scholarly journals Inner-View of Nanomaterial Incited Protein Conformational Changes: Insights into Designable Interaction

Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arka Mukhopadhyay ◽  
Sankar Basu ◽  
Santiswarup Singha ◽  
Hirak K. Patra

Nanoparticle bioreactivity critically depends upon interaction between proteins and nanomaterials (NM). The formation of the “protein corona” (PC) is the effect of such nanoprotein interactions. PC has a wide usage in pharmaceuticals, drug delivery, medicine, and industrial biotechnology. Therefore, a detailed in-vitro, in-vivo, and in-silico understanding of nanoprotein interaction is fundamental and has a genuine contemporary appeal. NM surfaces can modify the protein conformation during interaction, or NMs themselves can lead to self-aggregations. Both phenomena can change the whole downstream bioreactivity of the concerned nanosystem. The main aim of this review is to understand the mechanistic view of NM-protein interaction and recapitulate the underlying physical chemistry behind the formation of such complicated macromolecular assemblies, to provide a critical overview of the different models describing NM induced structural and functional modification of proteins. The review also attempts to point out the current limitation in understanding the field and highlights the future scopes, involving a plausible proposition of how artificial intelligence could be aided to explore such systems for the prediction and directed design of the desired NM-protein interactions.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 5712
Author(s):  
Michał Tracz ◽  
Ireneusz Górniak ◽  
Andrzej Szczepaniak ◽  
Wojciech Białek

The SPL2 protein is an E3 ubiquitin ligase of unknown function. It is one of only three types of E3 ligases found in the outer membrane of plant chloroplasts. In this study, we show that the cytosolic fragment of SPL2 binds lanthanide ions, as evidenced by fluorescence measurements and circular dichroism spectroscopy. We also report that SPL2 undergoes conformational changes upon binding of both Ca2+ and La3+, as evidenced by its partial unfolding. However, these structural rearrangements do not interfere with SPL2 enzymatic activity, as the protein retains its ability to auto-ubiquitinate in vitro. The possible applications of lanthanide-based probes to identify protein interactions in vivo are also discussed. Taken together, the results of this study reveal that the SPL2 protein contains a lanthanide-binding site, showing for the first time that at least some E3 ubiquitin ligases are also capable of binding lanthanide ions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jillian Madine

Abstract A recent study published in Bioscience Reports by Sheng et al. (Bioscience Reports, (2019) 39, pii:BSR20182345] described a small but significant conformational change that occurs upon zinc binding and results in initiation of the amyloidogenic aggregation cascade of Golgi-Associated plant Pathogenesis Related protein 1 (GAPR-1) in the presence of heparin. The present study describes a two-stage process that is required for the initiation of the amyloidogenic aggregation cascade involving a concentration step and a conformation change to enhance accessibility of natively protected amyloidogenic regions for self-association. For GAPR-1 in the present study, these steps are provided by zinc binding causing the required conformational change enhancing accessibility of amyloidogenic regions, and heparin providing a template or scaffold in turn increasing the local protein concentration. Cofactors such as glycosaminoglycans and metal ions have been found associated with amyloid deposits in vivo and shown to affect protein assembly kinetics in vitro. Cofactor interactions with the amyloidogenic process are an area of great interest for therapeutic intervention for the wide range of diseases known to be associated with amyloid protein aggregation. The present study emphasises the need for enhanced structural understanding of cofactor–amyloid protein interactions and highlights that small subtle conformational changes can have large impacts on resulting aggregation processes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 476 (21) ◽  
pp. 3141-3159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meiru Si ◽  
Can Chen ◽  
Zengfan Wei ◽  
Zhijin Gong ◽  
GuiZhi Li ◽  
...  

Abstract MarR (multiple antibiotic resistance regulator) proteins are a family of transcriptional regulators that is prevalent in Corynebacterium glutamicum. Understanding the physiological and biochemical function of MarR homologs in C. glutamicum has focused on cysteine oxidation-based redox-sensing and substrate metabolism-involving regulators. In this study, we characterized the stress-related ligand-binding functions of the C. glutamicum MarR-type regulator CarR (C. glutamicum antibiotic-responding regulator). We demonstrate that CarR negatively regulates the expression of the carR (ncgl2886)–uspA (ncgl2887) operon and the adjacent, oppositely oriented gene ncgl2885, encoding the hypothetical deacylase DecE. We also show that CarR directly activates transcription of the ncgl2882–ncgl2884 operon, encoding the peptidoglycan synthesis operon (PSO) located upstream of carR in the opposite orientation. The addition of stress-associated ligands such as penicillin and streptomycin induced carR, uspA, decE, and PSO expression in vivo, as well as attenuated binding of CarR to operator DNA in vitro. Importantly, stress response-induced up-regulation of carR, uspA, and PSO gene expression correlated with cell resistance to β-lactam antibiotics and aromatic compounds. Six highly conserved residues in CarR were found to strongly influence its ligand binding and transcriptional regulatory properties. Collectively, the results indicate that the ligand binding of CarR induces its dissociation from the carR–uspA promoter to derepress carR and uspA transcription. Ligand-free CarR also activates PSO expression, which in turn contributes to C. glutamicum stress resistance. The outcomes indicate that the stress response mechanism of CarR in C. glutamicum occurs via ligand-induced conformational changes to the protein, not via cysteine oxidation-based thiol modifications.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Frederich ◽  
Ananya Sengupta ◽  
Josue Liriano ◽  
Ewa A. Bienkiewicz ◽  
Brian G. Miller

Fusicoccin A (FC) is a fungal phytotoxin that stabilizes protein–protein interactions (PPIs) between 14-3-3 adapter proteins and their phosphoprotein interaction partners. In recent years, FC has emerged as an important chemical probe of human 14-3-3 PPIs implicated in cancer and neurological diseases. These previous studies have established the structural requirements for FC-induced stabilization of 14-3-3·client phosphoprotein complexes; however, the effect of different 14-3-3 isoforms on FC activity has not been systematically explored. This is a relevant question for the continued development of FC variants because there are seven distinct isoforms of 14-3-3 in humans. Despite their remarkable sequence and structural similarities, a growing body of experimental evidence supports both tissue-specific expression of 14-3-3 isoforms and isoform-specific functions <i>in vivo</i>. Herein, we report the isoform-specificity profile of FC <i>in vitro</i>using recombinant human 14-3-3 isoforms and a focused library of fluorescein-labeled hexaphosphopeptides mimicking the C-terminal 14-3-3 recognition domains of client phosphoproteins targeted by FC in cell culture. Our results reveal modest isoform preferences for individual client phospholigands and demonstrate that FC differentially stabilizes PPIs involving 14-3-3s. Together, these data provide strong motivation for the development of non-natural FC variants with enhanced selectivity for individual 14-3-3 isoforms.


Author(s):  
Shangfei Wei ◽  
Tianming Zhao ◽  
Jie Wang ◽  
Xin Zhai

: Allostery is an efficient and particular regulatory mechanism to regulate protein functions. Different from conserved orthosteric sites, allosteric sites have distinctive functional mechanism to form the complex regulatory network. In drug discovery, kinase inhibitors targeting the allosteric pockets have received extensive attention for the advantages of high selectivity and low toxicity. The approval of trametinib as the first allosteric inhibitor validated that allosteric inhibitors could be used as effective therapeutic drugs for treatment of diseases. To date, a wide range of allosteric inhibitors have been identified. In this perspective, we outline different binding modes and potential advantages of allosteric inhibitors. In the meantime, the research processes of typical and novel allosteric inhibitors are described briefly in terms of structureactivity relationships, ligand-protein interactions and in vitro and in vivo activity. Additionally, challenges as well as opportunities are presented.


Genetics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 156 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R H Evans ◽  
Brian A Hemmings

Abstract PP2A is a central regulator of eukaryotic signal transduction. The human catalytic subunit PP2Acα functionally replaces the endogenous yeast enzyme, Pph22p, indicating a conservation of function in vivo. Therefore, yeast cells were employed to explore the role of invariant PP2Ac residues. The PP2Acα Y127N substitution abolished essential PP2Ac function in vivo and impaired catalysis severely in vitro, consistent with the prediction from structural studies that Tyr-127 mediates substrate binding and its side chain interacts with the key active site residues His-118 and Asp-88. The V159E substitution similarly impaired PP2Acα catalysis profoundly and may cause global disruption of the active site. Two conditional mutations in the yeast Pph22p protein, F232S and P240H, were found to cause temperature-sensitive impairment of PP2Ac catalytic function in vitro. Thus, the mitotic and cell lysis defects conferred by these mutations result from a loss of PP2Ac enzyme activity. Substitution of the PP2Acα C-terminal Tyr-307 residue by phenylalanine impaired protein function, whereas the Y307D and T304D substitutions abolished essential function in vivo. Nevertheless, Y307D did not reduce PP2Acα catalytic activity significantly in vitro, consistent with an important role for the C terminus in mediating essential protein-protein interactions. Our results identify key residues important for PP2Ac function and characterize new reagents for the study of PP2A in vivo.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2487
Author(s):  
Chao Gao ◽  
Guangxu Jin ◽  
Elizabeth Forbes ◽  
Lingegowda S. Mangala ◽  
Yingmei Wang ◽  
...  

IK is a mitotic factor that promotes cell cycle progression. Our previous investigation of 271 endometrial cancer (EC) samples from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset showed IK somatic mutations were enriched in a cluster of patients with high-grade and high-stage cancers, and this group had longer survival. This study provides insight into how IK somatic mutations contribute to EC pathophysiology. We analyzed the somatic mutational landscape of IK gene in 547 EC patients using expanded TCGA dataset. Co-immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry were used to identify protein interactions. In vitro and in vivo experiments were used to evaluate IK’s role in EC. The patients with IK-inactivating mutations had longer survival during 10-year follow-up. Frameshift and stop-gain were common mutations and were associated with decreased IK expression. IK knockdown led to enrichment of G2/M phase cells, inactivation of DNA repair signaling mediated by heterodimerization of Ku80 and Ku70, and sensitization of EC cells to cisplatin treatment. IK/Ku80 mutations were accompanied by higher mutation rates and associated with significantly better overall survival. Inactivating mutations of IK gene and loss of IK protein expression were associated with weakened Ku80/Ku70-mediated DNA repair, increased mutation burden, and better response to chemotherapy in patients with EC.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zenita Adhireksan ◽  
Deepti Sharma ◽  
Phoi Leng Lee ◽  
Qiuye Bao ◽  
Sivaraman Padavattan ◽  
...  

Abstract Structural characterization of chromatin is challenging due to conformational and compositional heterogeneity in vivo and dynamic properties that limit achievable resolution in vitro. Although the maximum resolution for solving structures of large macromolecular assemblies by electron microscopy has recently undergone profound increases, X-ray crystallographic approaches may still offer advantages for certain systems. One such system is compact chromatin, wherein the crystalline state recapitulates the crowded molecular environment within the nucleus. Here we show that nucleosomal constructs with cohesive-ended DNA can be designed that assemble into different types of circular configurations or continuous fibers extending throughout crystals. We demonstrate the utility of the method for characterizing nucleosome compaction and linker histone binding at near-atomic resolution but also advance its application for tackling further problems in chromatin structural biology and for generating novel types of DNA nanostructures. We provide a library of cohesive-ended DNA fragment expression constructs and a strategy for engineering DNA-based nanomaterials with a seemingly vast potential variety of architectures and histone chemistries.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 159
Author(s):  
Tina Schönberger ◽  
Joachim Fandrey ◽  
Katrin Prost-Fingerle

Hypoxia is a key characteristic of tumor tissue. Cancer cells adapt to low oxygen by activating hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), ensuring their survival and continued growth despite this hostile environment. Therefore, the inhibition of HIFs and their target genes is a promising and emerging field of cancer research. Several drug candidates target protein–protein interactions or transcription mechanisms of the HIF pathway in order to interfere with activation of this pathway, which is deregulated in a wide range of solid and liquid cancers. Although some inhibitors are already in clinical trials, open questions remain with respect to their modes of action. New imaging technologies using luminescent and fluorescent methods or nanobodies to complement widely used approaches such as chromatin immunoprecipitation may help to answer some of these questions. In this review, we aim to summarize current inhibitor classes targeting the HIF pathway and to provide an overview of in vitro and in vivo techniques that could improve the understanding of inhibitor mechanisms. Unravelling the distinct principles regarding how inhibitors work is an indispensable step for efficient clinical applications and safety of anticancer compounds.


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