Barrett, Chelsea T. Neal, Hadley E. Edmonds, Kearstin Moncman, Carole L. Thompson, Rachel Branttie, Jean M. Boggs, Kerri Beth Wu, Cheng-Yu Leung, Daisy W. Dutch, Rebecca E.
...
Published in
The Journal of Biological Chemistry
The trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S) is the sole viral protein responsible for both viral binding to a host cell and the membrane fusion event needed for cell entry. In addition to facilitating fusion needed for viral entry, S can also drive cell-cell fusion, a pathogenic effect observed in the lungs of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. While seve...
Zhang, Yongli Hughson, Frederick M.
SNARE proteins and Sec1/Munc18 (SM) proteins constitute the core molecular engine that drives nearly all intracellular membrane fusion and exocytosis. While SNAREs are known to couple their folding and assembly to membrane fusion, the physiological pathways of SNARE assembly and the mechanistic roles of SM proteins have long been enigmatic. Her...
Peng, Ruchao Wu, Lian-Ao Wang, Qingling Qi, Jianxun Gao, George Fu
Published in
Trends in Biochemical Sciences
Severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) invades host cells by interacting with receptors/coreceptors, as well as with other cofactors, via its spike (S) protein that further mediates fusion between viral and cellular membranes. The host membrane protein, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), is the major receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and...
Worch, Remigiusz Dudek, Anita Borkowska, Paulina Setny, Piotr
Published in
International journal of molecular sciences
Fusion of viral and host cell membranes is a critical step in the life cycle of enveloped viruses. In the case of influenza virus, it is mediated by subunit 2 of hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein whose N-terminal fragments insert into the target membrane and initiate lipid exchange. These isolated fragments, known as fusion peptides (HAfp), already p...
Ho, Nga T. Siggel, Marc Camacho, Karen V. Bhaskara, Ramachandra M. Hicks, Jacqueline M. Yao, Yun-Chiao Zhang, Yuliang Köfinger, Jürgen Hummer, Gerhard Noy, Aleksandr
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Published in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Drug delivery mitigates toxic side effects and poor pharmacokinetics of life-saving therapeutics and enhances treatment efficacy. However, direct cytoplasmic delivery of drugs and vaccines into cells has remained out of reach. We find that liposomes studded with 0.8-nm-wide carbon nanotube porins (CNTPs) function as efficient vehicles for direct cy...
Shi, Guoli Chiramel, Abhilash I. Majdoul, Saliha Lai, Kin Kui Das, Sudipto Beare, Paul A. Andresson, Thorkell Best, Sonja M. Compton, Alex A.
Published in
bioRxiv
Infection by SARS-CoV-2 generally causes mild symptoms but can lead to severe disease and death in certain populations, including the immunocompromised. Drug repurposing efforts are underway to identify compounds that interfere with SARS-CoV-2 replication or the immunopathology it can elicit. Rapamycin is among those being currently tested in clini...
Spang, Anne
Published in
Microbial Cell
Eukaryotic cells are complicated factories that need ensure productivity and functionality on the cellular level as well as being able to communicate with their environment. In order to do so cells developed intracellular communication systems. For a long time, research focused mainly on the secretory/biosynthetic and endocytic routes for communica...
Nguyen, Jenny A. Yates, Robin M.
Published in
Frontiers in Immunology
Following phagocytosis, the nascent phagosome undergoes maturation to become a phagolysosome with an acidic, hydrolytic, and often oxidative lumen that can efficiently kill and digest engulfed microbes, cells, and debris. The fusion of phagosomes with lysosomes is a principal driver of phagosomal maturation and is targeted by several adapted intrac...
Li, Qiyu Song, Yanan Wang, Qiaozi Chen, Jing Gao, Jinfeng Tan, Haipeng Li, Su Wu, Yuan Yang, Hongbo Huang, Hanwei
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Published in
Theranostics
Therapeutic angiogenesis is one promising strategy for the treatment of ischemic heart disease, which is the leading cause of death globally. In recent years, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have quickly gained much attention as a cell-free approach to stimulate angiogenesis. However, clinical applications of EVs are limited by their insufficient targ...
Stepien, Karolina P Rizo, Josep
Published in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Neurotransmitter release is governed by eight central proteins among other factors: the neuronal SNAREs syntaxin-1, synaptobrevin, and SNAP-25, which form a tight SNARE complex that brings the synaptic vesicle and plasma membranes together; NSF and SNAPs, which disassemble SNARE complexes; Munc18-1 and Munc13-1, which organize SNARE complex assembl...
