Browsing by Subject "Proteins"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 23
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    Accurate single-sequence prediction of solvent accessible surface area using local and global features
    (Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons), 2014-11) Faraggi, Eshel; Zhou, Yaoqi; Kloczkowski, Andrzej; Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, IU School of Medicine
    We present a new approach for predicting the Accessible Surface Area (ASA) using a General Neural Network (GENN). The novelty of the new approach lies in not using residue mutation profiles generated by multiple sequence alignments as descriptive inputs. Instead we use solely sequential window information and global features such as single-residue and two-residue compositions of the chain. The resulting predictor is both highly more efficient than sequence alignment-based predictors and of comparable accuracy to them. Introduction of the global inputs significantly helps achieve this comparable accuracy. The predictor, termed ASAquick, is tested on predicting the ASA of globular proteins and found to perform similarly well for so-called easy and hard cases indicating generalizability and possible usability for de-novo protein structure prediction. The source code and a Linux executables for GENN and ASAquick are available from Research and Information Systems at http://mamiris.com, from the SPARKS Lab at http://sparks-lab.org, and from the Battelle Center for Mathematical Medicine at http://mathmed.org.
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    Aldosterone-induced proteins in primary cultures of rabbit renal cortical collecting system
    (1996-10) Bindels, Rend J.M.; Engbersen, A.M.T.; Hartog, A.; Blazer-Yost, Bonnie
    Primary cultures of immunodissected cells from rabbit kidney connecting tubule and cortical collecting duct were used to study aldosterone's action on transcellular Na+ flux. Incubation with 10(-7) M aldosterone stimulated transcellular Na+ transport which was detected as an increase in benzamil-sensitive short-circuit current. The stimulatory response was consistently noted after 2 h of incubation and stabilized after 6 h. 2D-PAGE was used to identify proteins which were induced concurrently with the increase in transcellular Na+ flux after an aldosterone incubation of 15 h. Three aldosterone-induced proteins (AIPs; M(r) = 100, 70-77 and 46-50 kDa) were found in the membrane and microsomal fractions. Two of these appeared to have more than one isoform. A single heterogeneous AIP (M(r) = 77 kDa) was detected in the soluble fraction.
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    Coiled-coil domain containing 42 (Ccdc42) is necessary for proper sperm development and male fertility in the mouse
    (Elsevier, 2016-04-15) Pasek, Raymond C.; Malarkey, Erik; Berbari, Nicolas F.; Sharma, Neeraj; Kesterson, Robert A.; Tres, Laura L.; Kierszenbaum, Abraham L.; Yoder, Bradley K.; Department of Biology, School of Science
    Spermiogenesis is the differentiation of spermatids into motile sperm consisting of a head and a tail. The head harbors a condensed elongated nucleus partially covered by the acrosome-acroplaxome complex. Defects in the acrosome-acroplaxome complex are associated with abnormalities in sperm head shaping. The head-tail coupling apparatus (HTCA), a complex structure consisting of two cylindrical microtubule-based centrioles and associated components, connects the tail or flagellum to the sperm head. Defects in the development of the HTCA cause sperm decapitation and disrupt sperm motility, two major contributors to male infertility. Here, we provide data indicating that mutations in the gene Coiled-coil domain containing 42 (Ccdc42) is associated with malformation of the mouse sperm flagella. In contrast to many other flagella and motile cilia genes, Ccdc42 expression is only observed in the brain and developing sperm. Male mice homozygous for a loss-of-function Ccdc42 allele (Ccdc42(KO)) display defects in the number and location of the HTCA, lack flagellated sperm, and are sterile. The testes enriched expression of Ccdc42 and lack of other phenotypes in mutant mice make it an ideal candidate for screening cases of azoospermia in humans.
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    COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE DISCORDANCE BETWEEN THE GLOBAL TRANSCRIPTIONAL AND PROTEOMIC RESPONSE OF THE YEAST SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE TO DELETION OF THE F-BOX PROTEIN, GRR1
    (2010-07-21T18:49:56Z) Heyen, Joshua William; Goebl, Mark, 1958-; Roach, Peter J.; Clemmer, David E.; Wang, Mu; Chen, Jake
    The Grr1 (Glucose Repression Resistant) protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an F-box protein for the E3 ubiquitin ligase protein complex known as the SCFGrr1 (Skp, Cullin, F-box). F-box proteins serve as substrate receptors for this complex and in this capacity Grr1 serves to promote the ubiquitylation and subsequent proteasomal degradation of a number of intracellular protein substrates. Substrates of SCFGrr1 include the G1-S phase cyclins, Cln1 and Cln2, the Cdc42 effectors and cell polarity proteins, Gic1 and Gic2, the FCH-bar domain protein, Hof1, required for cytokinesis, the meiosis activating serine/threonine protein kinase, Ime2, the transcriptional regulators of glucose transporters, Mth1 and Std1, and the mitochondrial retrograde response inhibitor Mks1. Stabilization of these substrates lead to pleiotrophic phenotypic defects in grr1Δ strains including resistance to glucose repression, accumulation of grr1Δ cells in G2 and M phase of the cell cycle, sensitivity to osmotic stress, and resistance to divalent cations. However, many of these phenotypes are not reflected at the gene expression level. We conducted a quantitative genomic vii and proteomic comparison of 914 loci in a grr1Δ and wild-type strain grown to early log-phase in glucose media. These loci encompassed 16.7% of the Saccharomyces proteome of which 22.3% exhibited discordance between gene and protein expression. GO process enrichment analysis revealed that discordant loci were enriched in the processes of “trafficking”, “mitosis”, and “carbon/energy” metabolism. Here we show that these instances of discordance are biologically relevant and in fact reflect phenotypes of grr1Δ strains not evident at the transcriptional level. Additionally, through combined biochemical and network analysis of discordant loci among “carbon and energy metabolism” we were able to not only construct a model for central carbon metabolism in grr1Δ strains but also were able to elucidate a novel molecular event that may serve to regulate glucose repression of genes needed for respiration in response to changes in glucose concentration.
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    DescribePROT: database of amino acid-level protein structure and function predictions
    (Oxford University Press, 2021-01-08) Zhao, Bi; Katuwawala, Akila; Oldfield, Christopher J.; Dunker, A. Keith; Faraggi, Eshel; Gsponer, Jörg; Kloczkowski, Andrzej; Malhis, Nawar; Mirdita, Milot; Obradovic, Zoran; Söding, Johannes; Steinegger, Martin; Zhou, Yaoqi; Kurgan, Lukasz; Medicine, School of Medicine
    We present DescribePROT, the database of predicted amino acid-level descriptors of structure and function of proteins. DescribePROT delivers a comprehensive collection of 13 complementary descriptors predicted using 10 popular and accurate algorithms for 83 complete proteomes that cover key model organisms. The current version includes 7.8 billion predictions for close to 600 million amino acids in 1.4 million proteins. The descriptors encompass sequence conservation, position specific scoring matrix, secondary structure, solvent accessibility, intrinsic disorder, disordered linkers, signal peptides, MoRFs and interactions with proteins, DNA and RNAs. Users can search DescribePROT by the amino acid sequence and the UniProt accession number and entry name. The pre-computed results are made available instantaneously. The predictions can be accesses via an interactive graphical interface that allows simultaneous analysis of multiple descriptors and can be also downloaded in structured formats at the protein, proteome and whole database scale. The putative annotations included by DescriPROT are useful for a broad range of studies, including: investigations of protein function, applied projects focusing on therapeutics and diseases, and in the development of predictors for other protein sequence descriptors. Future releases will expand the coverage of DescribePROT. DescribePROT can be accessed at http://biomine.cs.vcu.edu/servers/DESCRIBEPROT/.
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    Epigenetic Editing of Ascl1 Gene in Neural Stem Cells by Optogenetics
    (SpringerNature, 2017-02-09) Lo, Chiao-Ling; Choudhury, Samrat Roy; Irudayaraj, Joseph; Zhou, Feng C.; Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, IU School of Medicine
    Enzymes involved in epigenetic processes such as methyltransferases or demethylases are becoming highly utilized for their persistent DNA or histone modifying efficacy. Herein, we have developed an optogenetic toolbox fused to the catalytic domain (CD) of DNA-methyltransferase3A (DNMT3A-CD) or Ten-Eleven Dioxygenase-1 (TET1-CD) for loci-specific alteration of the methylation state at the promoter of Ascl1 (Mash1), a candidate proneuron gene. Optogenetical protein pairs, CRY2 linked to DNMT3A-CD or TET1-CD and CIB1 fused to a Transcription Activator-Like Element (TALE) locating an Ascl1 promoter region, were designed for site specific epigenetic editing. A differentially methylated region at the Ascl1 promoter, isolated from murine dorsal root ganglion (hypermethylated) and striated cells (hypomethylated), was targeted with these optogenetic-epigenetic constructs. Optimized blue-light illumination triggered the co-localization of TALE constructs with DNMT3A-CD or TET1-CD fusion proteins at the targeted site of the Ascl1 promoter. We found that this spatiotemporal association of the fusion proteins selectively alters the methylation state and also regulates gene activity. This proof of concept developed herein holds immense promise for the ability to regulate gene activity via epigenetic modulation with spatiotemporal precision.
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    Epigenetic Regulation of Placenta-Specific 8 Contributes to Altered Function of Endothelial Colony-Forming Cells Exposed to Intrauterine Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
    (American Diabetes Association, 2015-07) Blue, Emily K.; Sheehan, BreAnn M.; Nuss, Zia V.; Boyle, Frances A.; Hocutt, Caleb M.; Gohn, Cassandra R.; Varberg, Kaela M.; McClintick, Jeanette N.; Haneline, Laura S.; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
    Intrauterine exposure to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is linked to development of hypertension, obesity, and type 2 diabetes in children. Our previous studies determined that endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) from neonates exposed to GDM exhibit impaired function. The current goals were to identify aberrantly expressed genes that contribute to impaired function of GDM-exposed ECFCs and to evaluate for evidence of altered epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Genome-wide mRNA expression analysis was conducted on ECFCs from control and GDM pregnancies. Candidate genes were validated by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting. Bisulfite sequencing evaluated DNA methylation of placenta-specific 8 (PLAC8). Proliferation and senescence assays of ECFCs transfected with siRNA to knockdown PLAC8 were performed to determine functional impact. Thirty-eight genes were differentially expressed between control and GDM-exposed ECFCs. PLAC8 was highly expressed in GDM-exposed ECFCs, and PLAC8 expression correlated with maternal hyperglycemia. Methylation status of 17 CpG sites in PLAC8 negatively correlated with mRNA expression. Knockdown of PLAC8 in GDM-exposed ECFCs improved proliferation and senescence defects. This study provides strong evidence in neonatal endothelial progenitor cells that GDM exposure in utero leads to altered gene expression and DNA methylation, suggesting the possibility of altered epigenetic regulation.
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    Fast photochemical oxidation of proteins coupled to mass spectrometry reveals conformational states of apurinic/apyrimidic endonuclease 1
    (2015-07-08) Hernandez Quiñones, Denisse Berenice; Jones, Lisa M.; Georgiadis, Millie M.; Hurley, Thomas D.
    Fast photochemical oxidation of proteins (FPOP) is an emerging footprinting method that utilizes hydroxyl radicals. The use of hydroxyl radicals create stable labeled products that can be analyzed with mass spectrometry. The advantage of FPOP over other methods is the fast acquisition of results and the small amount of sample required for analysis. Protein structure and protein- ligand interactions have been studied with FPOP. Here we evaluated (1) the reproducibility of FPOP, (2) the effect of hydrogen peroxide concentration on oxidation and (3) the use of FPOP to evaluate protein- nucleic acid interaction with Apurinic/Apurinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) protein. APE1 is a pleotropic protein that has been crystallized and studied widely. The 35641.5 Da protein has two major functional activities: DNA repair and redox function. An intact protein study of APE1 showed consistent global labeling by FPOP and a correlation between oxidation and hydrogen peroxide concentration. Furthermore, analysis of APE1 with DNA was done in hopes of probing the DNA binding site. Although the oxidation observed was not sufficient to define the complex pocket, a dramatic effect was seen in residue oxidation when DNA was added. Interestingly, the internal residues were labeled collectively in all APE1 experiments which indicates partial unfolding of the protein as previously suggested in the literature. Hence, these findings establish the use of FPOP to capture protein dynamics and provide evidence of the existence breathing dynamics of APE1.
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    Golgi-associated LC3 lipidation requires V-ATPase in noncanonical autophagy
    (Nature Publishing Group, 2016-08-11) Gao, Ying; Liu, Yajun; Hong, Liang; Yang, Zuolong; Cai, Xinran; Chen, Xiaoyun; Fu, Yuanyuan; Lin, Yujie; Wen, Weijie; Li, Sitong; Liu, Xingguo; Huang, Heqing; Vogt, Andreas; Liu, Peiqing; Yin, Xiao-Ming; Li, Min; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine
    Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process by which cells degrade intracellular proteins and organelles in the lysosomes. Canonical autophagy requires all autophagy proteins (ATGs), whereas noncanonical autophagy is activated by diverse agents in which some of the essential autophagy proteins are dispensable. How noncanonical autophagy is induced and/or inhibited is still largely unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that AMDE-1, a recently identified chemical that can induce canonical autophagy, was able to elicit noncanonical autophagy that is independent of the ULK1 (unc-51-like kinase 1) complex and the Beclin1 complex. AMDE-1-induced noncanonical autophagy could be specifically suppressed by various V-ATPase (vacuolar-type H(+)-ATPase) inhibitors, but not by disturbance of the lysosome function or the intracellular ion redistribution. Similar findings were applicable to a diverse group of stimuli that can induce noncanonical autophagy in a FIP200-independent manner. AMDE-1-induced LC3 lipidation was colocalized with the Golgi complex, and was inhibited by the disturbance of Golgi complex. The integrity of the Golgi complex was also required for multiple other agents to stimulate noncanonical LC3 lipidation. These results suggest that the Golgi complex may serve as a membrane platform for noncanonical autophagy where V-ATPase is a key player. V-ATPase inhibitors could be useful tools for studying noncanonical autophagy.
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    HAPPI-2: a Comprehensive and High-quality Map of Human Annotated and Predicted Protein Interactions
    (BioMed Central, 2017-02-17) Chen, Jake Y.; Pandey, Ragini; Nguyen, Thanh M.; Department of Biohealth Informatics, School of Informatics and Computing
    BACKGROUND: Human protein-protein interaction (PPI) data is essential to network and systems biology studies. PPI data can help biochemists hypothesize how proteins form complexes by binding to each other, how extracellular signals propagate through post-translational modification of de-activated signaling molecules, and how chemical reactions are coupled by enzymes involved in a complex biological process. Our capability to develop good public database resources for human PPI data has a direct impact on the quality of future research on genome biology and medicine. RESULTS: The database of Human Annotated and Predicted Protein Interactions (HAPPI) version 2.0 is a major update to the original HAPPI 1.0 database. It contains 2,922,202 unique protein-protein interactions (PPI) linked by 23,060 human proteins, making it the most comprehensive database covering human PPI data today. These PPIs contain both physical/direct interactions and high-quality functional/indirect interactions. Compared with the HAPPI 1.0 database release, HAPPI database version 2.0 (HAPPI-2) represents a 485% of human PPI data coverage increase and a 73% protein coverage increase. The revamped HAPPI web portal provides users with a friendly search, curation, and data retrieval interface, allowing them to retrieve human PPIs and available annotation information on the interaction type, interaction quality, interacting partner drug targeting data, and disease information. The updated HAPPI-2 can be freely accessed by Academic users at http://discovery.informatics.uab.edu/HAPPI . CONCLUSIONS: While the underlying data for HAPPI-2 are integrated from a diverse data sources, the new HAPPI-2 release represents a good balance between data coverage and data quality of human PPIs, making it ideally suited for network biology.