An allosteric HTRA1-calpain 2 complex with restricted activation profile.

SignificanceClassic serine proteases are synthesized as inactive precursors that are proteolytically processed, resulting in irreversible activation. We report an alternative and reversible mechanism of activation that is executed by an inactive protease. This mechanism involves a protein complex between the serine protease HTRA1 and the cysteine protease calpain 2. Surprisingly, activation is restricted as it improves the proteolysis of soluble tau protein but not the dissociation and degradation of its amyloid fibrils, a task that free HTRA1 is efficiently performing. These data exemplify a challenge for protein quality control proteases in the clearing of pathogenic fibrils and suggest a potential for unexpected side effects of chemical modulators targeting PDZ or other domains located at a distance to the active site.

Glycogen synthetase kinase 3 inhibition drives MIC-A/B to promote cytokine production by human natural killer cells in Dengue virus type 2 infection.

Dengue virus (DENV) is the most widespread arbovirus worldwide and is responsible for major outbreaks. The host's immune response plays a crucial role in controlling this infection but might also contribute to the promotion of viral spread and immunopathology. In response to DENV infection, NK cells preferentially produce cytokines and are cytotoxic in the presence of specific antibodies. Here, we identified that DENV-2 inhibits glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) activity to subsequently induce MHC class-1-related chain (MIC) A and MIC-B expression and IL-12 production in monocyte-derived DCs, independently of the STAT-3 pathway. The inhibition of GSK-3 by DENV-2 or small molecules induced MIC-A/B expression on monocyte-derived DCs, resulting in autologous NK cells of a specific increase in IFN-γ and TNF-α production, in the absence of direct cytotoxicity. Together, these findings identified GSK-3 as a regulator of MIC-A/B expression and suggested its role in DENV-2 infection to specifically induce cytokine production by NK cells.

Utilities for Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Proteins (UMSAP): Fast post-processing of mass spectrometry data.

RATIONALE: Mass spectrometry (MS) is an invaluable tool for the analysis of proteins. However, the sheer amount of data generated in MS studies demands dedicated data-processing tools that are efficient and require minimal user intervention. METHODS: Utilities for Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Proteins (UMSAP) is a graphical user interface designed for efficient post-processing of MS result files. The software is written in Tcl/Tk and can be used in Windows, OS X or Linux. No third party programs or libraries are required. Currently, UMSAP can process data obtained from proteolytic degradation experiments and generates graphical outputs allowing a straightforward interpretation of statistically relevant results. RESULTS: UMSAP is used here to analyze the proteolytic degradation of glycerophosphoryl diester phosphodiesterase GlpQ by the protein quality control protease DegP. Mass spectrometry was used to monitor proteolysis over time in the absence and presence of a peptidic allosteric activator of DegP. The software's output clearly shows the increased proteolytic activity of DegP in the presence of the activating peptide, identifies statistically significant products of the proteolysis and offers valuable insights into substrate specificity. CONCLUSIONS: Utilities for Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Proteins is an open-source software designed for efficient post-processing of large datasets obtained by MS analyses of proteins. In addition, the modular architecture of the software allows easy incorporation of new modules to analyze various experimental mass spectrometry setups.

Tailored Ahp-cyclodepsipeptides as Potent Non-covalent Serine Protease Inhibitors.

The S1 serine protease family is one of the largest and most biologically important protease families. Despite their biomedical significance, generic approaches to generate potent, class-specific, bioactive non-covalent inhibitors for these enzymes are still limited. In this work, we demonstrate that Ahp-cyclodepsipeptides represent a suitable scaffold for generating target-tailored inhibitors of serine proteases. For efficient synthetic access, we developed a practical mixed solid- and solution-phase synthesis that we validated through performing the first chemical synthesis of the two natural products Tasipeptin A and B. The suitability of the Ahp-cyclodepsipeptide scaffold for tailored inhibitor synthesis is showcased by the generation of the most potent human HTRA protease inhibitors to date. We anticipate that our approach may also be applied to other serine proteases, thus opening new avenues for a systematic discovery of serine protease inhibitors.

Control of acute dengue virus infection by natural killer cells.

Dengue fever is the most important arthropod-borne viral disease worldwide, affecting 50-100 million individuals annually. The clinical picture associated with acute dengue virus (DENV) infections ranges from classical febrile illness to life-threatening disease. The innate immunity is the first line of defense in the control of viral replication. This review will examine the particular role of natural killer (NK) cells in DENV infection. Over recent years, our understanding of the interplay between NK cells and viral pathogenesis has improved significantly. NK cells express an array of inhibitory and activating receptors that enable them to detect infected targets while sparing normal cells, and to recruit adaptive immune cells. To date, the exact mechanism by which NK cells may contribute to the control of DENV infection remains elusive. Importantly, DENV has acquired mechanisms to evade NK cell responses, further underlining the relevance of these cells in pathophysiology. Hence, understanding how NK cells affect the outcome of DENV infection could benefit the management of this acute disease.

Reduced erythrocyte deformability associated with hypoargininemia during Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

The mechanisms underlying reduced red blood cell (RBC) deformability during Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) malaria remain poorly understood. Here, we explore the possible involvement of the L-arginine and nitric oxide (NO) pathway on RBC deformability in Pf-infected patients and parasite cultures. RBC deformability was reduced during the acute attack (day0) and returned to normal values upon convalescence (day28). Day0 values correlated with plasma L-arginine levels (r = 0.69; p = 0.01) and weakly with parasitemia (r = -0.38; p = 0.006). In vitro, day0 patient's plasma incubated with ring-stage cultures at 41°C reduced RBC deformability, and this effect correlated strongly with plasma L-arginine levels (r = 0.89; p < 0.0001). Moreover, addition of exogenous L-arginine to the cultures increased deformability of both Pf-free and trophozoite-harboring RBCs. NO synthase activity, evidenced in Pf-infected RBCs, induced L-arginine-dependent NO production. These data show that hypoargininemia during P. falciparum malaria may altogether impair NO production and reduce RBC deformability, particularly at febrile temperature.

RabGEFs are a major determinant for specific Rab membrane targeting.

Eukaryotic cells critically depend on the correct regulation of intracellular vesicular trafficking to transport biological material. The Rab subfamily of small guanosine triphosphatases controls these processes by acting as a molecular on/off switch. To fulfill their function, active Rab proteins need to localize to intracellular membranes via posttranslationally attached geranylgeranyl lipids. Each member of the manifold Rab family localizes specifically to a distinct membrane, but it is unclear how this specific membrane recruitment is achieved. Here, we demonstrate that Rab-activating guanosine diphosphate/guanosine triphosphate exchange factors (GEFs) display the minimal targeting machinery for recruiting Rabs from the cytosol to the correct membrane using the Rab-GEF pairs Rab5A-Rabex-5, Rab1A-DrrA, and Rab8-Rabin8 as model systems. Specific mistargeting of Rabex-5/DrrA/Rabin8 to mitochondria led to catalytic recruitment of Rab5A/Rab1A/Rab8A in a time-dependent manner that required the catalytic activity of the GEF. Therefore, RabGEFs are major determinants for specific Rab membrane targeting.