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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Listeria Adhesion Protein Orchestrates Caveolae-Mediated Apical Junctional Remodeling Of Epithelial Barrier For Listeria Monocytogenes Translocation, Rishi Drolia, Donald B. Bryant, Shivendra Tenguria, Zuri A. Jules-Culver, Jessie Thind, Breanna Amelunke, Donqi Liu, Nicholas L. F. Gallina, Krishna K. Mishra, Manalee Samaddar, Manoj R. Sawale, Dharmendra K. Mishra, Abigail D. Cox, Arun K. Bhunia Jan 2024

Listeria Adhesion Protein Orchestrates Caveolae-Mediated Apical Junctional Remodeling Of Epithelial Barrier For Listeria Monocytogenes Translocation, Rishi Drolia, Donald B. Bryant, Shivendra Tenguria, Zuri A. Jules-Culver, Jessie Thind, Breanna Amelunke, Donqi Liu, Nicholas L. F. Gallina, Krishna K. Mishra, Manalee Samaddar, Manoj R. Sawale, Dharmendra K. Mishra, Abigail D. Cox, Arun K. Bhunia

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The cellular junctional architecture remodeling by Listeria adhesion protein-heat shock protein 60 (LAP-Hsp60) interaction for Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) passage through the epithelial barrier is incompletely understood. Here, using the gerbil model, permissive to internalin (Inl) A/B-mediated pathways like in humans, we demonstrate that Lm crosses the intestinal villi at 48 h post-infection. In contrast, the single isogenic (lap− or ΔinlA) or double (lap−ΔinlA) mutant strains show significant defects. LAP promotes Lm translocation via endocytosis of cell-cell junctional complex in enterocytes that do not display luminal E-cadherin. In comparison, InlA facilitates …


Evidence Of Direct Interaction Between Cisplatin And The Caspase-Cleaved Prostate Apoptosis Response-4 Tumor Suppressor, Krishna K. Raut, Samjhana Pandey, Gyanendra Kharel, Steven M. Pascal Jan 2024

Evidence Of Direct Interaction Between Cisplatin And The Caspase-Cleaved Prostate Apoptosis Response-4 Tumor Suppressor, Krishna K. Raut, Samjhana Pandey, Gyanendra Kharel, Steven M. Pascal

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) tumor suppressor protein has gained attention as a potential therapeutic target owing to its unique ability to selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells, sensitize them to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and mitigate drug resistance. It has recently been reported that Par-4 interacts synergistically with cisplatin, a widely used anticancer drug. However, the mechanistic details underlying this relationship remain elusive. In this investigation, we employed an array of biophysical techniques, including circular dichroism spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, to characterize the interaction between the active caspase-cleaved Par-4 (cl-Par-4) fragment and cisplatin. Additionally, elemental analysis was …


Identification Of Proteins Involved In Cell Membrane Permeabilization By Nanosecond Electric Pulses (Nsep), Giedre Silkuniene, Uma Mangalanathan, Alessandra Rossi, Peter A. Mollica, Andrei G. Pakhomov, Olga N. Pakhomova Jan 2023

Identification Of Proteins Involved In Cell Membrane Permeabilization By Nanosecond Electric Pulses (Nsep), Giedre Silkuniene, Uma Mangalanathan, Alessandra Rossi, Peter A. Mollica, Andrei G. Pakhomov, Olga N. Pakhomova

Bioelectrics Publications

The study was aimed at identifying endogenous proteins which assist or impede the permeabilized state in the cell membrane disrupted by nsEP (20 or 40 pulses, 300 ns width, 7 kV/cm). We employed a LentiArray CRISPR library to generate knockouts (KOs) of 316 genes encoding for membrane proteins in U937 human monocytes stably expressing Cas9 nuclease. The extent of membrane permeabilization by nsEP was measured by the uptake of Yo-Pro-1 (YP) dye and compared to sham-exposed KOs and control cells transduced with a non-targeting (scrambled) gRNA. Only two KOs, for SCNN1A and CLCA1 genes, showed a statistically significant reduction in …


Genotype-Phenotype Study In Patients With Valosin-Containing Protein Mutations Associated With Multisystem Proteinopathy, Ebaa Al-Obeidi, Sejad Al-Tahan, Abhilasha Surampalli, Namita Goyal, Annabel K. Wang, Andreas Hermann, Molly Omizo, Charles D. Smith, Tahseen Mozaffar, Virginia Kimonis Jan 2018

Genotype-Phenotype Study In Patients With Valosin-Containing Protein Mutations Associated With Multisystem Proteinopathy, Ebaa Al-Obeidi, Sejad Al-Tahan, Abhilasha Surampalli, Namita Goyal, Annabel K. Wang, Andreas Hermann, Molly Omizo, Charles D. Smith, Tahseen Mozaffar, Virginia Kimonis

Neurology Faculty Publications

Mutations in valosin‐containing protein (VCP), an ATPase involved in protein degradation and autophagy, cause VCP disease, a progressive autosomal dominant adult onset multisystem proteinopathy. The goal of this study is to examine if phenotypic differences in this disorder could be explained by the specific gene mutations. We therefore studied 231 individuals (118 males and 113 females) from 36 families carrying 15 different VCP mutations. We analyzed the correlation between the different mutations and prevalence, age of onset and severity of myopathy, Paget's disease of bone (PDB), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and other comorbidities. Myopathy, PDB and FTD was present in …


Mutsβ Abundance And Msh3 Atp Hydrolysis Activity Are Important Drivers Of Ctg•Cag Repeat Expansions, Norma Keogh, Kara Y. Chan, Guo-Min Li, Robert S. Lahue Sep 2017

Mutsβ Abundance And Msh3 Atp Hydrolysis Activity Are Important Drivers Of Ctg•Cag Repeat Expansions, Norma Keogh, Kara Y. Chan, Guo-Min Li, Robert S. Lahue

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

CTG•CAG repeat expansions cause at least twelve inherited neurological diseases. Expansions require the presence, not the absence, of the mismatch repair protein MutSβ (Msh2-Msh3 heterodimer). To evaluate properties of MutSβ that drive expansions, previous studies have tested under-expression, ATPase function or polymorphic variants of Msh2 and Msh3, but in disparate experimental systems. Additionally, some variants destabilize MutSβ, potentially masking the effects of biochemical alterations of the variations. Here, human Msh3 was mutated to selectively inactivate MutSβ. Msh3−/− cells are severely defective for CTG•CAG repeat expansions but show full activity on contractions. Msh3−/− cells provide a single, isogenic system …


Blocking An N-Terminal Acetylation-Dependent Protein Interaction Inhibits An E3 Ligase, Daniel C. Scott, Jared T. Hammill, Jaeki Min, David Y. Rhee, Michele Connelly, Vladislav O. Sviderskiy, Deepak Bhasin, Yizhe Chen, Su-Sien Ong, Sergio C. Chai, Asli N. Goktug, Guochang Huang, Julie K. Monda, Jonathan Low, Ho Shin Kim, Joao A. Paulo, Joe R. Cannon, Anang A. Shelat, Taosheng Chen, Ian R. Kelsall, Arno F. Alpi, Vishwajeeth Pagala, Xusheng Wang, Junmin Peng, Bhuvanesh Singh, J. Wade Harper, Brenda A. Schulman, R. Kiplin Guy Aug 2017

Blocking An N-Terminal Acetylation-Dependent Protein Interaction Inhibits An E3 Ligase, Daniel C. Scott, Jared T. Hammill, Jaeki Min, David Y. Rhee, Michele Connelly, Vladislav O. Sviderskiy, Deepak Bhasin, Yizhe Chen, Su-Sien Ong, Sergio C. Chai, Asli N. Goktug, Guochang Huang, Julie K. Monda, Jonathan Low, Ho Shin Kim, Joao A. Paulo, Joe R. Cannon, Anang A. Shelat, Taosheng Chen, Ian R. Kelsall, Arno F. Alpi, Vishwajeeth Pagala, Xusheng Wang, Junmin Peng, Bhuvanesh Singh, J. Wade Harper, Brenda A. Schulman, R. Kiplin Guy

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

N-terminal acetylation is an abundant modification influencing protein functions. Because ∼80% of mammalian cytosolic proteins are N-terminally acetylated, this modification is potentially an untapped target for chemical control of their functions. Structural studies have revealed that, like lysine acetylation, N-terminal acetylation converts a positively charged amine into a hydrophobic handle that mediates protein interactions; hence, this modification may be a druggable target. We report the development of chemical probes targeting the N-terminal acetylation–dependent interaction between an E2 conjugating enzyme (UBE2M or UBC12) and DCN1 (DCUN1D1), a subunit of a multiprotein E3 ligase for the ubiquitin-like protein NEDD8. The inhibitors are …


Chloroformate Derivatization For Tracing The Fate Of Amino Acids In Cells And Tissues By Multiple Stable Isotope Resolved Metabolomics (Msirm), Ye Yang, Teresa W. -M. Fan, Andrew N. Lane, Richard M. Higashi Jul 2017

Chloroformate Derivatization For Tracing The Fate Of Amino Acids In Cells And Tissues By Multiple Stable Isotope Resolved Metabolomics (Msirm), Ye Yang, Teresa W. -M. Fan, Andrew N. Lane, Richard M. Higashi

Center for Environmental and Systems Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Amino acids have crucial roles in central metabolism, both anabolic and catabolic. To elucidate these roles, steady-state concentrations of amino acids alone are insufficient, as each amino acid participates in multiple pathways and functions in a complex network, which can also be compartmentalized. Stable Isotope-Resolved Metabolomics (SIRM) is an approach that uses atom-resolved tracking of metabolites through biochemical transformations in cells, tissues, or whole organisms. Using different elemental stable isotopes to label multiple metabolite precursors makes it possible to resolve simultaneously the utilization of these precursors in a single experiment. Conversely, a single precursor labeled with two (or more) different …


Quaternary Interactions And Supercoiling Modulate The Cooperative Dna Binding Of Agt, Manana Melikishvili, Michael G. Fried Jul 2017

Quaternary Interactions And Supercoiling Modulate The Cooperative Dna Binding Of Agt, Manana Melikishvili, Michael G. Fried

Center for Structural Biology Faculty Publications

Human O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) repairs mutagenic O6-alkylguanine and O4-alkylthymine adducts in single-stranded and duplex DNAs. The search for these lesions, through a vast excess of competing, unmodified genomic DNA, is a mechanistic challenge that may limit the repair rate in vivo. Here, we examine influences of DNA secondary structure and twist on protein–protein interactions in cooperative AGT complexes formed on lesion-free DNAs that model the unmodified parts of the genome. We used a new approach to resolve nearest neighbor (nn) and long-range (lr) components from the ensemble-average cooperativity, ωave. We found …


Expanding The Phenotype Associated With Naa10-Related N-Terminal Acetylation Deficiency., Chloé Saunier, Svein Isungset Støve, Bernt Popp, Bénédicte Gérard, Marina Blenski, Nicholas Ahmew, +Several Additional Authors Aug 2016

Expanding The Phenotype Associated With Naa10-Related N-Terminal Acetylation Deficiency., Chloé Saunier, Svein Isungset Støve, Bernt Popp, Bénédicte Gérard, Marina Blenski, Nicholas Ahmew, +Several Additional Authors

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

N-terminal acetylation is a common protein modification in eukaryotes associated with numerous cellular processes. Inherited mutations in NAA10, encoding the catalytic subunit of the major N-terminal acetylation complex NatA have been associated with diverse, syndromic X-linked recessive disorders, whereas de novo missense mutations have been reported in one male and one female individual with severe intellectual disability but otherwise unspecific phenotypes. Thus, the full genetic and clinical spectrum of NAA10 deficiency is yet to be delineated. We identified three different novel and one known missense mutation in NAA10, de novo in 11 females, and due to maternal germ …


Nonenzymatic Glycosylation Of Erythrocyte Membrane Proteins. Relevance To Diabetes, J A. Miller, Ellen M. Gravallese, H F. Bunn Apr 2015

Nonenzymatic Glycosylation Of Erythrocyte Membrane Proteins. Relevance To Diabetes, J A. Miller, Ellen M. Gravallese, H F. Bunn

Ellen M. Gravallese

Nonenzymatic glycosylation of proteins of the erythrocyte membrane was determined by incubating erythrocyte ghosts with [3H]borohydride. The incorporation of tritium into protein provides a reliable assay of ketoamine linkages. The membrane proteins from 18 patients with diabetes incorporated twice as much radioactivity as membrane proteins from normal erythrocytes. After acid hydrolysis, amino acid analysis showed that the majority of radioactivity was localized to glucosyllysine. Autoradiograms showed that all of the major proteins of the erythrocyte membrane, separated by electrophoresis on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels, contained ketoamine linkages. No protein bands in either normal or diabetic erythrocytes showed significant preferential labeling. …


Dual Engagement Of The Nlrp3 And Aim2 Inflammasomes By Plasmodium-Derived Hemozoin And Dna During Malaria, Parisa Kalantari, Rosane B. Deoliveira, Jennie Chan, Yolanda Corbett, Vijay A. K. Rathinam, Andrea Stutz, Eicke Latz, Ricardo T. Gazzinelli, Douglas T. Golenbock, Katherine A. Fitzgerald Dec 2014

Dual Engagement Of The Nlrp3 And Aim2 Inflammasomes By Plasmodium-Derived Hemozoin And Dna During Malaria, Parisa Kalantari, Rosane B. Deoliveira, Jennie Chan, Yolanda Corbett, Vijay A. K. Rathinam, Andrea Stutz, Eicke Latz, Ricardo T. Gazzinelli, Douglas T. Golenbock, Katherine A. Fitzgerald

Katherine A. Fitzgerald

Hemozoin (Hz) is the crystalline detoxification product of hemoglobin in Plasmodium-infected erythrocytes. We previously proposed that Hz can carry plasmodial DNA into a subcellular compartment that is accessible to Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), inducing an inflammatory signal. Hz also activates the NLRP3 inflammasome in primed cells. We found that Hz appears to colocalize with DNA in infected erythrocytes, even before RBC rupture or phagolysosomal digestion. Using synthetic Hz coated in vitro with plasmodial genomic DNA (gDNA) or CpG oligodeoxynucleotides, we observed that DNA-complexed Hz induced TLR9 translocation, providing a priming and an activation signal for inflammasomes. After phagocytosis, Hz and …


A Microrna-1280/Jag2 Network Comprises A Novel Biological Target In High-Risk Medulloblastoma, Fengfei Wang, Marc Remke, Tze-Chen Hsieh, Lizi Wu, Cynthia Hawkins, Joseph M. Wu, Erxi Wu Dec 2014

A Microrna-1280/Jag2 Network Comprises A Novel Biological Target In High-Risk Medulloblastoma, Fengfei Wang, Marc Remke, Tze-Chen Hsieh, Lizi Wu, Cynthia Hawkins, Joseph M. Wu, Erxi Wu

NYMC Faculty Publications

Over-expression of PDGF receptors (PDGFRs) has been previously implicated in high-risk medulloblastoma (MB) pathogenesis. However, the exact biological functions of PDGFRα and PDGFRβ signaling in MB biology remain poorly understood. Here, we report the subgroup specific expression of PDGFRα and PDGFRβ and their associated biological pathways in MB tumors. c-MYC, a downstream target of PDGFRβ but not PDGFRα, is involved in PDGFRβ signaling associated with cell proliferation, cell death, and invasion. Concurrent inhibition of PDGFRβ and c-MYC blocks MB cell proliferation and migration synergistically. Integrated analysis of miRNA and miRNA targets regulated by both PDGFRβ and c-MYC reveals that increased …


Hdac8 And Stat3 Repress Bmf Gene Activity In Colon Cancer Cells, Y Kang, Hui Nian, P Rajendran, W Dashwood, John T. Pinto, E Ho, R Dashwood Oct 2014

Hdac8 And Stat3 Repress Bmf Gene Activity In Colon Cancer Cells, Y Kang, Hui Nian, P Rajendran, W Dashwood, John T. Pinto, E Ho, R Dashwood

NYMC Faculty Publications

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are undergoing clinical trials as anticancer agents, but some exhibit resistance mechanisms linked to anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 functions, such as BH3-only protein silencing. HDAC inhibitors that reactivate BH3-only family members might offer an improved therapeutic approach. We show here that a novel seleno-α-keto acid triggers global histone acetylation in human colon cancer cells and activates apoptosis in a p21-independent manner. Profiling of multiple survival factors identified a critical role for the BH3-only member Bcl-2-modifying factor (Bmf). On the corresponding BMF gene promoter, loss of HDAC8 was associated with signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)/specificity protein …


Killerflip: A Novel Lytic Peptide Specifically Inducing Cancer Cell Death, B Pennarun, G. Gaidos, O Bucur, A Tinari Oct 2013

Killerflip: A Novel Lytic Peptide Specifically Inducing Cancer Cell Death, B Pennarun, G. Gaidos, O Bucur, A Tinari

Dartmouth Scholarship

One of the objectives in the development of effective cancer therapy is induction of tumor-selective cell death. Toward this end, we have identified a small peptide that, when introduced into cells via a TAT cell-delivery system, shows a remarkably potent cytoxicity in a variety of cancer cell lines and inhibits tumor growth in vivo, whereas sparing normal cells and tissues. This fusion peptide was named killer FLIP as its sequence was derived from the C-terminal domain of c-FLIP, an anti-apoptotic protein. Using structure activity analysis, we determined the minimal bioactive core of killerFLIP, namely killerFLIP-E. Structural analysis of cells using …


Plant Vaccines: An Immunological Perspective., Douglas C. Hooper Apr 2009

Plant Vaccines: An Immunological Perspective., Douglas C. Hooper

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

The advent of technologies to express heterologous proteins in planta has led to the proposition that plants may be engineered to be safe, inexpensive vehicles for the production of vaccines and possibly even vectors for their delivery. The immunogenicity of a variety of antigens of relevance to vaccination expressed in different plants has been assessed. The purpose of this article is to examine the utility of plant-expression systems in vaccine development from an immunological perspective.