Published in Mobile DNA
BackgroundGroup II introns are mobile retroelements, capable of invading new sites in DNA. They are self-splicing ribozymes that complex with an intron-encoded protein to form a ribonucleoprotein that targets DNA after splicing. These molecules can invade DNA site-specifically, through a process known as retrohoming, or can invade ectopic sites thr...
To understand the mechanisms that mediate germline genetic leukemia predisposition, we studied the inherited ribosomopathy Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS), a bone marrow failure disorder with high risk of myeloid malignancies at an early age. To define the mechanistic basis of clonal hematopoiesis in SDS, we investigate somatic mutations acquired ...
Pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa advantageously modify animal host physiology, for example, by inhibiting host protein synthesis. Translational inhibition of insects and mammalian hosts by P. aeruginosa utilizes the well-known exotoxin A effector. However, for the infection of Caenorhabditis elegans by P. aeruginosa, the precise pathways an...
Translational control is essential in response to stress. We investigated the translational programmes launched by the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe upon five environmental stresses. We also explored the contribution of defence pathways to these programmes: The Integrated Stress Response (ISR), which regulates translation initiation, and ...
Published in Biochimica et biophysica acta. Bioenergetics
Why mitochondria still retain their own genome is a puzzle given the enormous effort to maintain a mitochondrial translation machinery. Most mitochondrially encoded proteins are membrane-embedded subunits of the respiratory chain. Their hydrophobicity presumably impedes their import into mitochondria. However, many mitochondrial genomes also encode...
Methods to directly inhibit gene expression using small molecules hold promise for the development of new therapeutics targeting proteins that have evaded previous attempts at drug discovery. Among these, small molecules including the drug-like compound PF-06446846 (PF846) selectively inhibit the synthesis of specific proteins, by stalling translat...
Natural products serve as chemical blueprints for most antibiotics in clinical use. The evolutionary process by which these molecules arise is inherently accompanied by the co-evolution of resistance mechanisms that shorten the clinical lifetime of any given class of antibiotics1. Virginiamycin acetyltransferase (Vat) enzymes are resistance protein...
While the benefit of silicon (Si) is often reported in cultivated plants, and particularly in those experiencing stress conditions, the underlying mechanisms are poorly described and controversial [1]. For a long time the mechanical role of Si in the cell wall has been considered as the main explanation for its beneficial effects in alleviating pla...
Abstract Every aspect of yeast physiology is subject to robust temporal regulation, this becomes apparent under nutrient-limiting conditions 1-6 and results in biological oscillations whose function and mechanism is poorly resolved 7 . These yeast metabolic oscillations share features with circadian rhythms and typically interact with, but are inde...
Published in Endocrinology and Metabolism
Background Intracellular lipid deposition has been reported in thyroid glands in obese animal and human. To understand the regulatory mechanism of lipid metabolism in thyroid cancer, we investigated the expression status of liver X receptor (LXR) and analyzed its clinicopathological characteristics and molecular biological features. Methods Express...
