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- Mojr, Viktor, et al.
(author)
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Nonhydrolysable Analogues of (p)ppGpp and (p)ppApp Alarmone Nucleotides as Novel Molecular Tools
- 2021
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In: ACS Chemical Biology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1554-8929 .- 1554-8937. ; 16:9, s. 1680-1691
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- While alarmone nudeotides guanosine-3',5'-bisdiphosphate (ppGpp) and guanosine-5'-triphosphate-3'-diphosphate (pppGpp) are archetypical bacterial second messengers, their adenosine analogues ppApp (adenosine-3',5'-bisdiphosphate) and pppApp (adenosine-5'-triphosphate-3'-diphosphate) are toxic effectors that abrogate bacterial growth. The alarmones are both synthesized and degraded by the members of the ReIA-SpoT Homologue (RSH) enzyme family. Because of the chemical and enzymatic liability of (p)ppGpp and (p)ppApp, these alarmones are prone to degradation during structural biology experiments. To overcome this limitation, we have established an efficient and straightforward procedure for synthesizing nonhydrolysable (p)ppNu(N)pp analogues starting from 3'-azido-3'-deoxyribonucleotides as key intermediates. To demonstrate the utility of (p)ppG(N)pp as a molecular tool, we show that (i) as an HD substrate mimic, ppG(N)pp competes with ppGpp to inhibit the enzymatic activity of human MESHI Small Alarmone Hyrolase, SAH; and (ii) mimicking the allosteric effects of (p)ppGpp, (p)ppG(N)pp acts as a positive regulator of the synthetase activity of long ribosome-associated RSHs Rel and ReIA. Finally, by solving the structure of the N-terminal domain region (NTD) of T. thermophilus Rel complexed with pppG(N)pp, we show that as an HD substrate mimic, the analogue serves as a bona fide orthosteric regulator that promotes the same intra-NTD structural rearrangements as the native substrate.
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| 2. |
- Tran, Ngoc Hieu, et al.
(author)
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Genetic profiling of Vietnamese population from large-scale genomic analysis of non-invasive prenatal testing data
- 2020
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 10:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The under-representation of several ethnic groups in existing genetic databases and studies have undermined our understanding of the genetic variations and associated traits or diseases in many populations. Cost and technology limitations remain the challenges in performing large-scale genome sequencing projects in many developing countries, including Vietnam. As one of the most rapidly adopted genetic tests, non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) data offers an alternative untapped resource for genetic studies. Here we performed a large-scale genomic analysis of 2683 pregnant Vietnamese women using their NIPT data and identified a comprehensive set of 8,054,515 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, among which 8.2% were new to the Vietnamese population. Our study also revealed 24,487 disease-associated genetic variants and their allele frequency distribution, especially 5 pathogenic variants for prevalent genetic disorders in Vietnam. We also observed major discrepancies in the allele frequency distribution of disease-associated genetic variants between the Vietnamese and other populations, thus highlighting a need for genome-wide association studies dedicated to the Vietnamese population. The resulted database of Vietnamese genetic variants, their allele frequency distribution, and their associated diseases presents a valuable resource for future genetic studies.
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