Cross-platform proteomics signatures of extreme old age.

In previous work we used a Somalogic platform targeting approximately 5000 proteins to generate a serum protein signature of centenarians that we validated in independent studies that used the same technology. We set here to validate and possibly expand the results by profiling the serum proteome of a subset of individuals included in the original study using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Following pre-processing, the LC-MS/MS data provided quantification of 398 proteins, with only 266 proteins shared by both platforms. At 1% FDR statistical significance threshold, the analysis of LC-MS/MS data detected 44 proteins associated with extreme old age, including 23 of the original analysis. To identify proteins for which associations between expression and extreme-old age were conserved across platforms, we performed inter-study conservation testing of the 266 proteins quantified by both platforms using a method that accounts for the correlation between the results. From these tests, a total of 80 proteins reached 5% FDR statistical significance, and 26 of these proteins had concordant pattern of gene expression in whole blood. This signature of 80 proteins points to blood coagulation, IGF signaling, extracellular matrix (ECM) organization, and complement cascade as important pathways whose protein level changes provide evidence for age-related adjustments that distinguish centenarians from younger individuals.

Platform-Specific Fc N-Glycan Profiles of an Antisperm Antibody.

IgG Fc N-glycosylation is necessary for effector functions and is an important component of quality control. The choice of antibody manufacturing platform has the potential to significantly influence the Fc glycans of an antibody and consequently alter their activity and clinical profile. The Human Contraception Antibody (HCA) is an IgG1 antisperm monoclonal antibody (mAb) currently in clinical development as a novel, non-hormonal contraceptive. Part of its development is selecting a suitable expression platform to manufacture HCA for use in the female reproductive tract. Here, we compared the Fc glycosylation of HCA produced in two novel mAb manufacturing platforms, namely transgenic tobacco plants (Nicotiana benthamiana; HCA-N) and mRNA-mediated expression in human vaginal cells (HCAmRNA). The Fc N-glycan profiles of the two HCA products were determined using mass spectrometry. Major differences in site occupancy, glycan types, and glycoform distributions were revealed. To address how these differences affect Fc function, antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) assays were performed. The level of sperm phagocytosis was significantly lower in the presence of HCA-N than HCAmRNA. This study provides evidence that the two HCA manufacturing platforms produce functionally distinct HCAs; this information could be useful for the selection of an optimal platform for HCA clinical development and for mAbs in general.

Direct and Detailed Site-Specific Glycopeptide Characterization by Higher-Energy Electron-Activated Dissociation Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Glycosylation is widely recognized as the most complex post-translational modification due to the widespread presence of macro- and microheterogeneities, wherein its biological consequence is closely related to both the glycosylation sites and the glycan fine structures. Yet, efficient site-specific detailed glycan characterization remains a significant analytical challenge. Here, utilizing an Orbitrap-Omnitrap platform, higher-energy electron-activated dissociation (heExD) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) revealed extraordinary efficacy for the structural characterization of intact glycopeptides. HeExD produced extensive fragmentation within both the glycan and the peptide, including A-/B-/C-/Y-/Z-/X-ions from the glycan motif and a-/b-/c-/x-/y-/z-type peptide fragments (with or without the glycan). The intensity of cross-ring cleavage and backbone fragments retaining the intact glycan was highly dependent on the electron energy. Among the four electron energy levels investigated, electronic excitation dissociation (EED) provided the most comprehensive structural information, yielding a complete series of glycosidic fragments for accurate glycan topology determination, a wealth of cross-ring fragments for linkage definition, and the most extensive peptide backbone fragments for accurate peptide sequencing and glycosylation site localization. The glycan fragments observed in the EED spectrum correlated well with the fragmentation patterns observed in EED MS/MS of the released glycans. The advantages of EED over higher-energy collisional dissociation (HCD), stepped collision energy HCD (sceHCD), and electron-transfer/higher-energy collisional dissociation (EThcD) were demonstrated for the characterization of a glycopeptide bearing a biantennary disialylated glycan. EED can produce a complete peptide backbone and glycan sequence coverage even for doubly protonated precursors. The exceptional performance of heExD MS/MS, particularly EED MS/MS, in site-specific detailed glycan characterization on an Orbitrap-Omnitrap hybrid instrument presents a novel option for in-depth glycosylation analysis.

Calreticulin Regulates SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Turnover and Modulates SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity.

Cardiovascular complications are major clinical hallmarks of acute and post-acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the mechanistic details of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity of endothelial cells remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein shares a similarity with the proline-rich binding ena/VASP homology (EVH1) domain and identified the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident calreticulin (CALR) as an S-RBD interacting protein. Our biochemical analysis showed that CALR, via its proline-rich (P) domain, interacts with S-RBD and modulates proteostasis of the S protein. Treatment of cells with the proteasomal inhibitor bortezomib increased the expression of the S protein independent of CALR, whereas the lysosomal/autophagy inhibitor bafilomycin 1A, which interferes with the acidification of lysosome, selectively augmented the S protein levels in a CALR-dependent manner. More importantly, the shRNA-mediated knockdown of CALR increased SARS-CoV-2 infection and impaired calcium homeostasis of human endothelial cells. This study provides new insight into the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2, calcium hemostasis, and the role of CALR in the ER-lysosome-dependent proteolysis of the spike protein, which could be associated with cardiovascular complications in COVID-19 patients.

Defining the Ceramide Composition of Bovine and Human Milk Gangliosides by Direct Infusion ESI-CID Tandem Mass Spectrometry of Native and Permethylated Molecular Species.

Gangliosides are glycosphingolipids composed of an oligosaccharide that contains one or more sialic acid residues and is linked to a ceramide, a lipid composed of a long chain base (LCB) that bears an amide-linked fatty acyl group (FA). The ceramide portions of gangliosides are embedded in cell membranes; the exposed glycans interact with the extracellular environment. Gangliosides play a myriad of roles in activities such as cell-cell communication, formation of lipid rafts, cellular adhesion, calcium homeostasis, host-pathogen interaction, and viral invasion. Although the epitopes responsible for the interactions of gangliosides are located in the glycan, the epitope presentation is strongly influenced by the orientation of the attached ceramide within the lipid membrane, a feature that depends on the details of its structure, that is, the specific LCB and FA. Since the identities of both the glycan and the ceramide affect the activity of gangliosides, it is important to characterize the individual intact molecular forms. We report here a mass spectrometry-based method that combines the information gained from low-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) measurements for the determination of the glycan with tandem mass spectra obtained at stepped higher-energy CID for the detailed characterization of the LCB and FA components of intact gangliosides. We provide results from applications of this method to the analysis of gangliosides present in bovine and human milk in order to demonstrate the assignment of LCB and FA for intact gangliosides and differential detection of isomeric ceramide structures.

Correspondence on "Structural Insight into the Catalytic Mechanism of the Endoperoxide Synthase FtmOx1".

In their recent Angewandte Chemie publication (doi: 10.1002/anie.202112063), Cen, Wang, Zhou et al. reported the crystal structure of a ternary complex of the non-heme iron endoperoxidase FtmOx1 (PDB entry 7ETK). The biochemical data assessed in this study were from a retracted study (doi: 10.1038/nature15519) by Zhang, Liu, Zhang et al.; no additional biochemical data were included, yet there was no discussion on the source of the biochemical data in the report by Cen, Wang, Zhou et al. Based on this new crystal structure and subsequent QM/MM-MD calculations, Cen, Wang, Zhou et al. concluded that their work provided evidence supporting the CarC-like mechanistic model for FtmOx1 catalysis. However, the authors did not accurately describe either the CarC-like model or the COX-like model, and they did not address the differences between them. Further, and contrary to their interpretations in the manuscript, the authors' data are consistent with the COX-like model once the details of the CarC-like and COX-like models have been carefully analyzed.

Autoimmunity to synovial extracellular matrix proteins in patients with postinfectious Lyme arthritis.

BACKGROUNDAutoimmune diseases often have strong genetic associations with specific HLA-DR alleles. The synovial lesion in chronic inflammatory forms of arthritis shows marked upregulation of HLA-DR molecules, including in postinfectious Lyme arthritis (LA). However, the identity of HLA-DR-presented peptides, and therefore the reasons for these associations, has frequently remained elusive.METHODSUsing immunopeptidomics to detect HLA-DR-presented peptides from synovial tissue, we identified T cell epitopes from 3 extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in patients with postinfectious LA, identified potential Borreliella burgdorferi-mimic (Bb-mimic) epitopes, and characterized T and B cell responses to these peptides or proteins.RESULTSOf 24 postinfectious LA patients, 58% had CD4+ T cell responses to at least 1 epitope of 3 ECM proteins, fibronectin-1, laminin B2, and/or collagen Vα1, and 17% of 52 such patients had antibody responses to at least 1 of these proteins. Patients with autoreactive T cell responses had significantly increased frequencies of HLA-DRB1*04 or -DRB1*1501 alleles and more prolonged arthritis. When tetramer reagents were loaded with ECM or corresponding Bb-mimic peptides, binding was only with the autoreactive T cells. A high percentage of ECM-autoreactive CD4+ T cells in synovial fluid were T-bet-expressing Th1 cells, a small percentage were RoRγt-expressing Th17 cells, and a minimal percentage were FoxP3-expressing Tregs.CONCLUSIONAutoreactive, proinflammatory CD4+ T cells and autoantibodies develop to ECM proteins in a subgroup of postinfectious LA patients who have specific HLA-DR alleles. Rather than the traditional molecular mimicry model, we propose that epitope spreading provides the best explanation for this example of infection-induced autoimmunity.FUNDINGSupported by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases R01-AI101175, R01-AI144365, and F32-AI125764; National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases K01-AR062098 and T32-AR007258; NIH grants P41-GM104603, R24-GM134210, S10-RR020946, S10-OD010724, S10-OD021651, and S10-OD021728; and the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation, the Eshe Fund, and the Lyme Disease and Arthritis Research Fund at Massachusetts General Hospital.

De novo glycan sequencing by electronic excitation dissociation MS2-guided MS3 analysis on an Omnitrap-Orbitrap hybrid instrument.

Comprehensive de novo glycan sequencing remains an elusive goal due to the structural diversity and complexity of glycans. Present strategies employing collision-induced dissociation (CID) and higher energy collisional dissociation (HCD)-based multi-stage tandem mass spectrometry (MSn) or MS/MS combined with sequential exoglycosidase digestions are inherently low-throughput and difficult to automate. Compared to CID and HCD, electron transfer dissociation (ETD) and electron capture dissociation (ECD) each generate more cross-ring cleavages informative about linkage positions, but electronic excitation dissociation (EED) exceeds the information content of all other methods and is also applicable to analysis of singly charged precursors. Although EED can provide extensive glycan structural information in a single stage of MS/MS, its performance has largely been limited to FTICR MS, and thus it has not been widely adopted by the glycoscience research community. Here, the effective performance of EED MS/MS was demonstrated on a hybrid Orbitrap-Omnitrap QE-HF instrument, with high sensitivity, fragmentation efficiency, and analysis speed. In addition, a novel EED MS2-guided MS3 approach was developed for detailed glycan structural analysis. Automated topology reconstruction from MS2 and MS3 spectra could be achieved with a modified GlycoDeNovo software. We showed that the topology and linkage configurations of the Man9GlcNAc2 glycan can be accurately determined from first principles based on one EED MS2 and two CID-EED MS3 analyses, without reliance on biological knowledge, a structure database or a spectral library. The presented approach holds great promise for autonomous, comprehensive and de novo glycan sequencing.

Inactivation of Minar2 in mice hyperactivates mTOR signaling and results in obesity.

OBJECTIVE: Obesity is a complex disorder and is linked to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Major intrinsically disordered NOTCH2-associated receptor2 (MINAR2) is an understudied protein with an unknown role in obesity and metabolism. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Minar2 on adipose tissues and obesity. METHOD: We generated Minar2 knockout (KO) mice and used various molecular, proteomic, biochemical, histopathology, and cell culture studies to determine the pathophysiological role of Minar2 in adipocytes. RESULTS: We demonstrated that the inactivation of Minar2 results in increased body fat with hypertrophic adipocytes. Minar2 KO mice on a high-fat diet develop obesity and impaired glucose tolerance and metabolism. Mechanistically, Minar2 interacts with Raptor, a specific and essential component of mammalian TOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and inhibits mTOR activation. mTOR is hyperactivated in the adipocytes deficient for Minar2 and over-expression of Minar2 in HEK-293 cells inhibited mTOR activation and phosphorylation of mTORC1 substrates, including S6 kinase, and 4E-BP1. CONCLUSION: Our findings identified Minar2 as a novel physiological negative regulator of mTORC1 with a key role in obesity and metabolic disorders. Impaired expression or activation of MINAR2 could lead to obesity and obesity-associated diseases.

Heightened Proinflammatory Glycosylation of Borrelia burgdorferi IgG Antibodies in Synovial Fluid in Patients With Antibiotic-Refractory Lyme Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Terminal glycans on the Fc portion of IgG antibodies are critical for antibody-triggered, proinflammatory or antiinflammatory responses. We undertook this study to compare glycan profiles of total IgG1 and Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb)-specific IgG1 antibodies in patients with oral antibiotic-responsive or antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis (LA). METHODS: Following affinity-column processing, glycan profiles of IgG antibodies were determined in serum and synovial fluid (SF) samples of 21 LA patients using glycoblotting with hydrazide glycan enrichment and determination of glycan structure by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Correlations between glycan profiles and treatment outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with patients with antibiotic-refractory LA, those with antibiotic-responsive LA had total and Bb-specific IgG1 antibody glycans with less intense inflammatory profiles, containing lower percentages of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and bisecting GlcNAc and higher percentages of galactose and fucose. In contrast, patients with antibiotic-refractory LA prior to receiving IV antibiotic therapy had total IgG1 and Bb IgG1 antibodies with maximal, minimally opposed, proinflammatory glycan profiles, containing high percentages of GlcNAc and bisecting GlcNAc, intermediate percentages with galactose and fucose, and low percentages with N-acetylneuraminic acid (sialic acid). Patients with refractory LA who were first seen with synovitis after receiving IV antibiotic therapy still had Bb IgG1 antibodies with strongly inflammatory glycan profiles, but their inflammatory potential appeared to be waning. CONCLUSION: Patients with oral antibiotic-responsive LA had Bb IgG1 antibodies with more balanced proinflammatory/antiinflammatory glycan profiles, whereas patients with antibiotic-refractory LA had Bb IgG1 antibodies with maximal, minimally opposed, proinflammatory glycan profiles. Among patients with antibiotic-refractory LA, antibodies with this unbalanced inflammatory glycan profile may have a role in sustaining maladaptive joint inflammation.

Spindly is a nucleocytosolic O-fucosyltransferase in Dictyostelium and related proteins are widespread in protists and bacteria.

O-GlcNAcylation is a prominent modification of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins in animals and plants and is mediated by a single O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT). Spindly (Spy), a paralog of OGT first discovered in higher plants, has an ortholog in the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, and both enzymes are now recognized as O-fucosyltransferases (OFTs). Here we investigate the evolution of spy-like genes and experimentally confirm OFT activity in the social amoeba Dictyostelium-a protist that is more related to fungi and metazoa. Immunofluorescence probing with the fucose-specific Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL) and biochemical cell fractionation combined with western blotting suggested the occurrence of nucleocytoplasmic fucosylation. The absence of reactivity in mutants deleted in spy or gmd (unable to synthesize GDP-Fuc) suggested monofucosylation mediated by Spy. Genetic ablation of the modE locus, previously predicted to encode a GDP-fucose transporter, confirmed its necessity for fucosylation in the secretory pathway but not for the nucleocytoplasmic proteins. Affinity capture of these proteins combined with mass spectrometry confirmed monofucosylation of Ser and Thr residues of several known nucleocytoplasmic proteins. As in Toxoplasma, the Spy OFT was required for optimal proliferation of Dictyostelium under laboratory conditions. These findings support a new phylogenetic analysis of OGT and OFT evolution that indicates their occurrence in the last eukaryotic common ancestor but mostly complementary presence in its eukaryotic descendants with the notable exception that both occur in red algae and plants. Their generally exclusive expression, high degree of conservation, and shared monoglycosylation targets suggest overlapping roles in physiological regulation.

Dissecting the Mechanism of the Nonheme Iron Endoperoxidase FtmOx1 Using Substrate Analogues.

FtmOx1 is a nonheme iron (NHFe) endoperoxidase, catalyzing three disparate reactions, endoperoxidation, alcohol dehydrogenation, and dealkylation, under in vitro conditions; the diversity complicates its mechanistic studies. In this study, we use two substrate analogues to simplify the FtmOx1-catalyzed reaction to either a dealkylation or an alcohol dehydrogenation reaction for structure-function relationship analysis to address two key FtmOx1 mechanistic questions: (1) Y224 flipping in the proposed COX-like model vs α-ketoglutarate (αKG) rotation proposed in the CarC-like mechanistic model and (2) the involvement of a Y224 radical (COX-like model) or a Y68 radical (CarC-like model) in FtmOx1-catalysis. When 13-oxo-fumitremorgin B (7) is used as the substrate, FtmOx1-catalysis changes from the endoperoxidation to a hydroxylation reaction and leads to dealkylation. In addition, consistent with the dealkylation side-reaction in the COX-like model prediction, the X-ray structure of the FtmOx1•CoII•αKG•7 ternary complex reveals a flip of Y224 to an alternative conformation relative to the FtmOx1•FeII•αKG binary complex. Verruculogen (2) was used as a second substrate analogue to study the alcohol dehydrogenation reaction to examine the involvement of the Y224 radical or Y68 radical in FtmOx1-catalysis, and again, the results from the verruculogen reaction are more consistent with the COX-like model.

GlycoDeNovo2: An Improved MS/MS-Based De Novo Glycan Topology Reconstruction Algorithm.

Glycan structure identification is essential to understanding the roles of glycans in various biological processes. Previously, we developed GlycoDeNovo, a de novo algorithm for reconstructing glycan topologies from tandem mass spectra (MS/MS). In this work, we introduce GlycoDeNovo2 that contains two major improvements to GlycoDeNovo. First, we use the precursor mass measured for a peak that likely corresponds to a glycan to determine its potential compositions, which are used to constrain the search space, enable parallel computation, and hence speed up topology reconstruction. Second, we developed a procedure to calculate the empirical p-value of a reconstructed topology candidate. Experimental results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of GlycoDeNovo2.

Characterization of Glycoproteoforms of Integrins α2 and ß1 in Megakaryocytes in the Occurrence of JAK2V617F Mutation-Induced Primary Myelofibrosis.

Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a neoplasm prone to leukemic transformation, for which limited treatment is available. Among individuals diagnosed with PMF, the most prevalent mutation is the JAK2V617F somatic point mutation that activates the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) enzyme. Our earlier reports on hyperactivity of ß1 integrin and enhanced adhesion activity of the α2ß1 complex in JAK2V617F megakaryocytes (MKs) led us to examine the new hypothesis that this mutation leads to posttranslational modification via changes in glycosylation. Samples were derived from immunoprecipitation of MKs obtained from Vav1-hJAK2V617F and WT mice. Immunoprecipitated fractions were separated by SDS-PAGE and analyzed using LC-MS/MS techniques in a bottom-up glycoproteomics workflow. In the immunoprecipitate, glycopeptiforms corresponding to 11 out of the 12 potential N-glycosylation sites of integrin ß1 and to all nine potential glycosylation sites of integrin α2 were observed. Glycopeptiforms were compared across WT and JAK2V617F phenotypes for both integrins. The overall trend observed is that JAK2V617F mutation in PMF MKs leads to changes in ß1 glycosylation; in most cases, it results in an increase in the integrated area of glycopeptiforms. We also observed that in mutated MKs, changes in integrin α2 glycosylation were more substantial than those observed for integrin ß1 glycosylation, a finding that suggests that altered integrin α2 glycosylation may also affect activation. Additionally, the identification of proteins associated to the cytoskeleton that were co-immunoprecipitated with integrins α2 and ß1 demonstrated the potential of the methodology employed in this study to provide some insight, at the peptide level, into the consequences of integrin activation in MKs. The extensive and detailed glycosylation patterns we uncovered provide a basis for future functional studies of each site in control cells as compared to JAK2V617F-mutated cells. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD030550.

Extracellular vimentin is an attachment factor that facilitates SARS-CoV-2 entry into human endothelial cells.

SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells is a crucial step for virus tropism, transmission, and pathogenesis. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has been identified as the primary entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2; however, the possible involvement of other cellular components in the viral entry has not yet been fully elucidated. Here we describe the identification of vimentin (VIM), an intermediate filament protein widely expressed in cells of mesenchymal origin, as an important attachment factor for SARS-CoV-2 on human endothelial cells. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, we identified VIM as a protein that binds to the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. We showed that the S-protein receptor binding domain (RBD) is sufficient for S-protein interaction with VIM. Further analysis revealed that extracellular VIM binds to SARS-CoV-2 S-protein and facilitates SARS-CoV-2 infection, as determined by entry assays performed with pseudotyped viruses expressing S and with infectious SARS-CoV-2. Coexpression of VIM with ACE2 increased SARS-CoV-2 entry in HEK-293 cells, and shRNA-mediated knockdown of VIM significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 infection of human endothelial cells. Moreover, incubation of A549 cells expressing ACE2 with purified VIM increased pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2-S entry. CR3022 antibody, which recognizes a distinct epitope on SARS-CoV-2-S-RBD without interfering with the binding of the spike with ACE2, inhibited the binding of VIM with CoV-2 S-RBD, and neutralized viral entry in human endothelial cells, suggesting a key role for VIM in SARS-CoV-2 infection of endothelial cells. This work provides insight into the pathogenesis of COVID-19 linked to the vascular system, with implications for the development of therapeutics and vaccines.

Regulation of Pkc1 Hyper-Phosphorylation by Genotoxic Stress.

The cell wall integrity (CWI) signaling pathway is best known for its roles in cell wall biogenesis. However, it is also thought to participate in the response to genotoxic stress. The stress-activated protein kinase Mpk1 (Slt2, is activated by DNA damaging agents through an intracellular mechanism that does not involve the activation of upstream components of the CWI pathway. Additional observations suggest that protein kinase C (Pkc1), the top kinase in the CWI signaling cascade, also has a role in the response to genotoxic stress that is independent of its recognized function in the activation of Mpk1. Pkc1 undergoes hyper-phosphorylation specifically in response to genotoxic stress; we have found that this requires the DNA damage checkpoint kinases Mec1 (Mitosis Entry Checkpoint) and Tel1 (TELomere maintenance), but not their effector kinases. We demonstrate that the casein kinase 1 (CK1) ortholog, Hrr25 (HO and Radiation Repair), previously implicated in the DNA damage transcriptional response, associates with Pkc1 under conditions of genotoxic stress. We also found that the induced association of Hrr25 with Pkc1 requires Mec1 and Tel1, and that Hrr25 catalytic activity is required for Pkc1-hyperphosphorylation, thereby delineating a pathway from the checkpoint kinases to Pkc1. We used SILAC mass spectrometry to identify three residues within Pkc1 the phosphorylation of which was stimulated by genotoxic stress. We mutated these residues as well as a collection of 13 phosphorylation sites within the regulatory domain of Pkc1 that fit the consensus for CK1 sites. Mutation of the 13 Pkc1 phosphorylation sites blocked hyper-phosphorylation and diminished RNR3 (RiboNucleotide Reductase) basal expression and induction by genotoxic stress, suggesting that Pkc1 plays a role in the DNA damage transcriptional response.

The cell adhesion molecule TMIGD1 binds to moesin and regulates tubulin acetylation and cell migration.

BACKGROUND: The cell adhesion molecule transmembrane and immunoglobulin (Ig) domain containing1 (TMIGD1) is a novel tumor suppressor that plays important roles in regulating cell-cell adhesion, cell proliferation and cell cycle. However, the mechanisms of TMIGD1 signaling are not yet fully elucidated. RESULTS: TMIGD1 binds to the ERM family proteins moesin and ezrin, and an evolutionarily conserved RRKK motif on the carboxyl terminus of TMIGD1 mediates the interaction of TMIGD1 with the N-terminal ERM domains of moesin and ezrin. TMIGD1 governs the apical localization of moesin and ezrin, as the loss of TMIGD1 in mice altered apical localization of moesin and ezrin in epithelial cells. In cell culture, TMIGD1 inhibited moesin-induced filopodia-like protrusions and cell migration. More importantly, TMIGD1 stimulated the Lysine (K40) acetylation of α-tubulin and promoted mitotic spindle organization and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of moesin impaired the TMIGD1-mediated acetylation of α-tubulin and filamentous (F)-actin organization. CONCLUSIONS: TMIGD1 binds to moesin and ezrin, and regulates their cellular localization. Moesin plays critical roles in TMIGD1-dependent acetylation of α-tubulin, mitotic spindle organization and cell migration. Our findings offer a molecular framework for understanding the complex functional interplay between TMIGD1 and the ERM family proteins in the regulation of cell adhesion and mitotic spindle assembly, and have wide-ranging implications in physiological and pathological processes such as cancer progression.

CD209L/L-SIGN and CD209/DC-SIGN Act as Receptors for SARS-CoV-2.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, investigating the processes underlying the interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and its hosts is of high importance. Here, we report the identification of CD209L/L-SIGN and the related protein CD209/DC-SIGN as receptors capable of mediating SARS-CoV-2 entry into human cells. Immunofluorescence staining of human tissues revealed prominent expression of CD209L in the lung and kidney epithelia and endothelia. Multiple biochemical assays using a purified recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (S-RBD) or S1 encompassing both N termal domain and RBD and ectopically expressed CD209L and CD209 revealed that CD209L and CD209 interact with S-RBD. CD209L contains two N-glycosylation sequons, at sites N92 and N361, but we determined that only site N92 is occupied. Removal of the N-glycosylation at this site enhances the binding of S-RBD with CD209L. CD209L also interacts with ACE2, suggesting a role for heterodimerization of CD209L and ACE2 in SARS-CoV-2 entry and infection in cell types where both are present. Furthermore, we demonstrate that human endothelial cells are permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and interference with CD209L activity by a knockdown strategy or with soluble CD209L inhibits virus entry. Our observations demonstrate that CD209L and CD209 serve as alternative receptors for SARS-CoV-2 in disease-relevant cell types, including the vascular system. This property is particularly important in tissues where ACE2 has low expression or is absent and may have implications for antiviral drug development.

Identification of Novel, Immunogenic HLA-DR-Presented Prevotella copri Peptides in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: We previously identified HLA-DR-presented epitopes from a 27-kd protein of Prevotella copri (Pc) obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 1 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient. Herein, we sought to identify other HLA-DR-presented Pc peptides and source proteins in PBMCs from additional patients to better understand Pc immune responses and RA disease pathogenesis. METHODS: Using tandem mass spectrometry, we searched for HLA-DR-presented Pc peptides in PBMCs from RA and Lyme arthritis (LA) patients. The identified peptides and source proteins were tested for reactivity in RA patients, those with other arthritides, and the general population. These results were assessed for correlation with clinical findings. RESULTS: Including Pc-p27, we identified 5 HLA-DR-presented Pc peptides, each derived from a different Pc protein, in 3 of 4 RA patients, but none in 2 LA patients. When tested in our RA cohort, 14 of 19 patients (74%) had T cell responses, and 47 of 89 patients (53%) had IgG or IgA responses to ≥1 of the 5 Pc peptides or proteins, most commonly IgA reactivity with Pc-p27. Additionally, 74% of RA patients with IgA antibodies to ≥1 Pc protein had anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) compared with 49% of patients who lacked IgA Pc antibody responses (P = 0.05), and IgA Pc antibody levels correlated with ACPA values. CONCLUSION: The majority of the RA patients had Pc immune responses. The correlation of IgA Pc antibody responses, particularly to Pc-p27, with ACPA supports the hypothesis that specific microbial antigens in the mucosa have a role in shaping or amplifying immune responses in RA joints.