10 research outputs found
Development of high affinity virus receptor ligands by combinatorial synthesis and high-throughput screening methods
Facile solid-phase ruthenium assisted azide-alkyne cycloaddition (RuAAC) utilizing the Cp<sup>*</sup>RuCl(COD)-catalyst
Synthesis of Oligo-(alkyne-triplet)peptide Constructs
Copper(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne
cycloaddition (CuAAC) click
synthesis of an Fmoc-(trispropargyl)amino acid building block for
solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) of oligo-(trialkyne)peptide constructs
is reported. These can carry potentially indefinite numbers of inherent
alkyne-triplets, which are click derivatized with GlcNAc-azide into
the corresponding glycopeptides
Characterization of avian influenza virus attachment patterns to human and pig tissues
Wild birds of Anseriformes and Charadriiformes are natural reservoirs of influenza A viruses (IAVs). Occasionally, IAVs transmit and adapt to mammalian hosts, and are maintained as epidemic strains in their new hosts. Viral adaptions to mammalian hosts include altered receptor preference of host epithelial sialylated oligosaccharides from terminal alpha 2,3-linked sialic acid (SA) towards alpha 2,6-linked SA. However, alpha 2,3-linked SA has been found in human respiratory tract epithelium, and human infections by avian IAVs (AIVs) have been reported. To further explore the attachment properties of AIVs, four AIVs of different subtypes were investigated on human and pig tissues using virus histochemistry. Additionally, glycan array analysis was performed for further characterization of IAVs' receptor structure tropism. Generally, AIV attachment was more abundant to human tissues than to pig tissues. The attachment pattern was very strong to human conjunctiva and upper respiratory tract, but variable to the lower respiratory tract. AIVs mainly attached to alpha 2,3-linked SA, but also to combinations of alpha 2,3-and alpha 2,6-linked SA. The low attachment of these AIV isolates to pig tissues, but high attachment to human tissues, addresses the question whether AIVs in general require passage through pigs to obtain adaptions towards mammalian receptor structures.De två första författarna delar förstaförfattarskapet.</p
Expression, receptor binding, and biophysical characterization of guinea pig insulin desB30:a monomeric insulin variant
Reconstructing the Origins of the Somatostatin and Allatostatin-C Signaling Systems Using the Accelerated Evolution of Biodiverse Cone Snail Toxins
Somatostatin and its related peptides (SSRPs) form an important family of hormones with diverse physiological roles. The ubiquitous presence of SSRPs in vertebrates and several invertebrate deuterostomes suggests an ancient origin of the SSRP signaling system. However, the existence of SSRP genes outside of deuterostomes has not been established, and the evolutionary history of this signaling system remains poorly understood. Our recent discovery of SSRP-like toxins (consomatins) in venomous marine cone snails (Conus) suggested the presence of a related signaling system in mollusks and potentially other protostomes. Here, we identify the molluscan SSRP-like signaling gene that gave rise to the consomatin family. Following recruitment into venom, consomatin genes experienced strong positive selection and repeated gene duplications resulting in the formation of a hyperdiverse family of venom peptides. Intriguingly, the largest number of consomatins was found in worm-hunting species (>400 sequences), indicating a homologous system in annelids, another large protostome phylum. Consistent with this, comprehensive sequence mining enabled the identification of SSRP-like sequences (and their corresponding orphan receptor) in annelids and several other protostome phyla. These results established the existence of SSRP-like peptides in many major branches of bilaterians and challenge the prevailing hypothesis that deuterostome SSRPs and protostome allatostatin-C are orthologous peptide families. Finally, having a large set of predator–prey SSRP sequences available, we show that although the cone snail’s signaling SSRP-like genes are under purifying selection, the venom consomatin genes experience rapid directional selection to target receptors in a changing mix of prey
Ligand-recognizing motifs in plant LysM receptors are major determinants of specificity
International audiencePlants evolved lysine motif (LysM) receptors to recognize and parse microbial elicitors and drive intracellular signaling to limit or facilitate microbial colonization. We investigated how chitin and nodulation (Nod) factor receptors of Lotus japonicus initiate differential signaling of immunity or root nodule symbiosis. Two motifs in the LysM1 domains of these receptors determine specific recognition of ligands and discriminate between their in planta functions. These motifs define the ligand-binding site and make up the most structurally divergent regions in cognate Nod factor receptors. An adjacent motif modulates the specificity for Nod factor recognition and determines the selection of compatible rhizobial symbionts in legumes. We also identified how binding specificities in LysM receptors can be altered to facilitate Nod factor recognition and signaling from a chitin receptor, advancing the prospects of engineering rhizobial symbiosis into nonlegumes