Published in Trends in biochemical sciences
The conceptual origins of ribosome specialization can be traced back to the earliest days of molecular biology. Yet, this field has only recently begun to gather momentum, with numerous studies identifying distinct heterogeneous ribosome populations across multiple species and model systems. It is proposed that some of these compositionally distinc...
Published in Trends in biochemical sciences
Tropospheric ozone (O3) is among the most damaging air pollutant to plants. Plants alter the atmospheric O3 concentration in two distinct ways: (i) by the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are precursors of O3; and (ii) by dry deposition, which includes diffusion of O3 into vegetation through stomata and destruction by nonstomatal ...
Published in Trends in biochemical sciences
Large clostridial toxins (LCTs) are a family of six homologous disease-causing proteins characterised by their large size (>200 kDa) and conserved multidomain architectures. Using their central translocation and receptor-binding domain (T domain), LCTs bind host cell receptors and translocate their upstream glycosyltransferase and cysteine protease...
Published in Trends in biochemical sciences
Recognition of DNA is an evolutionarily highly conserved mechanism of immunity. In mammals, the cGAS-STING pathway plays a central role in coupling DNA sensing to the execution of innate immune mechanisms, both in contexts of infection as well as in noninfectious settings of cellular stress and injury. The indiscriminate ability of double-stranded ...
Published in Trends in biochemical sciences
Within cellular structures, compartmentalization is the concept of spatial segregation of macromolecules, metabolites, and biochemical pathways. Therefore, this concept bridges organellar structure and function. Mitochondria are morphologically complex, partitioned into several subcompartments by a topologically elaborate two-membrane system. They ...
Published in Trends in biochemical sciences
Viruses are fascinating molecular machines that inspire many therapeutic design efforts. Tetter, Terasaka, Steinauer et al. recently reported the laboratory evolution of a synthetic nucleocapsid from a bacterial enzyme. Their work sheds light on the potential origin of viruses and points the way to improved nanotechnology platforms. Copyright © 202...
Published in Trends in biochemical sciences
The recent discovery that collision of ribosomes triggers quality control and stress responses in eukaryotes has shifted the perspective of the field. Collided eukaryotic ribosomes adopt a unique structure, acting as a ubiquitin signaling platform for various response factors. While several of the signals that determine which downstream pathways ar...
Published in Trends in biochemical sciences
ATG8 are core autophagy proteins, the lipidated forms of which decorate double-membraned autophagosomes, as well as single-membraned organelles such as endolysosomes. Recent studies from the Florey and Münz laboratories delineate the status of single membrane-associated ATG8 proteins by indicating that their membrane anchoring can involve phosphati...
Published in Trends in biochemical sciences
Readthrough transcription caused by inefficient 3'-end cleavage of nascent mRNAs has emerged as a hallmark of the mammalian cellular stress response and results in the production of long noncoding RNAs known as downstream-of-gene (DoG)-containing transcripts. DoGs arise from around 10% of human protein-coding genes and are retained in the nucleus. ...
Published in Trends in biochemical sciences
Poly(ADP-ribosyl) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is an abundant ADP-ribosyl transferase that regulates various biological processes. PARP-1 is widely recognized as a first-line responder molecule in DNA damage response (DDR). Here, we review the full cycle of detecting DNA damage by PARP-1, PARP-1 activation upon DNA binding, and PARP-1 release from a DNA b...
