Cryo-EM Structure of a Relaxase Reveals the Molecular Basis of DNA Unwinding during Bacterial Conjugation.

Relaxases play essential roles in conjugation, the main process by which bacteria exchange genetic material, notably antibiotic resistance genes. They are bifunctional enzymes containing a trans-esterase activity, which is responsible for nicking the DNA strand to be transferred and for covalent attachment to the resulting 5'-phosphate end, and a helicase activity, which is responsible for unwinding the DNA while it is being transported to a recipient cell. Here we show that these two activities are carried out by two conformers that can both load simultaneously on the origin of transfer DNA. We solve the structure of one of these conformers by cryo electron microscopy to near-atomic resolution, elucidating the molecular basis of helicase function by relaxases and revealing insights into the mechanistic events taking place in the cell prior to substrate transport during conjugation.

Helical ordering of envelope-associated proteins and glycoproteins in respiratory syncytial virus.

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes severe respiratory illness in children and the elderly. Here, using cryogenic electron microscopy and tomography combined with computational image analysis and three-dimensional reconstruction, we show that there is extensive helical ordering of the envelope-associated proteins and glycoproteins of RSV filamentous virions. We calculated a 16 Å resolution sub-tomogram average of the matrix protein (M) layer that forms an endoskeleton below the viral envelope. These data define a helical lattice of M-dimers, showing how M is oriented relative to the viral envelope. Glycoproteins that stud the viral envelope were also found to be helically ordered, a property that was coordinated by the M-layer. Furthermore, envelope glycoproteins clustered in pairs, a feature that may have implications for the conformation of fusion (F) glycoprotein epitopes that are the principal target for vaccine and monoclonal antibody development. We also report the presence, in authentic virus infections, of N-RNA rings packaged within RSV virions. These data provide molecular insight into the organisation of the virion and the mechanism of its assembly.

Strategies for picking membrane-associated particles within subtomogram averaging workflows.

Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) with subtomogram averaging (STA) has emerged as a key tool for determining macromolecular structure(s) in vitro and in situ. However, processing cryo-ET data with STA currently requires significant user expertise. Recent efforts have streamlined several steps in STA workflows; however, particle picking remains a time-consuming bottleneck for many projects and requires considerable user input. Here, we present several strategies for the time-efficient and accurate picking of membrane-associated particles using the COPII inner coat as a case study. We also discuss a range of particle cleaning solutions to remove both poor quality and false-positive particles from STA datasets. We provide a step-by-step guide and the necessary scripts for users to independently carry out the particle picking and cleaning strategies discussed.

Current data processing strategies for cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram averaging.

Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) can be used to reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) volumes, or tomograms, from a series of tilted two-dimensional images of biological objects in their near-native states in situ or in vitro. 3D subvolumes, or subtomograms, containing particles of interest can be extracted from tomograms, aligned, and averaged in a process called subtomogram averaging (STA). STA overcomes the low signal to noise ratio within the individual subtomograms to generate structures of the particle(s) of interest. In recent years, cryo-ET with STA has increasingly been capable of reaching subnanometer resolution due to improvements in microscope hardware and data processing strategies. There has also been an increase in the number and quality of software packages available to process cryo-ET data with STA. In this review, we describe and assess the data processing strategies available for cryo-ET data and highlight the recent software developments which have enabled the extraction of high-resolution information from cryo-ET datasets.

Botulinum neurotoxin C mutants reveal different effects of syntaxin or SNAP-25 proteolysis on neuromuscular transmission.

Botulinum neurotoxin serotype C (BoNT/C) is a neuroparalytic toxin associated with outbreaks of animal botulism, particularly in birds, and is the only BoNT known to cleave two different SNARE proteins, SNAP-25 and syntaxin. BoNT/C was shown to be a good substitute for BoNT/A1 in human dystonia therapy because of its long lasting effects and absence of neuromuscular damage. Two triple mutants of BoNT/C, namely BoNT/C S51T/R52N/N53P (BoNT/C α-51) and BoNT/C L200W/M221W/I226W (BoNT/C α-3W), were recently reported to selectively cleave syntaxin and have been used here to evaluate the individual contribution of SNAP-25 and syntaxin cleavage to the effect of BoNT/C in vivo. Although BoNT/C α-51 and BoNT/C α-3W toxins cleave syntaxin with similar efficiency, we unexpectedly found also cleavage of SNAP-25, although to a lesser extent than wild type BoNT/C. Interestingly, the BoNT/C mutants exhibit reduced lethality compared to wild type toxin, a result that correlated with their residual activity against SNAP-25. In spite of this, a local injection of BoNT/C α-51 persistently impairs neuromuscular junction activity. This is due to an initial phase in which SNAP-25 cleavage causes a complete blockade of neurotransmission, and to a second phase of incomplete impairment ascribable to syntaxin cleavage. Together, these results indicate that neuroparalysis of BoNT/C at the neuromuscular junction is due to SNAP-25 cleavage, while the proteolysis of syntaxin provides a substantial, but incomplete, neuromuscular impairment. In light of this evidence, we discuss a possible clinical use of BoNT/C α-51 as a botulinum neurotoxin endowed with a wide safety margin and a long lasting effect.

Fine details in complex environments: the power of cryo-electron tomography.

Cryo-electron tomography (CET) is uniquely suited to obtain structural information from a wide range of biological scales, integrating and bridging knowledge from molecules to cells. In particular, CET can be used to visualise molecular structures in their native environment. Depending on the experiment, a varying degree of resolutions can be achieved, with the first near-atomic molecular structures becoming recently available. The power of CET has increased significantly in the last 5 years, in parallel with improvements in cryo-EM hardware and software that have also benefited single-particle reconstruction techniques. In this review, we cover the typical CET pipeline, starting from sample preparation, to data collection and processing, and highlight in particular the recent developments that support structural biology in situ We provide some examples that highlight the importance of structure determination of molecules embedded within their native environment, and propose future directions to improve CET performance and accessibility.

Ablation of S1P3 receptor protects mouse soleus from age-related drop in muscle mass, force, and regenerative capacity.

We investigated the effects of S1P3 deficiency on the age-related atrophy, decline in force, and regenerative capacity of soleus muscle from 23-mo-old male (old) mice. Compared with muscle from 5-mo-old (adult) mice, soleus mass and muscle fiber cross-sectional area (CSA) in old wild-type mice were reduced by ~26% and 24%, respectively. By contrast, the mass and fiber CSA of soleus muscle in old S1P3-null mice were comparable to those of adult muscle. Moreover, in soleus muscle of wild-type mice, twitch and tetanic tensions diminished from adulthood to old age. A slowing of contractile properties was also observed in soleus from old wild-type mice. In S1P3-null mice, neither force nor the contractile properties of soleus changed during aging. We also evaluated the regenerative capacity of soleus in old S1P3-null mice by stimulating muscle regeneration through myotoxic injury. After 10 days of regeneration, the mean fiber CSA of soleus in old wild-type mice was significantly smaller (-28%) compared with that of regenerated muscle in adult mice. On the contrary, the mean fiber CSA of regenerated soleus in old S1P3-null mice was similar to that of muscle in adult mice. We conclude that in the absence of S1P3, soleus muscle is protected from the decrease in muscle mass and force, and the attenuation of regenerative capacity, all of which are typical characteristics of aging.

On the translocation of botulinum and tetanus neurotoxins across the membrane of acidic intracellular compartments.

Tetanus and botulinum neurotoxins are produced by anaerobic bacteria of the genus Clostridium and are the most poisonous toxins known, with 50% mouse lethal dose comprised within the range of 0.1-few nanograms per Kg, depending on the individual toxin. Botulinum neurotoxins are similarly toxic to humans and can therefore be considered for potential use in bioterrorism. At the same time, their neurospecificity and reversibility of action make them excellent therapeutics for a growing and heterogeneous number of human diseases that are characterized by a hyperactivity of peripheral nerve terminals. The complete crystallographic structure is available for some botulinum toxins, and reveals that they consist of four domains functionally related to the four steps of their mechanism of neuron intoxication: 1) binding to specific receptors of the presynaptic membrane; 2) internalization via endocytic vesicles; 3) translocation across the membrane of endocytic vesicles into the neuronal cytosol; 4) catalytic activity of the enzymatic moiety directed towards the SNARE proteins. Despite the many advances in understanding the structure-mechanism relationship of tetanus and botulinum neurotoxins, the molecular events involved in the translocation step have been only partially elucidated. Here we will review recent advances that have provided relevant insights on the process and discuss possible models that can be experimentally tested. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Pore-Forming Toxins edited by Mauro Dalla Serra and Franco Gambale.

Potential of non-contrast spiral breast CT to exploit lesion density and favor breast cancer detection: A pilot study.

PURPOSE: To assess the density values of breast lesions and breast tissue using non-contrast spiral breast CT (nc-SBCT) imaging. METHOD: In this prospective study women undergoing nc-SBCT between April-October 2023 for any purpose were included in case of: histologically proven malignant lesion (ML); fibroadenoma (FA) with histologic confirmation or stability > 24 months (retrospectively); cysts with ultrasound correlation; and women with extremely dense breast (EDB) and no sonographic findings. Three regions of interest were placed on each lesion and 3 different area of EDB. The evaluation was performed by two readers (R1 and R2). Kruskal-Wallis test, intraclass correlation (ICC) and ROC analysis were used. RESULTS: 40 women with 12 ML, 10 FA, 15 cysts and 9 with EDB were included. Median density values and interquartile ranges for R1 and R2 were: 60.2 (53.3-67.3) and 62.5 (55.67-76.3) HU for ML; 46.3 (41.9-59.5) and 44.5 (40.5-59.8) HU for FA; 35.3 (24.3-46.0) and 39.7 (26.7-52.0) HU for cysts; and 28.7 (24.2-33.0) and 33.3 (31.7-36.8) HU for EDB. For both readers, densities were significantly different for ML versus EDB (p < 0.001) and cysts (p < 0.001) and for FA versus EDB (p=/<0.003). The AUC was 0.925 (95 %CI 0.858-0.993) for R1 and 0.942 (0.884-1.00) for R2 when comparing ML versus others and 0.792 (0.596-0.987) and 0.833 (0.659-1) when comparing ML versus FA. The ICC showed an almost perfect inter-reader (0.978) and intra-reader agreement (>0.879 for both readers). CONCLUSIONS: In nc-SBCT malignant lesions have higher density values compared to normal tissue and measurements of density values are reproducible between different readers.

The small GTPase Sar1, control centre of COPII trafficking.

Sar1 is a small GTPase of the ARF family. Upon exchange of GDP for GTP, Sar1 associates with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane and recruits COPII components, orchestrating cargo concentration and membrane deformation. Many aspects of the role of Sar1 and regulation of its GTP cycle remain unclear, especially as complexity increases in higher organisms that secrete a wider range of cargoes. This review focusses on the regulation of GTP hydrolysis and its role in coat assembly, as well as the mechanism of Sar1-induced membrane deformation and scission. Finally, we highlight the additional specialisation in higher eukaryotes and the outstanding questions on how Sar1 functions are orchestrated.

Comparison and potential determinants of health-related quality of life among rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and spondyloarthritis: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare the health-related quality of life scores among rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and spondyloarthritis and to evaluate socio-demographic and clinical determinantes of quality of life across diseases. METHODS: The sample comprised 490 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 198 with psoriatic arthritis, and 119 with spondyloarthritis who completed a series of health examinations and self-reported questionnaires. Quality of life was evaluated using the Short-Form 36 Health Survey, disease activity by DAS28-CRP, DAPSA, and ASDAS-CRP (for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and spondyloarthritis, respectively), depression and anxiety using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. ANOVA was used to compare the quality of life dimensions and their physical and mental summary measures among rheumatic diseases, and multivariate analysis was used to explore their potential determinants. RESULTS: Rheumatoid arthritis had significantly worse scores than spondyloarthritis in the following dimensions: physical functioning, role limitation due to physical health, physical component score, and mental health. Psoriatic arthritis was not significantly different from the other two diseases. Multivariate analysis revealed that physical quality of life was mainly associated with disease activity across rheumatic diseases, rheumatological treatment and depression in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Mental quality of life is primarily associated with depression and anxiety across rheumatic diseases. CONCLUSION: There were differences in quality of life among patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, but overall, approximately uniform factors explained the variance in quality of life across diseases. Clinicians should develop general approaches and strategies for inflammatory rheumatic diseases to improve patients' quality of life.

A DARPin promotes faster onset of botulinum neurotoxin A1 action.

In this study, we characterize Designed Ankyrin Repeat Proteins (DARPins) as investigative tools to probe botulinum neurotoxin A1 (BoNT/A1) structure and function. We identify DARPin-F5 that completely blocks SNAP25 substrate cleavage by BoNT/A1 in vitro. X-ray crystallography reveals that DARPin-F5 inhibits BoNT/A1 activity by interacting with a substrate-binding region between the α- and ß-exosite. This DARPin does not block substrate cleavage of BoNT/A3, indicating that DARPin-F5 is a subtype-specific inhibitor. BoNT/A1 Glu-171 plays a critical role in the interaction with DARPin-F5 and its mutation to Asp, the residue found in BoNT/A3, results in a loss of inhibition of substrate cleavage. In contrast to the in vitro results, DARPin-F5 promotes faster substrate cleavage of BoNT/A1 in primary neurons and muscle tissue by increasing toxin translocation. Our findings could have important implications for the application of BoNT/A1 in therapeutic areas requiring faster onset of toxin action combined with long persistence.

Defective excitation-contraction coupling and mitochondrial respiration precede mitochondrial Ca2+ accumulation in spinobulbar muscular atrophy skeletal muscle.

Polyglutamine expansion in the androgen receptor (AR) causes spinobulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). Skeletal muscle is a primary site of toxicity; however, the current understanding of the early pathological processes that occur and how they unfold during disease progression remains limited. Using transgenic and knock-in mice and patient-derived muscle biopsies, we show that SBMA mice in the presymptomatic stage develop a respiratory defect matching defective expression of genes involved in excitation-contraction coupling (ECC), altered contraction dynamics, and increased fatigue. These processes are followed by stimulus-dependent accumulation of calcium into mitochondria and structural disorganization of the muscle triads. Deregulation of expression of ECC genes is concomitant with sexual maturity and androgen raise in the serum. Consistent with the androgen-dependent nature of these alterations, surgical castration and AR silencing alleviate the early and late pathological processes. These observations show that ECC deregulation and defective mitochondrial respiration are early but reversible events followed by altered muscle force, calcium dyshomeostasis, and dismantling of triad structure.

In silico reconstitution of DNA replication. Lessons from single-molecule imaging and cryo-tomography applied to single-particle cryo-EM.

DNA replication has been reconstituted in vitro with yeast proteins, and the minimal system requires the coordinated assembly of 16 distinct replication factors, consisting of 42 polypeptides. To understand the molecular interplay between these factors at the single residue level, new structural biology tools are being developed. Inspired by advances in single-molecule fluorescence imaging and cryo-tomography, novel single-particle cryo-EM experiments have been used to characterise the structural mechanism for the loading of the replicative helicase. Here, we discuss how in silico reconstitution of single-particle cryo-EM data can help describe dynamic systems that are difficult to approach with conventional three-dimensional classification tools.

Comparable long-term retention rates and effects on bone mineral density of denosumab treatment in patients with osteoporosis with or without autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases: real-life data.

Objectives: To investigate whether concomitant autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRDs) represent a risk factor for denosumab discontinuation and to explore other possible predictors. Design: This is a real-life retrospective study conducted at our centre on consecutive patients who started treatment with denosumab from January 2014 to October 2021. Methods: Data on patients' characteristics, denosumab prescriptions and reason for discontinuation were collected from their medical electronic records. A log-rank test was run to assess differences in the denosumab retention rate between the not AIIRD and AIIRD patients. A backward stepwise logistic regression was used to identify possible predictors of denosumab discontinuation. When available, BMD data of the lumbar spine and total hip were collected. Results: Three hundred and sixty-three patients were included (265 not AIIRD and 98 AIIRD; median follow-up, 44 months). Sixty-nine patients discontinued denosumab at any time point (4 due to patient's decision, 3 due to medical decision, 62 were lost in follow-up). The log-rank test did not find a statistically significant difference for denosumab persistence between the two subgroups. In the binary logistic regression analysis, only older age at initiation and lower baseline serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D were confirmed as predictors for discontinuation. BMD significantly increased from baseline to the last prescription visit at both the lumbar spine and the total hip, without statistically significant differences in the not AIIRD and AIIRD patients. Conclusion: The present data seem to suggest that AIIRDs do not represent a risk factor for denosumab discontinuation. Furthermore, the presence of AIIRDs does not seem to impair its effectiveness in terms of BMD.