1
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Cardona-Echavarría MC, Santillán C, Miranda-Blancas R, Stojanoff V, Rudiño-Piñera E. Unveiling success determinants for AMB-assisted phase expansion of fusion proteins in ARP/wARP. J Struct Biol 2024; 216:108089. [PMID: 38537893 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2024.108089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Fusion proteins (FPs) are frequently utilized as a biotechnological tool in the determination of macromolecular structures using X-ray methods. Here, we explore the use of different protein tags in various FP, to obtain initial phases by using them in a partial molecular replacement (MR) and constructing the remaining FP structure with ARP/wARP. Usually, the tag is removed prior to crystallization, however leaving the tag on may facilitate crystal formation, and structural determination by expanding phases from known to unknown segments of the complex. In this study, the Protein Data Bank was mined for an up-to-date list of FPs with the most used protein tags, Maltose Binding Protein (MBP), Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), Thioredoxin (TRX), Glutathione transferase (GST) and the Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier Protein (SUMO). Partial MR using the protein tag, followed by automatic model building, was tested on a subset of 116 FP. The efficiency of this method was analyzed and factors that influence the coordinate construction of a substantial portions of the fused protein were identified. Using MBP, GFP, and SUMO as phase generators it was possible to build at least 75 % of the protein of interest in 36 of the 116 cases tested. Our results reveal that tag selection has a significant impact; tags with greater structural stability, such as GFP, increase the success rate. Further statistical analysis identifies that resolution, Wilson B factor, solvent percentage, completeness, multiplicity, protein tag percentage in the FP (considering amino acids), and the linker length play pivotal roles using our approach. In cases where a structural homologous is absent, this method merits inclusion in the toolkit of protein crystallographers.
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Affiliation(s)
- María C Cardona-Echavarría
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos C.P. 62210, Mexico; Centro de Investigación en Dinámica Celular, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos C.P. 62209, Mexico.
| | | | - Ricardo Miranda-Blancas
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México C.P. 04510, Mexico
| | - Vivian Stojanoff
- Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973-5000, United States
| | - Enrique Rudiño-Piñera
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos C.P. 62210, Mexico.
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2
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Yang Y, Ahmad E, Premkumar V, Liu A, Ashikur Rahman SM, Nikolovska‐Coleska Z. Structural studies of intrinsically disordered MLL-fusion protein AF9 in complex with peptidomimetic inhibitors. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e5019. [PMID: 38747396 PMCID: PMC11094776 DOI: 10.1002/pro.5019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
AF9 (MLLT3) and its paralog ENL(MLLT1) are members of the YEATS family of proteins with important role in transcriptional and epigenetic regulatory complexes. These proteins are two common MLL fusion partners in MLL-rearranged leukemias. The oncofusion proteins MLL-AF9/ENL recruit multiple binding partners, including the histone methyltransferase DOT1L, leading to aberrant transcriptional activation and enhancing the expression of a characteristic set of genes that drive leukemogenesis. The interaction between AF9 and DOT1L is mediated by an intrinsically disordered C-terminal ANC1 homology domain (AHD) in AF9, which undergoes folding upon binding of DOT1L and other partner proteins. We have recently reported peptidomimetics that disrupt the recruitment of DOT1L by AF9 and ENL, providing a proof-of-concept for targeting AHD and assessing its druggability. Intrinsically disordered proteins, such as AF9 AHD, are difficult to study and characterize experimentally on a structural level. In this study, we present a successful protein engineering strategy to facilitate structural investigation of the intrinsically disordered AF9 AHD domain in complex with peptidomimetic inhibitors by using maltose binding protein (MBP) as a crystallization chaperone connected with linkers of varying flexibility and length. The strategic incorporation of disulfide bonds provided diffraction-quality crystals of the two disulfide-bridged MBP-AF9 AHD fusion proteins in complex with the peptidomimetics. These successfully determined first series of 2.1-2.6 Å crystal complex structures provide high-resolution insights into the interactions between AHD and its inhibitors, shedding light on the role of AHD in recruiting various binding partner proteins. We show that the overall complex structures closely resemble the reported NMR structure of AF9 AHD/DOT1L with notable difference in the conformation of the β-hairpin region, stabilized through conserved hydrogen bonds network. These first series of AF9 AHD/peptidomimetics complex structures are providing insights of the protein-inhibitor interactions and will facilitate further development of novel inhibitors targeting the AF9/ENL AHD domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Yang
- Department of PathologyUniversity of Michigan Medical SchoolAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - Ejaz Ahmad
- Department of PathologyUniversity of Michigan Medical SchoolAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - Vidhya Premkumar
- Department of PathologyUniversity of Michigan Medical SchoolAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - Alicen Liu
- Department of PathologyUniversity of Michigan Medical SchoolAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - S. M. Ashikur Rahman
- Department of PathologyUniversity of Michigan Medical SchoolAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - Zaneta Nikolovska‐Coleska
- Department of PathologyUniversity of Michigan Medical SchoolAnn ArborMichiganUSA
- Rogel Cancer CenterUniversity of Michigan Medical SchoolAnn ArborMichiganUSA
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3
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Hamdan SH, Maiangwa J, Nezhad NG, Ali MSM, Normi YM, Shariff FM, Rahman RNZRA, Leow TC. Knotting terminal ends of mutant T1 lipase with disulfide bond improved structure rigidity and stability. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 107:1673-1686. [PMID: 36752811 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12396-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Lipase biocatalysts offer unique properties which are often impaired by low thermal and methanol stability. In this study, the rational design was employed to engineer a disulfide bond in the protein structure of Geobacillus zalihae T1 lipase in order to improve its stability. The selection of targeted disulfide bond sites was based on analysis of protein spatial configuration and change of Gibbs free energy. Two mutation points (S2C and A384C) were generated to rigidify the N-terminal and C-terminal regions of T1 lipase. The results showed the mutant 2DC lipase improved methanol stability from 35 to 40% (v/v) after 30 min of pre-incubation. Enhancement in thermostability for the mutant 2DC lipase at 70 °C and 75 °C showed higher half-life at 70 °C and 75 °C for 30 min and 52 min, respectively. The mutant 2DC lipase maintained the same optimum temperature (70 °C) as T1 lipase, while thermally induced unfolding showed the mutant maintained higher rigidity. The kcat/Km values demonstrated a relatively small difference between the T1 lipase (WT) and 2DC lipase (mutant). The kcat/Km (s-1 mM-1) of the T1 and 2DC showed values of 13,043 ± 224 and 13,047 ± 312, respectively. X-ray diffraction of 2DC lipase crystal structure with a resolution of 2.04 Å revealed that the introduced single disulfide bond did not lower initial structural interactions within the residues. Enhanced methanol and thermal stability are suggested to be strongly related to the newly disulfide bridge formation and the enhanced compactness and rigidity of the mutant structure. KEY POINTS: • Protein engineering via rational design revealed relative improved enzymatic performance. • The presence of disulfide bond impacts on the rigidity and structural function of proteins. • X-ray crystallography reveals structural changes accompanying protein modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siti Hajar Hamdan
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia Serdang, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
- Enzyme Microbial Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia Serdang, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Jonathan Maiangwa
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Kaduna State University, PMB 2336, Kaduna, Nigeria
| | - Nima Ghahremani Nezhad
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia Serdang, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
- Enzyme Microbial Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia Serdang, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Shukuri Mohamad Ali
- Enzyme Microbial Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia Serdang, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia Serdang, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Yahaya M Normi
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia Serdang, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
- Enzyme Microbial Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia Serdang, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Fairolniza Mohd Shariff
- Enzyme Microbial Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia Serdang, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Raja Noor Zaliha Raja Abd Rahman
- Enzyme Microbial Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia Serdang, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Thean Chor Leow
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia Serdang, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia.
- Enzyme Microbial Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia Serdang, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia.
- Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia Serdang, UPM Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia.
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4
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Loughran ST, Walls D. Tagging Recombinant Proteins to Enhance Solubility and Aid Purification. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2699:97-123. [PMID: 37646996 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3362-5_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Protein fusion technology has had a major impact on the efficient production and purification of individual recombinant proteins. The use of genetically engineered affinity and solubility-enhancing polypeptide "tags" has a long history, and there is a considerable repertoire of these that can be used to address issues related to the expression, stability, solubility, folding, and purification of their fusion partner. In the case of large-scale proteomic studies, the development of purification procedures tailored to individual proteins is not practicable, and affinity tags have become indispensable tools for structural and functional proteomic initiatives that involve the expression of many proteins in parallel. In this chapter, the rationale and applications of a range of established and more recently developed solubility-enhancing and affinity tags is described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinéad T Loughran
- Department of Life and Health Sciences, School of Health and Science, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dundalk, Louth, Ireland.
| | - Dermot Walls
- School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
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5
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Protein Fusion Strategies for Membrane Protein Stabilization and Crystal Structure Determination. CRYSTALS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst12081041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Crystal structures of membrane proteins are highly desired for their use in the mechanistic understanding of their functions and the designing of new drugs. However, obtaining the membrane protein structures is difficult. One way to overcome this challenge is with protein fusion methods, which have been successfully used to determine the structures of many membrane proteins, including receptors, enzymes and adhesion molecules. Existing fusion strategies can be categorized into the N or C terminal fusion, the insertion fusion and the termini restraining. The fusions facilitate protein expression, purification, crystallization and phase determination. Successful applications often require further optimization of protein fusion linkers and interactions, whose design can be facilitated by a shared helix strategy and by AlphaFold prediction in the future.
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6
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Mendoza C, Nagidi SH, Collett K, Mckell J, Mizrachi D. Calcium regulates the interplay between the tight junction and epithelial adherens junction at the plasma membrane. FEBS Lett 2022; 596:219-231. [PMID: 34882783 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The apical junctional complex (AJC) is a membrane protein ultrastructure that regulates cell adhesion and homeostasis. The tight junction (TJ) and the adherens junction (AJ) are substructures of the AJC. The interplay between TJ and AJ membrane proteins to assemble the AJC remains unclear. We employed synthetic biology strategies to express the basic membrane elements of a simple AJC-the adhesive extracellular domains of junctional adhesion molecule A (JAM-A), epithelial cadherin, claudin 1, and occludin-to study their interactions. Our results suggest that calcium concentration fluctuations and JAM-A, acting as an interface molecule between the TJ and AJ, orchestrate their interplay. Calcium affects the secondary structure, oligomerization, and binding affinity of homotypic and heterotypic interactions of TJ and AJ components, thus acting as a molecular switch influencing AJC dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Mendoza
- Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Sai Harsha Nagidi
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Kjetil Collett
- Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Jacob Mckell
- Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Dario Mizrachi
- Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
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7
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Ortega C, Oppezzo P, Correa A. Overcoming the Solubility Problem in E. coli: Available Approaches for Recombinant Protein Production. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2406:35-64. [PMID: 35089549 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1859-2_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Despite the importance of recombinant protein production in the academy and industrial fields, many issues concerning the expression of soluble and homogeneous products are still unsolved. Several strategies were developed to overcome these obstacles; however, at present, there is no magic bullet that can be applied for all cases. Indeed, several key expression parameters need to be evaluated for each protein. Among the different hosts for protein expression, Escherichia coli is by far the most widely used. In this chapter, we review many of the different tools employed to circumvent protein insolubility problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Ortega
- Recombinant Protein Unit, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Pablo Oppezzo
- Recombinant Protein Unit, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Agustín Correa
- Recombinant Protein Unit, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay.
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8
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Jugniot N, Bam R, Paulmurugan R. Expression and purification of a native Thy1-single-chain variable fragment for use in molecular imaging. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23026. [PMID: 34845270 PMCID: PMC8630227 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02445-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular imaging using singlechain variable fragments (scFv) of antibodies targeting cancer specific antigens have been considered a non-immunogenic approach for early diagnosis in the clinic. Usually, production of proteins is performed within Escherichia coli. Recombinant proteins are either expressed in E. coli cytoplasm as insoluble inclusion bodies, that often need cumbersome denaturation and refolding processes, or secreted toward the periplasm as soluble proteins that highly reduce the overall yield. However, production of active scFvs in their native form, without any heterologous fusion, is required for clinical applications. In this study, we expressed an anti-thymocyte differentiation antigen-scFv (Thy1-scFv) as a fusion protein with a N-terminal sequence including 3 × hexa-histidines, as purification tags, together with a Trx-tag and a S-tag for enhanced-solubility. Our strategy allowed to recover ~ 35% of Thy1-scFv in the soluble cytoplasmic fraction. An enterokinase cleavage site in between Thy1-scFv and the upstream tags was used to regenerate the protein with 97.7 ± 2.3% purity without any tags. Thy1-scFv showed functionality towards its target on flow cytometry assays. Finally, in vivo molecular imaging using Thy1-scFv conjugated to an ultrasound contrast agent (MBThy1-scFv) demonstrated signal enhancement on a transgenic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) mouse model (3.1 ± 1.2 a.u.) compared to non-targeted control (0.4 ± 0.4 a.u.) suggesting potential for PDAC early diagnosis. Overall, our strategy facilitates the expression and purification of Thy1-scFv while introducing its ability for diagnostic molecular imaging of pancreatic cancer. The presented methodology could be expanded to other important eukaryotic proteins for various applications, including but not limited to molecular imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natacha Jugniot
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University, 3155 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
| | - Rakesh Bam
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University, 3155 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
| | - Ramasamy Paulmurugan
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University, 3155 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
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9
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Kummer M, Lee YS, Yuan M, Alkotaini B, Zhao J, Blumenthal E, Minteer SD. Substrate Channeling by a Rationally Designed Fusion Protein in a Biocatalytic Cascade. JACS AU 2021; 1:1187-1197. [PMID: 34467357 PMCID: PMC8397353 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.1c00180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Substrate channeling, where an intermediate in a multistep reaction is directed toward a reaction center rather than freely diffusing, offers several advantages when employed in catalytic cascades. Here we present a fusion enzyme comprised of an alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase, that is computationally designed to facilitate electrostatic substrate channeling using a cationic linker bridging the two structures. Rosetta protein folding software was utilized to determine an optimal linker placement, added to the truncated termini of the proteins, which is as close as possible to the active sites of the enzymes without disrupting critical catalytic residues. With improvements in stability, product selectivity (90%), and catalyst turnover frequency, representing 500-fold increased activity compared to the unbound enzymes and nearly 140-fold for a neutral-linked fusion enzyme, this design strategy holds promise for making other multistep catalytic processes more sustainable and efficient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew
J. Kummer
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Utah, 315 S 1400 E, Salt Lake
City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Yoo Seok Lee
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Utah, 315 S 1400 E, Salt Lake
City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Mengwei Yuan
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Utah, 315 S 1400 E, Salt Lake
City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Bassam Alkotaini
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Utah, 315 S 1400 E, Salt Lake
City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - John Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Utah, 315 S 1400 E, Salt Lake
City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Emmy Blumenthal
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Utah, 315 S 1400 E, Salt Lake
City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Shelley D. Minteer
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Utah, 315 S 1400 E, Salt Lake
City, Utah 84112, United States
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10
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Nemergut M, Škrabana R, Berta M, Plückthun A, Sedlák E. Purification of MBP fusion proteins using engineered DARPin affinity matrix. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 187:105-112. [PMID: 34298044 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.07.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Revised: 06/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Maltose binding protein (MBP) has a long history as an expression tag with the ability to increase the solubility of fused proteins. A critical step for obtaining a sufficient amount of the MBP fusion protein is purification. Commercially available amylose matrix for the affinity purification of MBP fusion proteins has two main issues: (i) low (micromolar) affinity and (ii) the limited number of uses due to the cleavage of polysaccharide matrix by the amylases, present in the crude cell extract. Here, we present a new affinity purification approach based on the protein-protein interaction. We developed the affinity matrix which contains immobilized Designed Ankyrin Repeat Protein off7 (DARPin off7) - previously identified MBP binder with nanomolar affinity. The functionality of the DARPin affinity matrix was tested on the purification of MBP-tagged green fluorescent protein and flavodoxin. The affinity purification of the MBP fusion proteins, based on the MBP-DARPin off7 interaction, enables the purification of the fusion proteins in a simple two-steps procedure. The DARPin affinity matrix - easy to construct, resistant to amylase, insensitive to maltose contamination, and reusable for multiple purification cycles - provides an alternative approach to commercially available affinity matrices for purification of proteins containing the MBP tag.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Nemergut
- Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, Technology and Innovation Park of P.J. Šafárik University, Jesenná 5, 041 54 Košice, Slovakia; Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, P.J. Šafárik University, Jesenná 5, 041 54 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Rostislav Škrabana
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 10 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Martin Berta
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, P.J. Šafárik University, Jesenná 5, 041 54 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Andreas Plückthun
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erik Sedlák
- Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, Technology and Innovation Park of P.J. Šafárik University, Jesenná 5, 041 54 Košice, Slovakia.
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11
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Turkewitz DR, Moghaddasi S, Alghalayini A, D'Amario C, Ali HM, Wallach M, Valenzuela SM. Comparative study of His- and Non-His-tagged CLIC proteins, reveals changes in their enzymatic activity. Biochem Biophys Rep 2021; 26:101015. [PMID: 34036185 PMCID: PMC8138732 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2021.101015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The chloride intracellular ion channel protein (CLIC) family are a unique set of ion channels that can exist as soluble and integral membrane proteins. New evidence has emerged that demonstrates CLICs' possess oxidoreductase enzymatic activity and may function as either membrane-spanning ion channels or as globular enzymes. To further characterize the enzymatic profile of members of the CLIC family and to expand our understanding of their functions, we expressed and purified recombinant CLIC1, CLIC3, and a non-functional CLIC1-Cys24A mutant using a Histidine tag, bacterial protein expression system. We demonstrate that the presence of the six-polyhistidine tag at the amino terminus of the proteins led to a decrease in their oxidoreductase enzymatic activity compared to their non-His-tagged counterparts, when assessed using 2-hydroxyethyl disulfide as a substrate. These results strongly suggest the six-polyhistidine tag alters CLIC's structure at the N-terminus, which also contains the enzyme active site. It also raises the need for caution in use of His-tagged proteins when assessing oxidoreductase protein enzymatic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Turkewitz
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Saba Moghaddasi
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Amani Alghalayini
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia.,ARC Research Hub for Integrated Device for End-user Analysis at Low-levels (IDEAL), Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Claudia D'Amario
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Hala M Ali
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Michael Wallach
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Stella M Valenzuela
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia.,ARC Research Hub for Integrated Device for End-user Analysis at Low-levels (IDEAL), Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
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12
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Taylor A, Warner M, Mendoza C, Memmott C, LeCheminant T, Bailey S, Christensen C, Keller J, Suli A, Mizrachi D. Chimeric Claudins: A New Tool to Study Tight Junction Structure and Function. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22094947. [PMID: 34066630 PMCID: PMC8124314 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The tight junction (TJ) is a structure composed of multiple proteins, both cytosolic and membranal, responsible for cell–cell adhesion in polarized endothelium and epithelium. The TJ is intimately connected to the cytoskeleton and plays a role in development and homeostasis. Among the TJ’s membrane proteins, claudins (CLDNs) are key to establishing blood–tissue barriers that protect organismal physiology. Recently, several crystal structures have been reported for detergent extracted recombinant CLDNs. These structural advances lack direct evidence to support quaternary structure of CLDNs. In this article, we have employed protein-engineering principles to create detergent-independent chimeric CLDNs, a combination of a 4-helix bundle soluble monomeric protein (PDB ID: 2jua) and the apical—50% of human CLDN1, the extracellular domain that is responsible for cell–cell adhesion. Maltose-binding protein-fused chimeric CLDNs (MBP-CCs) used in this study are soluble proteins that retain structural and functional aspects of native CLDNs. Here, we report the biophysical characterization of the structure and function of MBP-CCs. MBP-fused epithelial cadherin (MBP-eCAD) is used as a control and point of comparison of a well-characterized cell-adhesion molecule. Our synthetic strategy may benefit other families of 4-α-helix membrane proteins, including tetraspanins, connexins, pannexins, innexins, and more.
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13
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Mendoza C, Nagidi SH, Mizrachi D. Molecular Characterization of the Extracellular Domain of Human Junctional Adhesion Proteins. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22073482. [PMID: 33801758 PMCID: PMC8037251 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22073482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The junction adhesion molecule (JAM) family of proteins play central roles in the tight junction (TJ) structure and function. In contrast to claudins (CLDN) and occludin (OCLN), the other membrane proteins of the TJ, whose structure is that of a 4α-helix bundle, JAMs are members of the immunoglobulin superfamily. The JAM family is composed of four members: A, B, C and 4. The crystal structure of the extracellular domain of JAM-A continues to be used as a template to model the secondary and tertiary structure of the other members of the family. In this article, we have expressed the extracellular domains of JAMs fused with maltose-binding protein (MBP). This strategy enabled the work presented here, since JAM-B, JAM-C and JAM4 are more difficult targets due to their more hydrophobic nature. Our results indicate that each member of the JAM family has a unique tertiary structure in spite of having similar secondary structures. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) revealed that heterotypic interactions among JAM family members can be greatly favored compared to homotypic interactions. We employ the well characterized epithelial cadherin (E-CAD) as a means to evaluate the adhesive properties of JAMs. We present strong evidence that suggests that homotypic or heterotypic interactions among JAMs are stronger than that of E-CADs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Mendoza
- Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA;
| | - Sai Harsha Nagidi
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA;
| | - Dario Mizrachi
- Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA;
- Correspondence:
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14
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Lunova M, Kubovciak J, Smolková B, Uzhytchak M, Michalova K, Dejneka A, Strnad P, Lunov O, Jirsa M. Expression of Interferons Lambda 3 and 4 Induces Identical Response in Human Liver Cell Lines Depending Exclusively on Canonical Signaling. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:2560. [PMID: 33806448 PMCID: PMC7961969 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Lambda interferons mediate antiviral immunity by inducing interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in epithelial tissues. A common variant rs368234815TT/∆G creating functional gene from an IFNL4 pseudogene is associated with the expression of major ISGs in the liver but impaired clearance of hepatitis C. To explain this, we compared Halo-tagged and non-tagged IFNL3 and IFNL4 signaling in liver-derived cell lines. Transfection with non-tagged IFNL3, non-tagged IFNL4 and Halo-tagged IFNL4 led to a similar degree of JAK-STAT activation and ISG induction; however, the response to transfection with Halo-tagged IFNL3 was lower and delayed. Transfection with non-tagged IFNL3 or IFNL4 induced no transcriptome change in the cells lacking either IL10R2 or IFNLR1 receptor subunits. Cytosolic overexpression of signal peptide-lacking IFNL3 or IFNL4 in wild type cells did not interfere with JAK-STAT signaling triggered by interferons in the medium. Finally, expression profile changes induced by transfection with non-tagged IFNL3 and IFNL4 were highly similar. These data do not support the hypothesis about IFNL4-specific non-canonical signaling and point out that functional studies conducted with tagged interferons should be interpreted with caution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariia Lunova
- Institute for Clinical & Experimental Medicine (IKEM), 14021 Prague, Czech Republic;
| | - Jan Kubovciak
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic;
| | - Barbora Smolková
- Department of Optical and Biophysical Systems, Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic; (B.S.); (M.U.); (A.D.); (O.L.)
| | - Mariia Uzhytchak
- Department of Optical and Biophysical Systems, Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic; (B.S.); (M.U.); (A.D.); (O.L.)
| | - Kyra Michalova
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, General University Hospital and 1st Faculty of Medicine of Charles University, 12808 Prague, Czech Republic;
| | - Alexandr Dejneka
- Department of Optical and Biophysical Systems, Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic; (B.S.); (M.U.); (A.D.); (O.L.)
| | - Pavel Strnad
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH (Rheinisch-Westfälisch Technische Hochschule) Aachen, 52062 Aachen, Germany;
| | - Oleg Lunov
- Department of Optical and Biophysical Systems, Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic; (B.S.); (M.U.); (A.D.); (O.L.)
| | - Milan Jirsa
- Institute for Clinical & Experimental Medicine (IKEM), 14021 Prague, Czech Republic;
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, General University Hospital and 1st Faculty of Medicine of Charles University, 12808 Prague, Czech Republic;
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15
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Nosaki S, Terada T, Nakamura A, Hirabayashi K, Xu Y, Bui TBC, Nakano T, Tanokura M, Miyakawa T. Highlighting the potential utility of MBP crystallization chaperone for Arabidopsis BIL1/BZR1 transcription factor-DNA complex. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3879. [PMID: 33594119 PMCID: PMC7887268 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83532-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
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 first structure of AtBIL1/BZR1 in complex with target DNA. However, it is unclear how the fused MBP affects the structural features of the AtBIL1/BZR1-DNA complex. In the present study, we highlight the potential utility of the MBP crystallization chaperone by comparing it with the crystallization of unfused AtBIL1/BZR1 in complex with DNA. Furthermore, we assessed the validity of the MBP-fused AtBIL1/BZR1-DNA structure by performing detailed dissection of crystal packings and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the removal of the MBP chaperone. Our MD simulations define the structural basis underlying the AtBIL1/BZR1-DNA assembly and DNA binding specificity by AtBIL1/BZR1. The methodology employed in this study, the combination of MBP-mediated crystallization and MD simulation, demonstrates promising capabilities in deciphering the protein-DNA recognition code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohei Nosaki
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Tohru Terada
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Akira Nakamura
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Kei Hirabayashi
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Yuqun Xu
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Thi Bao Chau Bui
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Takeshi Nakano
- Graduate School of Biotsudies, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
- Gene Discovery Research Group, RIKEN CSRS, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Masaru Tanokura
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.
| | - Takuya Miyakawa
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.
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16
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Ecsédi P, Gógl G, Hóf H, Kiss B, Harmat V, Nyitray L. Structure Determination of the Transactivation Domain of p53 in Complex with S100A4 Using Annexin A2 as a Crystallization Chaperone. Structure 2020; 28:943-953.e4. [PMID: 32442400 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2020.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 04/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
To fully understand the environmental factors that influence crystallization is an enormous task, therefore crystallographers are still forced to work "blindly" trying as many crystallizing conditions and mutations to improve crystal packing as possible. Numerous times these random attempts simply fail even when using state-of-the-art techniques. As an alternative, crystallization chaperones, having good crystal-forming properties, can be invoked. Today, the almost exclusively used such protein is the maltose-binding protein (MBP) and crystallographers need other widely applicable options. Here, we introduce annexin A2 (ANXA2), which has just as good, if not better, crystal-forming ability than the wild-type MBP. Using ANXA2 as heterologous fusion partner, we were able to solve the atomic resolution structure of a challenging crystallization target, the transactivation domain (TAD) of p53 in complex with the metastasis-associated protein S100A4. p53 TAD forms an asymmetric fuzzy complex with the symmetric S1004 and could interfere with its function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Péter Ecsédi
- Department of Biochemistry, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary
| | - Gergő Gógl
- Department of Biochemistry, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary; Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology, IGBMC, Strasbourg 67400, France
| | - Henrietta Hóf
- Department of Biochemistry, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary
| | - Bence Kiss
- Department of Biochemistry, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary
| | - Veronika Harmat
- ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Chemistry, MTA-ELTE Protein Modeling Research Group, Budapest 1117, Hungary
| | - László Nyitray
- Department of Biochemistry, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary.
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17
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Birchfield AS, McIntosh CA. The Effect of Recombinant Tags on Citrus paradisi Flavonol-Specific 3-O Glucosyltransferase Activity. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9030402. [PMID: 32213838 PMCID: PMC7154896 DOI: 10.3390/plants9030402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Recombinant tags are used extensively in protein expression systems to allow purification through IMAC (Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography), identification through Western blot, and to facilitate crystal formation for structural analysis. While widely used, their role in enzyme characterization has raised concerns with respect to potential impact on activity. In this study, a flavonol-specific 3-O glucosyltransferase (Cp3GT) from grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) was expressed in Pichia pastoris, and was assayed in its untagged form and with a C-terminal c-myc/6x His tag under various conditions to determine the effect of tags. Prior characterization of pH optima for Cp3GT obtained through expression in Escherichia coli, containing an N-terminal thioredoxin/6x His tag, indicated an optimal pH of 7-7.5, which is indicative of a normal physiological pH and agrees with other glucosyltransferase (GT) pH optima. However, characterization of Cp3GT expressed using P. pastoris with a C-terminal c-myc-6x His tag showed a higher optimal pH of 8.5-9. This suggests a possible tag effect or an effect related to physiological differences between the cell expression systems. Results testing recombinant Cp3GT expressed in Pichia with and without C-terminal tags showed a possible tag effect with regard to substrate preference and interactions with metals, but no apparent effect on enzymatic kinetics or pH optima.
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18
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Harada K, Nambu Y, Mizuno S, Tsuge T. In vivo and in vitro characterization of hydrophilic protein tag-fused Ralstonia eutropha polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase. Int J Biol Macromol 2019; 138:379-385. [PMID: 31315020 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.07.095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Revised: 07/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are synthesized by bacteria as an intracellular storage polyester, where PHA synthase (PhaC) catalyzes the polymerization of its substrate hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A (HA-CoA) to form PHA. When PhaC is overexpressed in Escherichia coli, most PhaC protein is produced as insoluble inclusion bodies due to its low aqueous solubility. This study aimed to improve the solubility of Ralstonia eutropha PHA synthase (PhaCRe) by fusing a hydrophilic tag, glutathione S-transferase (GST), to the protein's N-terminus. In in vivo assays, the GST tag had no obvious effect on solubility and enzymatic activity of PhaCRe. However, an in vitro assay revealed that the surface of GST-fused PhaCRe (GST-PhaCRe) had increased hydrophilicity, and tended to form correct PhaCRe dimers when added to the (R)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA substrate. Although GST-PhaCRe displayed a long lag phase at the start of a polymerization reaction, granule-associated GST-PhaCRe showed higher catalytic activity than PhaCRe in kinetic analysis. The results are discussed in light of the dimerization mechanisms of PhaCRe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Harada
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan
| | - Yuka Nambu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan
| | - Shoji Mizuno
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan
| | - Takeharu Tsuge
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan.
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19
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Vega MV, Nigro A, Luti S, Capitini C, Fani G, Gonnelli L, Boscaro F, Chiti F. Isolation and characterization of soluble human full‐length TDP‐43 associated with neurodegeneration. FASEB J 2019; 33:10780-10793. [DOI: 10.1096/fj.201900474r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mirella Vivoli Vega
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical SciencesUniversity of FlorenceFlorenceItaly
| | - Alessia Nigro
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical SciencesUniversity of FlorenceFlorenceItaly
| | - Simone Luti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical SciencesUniversity of FlorenceFlorenceItaly
| | - Claudia Capitini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical SciencesUniversity of FlorenceFlorenceItaly
| | - Giulia Fani
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical SciencesUniversity of FlorenceFlorenceItaly
| | - Leonardo Gonnelli
- Centro di Ricerca di Risonanze Magnetiche (CERM)University of FlorenceFlorenceItaly
| | | | - Fabrizio Chiti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical SciencesUniversity of FlorenceFlorenceItaly
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20
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Yang P, Guo Y, Sun Y, Yu B, Zhang H, Wu J, Yu X, Wu H, Kong W. Active immunization with norovirus P particle-based amyloid-β chimeric protein vaccine induces high titers of anti-Aβ antibodies in mice. BMC Immunol 2019; 20:9. [PMID: 30755174 PMCID: PMC6373079 DOI: 10.1186/s12865-019-0289-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Active immunotherapy targeting amyloid-β (Aβ) is a promising treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Numerous preclinical studies and clinical trials demonstrated that a safe and effective AD vaccine should induce high titers of anti-Aβ antibodies while avoiding the activation of T cells specific to Aβ. RESULTS An untagged Aβ1-6 chimeric protein vaccine against AD based on norovirus (NoV) P particle was expressed in Escherichia coli and obtained by sequential chromatography. Analysis of protein characteristics showed that the untagged Aβ1-6 chimeric protein expressed in soluble form exhibited the highest particle homogeneity, with highest purity and minimal host cell protein (HCP) and residual DNA content. Importantly, the untagged Aβ1-6 chimeric soluble protein could induce the strongest Aβ-specific humoral immune responses without activation of harmful Aβ-specific T cells in mice. CONCLUSIONS The untagged Aβ1-6 chimeric protein vaccine is safe and highly immunogenic. Further research will determine the efficacy in cognitive improvement and disease progression delay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Yang
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Yongqing Guo
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Yao Sun
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Bin Yu
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China.,Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Haihong Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China.,Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Jiaxin Wu
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China.,Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Xianghui Yu
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China.,Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Hui Wu
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China. .,Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China.
| | - Wei Kong
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China. .,Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China.
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21
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Nosaki S, Miyakawa T, Xu Y, Nakamura A, Hirabayashi K, Asami T, Nakano T, Tanokura M. Structural basis for brassinosteroid response by BIL1/BZR1. NATURE PLANTS 2018; 4:771-776. [PMID: 30287951 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-018-0255-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2018] [Accepted: 08/16/2018] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BRZ-INSENSITIVE-LONG HYPOCOTYL 1 (BIL1)/BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT 1 (BZR1) is a master transcription factor of brassinosteroid (BR) signalling. The varieties of nucleobase recognition of the NN-BRRE-core motif (NNCGTG), one of variant G-box motifs, distinguish BIL1/BZR1 from basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors, underlying the specific regulation of BR-responsive genes. Here, we show the non-canonical bHLH dimer formation of BIL1/BZR1 to optimize the interaction network with DNA and the orientation of a key residue for NN-BRRE-core motif recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohei Nosaki
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuya Miyakawa
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuqun Xu
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akira Nakamura
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kei Hirabayashi
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tadao Asami
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Biochemistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Takeshi Nakano
- Gene Discovery Research Group, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Masaru Tanokura
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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22
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Paraskevopoulou V, Falcone FH. Polyionic Tags as Enhancers of Protein Solubility in Recombinant Protein Expression. Microorganisms 2018; 6:microorganisms6020047. [PMID: 29882886 PMCID: PMC6027335 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms6020047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Revised: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the introduction of recombinant protein expression in the second half of the 1970s, the growth of the biopharmaceutical field has been rapid and protein therapeutics has come to the foreground. Biophysical and structural characterisation of recombinant proteins is the essential prerequisite for their successful development and commercialisation as therapeutics. Despite the challenges, including low protein solubility and inclusion body formation, prokaryotic host systems and particularly Escherichia coli, remain the system of choice for the initial attempt of production of previously unexpressed proteins. Several different approaches have been adopted, including optimisation of growth conditions, expression in the periplasmic space of the bacterial host or co-expression of molecular chaperones, to assist correct protein folding. A very commonly employed approach is also the use of protein fusion tags that enhance protein solubility. Here, a range of experimentally tested peptide tags, which present specific advantages compared to protein fusion tags and the concluding remarks of these experiments are reviewed. Finally, a concept to design solubility-enhancing peptide tags based on a protein’s pI is suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliki Paraskevopoulou
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics and Formulation, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - Franco H Falcone
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics and Formulation, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
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23
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Freitas HF, Pires ABL, Castilho MS. Combined Strategies to Improve the Expression of Recombinant Sterol C24-Methyltransferase from Leishmania braziliensis in E. coli. Mol Biotechnol 2018; 60:271-278. [PMID: 29488127 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-018-0069-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Among the neglected tropical diseases, leishmaniasis stands out for its worldwide distribution and diversity of symptoms. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), for instance, is endemic in 18 countries, but the available drugs to fight it have high toxicity and low patient adherence. In order to overcome this, dilemma drugs that target enzymes which are absent in the human host, such as Leishmania braziliensis sterol C24-methyltransferase (SMT-C24, EC 2.1.1.41), are needed. However, medicinal chemistry efforts toward this goal have been hampered by the low yield of soluble recombinant SMT-C24 afforded by currently available expression systems. Herein, we show that a combination of molecular biology and chromatographic strategies may increase the yield of LbSMT-C24 in up to fivefold. These results lay the ground for future investigation of this enzyme as a drug target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Humberto F Freitas
- Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, 40170-290, Brazil.,Programa de pós-graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santanta, BA, 44036-900, Brazil
| | | | - Marcelo S Castilho
- Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, 40170-290, Brazil. .,Programa de pós-graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santanta, BA, 44036-900, Brazil.
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24
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Ahn YC, Fischer C, van Belkum MJ, Vederas JC. PLP-independent racemization: mechanistic and mutational studies ofO-ureidoserine racemase (DcsC). Org Biomol Chem 2018; 16:1126-1133. [DOI: 10.1039/c7ob03013d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Site-specific mutagenesis and inhibition ofO-ureidoserine racemase reveals mechanistic insights in the unique PLP-independent bioenzymatic racemization of amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeong-Chan Ahn
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Alberta
- Edmonton
- Canada
| | - Conrad Fischer
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Alberta
- Edmonton
- Canada
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25
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Kaur J, Kumar A, Kaur J. Strategies for optimization of heterologous protein expression in E. coli: Roadblocks and reinforcements. Int J Biol Macromol 2018; 106:803-822. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.08.080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2017] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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26
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Kaur J, Kumar A, Kaur J. Strategies for optimization of heterologous protein expression in E. coli: Roadblocks and reinforcements. Int J Biol Macromol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.08.080 10.1242/jeb.069716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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27
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Bírová S, Levarski Z, Vidličková I, Pastoreková S, Turňa J, Stuchlík S. Purification of small-size acidic proteoglycan-like domain of carbonic anhydrase IX fused with thioredoxine expressed in Escherichia coli for structural characterization. Biologia (Bratisl) 2017. [DOI: 10.1515/biolog-2017-0156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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28
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Bailey LJ, Sheehy KM, Dominik PK, Liang WG, Rui H, Clark M, Jaskolowski M, Kim Y, Deneka D, Tang WJ, Kossiakoff AA. Locking the Elbow: Improved Antibody Fab Fragments as Chaperones for Structure Determination. J Mol Biol 2017; 430:337-347. [PMID: 29273204 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2017.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Revised: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Antibody Fab fragments have been exploited with significant success to facilitate the structure determination of challenging macromolecules as crystallization chaperones and as molecular fiducial marks for single particle cryo-electron microscopy approaches. However, the inherent flexibility of the "elbow" regions, which link the constant and variable domains of the Fab, can introduce disorder and thus diminish their effectiveness. We have developed a phage display engineering strategy to generate synthetic Fab variants that significantly reduces elbow flexibility, while maintaining their high affinity and stability. This strategy was validated using previously recalcitrant Fab-antigen complexes where introduction of an engineered elbow region enhanced crystallization and diffraction resolution. Furthermore, incorporation of the mutations appears to be generally portable to other synthetic antibodies and may serve as a universal strategy to enhance the success rates of Fabs as structure determination chaperones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas J Bailey
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Kimberly M Sheehy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Pawel K Dominik
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Wenguang G Liang
- Ben May Institute for Cancer Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Huan Rui
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Michael Clark
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Mateusz Jaskolowski
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, International Faculty of Biotechnology, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Yejoon Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Dawid Deneka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Krakow, Poland
| | - Wei-Jen Tang
- Ben May Institute for Cancer Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Anthony A Kossiakoff
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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29
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Abstract
Obtaining diffracting quality crystals remains a major challenge in protein structure research. We summarize and compare methods for selecting the best protein targets for crystallization, construct optimization and crystallization condition design. Target selection methods are divided into algorithms predicting the chance of successful progression through all stages of structural determination (from cloning to solving the structure) and those focusing only on the crystallization step. We tried to highlight pros and cons of different approaches examining the following aspects: data size, redundancy and representativeness, overfitting during model construction, and results evaluation. In summary, although in recent years progress was made and several sequence properties were reported to be relevant for crystallization, the successful prediction of protein crystallization behavior and selection of corresponding crystallization conditions continue to challenge structural researchers.
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30
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Identification of Histidine 303 as the Catalytic Base of Lysyl Oxidase via Site-Directed Mutagenesis. Protein J 2017; 37:47-57. [DOI: 10.1007/s10930-017-9749-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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31
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Setrerrahmane S, Yu J, Hao J, Zheng H, Xu H. Novel production method of innovative antiangiogenic and antitumor small peptides in Escherichia coli. Drug Des Devel Ther 2017; 11:3207-3220. [PMID: 29184391 PMCID: PMC5685134 DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s136957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Developing innovative drugs with potent efficacy, specificity, and high safety remains an ongoing task in antitumor therapy development. In the last few years, peptide drugs have become attractive agents in cancer therapy. HM-3, mainly with antiangiogenic effect, and AP25, with an additional antiproliferative effect, are two peptides designed in our laboratory targeting αvβ3 and α5β1 integrins, respectively. The low molecular weight of the two peptides renders their recombinant expression very difficult, and the complicated structure of AP25 makes its chemical synthesis restricted, which presents a big challenge for its development. METHODS Bifunctional peptides designed by the ligation of HM-3 and AP25, using linkers with different flexibility, were prepared using recombinant DNA technology in Escherichia coli. The fusion peptides were expressed in a modified auto-induction medium based on a mixture of glucose, glycerol, and lactose as carbon substrates and NH4+ as nitrogen source without any amino acid or other elements. Subsequently, the antiangiogenic, antiproliferative, and cell adhesion assays were conducted to evaluate the bioactivity of the two fusion peptides. RESULTS The peptides were successfully expressed in a soluble form without any induction, which allows the culture to reach higher cell density before protein expression occurs. Human umbilical vein endothelial cell migration assay and chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane assay showed, at low doses, a significantly increased antiangiogenic effect (>75%) of the purified products compared with the single molecules. Meanwhile, MTT assay confirmed their enhanced antitumor activity against gastric cancer cell line MGC-803; however, no significant effect was observed on hepatoma HepG2 cells and no cytotoxicity on normal human lens epithelial cell SRA01/04 and human epithelial esophageal cells. CONCLUSION Bifunctional molecules with antiangiogenic and antiproliferative effects were obtained by using this technique, which presents an alternative for small peptide production, instead of the conventional chemical method. The increased molecular weight facilitates the peptide expression with a simultaneous improvement in their stability and biological activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarra Setrerrahmane
- The Engineering Research Center of Peptide Drug Discovery and Development, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu
| | - Jian Yu
- The Engineering Research Center of Peptide Drug Discovery and Development, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu
| | - Jingchao Hao
- The Engineering Research Center of Peptide Drug Discovery and Development, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu
- College of Pharmacy & the Provincial Key Laboratory of Natural Drug and Pharmacology, Kunming, Yunnan
| | - Heng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Ministry of Education, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hanmei Xu
- The Engineering Research Center of Peptide Drug Discovery and Development, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Ministry of Education, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
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32
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Holcomb J, Spellmon N, Zhang Y, Doughan M, Li C, Yang Z. Protein crystallization: Eluding the bottleneck of X-ray crystallography. AIMS BIOPHYSICS 2017; 4:557-575. [PMID: 29051919 PMCID: PMC5645037 DOI: 10.3934/biophy.2017.4.557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
To date, X-ray crystallography remains the gold standard for the determination of macromolecular structure and protein substrate interactions. However, the unpredictability of obtaining a protein crystal remains the limiting factor and continues to be the bottleneck in determining protein structures. A vast amount of research has been conducted in order to circumvent this issue with limited success. No single method has proven to guarantee the crystallization of all proteins. However, techniques using antibody fragments, lipids, carrier proteins, and even mutagenesis of crystal contacts have been implemented to increase the odds of obtaining a crystal with adequate diffraction. In addition, we review a new technique using the scaffolding ability of PDZ domains to facilitate nucleation and crystal lattice formation. Although in its infancy, such technology may be a valuable asset and another method in the crystallography toolbox to further the chances of crystallizing problematic proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Holcomb
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Nicholas Spellmon
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Yingxue Zhang
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Maysaa Doughan
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Chunying Li
- Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Zhe Yang
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
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33
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Yamada KD, Kunishima N, Matsuura Y, Nakai K, Naitow H, Fukasawa Y, Tomii K. Designing better diffracting crystals of biotin carboxyl carrier protein from Pyrococcus horikoshii by a mutation based on the crystal-packing propensity of amino acids. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2017; 73:757-766. [PMID: 28876239 PMCID: PMC5586248 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798317010932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2023] Open
Abstract
An alternative rational approach to improve protein crystals by using single-site mutation of surface residues is proposed based on the results of a statistical analysis using a compiled data set of 918 independent crystal structures, thereby reflecting not only the entropic effect but also other effects upon protein crystallization. This analysis reveals a clear difference in the crystal-packing propensity of amino acids depending on the secondary-structural class. To verify this result, a systematic crystallization experiment was performed with the biotin carboxyl carrier protein from Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3 (PhBCCP). Six single-site mutations were examined: Ala138 on the surface of a β-sheet was mutated to Ile, Tyr, Arg, Gln, Val and Lys. In agreement with prediction, it was observed that the two mutants (A138I and A138Y) harbouring the residues with the highest crystal-packing propensities for β-sheet at position 138 provided better crystallization scores relative to those of other constructs, including the wild type, and that the crystal-packing propensity for β-sheet provided the best correlation with the ratio of obtaining crystals. Two new crystal forms of these mutants were obtained that diffracted to high resolution, generating novel packing interfaces with the mutated residues (Ile/Tyr). The mutations introduced did not affect the overall structures, indicating that a β-sheet can accommodate a successful mutation if it is carefully selected so as to avoid intramolecular steric hindrance. A significant negative correlation between the ratio of obtaining amorphous precipitate and the crystal-packing propensity was also found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazunori D. Yamada
- Artificial Intelligence Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 2-4-7 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0064, Japan
- Graduate School of Information Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3-09 Aramaki-Aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579, Japan
| | - Naoki Kunishima
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Matsuura
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Koshiro Nakai
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Hisashi Naitow
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Fukasawa
- Artificial Intelligence Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 2-4-7 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0064, Japan
| | - Kentaro Tomii
- Artificial Intelligence Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 2-4-7 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0064, Japan
- Biotechnology Research Institute for Drug Discovery, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 2-4-7 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0064, Japan
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34
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Marino J, Holzhüter K, Kuhn B, Geertsma ER. Efficient Screening and Optimization of Membrane Protein Production in Escherichia coli. Methods Enzymol 2017; 594:139-164. [PMID: 28779839 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2017.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/06/2022]
Abstract
Escherichia coli is one of the most widely used expression hosts for membrane proteins. However, establishing conditions for its recombinant production of membrane proteins remains difficult. Attempts to produce membrane proteins frequently result in either no expression or expression as misfolded aggregates. We developed an efficient pipeline for improving membrane protein overexpression in E. coli that is based on two approaches. The first involves transcriptional fusions, small additional RNA sequences upstream of the target open reading frame, to overcome no or poor overall expression levels. The other is based on a tunable promoter in combination with a fusion to green fluorescent protein serving as a reporter for the folding state of the target membrane protein. The latter combination allows adjusting the membrane protein expression rate to the downstream folding capacity, in order to decrease the formation of protein aggregates. This pipeline has proven successful for the efficient and parallel optimization of a diverse set of membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Benedikt Kuhn
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
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35
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Poulos S, Agah S, Jallah N, Faham S. Symmetry based assembly of a 2 dimensional protein lattice. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0174485. [PMID: 28419162 PMCID: PMC5395157 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The design of proteins that self-assemble into higher order architectures is of great interest due to their potential application in nanotechnology. Specifically, the self-assembly of proteins into ordered lattices is of special interest to the field of structural biology. Here we designed a 2 dimensional (2D) protein lattice using a fusion of a tandem repeat of three TelSAM domains (TTT) to the Ferric uptake regulator (FUR) domain. We determined the structure of the designed (TTT-FUR) fusion protein to 2.3 Å by X-ray crystallographic methods. In agreement with the design, a 2D lattice composed of TelSAM fibers interdigitated by the FUR domain was observed. As expected, the fusion of a tandem repeat of three TelSAM domains formed 21 screw axis, and the self-assembly of the ordered oligomer was under pH control. We demonstrated that the fusion of TTT to a domain having a 2-fold symmetry, such as the FUR domain, can produce an ordered 2D lattice. The TTT-FUR system combines features from the rotational symmetry matching approach with the oligomer driven crystallization method. This TTT-FUR fusion was amenable to X-ray crystallographic methods, and is a promising crystallization chaperone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Poulos
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
| | - Sayeh Agah
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
| | - Nikardi Jallah
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
| | - Salem Faham
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
- * E-mail:
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36
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Lauro ML, D’Ambrosio EA, Bahnson BJ, Grimes CL. Molecular Recognition of Muramyl Dipeptide Occurs in the Leucine-rich Repeat Domain of Nod2. ACS Infect Dis 2017; 3:264-270. [PMID: 27748583 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.6b00154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Genetic mutations in the innate immune receptor nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing 2 (Nod2) have demonstrated increased susceptibility to Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that is hypothesized to be accompanied by changes in the gut microbiota. Nod2 responds to the presence of bacteria, specifically a fragment of the bacterial cell wall, muramyl dipeptide (MDP). The proposed site of this interaction is the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain. Surface plasmon resonance and molecular modeling were used to investigate the interaction of the LRR domain with MDP. A functional and pure LRR domain was obtained from Escherichia coli expression in high yield. The LRR domain binds to MDP with high affinity, with a KD of 212 ± 24 nM. Critical portions of the receptor were determined by mutagenesis of putative binding residues. Fragment analysis of MDP revealed that both the peptide and carbohydrate portion contribute to the binding interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mackenzie L. Lauro
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Elizabeth A. D’Ambrosio
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Brian J. Bahnson
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
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37
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Martinelli AH, Lopes FC, Broll V, Defferrari MS, Ligabue-Braun R, Kappaun K, Tichota DM, Fruttero LL, Moyetta NR, Demartini DR, Postal M, Medeiros-Silva M, Becker-Ritt AB, Pasquali G, Carlini CR. Soybean ubiquitous urease with purification facilitator: An addition to the moonlighting studies toolbox. Process Biochem 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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38
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The "Sticky Patch" Model of Crystallization and Modification of Proteins for Enhanced Crystallizability. Methods Mol Biol 2017; 1607:77-115. [PMID: 28573570 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7000-1_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Crystallization of macromolecules has long been perceived as a stochastic process, which cannot be predicted or controlled. This is consistent with another popular notion that the interactions of molecules within the crystal, i.e., crystal contacts, are essentially random and devoid of specific physicochemical features. In contrast, functionally relevant surfaces, such as oligomerization interfaces and specific protein-protein interaction sites, are under evolutionary pressures so their amino acid composition, structure, and topology are distinct. However, current theoretical and experimental studies are significantly changing our understanding of the nature of crystallization. The increasingly popular "sticky patch" model, derived from soft matter physics, describes crystallization as a process driven by interactions between select, specific surface patches, with properties thermodynamically favorable for cohesive interactions. Independent support for this model comes from various sources including structural studies and bioinformatics. Proteins that are recalcitrant to crystallization can be modified for enhanced crystallizability through chemical or mutational modification of their surface to effectively engineer "sticky patches" which would drive crystallization. Here, we discuss the current state of knowledge of the relationship between the microscopic properties of the target macromolecule and its crystallizability, focusing on the "sticky patch" model. We discuss state-of-the-art in silico methods that evaluate the propensity of a given target protein to form crystals based on these relationships, with the objective to design variants with modified molecular surface properties and enhanced crystallization propensity. We illustrate this discussion with specific cases where these approaches allowed to generate crystals suitable for structural analysis.
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39
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Abstract
Maltose-Binding Protein (MBP) is one of the most popular fusion partners being used for producing recombinant proteins in bacterial cells. MBP allows the use of a simple capture affinity step on Amylose-Agarose or Dextrin-Sepharose columns, resulting in a protein that is often 70-90 % pure in a single step. In addition to protein isolation applications, MBP provides a high degree of translation, and facilitates the proper folding and solubility of the target protein. This paper describes efficient procedures for isolating highly purified MBP target proteins. Special attention is given to considerations for downstream applications such as structural determination studies, protein activity assays, and assessing the chemical characteristics of the target protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Lebendiker
- Protein Expression and Purification Facilities, The Wolfson Centre for Applied Structural Biology, The Edmond J.Safra Campus, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel.
| | - Tsafi Danieli
- Protein Expression and Purification Facilities, The Wolfson Centre for Applied Structural Biology, The Edmond J.Safra Campus, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel
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40
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Abstract
Protein fusion technology has had a major impact on the efficient production and purification of individual recombinant proteins. The use of genetically engineered affinity and solubility-enhancing polypeptide "tags" has increased greatly in recent years and there now exists a considerable repertoire of these that can be used to solve issues related to the expression, stability, solubility, folding, and purification of their fusion partner. In the case of large-scale proteomic studies, the development of purification procedures tailored to individual proteins is not practicable, and affinity tags have therefore become indispensable tools for structural and functional proteomic initiatives that involve the expression of many proteins in parallel. Here, the rationale and applications of a range of established and more recently developed solubility-enhancing and affinity tags is described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinéad T Loughran
- Department of Applied Sciences, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dundalk, Ireland
| | - Dermot Walls
- School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland.
- National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland.
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41
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Yadav DK, Yadav N, Yadav S, Haque S, Tuteja N. An insight into fusion technology aiding efficient recombinant protein production for functional proteomics. Arch Biochem Biophys 2016; 612:57-77. [DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2016.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Revised: 10/15/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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42
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S V, C J, K C S, Jose S, Jose B, Philip R, I S BS. Regulating gonad inhibition and vitellogenin/vitellin induction in Penaeus monodon using mature GIH fusion protein and polyclonal antisera. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2016; 203:167-178. [PMID: 27642094 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2016.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Revised: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 09/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Gonad inhibiting hormone (GIH), type II class of the CHH family neuropeptides, is released by the neurohaemal XO-SG complex of the eyestalk. The inhibitory function of GIH has a pivotal role in gonad development and reproduction. In this study, we report the expression and production of a thioredoxin-fused mature GIH protein (mf-PmGIH) of Penaeus monodon in a bacterial system and its use as antigen to raise polyclonal antiserum (anti-mf-PmGIH). The mature GIH gene of 237bp that codes for 79 amino acids, was cloned into the Escherichia coli thioredoxin gene fusion expression system. The expression vector construct (mf-PmGIH+pEt32a+) upon induction produced 32.16kDa mature GIH fusion protein (mf-PmGIH)·The purified fusion protein was used as exogenous GIH and as antigen to raise polyclonal antisera. The fusion protein when injected into juvenile shrimp significantly reduced vitellogenin/vitellin levels by 31.55% within 72h in comparison to the controls showing the gonad inhibiting property. Vitellogenin/vitellin levels were significantly induced by 74.10% within 6h when polyclonal antiserum (anti-mf-PmGIH - 1:500) was injected in P. monodon. Anti-mf-PmGIH immunolocalized GIH producing neurosecretory cells in the eyestalk of P. monodon. The present manuscript reports an innovative means of gonad inhibition and vitellogenin/vitellin induction with thioredoxin fused GIH and antisera developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vrinda S
- National Centre for Aquatic Animal Health, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin 682 016, India
| | - Jasmin C
- National Institute of Oceanography, RC Cochin, Dr. Salim Ali Road, Cochin 682 018, India
| | - Sivakumar K C
- Bioinformatics Facility, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram 695 014, India
| | - Seena Jose
- National Centre for Aquatic Animal Health, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin 682 016, India
| | - Blessy Jose
- National Centre for Aquatic Animal Health, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin 682 016, India
| | - Rosamma Philip
- Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin 682 016, India
| | - Bright Singh I S
- National Centre for Aquatic Animal Health, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin 682 016, India.
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43
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Grinkevich P, Iermak I, Luedtke NA, Mesters JR, Ettrich R, Ludwig J. pHluorin-assisted expression, purification, crystallization and X-ray diffraction data analysis of the C-terminal domain of the HsdR subunit of the Escherichia coli type I restriction-modification system EcoR124I. Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 2016; 72:672-6. [PMID: 27599856 PMCID: PMC5012205 DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x16011626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 07/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The HsdR subunit of the type I restriction-modification system EcoR124I is responsible for the translocation as well as the restriction activity of the whole complex consisting of the HsdR, HsdM and HsdS subunits, and while crystal structures are available for the wild type and several mutants, the C-terminal domain comprising approximately 150 residues was not resolved in any of these structures. Here, three fusion constructs with the GFP variant pHluorin developed to overexpress, purify and crystallize the C-terminal domain of HsdR are reported. The shortest of the three encompassed HsdR residues 887-1038 and yielded crystals that belonged to the orthorhombic space group C2221, with unit-cell parameters a = 83.42, b = 176.58, c = 126.03 Å, α = β = γ = 90.00° and two molecules in the asymmetric unit (VM = 2.55 Å(3) Da(-1), solvent content 50.47%). X-ray diffraction data were collected to a resolution of 2.45 Å.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Grinkevich
- Center for Nanobiology and Structural Biology, Institute of Microbiology ASCR, v.v.i., Zamek 136, 37333 Nove Hrady, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Branisovska 31, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Iuliia Iermak
- Center for Nanobiology and Structural Biology, Institute of Microbiology ASCR, v.v.i., Zamek 136, 37333 Nove Hrady, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Branisovska 31, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Nicholas A. Luedtke
- Center for Nanobiology and Structural Biology, Institute of Microbiology ASCR, v.v.i., Zamek 136, 37333 Nove Hrady, Czech Republic
- Ripon College, 300 Seward Street, Ripon, WI 54971, USA
| | - Jeroen R. Mesters
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Ettrich
- Center for Nanobiology and Structural Biology, Institute of Microbiology ASCR, v.v.i., Zamek 136, 37333 Nove Hrady, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Branisovska 31, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jost Ludwig
- Center for Nanobiology and Structural Biology, Institute of Microbiology ASCR, v.v.i., Zamek 136, 37333 Nove Hrady, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Branisovska 31, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
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Hai Y, Christianson DW. Histone deacetylase 6 structure and molecular basis of catalysis and inhibition. Nat Chem Biol 2016; 12:741-7. [PMID: 27454933 PMCID: PMC4990478 DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.2134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 315] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is a critical target for drug design due to its role in oncogenic transformation and cancer metastasis, and is unique among all histone deacetylases in that it contains tandem catalytic domains designated CD1 and CD2. We now report the crystal structures of CD2 from Homo sapiens and CD1 and CD2 from Danio rerio HDAC6, and we correlate these structures with activity measurements using a panel of 13 different substrates. The catalytic activity of CD2 from both species exhibits broad substrate specificity, whereas that of CD1 is highly specific for substrates bearing C-terminal acetyllysine residues. Crystal structures of substrate complexes yield unprecedented snapshots of the catalytic mechanism. Additionally, crystal structures of complexes with 8 different inhibitors, including Belinostat and Panobinostat (currently used in cancer chemotherapy), the macrocyclic tetrapeptide HC toxin, and the HDAC6-specific inhibitor N-hydroxy-4-(2-[(2-hydroxyethyl)(phenyl)amino]-2-oxoethyl)benzamide, reveal surprising new insight regarding changes in Zn2+ coordination and isozyme-specific inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Hai
- Roy and Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David W Christianson
- Roy and Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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45
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Raran-Kurussi S, Waugh DS. A dual protease approach for expression and affinity purification of recombinant proteins. Anal Biochem 2016; 504:30-7. [PMID: 27105777 PMCID: PMC4877217 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2016.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Revised: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We describe a new method for affinity purification of recombinant proteins using a dual protease protocol. Escherichia coli maltose binding protein (MBP) is employed as an N-terminal tag to increase the yield and solubility of its fusion partners. The MBP moiety is then removed by rhinovirus 3C protease, prior to purification, to yield an N-terminally His6-tagged protein. Proteins that are only temporarily rendered soluble by fusing them to MBP are readily identified at this stage because they will precipitate after the MBP tag is removed by 3C protease. The remaining soluble His6-tagged protein, if any, is subsequently purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). Finally, the N-terminal His6 tag is removed by His6-tagged tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease to yield the native recombinant protein, and the His6-tagged contaminants are removed by adsorption during a second round of IMAC, leaving only the untagged recombinant protein in the column effluent. The generic strategy described here saves time and effort by removing insoluble aggregates at an early stage in the process while also reducing the tendency of MBP to "stick" to its fusion partners during affinity purification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sreejith Raran-Kurussi
- Protein Engineering Section, Macromolecular Crystallography Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - David S Waugh
- Protein Engineering Section, Macromolecular Crystallography Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
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46
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Abraham N, Paul B, Ragnarsson L, Lewis RJ. Escherichia coli Protein Expression System for Acetylcholine Binding Proteins (AChBPs). PLoS One 2016; 11:e0157363. [PMID: 27304486 PMCID: PMC4909209 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) are ligand gated ion channels, identified as therapeutic targets for a range of human diseases. Drug design for nAChR related disorders is increasingly using structure-based approaches. Many of these structural insights for therapeutic lead development have been obtained from co-crystal structures of nAChR agonists and antagonists with the acetylcholine binding protein (AChBP). AChBP is a water soluble, structural and functional homolog of the extracellular, ligand-binding domain of nAChRs. Currently, AChBPs are recombinantly expressed in eukaryotic expression systems for structural and biophysical studies. Here, we report the establishment of an Escherichia coli (E. coli) expression system that significantly reduces the cost and time of production compared to the existing expression systems. E. coli can efficiently express unglycosylated AChBP for crystallography and makes the expression of isotopically labelled forms feasible for NMR. We used a pHUE vector containing an N-terminal His-tagged ubiquitin fusion protein to facilitate AChBP expression in the soluble fractions, and thus avoid the need to recover protein from inclusion bodies. The purified protein yield obtained from the E. coli expression system is comparable to that obtained from existing AChBP expression systems. E. coli expressed AChBP bound nAChR agonists and antagonists with affinities matching those previously reported. Thus, the E. coli expression system significantly simplifies the expression and purification of functional AChBP for structural and biophysical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikita Abraham
- Centre for Pain Research, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Blessy Paul
- Division of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Lotten Ragnarsson
- Centre for Pain Research, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Richard J. Lewis
- Centre for Pain Research, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
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Abstract
A detailed understanding of chemical and biological function and the mechanisms underlying the molecular activities ultimately requires atomic-resolution structural data. Diffraction-based techniques such as single-crystal X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, and neutron diffraction are well established and they have paved the road to the stunning successes of modern-day structural biology. The major advances achieved in the last twenty years in all aspects of structural research, including sample preparation, crystallization, the construction of synchrotron and spallation sources, phasing approaches, and high-speed computing and visualization, now provide specialists and nonspecialists alike with a steady flow of molecular images of unprecedented detail. The present unit combines a general overview of diffraction methods with a detailed description of the process of a single-crystal X-ray structure determination experiment, from chemical synthesis or expression to phasing and refinement, analysis, and quality control. For novices it may serve as a stepping-stone to more in-depth treatises of the individual topics. Readers relying on structural information for interpreting functional data may find it a useful consumer guide. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Egli
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
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48
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Ullah R, Shah MA, Tufail S, Ismat F, Imran M, Iqbal M, Mirza O, Rhaman M. Activity of the Human Rhinovirus 3C Protease Studied in Various Buffers, Additives and Detergents Solutions for Recombinant Protein Production. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153436. [PMID: 27093053 PMCID: PMC4836831 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteases are widely used to remove affinity and solubility tags from recombinant proteins to avoid potential interference of these tags with the structure and function of the fusion partner. In recent years, great interest has been seen in use of the human rhinovirus 3C protease owing to its stringent sequence specificity and enhanced activity. Like other proteases, activity of the human rhinovirus 3C protease can be affected in part by the buffer components and additives that are generally employed for purification and stabilization of proteins, hence, necessitate their removal by tedious and time-consuming procedures before proteolysis can occur. To address this issue, we examined the effect of elution buffers used for common affinity based purifications, salt ions, stability/solubility and reducing agents, and detergents on the activity of the human rhinovirus 3C protease using three different fusion proteins at 4°C, a temperature of choice for purification of many proteins. The results show that the human rhinovirus 3C protease performs better at 4°C than the frequently used tobacco etch virus protease and its activity was insensitive to most of the experimental conditions tested. Though number of fusion proteins tested is limited, we expect that these finding will facilitate the use of the human rhinovirus 3C protease in recombinant protein production for pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raheem Ullah
- Drug Discovery and Structural Biology group, Health Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, P.O. Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Majid Ali Shah
- Drug Discovery and Structural Biology group, Health Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, P.O. Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Soban Tufail
- Drug Discovery and Structural Biology group, Health Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Fouzia Ismat
- Drug Discovery and Structural Biology group, Health Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Imran
- Drug Discovery and Structural Biology group, Health Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Mazhar Iqbal
- Drug Discovery and Structural Biology group, Health Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, P.O. Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Osman Mirza
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Moazur Rhaman
- Drug Discovery and Structural Biology group, Health Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, P.O. Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan
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49
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Soleimanpour S, Hassannia T, Motiee M, Amini AA, Rezaee SAR. Fcγ1 fragment of IgG1 as a powerful affinity tag in recombinant Fc-fusion proteins: immunological, biochemical and therapeutic properties. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2016; 37:371-392. [PMID: 27049690 DOI: 10.3109/07388551.2016.1163323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Affinity tags are vital tools for the production of high-throughput recombinant proteins. Several affinity tags, such as the hexahistidine tag, maltose-binding protein, streptavidin-binding peptide tag, calmodulin-binding peptide, c-Myc tag, glutathione S-transferase and FLAG tag, have been introduced for recombinant protein production. The fragment crystallizable (Fc) domain of the IgG1 antibody is one of the useful affinity tags that can facilitate detection, purification and localization of proteins and can improve the immunogenicity, modulatory effects, physicochemical and pharmaceutical properties of proteins. Fcγ recombinant forms a group of recombinant proteins called Fc-fusion proteins (FFPs). FFPs are widely used in drug discovery, drug delivery, vaccine design and experimental research on receptor-ligand interactions. These fusion proteins have become successful alternatives to monoclonal antibodies for drug developments. In this review, the physicochemical, biochemical, immunological, pharmaceutical and therapeutic properties of recombinant FFPs were discussed as a new generation of bioengineering strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saman Soleimanpour
- a Microbiology & Virology Research Center, Bu-Ali Research Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences , Mashhad, Iran
| | - Tahereh Hassannia
- b Internal medicine Department, Arash Hospital, the College of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdieh Motiee
- c Inflammation and Inflammatory Diseases Research Center, Medical School, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences , Mashhad, Iran
| | - Abbas Ali Amini
- d Department of Immunology, faculty of medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences , Sanandaj, Iran
| | - S A R Rezaee
- c Inflammation and Inflammatory Diseases Research Center, Medical School, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences , Mashhad, Iran
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50
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Brenke JK, Salmina ES, Ringelstetter L, Dornauer S, Kuzikov M, Rothenaigner I, Schorpp K, Giehler F, Gopalakrishnan J, Kieser A, Gul S, Tetko IV, Hadian K. Identification of Small-Molecule Frequent Hitters of Glutathione S-Transferase–Glutathione Interaction. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 21:596-607. [DOI: 10.1177/1087057116639992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In high-throughput screening (HTS) campaigns, the binding of glutathione S-transferase (GST) to glutathione (GSH) is used for detection of GST-tagged proteins in protein-protein interactions or enzyme assays. However, many false-positives, so-called frequent hitters (FH), arise that either prevent GST/GSH interaction or interfere with assay signal generation or detection. To identify GST-FH compounds, we analyzed the data of five independent AlphaScreen-based screening campaigns to classify compounds that inhibit the GST/GSH interaction. We identified 53 compounds affecting GST/GSH binding but not influencing His-tag/Ni2+-NTA interaction and general AlphaScreen signals. The structures of these 53 experimentally identified GST-FHs were analyzed in chemoinformatic studies to categorize substructural features that promote interference with GST/GSH binding. Here, we confirmed several existing chemoinformatic filters and more importantly extended them as well as added novel filters that specify compounds with anti–GST/GSH activity. Selected compounds were also tested using different antibody-based GST detection technologies and exhibited no interference clearly demonstrating specificity toward their GST/GSH interaction. Thus, these newly described GST-FH will further contribute to the identification of FH compounds containing promiscuous substructures. The developed filters were uploaded to the OCHEM website ( http://ochem.eu ) and are publicly accessible for analysis of future HTS results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jara K. Brenke
- Helmholtz Zentrum München für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Assay Development and Screening Platform, Institute of Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Elena S. Salmina
- Institute for Organic Chemistry, Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany
| | - Larissa Ringelstetter
- Helmholtz Zentrum München für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Assay Development and Screening Platform, Institute of Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Scarlett Dornauer
- Helmholtz Zentrum München für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Assay Development and Screening Platform, Institute of Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Maria Kuzikov
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, ScreeningPort (Fraunhofer-IME SP), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ina Rothenaigner
- Helmholtz Zentrum München für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Assay Development and Screening Platform, Institute of Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Kenji Schorpp
- Helmholtz Zentrum München für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Assay Development and Screening Platform, Institute of Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Fabian Giehler
- Helmholtz Zentrum München für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Research Unit Gene Vectors, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Jay Gopalakrishnan
- Laboratory for Centrosome and Cytoskeleton Biology, CMMC, Cologne, Germany
| | - Arnd Kieser
- Helmholtz Zentrum München für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Research Unit Gene Vectors, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sheraz Gul
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, ScreeningPort (Fraunhofer-IME SP), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Igor V. Tetko
- Helmholtz Zentrum München für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Institute of Structural Biology, Neuherberg, Germany
- BigChem GmbH, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Kamyar Hadian
- Helmholtz Zentrum München für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Assay Development and Screening Platform, Institute of Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology, Neuherberg, Germany
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