scholarly journals The Crystal Structures of Bacillithiol Disulfide Reductase YpdA Reveal Structural and Functional Insight into a New Type of FAD-Containing NADPH-Dependent Oxidoreductases

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Hammerstad ◽  
Ingvild Gudim ◽  
Hans-Petter Hersleth
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Defense Mechanism ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Redox Balance ◽  
Human Neutrophils ◽  
Disulfide Reduction ◽  
High Structural Similarity ◽  
Gated Channel ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractLow G+C Gram-positive Firmicutes, such as the clinically important pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, use the low-molecular weight (LMW) thiol bacillithiol (BSH) as a defense mechanism to buffer the intracellular redox environment and counteract oxidative stress encountered by human neutrophils during infections. The protein YpdA has recently been shown to function as an essential NADPH-dependent reductase of oxidized bacillithiol disulfide (BSSB) resulting from stress responses and is crucial in maintaining the reduced pool of BSH and cellular redox balance. In this work, we present the first crystallographic structures of YpdAs, namely from S. aureus and B. cereus. Our analyses reveal a uniquely organized biological tetramer; however, the monomeric subunit has high structural similarity to other flavin disulfide reductases. The absence of a redox active cysteine in the vicinity of the FAD isoalloxazine ring implies a new direct disulfide reduction mechanism, which is backed by the presence of a potentially gated channel, serving as a putative binding site for BSSB in proximity to the FAD cofactor. We also report enzymatic activity for both YpdAs, which along with the structures presented in this work provide important structural and functional insight into a new class of FAD-containing NADPH-dependent oxidoreductases, related to the emerging fight against pathogenic bacteria.

scholarly journals The crystal structure of mycobacterial epoxide hydrolase A

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eike C. Schulz ◽  
Sara R. Henderson ◽  
Boris Illarionov ◽  
Thomas Crosskey ◽  
Stacey M. Southall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Substrate Specificity ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Epoxide Hydrolase ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
High Sequence Similarity ◽  
High Structural Similarity ◽  
Potential Drug Targets ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract The human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent of tuberculosis resulting in over 1 million fatalities every year, despite decades of research into the development of new anti-TB compounds. Unlike most other organisms M. tuberculosis has six putative genes for epoxide hydrolases (EH) of the α/β-hydrolase family with little known about their individual substrates, suggesting functional significance for these genes to the organism. Due to their role in detoxification, M. tuberculosis EH’s have been identified as potential drug targets. Here, we demonstrate epoxide hydrolase activity of M. thermoresistibile epoxide hydrolase A (Mth-EphA) and report its crystal structure in complex with the inhibitor 1,3-diphenylurea at 2.0 Å resolution. Mth-EphA displays high sequence similarity to its orthologue from M. tuberculosis and generally high structural similarity to α/β-hydrolase EHs. The structure of the inhibitor bound complex reveals the geometry of the catalytic residues and the conformation of the inhibitor. Comparison to other EHs from mycobacteria allows insight into the active site plasticity with respect to substrate specificity. We speculate that mycobacterial EHs may have a narrow substrate specificity providing a potential explanation for the genetic repertoire of epoxide hydrolase genes in M. tuberculosis.

scholarly journals EMILIN-1 Deficiency Induces Elastogenesis and Vascular Cell Defects

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 638-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Zanetti ◽  
Paola Braghetta ◽  
Patrizia Sabatelli ◽  
Isabella Mura ◽  
Roberto Doliana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elastic Fiber ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Elastic Fibers ◽  
Specific Cell ◽  
Vascular Cell ◽  
Adhesion Properties ◽  
High Structural Similarity ◽  
Skin Formation ◽  
Human And Mouse ◽  
Insight Into

ABSTRACT EMILINs constitute a family of genes of the extracellular matrix with high structural similarity. Four genes have been identified so far in human and mouse. To gain insight into the function of this gene family, EMILIN-1 has been inactivated in the mouse by gene targeting. The homozygous animals were fertile and did not show obvious abnormalities. However, histological and ultrastructural examination revealed alterations of elastic fibers in aorta and skin. Formation of elastic fibers by mutant embryonic fibroblasts in culture was also abnormal. Additional alterations were observed in cell morphology and anchorage of endothelial and smooth muscle cells to elastic lamellae. Considering that EMILIN-1 is adhesive for cells and that the protein binds to elastin and fibulin-5, EMILIN-1 may regulate elastogenesis and vascular cell maintenance by stabilizing molecular interactions between elastic fiber components and by endowing elastic fibers with specific cell adhesion properties.

An Insight into Oligopeptide Transporter 3 (OPT3) family proteins

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fırat Kurt
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Chelating Agent ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stress ◽  
Oligopeptide Transporter ◽  
Binding Residues ◽  
Fe Homeostasis ◽  
Proteins Interactions ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Selection Of

: Oligopeptide transporter 3 (OPT3) proteins are one of the subsets of OPT clade, yet little is known about these transporters. Therefore, homolog OPT3 proteins in several plant species were investigated and characterized using bioinformatical tools. Motif and co-expression analyses showed that OPT3 proteins may be involved in both biotic and abiotic stress responses as well as growth and developmental processes. AtOPT3 usually seemed to take part in Fe homeostasis whereas ZmOPT3 putatively interacted with proteins involved in various biological processes from plant defense system to stress responses. Glutathione (GSH), as a putative alternative chelating agent, was used in the AtOPT3 and ZmOPT3 docking analyses to identify their putative binding residues. The information given in this study will contribute to the understanding of OPT3 proteins’ interactions in various pathways and to the selection of potential ligands for OPT3s.

scholarly journals Mitochondrial Sirtuins in Reproduction

Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1047
Author(s):  
Giovanna Di Emidio ◽  
Stefano Falone ◽  
Paolo Giovanni Artini ◽  
Fernanda Amicarelli ◽  
Anna Maria D’Alessandro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Redox Balance ◽  
Antioxidant Defenses ◽  
Metabolic Abnormalities ◽  
Female Reproduction ◽  
Mitochondrial Dysfunctions ◽  
Early Embryos ◽  
The Relationship

Mitochondria act as hubs of numerous metabolic pathways. Mitochondrial dysfunctions contribute to altering the redox balance and predispose to aging and metabolic alterations. The sirtuin family is composed of seven members and three of them, SIRT3-5, are housed in mitochondria. They catalyze NAD+-dependent deacylation and the ADP-ribosylation of mitochondrial proteins, thereby modulating gene expression and activities of enzymes involved in oxidative metabolism and stress responses. In this context, mitochondrial sirtuins (mtSIRTs) act in synergistic or antagonistic manners to protect from aging and aging-related metabolic abnormalities. In this review, we focus on the role of mtSIRTs in the biological competence of reproductive cells, organs, and embryos. Most studies are focused on SIRT3 in female reproduction, providing evidence that SIRT3 improves the competence of oocytes in humans and animal models. Moreover, SIRT3 protects oocytes, early embryos, and ovaries against stress conditions. The relationship between derangement of SIRT3 signaling and the imbalance of ROS and antioxidant defenses in testes has also been demonstrated. Very little is known about SIRT4 and SIRT5 functions in the reproductive system. The final goal of this work is to understand whether sirtuin-based signaling may be taken into account as potential targets for therapeutic applications in female and male infertility.

scholarly journals Microwave Imaging of Breast Skin Utilizing Elliptical UWB Antenna and Reverse Problems Algorithm

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 647
Author(s):  
Sameer Alani ◽  
Zahriladha Zakaria ◽  
Tale Saeidi ◽  
Asmala Ahmad ◽  
Muhammad Ali Imran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skin Cancer ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Signal Transmission ◽  
Similarity Index ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Microwave Imaging ◽  
Ultra Wideband ◽  
Uwb Antenna ◽  
System A ◽  
High Structural Similarity

Skin cancer is one of the most widespread and fast growing of all kinds of cancer since it affects the human body easily due to exposure to the Sun’s rays. Microwave imaging has shown better outcomes with higher resolution, faster processing time, mobility, and less cutter and artifact effects. A miniaturized elliptical ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna and its semi-spherical array arrangement were used for signal transmission and reception from the defected locations in the breast skin. Several conditions such as various arrays of three, six, and nine antenna elements, smaller tumor, multi-tumors, and skin on a larger breast sample of 30 cm were considered. To assess the ability of the system, a breast shape container with a diameter of 130 mm and height of 60 mm was 3D printed and then filled with fabricated skin and breast fat to perform the experimental investigation. An improved modified time-reversal algorithm (IMTR) was used to recreate 2D images of tumors with the smallest radius of 1.75 mm in any location within the breast skin. The reconstructed images using both simulated and experimental data verified that the system can be a reliable imaging system for skin cancer diagnosis having a high structural similarity index and resolution.

scholarly journals Methane and Inflammation - A Review (Fight Fire with Fire)

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marietta Zita Poles ◽  
László Juhász ◽  
Mihály Boros
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Nitrosative Stress ◽  
Ischemia Reperfusion ◽  
Signalling Pathways ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Oxidative And Nitrosative Stress ◽  
Carbohydrate Fermentation ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractMammalian methanogenesis is regarded as an indicator of carbohydrate fermentation by anaerobic gastrointestinal flora. Once generated by microbes or released by a non-bacterial process, methane is generally considered to be biologically inactive. However, recent studies have provided evidence for methane bioactivity in various in vivo settings. The administration of methane either in gas form or solutions has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in an array of experimental conditions, such as ischemia/reperfusion, endotoxemia and sepsis. It has also been demonstrated that exogenous methane influences the key regulatory mechanisms and cellular signalling pathways involved in oxidative and nitrosative stress responses. This review offers an insight into the latest findings on the multi-faceted organ protective activity of exogenous methane treatments with special emphasis on its versatile effects demonstrated in sepsis models.

scholarly journals Stress Responses in Down Syndrome Neurodegeneration: State of the Art and Therapeutic Molecules

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 266
Author(s):  
Chiara Lanzillotta ◽  
Fabio Di Domenico
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Redox Balance ◽  
Antioxidant Response ◽  
Chromosome 21 ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Genomic Disorder ◽  
Therapeutic Molecules ◽  
Early Alzheimer’S Disease

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genomic disorder characterized by the increased incidence of developing early Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In DS, the triplication of genes on chromosome 21 is intimately associated with the increase of AD pathological hallmarks and with the development of brain redox imbalance and aberrant proteostasis. Increasing evidence has recently shown that oxidative stress (OS), associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and with the failure of antioxidant responses (e.g., SOD1 and Nrf2), is an early signature of DS, promoting protein oxidation and the formation of toxic protein aggregates. In turn, systems involved in the surveillance of protein synthesis/folding/degradation mechanisms, such as the integrated stress response (ISR), the unfolded stress response (UPR), and autophagy, are impaired in DS, thus exacerbating brain damage. A number of pre-clinical and clinical studies have been applied to the context of DS with the aim of rescuing redox balance and proteostasis by boosting the antioxidant response and/or inducing the mechanisms of protein re-folding and clearance, and at final of reducing cognitive decline. So far, such therapeutic approaches demonstrated their efficacy in reverting several aspects of DS phenotype in murine models, however, additional studies aimed to translate these approaches in clinical practice are still needed.

scholarly journals In Silico Analyses of Rice Thionin Genes and the Antimicrobial Activity of OsTHION15 Against Phytopathogens

2019 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-35
Author(s):  
Krissana Boonpa ◽  
Suparuk Tantong ◽  
Kamonwan Weerawanich ◽  
Pawinee Panpetch ◽  
Onanong Pringsulaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Activity ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
In Silico ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Hyphal Growth ◽  
In Planta ◽  
Recombinant Peptide ◽  
Plant Disease Control ◽  
Helminthosporium Oryzae ◽  
In Silico Analyses

Thionins are a family of antimicrobial peptides. We performed in silico expression analyses of the 44 rice (Oryza sativa) thionins (OsTHIONs). Modulated expression levels of OsTHIONs under different treatments suggest their involvement in many processes, including biotic, abiotic, and nutritional stress responses, and in hormone signaling. OsTHION15 (LOC_Os06g32600) was selected for further characterization based on several in silico analyses. OsTHION15 in O. sativa subsp. indica ‘KDML 105’ was expressed in all of the tissues and organs examined, including germinating seed, leaves, and roots of seedlings and mature plants, and inflorescences. To investigate the antimicrobial activity of OsTHION15, we produced a recombinant peptide in Escherichia coli Rosetta-gami (DE3). The recombinant OsTHION15 exhibited inhibitory activities toward rice-pathogenic bacteria such as Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and Pectobacterium carotovorum pv. atroseptica, with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 112.6 and 14.1 µg ml−1, respectively. A significant hyphal growth inhibition was also observed toward Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense and Helminthosporium oryzae. In addition, we demonstrated the in planta antibacterial activity of this peptide in Nicotiana benthamiana against X. campestris pv. glycines. These activities suggest the possible application of OsTHION15 in plant disease control.

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