We used computational methods to study the interaction between two key proteins in apoptosis regulation: the transcription factor NF-kappa-B (NFkappaB) and the proapoptotic protein ASPP2. The C-terminus of ASPP2 contains ankyrin repeats and SH3 domains (ASPP2(ANK-SH3)) that mediate interactions with numerous apoptosis-related proteins, including the p65 subunit of NFkappaB (NFkappaB(p65)). Using peptide-based methods, we have recently identified the interaction sites between NFkappaB(p65) and ASPP2(ANK-SH3) (Rotem et al., J Biol Chem 283, 18990-18999). Here we conducted a computational study of protein docking and molecular dynamics to obtain a structural model of the complex between the full length proteins and propose a mechanism for the interaction. We found that ASPP2(ANK-SH3) binds two sites in NFkappaB(p65), at residues 236-253 and 293-313 that contain the nuclear localization signal (NLS). These sites also mediate the binding of NFkappaB to its natural inhibitor IkappaB, which also contains ankyrin repeats. Alignment of the ankyrin repeats of ASPP2(ANK-SH3) and IkappaB revealed that both proteins share highly similar interfaces at their binding sites to NFkappaB. Protein docking of ASPP2(ANK-SH3) and NFkappaB(p65), as well as molecular dynamics simulations of the proteins, provided structural models of the complex that are energetically similar to the NFkappaB-IkappaB determined structure. Our results show that ASPP2(ANK-SH3) binds NFkappaB(p65) in a similar manner to its natural inhibitor IkappaB, suggesting a possible novel role for ASPP2 as an NFkappaB inhibitor.
BglG, which regulates expression of the beta-glucoside utilization (bgl) operon in Escherichia coli, represents a family of RNA-binding transcriptional antiterminators that positively regulate transcription of sugar utilization genes in Gram-negative and Gram-positive organisms. BglG is negatively regulated by the beta-glucoside phosphotransferase, BglF, by means of phosphorylation and physical association, and it is positively regulated by the general phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system (PTS) proteins, enzyme I (EI) and HPr. We studied the positive regulation of BglG both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we show that although EI and HPr are essential for BglG activity, this mode of activation does not require phosphorylation of BglG by HPr, as opposed to the phosphorylation-mediated activation of many BglG-like antiterminators in Gram-positive organisms. The effect of EI and HPr on BglG is not mediated by BglF. Nevertheless, the release of BglG from BglF, which is stimulated by the extracellular sugar in a sugar uptake-independent manner, is a prerequisite for BglG activation. Taken together, the results indicate that activation of BglG is a 2-stage process: a sugar-stimulated release from the membrane-bound sugar sensor followed by a phosphorylation-independent stimulatory effect exerted by the general PTS proteins.
{{A dielectric study of reverse hexagonal mesophases (H-II) is presented. Conducted in the frequency range 0.01-1 MHz and temperature range 293 < T < 319 K, the study reveals complex molecular behavior in and around the interfaces of the mesoscopic structures of the gel. There exist three clearly defined dielectric relaxations related to separate moieties in the interface, as well as a temperature-activated dc conductivity. A critical temperature
A dielectric study of reverse hexagonal mesophases (H(II)) is presented. Conducted in the frequency range 0.01-1 MHz and temperature range 293 \textless T \textless 319 K, the study reveals complex molecular behavior in and around the interfaces of the mesoscopic structures of the gel. There exist three clearly defined dielectric relaxations related to separate moieties in the interface, as well as a temperature-activated dc conductivity. A critical temperature, T(0) = 307 K, is noted in the results and related to the dehydration of the glycerol monooleate (GMO) head groups. Effectively, this represents a break-down of the interfacial layer of water. The consequences of this act are clearly visible in the change in behavior of the fitting parameters for all processes. A physical picture emerges whereby at T(0) = 307 K, the ``loosening\''\ of the GMO heads accentuates the dangling motion of the phosphatidylcholine (PC) tails, evidenced by counterion motion along the PC head. Furthermore, it precipitates the percolation of the large TAG molecules that are intercalated in the GMO and PC tails.
The present work investigates the detailed mol. structure of the HII mesophase of glycerol monooleate (GMO) /tricaprylin/phosphatidylcholine/water system in the presence of hydrophobic model peptide cyclosporin A (CSA) via ATR-FTIR anal. The conformation of the peptide in the hexagonal mesophase, as well as its location and specific interactions with the components of the carrier, were studied. Incorporation of phosphatidylcholine to the ternary GMO/tricaprylin/water system caused competition for water binding between the hydroxyl groups of GMO and the phosphate groups of the phosphatidylcholine (PC) leading to dehydration of the GMO hydroxyls in favor of phospholipid hydration. Anal. of CSA solubilization effect on the HII mesophase revealed a significant increase in the strength of hydrogen bonding with surfactant hydrogen-bonded carbonyls, indicating interaction of the peptide with the C=O groups of the surfactants. The peptide probably caused partial replacement of the intramol. hydrogen bonds of the mesophase carbonyl groups with intermol. hydrogen bonds of these carbonyl groups with the peptide. Furthermore, anal. of the Amide I' peak in the FTIR spectra of the peptide demonstrated that two pairs of its internal hydrogen bonds are disrupted when it is incorporated. The partial disruption of the internal hydrogen bonds seems to cause an outward rotation of the peptide amide groups involved, resulting in more efficient intermol. hydrogen-bonding ability. Apparently, this conformational change increased the hydrophilic properties of CSA, even making it susceptible to a weak interaction with the GMO hydroxyl groups in the interfacial region. [on SciFinder(R)]
A novel method for monitoring heavy metals in seawater is presented. The method is based on the electrochem. codeposition of metal hydroxides driven by the change of pH at the surface of a gold electrode. Altering the pH is achieved by applying a neg. potential or current that reduces the water and thereby increases the concn. of hydroxyl ions. This, in turn, causes metals to coppt. with Mg(OH)2. The continuous deposition enriches the ppt. with the metals (as compared with their concn. in the aq. phase) and allows their detn. by ICP-MS upon dissolving the deposit. A set of expts. in which seawater was spiked with 1-10 ppm of Cu, Cr, Co, Zn and Pb, was conducted. It was obsd. that metals were accumulated in the ppt. as a function of time and their concn. in seawater. The ppts. were analyzed by SEM, EDS and XPS indicating that the metal hydroxides formed a sep. phase from Mg(OH)2 and even water electroreducible metals, e.g., Cu2+, preferentially pptd. as hydroxides. Distribution consts. correlating the concns. of the metals in the deposited salts to their concns. in seawater were calcd. These calcns. imply that the mechanism governing the pptn. of the metal hydroxides by the electrochem. induced process is likely to be kinetically and mass-transport driven rather than thermodynamically controlled. [on SciFinder(R)]
The tumor suppressor p53 is a member of the emerging class of proteins that have both folded and intrinsically disordered domains, which are a challenge to structural biology. Its N-terminal domain (NTD) is linked to a folded core domain, which has a disordered link to the folded tetramerization domain, which is followed by a disordered C-terminal domain. The quaternary structure of human p53 has been solved by a combination of NMR spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and the NTD ensemble structure has been solved by NMR and SAXS. The murine p53 is reported to have a different quaternary structure, with the N and C termini interacting. Here, we used single-molecule FRET (SM-FRET) and ensemble FRET to investigate the conformational dynamics of the NTD of p53 in isolation and in the context of tetrameric full-length p53 (flp53). Our results showed that the isolated NTD was extended in solution with a strong preference for residues 66-86 forming a polyproline II conformation. The NTD associated weakly with the DNA binding domain of p53, but not the C termini. We detected multiple conformations in flp53 that were likely to result from the interactions of NTD with the DNA binding domain of each monomeric p53. Overall, the SM-FRET results, in addition to corroborating the previous ensemble findings, enabled the identification of the existence of multiple conformations of p53, which are often averaged and neglected in conventional ensemble techniques. Our study exemplifies the usefulness of SM-FRET in exploring the dynamic landscape of multimeric proteins that contain regions of unstructured domains.
A variety of diseases are related to mitochondrial dysfunction. Hence, the ability to transport drugs to mitochondria that are otherwise cell impermeable would be of great therapeutic potential. Triphenylphosphonium (TPP) cations have been shown to accumulate in mitochondria when attached to small molecules. Here we report on the consequence of increasing the number of TPP moieties that are covalently linked to a model hydrophilic peptide Hemagglutinin A (HA). By extending the HA peptide with l-lysine amino acids to which the TPP's are covalently linked through the epsilon-amine, we have systematically synthesized the HA peptide with 0-3 TPP's. All peptides were subsequently labeled with FITC at the N-terminus. Cellular uptake and mitochondrial localization of the HA-TPP conjugates in HeLa cells were profoundly augmented with increasing number of TPPs, suggesting that this approach is applicable for the delivery of peptides. Furthermore, confocal microscopy demonstrated that the peptides localize to mitochondria. Importantly, all peptide conjugates did not show apparent toxicity at concentrations that are several orders of magnitude higher than those used for HA peptide delivery.
A class of voting procedures based on repeated ballots and elimination of one candidate in each round is shown to always induce an outcome in the top cycle and is thus Condorcet consistent, when voters behave strategically. This is an important class as it covers multi-stage, sequential elimination extensions of all standard one-shot voting rules (with the exception of negative voting), the same one-shot rules that would fail Condorcet consistency. The necessity of repeated ballots and sequential elimination are demonstrated by further showing that Condorcet consistency would fail in all standard voting rules that violate one or both of these conditions.
J. Kahn, Shwartz, Y. , Blitz, E. , Krief, S. , Sharir, A. , Breitel, Dario.A. , Rattenbach, R. , Relaix, F. , Maire, P. , Rountree, R.B. , Kingsley, D.M. , ו Zelzer, E.. 2009. “Muscle Contraction Is Necessary To Maintain Joint Progenitor Cell Fate”. Developmental Cell, 16, 5, Pp. 734-743.
Crohn disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology. Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP) was found in the gut of patients with Crohn disease, but causality was not established. Fully developed, germ-free human small intestine and colon were established by subcutaneous transplantation of fetal gut into SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency) mice thereafter infected by direct intraluminal inoculation of MAP. We have found that MAP actively invades the human gut epithelial goblet cells of the small intestine, inducing severe tissue damage and inflammation. These observations indicate that MAP can specifically colonize the normal human small intestine and can elicit inflammation and severe mucosal damage.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection remains a major global health problem complicated by escalating rates of antibiotic resistance. Despite the established role of mycolic acid cyclopropane modification in pathogenesis, the feasibility of targeting this enzyme family for antibiotic development is unknown. We show through genetics and chemical biology that mycolic acid methyltransferases are essential for M. tuberculosis viability, cell wall structure, and intrinsic resistance to antibiotics. The tool compound dioctylamine, which we show acts as a substrate mimic, directly inhibits the function of multiple mycolic acid methyltransferases, resulting in loss of cyclopropanation, cell death, loss of acid fastness, and synergistic killing with isoniazid and ciprofloxacin. These results demonstrate that mycolic acid methyltransferases are a promising antibiotic target and that a family of virulence factors can be chemically inhibited with effects not anticipated from studies of each individual enzyme.
Die Vertreibung der Frankfurter und Wormser Juden im frühen 17. Jahrundert aus der Sicht des Zeitzeugen Nahman Puch. Edition und Kommentar eines jiddischen Liedes Heidi Stern
Die Adäquatheit des Zeugens. Über Agamben und Lévinas Dorothee Gelhard
"Ich weiß nicht": Karl Kraus, der Fall Heine und der sogenannte Philosemitismus Claudia Sonino
Imaginary Citizenships Claudio Luzzati
Jewish Philosophy or “Philosophy among the Jews”? Salomon Munk (1803–1867) and the Reception of Judeo-Arabic Texts in the 19th Century Chiara Adorisio
Sprachdenken im Kontext von Moritz Lazarus' "Völkerpsychologie" Sabine Sander
Immigration, Identity, and Change: Émigré Composers of the Nazi Period and Their Perceptions of Stylistic Transformation in their Creative Work Irit Youngerman
