scholarly journals Molecularly imprinted polymers by epitope imprinting: a journey from molecular interactions to the available bioinformatics resources to scout for epitope templates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Pasquardini ◽  
Alessandra Maria Bossi
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Peptide Sequence ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Imprinted Polymers ◽  
Protein Expression And Purification

AbstractThe molecular imprinting of proteins is the process of forming biomimetics with entailed protein-recognition by means of a template-assisted synthesis. Protein-imprinted polymers (pMIPs) have been successfully employed in separations, assays, sensors, and imaging. From a technical point of view, imprinting a protein is both costly, for protein expression and purification, and challenging, for the preservation of the protein’s structural properties. In fact, the imprinting process needs to guarantee the preservation of the same protein three-dimensional conformation that later would be recognized. So far, the captivating idea to imprint just a portion of the protein, i.e., an epitope, instead of the whole, proved successful, offering reduced costs, compatibility with many synthetic conditions (solvents, pH, temperatures), and fine-tuning of the peptide sequence so to target specific physiological and functional conditions of the protein, such as post-translational modifications. Here, protein-protein interactions and the biochemical features of the epitopes are inspected, deriving lessons to prepare more effective pMIPs. Epitopes are categorized in linear or structured, immunogenic or not, located at the protein’s surface or buried in its core and the imprinting strategies are discussed. Moreover, attention is given to freely available online bioinformatics resources that might offer key tools to gain further rationale amid the selection process of suitable epitopes templates.

Oxygen-dependent changes in binding partners and post-translational modifications regulate the abundance and activity of HIF-1α/2α

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (692) ◽  
pp. eabf6685
Author(s):  
Leonard A. Daly ◽  
Philip J. Brownridge ◽  
Michael Batie ◽  
Sonia Rocha ◽  
Violaine Sée ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Hypoxic Response ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Binding Partners ◽  
Oxygen Conditions

Cellular adaptation to low-oxygen environments is mediated in part by the hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs). Like other transcription factors, the stability and transcriptional activity of HIFs—and consequently, the hypoxic response—are regulated by post-translational modifications (PTMs) and changes in protein-protein interactions. Our current understanding of PTM-mediated regulation of HIFs is primarily based on in vitro protein fragment–based studies typically validated in fragment-expressing cells treated with hypoxia-mimicking compounds. Here, we used immunoprecipitation-based mass spectrometry to characterize the PTMs and binding partners for full-length HIF-1α and HIF-2α under normoxic (21% oxygen) and hypoxic (1% oxygen) conditions. Hypoxia substantially altered the complexity and composition of the HIFα protein interaction networks, particularly for HIF-2α, with the hypoxic networks of both isoforms being enriched for mitochondrial proteins. Moreover, both HIFα isoforms were heavily covalently modified. We identified ~40 PTM sites composed of 13 different types of modification on both HIFα isoforms, including multiple cysteine modifications and an unusual phosphocysteine. More than 80% of the PTMs identified were not previously known and about half exhibited oxygen dependency. We further characterized an evolutionarily conserved phosphorylation of Ser31 in HIF-1α as a regulator of its transcriptional function, and we propose functional roles for Thr406, Thr528, and Ser581 in HIF-2α. These data will help to delineate the different physiological roles of these closely related isoforms in fine-tuning the hypoxic response.

Protein Interaction Domains and Post-Translational Modifications: Structural Features and Drug Discovery Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (37) ◽  
pp. 6306-6355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marian Vincenzi ◽  
Flavia Anna Mercurio ◽  
Marilisa Leone
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Protein Interaction ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Modular Architecture ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Interaction Domains

Background:: Many pathways regarding healthy cells and/or linked to diseases onset and progression depend on large assemblies including multi-protein complexes. Protein-protein interactions may occur through a vast array of modules known as protein interaction domains (PIDs). Objective:: This review concerns with PIDs recognizing post-translationally modified peptide sequences and intends to provide the scientific community with state of art knowledge on their 3D structures, binding topologies and potential applications in the drug discovery field. Method:: Several databases, such as the Pfam (Protein family), the SMART (Simple Modular Architecture Research Tool) and the PDB (Protein Data Bank), were searched to look for different domain families and gain structural information on protein complexes in which particular PIDs are involved. Recent literature on PIDs and related drug discovery campaigns was retrieved through Pubmed and analyzed. Results and Conclusion:: PIDs are rather versatile as concerning their binding preferences. Many of them recognize specifically only determined amino acid stretches with post-translational modifications, a few others are able to interact with several post-translationally modified sequences or with unmodified ones. Many PIDs can be linked to different diseases including cancer. The tremendous amount of available structural data led to the structure-based design of several molecules targeting protein-protein interactions mediated by PIDs, including peptides, peptidomimetics and small compounds. More studies are needed to fully role out, among different families, PIDs that can be considered reliable therapeutic targets, however, attacking PIDs rather than catalytic domains of a particular protein may represent a route to obtain selective inhibitors.

scholarly journals Activation and assembly of the NADPH oxidase: a structural perspective

2005 ◽  
Vol 386 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne GROEMPING ◽  
Katrin RITTINGER
Keyword(s):  
Nadph Oxidase ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Crucial Component ◽  
Enzyme Subunits ◽  
Membrane Components ◽  
Inhibitory Interactions ◽  
Encompassing Model

The NADPH oxidase of professional phagocytes is a crucial component of the innate immune response due to its fundamental role in the production of reactive oxygen species that act as powerful microbicidal agents. The activity of this multi-protein enzyme is dependent on the regulated assembly of the six enzyme subunits at the membrane where oxygen is reduced to superoxide anions. In the resting state, four of the enzyme subunits are maintained in the cytosol, either through auto-inhibitory interactions or through complex formation with accessory proteins that are not part of the active enzyme complex. Multiple inputs are required to disrupt these inhibitory interactions and allow translocation to the membrane and association with the integral membrane components. Protein interaction modules are key regulators of NADPH oxidase assembly, and the protein–protein interactions mediated via these domains have been the target of numerous studies. Many models have been put forward to describe the intricate network of reversible protein interactions that regulate the activity of this enzyme, but an all-encompassing model has so far been elusive. An important step towards an understanding of the molecular basis of NADPH oxidase assembly and activity has been the recent solution of the three-dimensional structures of some of the oxidase components. We will discuss these structures in the present review and attempt to reconcile some of the conflicting models on the basis of the structural information available.

scholarly journals Molecular dynamics shows complex interplay and long-range effects of post-translational modifications in yeast protein interactions

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. e1008988
Author(s):  
Nikolina ŠoŠtarić ◽  
Vera van Noort
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Protein Structures ◽  
Cellular Protein ◽  
Free Energy Calculations ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Protein Properties ◽  
Dynamics Simulations

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) play a vital, yet often overlooked role in the living cells through modulation of protein properties, such as localization and affinity towards their interactors, thereby enabling quick adaptation to changing environmental conditions. We have previously benchmarked a computational framework for the prediction of PTMs’ effects on the stability of protein-protein interactions, which has molecular dynamics simulations followed by free energy calculations at its core. In the present work, we apply this framework to publicly available data on Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein structures and PTM sites, identified in both normal and stress conditions. We predict proteome-wide effects of acetylations and phosphorylations on protein-protein interactions and find that acetylations more frequently have locally stabilizing roles in protein interactions, while the opposite is true for phosphorylations. However, the overall impact of PTMs on protein-protein interactions is more complex than a simple sum of local changes caused by the introduction of PTMs and adds to our understanding of PTM cross-talk. We further use the obtained data to calculate the conformational changes brought about by PTMs. Finally, conservation of the analyzed PTM residues in orthologues shows that some predictions for yeast proteins will be mirrored to other organisms, including human. This work, therefore, contributes to our overall understanding of the modulation of the cellular protein interaction networks in yeast and beyond.

scholarly journals Expanding the potential genes of inborn errors of immunity through protein interactions

BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Humza A. Khan ◽  
Manish J. Butte
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Genetic Disorders ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Inborn Errors ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
New Genes ◽  
Inborn Errors Of Immunity

Abstract Background Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) are a group of genetic disorders that impair the immune system, with over 400 genes described so far, and hundreds more to be discovered. To facilitate the search for new genes, we need a way to prioritize among all the genes in the genome those most likely to play an important role in immunity. Results Here we identify a new list of genes by linking known IEI genes to new ones by using open-source databases of protein-protein interactions, post-translational modifications, and transcriptional regulation. We analyze this new set of 2,530 IEI-related genes for their tolerance of genetic variation and by their expression levels in various immune cell types. Conclusions By merging genes derived from protein interactions of known IEI genes with transcriptional data, we offer a new list of candidate genes that may play a role in as-yet undiscovered IEIs.

scholarly journals Protein-protein docking using learned three-dimensional representations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgy Derevyanko ◽  
Guillaume Lamoureux
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Network Architecture ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Spatial Arrangement ◽  
Protein Docking ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Translational Invariance ◽  
Shape Complementarity ◽  
Spatial Features

AbstractProtein-protein interactions are determined by a number of hard-to-capture features related to shape complementarity, electrostatics, and hydrophobicity. These features may be intrinsic to the protein or induced by the presence of a partner. A conventional approach to protein-protein docking consists in engineering a small number of spatial features for each protein, and in minimizing the sum of their correlations with respect to the spatial arrangement of the two proteins. To generalize this approach, we introduce a deep neural network architecture that transforms the raw atomic densities of each protein into complex three-dimensional representations. Each point in the volume containing the protein is described by 48 learned features, which are correlated and combined with the features of a second protein to produce a score dependent on the relative position and orientation of the two proteins. The architecture is based on multiple layers of SE(3)-equivariant convolutional neural networks, which provide built-in rotational and translational invariance of the score with respect to the structure of the complex. The model is trained end-to-end on a set of decoy conformations generated from 851 nonredundant protein-protein complexes and is tested on data from the Protein-Protein Docking Benchmark Version 4.0.

scholarly journals Aspartic Acid Isomerization Characterized by High Definition Mass Spectrometry Significantly Alters the Bioactivity of a Novel Toxin from Poecilotheria

Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen R. Johnson ◽  
Hillary G. Rikli
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Ion Mobility ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Acid Isomerization

Research in toxinology has created a pharmacological paradox. With an estimated 220,000 venomous animals worldwide, the study of peptidyl toxins provides a vast number of effector molecules. However, due to the complexity of the protein-protein interactions, there are fewer than ten venom-derived molecules on the market. Structural characterization and identification of post-translational modifications are essential to develop biological lead structures into pharmaceuticals. Utilizing advancements in mass spectrometry, we have created a high definition approach that fuses conventional high-resolution MS-MS with ion mobility spectrometry (HDMSE) to elucidate these primary structure characteristics. We investigated venom from ten species of “tiger” spider (Genus: Poecilotheria) and discovered they contain isobaric conformers originating from non-enzymatic Asp isomerization. One conformer pair conserved in five of ten species examined, denominated PcaTX-1a and PcaTX-1b, was found to be a 36-residue peptide with a cysteine knot, an amidated C-terminus, and isoAsp33Asp substitution. Although the isomerization of Asp has been implicated in many pathologies, this is the first characterization of Asp isomerization in a toxin and demonstrates the isomerized product’s diminished physiological effects. This study establishes the value of a HDMSE approach to toxin screening and characterization.

scholarly journals A Critical Review of Bottom-Up Proteomics: The Good, the Bad, and the Future of This Field

Proteomes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmalyn J. Dupree ◽  
Madhuri Jayathirtha ◽  
Hannah Yorkey ◽  
Marius Mihasan ◽  
Brindusa Alina Petre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Sample Preparation ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Clinical Setting ◽  
Critical Review ◽  
Basic Science ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
The Future

Proteomics is the field of study that includes the analysis of proteins, from either a basic science prospective or a clinical one. Proteins can be investigated for their abundance, variety of proteoforms due to post-translational modifications (PTMs), and their stable or transient protein–protein interactions. This can be especially beneficial in the clinical setting when studying proteins involved in different diseases and conditions. Here, we aim to describe a bottom-up proteomics workflow from sample preparation to data analysis, including all of its benefits and pitfalls. We also describe potential improvements in this type of proteomics workflow for the future.

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