Search

// Omar Al Kadhi 1, 2, * , Maria H. Traka 1, * , Antonietta Melchini 1 , Perla Troncoso-Rey 3 , Wiktor Jurkowski 3 , Marianne Defernez 4 , Purnima Pachori 5 , Robert D. Mills 2 , Richard Y. Ball 6 and Richard F. Mithen 1 1 Food and Health Programme, Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich, UK 2 Department of Urology, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, UK 3 Integrative Genomics, Earlham Institute, Norwich, UK 4 Analytical Sciences Unit, Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich, UK 5 Platforms and Pipelines Bioinformatics, Earlham Institute, Norwich, UK 6 Norfolk and Waveney Cellular Pathology Service, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, UK * These authors contributed equally to the work Correspondence to: Richard F. Mithen, email: Richard.Mithen@quadram.ac.uk Keywords: metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, steroid biosynthesis, prostate zones, prostate cancer Received: September 18, 2016 Accepted: May 02, 2017 Published: May 17, 2017 ABSTRACT The human prostate gland comprises three distinct anatomical glandular zones, namely the peripheral, central and transitional zones. Although prostate cancer can arise throughout the prostate, it is more frequent in the peripheral zone. In contrast, hyperplasia occurs most frequently in the transitional zone. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that peripheral and transitional zones have distinct metabolic adaptations that may underlie their different inherent predispositions to cancer and hyperplasia. In order to do this, we undertook RNA sequencing and high-throughput metabolic analyses of non-cancerous tissue from the peripheral and transitional zones of patients undergoing prostatectomy. Integrated analysis of RNAseq and metabolomic data revealed that transcription of genes involved in lipid biosynthesis is higher in the peripheral zone, which was mirrored by an increase in fatty acid metabolites, such as lysolipids. The peripheral zone also exhibited increased fatty acid catabolic activity and contained higher level of neurotransmitters. Such increased capacity for de novo lipogenesis and fatty acid oxidation, which is characteristic of prostate cancer, can potentially provide a permissive growth environment within the peripheral zone for cancer growth and also transmit a metabolic growth advantage to newly emerging clones themselves. This lipo-rich priming may explain the observed susceptibility of the peripheral zone to oncogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Genetic generalised epilepsy is the most common type of inherited epilepsy. Despite a high concordance rate of 80% in monozygotic twins, the genetic background is still poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the burden of rare genetic variants in genetic generalised epilepsy.METHODS: For this exome-based case-control study, we used three different genetic generalised epilepsy case cohorts and three independent control cohorts, all of European descent. Cases included in the study were clinically evaluated for genetic generalised epilepsy. Whole-exome sequencing was done for the discovery case cohort, a validation case cohort, and two independent control cohorts. The replication case cohort underwent targeted next-generation sequencing of the 19 known genes encoding subunits of GABAA receptors and was compared to the respective GABAA receptor variants of a third independent control cohort. Functional investigations were done with automated two-microelectrode voltage clamping in Xenopus laevis oocytes.FINDINGS: Statistical comparison of 152 familial index cases with genetic generalised epilepsy in the discovery cohort to 549 ethnically matched controls suggested an enrichment of rare missense (Nonsyn) variants in the ensemble of 19 genes encoding GABAA receptors in cases (odds ratio [OR] 2·40 [95% CI 1·41-4·10]; pNonsyn=0·0014, adjusted pNonsyn=0·019). Enrichment for these genes was validated in a whole-exome sequencing cohort of 357 sporadic and familial genetic generalised epilepsy cases and 1485 independent controls (OR 1·46 [95% CI 1·05-2·03]; pNonsyn=0·0081, adjusted pNonsyn=0·016). Comparison of genes encoding GABAA receptors in the independent replication cohort of 583 familial and sporadic genetic generalised epilepsy index cases, based on candidate-gene panel sequencing, with a third independent control cohort of 635 controls confirmed the overall enrichment of rare missense variants for 15 GABAA receptor genes in cases compared with controls (OR 1·46 [95% CI 1·02-2·08]; pNonsyn=0·013, adjusted pNonsyn=0·027). Functional studies for two selected genes (GABRB2 and GABRA5) showed significant loss-of-function effects with reduced current amplitudes in four of seven tested variants compared with wild-type receptors.INTERPRETATION: Functionally relevant variants in genes encoding GABAA receptor subunits constitute a significant risk factor for genetic generalised epilepsy. Examination of the role of specific gene groups and pathways can disentangle the complex genetic architecture of genetic generalised epilepsy.FUNDING: EuroEPINOMICS (European Science Foundation through national funding organisations), Epicure and EpiPGX (Sixth Framework Programme and Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission), Research Unit FOR2715 (German Research Foundation and Luxembourg National Research Fund).

The study investigates measurable effects of cabbage leaf wraps on post-traumatic knee injury exudate absorption in men.Case-control experiment on the same group of patients (before and after treatment).One academic center and two hospitals.The study was carried out on a group of patients with different degrees of injury severity in the acute stage of the knee injury who were divided into three groups based on the width of suprapatellar recess gap (3-5 mm in group 1, 6-10 mm in group 2, and 11 mm or more in group 3) as assessed by ultrasonography.Each group of patients was divided into two subgroups, one of which comprised patients whose knees were treated with wraps containing cabbage leaves with ice (cases) and the others comprised patients treated with wraps without cabbage leaves, with cooling dressing only (controls).Significant progression in knee fluid uptake was observed in the acute stage of the knee injuries treated with cabbage wraps compared with control groups (p 0.05). It was shown that the time, type of wraps, and a degree of severity of post-traumatic exudative knee inflammation affect the process of knee recovery (Friedman test for repeated measures p 0.05). The most significant results were observed within first 24 h after the injury. Further decrease in the width of the recess gap after 5 days was observed.Application of cabbage wraps with ice to the knee in men may promote a reduction of swelling (by accelerating absorption of knee exudates) if applied during the acute stage of the knee injury.

The exploration of complex interactions in biological systems is one of the main aims in nature science nowadays. Progress in this area is possible because of high-throughput omics technologies and the computational surge. The development of analytical methods “is trying to keep pace” with the development of molecular biology methods that provide increasingly large amounts of data – omics data. Specialized databases consist of ever-larger collections of experiments that are usually conducted by one next-generation sequencing technique (e.g. RNA-seq). Other databases integrate data by defining qualitative relationships between individual objects in the form of ontologies, interactions, and pathways (e.g. GO, KEGG, and String). However, there are no open-source complementary quantitative data sets for the biological processes studied, including information from many levels of the organism organization, which would allow the development of multidimensional data analysis methods (multiscale and insightful overviews of biological processes). In the paper, the lack of omics complementary quantitative data set, which would help integrate the defined qualitative biological relationships of individual biomolecules with statistical, computational methods, is discussed.

Toxicity of the prion molecule is a result of transmission of conformational change by direct contact with malignant misfolded molecule. The aim of this study is analyze the role of D278N mutation in promoting preferential oligomerization modes. Proteins exist as ensembles in equilibrium between different structural and dynamic states, including functionally relevant conformers as the most populated states as well as malfunctioning conformers as less populated states. Furthermore, the existence of different conformations allows protein oligomerization with condition-specific affinities. The maintenance of a particular role requires specific conversion between multiple stable states. Protein-protein binding may facilitate or may be a necessary condition of structural adaptation. In the case of prion disease, protein-protein interactions, resulting in prion agglomeration, have toxic effect. How exactly increased concentrations of prion oligomers trigger mechanisms leading to neuronal death is not known. Nevertheless, first oligomerization and second aggregate recognition are likely sequence of events that have to happen before any pathological condition may arise. Here, we carry out structural and dynamic analyses of the effect of disease-causing mutations on the dimerization and tetramerization of prion molecule as the first step in aggregate formation. D178N mutation has almost no effect on the monomeric structure but helps to stabilize the dimer, which consequently facilitates tetramer formation and stability.

Genetic generalised epilepsy is the most common type of inherited epilepsy. Despite a high concordance rate of 80% in monozygotic twins, the genetic background is still poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the burden of rare genetic variants in genetic generalised epilepsy.For this exome-based case-control study, we used three different genetic generalised epilepsy case cohorts and three independent control cohorts, all of European descent. Cases included in the study were clinically evaluated for genetic generalised epilepsy. Whole-exome sequencing was done for the discovery case cohort, a validation case cohort, and two independent control cohorts. The replication case cohort underwent targeted next-generation sequencing of the 19 known genes encoding subunits of GABAStatistical comparison of 152 familial index cases with genetic generalised epilepsy in the discovery cohort to 549 ethnically matched controls suggested an enrichment of rare missense (Nonsyn) variants in the ensemble of 19 genes encoding GABAFunctionally relevant variants in genes encoding GABAEuroEPINOMICS (European Science Foundation through national funding organisations), Epicure and EpiPGX (Sixth Framework Programme and Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission), Research Unit FOR2715 (German Research Foundation and Luxembourg National Research Fund).

Rolandic epilepsy (RE) and its atypical variants (atypical rolandic epilepsy, ARE) along the spectrum of epilepsy-aphasia disorders are characterized by a strong but largely unknown genetic basis. Two genes with a putative (ELP4) or a proven (SRPX2) function in neuronal migration were postulated to confer susceptibility to parts of the disease spectrum: the ELP4 gene to centrotemporal spikes and SRPX2 to ARE. To reexamine these findings, we investigated a cohort of 280 patients of European ancestry with RE/ARE for the etiological contribution of these genes and their close interaction partners. We performed next-generation sequencing and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-array based genotyping to screen for sequence and structural variants. In comparison to European controls we could not detect an enrichment of rare deleterious variants of ELP4, SRPX2, or their interaction partners in affected individuals. The previously described functional p.N327S variant in the X chromosomal SRPX2 gene was detected in two affected individuals (0.81%) and also in controls (0.26%), with some preponderance of male patients. We did not detect an association of SNPs in the ELP4 gene with centrotemporal spikes as previously reported. In conclusion our data do not support a major role of ELP4 and SRPX2 in the etiology of RE/ARE.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a major neurodegenerative chronic disease, most likely caused by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Information on various aspects of PD pathogenesis is rapidly increasing and needs to be efficiently organized, so that the resulting data is available for exploration and analysis. Here we introduce a computationally tractable, comprehensive molecular interaction map of PD. This map integrates pathways implicated in PD pathogenesis such as synaptic and mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired protein degradation, alpha-synuclein pathobiology and neuroinflammation. We also present bioinformatics tools for the analysis, enrichment and annotation of the map, allowing the research community to open new avenues in PD research. The PD map is accessible at http://minerva.uni.lu/pd_map. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12035-013-8489-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

One possible origin of the type I hypersensitivity reaction is reaction of drugs such as acetylsalicylic acid and its metabolites being complexed with human serum albumin. Albumin, being transporting molecule abundant in blood plasma is able to bind large array of ligands varying from small single carbon particles to long hydrophobic tailed lipidic acids (e.g. myristic acid). This non specificity is possible because of multi domain scaffold and large flexibility of inter-domain loops, which results in serious reorientation of domains. Hypothesis that acetylsalicylic acid metabolites may play indirect role in activation of allergic reaction has been tested. Binding of acetylsalicylic acid metabolites in intra-domain space causes significant increase of liability of domains IIIA and IIIB. One of metabolites, salicyluric acid, once is bound causes distortion and partial unfolding of helices in domains IA, IIB and IIIB. Changed are both directions and amplitude of relative motions as well as intra-domain distances. In result albumin is able to cross-link of adjacent IgE receptors which subsequently starts allergic reaction.

International audience; In biology, the subject of protein structure prediction is of continued interest, not only to chart the molecular map of the living cell, but also to design proteins of new functions. The Inverse Folding Problem (IFP) is in itself an important research problem, but also at the heart of most rational protein design approaches. In brief, the IFP consists in finding sequences that will fold into a given structure, rather than determining the structure for a given sequence - as in conventional structure prediction. In this work we present a Multi Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA) using the diversity-as-objective (DAO) variant of multi-objectivisation, to optimise secondary structure similarity and sequence diversity at the same time, hence pushing the search farther into wide-spread areas of the sequence solution-space. To control the high diversity generated by the DAO approach, we add a novel Quantile Constraint (QC) mechanism to discard an adjustable worst quantile of the population. This DAO-QC approach can efficiently emphasise exploitation rather than exploration to a selectable degree achieving a trade-off producing both better and more diverse sequences than the standard Genetic Algorithm (GA). To validate the final results, a subset of the best sequences was selected for tertiary structure prediction. The super-positioning with the original protein structure demonstrated that meaningful sequences are generated underlining the potential of this work.

The conformational sub-space oriented on early-stage protein folding is applied to lysozyme folding. The part of the Ramachandran map distinguished on the basis of a geometrical model of the polypeptide chain limited to the mutual orientation of the peptide bond planes is shown to deliver the initial structure of the polypeptide for the energy minimization procedure in the ab initio model of protein folding prediction. Two forms of energy minimization and molecular dynamics simulation procedures were applied to the assumed early-stage protein folding of lysozyme. One of them included the disulphide bond system and the other excluded it. The post-energy-minimization and post-dynamics structures were compared using RMS-D and non-bonding contact maps to estimate the degree of approach to the native, target structure of the protein molecule obtained using the limited conformational sub-space for the early stage of folding.

The Brassica Information Portal (BIP) is a centralised repository for brassica phenotypic data. The site hosts trait data associated with brassica research and breeding experiments conducted on brassica crops, that are used as oilseeds, vegetables, livestock forage and fodder and for biofuels. A key feature is the explicit management of meta-data describing the provenance and relationships between experimental plant materials, as well as trial design and trait descriptors. BIP is an open access and open source project, built on the schema of CropStoreDB, and as such can provide trait data management strategies for any crop data. A new user interface and programmatic submission/retrieval system helps to simplify data access for researchers, breeders and other end-users. BIP opens up the opportunity to apply integrative, cross-project analyses to data generated by the Brassica Research Community. Here, we present a short description of the current status of the repository.

The study of interactions between molecules belonging to different biochemical families (such as lipids and nucleic acids) requires specialized data analysis methods. This article describes the DNA Microarray Integromics Analysis Platform, a unique web application that focuses on computational integration and analysis of “multi-omics” data. Our tool supports a range of complex analyses, including – among others – low- and high-level analyses of DNA microarray data, integrated analysis of transcriptomics and lipidomics data and the ability to infer miRNA-mRNA interactions. We demonstrate the characteristics and benefits of the DNA Microarray Integromics Analysis Platform using two different test cases. The first test case involves the analysis of the nutrimouse dataset, which contains measurements of the expression of genes involved in nutritional problems and the concentrations of hepatic fatty acids. The second test case involves the analysis of miRNA-mRNA interactions in polysaccharide-stimulated human dermal fibroblasts infected with porcine endogenous retroviruses. The DNA Microarray Integromics Analysis Platform is a web-based graphical user interface for “multi-omics” data management and analysis. Its intuitive nature and wide range of available workflows make it an effective tool for molecular biology research. The platform is hosted at https://lifescience.plgrid.pl/ .

Age-related cognitive decline is a serious health concern in our aging society. Decreased cognitive function observed during healthy brain aging is most likely caused by changes in brain connectivity and synaptic dysfunction in particular brain regions. Here we show that aged C57BL/ 6J wild-type mice have hippocampus-dependent spatial memory impairments. To identify the molecular mechanisms that are relevant to these memory deficits, we investigated the temporal profile of mouse hippocampal synaptic proteome changes at 20, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 weeks of age. Extracellular matrix proteins were the only group of proteins that showed robust and progressive up-regulation over time. This was confirmed by immunoblotting and histochemical analysis, which indicated that the increased levels of hippocampal extracellular matrix might limit synaptic plasticity as a potential cause of age-related cognitive decline. In addition, we observed that stochasticity in synaptic protein expression increased with age, in particular for proteins that were previously linked with various neurodegenerative diseases, whereas low variance in expression was observed for proteins that play a basal role in neuronal function and synaptic neurotransmission. Together, our findings show that both specific changes and increased variance in synaptic protein expression are associated with aging and may underlie reduced synaptic plasticity and impaired cognitive performance in old age.

Background Cellular differentiation and reprogramming are processes that are carefully orchestrated by the activation and repression of specific sets of genes. An increasing amount of experimental results show that despite the large number of genes participating in transcriptional programs of cellular phenotypes, only few key genes, which are coined here as reprogramming determinants, are required to be directly perturbed in order to induce cellular reprogramming. However, identification of reprogramming determinants still remains a combinatorial problem, and the state-of-art methods addressing this issue rests on exhaustive experimentation or prior knowledge to narrow down the list of candidates. Results Here we present a computational method, without any preliminary selection of candidate genes, to identify reduced subsets of genes, which when perturbed can induce transitions between cellular phenotypes. The method relies on the expression profiles of two stable cellular phenotypes along with a topological analysis stability elements in the gene regulatory network that are necessary to cause this multi-stability. Since stable cellular phenotypes can be considered as attractors of gene regulatory networks, cell fate and cellular reprogramming involves transition between these attractors, and therefore current method searches for combinations of genes that are able to destabilize a specific initial attractor and stabilize the final one in response to the appropriate perturbations. Conclusions The method presented here represents a useful framework to assist researchers in the field of cellular reprogramming to design experimental strategies with potential applications in the regenerative medicine and disease modelling.

The Na,K-ATPase is essential to all animals, since it maintains the electrochemical gradients that energize the plasma membrane. Naturally occurring inhibitors of the pump from plants have been used pharmaceutically in cardiac treatment for centuries. The inhibitors block the pump by binding on its extracellular side and thereby locking it. To explore the possibilities for designing an alternative way of targeting the pump function, we have examined the structural requirements for binding to a pocket that accommodates the two C-terminal residues, YY, in the crystal structures of the pump. To cover the sample space of two residues, we first performed docking studies with the 400 possible dipeptides. For validation of the in silico predictions, pumps with 13 dipeptide sequences replacing the C-terminal YY were expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and examined with electrophysiology. Our data show a significant correlation between the docking scores from two different methods and the experimentally determined sodium affinities, which strengthens the previous hypothesis that sodium binding is coupled to docking of the C-terminus. From the dipeptides that dock the best and better than wild-type YY, it may therefore be possible to develop specific drugs targeting a previously unexplored binding pocket in the sodium pump.

Network analysis is an essential component of systems biology approaches toward understanding the molecular and cellular interactions underlying biological systems functionalities and their perturbations in disease. Regulatory and signalling pathways involve DNA, RNA, proteins and metabolites as key elements to coordinate most aspects of cellular functioning. Cellular processes depend on the structure and dynamics of gene regulatory networks and can be studied by employing a network representation of molecular interactions. This chapter describes several types of biological networks, how combination of different analytic approaches can be used to study diseases, and provides a list of selected tools for network visualization and analysis. It also introduces protein–protein interaction networks, gene regulatory networks, signalling networks and metabolic networks to illustrate concepts underlying network representation of cellular processes and molecular interactions. It finally discusses how the level of accuracy in inferring functional relationships influences the choice of methods applied for the analysis of a particular biological network type.

This chapter presents an analysis of the various models implemented by software packages which enable computerized identification of ligand binding sites.

When it comes to regulating protein activity, complexation mechanisms are just as important as ligand binding. Most proteins never exist in isolation – instead they serve as building blocks for more complex systems. Some proteins form multimers to ensure maintain spatial alignment (required e.g. for phase separation in the dual lipid layer and formation of hydrophilic compartments in ion channels (Unwin 2005; Jasti et al.. 2007)); others may require temporary binding of cofactors (e.g. regulation of transcription factors (Huxford et al. 1998)), or are part of complicated protein machinery (e.g. proton-driven rotors in ATP synthases (Boyer 1997; Oster and Wang 1999, 2003)).

The galanin receptor family comprises of three members, GalR1, GalR2 and GalR3, all belonging to the G-protein-couple receptor superfamily. All three receptors bind the peptide hormone galanin, but show distinctly different binding properties to other molecules and effects on intracellular signaling. To gain insight on the molecular basis of receptor subtype specificity, we have generated a three-dimensional model for each of the galanin receptors based on its homologs in the same family. We found significant differences in the organization of the binding pockets among the three types of receptors, which might be the key for specific molecular recognition of ligands. Through docking of fragments of the galanin peptide and a number of ligands, we investigated the involvement of transmembrane and loop residues in ligand interaction. AuthorCount:3

Background The activation of immune cells in the brain is believed to be one of the earliest events in prion disease development, where misfolded PrionSc protein deposits are thought to act as irritants leading to a series of events that culminate in neuronal cell dysfunction and death. The role of these events in prion disease though is still a matter of debate. To elucidate the mechanisms leading from abnormal protein deposition to neuronal injury, we have performed a detailed network analysis of genes differentially expressed in several mouse prion models. Results We found a master regulatory core of genes related to immune response controlling other genes involved in prion protein replication and accumulation, and neuronal cell death. This regulatory core determines the existence of two stable states that are consistent with the transcriptome analysis comparing prion infected versus uninfected mouse brain. An in silico perturbation analysis demonstrates that core genes are individually capable of triggering the transition and that the network remains locked once the diseased state is reached. Conclusions We hypothesize that this locking may be the cause of the sustained immune response observed in prion disease. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that sustained brain inflammation is the main pathogenic process leading to neuronal dysfunction and loss, which, in turn, leads to clinical symptoms in prion disease.

Two voltage-dependent potassium channels, Kv1.1 (KCNA1) and Kv1.2 (KCNA2), are found to co-localize at the juxtaparano- dal region of axons throughout the nervous system and are known to co-assemble in heteromultimeric channels, most likely in the form of the concatemer Kv1.1–1.2 (3) . Loss of the myelin sheath, as is observed in multiple sclerosis, uncovers the juxtaparanodal region of nodes of Ranvier in myelinated axons leading to potassium conductance, resulting in loss of nerve conduction. The selective blocking of these Kv channels is therefore a promising approach to restore nerve conduction and function. In the present study, we searched for novel in- hibitors of Kv1.1–1.2 (3) by combining a virtual screening proto- col and electrophysiological measurements on a concatemer Kv1.1–1.2 (3) stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary K1 (CHO-K1) cells. The combined use of four popular virtual screening approaches (eHiTS, FlexX, Glide, and Autodock-Vina) led to the identification of several compounds as potential in- hibitors of the Kv1.1–1.2 (3) channel. From 89 electrophysiologi- cally evaluated compounds, 14 novel compounds were found to inhibit the current carried by Kv1.1–1.2 (3) channels by more than 80% at 10 m m . Accordingly, the IC 50 values calculated from concentration–response curve titrations ranged from 0.6 to 6 m m . Two of these compounds exhibited at least 30-fold higher potency in inhibition of Kv1.1–1.2 (3) than they showed in inhibition of a set of cardiac ion channels (hERG, Nav1.5, and Cav1.2), resulting in a profile of selectivity and cardiac safety. The results presented herein provide a promising basis for the development of novel selective ion channel inhibitors, with a dramatically lower demand in terms of experimental time, effort, and cost than a sole high-throughput screening approach of large compound libraries.

Calculating the quantity of information present in each step of the protein folding process suggests that the multistep approach requires less information than the one-step model. Quantitative analysis reveals that the amino acids present in the polypeptide chain do not carry enough information to accurately predict the values of the angles Φ and Ψ in folded proteins. This conclusion results from comparing the amount of information carried by amino acids with the quantity of information necessary to determine Φ and Ψ, taking the complete Ramachandran map as the conformational space. It is shown that the two-step model (comprising two stages, the ES and LS) requires less information, owing to the fact that the final predictions of the angles Φ and Ψ can be based on a preexisting ES structure. Analysis based on information theory points to particular zones of the Ramachandran map that appear to play an important role in the context of protein structure prediction.

The multistep polypeptide chain folding model presented in this chapter involves several intermediates, the first of which is called the early-stage (ES) intermediate. This intermediate is assumed to be defined solely on the basis of the backbone conformation and does not take side chains into account. The geometric principles that guide the backbone alignment process and its quantitative influence on the structural arrangement of the folded chain can be expressed by means of a contingency table, linking known structural motifs to specific polypeptide sequences. The basic unit of this algorithm is the tetrapeptide, and the corresponding ES conformational subspace is assumed to consist of seven types of motifs. This limited subspace represents a subset of the full conformational space (i.e., the Ramachandran plot). The volumetric structure of the ES intermediate corresponds to the output of the early folding stage and, simultaneously, provides input for further stages of the folding process.

International audience; This paper introduces a new model which enables researchers to conduct protein folding simulations. A two-step process is used in the course of structural analysis of a set of fast-folding proteins. The model assumes an early stage (ES) that depends solely on the backbone conformation, as described by its geometrical properties - specifically, by the V-angle between two sequential peptide bond planes (which determines the radius of curvature, also called R-radius, according to a 2 degree polynomial form). The agreement between the structure under consideration and the assumed model is measured in terms of the magnitude of dispersion of both parameters with respect to idealized values. The second step, called late-stage folding (LS), is based on the "fuzzy oil drop" model, which involves an external hydrophobic force field described by a three-dimensional Gauss function. The degree of conformance between the structure under consideration and its idealized model is expressed quantitatively by means of the Kullback-Leibler entropy, which is a measure of disparity between the observed and expected hydrophobicity distributions. A set of proteins, representative of the fast-folding group - specifically, cold shock proteins - is shown to agree with the proposed model.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: CD46 is a C3b/C4b binding complement regulator and a receptor for several human pathogens. We examined the interaction between CD46 and Helicobacter pylori (a bacterium that colonizes the human gastric mucosa and causes gastritis), peptic ulcers, and cancer. METHODS: Using gastric epithelial cells, we analyzed a set of H pylori strains and mutants for their ability to interact with CD46 and/or influence CD46 expression. Bacterial interaction with full-length CD46 and small CD46 peptides was evaluated by flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and bacterial survival analyses. RESULTS: H pylori infection caused shedding of CD46 into the extracellular environment. A soluble form of CD46 bound to H pylori and inhibited growth, in a dose- and time-dependent manner, by interacting with urease and alkyl hydroperoxide reductase, which are essential bacterial pathogenicity-associated factors. Binding of CD46 or CD46-derived synthetic peptides blocked the urease activity and ability of bacteria to survive in acidic environments. Oral administration of one CD46 peptide eradicated H pylori from infected mice. CONCLUSIONS: CD46 is an antimicrobial agent that can eradicate H pylori. CD46 peptides might be developed to treat H pylori infection.

Galanin is a neuropeptide found throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems of a wide range of species, ranging from human and mouse to frog and tuna. Galanin mediates its physiological roles through three receptors (GalR1-3), all members of the G-protein coupled receptor family. In mapping these roles, receptor subtype selective ligands are crucial tools. To facilitate the ligand design, data on receptor structure and interaction points are of great importance. The current study investigates the mechanism by which galanin interacts with GalR3. Mutated receptors were tested with competitive binding analysis in vitro. Our studies identify six mutagenic constructs that lost receptor affinity completely, despite being expressed at the cell surface. Mutations of the Tyr103(3.33) in transmembrane helix (TM) III, His251(6.51) in TM VI, Arg273(7.35) or His277(7.39) in TM VII, Phe263(6.63) or Tyr270(7.32) in the extracellular loop III all result in complete reduction of ligand binding. In addition, docking studies of an in silico model of GalR3 propose that four of the identified residues interact with pharmacophores situated within the galanin(2-6) sequence. This study provides novel insights into the interaction between ligands and GalR3 and highlights the requirement for correct design of targeting ligands.

A description of many biological processes requires knowledge of the 3-D structure of proteins and, in particular, the defined active site responsible for biological function. Many proteins, the genes of which have been identified as the result of human genome sequencing, and which were synthesized experimentally, await identification of their biological activity. Currently used methods do not always yield satisfactory results, and new algorithms need to be developed to recognize the localization of active sites in proteins. This paper describes a computational model that can be used to identify potential areas that are able to interact with other molecules (ligands, substrates, inhibitors, etc.). The model for active site recognition is based on the analysis of hydrophobicity distribution in protein molecules. It is shown, based on the analyses of proteins with known biological activity and of proteins of unknown function, that the region of significantly irregular hydrophobicity distribution in proteins appears to be function related., Author Summary We present here a method of defining functional site recognition in proteins. The active site (enzymatic cavity or ligand-binding site) is localized on the basis of hydrophobicity deficiency, which is understood as the difference between empirical (dependent on amino acid positions) and idealized (3-D Gauss function, or Fuzzy Oil Drop model) distribution of hydrophobicity. It is assumed that the localization of amino acids representing a high difference of hydrophobic density reveals the functional site. The analysis of the structure of 33 proteins of known biological activity and of 33 proteins of unknown function (with comparable polypeptide chain lengths) seems to verify the applicability of the method to binding cavity localization. The comparative analysis with other methods oriented on biological function is also presented. The validation of predictability accuracy is shown with respect to the enzyme classes.

An allosteric mechanism for the generation of long-distance structural alterations in Fab fragments of antibodies in immune complexes has been postulated and tested in theoretical and experimental analysis. The flexing and/or torsion-derived forces exerted on the elbow region in Fab arms of bivalent antibodies upon binding to antigen were assumed to drive the disruption of hydrogen bonds which stabilize N- and C-terminal chain fragments in V-domains. This allows an extra movement in the elbow followed by a relaxation in the Fab arm and may generate long-distance effects if, in particular, the structural changes are generated asymmetrically involving one chain of the Fab arm only. This mechanism was studied by simulation of molecular dynamics. The local instability in the area involving the site of packing of the N-terminal chain fragment allows penetration and binding of the supramolecular dye Congo red that hence becomes an indicator of the initiated relaxation process and is also the prospective ligand in studies of designing drugs. The susceptibility to dye binding was observed in complexation of bivalent antibodies only, supplying the evidence that constraints associating the interaction with randomly distributed antigenic determinants drive the local structural changes in the V-domain followed by long-distance effects.

A sequence-to-structure library has been created based on the complete PDB database. The tetrapeptide was selected as a unit representing a well-defined structural motif. Seven structural forms were introduced for structure classification. The early-stage folding conformations were used as the objects for structure analysis and classification. The degree of determinability was estimated for the sequence-to-structure and structure-to-sequence relations. Probability calculus and informational entropy were applied for quantitative estimation of the mutual relation between them. The structural motifs representing different forms of loops and bends were found to favor particular sequences in structure-to-sequence analysis.

Motivation: The problem of early-stage protein folding is critical for protein structure prediction. The model presented introduces a common definition of protein structures which may be treated as the possible in silico early-stage form of the polypeptide chain. Limitation of the conformational space to the ellipse path on the Ramachandran map was tested as a possible sub-space to represent the early-stage structure for simulation of protein folding. The proposed conformational sub-space was developed on the basis of the backbone conformation, with side-chain interactions excluded. Results: The ellipse-path-limited conformation of BPTI was created using the criterion of shortest distance between Phi, Psi angles in native form of protein and the Phi, Psi angles belonging to the ellipse. No knots were observed in the structure created according to ellipse-path conformational sub-space. The energy minimization procedure applied to ellipse-path derived conformation directed structural changes toward the native form of the protein with SS-bonds system introduced to the procedure. Availability: Program ‘Ellipse’ to create the ellipse-path derived structure available on request: myroterm@cyf-kr.edu.pl

A probability calculus was used to simulate the early stages of protein folding in ab initio structure prediction. The probabilities of particular phi and psi angles for each of 20 amino acids as they occur in crystal forms of proteins were used to calculate the amount of information necessary for the occurrence of given phi and psi angles to be predicted. It was found that the amount of information needed to predict phi and psi angles with 5 degrees precision is much higher than the amount of information actually carried by individual amino acids in the polypeptide chain. To handle this problem, a limited conformational space for the preliminary search for optimal polypeptide structure is proposed based on a simplified geometrical model of the polypeptide chain and on the probability calculus. These two models, geometric and probabilistic, based on different sources, yield a common conclusion concerning how a limited conformational space can represent an early stage of polypeptide chain-folding simulation. The ribonuclease molecule was used to test the limited conformational space as a tool for modeling early-stage folding.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a key regulator of adipocyte differentiation and has an important role in metabolic syndrome. Phosphorylation of the receptor's ligand-binding domain at serine 273 has been shown to change the expression of a large number of genes implicated in obesity. The difference in gene expression seen when comparing wild-type phosphorylated with mutant non-phosphorylated PPARγ may have important consequences for the cellular molecular network, the state of which can be shifted from the healthy to a stable diseased state. We found that a group of differentially expressed genes are involved in bi-stable switches and form a core network, the state of which changes with disease progression. These findings support the idea that bi-stable switches may be a mechanism for locking the core gene network into a diseased state and for efficiently propagating perturbations to more distant regions of the network. A structural analysis of the PPARγ-RXRα dimer complex supports the hypothesis of a major structural change between the two states, and this may represent an important mechanism leading to the differential expression observed in the core network.

Mutations in proteins introduce structural changes and influence biological activity: the specific effects depend on the location of the mutation. The simple method proposed in the present paper is based on a two- step model of in silico protein folding. The structure of the first intermediate is assumed to be determined solely by backbone conformation. The structure of the second one is assumed to be determined by the presence of a hydrophobic center. The comparable structural analysis of the set of mutants is performed to id entify the mutant-induced structural changes. The changes of the hydrophobic core organization measured by the divergence entropy allows quantitative comparison estimating the relative structural changes upon mutation. The set of antifreeze proteins, which appeared to represent the hydrophobic core structure accordant with “ fuzzy oil drop ” model was selected for analysis