Recent advances in production of recombinant spider silk proteins

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Highlights? Spider silk a biopolymer of great strength, toughness, and elasticity as well as biodegradability and biocompatibility. ? Various host systems ranging from bacteria to animal systems have been employed for the production of recombinant spider silk proteins. ? Ultra-high molecular weight spider silk protein showing Kevlar strength could be produced in E. coli by systems metabolic engineering. ? Transgenic silkworms producing recombinant or chimera spider silk have great potential for actual production in large scale.     

Expression in Escherichia coli: becoming faster and more complex

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Highlights? Escherichia coli: a highly versatile host to produce samples for structural biology. ? High-throughput technologies have increased single protein expression success rates. ? Co-expression eases production of complexes but still suffers from bottlenecks. ? Co-expression combined with high-throughput can tackle complex assemblies.     

Rapid Inactivation of Proteins by Rapamycin-Induced Rerouting to Mitochondria

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Highlights? We have developed a way of getting rid of proteins quickly (i.e., minutes not days) ? This approach provides new insights into the function of the coat protein AP-1     

Structural Determinants of RGS-RhoGEF Signaling Critical to Entamoeba histolytica Pathogenesis

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Highlights? E. histolytica expresses a convergently evolved RGS-RhoGEF protein ? EhRGS-RhoGEF possesses a conventional nine-helix RGS domain ? Activated EhRGS-RhoGEF induces S2 cell spreading through Rac1/2 ? EhRGS-RhoGEF modulates amoebic migration and host cell killing     

bantam miRNA Promotes Systemic Growth by Connecting Insulin Signaling and Ecdysone Production

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Highlights? bantam is required in ecdysone-producing cells to promote body growth ? bantam inhibits ecdysone biosynthesis ? Insulin signaling regulates ecdysone production by repressing bantam activity ? Both the systemic and tissue-autonomous activities of bantam promote organ growth     

Redox-Dependent Control of FOXO/DAF-16 by Transportin-1

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Highlights? FOXO forms redox-sensitive, disulfide-dependent complexes with several proteins ? Transportin-1 binds to FOXO via a disulfide and regulates its nuclear localization ? Redox and insulin signaling govern FOXO nuclear localization via distinct pathways ? Redox control of longevity protein FOXO/DAF-16 is evolutionarily conserved     

New opportunities by synthetic biology for biopharmaceutical production in Pichia pastoris

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Highlights► The application of Pichia pastoris for biopharmaceutical production is described. ► Synthetic biology approaches and perspectives to improve production are reviewed. ► Glycoengineering efforts to produce humanized, uniform glycoproteins are covered. ► The design and application of synthetic promoter variants are highlighted. ► The molecular toolbox available for synthetic biology in P. pastoris is discussed.     

Moonlighting by different stressors: crystal structure of the chaperone species of a 2-Cys peroxiredoxin

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Highlights? The Schistosoma mansoni peroxiredoxin I (SmPrxI) is a moonlighting protein ? SmPrxI switches from LMW peroxidase to HMW chaperone due to chemical stressors ? The three-dimensional structures of both LMW and HMW SmPrxI have been solved ? SmPrxI HMW is the structure of a Prx chaperone     

A Network Model of the Molecular Organization of Chromatin in Drosophila

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Highlights? DamID identifies 42 previously unknown chromatin proteins ? Binding maps of new and known chromatin components yield a chromatin network model ? The network model predicts functions of most of the 42 new chromatin proteins ? The chromatin protein network is functionally compartmentalized     

Microautophagy of cytosolic proteins by late endosomes

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Highlights? Late endosomes take up cytosolic proteins through membrane invaginations ? Endosomal microautophagy (eMI) requires multivesicular body formation ? hsc70 mediates selective targeting of cytosolic proteins during eMI ? hsc70 binds to the endosomal membrane through its polybasic cluster     

The dark energy of proteins comes to light: conformational entropy and its role in protein function revealed by NMR relaxation

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Highlights? Fast motion interconverts states with significant conformational entropy. ? Fast internal motion can be characterized in a site resolved way using solution NMR relaxation phenomena. ? Internal protein motion can be used as a proxy for conformational entropy. ? Conformational entropy can contribute significantly to ligand binding by proteins.     

Genetic Correction of a LRRK2 Mutation in Human iPSCs Links Parkinsonian Neurodegeneration to ERK-Dependent Changes in Gene Expression

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Highlights? hiPSC-derived neurons with LRRK2 G2019S exhibit Parkinsonian neurodegeneration ? Genetic correction of the LRRK2 mutation rescued neurodegenerative phenotypes ? Comparative analysis links LRRK2 G2019S, gene dysregulation, and ERK activation ? ERK-dependent gene dysregulation by LRRK2 G2019S contributes to neurodegeneration     

An Autoinhibited State in the Structure of Thermotoga maritima NusG

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Highlights? Thermotoga maritima NusG shows a dynamic intramolecular NTD-CTD interaction ? The NTD-CTD interaction hides the binding surfaces for RNA polymerase, S10, and Rho ? Domain interaction contributes to thermostability ? Thermotoga maritima NusG does not complement a NusG-deficient E. coli strain     

Sculpting of DNA at Abasic Sites by DNA Glycosylase Homolog Mag2

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Highlights? Unflipped AP site stabilized by helix-hairpin-helix DNA glycosylase homolog Mag2 ? Nonenzymatic AP site recognition and DNA sculpting ? Sculpting of DNA conformation enhances substrate transfer between proteins     

Microtubules Enable the Planar Cell Polarity of Airway Cilia

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Highlights? PCP proteins are asymmetric at apical junctions in the airways before ciliogenesis ? PCP protein asymmetry and cilium orientation emerge gradually during development ? Cilium misorientation correlates with loss of PCP protein asymmetry in PCP mutants ? Microtubules appear to organize cilium orientation and PCP protein asymmetry     

Variable lymphocyte receptor recognition of the immunodominant glycoprotein of Bacillus anthracis spores

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Highlights? VLRBs use their C-terminal LRRs and the LRRCT-loop to interact with antigen ? Sequence-related VLRBs exhibit differential recognition of their BclA epitopes ? VLR4 binds a conserved protein epitope, yet is specific for B. anthracis spores     

Lactocepin secreted by Lactobacillus exerts anti-inflammatory effects by selectively degrading proinflammatory chemokines

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Highlights? PrtP-encoded lactocepin degrades proinflammatory chemokines, notably IP-10 ? Lactocepin reduces lymphocyte infiltration in an ileitis model ? Lactocepin lowers IP-10 levels and cecal inflammation in a colitis model ? Lactocepin-based therapy may be a treatment option for chemokine-mediated diseases     

A Matrix Protein Silences Transposons and Repeats through Interaction with Retinoblastoma-Associated Proteins

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Highlights? The Arabidopsis matrix protein TEK silences transposons and repeat-containing genes ? Binding of TEK on targets affects chromatin conformation and histone modifications ? TEK protein associates with FVE/MSI5-containing histone deacetylation complex ? TEK directs repressive modification as a key structural component in gene silencing     

Zona Pellucida Domain Proteins Remodel the Apical Compartment for Localized Cell Shape Changes

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Highlights? In Drosophila epidermis, shavenbaby controls ZPD gene expression ? Apical cell shape remodeling relies on the coordinated action of ZPD genes ? ZPD proteins define sub-regions in the apical extracellular matrix (aECM) ? ZPD products maintain localized apical membrane/aECM interactions.     

Keeping cell identity in Arabidopsis requires PRC1 RING-finger homologs that catalyze H2A monoubiquitination

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Highlights? AtBMI1A/B proteins prevent misexpression of embryonic traits in somatic cells ? PRC2 and AtBMI1A/B proteins maintain cells in their differentiated state ? AtBMI1A/B proteins mediate H2A monoubiquitination