Characterization of functionally independent domains in the human ubiquitin conjugating enzyme UbcH2

AbstractUbcH2 encodes a human ubiquitin conjugating enzyme (E2) able to conjugate ubiquitin to histone H2A in an E3 independent manner in vitro, which indicates that UbcH2 directly interacts with its substrates. To identify parts of the enzyme that are capable of binding H2A, we expressed several deletion mutants of UbcH2 in E. coli and tested the ability of the affinity purified mutant proteins to ubiquitinate H2A in the presence of bacterial expressed E1 and ubiquitin. With this in vitro assay we identified a C-terminal part of UbcH2 to be important for the interaction with H2A. Transfer of this C-terminal domain to another human E2, which is unable to catalyze ubiquitination of histones, leads to a fully active hybrid human ubiquitin conjugating enzyme capable of H2A ubiquitination. These results demonstrate that UbcH2 consists of two functionally independent domains. A N-terminal core domain with ubiquitin conjugating activity, and a C-terminal domain which interacts with substrate proteins

Identification and purification of a bovine liver mitochondrial NAD+-glycohydrolase

AbstractNonenzymatic ADP-ribosylation of mitochondrial proteins is thought to play a role in the regulation of Ca2+ efflux from mitochondria. It has been shown that intramitochondrial ADP-ribose is generated by a specific NAD+ glycohydrolase, which catalizes hydrolysis of NAD+ to ADP-ribose and nicotinamide. We purified this enzyme from bovine liver mitochondrial membranes. The final preparation had a 1660-fold purified enzyme activity and contained a main protein band with an apparent molar mass of 32,000 in a SDS-polyacrylamide gel. The identity of this protein band with NAD+-glycohydrolase was verified by renaturation of its enzymatic activity. Partial amino acid sequence information was obtained from two enzyme fragments after proteolytic cleavage of the protein band in the SDS-polyacrylamide gel. Searches in protein databases revealed that an arginine ADP-ribosyl hydrolase harbours two stretches of amino acids that are highly similar to the partial NAD+-glycohydrolase sequences

Stimulation of the catalytic activity of poly(ADP-ribosyl) transferase by transcription factor Yin Yang 1

AbstractThe transcriptional regulator Yin Yang 1 (YY1) has previously been demonstrated to physically interact with poly(ADP-ribosyl) transferase (ADPRT). This nuclear enzyme catalyzes the synthesis of ADP-ribose polymers and their attachment to target proteins. It is reported here that YY1 associates preferably with the extensively auto(ADP-ribosyl)ated form of ADPRT, but not with deproteinized ADP-ribose polymers. In the presence of YY1 the catalytic rate of ADPRT is enhanced about 10-fold. This stimulation is in part due to modification of YY1, thus serving as a substrate of the reaction. In addition, automodification of ADPRT is also substantially increased. The activation by YY1 is most pronounced at low concentrations of ADPRT suggesting that the presence of YY1 may either facilitate the formation of catalytically active dimers of ADPRT or lead to the occurrence of active heterooligomers. The potential significance of these observations was verified by analyzing the activity of ADPRT in HeLa nuclear extracts. The endogenous enzyme exhibited an about 10-fold higher activity as compared to the isolated recombinant protein. It is likely that the heat-stable transcription factor YY1 contributed to the increased activity of ADPRT detected in the nuclear extracts, because heated extracts had a similar stimulatory effect on isolated ADPRT as isolated YY1 used at comparable concentrations. It is concluded that YY1 may be an important regulator of ADPRT and, therefore, could support the function of ADPRT to facilitate DNA repair

A proposal for early dosing regimens in heart transplant patients receiving thymoglobulin and calcineurin inhibition

There is currently no consensus regarding the dose or duration of rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG) induction in different types of heart transplant patients, or the timing and intensity of initial calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) therapy in rATG-treated individuals. Based on limited data and personal experience, the authors propose an approach to rATG dosing and initial CNI administration. Usually rATG is initiated immediately after exclusion of primary graft failure, although intraoperative initiation may be appropriate in specific cases. A total rATG dose of 4.5 to 7.5 mg/kg is advisable, tailored within that range according to immunologic risk and adjusted according to immune monitoring. Lower doses (eg, 3.0 mg/kg) of rATG can be used in patients at low immunological risk, or 1.5 to 2.5 mg/kg for patients with infection on mechanical circulatory support. The timing of CNI introduction is dictated by renal recovery, varying between day 3 and day 0 after heart transplantation, and the initial target exposure is influenced by immunological risk and presence of infection. Rabbit antithymocyte globulin and CNI dosing should not overlap except in high-risk cases. There is a clear need for more studies to define the optimal dosing regimens for rATG and early CNI exposure according to risk profile in heart transplantation

Measurement of the top quark forward-backward production asymmetry and the anomalous chromoelectric and chromomagnetic moments in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV

Abstract The parton-level top quark (t) forward-backward asymmetry and the anomalous chromoelectric (d̂ t) and chromomagnetic (μ̂ t) moments have been measured using LHC pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected in the CMS detector in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb−1. The linearized variable AFB(1) is used to approximate the asymmetry. Candidate t t ¯ events decaying to a muon or electron and jets in final states with low and high Lorentz boosts are selected and reconstructed using a fit of the kinematic distributions of the decay products to those expected for t t ¯ final states. The values found for the parameters are AFB(1)=0.048−0.087+0.095(stat)−0.029+0.020(syst),μ̂t=−0.024−0.009+0.013(stat)−0.011+0.016(syst), and a limit is placed on the magnitude of | d̂ t| < 0.03 at 95% confidence level. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Measurement of t(t)over-bar normalised multi-differential cross sections in pp collisions at root s=13 TeV, and simultaneous determination of the strong coupling strength, top quark pole mass, and parton distribution functions

Peer reviewe

An embedding technique to determine ττ backgrounds in proton-proton collision data

An embedding technique is presented to estimate standard model tau tau backgrounds from data with minimal simulation input. In the data, the muons are removed from reconstructed mu mu events and replaced with simulated tau leptons with the same kinematic properties. In this way, a set of hybrid events is obtained that does not rely on simulation except for the decay of the tau leptons. The challenges in describing the underlying event or the production of associated jets in the simulation are avoided. The technique described in this paper was developed for CMS. Its validation and the inherent uncertainties are also discussed. The demonstration of the performance of the technique is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by CMS in 2017 at root s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 41.5 fb(-1).Peer reviewe

Measurement of the Splitting Function in &ITpp &ITand Pb-Pb Collisions at root&ITsNN&IT=5.02 TeV

Data from heavy ion collisions suggest that the evolution of a parton shower is modified by interactions with the color charges in the dense partonic medium created in these collisions, but it is not known where in the shower evolution the modifications occur. The momentum ratio of the two leading partons, resolved as subjets, provides information about the parton shower evolution. This substructure observable, known as the splitting function, reflects the process of a parton splitting into two other partons and has been measured for jets with transverse momentum between 140 and 500 GeV, in pp and PbPb collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair. In central PbPb collisions, the splitting function indicates a more unbalanced momentum ratio, compared to peripheral PbPb and pp collisions.. The measurements are compared to various predictions from event generators and analytical calculations.Peer reviewe