujube GST gene family in response to phytoplasma infection.Here,70 ZjGSTs were identified in the jujube genome and divided into 8 classes.Among them,the Tau-class,including 44 genes,was the largest.Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Tau-class genes were highly conserved among species,such as Arabidopsis,cotton,chickpea,and rice.Through chromosome location analysis,37.1%of genes were clustered,and 8 of 9 gene clusters were composed of Tau class members.Through RT-PCR,qRT-PCR and enzyme activity detection,the results showed that the expression of half(20/40)of the tested ZjGSTs was inhibited by phytoplasma infection in field and tissue culture conditions,and GST activity was also significantly reduced.In the resistant and susceptible varieties under phytoplasma infection,ZjGSTU49-ZjGSTU54 in the cluster IV showed opposite expression patterns,which may be due to functional divergence during evolution.Some upregulated genes(ZjGSTU45,ZjGSTU49,ZjGSTU59,and ZjGSTU70)might be involved in the process of jujube against JWB.The yeast two-hybrid results showed that all 6 Tauclass proteins tested could form homodimers or heterodimers.Overall,the comprehensive analysis of the jujube GST gene family revealed that ZjGSTs responded actively to phytoplasma infection.Furthermore,some screened genes(ZjGSTU24,ZjGSTU49-52,ZjGSTU70,and ZjDHAR10)will contribute to further functional studies of jujube-phytoplasma interactions.展开更多
The 57 kDa antigen recognized by the Ki-1 antibody,is also known as intracellular hyaluronic acid binding protein 4 and shares 40.7%identity and 67.4%similarity with serpin mRNA binding protein 1,which is also named C...The 57 kDa antigen recognized by the Ki-1 antibody,is also known as intracellular hyaluronic acid binding protein 4 and shares 40.7%identity and 67.4%similarity with serpin mRNA binding protein 1,which is also named CGI-55,or plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1-RNA binding protein-1,indicating that they might be paralog proteins,possibly with similar or redundant functions in human cells.Through the identification of their protein interactomes,both regulatory proteins have been functionally implicated in transcriptional regulation,mRNA metabolism,specifically RNA splicing,the regulation of mRNA stability,especially,in the context of the progesterone hormone response,and the DNA damage response.Both proteins also show a complex pattern of post-translational modifications,involving Ser/Thr phosphorylation,mainly through protein kinase C,arginine methylation and SUMOylation,suggesting that their functions and locations are highly regulated.Furthermore,they show a highly dynamic cellular localization pattern with localizations in both the cytoplasm and nucleus as well as punctuated localizations in both granular cytoplasmic protein bodies,upon stress,and nuclear splicing speckles.Several reports in the literature show altered expressions of both regulatory proteins in a series of cancers as well as mutations in their genes that may contribute to tumorigenesis.This review highlights important aspects of the structure,interactome,post-translational modifications,sub-cellular localization and function of both regulatory proteins and further discusses their possible functions and their potential as tumor markers in different cancer settings.展开更多
BACKGROUND Adaptor protein,phosphotyrosine interacting with PH domain and leucine zipper 1(APPL1)plays a crucial role in regulating insulin signaling and glucose metabolism.Mutations in the APPL1 gene have been associ...BACKGROUND Adaptor protein,phosphotyrosine interacting with PH domain and leucine zipper 1(APPL1)plays a crucial role in regulating insulin signaling and glucose metabolism.Mutations in the APPL1 gene have been associated with the development of maturity-onset diabetes of the young type 14(MODY14).Currently,only two mutations[c.1655T>A(p.Leu552*)and c.281G>A p.(Asp94Asn)]have been identified in association with this disease.Given the limited understanding of MODY14,it is imperative to identify additional cases and carry out comprehensive research on MODY14 and APPL1 mutations.AIM To assess the pathogenicity of APPL1 gene mutations in diabetic patients and to characterize the functional role of the APPL1 domain.METHODS Patients exhibiting clinical signs and a medical history suggestive of MODY were screened for the study.Whole exome sequencing was performed on the patients as well as their family members.The pathogenicity of the identified APPL1 variants was predicted on the basis of bioinformatics analysis.In addition,the pathogenicity of the novel APPL1 variant was preliminarily evaluated through in vitro functional experiments.Finally,the impact of these variants on APPL1 protein expression and the insulin pathway were assessed,and the potential mechanism underlying the interaction between the APPL1 protein and the insulin receptor was further explored.RESULTS A total of five novel mutations were identified,including four missense mutations(Asp632Tyr,Arg633His,Arg532Gln,and Ile642Met)and one intronic mutation(1153-16A>T).Pathogenicity prediction analysis revealed that the Arg532Gln was pathogenic across all predictions.The Asp632Tyr and Arg633His variants also had pathogenicity based on MutationTaster.In addition,multiple alignment of amino acid sequences showed that the Arg532Gln,Asp632Tyr,and Arg633His variants were conserved across different species.Moreover,in in vitro functional experiments,both the c.1894G>T(at Asp632Tyr)and c.1595G>A(at Arg532Gln)mutations were found to downregulate the expression of APPL1 on both protein and mRNA levels,indicating their pathogenic nature.Therefore,based on the patient’s clinical and family history,combined with the results from bioinformatics analysis and functional experiment,the c.1894G>T(at Asp632Tyr)and c.1595G>A(at Arg532Gln)mutations were classified as pathogenic mutations.Importantly,all these mutations were located within the phosphotyrosinebinding domain of APPL1,which plays a critical role in the insulin sensitization effect.CONCLUSION This study provided new insights into the pathogenicity of APPL1 gene mutations in diabetes and revealed a potential target for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.展开更多
Cytoskeletal microtubule rearrangement and movement are crucial in the repair of spinal cord injury.Spastin plays an important role in the regulation of microtubule severing.Both spastin and collapsin response mediato...Cytoskeletal microtubule rearrangement and movement are crucial in the repair of spinal cord injury.Spastin plays an important role in the regulation of microtubule severing.Both spastin and collapsin response mediator proteins can regulate neurite growth and branching;however,whether spastin interacts with collapsin response mediator protein 3(CRMP3)during this process remains unclear,as is the mechanism by which CRMP3 participates in the repair of spinal cord injury.In this study,we used a proteomics approach to identify key proteins associated with spinal cord injury repair.We then employed liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify proteins that were able to interact with glutathione S-transferase-spastin.Then,co-immunoprecipitation and staining approaches were used to evaluate potential interactions between spastin and CRMP3.Finally,we co-transfected primary hippocampal neurons with CRMP3 and spastin to evaluate their role in neurite outgrowth.Mass spectrometry identified the role of CRMP3 in the spinal cord injury repair process.Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry pulldown assays identified three CRMP3 peptides that were able to interact with spastin.CRMP3 and spastin were co-expressed in the spinal cord and were able to interact with one another in vitro and in vivo.Lastly,CRMP3 overexpression was able to enhance the ability of spastin to promote neurite growth and branching.Therefore,our results confirm that spastin and CRMP3 play roles in spinal cord injury repair by regulating neurite growth and branching.These proteins may therefore be novel targets for spinal cord injury repair.The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Jinan University,China approved this study(approval No.IACUS-20181008-03)on October 8,2018.展开更多
Proteasome dysfunction has been repeatedly reported in alcoholic liver disease. Ethanol metabolism endproducts affect the structure of the proteasome, and, therefore, change the proteasome interaction with its regulat...Proteasome dysfunction has been repeatedly reported in alcoholic liver disease. Ethanol metabolism endproducts affect the structure of the proteasome, and, therefore, change the proteasome interaction with its regulatory complexes 19S and PA28, as well as its interacting proteins. Chronic ethanol feeding alters the ubiquitin-proteasome activity by altering the interaction between the 19S and the 20S proteasome interaction. The degradation of oxidized and damaged proteins is thus decreased and leads to accumulation of insoluble protein aggregates, such as Mallory-Denk bodies. Ethanol also affects the immunoproteasome formation. PA28a/b interactions with the 20S proteasome are decreased in the proteasome fraction isolated from the liver of rats fed ethanol chronically, thus affecting the cellular antigen presentation and defense against pathogenic agents. Recently, it has been shown that ethanol also affects the proteasome interacting proteins (PIPs). Interaction of the proteasome with Ecm29 and with deubiquitinating enzymes Rpn11, UCH37, and Usp14 has been found to decrease. However, the two UBL-ubiquitin-associated domain (UBA) PIPs p62 and valosin-containing protein are upregulated when the proteasome is inhibited. The increase of these UBL-UBA proteins, as well as the increase in Hsp70 and Hsp25 levels, compensated for the proteasome failure and helped in the unfolding/docking of misfolded proteins. Chronic alcohol feeding to rats causes a significant inhibition of the proteasome pathway and this inhibition results from a decreases of the interaction between the 20S proteasome and the regulatory complexes, PIPs, and the ubiquitin system components.展开更多
Tissue and systemic inflammation have been the main culprit behind the cellular response to multiple insults and maintaining homeostasis.Obesity is an independent disease state that has been reported as a common risk ...Tissue and systemic inflammation have been the main culprit behind the cellular response to multiple insults and maintaining homeostasis.Obesity is an independent disease state that has been reported as a common risk factor for multiple metabolic and microvascular diseases including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD),retinopathy,critical limb ischemia,and impaired angiogenesis.Sterile inflammation driven by high-fat diet,increased formation of reactive oxygen species,alteration of intracellular calcium level and associated release of inflammatory mediators,are the main common underlying forces in the pathophysiology of NAFLD,ischemic retinopathy,stroke,and aging brain.This work aims to examine the contribution of the pro-oxidative and pro-inflammatory thioredoxin interacting protein(TXNIP)to the expression and activation of NLRP3-inflammasome resulting in initiation or exacerbation of sterile inflammation in these disease states.Finally,the potential for TXNIP as a therapeutic target and whether TXNIP expression can be modulated using natural antioxidants or repurposing other drugs will be discussed.展开更多
Alternative splicing can generate multiple mRNAs that differ in their untranslated regions or coding sequences,and these differences might affect mRNA stability or result in different protein isoforms with diverse fun...Alternative splicing can generate multiple mRNAs that differ in their untranslated regions or coding sequences,and these differences might affect mRNA stability or result in different protein isoforms with diverse functions and/or localizations.In this study,we isolated a sterile mutant in rice with abnormal meiosis of microspore mother cells and megaspore mother cells that carried a point mutation in OsRAD1 gene.Cloning of OsRAD1 cDNAs revealed three transcript variants,named as OsRAD1.1,OsRAD1.2 and OsRAD1.3,respectively,which were derived from alternative splicing of the last intron.Proteins derived from the three transcripts were mostly identical except the difference in the very C-terminal domain.The three transcripts exhibited similar expression patterns in various tissues,but the expression level of OsRAD1.1 was the highest.Specific knockout of OsRAD1.1 led to sterility,while knockout of OsRAD1.2 and OsRAD1.3 together did not change the plant fertility.Overexpression of OsRAD1.2 and OsRAD1.3 cDNAs in OsRAD1.1-specific mutant did not complement the plant fertility.Yeast two-hybrid assay showed that OsRAD1.1,but not OsRAD1.2 and OsRAD1.3,interacted with the three other meiosis proteins OsHUS1,OsRAD9 and OsRAD17,suggesting that the C-terminal domain of OsRAD1.1 is critical for the protein function.展开更多
Based on the different hydrophobicities of the intermediates of proteins the various conformational intermediates of the refolding of a-amylase originally denatured with 8.0 mol/L urea solution were separated with hig...Based on the different hydrophobicities of the intermediates of proteins the various conformational intermediates of the refolding of a-amylase originally denatured with 8.0 mol/L urea solution were separated with high performance hydrophobic interaction chromatography(HPHIC). Compared to the separation of the same intermediates with weak anion exchange chromatography and size-exclusion chromatography the result obtained with HPHIC is the best It would be expected that HPHIC may be a strongly potential tool to separate intermediates of some proteins which cannot be, or cannot completely be refolded by HPHIC.展开更多
Defects in the endothelial cell barrier accompany diverse malfunctions of the central nervous system such as neurodegenerative diseases,stroke,traumatic brain injury,and systemic diseases such as sepsis,viral and bact...Defects in the endothelial cell barrier accompany diverse malfunctions of the central nervous system such as neurodegenerative diseases,stroke,traumatic brain injury,and systemic diseases such as sepsis,viral and bacterial infections,and cancer.Compromised endothelial sealing leads to leaking blood vessels,followed by vasogenic edema.Brain edema as the most common complication caused by stroke and traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death.Brain microvascular endothelial cells,together with astrocytes,pericytes,microglia,and neurons form a selective barrier,the so-called blood-brain barrier,which regulates the movement of molecules inside and outside of the brain.Mechanisms that regulate blood-brain barrier permeability in health and disease are complex and not fully understood.Several newly discovered molecules that are involved in the regulation of cellular processes in brain microvascular endothelial cells have been described in the literature in recent years.One of these molecules that are highly expressed in brain microvascular endothelial cells is protocadherin gamma C3.In this review,we discuss recent evidence that protocadherin gamma C3 is a newly identified key player involved in the regulation of vascular barrier function.展开更多
Female adults of the migratory locust,Locusta migratoria manilensis(Meyen),can sense seasonal photoperiod changes,which induces embryonic diapause as a key strategy to overwinter.Serine protease inhibitor genes(SPNs)w...Female adults of the migratory locust,Locusta migratoria manilensis(Meyen),can sense seasonal photoperiod changes,which induces embryonic diapause as a key strategy to overwinter.Serine protease inhibitor genes(SPNs)were thought to play key roles during diapause,while few SPNs were functionally characterized.LmSPN2 was one of those genes differentially expressed between diapause and non-diapause eggs;however,its biological function remained to be explored.So,we conducted RNAi knockdown of LmSPN2,resulting in a significant decrease of the egg diapause rate by 29.7%.Using yeast two-hybrid assays,co-immunoprecipitation,and pull-down methods,we found an interaction between LmSPN2 and LmSPN3,which was proved to be mediated by a glutamate(E331)binding site of LmSPN2.RNAi knockdown of LmSPN3 resulted in a significant increase in diapause rate by 14.6%,indicating an inverse function of LmSPN2 and LmSPN3 on diapause regulation.Double knockdown of two SPN genes resulted in a 26.4%reduction in diapause rate,indicating that LmSPN2 was the dominant regulatory signal.Moreover,we found four Toll pathway genes(easter,spätzle,pelle,and dorsal)upregulated significantly after the knockdown of LmSPN2 while downregulated after the knockdown of LmSPN3.Therefore,we speculate that two SPNs regulate diapause through the Toll pathway.Our results indicated that LmSPN2 positively regulates locust egg entry into diapause,while LmSPN3 is a negative regulator of embryonic commitment to diapause.Their interaction is mediated by the binding site of E331 and influences egg diapause through the Toll pathway.This mechanistic understanding of diapause regulation expands our understanding of insect developmental regulation and provides functional targets for developing locust management strategies.展开更多
基金supported by Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province(Grants 2023NSFSC1839,2022NSFSC1290,China)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant 22177083)+2 种基金the Sichuan University Postdoctoral Interdisciplinary Innovation Fund(JCXK2221,China)the Sichuan Science and Technology Program(2023NSFSC1688,China)the Full-time Postdoctoral Research and Development Fund of West China Hospital,Sichuan University(2023HXBH057,China)。
文摘Protein-protein interactions(PPIs)are fundamental to many biological processes that play an important role in the occurrence and development of a variety of diseases.Targeting the interaction between tumour-related proteins with emerging small molecule drugs has become an attractive approach for treatment of human diseases,especially tumours.Encouragingly,selective PPI-based therapeutic agents have been rapidly advancing over the past decade,providing promising perspectives for novel therapies for patients with cancer.In this review we comprehensively clarify the discovery and development of small molecule modulators of PPIs from multiple aspects,focusing on PPIs in disease,drug design and discovery strategies,structure-activity relationships,inherent dilemmas,and future directions.
基金supports by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.81725022,82173739,81430083,21661162003,21472227)the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No.2016YFA0502302)Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (Grant No.20S11900500,China).
文摘Autophagy is a cellular process in which proteins and organelles are engulfed in autophagosomal vesicles and transported to the lysosome/vacuole for degradation.Protein–protein interactions(PPIs)play a crucial role at many stages of autophagy,which present formidable but attainable targets for autophagy regulation.Moreover,selective regulation of PPIs tends to have a lower risk in causing undesired off-target effects in the context of a complicated biological network.Thus,small-molecule regulators,including peptides and peptidomimetics,targeting the critical PPIs involved in autophagy provide a new opportunity for innovative drug discovery.This article provides general background knowledge of the critical PPIs involved in autophagy and reviews a range of successful attempts on discovering regulators targeting those PPIs.Successful strategies and existing limitations in this field are also discussed.
基金This work was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health[R35 GM138191 to RS].
文摘Protein-mediated interactions are the fundamental mechanism through which cells regulate health and disease.These interactions require physical contact between proteins and their respective targets of interest.These targets include not only other proteins but also nucleic acids and other important molecules as well.These proteins are often involved in multibody complexes that work dynamically to regulate cellular health and function.Various techniques have been adapted to study these important interactions,such as affinity-based assays,mass spectrometry,and fluorescent detection.The application of these techniques has led to a greater understanding of how protein interactions are responsible for both the instigation and resolution of acute inflammatory diseases.These pursuits aim to provide opportunities to target specific protein interactions to alleviate acute inflammation.
基金Project supported by the Gansu Province Industrial Support Plan (Grant No.2023CYZC-25)the Natural Science Foundation of Gansu Province (Grant No.23JRRA770)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.62162040)。
文摘Essential proteins are inseparable in cell growth and survival. The study of essential proteins is important for understanding cellular functions and biological mechanisms. Therefore, various computable methods have been proposed to identify essential proteins. Unfortunately, most methods based on network topology only consider the interactions between a protein and its neighboring proteins, and not the interactions with its higher-order distance proteins. In this paper, we propose the DSEP algorithm in which we integrated network topology properties and subcellular localization information in protein–protein interaction(PPI) networks based on four-order distances, and then used random walks to identify the essential proteins. We also propose a method to calculate the finite-order distance of the network, which can greatly reduce the time complexity of our algorithm. We conducted a comprehensive comparison of the DSEP algorithm with 11 existing classical algorithms to identify essential proteins with multiple evaluation methods. The results show that DSEP is superior to these 11 methods.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,Nos.91849115 and U1904207(to YX),81974211 and 82171247(to CS)and Non-profit Central Research Institute Fund of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences,No.2020-PT310-01(to YX).
文摘The E3 ubiquitin ligase,carboxyl terminus of heat shock protein 70(Hsp70)interacting protein(CHIP),also functions as a co-chaperone and plays a crucial role in the protein quality control system.In this study,we aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of overexpressed CHIP on Alzheimer’s disease.We used an adeno-associated virus vector that can cross the blood-brain barrier to mediate CHIP overexpression in APP/PS1 mouse brain.CHIP overexpression significantly ameliorated the performance of APP/PS1 mice in the Morris water maze and nest building tests,reduced amyloid-βplaques,and decreased the expression of both amyloid-βand phosphorylated tau.CHIP also alleviated the concentration of microglia and astrocytes around plaques.In APP/PS1 mice of a younger age,CHIP overexpression promoted an increase in ADAM10 expression and inhibitedβ-site APP cleaving enzyme 1,insulin degrading enzyme,and neprilysin expression.Levels of HSP70 and HSP40,which have functional relevance to CHIP,were also increased.Single nuclei transcriptome sequencing in the hippocampus of CHIP overexpressed mice showed that the lysosomal pathway and oligodendrocyte-related biological processes were up-regulated,which may also reflect a potential mechanism for the neuroprotective effect of CHIP.Our research shows that CHIP effectively reduces the behavior and pathological manifestations of APP/PS1 mice.Indeed,overexpression of CHIP could be a beneficial approach for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China for their financial support(grant nos.21432008,91753201,and 21721005).
文摘5-Formyluracil(5fU)is a vital DNA marker that is widely distributed in the cells of organisms.A unique feature of 5fU is the possession of a potentially reactive aldehyde group in its structure that could realize addition and condensation reactions.However,the biological functional details of 5fU remain mostly elusive,especially,regarding its relatedness with proteins.In this current study,we show that 5fU bases have a strong affinity toward nucleosome core particles,and that could yield regulable DNA–protein conjugates(DPCs)via chemical interactions between amino and aldehyde groups,and reductants could be applied to stabilize or dissociate the interactions.Besides,we developed a photocaged method to exploit the relationship between 5fU and nucleosomes.Finally,by applying a combination of the existence of 5fU–histone interactions in vivo by ChIP analysis of histone H4 with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry(LC–MS),we probed further,the DPCs’influence on nucleosome and enzyme.Collectively,our results showed that the 5fU–protein interactions increase the occupancy and stability of nucleosomes,affect enzyme recognition,and block DNA replication.These might imply that,in vivo,the DPCs between 5fU and nucleosome core particles might play a key role in 5fU-associated pathways such as DNA repair,transcriptional regulation,or development.
基金financially supported by grants from the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province,China(ZR2018LC005 and ZR2019BC107)the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Project of Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences,China(CXGC2022C02)。
文摘The B-box(BBX)family of proteins consists of zinc-finger transcription factors with one or two highly conserved B-box motifs at their N-termini.BBX proteins play crucial roles in various aspects of plant growth and development,including seedling photomorphogenesis,shade avoidance,flowering time,and biotic and abiotic stress responses.Previous studies have identified many different BBXs from several plant species,although the BBX family members in maize are largely unknown.Genome-wide identification and comprehensive analysis of maize BBX(ZmBBX)expression and interaction networks would therefore provide valuable information for understanding their functions.In this study,36 maize BBXs in three major clades were identified.The ZmBBXs within a given clade were found to share similar domains,motifs,and genomic structures.Gene duplication analyses revealed that the expansion of BBX proteins in maize has mainly occurred by segmental duplication.The expression levels of ZmBBXs were analyzed in various organs and tissues,and under different abiotic stress conditions.Protein–protein interaction networks of ZmBBXs were established using bioinformatic tools and verified by bimolecular fluorescence complementation(BiFC)assays.Our findings can facilitate a greater understanding of the complexity of the ZmBBX family and provide novel clues for unravelling ZmBBX protein functions.
基金supported by the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of China (2018YFD1000900)the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(ZR2020MC094)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2021QC163)Special Funds for Local Science and Technology Development Guided by the Central Committee(YDZX20203700001861)。
文摘The Ca^(2+)/CaM signal transduction pathway helps plants adapt to environmental stress. However, our knowledge on the functional proteins of C^(2+)/CaM pathway in peanut(Arachis hypogeae L.) remains limited. In the present study, a novel calmodulin 4(CaM4)-binding protein S-adenosyl-methionine synthetase 1(SAMS1) in peanut was identified using a yeast two-hybrid assay. Expression of AhSAMS1was induced by Ca^(2+), ABA, and salt stress. To elucidate the function of AhSAMS1, physiological and phenotypic analyses were performed with wild-type and transgenic materials. Overexpression of AhSAMS1increased spermidine and spermidine synthesis while decreased the contents of ethylene, thereby eliminating excessive reactive oxygen species(ROS) in transgenic lines under salt stress. AhSAMS1 reduced uptake of Na+and leakage of K+from mesophyll cells, and was less sensitive to salt stress during early seedling growth, in agreement with the induction of SOS and NHX genes Transcriptomics combined with epigenetic regulation uncovered relationships between differentially expressed genes and differentially methylated regions, which raised the salt tolerance and plants growth. Our findings support a model in which the role of AhSAMS1 in the ROS-dependent regulation of ion homeostasis was enhanced by Ca^(2+)/CaM while AhSAMS1-induced methylation was regulated by CaM, thus providing a new strategy for increasing the tolerance of plants to salt stress.
文摘Background:To develop a protein-protein interaction network of Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria(PNH)and Aplastic anemia(AA)based on genetic genes and to predict pathways underlying the molecular complexes in the network.Methods:In this research,the PNH and AA-related genes were screened through Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM).The plugins and Cytoscape were used to search literature and build a protein-protein interaction network.Results:The protein-protein interaction network contains two molecular complexes that are five higher than the correlation integral values.The target genes of this study were obtained:CD59,STAT3,TERC,TNF,AKT1,C5AR1,EPO,IL6,IL10 and so on.We also found that many factors regulate biological behaviors:neutrophils,macrophages,vascular endothelial growth factor,immunoglobulin,interleukin,cytokine receptor,interleukin-6 receptor,tumor necrosis factor,and so on.This research provides a bioinformatics foundation for further explaining the mechanism of common development of both.Conclusion:This indicates that the PNH and AA is a complex process regulated by many cellular pathways and multiple genes.
基金supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFD1200202)State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation(NCCIR2022ZZ-7)Graduate Student Innovation Ability Training Funding Project of Hebei Province(CXZZBS2023073)。
文摘SNF1-related protein kinase 2(SnRK2)family members are essential components of the plant abscisic acid(ABA)signaling pathway initiated by osmotic stress and triggering a drought stress response.This study characterized the molecular properties of TaSnRK2.4 and its function in mediating adaptation to drought in Triticum aestivum.Transcripts of TaSnRK2.4 were upregulated upon drought and ABA signaling and associated with drought-and ABA-responsive cis-elements ABRE and DRE,and MYB and MYC binding sites in the promoter as indicated by reporter GUS protein staining and activity driven by truncations of the promoter.Yeast two-hybrid,BiFC,and Co-IP assays indicated that TaSnRK2.4 protein interacts with TaPP2C01 and an ABF transcription factor(TF)TaABF2.The results suggested that TaSnRK2.4 forms a functional TaPP2C01-TaSnRK2.4-TaABF2 module with its upstream and downstream partners.Transgene analysis revealed that TaSnRK2.4 and TaABF2 positively regulate drought tolerance whereas TaPP2C01 acts negatively by modulating stomatal movement,osmotic adjustment,reactive oxygen species(ROS)homeostasis,and root morphology.Expression analysis,yeast one-hybrid,and transcriptional activation assays indicated that several osmotic stress-responsive genes,including TaSLAC1-4,TaP5CS3,TaSOD5,TaCAT1,and TaPIN4,are regulated by TaABF2.Transgene analysis verified their functions in positively regulating stomatal movement(TaSLAC1-4),proline accumulation(TaP5CS3),SOD activity(TaSOD5),CAT activity(TaCAT1),and root morphology(TaPIN4).There were high correlations between plant biomass and yield with module transcripts in a wheat variety panel cultivated under drought conditions in the field.Our findings provide insights into understanding plant drought response underlying the SnRK2 signaling pathway in common wheat.
基金supported by grants from the National Key R&D Program Project Funding(Grant No.2018YFD1000607)the Foundation for 100 Innovative Talents of Hebei Province(Grant No.SLRC2019031)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.31772285)the Hebei Province Innovation Foundation for Postgraduates(Grant No.CXZZBS2020097)。
文摘Jujube witches’broom(JWB)caused by phytoplasma has a severely negative effect on multiple metabolisms in jujube.The GST gene family in plants participates in the regulation of a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses.This study aims to identify and reveal the changes in the jujube GST gene family in response to phytoplasma infection.Here,70 ZjGSTs were identified in the jujube genome and divided into 8 classes.Among them,the Tau-class,including 44 genes,was the largest.Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Tau-class genes were highly conserved among species,such as Arabidopsis,cotton,chickpea,and rice.Through chromosome location analysis,37.1%of genes were clustered,and 8 of 9 gene clusters were composed of Tau class members.Through RT-PCR,qRT-PCR and enzyme activity detection,the results showed that the expression of half(20/40)of the tested ZjGSTs was inhibited by phytoplasma infection in field and tissue culture conditions,and GST activity was also significantly reduced.In the resistant and susceptible varieties under phytoplasma infection,ZjGSTU49-ZjGSTU54 in the cluster IV showed opposite expression patterns,which may be due to functional divergence during evolution.Some upregulated genes(ZjGSTU45,ZjGSTU49,ZjGSTU59,and ZjGSTU70)might be involved in the process of jujube against JWB.The yeast two-hybrid results showed that all 6 Tauclass proteins tested could form homodimers or heterodimers.Overall,the comprehensive analysis of the jujube GST gene family revealed that ZjGSTs responded actively to phytoplasma infection.Furthermore,some screened genes(ZjGSTU24,ZjGSTU49-52,ZjGSTU70,and ZjDHAR10)will contribute to further functional studies of jujube-phytoplasma interactions.
基金Supported by the “Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico”,Grant No.302534/2017-2the “Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo”(FAPESP,Grant 2014/21700-3,to JK)
文摘The 57 kDa antigen recognized by the Ki-1 antibody,is also known as intracellular hyaluronic acid binding protein 4 and shares 40.7%identity and 67.4%similarity with serpin mRNA binding protein 1,which is also named CGI-55,or plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1-RNA binding protein-1,indicating that they might be paralog proteins,possibly with similar or redundant functions in human cells.Through the identification of their protein interactomes,both regulatory proteins have been functionally implicated in transcriptional regulation,mRNA metabolism,specifically RNA splicing,the regulation of mRNA stability,especially,in the context of the progesterone hormone response,and the DNA damage response.Both proteins also show a complex pattern of post-translational modifications,involving Ser/Thr phosphorylation,mainly through protein kinase C,arginine methylation and SUMOylation,suggesting that their functions and locations are highly regulated.Furthermore,they show a highly dynamic cellular localization pattern with localizations in both the cytoplasm and nucleus as well as punctuated localizations in both granular cytoplasmic protein bodies,upon stress,and nuclear splicing speckles.Several reports in the literature show altered expressions of both regulatory proteins in a series of cancers as well as mutations in their genes that may contribute to tumorigenesis.This review highlights important aspects of the structure,interactome,post-translational modifications,sub-cellular localization and function of both regulatory proteins and further discusses their possible functions and their potential as tumor markers in different cancer settings.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation,No.81974124and Taishan Scholar Project,No.tsqn20161071.
文摘BACKGROUND Adaptor protein,phosphotyrosine interacting with PH domain and leucine zipper 1(APPL1)plays a crucial role in regulating insulin signaling and glucose metabolism.Mutations in the APPL1 gene have been associated with the development of maturity-onset diabetes of the young type 14(MODY14).Currently,only two mutations[c.1655T>A(p.Leu552*)and c.281G>A p.(Asp94Asn)]have been identified in association with this disease.Given the limited understanding of MODY14,it is imperative to identify additional cases and carry out comprehensive research on MODY14 and APPL1 mutations.AIM To assess the pathogenicity of APPL1 gene mutations in diabetic patients and to characterize the functional role of the APPL1 domain.METHODS Patients exhibiting clinical signs and a medical history suggestive of MODY were screened for the study.Whole exome sequencing was performed on the patients as well as their family members.The pathogenicity of the identified APPL1 variants was predicted on the basis of bioinformatics analysis.In addition,the pathogenicity of the novel APPL1 variant was preliminarily evaluated through in vitro functional experiments.Finally,the impact of these variants on APPL1 protein expression and the insulin pathway were assessed,and the potential mechanism underlying the interaction between the APPL1 protein and the insulin receptor was further explored.RESULTS A total of five novel mutations were identified,including four missense mutations(Asp632Tyr,Arg633His,Arg532Gln,and Ile642Met)and one intronic mutation(1153-16A>T).Pathogenicity prediction analysis revealed that the Arg532Gln was pathogenic across all predictions.The Asp632Tyr and Arg633His variants also had pathogenicity based on MutationTaster.In addition,multiple alignment of amino acid sequences showed that the Arg532Gln,Asp632Tyr,and Arg633His variants were conserved across different species.Moreover,in in vitro functional experiments,both the c.1894G>T(at Asp632Tyr)and c.1595G>A(at Arg532Gln)mutations were found to downregulate the expression of APPL1 on both protein and mRNA levels,indicating their pathogenic nature.Therefore,based on the patient’s clinical and family history,combined with the results from bioinformatics analysis and functional experiment,the c.1894G>T(at Asp632Tyr)and c.1595G>A(at Arg532Gln)mutations were classified as pathogenic mutations.Importantly,all these mutations were located within the phosphotyrosinebinding domain of APPL1,which plays a critical role in the insulin sensitization effect.CONCLUSION This study provided new insights into the pathogenicity of APPL1 gene mutations in diabetes and revealed a potential target for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,Nos.31900691(to GWZ),81771331(to HSL)and 81971165(to WW)the National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program),No.2014CB542205(to WW)+5 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province of China,No.2017A030313595(to HSL)the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou,China,No.201707010370(to HSL)Project of Educational Commission of Guangdong Province of China,No.2018KQNCX013(to ZSJ)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities Project,China,No.21618304(to GWZ)Guangdong Provincial Key Research and Development Program“Precision Medicine and Stem Cell”Major Science and Technology Project,China,No.3242001(to WW)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation,No.2019M653292(to ZSJ).
文摘Cytoskeletal microtubule rearrangement and movement are crucial in the repair of spinal cord injury.Spastin plays an important role in the regulation of microtubule severing.Both spastin and collapsin response mediator proteins can regulate neurite growth and branching;however,whether spastin interacts with collapsin response mediator protein 3(CRMP3)during this process remains unclear,as is the mechanism by which CRMP3 participates in the repair of spinal cord injury.In this study,we used a proteomics approach to identify key proteins associated with spinal cord injury repair.We then employed liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify proteins that were able to interact with glutathione S-transferase-spastin.Then,co-immunoprecipitation and staining approaches were used to evaluate potential interactions between spastin and CRMP3.Finally,we co-transfected primary hippocampal neurons with CRMP3 and spastin to evaluate their role in neurite outgrowth.Mass spectrometry identified the role of CRMP3 in the spinal cord injury repair process.Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry pulldown assays identified three CRMP3 peptides that were able to interact with spastin.CRMP3 and spastin were co-expressed in the spinal cord and were able to interact with one another in vitro and in vivo.Lastly,CRMP3 overexpression was able to enhance the ability of spastin to promote neurite growth and branching.Therefore,our results confirm that spastin and CRMP3 play roles in spinal cord injury repair by regulating neurite growth and branching.These proteins may therefore be novel targets for spinal cord injury repair.The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Jinan University,China approved this study(approval No.IACUS-20181008-03)on October 8,2018.
基金Supported by NIH/NIAAA 8116Alcohol Center Grant on Liver and Pancreas P50-011999, Morphology Core
文摘Proteasome dysfunction has been repeatedly reported in alcoholic liver disease. Ethanol metabolism endproducts affect the structure of the proteasome, and, therefore, change the proteasome interaction with its regulatory complexes 19S and PA28, as well as its interacting proteins. Chronic ethanol feeding alters the ubiquitin-proteasome activity by altering the interaction between the 19S and the 20S proteasome interaction. The degradation of oxidized and damaged proteins is thus decreased and leads to accumulation of insoluble protein aggregates, such as Mallory-Denk bodies. Ethanol also affects the immunoproteasome formation. PA28a/b interactions with the 20S proteasome are decreased in the proteasome fraction isolated from the liver of rats fed ethanol chronically, thus affecting the cellular antigen presentation and defense against pathogenic agents. Recently, it has been shown that ethanol also affects the proteasome interacting proteins (PIPs). Interaction of the proteasome with Ecm29 and with deubiquitinating enzymes Rpn11, UCH37, and Usp14 has been found to decrease. However, the two UBL-ubiquitin-associated domain (UBA) PIPs p62 and valosin-containing protein are upregulated when the proteasome is inhibited. The increase of these UBL-UBA proteins, as well as the increase in Hsp70 and Hsp25 levels, compensated for the proteasome failure and helped in the unfolding/docking of misfolded proteins. Chronic alcohol feeding to rats causes a significant inhibition of the proteasome pathway and this inhibition results from a decreases of the interaction between the 20S proteasome and the regulatory complexes, PIPs, and the ubiquitin system components.
文摘Tissue and systemic inflammation have been the main culprit behind the cellular response to multiple insults and maintaining homeostasis.Obesity is an independent disease state that has been reported as a common risk factor for multiple metabolic and microvascular diseases including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD),retinopathy,critical limb ischemia,and impaired angiogenesis.Sterile inflammation driven by high-fat diet,increased formation of reactive oxygen species,alteration of intracellular calcium level and associated release of inflammatory mediators,are the main common underlying forces in the pathophysiology of NAFLD,ischemic retinopathy,stroke,and aging brain.This work aims to examine the contribution of the pro-oxidative and pro-inflammatory thioredoxin interacting protein(TXNIP)to the expression and activation of NLRP3-inflammasome resulting in initiation or exacerbation of sterile inflammation in these disease states.Finally,the potential for TXNIP as a therapeutic target and whether TXNIP expression can be modulated using natural antioxidants or repurposing other drugs will be discussed.
基金supported by grants from Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province(Grant Nos.B030308008,2017A030310500 and A03013104)National Key Research and Development Plan Program(Grant Nos.2016YFD0101801 and 2016YFD0100406)+2 种基金Shenzhen Commission on Innovation and Technology Programs(Grant No.JCYJ20160229204920363)Guangzhou Science and Technology Innovation Commission(Grant No.201804010034)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.31500254).
文摘Alternative splicing can generate multiple mRNAs that differ in their untranslated regions or coding sequences,and these differences might affect mRNA stability or result in different protein isoforms with diverse functions and/or localizations.In this study,we isolated a sterile mutant in rice with abnormal meiosis of microspore mother cells and megaspore mother cells that carried a point mutation in OsRAD1 gene.Cloning of OsRAD1 cDNAs revealed three transcript variants,named as OsRAD1.1,OsRAD1.2 and OsRAD1.3,respectively,which were derived from alternative splicing of the last intron.Proteins derived from the three transcripts were mostly identical except the difference in the very C-terminal domain.The three transcripts exhibited similar expression patterns in various tissues,but the expression level of OsRAD1.1 was the highest.Specific knockout of OsRAD1.1 led to sterility,while knockout of OsRAD1.2 and OsRAD1.3 together did not change the plant fertility.Overexpression of OsRAD1.2 and OsRAD1.3 cDNAs in OsRAD1.1-specific mutant did not complement the plant fertility.Yeast two-hybrid assay showed that OsRAD1.1,but not OsRAD1.2 and OsRAD1.3,interacted with the three other meiosis proteins OsHUS1,OsRAD9 and OsRAD17,suggesting that the C-terminal domain of OsRAD1.1 is critical for the protein function.
文摘Based on the different hydrophobicities of the intermediates of proteins the various conformational intermediates of the refolding of a-amylase originally denatured with 8.0 mol/L urea solution were separated with high performance hydrophobic interaction chromatography(HPHIC). Compared to the separation of the same intermediates with weak anion exchange chromatography and size-exclusion chromatography the result obtained with HPHIC is the best It would be expected that HPHIC may be a strongly potential tool to separate intermediates of some proteins which cannot be, or cannot completely be refolded by HPHIC.
文摘Defects in the endothelial cell barrier accompany diverse malfunctions of the central nervous system such as neurodegenerative diseases,stroke,traumatic brain injury,and systemic diseases such as sepsis,viral and bacterial infections,and cancer.Compromised endothelial sealing leads to leaking blood vessels,followed by vasogenic edema.Brain edema as the most common complication caused by stroke and traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death.Brain microvascular endothelial cells,together with astrocytes,pericytes,microglia,and neurons form a selective barrier,the so-called blood-brain barrier,which regulates the movement of molecules inside and outside of the brain.Mechanisms that regulate blood-brain barrier permeability in health and disease are complex and not fully understood.Several newly discovered molecules that are involved in the regulation of cellular processes in brain microvascular endothelial cells have been described in the literature in recent years.One of these molecules that are highly expressed in brain microvascular endothelial cells is protocadherin gamma C3.In this review,we discuss recent evidence that protocadherin gamma C3 is a newly identified key player involved in the regulation of vascular barrier function.
基金This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2022YFD1400500)the China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA(CARS-34-07)+1 种基金the Publicinterest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund,China(Y2022GH12)the Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund,China(S2021XM22 and S2022XM21)。
文摘Female adults of the migratory locust,Locusta migratoria manilensis(Meyen),can sense seasonal photoperiod changes,which induces embryonic diapause as a key strategy to overwinter.Serine protease inhibitor genes(SPNs)were thought to play key roles during diapause,while few SPNs were functionally characterized.LmSPN2 was one of those genes differentially expressed between diapause and non-diapause eggs;however,its biological function remained to be explored.So,we conducted RNAi knockdown of LmSPN2,resulting in a significant decrease of the egg diapause rate by 29.7%.Using yeast two-hybrid assays,co-immunoprecipitation,and pull-down methods,we found an interaction between LmSPN2 and LmSPN3,which was proved to be mediated by a glutamate(E331)binding site of LmSPN2.RNAi knockdown of LmSPN3 resulted in a significant increase in diapause rate by 14.6%,indicating an inverse function of LmSPN2 and LmSPN3 on diapause regulation.Double knockdown of two SPN genes resulted in a 26.4%reduction in diapause rate,indicating that LmSPN2 was the dominant regulatory signal.Moreover,we found four Toll pathway genes(easter,spätzle,pelle,and dorsal)upregulated significantly after the knockdown of LmSPN2 while downregulated after the knockdown of LmSPN3.Therefore,we speculate that two SPNs regulate diapause through the Toll pathway.Our results indicated that LmSPN2 positively regulates locust egg entry into diapause,while LmSPN3 is a negative regulator of embryonic commitment to diapause.Their interaction is mediated by the binding site of E331 and influences egg diapause through the Toll pathway.This mechanistic understanding of diapause regulation expands our understanding of insect developmental regulation and provides functional targets for developing locust management strategies.
