The human RECQ1 helicase is highly expressed in glioblastoma and plays an important role in tumor cell proliferation.

BACKGROUND: RecQ helicases play an essential role in the maintenance of genome stability. In humans, loss of RecQ helicase function is linked with predisposition to cancer and/or premature ageing. Current data show that the specific depletion of the human RECQ1 helicase leads to mitotic catastrophe in cancer cells and inhibition of tumor growth in mice. RESULTS: Here, we show that RECQ1 is highly expressed in various types of solid tumors. However, only in the case of brain gliomas, the high expression of RECQ1 in glioblastoma tissues is paralleled by a lower expression in the control samples due to the poor expression of RECQ1 in non-dividing tissues. This conclusion is validated by immunohistochemical analysis of a tissue microarray containing 63 primary glioblastomas and 19 perilesional tissue samples, as control. We also show that acute depletion of RECQ1 by RNAi results in a significant reduction of cellular proliferation, perturbation of S-phase progression, and spontaneous γ-H2AX foci formation in T98G and U-87 glioblastoma cells. Moreover, RECQ1 depleted T98G and U-87 cells are hypersensitive to HU or temozolomide treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these results indicate that RECQ1 has a unique and important role in the maintenance of genome integrity. Our results also suggest that RECQ1 might represent a new suitable target for anti cancer therapies aimed to arrest cell proliferation in brain gliomas.

Role of the recognition helix of response regulator WalR from Bacillus anthracis in DNA binding and specificity.

WalRK two-component system of Bacillus anthracis potentially regulates multiple genes spanning diverse cellular functions. Its constituent response regulator (RR), WalR belongs to the OmpR/PhoB family which possesses a winged helix-turn-helix motif for DNA binding. An in silico knowledge based model of WalR C-terminal DNA binding domain in complex with its ftsE promoter region binding motif was used to identify specific residues of the recognition helix important for DNA binding. The model was validated by mutagenesis in conjunction with in vitro DNA binding analysis. The ftsE promoter region DNA binding motif was also varied. Optimal binding of WalR to DNA required the presence of both half-sites in its binding motif. Substitution of invariant bases of WalR DNA binding motif abrogated the binding whereas changes at variable motif positions governed affinity. D199 was not in direct contact with the DNA but its substitution modified the WalR-DNA specificity indicating the importance of contact avoidance by this residue for DNA specificity. This represents the first in-depth study of RR-DNA interaction from B. anthracis.

Inhibition of chikungunya virus by picolinate that targets viral capsid protein.

The protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of the transmembrane glycoprotein E2 with the hydrophobic pocket on the surface of capsid protein (CP) plays a critical role in alphavirus life cycle. Dioxane based derivatives targeting PPIs have been reported to possess antiviral activity against Sindbis Virus (SINV), the prototype alphavirus. In this study, the binding of picolinic acid (PCA) to the conserved hydrophobic pocket of capsid protein was analyzed by molecular docking, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and fluorescence spectroscopy. The binding constant KD obtained for PCA was 2.1×10(-7)M. Additionally, PCA significantly inhibited CHIKV replication in infected Vero cells, decreasing viral mRNA and viral load as assessed by qRT-PCR and plaque reduction assay, respectively. This study is suggestive of the potential of pyridine ring compounds as antivirals against alphaviruses and may serve as the basis for the development of PCA based drugs against alphaviral diseases.