CMT disease severity correlates with mutation-induced open conformation of histidyl-tRNA synthetase, not aminoacylation loss, in patient cells

Aminoacyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetases (aaRSs) are the largest protein family causatively linked to neurodegenerative Charcot–Marie–Tooth (CMT) disease. Dominant mutations cause the disease, and studies of CMT disease-causing mutant glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GlyRS) and tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (TyrRS) showed their mutations create neomorphic structures consistent with a gain-of-function mechanism. In contrast, based on a haploid yeast model, loss of aminoacylation function was reported for CMT disease mutants in histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HisRS). However, neither that nor prior work of any CMT disease-causing aaRS investigated the aminoacylation status of tRNAs in the cellular milieu of actual patients. Using an assay that interrogated aminoacylation levels in patient cells, we investigated a HisRS-linked CMT disease family with the most severe disease phenotype. Strikingly, no difference in charged tRNA levels between normal and diseased family members was found. In confirmation, recombinant versions of 4 other HisRS CMT disease-causing mutants showed no correlation between activity loss in vitro and severity of phenotype in vivo. Indeed, a mutation having the most detrimental impact on activity was associated with a mild disease phenotype. In further work, using 3 independent biophysical analyses, structural opening (relaxation) of mutant HisRSs at the dimer interface best correlated with disease severity. In fact, the HisRS mutation in the severely afflicted patient family caused the largest degree of structural relaxation. These data suggest that HisRS-linked CMT disease arises from open conformation-induced mechanisms distinct from loss of aminoacylation.

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New Method for the Orthogonal Labeling and Purification of Toxoplasma gondii Proteins While Inside the Host Cell

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.01628-14 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Gregory M. Wier ◽

Erica M. McGreevy ◽

Mark J. Brown ◽

Jon P. Boyle

Keyword(s):

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Host Cell ◽

Click Reaction ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Protozoan Parasite ◽

Trna Synthetase ◽

Content Type ◽

Fluorescent Tags

ABSTRACTToxoplasma gondiiis an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that is capable of causing severe disease in immunocompromised humans. How T. gondii is able to modulate the host cell to support itself is still poorly understood. Knowledge pertaining to the host-parasite interaction could be bolstered by developing a system to specifically label parasite proteins while the parasite grows inside the host cell. For this purpose, we have created a strain of T. gondii that expresses a mutant Escherichia coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MetRSNLL) that allows methionine tRNA to be loaded with the azide-containing methionine analog azidonorleucine (Anl). Anl-containing proteins are susceptible to a copper-catalyzed “click” reaction to attach affinity tags for purification or fluorescent tags for visualization. The MetRSNLL-Anl system labels nascent T. gondii proteins in an orthogonal fashion, labeling proteins only in MetRSNLL-expressing parasites. This system should be useful for nonradioactive pulse-chase studies and purification of nascently translated proteins. Although this approach allows labeling of a diverse array of parasite proteins, secreted parasite proteins appear to be only minimally labeled in MetRSNLL-expressing T. gondii. The minimal labeling of secreted proteins is likely a consequence of the selective charging of the initiator tRNA (and not the elongator methionine tRNA) by the heterologously expressed bacterial MetRS.IMPORTANCEStudying how T. gondii modifies the host cell to permit its survival is complicated by the complex protein environment of the host cell. The approach presented in this article provides the first method for specific labeling of T. gondii proteins while the parasite grows inside the host cell. We show that this approach is useful for pulse-chase labeling of parasite proteins duringin vitrogrowth. It should also be applicable duringin vivoinfections and in other apicomplexan parasites, including Plasmodium spp.

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Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals ex vivo signatures of SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells through ‘reverse phenotyping’

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-24730-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

David S. Fischer ◽

Meshal Ansari ◽

Karolin I. Wagner ◽

Sebastian Jarosch ◽

Yiqi Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

Single Cell ◽

Rna Sequencing ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Human Leukocyte ◽

Cell Receptor ◽

Single Cell Rna Sequencing

AbstractThe in vivo phenotypic profile of T cells reactive to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 antigens remains poorly understood. Conventional methods to detect antigen-reactive T cells require in vitro antigenic re-stimulation or highly individualized peptide-human leukocyte antigen (pHLA) multimers. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing to identify and profile SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. To do so, we induce transcriptional shifts by antigenic stimulation in vitro and take advantage of natural T cell receptor (TCR) sequences of clonally expanded T cells as barcodes for ‘reverse phenotyping’. This allows identification of SARS-CoV-2-reactive TCRs and reveals phenotypic effects introduced by antigen-specific stimulation. We characterize transcriptional signatures of currently and previously activated SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells, and show correspondence with phenotypes of T cells from the respiratory tract of patients with severe disease in the presence or absence of virus in independent cohorts. Reverse phenotyping is a powerful tool to provide an integrated insight into cellular states of SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells across tissues and activation states.

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SARS-CoV-2-Laden Respiratory Aerosol Deposition in the Lung Alveolar-Interstitial Region Is a Potential Risk Factor for Severe Disease: A Modeling Study

Journal of Personalized Medicine ◽

10.3390/jpm11050431 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 431

Author(s):

Sabine Hofer ◽

Norbert Hofstätter ◽

Albert Duschl ◽

Martin Himly

Keyword(s):

Risk Factor ◽

Particle Deposition ◽

Early Stage ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Aerosol Deposition ◽

Pulmonary Involvement ◽

Mild Disease ◽

Disease Initiation

COVID-19, predominantly a mild disease, is associated with more severe clinical manifestation upon pulmonary involvement. Virion-laden aerosols and droplets target different anatomical sites for deposition. Compared to droplets, aerosols more readily advance into the peripheral lung. We performed in silico modeling to confirm the secondary pulmonary lobules as the primary site of disease initiation. By taking different anatomical aerosol origins into consideration and reflecting aerosols from exhalation maneuvers breathing and vocalization, the physicochemical properties of generated respiratory aerosol particles were defined upon conversion to droplet nuclei by evaporation at ambient air. To provide detailed, spatially-resolved information on particle deposition in the thoracic region of the lung, a top-down refinement approach was employed. Our study presents evidence for hot spots of aerosol deposition in lung generations beyond the terminal bronchiole, with a maximum in the secondary pulmonary lobules and a high preference to the lower lobes of both lungs. In vivo, initial chest CT anomalies, the ground glass opacities, resulting from partial alveolar filling and interstitial thickening in the secondary pulmonary lobules, are likewise localized in these lung generations, with the highest frequency in both lower lobes and in the early stage of disease. Hence, our results suggest a disease initiation right there upon inhalation of virion-laden respiratory aerosols, linking the aerosol transmission route to pathogenesis associated with higher disease burden and identifying aerosol transmission as a new independent risk factor for developing a pulmonary phase with a severe outcome.

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Improving the Biocontrol Potential of Bacterial Antagonists with Salicylic Acid against Brown Rot Disease and Impact on Nectarine Fruits Quality

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11020209 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 209

Author(s):

Nadia Lyousfi ◽

Rachid Lahlali ◽

Chaimaa Letrib ◽

Zineb Belabess ◽

Rachida Ouaabou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Salicylic Acid ◽

Disease Severity ◽

Mycelial Growth ◽

Brown Rot ◽

Antagonistic Bacteria ◽

Biological Treatments ◽

Rot Disease ◽

The Impact

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of both antagonistic bacteria Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (SF14) and Alcaligenes faecalis (ACBC1) used in combination with salicylic acid (SA) to effectively control brown rot disease caused by Monilinia fructigena. Four concentrations of salicylic acid (0.5%, 2%, 3.5%, and 5%) were tested under in vitro and in vivo conditions. Furthermore, the impact of biological treatments on nectarine fruit parameters’ quality, in particular, weight loss, titratable acidity, and soluble solids content, was evaluated. Regardless of the bacterium, the results indicated that all combined treatments displayed a strong inhibitory effect on the mycelial growth of M. fructigena and disease severity. Interestingly, all SA concentrations significantly improved the biocontrol activity of each antagonist. The mycelial growth inhibition rate ranged from 9.79% to 88.02% with the highest reduction rate recorded for bacterial antagonists in combination with SA at both concentrations of 0.5% and 3.5%. The in vivo results confirmed the in vitro results with a disease severity varying from 0.00% to 51.91%. A significant biocontrol improvement was obtained with both antagonistic bacteria when used in combination with SA at concentrations of 0.5% and 2%. The lowest disease severity observed with ACBC1 compared with SF14 is likely due to a rapid adaptation and increase of antagonistic bacteria population in wounded sites. The impact of all biological treatments revealed moderate significant changes in the fruit quality parameters with weight loss for several treatments. These results suggest that the improved disease control of both antagonistic bacteria was more likely directly linked to both the inhibitory effects of SA on pathogen growth and induced fruit resistance.

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Lysyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli K12. Chromatographic heterogeneity and the lysU-gene product

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj2480043 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 248 (1) ◽

pp. 43-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

J Charlier ◽

R Sanchez

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Gene Product ◽

Activity Ratio ◽

Deae Cellulose ◽

Trna Synthetase ◽

Trna Synthetases ◽

E Coli ◽

Aminoacyl Trna Synthetases

In contrast with most aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, the lysyl-tRNA synthetase of Escherichia coli is coded for by two genes, the normal lysS gene and the inducible lysU gene. During its purification from E. coli K12, lysyl-tRNA synthetase was monitored by its aminoacylation and adenosine(5′)tetraphospho(5′)adenosine (Ap4A) synthesis activities. Ap4A synthesis was measured by a new assay using DEAE-cellulose filters. The heterogeneity of lysyl-tRNA synthetase (LysRS) was revealed on hydroxyapatite; we focused on the first peak, LysRS1, because of its higher Ap4A/lysyl-tRNA activity ratio at that stage. Additional differences between LysRS1 and LysRS2 (major peak on hydroxyapatite) were collected. LysRS1 was eluted from phosphocellulose in the presence of the substrates, whereas LysRS2 was not. Phosphocellulose chromatography was used to show the increase of LysRS1 in cells submitted to heat shock. Also, the Mg2+ optimum in the Ap4A-synthesis reaction is much higher for LysRS1. LysRS1 showed a higher thermostability, which was specifically enhanced by Zn2+. These results in vivo and in vitro strongly suggest that LysRS1 is the heat-inducible lysU-gene product.

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Azole-resistant and -susceptible Aspergillus fumigatus isolates show comparable fitness and azole treatment outcome in immunocompetent mice

Medical Mycology ◽

10.1093/mmy/myx109 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 56 (6) ◽

pp. 703-710

Author(s):

Michaela Lackner ◽

Günter Rambach ◽

Emina Jukic ◽

Bettina Sartori ◽

Josef Fritz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Aspergillus Fumigatus ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Weight Ratio ◽

Clinical Parameters ◽

Fitness Advantage ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Immunocompetent Mice

Abstract No data are available on the in vivo impact of infections with in vitro azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in immunocompetent hosts. Here, the aim was to investigate fungal fitness and treatment response in immunocompetent mice infected with A. fumigatus (parental strain [ps]) and isogenic mutants carrying either the mutation M220K or G54W (cyp51A). The efficacy of itraconazole (ITC) and posaconazole (PSC) was investigated in mice, intravenously challenged either with a single or a combination of ps and mutants (6 × 105 conidia/mouse). Organ fungal burden and clinical parameters were measured. In coinfection models, no fitness advantage was observed for the ps strain when compared to the mutants (M220K and G54W) independent of the presence or absence of azole-treatment. For G54W, M220K, and the ps, no statistically significant difference in ITC and PSC treatment was observed in respect to fungal kidney burden. However, clinical parameters suggest that in particular the azole-resistant strain carrying the mutation G54W caused a more severe disease than the ps strain. Mice infected with G54W showed a significant decline in body weight and lymphocyte counts, while spleen/body weight ratio and granulocyte counts were increased. In immunocompetent mice, in vitro azole-resistance did not translate into therapeutic failure by either ITC or PSC; the immune system appears to play the key role in clearing the infection.

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MBX-500, a Hybrid Antibiotic withIn VitroandIn VivoEfficacy against Toxigenic Clostridium difficile

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy ◽

10.1128/aac.00508-12 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 56 (9) ◽

pp. 4786-4792 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Michelle M. Butler ◽

Dean L. Shinabarger ◽

Diane M. Citron ◽

Ciarán P. Kelly ◽

Sofya Dvoskin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Weight Gain ◽

Clostridium Difficile ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Normal Weight ◽

New Drugs ◽

Hamster Model ◽

Resistance Development ◽

Content Type

ABSTRACTClostridium difficileinfection (CDI) causes moderate to severe disease, resulting in diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. CDI is difficult to treat due to production of inflammation-inducing toxins, resistance development, and high probability of recurrence. Only two antibiotics are approved for the treatment of CDI, and the pipeline for therapeutic agents contains few new drugs. MBX-500 is a hybrid antibacterial, composed of an anilinouracil DNA polymerase inhibitor linked to a fluoroquinolone DNA gyrase/topoisomerase inhibitor, with potential as a new therapeutic for CDI treatment. Since MBX-500 inhibits three bacterial targets, it has been previously shown to be minimally susceptible to resistance development. In the present study, thein vitroandin vivoefficacies of MBX-500 were explored against the Gram-positive anaerobe,C. difficile. MBX-500 displayed potency across nearly 50 isolates, including those of the fluoroquinolone-resistant, toxin-overproducing NAP1/027 ribotype, performing as well as comparator antibiotics vancomycin and metronidazole. Furthermore, MBX-500 was a narrow-spectrum agent, displaying poor activity against many other gut anaerobes. MBX-500 was active in acute and recurrent infections in a toxigenic hamster model of CDI, exhibiting full protection against acute infections and prevention of recurrence in 70% of the animals. Hamsters treated with MBX-500 displayed significantly greater weight gain than did those treated with vancomycin. Finally, MBX-500 was efficacious in a murine model of CDI, again demonstrating a fully protective effect and permitting near-normal weight gain in the treated animals. These selective anti-CDI features support the further development of MBX 500 for the treatment of CDI.

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Production of Noncapped Genomic RNAs Is Critical to Sindbis Virus Disease and Pathogenicity

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.02675-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

Author(s):

Autumn T. LaPointe ◽

V Douglas Landers ◽

Claire E. Westcott ◽

Kevin J. Sokoloski

Keyword(s):

Sindbis Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Wild Type Virus ◽

Wild Type ◽

Genomic Rnas ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACT Alphaviruses are positive-sense RNA viruses that utilize a 5′ cap structure to facilitate translation of viral proteins and to protect the viral RNA genome. Nonetheless, significant quantities of viral genomic RNAs that lack a canonical 5′ cap structure are produced during alphaviral replication and packaged into viral particles. However, the role/impact of the noncapped genomic RNA (ncgRNA) during alphaviral infection in vivo has yet to be characterized. To determine the importance of the ncgRNA in vivo, the previously described D355A and N376A nsP1 mutations, which increase or decrease nsP1 capping activity, respectively, were incorporated into the neurovirulent AR86 strain of Sindbis virus to enable characterization of the impact of altered capping efficiency in a murine model of infection. Mice infected with the N376A nsP1 mutant exhibited slightly decreased rates of mortality and delayed weight loss and neurological symptoms, although levels of inflammation in the brain were similar to those of wild-type infection. Although the D355A mutation resulted in decreased antiviral gene expression and increased resistance to interferon in vitro, mice infected with the D355A mutant showed significantly reduced mortality and morbidity compared to mice infected with wild-type virus. Interestingly, expression of proinflammatory cytokines was found to be significantly decreased in mice infected with the D355A mutant, suggesting that capping efficiency and the production of ncgRNA are vital to eliciting pathogenic levels of inflammation. Collectively, these data indicate that the ncgRNA have important roles during alphaviral infection and suggest a novel mechanism by which noncapped viral RNAs aid in viral pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE Mosquito-transmitted alphaviruses have been the cause of widespread outbreaks of disease that can range from mild illness to lethal encephalitis or severe polyarthritis. There are currently no safe and effective vaccines or therapeutics with which to prevent or treat alphaviral disease, highlighting the need to better understand alphaviral pathogenesis to develop novel antiviral strategies. This report reveals production of noncapped genomic RNAs (ncgRNAs) to be a novel determinant of alphaviral virulence and offers insight into the importance of inflammation to pathogenesis. Taken together, the findings reported here suggest that the ncgRNAs contribute to alphaviral pathogenesis through the sensing of the ncgRNAs during alphaviral infection and are necessary for the development of severe disease.

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Polyamine Depletion Abrogates Enterovirus Cellular Attachment

Journal of Virology ◽

10.1128/jvi.01054-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 93 (20) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Thomas M. Kicmal ◽

Patrick M. Tate ◽

Courtney N. Dial ◽

Jeremy J. Esin ◽

Bryan C. Mounce

Keyword(s):

Rna Viruses ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Coxsackievirus B3 ◽

Human Pathogens ◽

Polyamine Biosynthesis ◽

Virus Attachment ◽

Significant Public Health ◽

Approved Drugs

ABSTRACT Polyamines are small polycationic molecules with flexible carbon chains that are found in all eukaryotic cells. Polyamines are involved in the regulation of many host processes and have been shown to be implicated in viral replication. Depletion of polyamine pools in cells treated with FDA-approved drugs restricts replication of diverse RNA viruses. Viruses can exploit host polyamines to facilitate nucleic acid packaging, transcription, and translation, but other mechanisms remain largely unknown. Picornaviruses, including Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), are sensitive to the depletion of polyamines and remain a significant public health threat. We employed CVB3 as a model system to investigate a potential proviral role for polyamines using a forward screen. Passaging CVB3 in polyamine-depleted cells generated a mutation in capsid protein VP3 at residue 234. We show that this mutation confers resistance to polyamine depletion. Through attachment assays, we demonstrate that polyamine depletion limits CVB3 attachment to susceptible cells, which is rescued by incubating virus with polyamines. Furthermore, the capsid mutant rescues this inhibition in polyamine-depleted cells. More divergent viruses also exhibited reduced attachment to polyamine-depleted cells, suggesting that polyamines may facilitate attachment of diverse RNA viruses. These studies inform additional mechanisms of action for polyamine-depleting pharmaceuticals, with implications for potential antiviral therapies. IMPORTANCE Enteroviruses are significant human pathogens that can cause severe disease. These viruses rely on polyamines, small positively charged molecules, for robust replication, and polyamine depletion limits infection in vitro and in vivo. The mechanisms by which polyamines enhance enteroviral replication are unknown. Here, we describe how Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) utilizes polyamines to attach to susceptible cells and initiate infection. Using a forward genetic screen, we identified a mutation in a receptor-binding amino acid that promotes infection of polyamine-depleted cells. These data suggest that pharmacologically inhibiting polyamine biosynthesis may combat virus infection by preventing virus attachment to susceptible cells.

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Functional genetic encoding of sulfotyrosine in mammalian cells

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-020-18629-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Xinyuan He ◽

Yan Chen ◽

Daisy Guiza Beltran ◽

Maia Kelly ◽

Bin Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mammalian Cells ◽

Biochemical Characterization ◽

Trna Synthetase ◽

Functional Verification ◽

Cellular Processes ◽

Genetic Encoding ◽

Efficient Expression

Abstract Protein tyrosine O-sulfation (PTS) plays a crucial role in extracellular biomolecular interactions that dictate various cellular processes. It also involves in the development of many human diseases. Regardless of recent progress, our current understanding of PTS is still in its infancy. To promote and facilitate relevant studies, a generally applicable method is needed to enable efficient expression of sulfoproteins with defined sulfation sites in live mammalian cells. Here we report the engineering, in vitro biochemical characterization, structural study, and in vivo functional verification of a tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase mutant for the genetic encoding of sulfotyrosine in mammalian cells. We further apply this chemical biology tool to cell-based studies on the role of a sulfation site in the activation of chemokine receptor CXCR4 by its ligand. Our work will not only facilitate cellular studies of PTS, but also paves the way for economical production of sulfated proteins as therapeutic agents in mammalian systems.

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