Inhibitor screening for volume-sensitive LRRC8A chloride channel.

Leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 8 A (LRRC8A) protein is a critical member of volume-regulated anion channels. It plays a critical roles in the regulation of cellular volume and involves in the development of diseases like osteoarthritis. Screening of lead compounds to modulate its function may provide potential therapeutics of related diseases. Here, we employ virtual screening techniques and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to screen potential inhibitors against LRRC8A. LRRC8A was regarded as the drug target to investigate potential compounds from the ZINC15 database via molecular docking. The final compound was selected among the top 10 Autodock Vina score (-8.8 Kcal/mol) with the ZINC ID ZINC000018195627 after druggability prediction. The docked complex from the virtual screening was subjected to MD simulation to analyze the stability of the LRRC8A protein-ligand complex, with parameters including root mean square deviation, root mean square fluctuation and radius of gyration. Molecular Mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM/PBSA) method was further employed to predict the binding free energies from MD simulation trajectory. Our study provides insightful analysis for the potential compound to modulate LRRC8A and lay the foundation of therapeutics development against osteoarthritis.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Applications and prospects of cryo-EM in drug discovery.

Drug discovery is a crucial part of human healthcare and has dramatically benefited human lifespan and life quality in recent centuries, however, it is usually time- and effort-consuming. Structural biology has been demonstrated as a powerful tool to accelerate drug development. Among different techniques, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is emerging as the mainstream of structure determination of biomacromolecules in the past decade and has received increasing attention from the pharmaceutical industry. Although cryo-EM still has limitations in resolution, speed and throughput, a growing number of innovative drugs are being developed with the help of cryo-EM. Here, we aim to provide an overview of how cryo-EM techniques are applied to facilitate drug discovery. The development and typical workflow of cryo-EM technique will be briefly introduced, followed by its specific applications in structure-based drug design, fragment-based drug discovery, proteolysis targeting chimeras, antibody drug development and drug repurposing. Besides cryo-EM, drug discovery innovation usually involves other state-of-the-art techniques such as artificial intelligence (AI), which is increasingly active in diverse areas. The combination of cryo-EM and AI provides an opportunity to minimize limitations of cryo-EM such as automation, throughput and interpretation of medium-resolution maps, and tends to be the new direction of future development of cryo-EM. The rapid development of cryo-EM will make it as an indispensable part of modern drug discovery.

Organizing Enzymes on Self-Assembled Protein Cages for Cascade Reactions.

Cells use self-assembled biomaterials such as lipid membranes or proteinaceous shells to coordinate thousands of reactions that simultaneously take place within crowded spaces. However, mimicking such spatial organization for synthetic applications in engineered systems remains a challenge, resulting in inferior catalytic efficiency. In this work, we show that protein cages as an ideal scaffold to organize enzymes to enhance cascade reactions both in vitro and in living cells. We demonstrate that not only enzyme-enzyme distance but also the improved Km value contribute to the enhanced reaction rate of cascade reactions. Three sequential enzymes for lycopene biosynthesis have been co-localized on the exterior of the engineered protein cages in Escherichia coli, leading to an 8.5-fold increase of lycopene production by streamlining metabolic flux towards its biosynthesis. This versatile system offers a powerful tool to achieve enzyme spatial organization for broad applications in biocatalysis.

Cryo-EM Structure and Activator Screening of Human Tryptophan Hydroxylase 2.

Human tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of serotonin. Its dysfunction has been implicated in various psychiatric disorders such as depression, autism, and bipolar disorder. TPH2 is typically decreased in stability and catalytic activity in patients; thus, screening of molecules capable of binding and stabilizing the structure of TPH2 in activated conformation is desired for drug development in mental disorder treatment. Here, we solved the 3.0 Å cryo-EM structure of the TPH2 tetramer. Then, based on the structure, we conducted allosteric site prediction and small-molecule activator screening to the obtained cavity. ZINC000068568685 was successfully selected as the best candidate with highest binding affinity. To better understand the driving forces and binding stability of the complex, we performed molecular dynamics simulation, which indicates that ZINC000068568685 has great potential to stabilize the folding of the TPH2 tetramer to facilitate its activity. The research might shed light on the development of novel drugs targeting TPH2 for the treatment of psychological disorders.

Measles epidemiology and viral nucleoprotein gene evolution in Shandong Province, China.

Measles, caused by measles virus (MeV), has not been eradicated in many regions and countries, threatening human health. Thus, it is beneficial for measles elimination to understand measles epidemiology and molecular evolution of key viral genes, such as nucleoprotein (N) gene. Based on public data, measles epidemiological information and MeV N gene sequences reported in Shandong Province, China were comprehensively collected and systematically analyzed. The results showed a positive correlation between population density and measles incidence (r = +0.31), while negative correlations were found between measles incidence and healthcare condition (r = -0.21) as well as average routine vaccination rate (r = -0.11). Additionally, the predominant lineage of MeV in Shandong was formed by genotype H1 strains, and the time of the most recent common ancestor of the N gene of MeV genotype H1 in Shandong traced back to 1987 (95% highest posterior density, 1984-1990) with relatively rapid evolution (mean rate, 1.267 × 10-3 substitutions/site/year). The genetic diversity of MeV N gene increased with the substantial emergence of major divergent clades of genotype H1 before 2005 and then remained relatively high and stable. In summary, these findings provided a significant insight into the measles elimination.

Mitogenomics, Phylogeny and Morphology Reveal Ophiocordyceps pingbianensis Sp. Nov., an Entomopathogenic Fungus from China.

The new entomopathogenic fungus Ophiocordyceps pingbianensis, collected from Southeast China, was described by mitogenomic, morphological, and phylogenetic evidence. The systematic position of O. pingbianensis was determined by phylogenetic analyses based on six nuclear gene (ITS, tef1-α, nrSSU, nrLSU, rpb1 and rpb2) and 14 mitochondrial protein-coding gene (PCGs) (cox1, cox2, cox3, atp6, atp8, atp9, cob, nad1, nad2, nad3, nad4, nad5, nad6 and nad4L) data. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that O. pingbianensis was belonged to the Hirsutella nodulosa clade in the genus Ophiocordyceps of Ophiocordycipiaceae. This fungus exhibits distinctive characteristics which differed from other related Ophiocordyceps species with slender and geminate stromata, monophialidic conidiogenous cells with an inflated awl-shaped base, a twisty and warty phialide neck and a fusiform or oval conidia, as well as being found on a tiger beetle of Coleoptera buried in moss at the cave. The complete mitochondrial genome of O. pingbianensis was a circular DNA molecule 80,359 bp in length, containing 15 PCGs, 24 open reading frames genes (ORFs), 25 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs) and 27 introns. Ophiocordyceps pingbianensis, containing 27 introns, has the second largest mitogenome in Ophiocordycipiaceae and was next to O. sinensis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the mitogenome from a new entomopathogenic fungus, and thus provides an important foundation for future studies on taxonomy, genetics and evolutionary biology of Ophiocordycipiaceae.

Comparative Analysis of Mitochondrial Genome Features among Four Clonostachys Species and Insight into Their Systematic Positions in the Order Hypocreales.

The mycoparasite fungi of Clonostachys have contributed to the biological control of plant fungal disease and nematodes. The Clonostachys fungi strains were isolated from Ophiocordyceps highlandensis, Ophiocordycepsnigrolla and soil, which identified as Clonostachyscompactiuscula, Clonostachysrogersoniana, Clonostachyssolani and Clonostachys sp. To explore the evolutionary relationship between the mentioned species, the mitochondrial genomes of four Clonostachys species were sequenced and assembled. The four mitogenomes consisted of complete circular DNA molecules, with the total sizes ranging from 27,410 bp to 42,075 bp. The GC contents, GC skews and AT skews of the mitogenomes varied considerably. Mitogenomic synteny analysis indicated that these mitogenomes underwent gene rearrangements. Among the 15 protein-coding genes within the mitogenomes, the nad4L gene exhibited the least genetic distance, demonstrating a high degree of conservation. The selection pressure analysis of these 15 PCGs were all below 1, indicating that PCGs were subject to purifying selection. Based on protein-coding gene calculation of the significantly supported topologies, the four Clonostachys species were divided into a group in the phylogenetic tree. The results supplemented the database of mitogenomes in Hypocreales order, which might be a useful research tool to conduct a phylogenetic analysis of Clonostachys. Additionally, the suitable molecular marker was significant to study phylogenetic relationships in the Bionectriaceae family.

Complete mitochondrial genome of Cladosporium cladosporioides YFCC 8621 isolated from a salt mine in Yunnan, southwestern China.

Cladosporium cladosporioides is one of the most isolated species in the genus Cladosporium and has a wide medical and industrial usage. Here, we first report the complete mitogenome of C. cladosporioides based on the Illumina sequencing data. The circular mitogenome is 36,768 bp in length, containing 14 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA (rns and rnl) genes, 2 ORFs (ORF214 and ORF240), and a set of 28 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. The overall base composition is 35.7% A, 34.0% T(U), 15.3% C, 15.0% G, with a GC content of 30.3%. Phylogenetic analysis shows that C. cladosporioides is clustered in the order Capnodiales and is closely related to the congeneric species Cladosporium zixishanense of Cladosporiaceae.

Interface switch mediates signal transmission in a two-component system.

Two-component systems (TCS), which typically consist of a membrane-embedded histidine kinase and a cytoplasmic response regulator, are the dominant signaling proteins for transduction of environmental stimuli into cellular response pathways in prokaryotic cells. HptRSA is a recently identified TCS consisting of the G6P-associated sensor protein (HptA), transmembrane histidine kinase (HptS), and cytoplasmic effector (HptR). HptRSA mediates glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) uptake to support Staphylococcus aureus growth and multiplication within various host cells. How the mechanism by which HptRSA perceives G6P and triggers a downstream response has remained elusive. Here, we solved the HptA structures in apo and G6P-bound states. G6P binding in the cleft between two HptA domains caused a conformational closing movement. The solved structures of HptA in complex with the periplasmic domain of HptS showed that HptA interacts with HptS through both constitutive and switchable interfaces. The G6P-free form of HptA binds to the membrane-distal side of the HptS periplasmic domain (HptSp), resulting in a parallel conformation of the HptSp protomer pair. However, once HptA associates with G6P, its intramolecular domain closure switches the HptA-HptSp contact region into the membrane-proximal domain, which causes rotation and closure of the C termini of each HptSp protomer. Through biochemical and growth assays of HptA and HptS mutant variants, we proposed a distinct mechanism of interface switch-mediated signaling transduction. Our results provide mechanistic insights into bacterial nutrient sensing and expand our understanding of the activation modes by which TCS communicates external signals.

Effects of Recombinant AavLEA1 Protein on Human Umbilical Cord Matrix Mesenchymal Stem Cells Survival During Cryopreservation.

Recently, many studies have found that late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins could protect cells from drought, high salinity, and other stress conditions. Because LEA proteins maintain the integrity and stability of cell membranes, LEA proteins increase the cell's tolerance to dehydration stress, and reduce the osmotic and freezing damage during freezing. Whether LEA proteins could reduce cryopreservation damage and improve cell viability remains to be confirmed. In this study, we purified the recombinant AavLEA1 proteins, examined their thermal solubility and the effect of AavLEA1 proteins on the osmotic stress of cells, and studied the effects of the AavLEA1 protein on cryopreservation of human umbilical cord matrix mesenchymal stem cells (hUCM-MSCs). We utilized three concentrations of AavLEA1 protein (0.1, 0.5, and 2 mg/mL) to cryopreserve hUCM-MSCs and analyzed cell viability and apoptosis of MSCs after slow-cooling cryopreservation. We also examined the cryopreservation effect of AavLEA1 protein on hUCM-MSCs survival with 0%, 2%, 5%, and 10% (v/v) dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). We found that the survival rate of hUCM-MSCs supplemented with AavLEA1 protein was significantly higher than that of MSCs cryopreserved with low concentration of DMSO solution, and the apoptosis and necrosis rates were correspondingly reduced. In conclusion, recombinant AavLEA1 protein can improve the efficiency of MSC cryopreservation, increase the hUCM-MSCs viability, and partly replace DMSO during cryopreservation.

A newly identified photolyase from Arthrospira platensis possesses a unique methenyltetrahydrofolate chromophore-binding pattern.

Cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD), as a common DNA damage caused by UV radiation, often lead to skin cancer. Here, we identified a photolyase from the alga Arthrospira platensis (designated as Ap-phr), which has been regarded as a safe organism for humans for centuries, that can efficiently repair CPD lesions in ssDNA and dsDNA in vitro. The 1.6 Å resolution crystal structure of Ap-phr revealed that it possesses a unique methenyltetrahydrofolate chromophore-binding pattern with high energy transfer efficiency. Our study of Ap-phr highlights its potential use in cosmetic, industrial and aesthetic medicine applications.

Complete mitochondrial genome of Cladosporium zixishanense sp. nov. YFCC 8620 isolated from the spider in Yunnan, southwestern China.

The genus Cladosporium is one of the largest and most heterogeneous genera of hyphomycetes. However, little is known about its mitogenome. Here, we first report the complete mitogenome of Cladosporium based on the Illumina sequencing data of Cladosporium zixishanense sp. nov., which was isolated from the spider. The mitogenome of C. zixishanense is composed of a circular DNA molecule with the total length of 37,197 bp, which includes 14 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA (rns and rnl) genes, 2 ORFs (ORF199 and ORF138), and 26 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. The overall base composition is 34.7% A, 34.2% T(U), 15.6% C, 15.5% G, with a GC content of 31.1%. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that C. zixishanense is located in the order Capnodiales (Dothideomycetes) and forms a separate clade with strong statistical support.