Published in Nature Communications
[FeFe]-hydrogenases catalyze the conversion of protons and electrons to molecular hydrogen, but upon exposure to oxygen, their catalytic cofactor is irreversibly inactivated. Here, the authors determine the crystal structure of hydrogenase CbA5H and identify a cysteine residue, which acts as a safety cap that shields the active site from oxygen.
Published in Journal of structural biology
S100A9, with its congener S100A8, belongs to the S100 family of calcium-binding proteins found exclusively in vertebrates. These two proteins are major constituents of neutrophils. In response to a pathological condition, they can be released extracellularly and become alarmins that induce both pro- and anti-inflammatory signals, through specific c...
Published in Small GTPases
LRRK2 is a multi-domain Ser/Thr kinase that is associated with inherited and sporadic cases of Parkinson's disease. Many mutations linked to disease are associated within a central ROC-COR regulatory region and the subsequent kinase domain, leading to enhanced catalytic activity. The N-terminus of human LRRK2 consists of armadillo repeat motifs (AR...
Published in Scientific Reports
The beneficial effects of Cyclooxygenases (COX) inhibitors on human health have been known for thousands of years. Nevertheless, COXs, particularly COX-1, have been linked to a plethora of human diseases such as cancer, heart failure, neurological and neurodegenerative diseases only recently. COXs catalyze the first step in the biosynthesis of pros...
Published in Scientific Reports
The maltose-binding protein (MBP) fusion tag is one of the most commonly utilized crystallization chaperones for proteins of interest. Recently, this MBP-mediated crystallization technique was adapted to Arabidopsis thaliana (At) BRZ-INSENSITIVE-LONG (BIL1)/BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT (BZR1), a member of the plant-specific BZR TFs, and revealed the firs...
Published in Nature Communications
Once DNA breaks occur, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) ADP-ribosylates itself and other DNA repair factors to initiate the repair process. Here, the authors resolve the crystal structures of mouse and human HPF1, and human HPF1/PARP1 complex proving insights into PARP1 regulation.
Published in European journal of medicinal chemistry
We developed a versatile stereoselective route for the synthesis of new 2'-(S)-CCG-IV analogues. The route allows for late stage diversification and thereby provides access to a great variety of conformationally restricted cyclopropyl glutamate analogues. A selection of the 2'-(S)-CCG-IV analogues were evaluated using two-electrode voltage-clamp el...
Published in Nature Communications
Aspartate transcarbamoylase acts in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis and in plants is regulated by feedback inhibition via uridine 5-monophosphate (UMP). Here Bellin et al. describe the structural basis for this feedback inhibition, showing that UMP blocks the active site by binding to a plant specific UMP recognition loop.
Published in Nature Communications
Spindlin1 is an epigenetic reader that facilitates ribosomal RNA transcription. Here the authors reveal in vitro and structural evidence suggesting that Spindlin1 acts together with C11orf84 to recognize noncanonical bivalent mark of trimethylated lysine 4 and lysine 9 present on histone H3 tail (H3K4me3K9me3).
Published in Nature Communications
An important type of post-translational protein modification is the conversion of peptidyl amino acid into enzyme cofactor. Here, the authors report functional and structural characterization of a flavoprotein monooxygenase essential for biosynthesis of cysteine tryptophylquinone (CTQ) cofactor.
