Antibodies against the C-terminal peptide of rabbit oviductin inhibit mouse early embryo development to pass 2-cell stage

A full-length rabbit oviductin cDNA(1909bp) was cloned. It consists of a 5’-UTR of 52bp, an open reading frame (ORF) of 1374bp and a 3’-UTR of 483bp and has more than 80% homology with that of other mammal oviductins. N-terminal peptide (NTP) (384 residues) and C-terminal peptide (CTP) (73 residues) of deduced protein precursor has about 80% and 50% identity with that of other mammals respectively. Fusion proteins GST-NTP 368(1R-368N)and GST-CTP73 (369F-441A) were expressed and purified. NH2-terminal of CTP sequencing reveals that the purified protein is consistent with the deduced one. In order to study the function of NTP and CTP the mouse anti-NTP and rabbit anti-CTP antisera were prepared. Tissue-specific (skeleton muscle, oviduct, uterus, ovary, liver, heart and brain) analysis indicated that rabbit oviductin was only found in oviduct. The conditioned medium derived from the rabbit oviduct mucosa epithelial cells has a function of overcoming the early embryonic development block of Kunming mous e cultured in vitro. Anti-CTP antiserum could totally inhibit the early embryo development at 2-cell stage cultured in the conditioned culture medium, but anti-NTP antiserum couldn’t. There was a positive relationship between the ratio of early embryos at development block and the dosage of anti-CTP antiserum added in the conditioned culture medium. These results suggest that oviductin has a function not only on fertilization, but also on the release of early embryonic development block, and the later function domain of rabbit oviductin may be situate in its C-terminal.

Effects of C-terminal amidation and heptapeptide ring on the biological activities and advanced structure of amurin-9KY, a novel antimicrobial peptide identified from the brown frog, Rana kunyuensis

Rana kunyuensis is a species of brown frog that lives exclusively on Kunyu Mountain,Yantai,China.In the current study,a 279-bp cDNA sequence encoding a novel antimicrobial peptide (AMP),designated as amurin-9KY,was cloned from synthesized double-strand skin cDNA of R.kunyuensis.The amurin-9KY precursor was composed of 62 amino acid (aa) residues,whereas the mature peptide was composed of 14 aa and contained two cysteines forming a C-terminal heptapeptide ring (Rana box domain) and an amidated C-terminus.These structural characters represent a novel amphibian AMP family.Although amurin-9KY exhibited high similarity to the already identified amurin-9AM from R.amurensis,little is known about the structures and activities of amurin-9 family AMPs so far.Therefore,amurin-9KY and its three derivatives (amurin-9KY1-3) were designed and synthesized.The structures and activities were examined to evaluate the influence of C-terminal amidation and the heptapeptide ring on the activities and structure of amurin-9KY..Results indicated that C-terminal amidation was essential for antimicrobial activity,whereas both C-terminal amidation and the heptapeptide ring played roles in the low hemolytic activity.Circular dichroism (CD) spectra showed that the four peptides adopted an α-helical conformation in THF/H2O (v/v 1∶1) solution,but a random coil in aqueous solution.Elimination of the C-terminal heptapeptide ring generated two free cysteine residues with unpaired thiol groups,which greatly increased the concentration-dependent anti-oxidant activity.Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also performed to determine the possible bactericidal mechanisms.

Amyloid precursor-like protein 2 C-terminal fragments upregulate S100A9 gene and protein expression in BV2 cells

The murine microglial cell line BV2 has neuroprotective effects, but is toxic to neurons by secret-ing inlfammatory cytokines, and is an important target in the treatment of nerve inlfammation and neurodegenerative diseases. In the present study, we observed the effects of transfecting three amyloid precursor-like protein 2 （APLP2） C-terminal fragments （CTFs; C57, C50 and C31） in the pEGFP-N1 vector on S100A9 expression in BV2 cells. Reverse transcription-PCR, western blot assay and immunocytochemistry revealed that S100A9 protein and mRNA expression was greater in BV2 cells after CTF transfection than after mock transfection with an empty vector. Furthermore, transfection of full-length APLP2-751 resulted in low levels of S100A9 protein ex-pression. Our results show that APLP2-CTFs upregulate S100A9 protein and mRNA expression in BV2 cells, and identify a novel pathway involved in neuronal injury and apoptosis, and repair and protection in Alzheimer’s disease.

Arabidopsis RNA polymerase Ⅱ C-terminal domain phosphatase-like 1 targets mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades to suppress plant immunity

Mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) cascades play pivotal roles in plant defense against phytopathogens downstream of immune receptor complexes. The amplitude and duration of MAPK activation must be strictly controlled, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we identified Arabidopsis CPL1(C-terminal domain phosphatase-like 1)as a negative regulator of microbe-associated molecular pattern(MAMP)-triggered immunity via a forward-genetic screen. Disruption of CPL1 significantly enhanced plant resistance to Pseudomonas pathogens induced by the bacterial peptide fg22. Furthermore, fg22-induced MPK3/MPK4/MPK6 phosphorylation was dramatically elevated in cpl1 mutants but severely impaired in CPL1 overexpression lines, suggesting that CPL1 might interfere with fg22-induced MAPK activation. Indeed, CPL1 directly interacted with MPK3 and MPK6, as well as the upstream MKK4 and MKK5. A firefy luciferase-based complementation assay indicated that the interaction between MKK4/MKK5 and MPK3/MPK6 was significantly reduced in the presence of CPL1. These results suggest that CPL1 plays a novel regulatory role in suppressing MAMP-induced MAPK cascade activation and MAMP-triggered immunity to bacterial pathogens.

Structural basis for the recognition of RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain by CREPT and p15RS

CREPT and p15RS are two recently identified homologous proteins that regulate cell proliferation in an opposite way and are closely related to human cancer development. Both CREPT and pl5RS consist of an N-terminal RPR domain and a C-terminal domain with high sequence homology. The transcription enhancement by CREPT is attributed to its interaction with RNA polymerase II （Pol II）. Here we provide biochemical and structural evidence to support and extend this molecular mechanism. Through fluorescence polarization analysis, we show that the RPR domains of CREPT and pl5RS （CREPT-RPR and pI5RS-RPR） bind to different Pol II C-terminal domain （CTD） phosphoisoforms with similar affinity and specificity. We also determined the crystal structure of pl5RS-RPR. Sequence and structural comparisons with RPR domain of Rttl03, a homolog of CREPT and p l5RS in yeast, reveal structural basis for the similar binding profile of CREPT-RPR and p 15RS-RPR with Pol II CTD. We also determined the crystal structure of the C-terminal domain of CREPT （CREPT-CTD）, which is a long rod-like dimer and each monomer adopts a coiled-coil structure. We propose that dimerization through the C-terminal domain enhances the binding strength between CREPT or pl5RS with Pol II by increasing binding avidity. Our results collectively reveal the respective roles of N-terminal RPR domain and C-terminal domain of CREPT and pl5RS in recognizing RNA Pol II.

Crystal structure of the C-terminal fragment of NS1 protein from yellow fever virus

Dear Editor,Yellow fever（YF）,a mosquito-borne flavivirus disease,is endemic in tropical areas of Africa and Central and South America.YF is transmitted via the bite of infected Aedes aegypti or Haemogogus mosquitoes and mainly affects humans and nonhuman primates.

Single molecular insight into steric effect on C-terminal amino acids with various hydrogen bonding sites

Amino acids are basic units to construct a protein with the assistance of various interactions.During this building process,steric hindrance derived from amino acid side groups or side chains is a factor that could not be ignored.In this contribution,adsorption behaviors of C-terminal amino acid derivatives with amino acid residues fused in 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy(STM)and density functional theory(DFT)calculations at various liquid/solid interfaces.STM results at 1-phenyloctane/HOPG interface show that N,N'-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide(GP)and N,N'-methyl-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide(AP)formed linear and herringbone structures,respectively.The driving force could be attributed to different H-bonding sites induced by steric hindrance at side groups.N,N'-Benzyl-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide(PP)generates both linear and herringbone structures because steric hindrance changes the H-bonding sites between PP molecules,whereas N,N'-isopropyl-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide(LP)failed to be imaged because of strong steric hindrance coming from larger side group.To further investigate the impact of steric hindrance,we utilized octanoic acid(OA)as solvent to capture the adsorption details of LP and PP.We found that OA molecules drag PP and LP molecules in a different direction to generate linear structure,impeding the molecular rotation.The structure–solvent relationship shows that the steric hindrance is brought by the large side group,which makes it easier to recognize OA molecules at the interface.These results demonstrate that steric effect plays a significant role in altering interaction sites of the compounds during the adsorption process at the liquid/solid interface.

Differential requirement of BAK1 C-terminal tail in development and immunity

Summary BRI1-ASSOCIATED RECEPTOR KINASE 1 （BAK1） plays critical roles in plant developmental and immune signaling pathways. BAKI and a large number of leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases （LRR-RLKs） harbor a mysterious carboxyl-terminal tail （CT） beyond their kinase domain. In this study we analyzed the biological significance of this CT region using a unique bak~ mutant allele which causes deletion of the CT region. We showed that BAKt CT promotes its kinase activity and is required for pathogen-associated molec- ular pattern （PAMP）-triggered immunity, but it is dispensable for brassinosteroid responses and BAK1/ BKKl-inhibited cell death signaling. Therefore the BAK1 C-terminal tail is differentially required for its functions in development and immunity.

Association of bone turnover biomarkers with severe intracranial and extracranial artery stenosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

BACKGROUND Intracranial and extracranial artery stenosis is associated with cerebral infarction.Vascular calcification and atherosclerosis are the main causes of stenosis and major risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Bone turnover biomarkers(BTMs)are associated with vascular calcification,atherosclerosis,glucose,and lipid metabolism.AIM To investigate the association of circulating BTM levels with severe intracranial and extracranial artery stenosis in patients with T2DM.METHODS For this cross-sectional study including 257 T2DM patients,levels of the BTMs serum osteocalcin(OC),C-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen(CTX),and procollagen type I N-peptide were measured by electrical chemiluminescent immunoassay,and artery stenosis was assessed by color Doppler and transcranial Doppler.Patients were grouped according to the existence and location(intracranial vs.extracranial)of artery stenosis.Correlations between BTM levels,previous stroke,stenosis location,and glucose and lipid metabolism were analyzed.RESULTS T2DM patients with severe artery stenosis had a higher frequency of previous stroke and levels of all three tested BTMs(all P<0.05)than patients without.Some differences in OC and CTX levels were observed according to the location of artery stenosis.Significant associations were also observed between BTM levels and some glucose and lipid homeostasis parameters.On multivariate logistic regression analysis,all BTMs were significant predictors of artery stenosis in T2DM patients with and without adjustment for confounding factors(all P<0.001),and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated the ability of BTM levels to predict artery stenosis in T2DM patients.CONCLUSION BTM levels were found to be independent risk factors for severe intracranial and extracranial artery stenosis and were differentially associated with glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with T2DM.Therefore,BTMs may be promising biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for artery stenosis.

纳升电喷雾串联质谱分析修饰多肽及未知多肽的结构

This paper reported the identification of the primary structure of two peptides using nanoelectrospray tandem mass spectrometry(Nano-ESI MS/MS).Firstly,the relative molecular mass of two peptides were determined in ESI-TOF MS mode.Then fragmentation ions were obtained by selecting [M+2H]2+ ion using tandem mass spectrometry(MS/MS).Finally,the primary structure of triptorelin is determined to be E’HWSYWLRPG’,of which the N-terminal is pyroglutamic acid (E’) and the C-termianl is glycinamide (G’).The primary structure of unknown peptide was identified to be T’VSP VWLPPSVY by sequence docking method,of which the N-terminal occurs threonine phosphorylation (T’) and the foruth proline is added with sodium ion (P).The data suggested that electrospray Tandem mass spectrometry technique have obvious advantage in analyzing the full sequence of modified or unknown peptides.

MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS对完整蛋白质C端序列的直接测定

C-terminal sequencing is important for characterized the primary structure of protein and polypeptides and it must do for quality control of recombination protein drugs.A method of MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS with in source decay(ISD) to measure C-terminal sequence of protein was established.This method was applied successfully to measure C-terminal sequence of Neuregulin,TP-Ⅱ,ubiquitin,and myoglobin,respectively and 10,24,24 and 36 amino acid residue of C-terminal were measured.

CNBr裂解结合ESIMS/MS测定重组人TNFR和纽兰格林的C端序列

C-terminal sequence is important for the function of a protein.C-terminal sequencing is necessary for structure identification of recombinant drugs.In this paper,a new method based on CNBr cleavage coupled with ESI MS/MS was established and successfully applied to C-terminal sequence analysis of recombinant human TNFR and neuregulin.Results showed,C-terminal sequences with 19 and 11 amino acids were identified respectively.This new method was sensitive,reproducible and useful for C-terminal sequence analysis of recombinant proteins.

Role of gastrin-peptides in Barrett's and colorectal carcinogenesis

Gastrin is the main hormone responsible for the stimulation of gastric acid secretion;in addition,gastrin and its derivatives exert proliferative and antiapoptotic effects on several cell types.Gastrin synthesis and secretion are increased in certain situations,for example,when proton pump inhibitors are used.The impact of sustained hypergastrinemia is currently being investigated.In vitro experiments and animal models have shown that prolonged hypergastrinemia may be related with higher cancer rates;although,this relationship is less clear in human beings.Higher gastrin levels have been shown to cause hyperplasia of several cell types;yet,the risk for developing cancer seems to be the same in normo-and hypergastrinemic patients.Some tumors also produce their own gastrin,which can act in an autocrine manner promoting tumor growth.Certain cancers are extremely dependent on gastrin to proliferate.Initial research focused only on the effects of amidated gastrins,but there has been an interest in intermediates of gastrin in the last few decades.These intermediates aren't biologically inactive;in fact,they may exert greater effects on proliferation and apoptosis than the completely processed forms.In certain gastrin overproduction states,they are the most abundant gastrin peptides secreted.The purpose of this review is to examine the gastrin biosynthesis process and to summarize the results from different studies evaluating the production,levels,and effects of the main forms of gastrin in different overexpression states and their possible relationship with Barrett's and colorectal carcinogenesis.

Nucleos(t)ide analogues causes HBV S gene mutations and carcinogenesis

BACKGROUND： The long-term use of nudeos（t）ide analogues causes drug resistance and mutations in the HBV reverse tran- scriptase （RT） region of the polymerase gene. The RT region overlaps the HBV surface gene （S gene） and therefore, the mutations in the RT region simultaneously modify S gene sequence. Certain mutations in the RT region bring about truncated S proteins because the corresponding changed S gene encodes a stop codon which results in the loss of a large portion of the C-terminal hydrophobic region of HBV surface protein. The rtA181T/sW172＊, rtM204I/sW196＊ and rtV191I/sW182＊ are the most frequently reported drug-resistant mutations with C-terminal truncation, these mutations have oncogenic potential. DATA SOURCES： PubMed and Web of Science were searched using terms： ＂hepatitis B virus＂, ＂HBV drug resistance mutation＂ ＂HBV surface protein＂ ＂HBV truncation＂, ＂hepatocellular carcinoma＂, ＂rtA181T/sW172＊＂, ＂rtM204I/sW196＊＂, ＂rtV191I/sW182＊＂, and relevant articles published in English in the past decades were reviewed. RESULTS： The rtA181T/sW172＊ and rtV191I/sW182＊ mutants occurred more frequently than the rtM204I/sW196＊ mutant both in chronic hepatitis B patients and the HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma tissues. Although these mutations occur naturally, nudeos（t）ide analogues therapy is the main driving force. These mutations may exist alone or coexist with other HBV mutations. All these three mutants impair the virion secretion and result in HBV surface protein retention and serum HBV DNA level reduction. These mutations possess potential carcinogenic properties. The three mutations are resistant to more than one nucleos（t）ide analogue and therefore, it is difficult to treat the patients with the truncated mutations.CONCLUSIONS： Nucleos（t）ide analogues induce drug resistance and HBV S gene truncated mutations. These mutations have potential carcinogenesis.

Modulation of voltage-gated potassium Kv2.1 via the cytoplasmic C terminal

Voltage-gated potassium channels comprise 12 subtypes （Kv1-Kv12）. Kv2.1, which is expressed in most mammalian central neurons, provides the majority of delayed-rectifier K＋ current in cortical and hippocampal pyramidal neurons, and plays an especially prominent role in repolarizing membrane potential, as well as in facilitation of exocytosis. Kv2.1-encoded K＋ efflux is essential for neuronal apoptosis programming. The human form of the Kv2.1 potassium channel contains large intracellular regions. The cytoplasmic C-terminal plays a key role in modulating Kv2.1 gating. The present manuscript summarized Kv2.1 structure and modulation in neurons and analyzed the roles of the cytoplasmic C-terminal.

Divalent cation tolerance protein binds to β-secretase and inhibits the processing of amyloid precursor protein

The deposition of amyloid-beta is a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer＇s disease, Amyloid-beta is derived from amyloid precursor protein through sequential proteolytic cleavages by β-secretase （beta-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1） and r-secretase. To further elucidate the roles of beta-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1 in the development of AIzheimer＇s disease, a yeast two-hybrid system was used to screen a human embryonic brain cDNA library for proteins directly interacting with the intracellular domain of beta-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1. A potential beta-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1- interacting protein identified from the positive clones was divalent cation tolerance protein. Immunoprecipitation studies in the neuroblastoma cell line N2a showed that exogenous divalent cation tolerance protein interacts with endogenous beta-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1. The overexpression of divalent cation tolerance protein did not affect beta-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1 protein levels, but led to increased amyloid precursor protein levels in N2a/APP695 cells, with a concomitant reduction in the processing product amyloid precursor protein C-terminal fragment, indicating that divalent cation tolerance protein inhibits the processing of amyloid precursor protein. Our experimental findings suggest that divalent cation tolerance protein negatively regulates the function of beta-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1. Thus, divalent cation tolerance protein could play a protective role in Alzheimer＇s disease.

Postprandial response of bone turnover markers in patients with Crohn's disease

AIM:To investigate the postprandial response of bone turnover markers in patients with Crohn’s disease(CD).METHODS:Fifty nine patients with CD aged 38±14years,and 45 healthy individuals matched for age and body mass index were included in the study.All participants underwent an oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT)after an overnight fast and serum levels of the bone resorption marker C-terminal crosslinking telopeptide of type?Ⅰ?collagen(CTX-Ⅰ)and the bone formation marker procollagen type?Ⅰ?N propeptide were measured.Activity of the disease was assessed by calculation of the Crohn’s disease activity index(CDAI).RESULTS:Serum CTX-I was significantly higher in patients compared to controls(CTX-I:453±21 pg/mL vs 365±25 pg/mL,P=0.008),and values were significantly correlated with the activity of the disease(r=0.435,P=0.001).Results from OGTT-induced suppression of CTX-I showed two different trends.Patients with more active disease(assessed as CDAI>150)had a more excessive suppression of CTX-I compared to controls(55%vs 43%P<0.001),while patients on remission(assessed as CDAI<150)demonstrated an attenuated CTX-I suppression(30%vs 43%P<0.001).In line with this,CTX-I suppression after oral glucose load was significantly correlated with the activity of the disease(r=0.913,P<0.001).CONCLUSION:The physiological skeletal response of postprandial suppression of bone resorption is maintained in patients with CD and is strongly dependent to the activity of the disease.

Newly identified genetic variant rs2294693 in UNC5CL gene is associated with decreased risk of esophageal carcinoma in the J&K Population–India

Esophageal cancer is the second most common type of cancer after lung carcinoma in the state of Jammu and Kashmir(J&K).The understanding of genetics in Esophageal cancer development is poor in the state.Genome wide association studies(GWAS)has proved to be unsurpassed tool in identification of new loci associated with different cancers.GWAS in Chinese population has identified SNP rs2294693 present in UNC5CL(UNC-5 Family C-Terminal like)to be associated with non-cardia gastric cancer.We performed a case control association study and genotyped the SNP rs2294693 using Taqman allele discrimination assay in 566 individuals(166 esophageal cancer patients and 400 controls)belonging to the J&K population.A statistically significant protective association with allelic odds ratio of 0.73(0.56–0.94 at 95%CI)and p value=0.016 was observed.This is the first study in relation to esophageal cancer in the Jammu and Kashmir population,so far it has been studied in association with gastric carcinoma in the Chinese population only.The results indicate that the polymorphism rs2294693 is associated with esophageal cancer susceptibility and the mutant(T)allele might be a protective factor for esophageal cancer among Jammu and Kashmir population.Further the functional characterization of the variation is also warranted.

EVI1 Mediated Stimulation of 3T3-L1 Preadipocyte Differentiation Is CtBP Dependent

Myelodysplasia syndrome 1 (MDS1) and Ecotropic viral integration site 1 (EVI1) complex (MECOM) locus encode multiple isoforms of the EVI1 protein that are essential for normal vertebrate development and when inappropriately expressed play a significant role in malignancy and in particular leukaemias. However, the function of individual EVI1 isoforms is not fully understood. Recently, EVI1 or PRDM3, which is structurally closely related to the brown adipose tissue determining factor PRDM16, was shown to be required for differentiation of adipocytes. In this study, we show that 3T3-L1 preadipocytes sustain expression of all Evi1 isoforms examined, including Mds1-Evi1, Evi1FL, Evi1Δ324, Evi1FL + 9 and Evi1Δ105 throughout the adipogenesis differentiation programme. We also show that differentiation markers are enhanced by enforced expression of either Evi1, Evi1FL + 9 or Evi1Δ105 isoforms. Interestingly 3T3-L1 differentiation markers are also moderately enhanced by enforced expression of Evi1Δ324, which lacks part of the N-ter-minal zinc finger domain (ZF1), demonstrating a biological activity for this particular isoform. Enforced expression of an Evi1 mutant lacking C-terminal binding protein (CtBP) co-repressor protein binding activity fails to stimulate 3T3-L1 differentiation markers and may have dominant negative activity, causing partial inhibition of this developmental programme. These studies show that multiple EVI1 isoforms are expressed in adipocytes and can stimulate adipogenic markers in a manner that is partially independent of the ZF1 DNA binding domain but fully dependent upon interaction with co-repressor CtBP proteins.

C-Terminus-Mediated Voltage Gating of Arabidopsis Guard Cell Anion Channel QUAC1

Anion transporters in plants play a fundamental role in volume regulation and signaling. Currently, two plasma membrane-located anion channel familiesmSLAC/SLAH and ALMTmare known. Among the ALMT family, the root-expressed ALuminium-activated Malate Transporter 1 was identified by comparison of aluminum-tolerant and Al3＋-sensitive wheat cultivars and was subsequently shown to mediate voltage-independent malate currents. In con- trast, ALMT12/QUAC1 （QUickly activating Anion Channel1） is expressed in guard cells transporting malate in an Al3＋- insensitive and highly voltage-dependent manner. So far, no information is available about the structure and mechanism of voltage-dependent gating with the QUAC1 channel protein. Here, we analyzed gating of QUACl-type currents in the plasma membrane of guard cells and QUACl-expressing oocytes revealing similar voltage dependencies and activation- deactivation kinetics. In the heterologous expression system, QUAC1 was electrophysiologically characterized at increas- ing extra- and intracellular malate concentrations. Thereby, malate additively stimulated the voltage-dependent QUAC1 activity. In search of structural determinants of the gating process, we could not identify transmembrane domains com- mon for voltage-sensitive channels. However, site-directed mutations and deletions at the C-terminus of QUAC1 resulted in altered voltage-dependent channel activity. Interestingly, the replacement of a single glutamate residue, which is con- served in ALMT channels from different clades, by an alanine disrupted QUAC1 activity. Together with C- and N-terminal tagging, these results indicate that the cytosolic C-terminus is involved in the voltage-dependent gating mechanism of QUAC1.