Jianpi Gushen Huayu decoction ameliorated diabetic nephropathy through modulating metabolites in kidney,and inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 and JNK/P38 pathways

BACKGROUND Jianpi Gushen Huayu Decoction(JPGS)has been used to clinically treat diabetic nephropathy(DN)for many years.However,the protective mechanism of JPGS in treating DN remains unclear.AIM To evaluate the therapeutic effects and the possible mechanism of JPGS on DN.METHODS We first evaluated the therapeutic potential of JPGS on a DN mouse model.We then investigated the effect of JPGS on the renal metabolite levels of DN mice using non-targeted metabolomics.Furthermore,we examined the effects of JPGS on c-Jun N-terminal kinase(JNK)/P38-mediated apoptosis and the inflammatory responses mediated by toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB)/NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3(NLRP3).RESULTS The ameliorative effects of JPGS on DN mice included the alleviation of renal injury and the control of inflammation and oxidative stress.Untargeted metabolomic analysis revealed that JPGS altered the metabolites of the kidneys in DN mice.A total of 51 differential metabolites were screened.Pathway analysis results indicated that nine pathways significantly changed between the control and model groups,while six pathways significantly altered between the model and JPGS groups.Pathways related to cysteine and methionine metabolism;alanine,tryptophan metabolism;aspartate and glutamate metabolism;and riboflavin metabolism were identified as the key pathways through which JPGS affects DN.Further experimental validation showed that JPGS treatment reduced the expression of TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathways and JNK/P38 pathway-mediated apoptosis related factors.CONCLUSION JPGS could markedly treat mice with streptozotocin(STZ)-induced DN,which is possibly related to the regulation of several metabolic pathways found in kidneys.Furthermore,JPGS could improve kidney inflammatory responses and ameliorate kidney injuries in DN mice via the TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway and inhibit JNK/P38 pathwaymediated apoptosis in DN mice.

A sting in the tail： the N-terminal domain of the androgen receptor as a drug target

The role of androgen receptor （AR） in the initiation and progression of prostate cancer （PCa） is well established. Competitive inhibition of the AR ligand-binding domain （LBD） has been the staple of antiandrogen therapies employed to combat the disease in recent years. However, their efficacy has often been limited by the emergence of resistance, mediated through point mutations, and receptor truncations. As a result, the prognosis for patients with malignant castrate resistant disease remains poor. The amino-terminal domain （NTD） of the AR has been shown to be critical for AR function. Its modular activation function （AF-1） is important for both gene regulation and participation in protein-protein interactions. However, due to the intrinsically disordered structure of the domain, its potential as a candidate for therapeutic intervention has been dismissed in the past. The recent emergence of the small molecule EPI-O01 has provided evidence that AR-NTD can be targeted therapeutically, independent of the LBD. Targeting of AR-NTD has the potential to disrupt multiple intermolecular interactions between AR and its coregulatory binding partners, in addition to intramolecular cross-talk between the domains of the AR. Therapeutics targeting these protein-protein interactions or NTD directly should also have efficacy against emerging AR splice variants which may play a role in PCa progression. This review will discuss the role of intrinsic disorder in AR function and illustrate how emerging therapies might target NTD in PCa.

The N-terminal domain of NifA determines the temperature sensitivity of Nif A in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae

The NifA protein is the central regulator of the nitrogen fixation genes. It activates transcription of nif genes by an alternative holoenzyme form of RNA polymerase containing the σ54 factor. The NifA protein from Klebsiella pneumoniae consists of the N-terminal domain of unknown function, the central catalytic domain with ATPase activity and the C-terminal DNA-binding domain. The Kp NifA protein is sensitive to temperature, while the Enterobacter cloacae NifA protein is less sensitive to temperature than Kp NifA. Our results show that the N-terminal domain of NifA plays the decisive role in the temperature sensitivity of the protein.

N-terminal domain of the RNA polymerase of very virulent infectious bursal disease virus contributes to viral replication and virulence

Dear Editor,Infectious bursal disease virus （IBDV） causes an economically significant disease of chickens worldwide （Berg,2000）. The molecular basis for the virulence of very virulent IBDV （vvIBDV） is not fully understood. Previous studies have shown that genome segment A, especically VP2 protein, plays the most important role in the tropism and pathogenicity of serotype 1 IBDV （Brandt et al., 2001）. VP2 is,however, unlikely to be the only factor for the virulence of vvIBDV （Boot et al., 2000）.

Antiviral drug design based on structural insights into the N-terminal domain and C-terminal domain of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein

Nucleocapsid(N) protein plays crucial roles in the life cycle of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2), including the formation of ribonucleoprotein(RNP) complex with the viral RNA.Here we reported the crystal structures of the N-terminal domain(NTD) and C-terminal domain(CTD) of the N protein and an NTD-RNA complex. Our structures reveal a unique tetramer organization of NTD and identify a distinct RNA binding mode in the NTD-RNA complex, which could contribute to the formation of the RNP complex. We also screened small molecule inhibitors of N-NTD and N-CTD and discovered that ceftriaxone sodium, an antibiotic, can block the binding of RNA to NTD and inhibit the formation of the RNP complex. These results together could facilitate the further research of antiviral drug design targeting N protein.

Non-Stem Amino Acids Are Involved in the Phage P22 TSP NTD Stability

The P22 phage system is an intensely studied model system. Studies have ranged from biochemical analysis of basic life processes to the use of this phage for phage therapy. The phage tailspike protein (TSP) has itself been the subject of intensive studies over the past fifty years. The P22 TSP is essential for initiation of the infection process and instrumental as the last protein assembled onto the phage particle structure to complete its assembly. It has also been the subject for many structural studies including cryoelectron microscopic analysis and photophysical studies. It has been a model for in vivo and in vitro protein folding including analysis using P22 TSP temperature-sensitive for folding mutations (tsf). Recently the structure and function of the N-terminal domain (NTD), including some aspects of the structural stability of the P22 TSP NTD (aa1-aa108), are being genetically dissected. This report strongly supports the notion that two amino acids, not localized to the internal NTD dome stem, are important in the structural stability of the P22 TSP NTD.

光谱法、量热法以及分子对接研究槲皮素与中心蛋白的相互作用

通过光谱法、等温滴定量热法(ITC)以及分子对接等技术研究了八肋游仆虫中心蛋白N端分子(N-EoCen)与槲皮素(Quercetin,Q)之间的相互作用以及Q对N-EoCen构象的影响.结果表明,在室温下Hepes(pH=7.4)缓冲溶液中,Q可以与N-EoCen以物质的量比1∶1结合于N-EoCen的第二个EF-hand的E,F螺旋之间,条件结合常数约为104L·mol^(-1),复合物的形成是放热的过程,Q与N-EoCen之间存在氢键、疏水作用以及范德华力等多种作用.Q与N-EoCen中酪氨酸残基(Tyr72)的结合距离为1.54 nm.复合物的形成使得蛋白的构象发生变化,α-helix含量减少.本文的研究成果对于进一步了解中心蛋白分子识别多样性的结构基础,以及相关药物的研发具有参考价值.

A Topology-Matching Spike Protein-Capping Tetrahedral DNA Nanocrown for SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization

The constantly mutating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2(SARS-CoV-2)poses great risk of efficacy loss to the present neutralizing therapeutics.Thus,it is urgently needed to develop versatile strategies that enable rapid design and engineering of potent neutralizing therapeutics for newly emerging variants.Herein,we present an unprecedented DNA nanocrown that can topologically match and multivalently bind the S-trimer of SARS-CoV-2 and thereby inhibit its infection to host cells.A neutralizing aptamer binding the N-terminal domain(NTD)supersite of the S protein was first screened and identified.It was further elaborately engineered onto the best fitting tetrahedral DNA nanostructure to form a spike protein-capping nanocrown,which can effectively block not only wild-type(WT)SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus,but also several important mutants including D614G,N501Y,andΔ69–70.Significantly,it can evidently diminish the RNA copies of authentic WT SARS-CoV-2 in host cells by 4.6 orders of magnitude.Therefore,utilizing the aptamer selection method and the dedicated engineering route,our topology-matching DNA framework provides a versatile platform for SARS-CoV-2 inhibition and has the potential to be facilely expanded to newly emerging variants and other fatal coronaviruses.

稀土离子(Ho,Er,Yb)与八肋游仆游虫中心蛋白N端半分子作用的光谱研究

在0.01 mol·L-1Hepes,0.15 mol·L-1Na Cl,p H 7.4及室温条件下,采用紫外差光谱和荧光光谱的方法研究了稀土离子Ho(III),Er(III),Yb(III)与八肋游仆虫中心蛋白N端半分子(N-terminal domain of Euplotes octocarinatus centrin,N-Eo Cen)的结合性质。结果表明:稀土离子Ho(III),Er(III),Yb(III)与N-Eo Cen结合导致蛋白质高级结构发生明显变化,疏水区暴露增加。二甲酚橙为竞争配体测得稀土离子Ho(III),Er(III),Yb(III)与N-Eo Cen两个位点的结合能力分别为:lg KI,Ho(III)=5.47±0.37,lg KII,Ho(III)=5.07±0.45;lg KI,Er(III)=5.78±0.42,lg KII,Er(III)=5.36±0.52;lg KI,Yb(III)=5.80±0.65,lg KII,Yb(III)=5.37±0.61。

Molecular Mechanism of the Specificity of Protein Import into Chloroplasts and Mitochondria in Plant Cells

Plants possess both types of endosymbiotic organelles, chloroplasts and mitochondria. Transit peptides and presequences function as signal sequences for specific import into chloroplasts and mitochondria, respectively. However, how these highly similar signal sequences confer the protein import specificity remains elusive. Here, we show that mitochondrial- or chloroplast-specific import involves two distinct steps, specificity determination and translocation across envelopes, which are mediated by the N-terminal regions and functionally interchangeable C-terminal regions, respectively, of transit peptides and presequences. A domain harboring multiple-arginine and hydrophobic sequence motifs in the N-terminal regions of presequences was identified as the mitochondrial specificity factor. The presence of this domain and the absence of arginine residues in the N-terminal regions of otherwise common targeting signals confers specificity of protein import into mitochondria and chloroplasts, respectively. AtToc159, a chloroplast import receptor, also contributes to determining chloroplast import specificity. We propose that common ancestral sequences were functionalized into mitochondrial- and chloroplast-specific signal sequences by the presence and absence, respectively, of multiple-arginine and hydrophobic sequence motifs in the N-terminal region.

Functional expression and regulation of eukaryotic cytochrome P450 enzymes in surrogate microbial cell factories

Cytochrome P450(CYP)enzymes play crucial roles during the evolution and diversification of ancestral monocel-lular eukaryotes into multicellular eukaryotic organisms due to their essential functionalities including catalysis of housekeeping biochemical reactions,synthesis of diverse metabolites,detoxification of xenobiotics,and con-tribution to environmental adaptation.Eukaryotic CYPs with versatile functionalities are undeniably regarded as promising biocatalysts with great potential for biotechnological,pharmaceutical and chemical industry applica-tions.Nevertheless,the modes of action and the challenges associated with these membrane-bound proteins have hampered the effective utilization of eukaryotic CYPs in a broader range.This review is focused on comprehen-sive and consolidated approaches to address the core challenges in heterologous expression of membrane-bound eukaryotic CYPs in different surrogate microbial cell factories,aiming to provide key insights for better studies and applications of diverse eukaryotic CYPs in the future.We also highlight the functional significance of the previously underrated cytochrome P450 reductases(CPRs)and provide a rational justification on the progression of CPR from auxiliary redox partner to function modulator in CYP catalysis.