scholarly journals In-cell SHAPE reveals that free 30S ribosome subunits are in the inactive state

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (8) ◽  
pp. 2425-2430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. McGinnis ◽  
Qi Liu ◽  
Christopher A. Lavender ◽  
Aishwarya Devaraj ◽  
Sean P. McClory ◽  
...  

It was shown decades ago that purified 30S ribosome subunits readily interconvert between “active” and “inactive” conformations in a switch that involves changes in the functionally important neck and decoding regions. However, the physiological significance of this conformational change had remained unknown. In exponentially growing Escherichia coli cells, RNA SHAPE probing revealed that 16S rRNA largely adopts the inactive conformation in stably assembled, mature 30S subunits and the active conformation in translating (70S) ribosomes. Inactive 30S subunits bind mRNA as efficiently as active subunits but initiate translation more slowly. Mutations that inhibited interconversion between states compromised translation in vivo. Binding by the small antibiotic paromomycin induced the inactive-to-active conversion, consistent with a low-energy barrier between the two states. Despite the small energetic barrier between states, but consistent with slow translation initiation and a functional role in vivo, interconversion involved large-scale changes in structure in the neck region that likely propagate across the 30S body via helix 44. These findings suggest the inactive state is a biologically relevant alternate conformation that regulates ribosome function as a conformational switch.

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Z Płochocka ◽  
Miguel Ramirez Moreno ◽  
Alexander M Davie ◽  
Natalia A Bulgakova ◽  
Lyubov Chumakova

Robustness of biological systems is crucial for their survival, however, for many systems its origin is an open question. Here, we analyze one subcellular level system, the microtubule cytoskeleton. Microtubules self-organize into a network, along which cellular components are delivered to their biologically relevant locations. While the dynamics of individual microtubules is sensitive to the organism’s environment and genetics, a similar sensitivity of the overall network would result in pathologies. Our large-scale stochastic simulations show that the self-organization of microtubule networks is robust in a wide parameter range in individual cells. We confirm this robustness in vivo on the tissue-scale using genetic manipulations of Drosophila epithelial cells. Finally, our minimal mathematical model shows that the origin of robustness is the separation of time-scales in microtubule dynamics rates. Altogether, we demonstrate that the tissue-scale self-organization of a microtubule network depends only on cell geometry and the distribution of the microtubule minus-ends.


1969 ◽  
Vol 22 (03) ◽  
pp. 577-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.M.P Paulssen ◽  
A.C.M.G.B Wouterlood ◽  
H.L.M.A Scheffers

SummaryFactor VIII can be isolated from plasma proteins, including fibrinogen by chromatography on agarose. The best results were obtained with Sepharose 6B. Large scale preparation is also possible when cryoprecipitate is separated by chromatography. In most fractions containing factor VIII a turbidity is observed which may be due to the presence of chylomicrons.The purified factor VIII was active in vivo as well as in vitro.


1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (04) ◽  
pp. 1202-1208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Kjalke ◽  
Julie A Oliver ◽  
Dougald M Monroe ◽  
Maureane Hoffman ◽  
Mirella Ezban ◽  
...  

SummaryActive site-inactivated factor VIIa has potential as an antithrombotic agent. The effects of D-Phe-L-Phe-L-Arg-chloromethyl ketone-treated factor VIla (FFR-FVIIa) were evaluated in a cell-based system mimicking in vivo initiation of coagulation. FFR-FVIIa inhibited platelet activation (as measured by expression of P-selectin) and subsequent large-scale thrombin generation in a dose-dependent manner with IC50 values of 1.4 ± 0.8 nM (n = 8) and 0.9 ± 0.7 nM (n = 7), respectively. Kd for factor VIIa binding to monocytes ki for FFR-FVIIa competing with factor VIIa were similar (11.4 ± 0.8 pM and 10.6 ± 1.1 pM, respectively), showing that FFR-FVIIa binds to tissue factor in the tenase complex with the same affinity as factor VIIa. Using platelets from volunteers before and after ingestion of aspirin (1.3 g), there were no significant differences in the IC50 values of FFR-FVIIa [after aspirin ingestion, the IC50 values were 1.7 ± 0.9 nM (n = 8) for P-selectin expression, p = 0.37, and 1.4 ± 1.3 nM (n = 7) for thrombin generation, p = 0.38]. This shows that aspirin treatment of platelets does not influence the inhibition of tissue factor-initiated coagulation by FFR-FVIIa, probably because thrombin activation of platelets is not entirely dependent upon expression of thromboxane A2.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luíza Dantas-Pereira ◽  
Edézio F. Cunha-Junior ◽  
Valter V. Andrade-Neto ◽  
John F. Bower ◽  
Guilherme A. M. Jardim ◽  
...  

: Chagas disease, Sleeping sickness and Leishmaniasis, caused by trypanosomatids Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania spp., respectively, are considered neglected tropical diseases, and they especially affect impoverished populations in the developing world. The available chemotherapies are very limited and a search for alternatives is still necessary. In folk medicine, natural naphthoquinones have been employed for the treatment of a great variety of illnesses, including parasitic infections. This review is focused on the anti-trypanosomatid activity and mechanistic analysis of naphthoquinones and derivatives. Among all the series of derivatives tested in vitro, naphthoquinone-derived 1,2,3-triazoles were very active on T. cruzi infective forms in blood bank conditions, as well as in amastigotes of Leishmania spp. naphthoquinones containing a CF3 on a phenyl amine ring inhibited T. brucei proliferation in the nanomolar range, and naphthopterocarpanquinones stood out for their activity on a range of Leishmania species. Some of these compounds showed a promising selectivity index (SI) (30 to 1900), supporting further analysis in animal models. Indeed, high toxicity to the host and inactivation by blood components are crucial obstacles to be overcome to use naphthoquinones and/or their derivatives for chemotherapy. Multidisciplinary initiatives embracing medicinal chemistry, bioinformatics, biochemistry, and molecular and cellular biology need to be encouraged to allow the optimization of these compounds. Large scale automated tests are pivotal for the efficiency of the screening step, and subsequent evaluation of both the mechanism of action in vitro and pharmacokinetics in vivo are essential for the development of a novel, specific and safe derivative, minimizing adverse effects.


Author(s):  
Stefano Vassanelli

Establishing direct communication with the brain through physical interfaces is a fundamental strategy to investigate brain function. Starting with the patch-clamp technique in the seventies, neuroscience has moved from detailed characterization of ionic channels to the analysis of single neurons and, more recently, microcircuits in brain neuronal networks. Development of new biohybrid probes with electrodes for recording and stimulating neurons in the living animal is a natural consequence of this trend. The recent introduction of optogenetic stimulation and advanced high-resolution large-scale electrical recording approaches demonstrates this need. Brain implants for real-time neurophysiology are also opening new avenues for neuroprosthetics to restore brain function after injury or in neurological disorders. This chapter provides an overview on existing and emergent neurophysiology technologies with particular focus on those intended to interface neuronal microcircuits in vivo. Chemical, electrical, and optogenetic-based interfaces are presented, with an analysis of advantages and disadvantages of the different technical approaches.


Author(s):  
Hugues Duffau

Investigating the neural and physiological basis of language is one of the most important challenges in neurosciences. Direct electrical stimulation (DES), usually performed in awake patients during surgery for cerebral lesions, is a reliable tool for detecting both cortical and subcortical (white matter and deep grey nuclei) regions crucial for cognitive functions, especially language. DES transiently interacts locally with a small cortical or axonal site, but also nonlocally, as the focal perturbation will disrupt the entire subnetwork sustaining a given function. Thus, in contrast to functional neuroimaging, DES represents a unique opportunity to identify with great accuracy and reproducibility, in vivo in humans, the structures that are actually indispensable to the function, by inducing a transient virtual lesion based on the inhibition of a subcircuit lasting a few seconds. Currently, this is the sole technique that is able to directly investigate the functional role of white matter tracts in humans. Thus, combining transient disturbances elicited by DES with the anatomical data provided by pre- and postoperative MRI enables to achieve reliable anatomo-functional correlations, supporting a network organization of the brain, and leading to the reappraisal of models of language representation. Finally, combining serial peri-operative functional neuroimaging and online intraoperative DES allows the study of mechanisms underlying neuroplasticity. This chapter critically reviews the basic principles of DES, its advantages and limitations, and what DES can reveal about the neural foundations of language, that is, the large-scale distribution of language areas in the brain, their connectivity, and their ability to reorganize.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wölfle-Roos JV ◽  
Katmer Amet B ◽  
Fiedler J ◽  
Michels H ◽  
Kappelt G ◽  
...  

Background: Uncemented implants are still associated with several major challenges, especially with regard to their manufacturing and their osseointegration. In this study, a novel manufacturing technique—an optimized form of precision casting—and a novel surface modification to promote osseointegration—calcium and phosphorus ion implantation into the implant surface—were tested in vivo. Methods: Cylindrical Ti6Al4V implants were inserted bilaterally into the tibia of 110 rats. We compared two generations of cast Ti6Al4V implants (CAST 1st GEN, n = 22, and CAST 2nd GEN, n = 22) as well as cast 2nd GEN Ti6Al4V implants with calcium (CAST + CA, n = 22) and phosphorus (CAST + P, n = 22) ion implantation to standard machined Ti6Al4V implants (control, n = 22). After 4 and 12 weeks, maximal pull-out force and bone-to-implant contact rate (BIC) were measured and compared between all five groups. Results: There was no significant difference between all five groups after 4 weeks or 12 weeks with regard to pull-out force (p > 0.05, Kruskal Wallis test). Histomorphometric analysis showed no significant difference of BIC after 4 weeks (p > 0.05, Kruskal–Wallis test), whereas there was a trend towards a higher BIC in the CAST + P group (54.8% ± 15.2%), especially compared to the control group (38.6% ± 12.8%) after 12 weeks (p = 0.053, Kruskal–Wallis test). Conclusion: In this study, we found no indication of inferiority of Ti6Al4V implants cast with the optimized centrifugal precision casting technique of the second generation compared to standard Ti6Al4V implants. As the employed manufacturing process holds considerable economic potential, mainly due to a significantly decreased material demand per implant by casting near net-shape instead of milling away most of the starting ingot, its application in manufacturing uncemented implants seems promising. However, no significant advantages of calcium or phosphorus ion implantation could be observed in this study. Due to the promising results of ion implantation in previous in vitro and in vivo studies, further in vivo studies with different ion implantation conditions should be considered.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1288
Author(s):  
Wendy Dong ◽  
Boris Kantor

CRISPR/Cas technology has revolutionized the fields of the genome- and epigenome-editing by supplying unparalleled control over genomic sequences and expression. Lentiviral vector (LV) systems are one of the main delivery vehicles for the CRISPR/Cas systems due to (i) its ability to carry bulky and complex transgenes and (ii) sustain robust and long-term expression in a broad range of dividing and non-dividing cells in vitro and in vivo. It is thus reasonable that substantial effort has been allocated towards the development of the improved and optimized LV systems for effective and accurate gene-to-cell transfer of CRISPR/Cas tools. The main effort on that end has been put towards the improvement and optimization of the vector’s expression, development of integrase-deficient lentiviral vector (IDLV), aiming to minimize the risk of oncogenicity, toxicity, and pathogenicity, and enhancing manufacturing protocols for clinical applications required large-scale production. In this review, we will devote attention to (i) the basic biology of lentiviruses, and (ii) recent advances in the development of safer and more efficient CRISPR/Cas vector systems towards their use in preclinical and clinical applications. In addition, we will discuss in detail the recent progress in the repurposing of CRISPR/Cas systems related to base-editing and prime-editing applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Que ◽  
David Lukacsovich ◽  
Wenshu Luo ◽  
Csaba Földy

AbstractThe diversity reflected by >100 different neural cell types fundamentally contributes to brain function and a central idea is that neuronal identity can be inferred from genetic information. Recent large-scale transcriptomic assays seem to confirm this hypothesis, but a lack of morphological information has limited the identification of several known cell types. In this study, we used single-cell RNA-seq in morphologically identified parvalbumin interneurons (PV-INs), and studied their transcriptomic states in the morphological, physiological, and developmental domains. Overall, we find high transcriptomic similarity among PV-INs, with few genes showing divergent expression between morphologically different types. Furthermore, PV-INs show a uniform synaptic cell adhesion molecule (CAM) profile, suggesting that CAM expression in mature PV cells does not reflect wiring specificity after development. Together, our results suggest that while PV-INs differ in anatomy and in vivo activity, their continuous transcriptomic and homogenous biophysical landscapes are not predictive of these distinct identities.


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