| 1. |
- Cook, Naomi L., et al.
(författare)
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CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knockout of SPRY2 in human hepatocytes leads to increased glucose uptake and lipid droplet accumulation
- 2019
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Ingår i: BMC Endocrine Disorders. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1472-6823. ; 19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundThe prevalence of obesity and its comorbidities, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is dramatically increasing throughout the world; however, the underlying aetiology is incompletely understood. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of genec susceptibility loci for obesity and T2DM, although the causal genes and mechanisms are largely unknown. SPRY2 is a candidate gene identified in GWAS of body fat percentage and T2DM, and has recently been linked to insulin production in pancreatic β-cells. In the present study, we aimed to further understand SPRY2 via functional characterisation in HepG2 cells, an in vitro model of human hepatocytes widely used to investigate T2DM and insulin resistance.MethodsCRISPR-Cas9 genome editing was used to target SPRY2 in HepG2 cells, and the functional consequences of SPRY2 knockout (KO) and overexpression subsequently assessed using glucose uptake and lipid droplet assays, measurement of protein kinase phosphorylation and RNA sequencing.ResultsThe major functional consequence of SPRY2 KO was a significant increase in glucose uptake, along with elevated lipid droplet accumulation. These changes were attenuated, but not reversed, in cells overexpressing SPRY2. Phosphorylation of protein kinases across key signalling pathways (including Akt and mitogen activated protein kinases) was not altered after SPRY2 KO. Transcriptome profiling in SPRY2 KO and mock (control) cells revealed a number of differentially expressed genes related to cholesterol biosynthesis, cell cycle regulation and cellular signalling pathways. Phospholipase A2 group IIA (PLA2G2A) mRNA level was subsequently validated as significantly upregulated following SPRY2 KO, highlighting this as a potential mediator downstream of SPRY2.ConclusionThese findings suggest a role for SPRY2 in glucose and lipid metabolism in hepatocytes and contribute to clarifying the function of this gene in the context of metabolic diseases.
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| 2. |
- Emmerich, Andrew
(författare)
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Cryo-EM and Computational Biology of Macromolecular Complexes
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The ribosome is a large, ancient multicomponent macromolecular complex which is highly amenable to study by cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and computation biology methods. This thesis delves into the structure of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic ribosomes in the context of determining a solution to emerging antimicrobial resistance. We show that thermorubin (THB) binds to the E. coli ribosome at intersubunit bridge B2a, flipping out 23S rRNA residue C1914 which interferes with A-site substrates. The position and rearrangements caused by THB also accounts for the biochemical results showing a decrease in elongation, termination and recycling phases of translation. Also using cryo-EM we looked at the Giardia intestinalis ribosome, determining six high-resolution structures representing translocation intermediates. Giardia is a protozoan parasite causing diarrhoea in humans, with metronidazole strains emerging. As the ribosome is often a target for antimicrobial drugs, work on the structure and function of the ribosome is of utmost important in determining an alternative therapeutic approach to the treatment of giardiasis. We also show naturally bound tRNAs and eEF2 on the Giardia ribosome, exhibiting eukaryote-specific subunit rolling and eEF2 with GDP in a uniquely positioned Pi primed for release, adding to the mechanism of translocation in protists as well as illustrating the evolution of both the structure and function of translation machinery. Finally, the molecular basis of thermostability in translational GTPases is explored using molecular dynamics of mesophilic and thermophilic elongation factor EF-Tu. Through ancestral sequence reconstruction two key interactions: in the GTPase domain; and an interdomain interaction were shown to be important in the overall structural stability of EF-Tu in high temperature environments. These studies together highlight the strength of utilising both structural and computational techniques to explore the translation apparatus.
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| 3. |
- Iglesias, Maria Jesus, et al.
(författare)
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Elevated plasma complement factor H related 5 protein is associated with venous thromboembolism
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common, multi-causal disease with potentially serious short- and long-term complications. In clinical practice, there is a need for improved plasma biomarker-based tools for VTE diagnosis and risk prediction. Here we show, using proteomics profiling to screen plasma from patients with suspected acute VTE, and several case-control studies for VTE, how Complement Factor H Related 5 protein (CFHR5), a regulator of the alternative pathway of complement activation, is a VTE-associated plasma biomarker. In plasma, higher CFHR5 levels are associated with increased thrombin generation potential and recombinant CFHR5 enhanced platelet activation in vitro. GWAS analysis of ~52,000 participants identifies six loci associated with CFHR5 plasma levels, but Mendelian randomization do not demonstrate causality between CFHR5 and VTE. Our results indicate an important role for the regulation of the alternative pathway of complement activation in VTE and that CFHR5 represents a potential diagnostic and/or risk predictive plasma biomarker.
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| 4. |
- Majumdar, Soneya, et al.
(författare)
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Crystal Structures of Ancestral Orthologues Reveal the Molecular Basis of Thermostability in Thermophilic EF-Tus
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The molecular basis of protein thermostability is diverse and unclear. To better understand it, we solved high-resolution crystal structures of four 0.5 – 3.5 billion year old ancestral bacterial Elongation Factor-Tus (EF-Tu). Structural comparison revealed two key interactions, unique for the thermophilic EF-Tus; i) a hydrogen bond between a G-domain tyrosine and the α- phosphate of the guanine nucleotide that stabilizes GTP/GDP; and ii) an inter-domain salt-bridge, tethering the Domains II and III via an arginine and a glutamic acid, respectively. We could reverse the thermostability profiles of the thermophilic and mesophilic EF-Tus by adding or removing these interactions, which were validated with aggregation, biophysical, and functional assays. Further, molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that these interactions contribute to thermostability via the Mg2+ in the nucleotide binding site. Furthermore, the inter-domain interaction restricts the transition between the open and the closed conformations of the EF-Tus, thereby regulating their thermoactivity.
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| 5. |
- Majumdar, Soneya, et al.
(författare)
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Insights into Translocation Mechanism and Ribosome Evolution from Cryo-EM Structures of Translocation Intermediates of Giardia intestinalis
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Giardia intestinalis is a protozoan parasite that causes diarrhea in humans. Using single-particle cryo-Electron Microscopy, we have determined high-resolution structures of six naturally populated translocation intermediates, from ribosomes isolated directly from actively growing Giardia cells. The highly compact and uniquely GC-rich Giardia ribosomes possess eukaryotic rRNAs and ribosomal-proteins, but retain some bacterial features. The translocation intermediates, with naturally-bound tRNAs and eEF2, display characteristic ribosomal intersubunit rotation and small subunit’s head swiveling - universal for translocation. In addition, we observe the eukaryote-specific ‘subunit rolling’ dynamics, albeit with limited features. Finally, the eEF2•GDP state features a uniquely positioned ‘leaving Pi’ that proposes hitherto unknown molecular events of Pi- and eEF2 release from the ribosome at the final stage of translocation. In summary, our study elucidates the mechanism of translocation in the protists and illustrates evolution of the translation machinery from bacteria to eukaryotes both from the structural and mechanistic perspectives.
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| 6. |
- Majumdar, Soneya, et al.
(författare)
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Insights into translocation mechanism and ribosome evolution from cryo-EM structures of translocation intermediates of Giardia intestinalis
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nucleic Acids Research. - : Oxford University Press. - 0305-1048 .- 1362-4962. ; 51:7, s. 3436-3451
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Giardia intestinalis is a protozoan parasite that causes diarrhea in humans. Using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, we have determined high-resolution structures of six naturally populated translocation intermediates, from ribosomes isolated directly from actively growing Giardia cells. The highly compact and uniquely GC-rich Giardia ribosomes possess eukaryotic rRNAs and ribosomal proteins, but retain some bacterial features. The translocation intermediates, with naturally bound tRNAs and eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2), display characteristic ribosomal intersubunit rotation and small subunit's head swiveling-universal for translocation. In addition, we observe the eukaryote-specific 'subunit rolling' dynamics, albeit with limited features. Finally, the eEF2 center dot GDP state features a uniquely positioned 'leaving phosphate (Pi)' that proposes hitherto unknown molecular events of Pi and eEF2 release from the ribosome at the final stage of translocation. In summary, our study elucidates the mechanism of translocation in the protists and illustrates evolution of the translation machinery from bacteria to eukaryotes from both the structural and mechanistic perspectives.
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| 7. |
- Marklund, Emil, et al.
(författare)
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DNA surface exploration and operator bypassing during target search
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature. - : NATURE RESEARCH. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 583:7818, s. 858-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many proteins that bind specific DNA sequences search the genome by combining three-dimensional diffusion with one-dimensional sliding on nonspecific DNA(1-5). Here we combine resonance energy transfer and fluorescence correlation measurements to characterize how individual lac repressor (LacI) molecules explore the DNA surface during the one-dimensional phase of target search. To track the rotation of sliding LacI molecules on the microsecond timescale, we use real-time single-molecule confocal laser tracking combined with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (SMCT-FCS). The fluctuations in fluorescence signal are accurately described by rotation-coupled sliding, in which LacI traverses about 40 base pairs (bp) per revolution. This distance substantially exceeds the 10.5-bp helical pitch of DNA; this suggests that the sliding protein frequently hops out of the DNA groove, which would result in the frequent bypassing of target sequences. We directly observe such bypassing using single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET). A combined analysis of the smFRET and SMCT-FCS data shows that LacI hops one or two grooves (10-20 bp) every 200-700 mu s. Our data suggest a trade-off between speed and accuracy during sliding: the weak nature of nonspecific protein-DNA interactions underlies operator bypassing, but also speeds up sliding. We anticipate that SMCT-FCS, which monitors rotational diffusion on the microsecond timescale while tracking individual molecules with millisecond resolution, will be applicable to the real-time investigation of many other biological interactions and will effectively extend the accessible time regime for observing these interactions by two orders of magnitude. Single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer and real-time confocal laser tracking with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy together characterize how individual lac repressor molecules bypass operator sites while exploring the DNA surface at microsecond timescales.
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| 8. |
- Marklund, Emil, et al.
(författare)
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Mechanism of DNA surface exploration and operator bypassing during target search
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Many proteins that bind specific DNA sequences search the genome by combining three dimensional (3D) diffusion in the cytoplasm with one dimensional (1D) sliding on non-specific DNA. Here we combine resonance energy transfer and fluorescence correlation measurements to characterize how individual lac repressor (LacI) molecules explore DNA during the 1D phase of target search. To track the rotation of sliding LacI molecules on the microsecond time scale during DNA surface search, we use real-time single-molecule confocal laser tracking combined with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (SMCT-FCS). The fluorescence signal fluctuations are accurately described by rotation-coupled sliding, where LacI traverses ~40 base pairs (bp) per revolution. This distance substantially exceeds the 10.5-bp helical pitch of DNA, suggesting that the sliding protein frequently hops out of the DNA groove, which would result in frequent bypassing of target sequences. Indeed, we directly observe such bypassing by single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET). A combined analysis of the smFRET and SMCT-FCS data shows that LacI at most hops one to two grooves (10-20 bp) every 250 μs. Overall, our data suggest a speed-accuracy trade-off during sliding; the weak nature of non-specific protein-DNA interactions underlies operator bypassing but also facilitates rapid sliding. We anticipate that our SMCT-FCS method to monitor rotational diffusion on the microsecond time scale while tracking individual molecules with millisecond time resolution will be applicable to the real-time investigation of many other biological interactions and effectively extends the accessible time regime by two orders of magnitude.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Parajuli, Narayan Prasad, 1989-, et al.
(författare)
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Antibiotic thermorubin tethers ribosomal subunits and impedes A-site interactions to perturb protein synthesis in bacteria
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Thermorubin (THB) is a long-known broad-spectrum ribosome-targeting antibiotic, but the molecular mechanism of its action was unclear. Here, our precise fast-kinetics assays in a reconstituted Escherichia coli translation system and 1.96 Å resolution cryo-EM structure of THB-bound 70S ribosome with mRNA and initiator tRNA, independently suggest that THB binding at the intersubunit bridge B2a near decoding center of the ribosome interferes with the binding of A-site substrates aminoacyl-tRNAs and class-I release factors, thereby inhibiting elongation and termination steps of bacterial translation. Furthermore, THB acts as an anti-dissociation agent that tethers the ribosomal subunits and blocks ribosome recycling, subsequently reducing the pool of active ribosomes. Our results show that THB does not inhibit translation initiation as proposed earlier and provide a complete mechanism of how THB perturbs bacterial protein synthesis. This in-depth characterization will hopefully spur efforts toward the design of THB analogs with improved solubility and effectivity against multidrug-resistant bacteria.
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