紫外辐照恢复早期耐辐射奇球菌的转录组学分析（英文）

目的 耐辐射奇球菌是一种对紫外线、电离、干燥和化学试剂具有较强抗性的极端微生物。然而，该菌在紫外辐照后恢复早期的分子响应还不完全清楚。本文的目的是揭示耐辐射奇球菌在这一阶段的转录组响应。方法 本研究采用RNA-seq技术，测定了正常和紫外辐照培养条件下耐辐射奇球菌的转录组。为确定关键的差异表达基因及其调控关系，进行了功能富集分析。选取部分关键差异表达基因，进行实时定量PCR实验验证。利用以往研究中的转录组数据，寻找紫外辐照、电离辐射和干燥胁迫条件下公共的差异表达基因。构建了蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用网络；对蛋白质互作网络中的枢纽基因和主要模块进行了鉴定；对这些枢纽基因和模块进行了功能富集分析。结果 紫外辐照后的恢复早期，上调基因数量是下调基因数量的2倍以上，且多数与应激反应和DNA修复有关。恢复早期的修复途径主要有单链退火（SSA）途径（涉及基因：ddr A-D）、非同源端连接（NHEJ）途径（涉及基因：lig B、ppr A）和核苷酸切除修复（NER）途径（涉及基因：uvr A-C），前两种途径为同源重组（HR）做准备，而NER途径去除紫外线照射带来的嘧啶二聚体。通过比较紫外辐照、电离辐...     

Deciphering the functional landscape of phosphosites with deep neural network

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Identification of Cys255 in HIF‐1α as a novel site for development of covalent inhibitors of HIF‐1α/ARNT PasB domain protein–protein interaction

The heterodimer HIF‐1α (hypoxia inducible factor)/HIF‐β (also known as ARNT‐aryl hydrocarbon nuclear translocator) is a key mediator of cellular response to hypoxia. The interaction between these monomer units can be modified by the action of small molecules in the binding interface between their C‐terminal heterodimerization (PasB) domains. Taking advantage of the presence of several cysteine residues located in the allosteric cavity of HIF‐1α PasB domain, we applied a cysteine‐based reactomics “hotspot identification” strategy to locate regions of HIF‐1α PasB domain critical for its interaction with ARNT. COMPOUND 5 was identified using a mass spectrometry‐based primary screening strategy and was shown to react specifically with Cys255 of the HIF‐1α PasB domain. Biophysical characterization of the interaction between PasB domains of HIF‐1α and ARNT revealed that covalent binding of COMPOUND 5 to Cys255 reduced binding affinity between HIF‐1α and ARNT PasB domains approximately 10‐fold. Detailed NMR structural analysis of HIF‐1α‐PasB‐COMPOUND 5 conjugate showed significant local conformation changes in the HIF‐1α associated with key residues involved in the HIF‐1α/ARNT PasB domain interaction as revealed by the crystal structure of the HIF‐1α/ARNT PasB heterodimer. Our screening strategy could be applied to other targets to identify pockets surrounding reactive cysteines suitable for development of small molecule modulators of protein function.     

Synthesis of peptidomimetics and chemo-biological tools for CD95/PLCγ1 interaction analysis

The death receptor CD95 (also known as Fas) induces apoptosis through protein/protein association and the formation of the death-inducing signaling complex. On the other hand, in certain biological conditions, this receptor recruits different proteins and triggers the formation of another complex designated motility-inducing signaling complex, which promotes cell migration and inflammation. This pathway relies on a short sequence of CD95, called calcium-inducing domain (CID), which interacts with the phospholipase PLCγ1.To better understand how CID/PLCγ1 interaction occurs, we synthesized different α-AA peptides mimicking CID. Some of these peptidomimetics are as potent as the natural peptide to disrupt the CID/PLCγ1 interaction and cell migration, and showed improved pharmacokinetic properties.We also generated biotinyl- and palmitoyl-labelled peptidomimetics, useful chemico-biological tools to further explore the pro-inflammatory signal of CD95, which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of lupus and other autoimmune diseases.     

Small molecule inhibitors of bacterial transcription complex formation

Knoevenagel condensation was employed to generate a set of molecules potentially capable of inhibiting the RNA polymerase-σ⁷⁰/σ^A interaction in bacteria. Synthesis was achieved via reactions between a variety of indole-7-carbaldehydes and rhodanine, N-allylrhodanine, barbituric acid or thiobarbituric acid. A library of structurally diverse compounds was examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to assess the inhibition of the targeted protein–protein interaction. Inhibition of bacterial growth was also evaluated using Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli cultures. The structure–activity relationship studies demonstrated the significance of particular structural features of the synthesized molecules for RNA polymerase-σ⁷⁰/σ^A interaction inhibition and antibacterial activity. Docking was investigated as an in silico method for the further development of the compounds.