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1.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 120(11): e2214556120, 2023 03 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36888664

ABSTRACT

Computationally designed protein nanoparticles have recently emerged as a promising platform for the development of new vaccines and biologics. For many applications, secretion of designed nanoparticles from eukaryotic cells would be advantageous, but in practice, they often secrete poorly. Here we show that designed hydrophobic interfaces that drive nanoparticle assembly are often predicted to form cryptic transmembrane domains, suggesting that interaction with the membrane insertion machinery could limit efficient secretion. We develop a general computational protocol, the Degreaser, to design away cryptic transmembrane domains without sacrificing protein stability. The retroactive application of the Degreaser to previously designed nanoparticle components and nanoparticles considerably improves secretion, and modular integration of the Degreaser into design pipelines results in new nanoparticles that secrete as robustly as naturally occurring protein assemblies. Both the Degreaser protocol and the nanoparticles we describe may be broadly useful in biotechnological applications.


Subject(s)
Nanoparticles , Vaccines , Proteins , Nanoparticles/chemistry
2.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 118(38)2021 09 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34493582

ABSTRACT

Global containment of COVID-19 still requires accessible and affordable vaccines for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Recently approved vaccines provide needed interventions, albeit at prices that may limit their global access. Subunit vaccines based on recombinant proteins are suited for large-volume microbial manufacturing to yield billions of doses annually, minimizing their manufacturing cost. These types of vaccines are well-established, proven interventions with multiple safe and efficacious commercial examples. Many vaccine candidates of this type for SARS-CoV-2 rely on sequences containing the receptor-binding domain (RBD), which mediates viral entry to cells via ACE2. Here we report an engineered sequence variant of RBD that exhibits high-yield manufacturability, high-affinity binding to ACE2, and enhanced immunogenicity after a single dose in mice compared to the Wuhan-Hu-1 variant used in current vaccines. Antibodies raised against the engineered protein exhibited heterotypic binding to the RBD from two recently reported SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (501Y.V1/V2). Presentation of the engineered RBD on a designed virus-like particle (VLP) also reduced weight loss in hamsters upon viral challenge.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines/immunology , COVID-19/prevention & control , Protein Engineering/methods , SARS-CoV-2/metabolism , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/genetics , Animals , Antibodies, Viral/immunology , Antigens, Viral , Binding Sites , COVID-19/virology , COVID-19 Vaccines/economics , Humans , Immunogenicity, Vaccine , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Models, Molecular , Protein Binding , Protein Conformation , Saccharomycetales/metabolism , Vaccines, Subunit
3.
Inorg Chem ; 61(8): 3368-3373, 2022 Feb 28.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35164505

ABSTRACT

Solar-initiated CO2 reduction is significant for green energy development. Herein, we have prepared a new mesoporous/microporous porphyrin metal-organic framework (MOF), IHEP-20, loaded with polymetallic oxygen clusters (POMs) to form a composite material POMs@IHEP-20 for visible-light-driven photocatalytic CO2 reduction. The as-made composite material exhibits good stability in water from pH 0 to 11. After POMs were introduced to IHEP-20, they showed superior activity toward photocatalytic CO2 reduction with a CO production rate of 970 µmol·g-1·h-1, which is 3.27 times higher than that of pristine IHEP-20. This study opens a new door for the design and synthesis of high-performance catalysts for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2.

4.
Inorg Chem ; 61(7): 3058-3071, 2022 Feb 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35130695

ABSTRACT

The propensity of uranyl for hydrolysis in aqueous environments prevents precise control of uranyl species in the scenarios of on-demand separation and tailored synthesis. Herein, using cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) as the macrocyclic molecule and 4,4'-bipyridine-N,N'-dioxide (DPO) as the string molecule, we propose a new kind of multidentate pseudorotaxane ligand, DPO@CB[7] for capturing uranyl species at different pH's. With the aprotic nature of DPO for metal coordination, the coordination ability of the DPO@CB[7] ligand is less affected by pH and can work in a wide range of pH's. Furthermore, by adaptive uranyl coordination, this aprotic pseudorotaxane ligand achieves effective recognition for different uranyl species ranging from monomeric to tetrameric originating from hydrolysis at varying pH's, and four novel uranyl-rotaxane compounds (URC1-4) are successfully obtained. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the DPO@CB[7] ligand coordinates with uranyl centers from monomeric to tetrameric in four different modes, as a result of structural flexibility of the DPO@CB[7] pseudorotaxane ligand. A detailed discussion for conformation flexibility of the DPO@CB[7] ligand has been conducted on the position changes of the DPO ligand trapped in the CB[7], which thus reveals good adaptivity of DPO@CB[7] that is noncovalently bonded as a supramolecular motif. In addition, characterization of the physicochemical properties of URC1 and URC2 with high phase purity, including powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and luminescence properties, are also provided. This work provides a good case of an adaptive pseudorotaxane ligand for the recognition and capture of different uranyl species and will bring valuable hints to the design of multifunctional supramolecular ligands for actinide separation in the future.

5.
BMC Cardiovasc Disord ; 22(1): 331, 2022 07 25.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35879670

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Sleep apnea is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) but it is underdiagnosed. Whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is correlated with thrombotic risk in AF remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to analyze the clinical characteristics and assess the thrombotic risk of AF with OSA. METHODS: In the present registry study,1990 consecutive patients with AF from 20 centers were enrolled. The patients were divided into 2 groups depending on whether they presented with both AF and OSA. All the patients were followed up for 1 year to evaluate the incidences of stroke and non-central nervous system (CNS) embolism. RESULTS: Of the 1990 AF patients, 70 (3.5%) and 1920 (96.5%) patients were in the OSA group and non-OSA group, respectively. The results of the multivariate logistic model analysis showed that male sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking, and major bleeding history were independent risk factors for patients with AF and OSA. The comparison of the Kaplan-Meier curves using the log-rank test revealed that AF with OSA was correlated with an increased risk of non-CNS embolism (p < 0.01). After multivariate adjustments were performed, OSA remained an independent risk factor for non-CNS embolism (HR 5.42, 95% CI 1.34-22.01, p = 0.02), but was not correlated with the risk of stroke in patients with AF. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed that male sex, high BMI values, smoking, and major bleeding history were independent risk factors for patients with AF and OSA. Moreover, OSA was an independent risk factor for non-CNS embolism in AF. Our results indicate that non-CNS embolism requires focus in patients with AF and OSA.


Subject(s)
Atrial Fibrillation , Sleep Apnea, Obstructive , Stroke , Thrombosis , Atrial Fibrillation/diagnosis , Atrial Fibrillation/epidemiology , Humans , Male , Registries , Risk Factors , Sleep Apnea, Obstructive/complications , Sleep Apnea, Obstructive/diagnosis , Sleep Apnea, Obstructive/epidemiology , Stroke/diagnosis , Stroke/epidemiology , Stroke/etiology , Thrombosis/complications
6.
Chemistry ; 27(34): 8730-8736, 2021 Jun 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33872429

ABSTRACT

We present here the synthesis of a novel fluorescent actinide polyrotaxane compound URCP1 through the utilization of an end-cutting pseudorotaxane precursor with only the cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) macrocyclic components acting as linking struts. The non-coordinating guest motif in the obtained polyrotaxane, with increased freedom and structural flexibility, can display intriguing temperature-triggered conformational variations inside the cavity of CB[6], which was clearly evidenced by crystallographic snapshots at different temperatures. Notably, this observation of temperature-triggered structural dynamics in URCP1 represents the first report of actinide polyrotaxane with such feature in solid-state. Moreover, URCP1 has a high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 49.8 %, comparable to other luminescent uranyl compounds, and can work as a fluorescent probe to selectively detect Fe3+ over other eight competing cations in aqueous solution, with the limit of detection being as low as 4.4×10-3  ppm.

7.
Nat Chem Biol ; 14(5): 489-496, 2018 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29581582

ABSTRACT

ClC chloride channels and transporters are important for chloride homeostasis in species from bacteria to human. Mutations in ClC proteins cause genetically inherited diseases, some of which are likely to involve folding defects. The ClC proteins present a challenging and unusual biological folding problem because they are large membrane proteins possessing a complex architecture, with many reentrant helices that go only partway through membrane and loop back out. Here we were able to examine the unfolding of the Escherichia coli ClC transporter, ClC-ec1, using single-molecule forced unfolding methods. We found that the protein could be separated into two stable halves that unfolded independently. The independence of the two domains is consistent with an evolutionary model in which the two halves arose from independently folding subunits that later fused together. Maintaining smaller folding domains of lesser complexity within large membrane proteins may be an advantageous strategy to avoid misfolding traps.


Subject(s)
Chloride Channels/chemistry , Chlorides/chemistry , Escherichia coli/chemistry , DNA/chemistry , Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine/chemistry , Escherichia coli/genetics , Escherichia coli Proteins/chemistry , Evolution, Molecular , Humans , Membrane Transport Proteins/chemistry , Molecular Dynamics Simulation , Mutation , Plasmids , Protein Denaturation , Protein Domains , Protein Folding , Protein Multimerization , Protein Structure, Secondary
8.
Neurogenetics ; 19(1): 9-16, 2018 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29130122

ABSTRACT

ARHGEF9 resides on Xq11.1 and encodes collybistin, which is crucial in gephyrin clustering and GABAA receptor localization. ARHGEF9 mutations have been identified in patients with heterogeneous phenotypes, including epilepsy of variable severity and intellectual disability. However, the mechanism underlying phenotype variation is unknown. Using next-generation sequencing, we identified a novel mutation, c.868C > T/p.R290C, which co-segregated with epileptic encephalopathy, and validated its association with epileptic encephalopathy. Further analysis revealed that all ARHGEF9 mutations were associated with intellectual disability, suggesting its critical role in psychomotor development. Three missense mutations in the PH domain were not associated with epilepsy, suggesting that the co-occurrence of epilepsy depends on the affected functional domains. Missense mutations with severe molecular alteration in the DH domain, or located in the DH-gephyrin binding region, or adjacent to the SH3-NL2 binding site were associated with severe epilepsy, implying that the clinical severity was potentially determined by alteration of molecular structure and location of mutations. Male patients with ARHGEF9 mutations presented more severe phenotypes than female patients, which suggests a gene-dose effect and supports the pathogenic role of ARHGEF9 mutations. This study highlights the role of molecular alteration in phenotype expression and facilitates evaluation of the pathogenicity of ARHGEF9 mutations in clinical practice.


Subject(s)
Biological Variation, Population , Epilepsy/genetics , Intellectual Disability/genetics , Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors/genetics , Adult , Child , Epilepsy/complications , Female , Genotype , Humans , Intellectual Disability/complications , Male , Mutation, Missense , Phenotype , Protein Domains , Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors/chemistry , Young Adult
9.
Clin Chem Lab Med ; 52(6): 927-33, 2014 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24421215

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Coagulation abnormalities may have a major impact on the outcome of sepsis in patients. This study aimed to explore the relationship between miRNA levels and coagulation disorders during sepsis. METHODS: Blood samples from 123 sepsis patients were collected on the day of admission and another 45 sepsis patients on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14 following admission to the intensive care unit. miR-223, miR-15a, miR-16, miR-122, miR-193b*, and miR-483-5p levels were evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Based on the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) score, sepsis patients were divided into coagulation abnormal (CA) group and coagulation normal (CN) group. RESULTS: Only the levels of miR-122 were significantly higher in CA patients than in CN patients (p<0.001). Serum levels of miR-122 were correlated to the serum activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) ratios (R=0.426, p=0.008) and the fibrinogen (FIB; R=0.398, p=0.008) and antithrombin III (R=0.913, p<0.001) levels. In addition, Pearson's correlation coefficients for alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) with miR-122 were 0.663 (p<0.001) and 0.445 (p=0.001), respectively. In the 45 patients, the miR-122 levels were significantly higher on day 1, 3, 7, and 10 in the CA group than in the CN group, and no difference in the ISTH-DIC scores was evident. CONCLUSIONS: Serum levels of miR-122 were correlated to the coagulation disorder in sepsis patients.


Subject(s)
Blood Coagulation Disorders/complications , MicroRNAs/blood , Sepsis/blood , Sepsis/complications , Adult , Blood Coagulation , Female , Gene Expression Regulation , Humans , Male , MicroRNAs/genetics , Middle Aged , Sepsis/genetics , Sepsis/physiopathology
10.
Biomed Pharmacother ; 173: 116406, 2024 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38460366

ABSTRACT

Sanguinarine is a quaternary ammonium benzophenanthine alkaloid found in traditional herbs such as Chelidonium, Corydalis, Sanguinarum, and Borovula. It has been proven to possess broad-spectrum biological activities, such as antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antiosteoporosis, neuroprotective, and antipathogenic microorganism activities. In this paper, recent progress on the biological activity and mechanism of action of sanguinarine and its derivatives over the past ten years is reviewed. The results showed that the biological activities of hematarginine and its derivatives are related mainly to the JAK/STAT, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, NF-κB, TGF-ß, MAPK and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathways. The limitations of using sanguinarine in clinical application are also discussed, and the research prospects of this subject are outlined. In general, sanguinarine, a natural medicine, has many pharmacological effects, but its toxicity and safety in clinical application still need to be further studied. This review provides useful information for the development of sanguinarine-based bioactive agents.


Subject(s)
Alkaloids , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism , Benzophenanthridines/pharmacology , Alkaloids/metabolism , Isoquinolines/pharmacology
11.
NPJ Vaccines ; 9(1): 120, 2024 Jun 26.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38926438

ABSTRACT

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with several malignancies, neurodegenerative disorders and is the causative agent of infectious mononucleosis. A vaccine that prevents EBV-driven morbidity and mortality remains an unmet need. EBV is orally transmitted, infecting both B cells and epithelial cells. Several virally encoded proteins are involved in entry. The gH/gL glycoprotein complex is essential for infectivity irrespective of cell type, while gp42 is essential for infection of B cells. gp350 promotes viral attachment by binding to CD21 or CD35 and is the most abundant glycoprotein on the virion. gH/gL, gp42 and gp350, are known targets of neutralizing antibodies and therefore relevant immunogens for vaccine development. Here, we developed and optimized the delivery of several alphavirus-derived replicon RNA (repRNA) vaccine candidates encoding gH/gL, gH/gL/gp42 or gp350 delivered by a cationic nanocarrier termed LION™. The lead candidate, encoding full-length gH/gL, elicited high titers of neutralizing antibodies that persisted for at least 8 months and a vaccine-specific CD8+ T cell response. Transfer of vaccine-elicited IgG protected humanized mice from EBV-driven tumor formation and death following high-dose viral challenge. These data demonstrate that LION/repRNA-gH/gL is an ideal candidate vaccine for preventing EBV infection and/or related malignancies in humans.

12.
Thromb Res ; 229: 243-251, 2023 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37591154

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The association between bleeding and subsequent major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) remains poorly characterized. We aimed to evaluate the impact of hemorrhagic events in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1877 consecutive patients with AF and ACS or undergoing PCI were prospectively recruited. The primary endpoint was MACCE, including all-cause death, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, systemic embolism or ischemia-driven revascularization during follow-up. Post-discharge bleeding was graded according to TIMI criteria. Associations between bleeding and subsequent MACCE were examined using time-dependent multivariate Cox regression after adjusting for baseline covariates and the time from bleeding. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 34.2 months, 341 (18.2 %) had TIMI major or minor bleeding events, of whom 86 (25.2 %) also experienced MACCE. The risk of MACCE was significantly higher in patients with bleeding than those without (8.85 % versus 6.99 % per patient-year; HR, 1.568, 95 % CI, 1.232-1.994). In patients who had both bleeding and MACCE, 65.1 % (56 of 86) bleeding events occurred first. Temporal gradients in MACCE risk after major bleeding was highest within 30 days (HRadj, 23.877; 95 % CI, 12.810-44.506) and remained significant beyond 1 year (HRadj, 3.640; 95 % CI, 1.278-10.366). Minor bleeding was associated with increased risk of MACCE within 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with AF and ACS or PCI, major and minor bleeding were associated with subsequent MACCE with time-dependency. Our findings may aid in better defining net clinical benefit of optimal antithrombotic therapy.


Subject(s)
Acute Coronary Syndrome , Atrial Fibrillation , Percutaneous Coronary Intervention , Humans , Atrial Fibrillation/complications , Acute Coronary Syndrome/complications , Aftercare , Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/adverse effects , Patient Discharge , Hemorrhage/etiology
13.
ACS Omega ; 8(9): 8894-8909, 2023 Mar 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36910938

ABSTRACT

As an aprotic O-donor ligand, 4,4'-bipyridine N,N'-dioxide (DPO) shows good potential for the preparation of uranyl coordination compounds. In this work, by regulating reactant compositions and synthesis conditions, diverse coordination assembly between uranyl and DPO under different reaction conditions was achieved in the presence of other coexisting O-donors. A total of ten uranyl-DPO compounds, U-DPO-1 to U-DPO-10, have been synthesized by evaporation or hydro/solvothermal treatment, and the possible competition and cooperation of DPO with other O-donors for the formation of these uranyl-DPO compounds are discussed. Starting with an aqueous solution of uranyl nitrate, it is found that an anionic nitrate or hydroxyl group is involved in the coordination sphere of uranyl in U-DPO-1 ((UO2)(NO3)2(H2O)2·(DPO)), U-DPO-2 ((UO2)(NO3)2(DPO)), and U-DPO-3 ((UO2)(DPO)(µ2-OH)2), where DPO takes three different kinds of coordination modes, i.e. uncoordinated, monodentate, and biconnected. The utilization of UO2(CF3SO3)2 in acetonitrile, instead of an aqueous solution of uranyl nitrate, precludes the participation of nitrate and hydroxyl, and ensures the engagement of DPO ligands (4-5 DPO ligands for each uranyl) in a uranyl coordination sphere of U-DPO-4 ([(UO2)(CF3SO3)(DPO)2](CF3SO3)), U-DPO-5 ([UO2(H2O)(DPO)2](CF3SO3)2) and U-DPO-6 ([(UO2)(DPO)2.5](CF3SO3)2). Moreover, when combined with anionic carboxylate ligands, terephthalic acid (H2TPA), isophthalic acid (H2IPA), and succinic acid (H2SA), DPO works well with them to produce four mixed-ligand uranyl compounds with similar structures of two-dimensional (2D) networks or three-dimensional (3D) frameworks, U-DPO-7 ((UO2)(TPA)(DPO)), U-DPO-8 ((UO2)2(DPO)(IPA)2·0.5H2O), U-DPO-9 ((UO2)(SA)(DPO)·H2O), and U-DPO-10 ((UO2)2(µ2-OH)(SA)1.5(DPO)). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations conducted to probe the bonding features between uranyl ions and different O-donor ligands show that the bonding ability of DPO is better than that of anionic CF3SO3 -, nitrate, and a neutral H2O molecule and comparable to that of an anionic carboxylate group. Characterization of physicochemical properties of U-DPO-7 and U-DPO-10 with high phase purity including infrared (IR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and luminescence properties is also provided.

14.
bioRxiv ; 2023 Oct 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37905007

ABSTRACT

Many naturally occurring protein assemblies have dynamic structures that allow them to perform specialized functions. For example, clathrin coats adopt a wide variety of architectures to adapt to vesicular cargos of various sizes. Although computational methods for designing novel self-assembling proteins have advanced substantially over the past decade, most existing methods focus on designing static structures with high accuracy. Here we characterize the structures of three distinct computationally designed protein assemblies that each form multiple unanticipated architectures, and identify flexibility in specific regions of the subunits of each assembly as the source of structural diversity. Cryo-EM single-particle reconstructions and native mass spectrometry showed that only two distinct architectures were observed in two of the three cases, while we obtained six cryo-EM reconstructions that likely represent a subset of the architectures present in solution in the third case. Structural modeling and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that the surprising observation of a defined range of architectures, instead of non-specific aggregation, can be explained by constrained flexibility within the building blocks. Our results suggest that deliberate use of structural flexibility as a design principle will allow exploration of previously inaccessible structural and functional space in designed protein assemblies.

15.
Front Mol Neurosci ; 15: 861159, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35620448

ABSTRACT

Objective: The PKD1 encodes polycystin-1, a large transmembrane protein that plays important roles in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cation transport. Previous studies have identified PKD1 mutations in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). However, the expression of PKD1 in the brain is much higher than that in the kidney. This study aimed to explore the association between PKD1 and epilepsy. Methods: Trios-based whole-exome sequencing was performed in a cohort of 314 patients with febrile seizures or epilepsy with antecedent febrile seizures. The damaging effects of variants was predicted by protein modeling and multiple in silico tools. The genotype-phenotype association of PKD1 mutations was systematically reviewed and analyzed. Results: Eight pairs of compound heterozygous missense variants in PKD1 were identified in eight unrelated patients. All patients suffered from febrile seizures or epilepsy with antecedent febrile seizures with favorable prognosis. All of the 16 heterozygous variants presented no or low allele frequencies in the gnomAD database, and presented statistically higher frequency in the case-cohort than that in controls. These missense variants were predicted to be damaging and/or affect hydrogen bonding or free energy stability of amino acids. Five patients showed generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS), who all had one of the paired missense mutations located in the PKD repeat domain, suggesting that mutations in the PKD domains were possibly associated with GTCS. Further analysis demonstrated that monoallelic mutations with haploinsufficiency of PKD1 potentially caused kidney disease, compound heterozygotes with superimposed effects of two missense mutations were associated with epilepsy, whereas the homozygotes with complete loss of PKD1 would be embryonically lethal. Conclusion: PKD1 gene was potentially a novel causative gene of epilepsy. The genotype-phenotype relationship of PKD1 mutations suggested a quantitative correlation between genetic impairment and phenotypic variation, which will facilitate the genetic diagnosis and management in patients with PKD1 mutations.

16.
Front Mol Neurosci ; 15: 828846, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35359575

ABSTRACT

Objective: Naturally occurring in-frame deletion is a unique type of genetic variations, causing the loss of one or more amino acids of proteins. A number of in-frame deletion variants in an epilepsy-associated gene SCN1A, encoding voltage gated sodium channel alpha unit 1.1 (Nav1.1), have been reported in public database. In contrast to the missense and truncation variants, the in-frame deletions in SCN1A remains largely uncharacterized. Methods: We summarized the basic information of forty-four SCN1A in-frame deletion variants and performed further analysis on six variants identified in our cases with epilepsy. Mutants of the six in-frame deletions and one truncating variant used as comparison were generated and co-transfected with beta-1 and -2 subunits in tsA201 cells, followed by patch clamp recordings. Results: Reviewing all the in-frame deletions showed that they spread over the entire Nav1.1 protein, without obvious "hot spots." The dominant type (54%) was single residue loss. There was no obvious relationship between the length or locations of deletions and their clinical phenotypes. The six in-frame deletions were two single residue deletions (p.M400del and p.I1772del), one microdeletion (p.S128_F130del) and three macrodeletions (p.T303_R322del, p.T160_Y202del, and p.V1335_V1428del). They scatter and affect different functional domains, including transmembrane helices, pore region, and P-loop. Electrophysiological recordings revealed no measurable sodium current in all of the six mutants. In contrast, the truncating mutant p.M1619Ifs*7 that loses a long stretch of peptides retains partial function. Significance: The complete loss-of-function in these shortened, abnormal mutants indicates that Nav1.1 protein is a highly accurate structure, and many of the residues have no redundancy to ion conductance. In-frame deletions caused particularly deleterious effect on protein function possibly due to the disruption of ordered residues.

17.
Cell Rep Med ; 3(6): 100658, 2022 06 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35705092

ABSTRACT

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a cancer-associated pathogen responsible for 165,000 deaths annually. EBV is also the etiological agent of infectious mononucleosis and is linked to multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, an EBV vaccine would have a significant global health impact. EBV is orally transmitted and has tropism for epithelial and B cells. Therefore, a vaccine would need to prevent infection of both in the oral cavity. Passive transfer of monoclonal antibodies against the gH/gL glycoprotein complex prevent experimental EBV infection in humanized mice and rhesus macaques, suggesting that gH/gL is an attractive vaccine candidate. Here, we evaluate the immunogenicity of several gH/gL nanoparticle vaccines. All display superior immunogenicity relative to monomeric gH/gL. A nanoparticle displaying 60 copies of gH/gL elicits antibodies that protect against lethal EBV challenge in humanized mice, whereas antibodies elicited by monomeric gH/gL do not. These data motivate further development of gH/gL nanoparticle vaccines for EBV.


Subject(s)
Epstein-Barr Virus Infections , Nanoparticles , Vaccines , Animals , Herpesvirus 4, Human , Immunization , Macaca mulatta , Mice
18.
Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online ; 67(Pt 4): o830, 2011 Apr 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21754114

ABSTRACT

In the title compound, C(27)H(30)O(6), also known as sofalcone, an anti-ulcer agent used for the protection of gastric mucosa-, the two benzene rings form a dihedral angle of 6.78 (11)°. Inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol-ecules into centrosymmetric dimers, which are further linked by weak C-H⋯O inter-actions into ribbons propagated in [2[Formula: see text]0]. Finally, π-π inter-actions between the benzene rings [centroid-centroid distance = 3.583 (13) Å] stabilize the crystal packing.

19.
Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online ; 67(Pt 1): o221, 2010 Dec 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21522720

ABSTRACT

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C(18)H(19)BrClNO(2)S, weak C-H⋯O inter-actions help to establish the packing.

20.
Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online ; 66(Pt 12): o3213, 2010 Nov 17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21589506

ABSTRACT

The mol-ecular packing of the title compound, C(17)H(17)Cl(2)NO(2)S, is stabilized by weak C-H⋯O and C-H⋯Cl inter-actions. The ester chain is almost planar with a mean deviation of 0.0605 Šand makes dihedral angles of 71.60 (4) and 74.70 (8)° with the benzene ring and the thio-phene ring, respectively. The benzene and thio-phene rings make a dihedral angle of 84.22 (7)°.

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