Illustrating and homology modeling the proteins of the Zika virus

The Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus of the family Flaviviridae, which is similar to dengue virus, yellow fever and West Nile virus. Recent outbreaks in South America, Latin America, the Caribbean and in particular Brazil have led to concern for the spread of the disease and potential to cause Guillain-Barré syndrome and microcephaly. Although ZIKV has been known of for over 60 years there is very little in the way of knowledge of the virus with few publications and no crystal structures. No antivirals have been tested against it either in vitro or in vivo. ZIKV therefore epitomizes a neglected disease. Several suggested steps have been proposed which could be taken to initiate ZIKV antiviral drug discovery using both high throughput screens as well as structure-based design based on homology models for the key proteins. We now describe preliminary homology models created for NS5, FtsJ, NS4B, NS4A, HELICc, DEXDc, peptidase S7, NS2B, NS2A, NS1, E stem, glycoprotein M, propeptide, capsid and glycoprotein E using SWISS-MODEL. Eleven out of 15 models pass our model quality criteria for their further use. While a ZIKV glycoprotein E homology model was initially described in the immature conformation as a trimer, we now describe the mature dimer conformer which allowed the construction of an illustration of the complete virion. By comparing illustrations of ZIKV based on this new homology model and the dengue virus crystal structure we propose potential differences that could be exploited for antiviral and vaccine design. The prediction of sites for glycosylation on this protein may also be useful in this regard. While we await a cryo-EM structure of ZIKV and eventual crystal structures of the individual proteins, these homology models provide the community with a starting point for structure-based design of drugs and vaccines as well as a for computational virtual screening

Joint movement and sealant selection

The joint width should not be less than the minimum required for the sealant, allowing some flexibility in construction tolerances and counting on cyclical movements of structure. Authors discuss estimating of joint movement and installation temperatures. Examples given.Aussi disponible en fran\ue7ais : Le mouvement des joints et le choix du mat\ue9riau de calfeutrementPeer reviewed: NoNRC publication: Ye

The hexanoyl-CoA precursor for cannabinoid biosynthesis is formed by an acyl-activating enzyme in Cannabis sativa trichomes

The psychoactive and analgesic cannabinoids (e.g. \u3949-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC) in Cannabis sativa are formed from the short-chain fatty acyl-CoA precursor hexanoyl-CoA. Cannabinoids are synthesized in glandular trichomes present mainly on female flowers. We quantified hexanoyl-CoA using LC-MS/MS and found levels of 15.5 pmol g 121 fresh weight in female hemp flowers with lower amounts in leaves, stems and roots. This pattern parallels the accumulation of the end-product cannabinoid, cannabidiolic acid (CBDA). To search for the acyl-activating enzyme (AAE) that synthesizes hexanoyl-CoA from hexanoate, we analyzed the transcriptome of isolated glandular trichomes. We identified 11 unigenes encoding putative AAEs, including CsAAE1 which shows high-transcript abundance in glandular trichomes. In vitro assays show that recombinant CsAAE1 activates hexanoate and other short- and medium-chain fatty acids. This activity and the trichome-specific expression of CsAAE1 suggests that it is the hexanoyl-CoA synthetase that supplies the cannabinoid pathway. CsAAE3 encodes a peroxisomal enzyme that activates a variety of fatty acid substrates including hexanoate. Although phylogenetic analysis shows that CsAAE1 groups with peroxisomal AAEs, it lacks a peroxisome targeting sequence 1 (PTS1) and localizes to the cytoplasm. We suggest that CsAAE1 may have been recruited to the cannabinoid pathway through the loss of its PTS1, thereby redirecting it to the cytoplasm. To probe the origin of hexanoate, we analyzed the trichome EST dataset for enzymes of fatty acid metabolism. The high abundance of transcripts encoding desaturases and a lipoxygenase suggests that hexanoate may be formed through a pathway involving the oxygenation and breakdown of unsaturated fatty acids.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Disrupting the CD95-PLC gamma 1 interaction prevents Th17-driven inflammation

International audienceCD95L is a transmembrane ligand (m-CD95L) that is cleaved by metalloproteases to release a soluble ligand (s-CD95L). Unlike m-CD95L, interaction between s-CD95L and CD95 fails to recruit caspase-8 and FADD to trigger apoptosis and instead induces a Ca2+ response via docking of PLC gamma 1 to the calcium-inducing domain (CID) within CD95. This signaling pathway induces accumulation of inflammatory Th17 cells in damaged organs of lupus patients, thereby aggravating disease pathology. A large-scale screen revealed that the HIV protease inhibitor ritonavir is a potent disruptor of the CD95-PLC gamma 1 interaction. A structure-activity relationship approach highlighted that ritonavir is a peptidomimetic that shares structural characteristics with CID with respect to docking to PLC gamma 1. Thus, we synthesized CID peptidomimetics abrogating both the CD95-driven Ca2+ response and transmigration of Th17 cells. Injection of ritonavir and the CID peptidomimetic into lupus mice alleviated clinical symptoms, opening a new avenue for the generation of drugs for lupus patients

Toxicologie predictive: les voies du futur

National audienc