Publications by authors named "Agard D"

Single-particle analysis by Cryo-electron microscopy (CryoEM) provides direct access to the conformation of each macromolecule. However, the image's signal-to-noise ratio is low, and some form of classification is usually performed at the image processing level to allow structural modeling. Classical classification methods imply the existence of a discrete number of structural conformations.

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The cilium is a microtubule-based organelle critical for many cellular functions. Its assembly initiates at a basal body and continues as an axoneme that projects out of the cell to form a functional cilium. This assembly process is tightly regulated.

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Article Synopsis
  • Viral genomes are most susceptible to host defenses at the beginning of infection, making early protection crucial.
  • Jumbo phages like ΦKZ create a phage nucleus to safeguard their DNA, but the process before this nucleus forms involves an early phage infection (EPI) vesicle that interacts with host proteins.
  • The EPI vesicle helps protect the viral genome, facilitates early transcription with vRNAP, and keeps out harmful enzymes, ensuring effective gene expression and safe genome transfer to the developing nucleus.
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Basal bodies (BBs) are conserved eukaryotic structures that organize cilia. They are comprised of nine, cylindrically arranged, triplet microtubules (TMTs) connected to each other by inter-TMT linkages which stabilize the structure. Poc1 is a conserved protein important for BB structural integrity in the face of ciliary forces transmitted to BBs.

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Single-particle cryo-EM is widely used to determine enzyme-nucleosome complex structures. However, cryo-EM sample preparation remains challenging and inconsistent due to complex denaturation at the air-water interface (AWI). Here, to address this issue, we develop graphene-oxide-coated EM grids functionalized with either single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or thiol-poly(acrylic acid-co-styrene) (TAASTY) co-polymer.

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Basal bodies (BBs) are conserved eukaryotic structures that organize motile and primary cilia. The BB is comprised of nine, cylindrically arranged, triplet microtubules (TMTs) that are connected to each other by inter-TMT linkages which maintain BB structure. During ciliary beating, forces transmitted to the BB must be resisted to prevent BB disassembly.

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Hsp90 is an essential molecular chaperone responsible for the folding and activation of hundreds of 'client' proteins, including the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Previously, we revealed that Hsp70 and Hsp90 remodel the conformation of GR to regulate ligand binding, aided by co-chaperones. In vivo, the co-chaperones FKBP51 and FKBP52 antagonistically regulate GR activity, but a molecular understanding is lacking.

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As we celebrate the 30 anniversary of Structure, we have asked structural biologists about their expectations on how their respective fields are likely to develop in the next ten years in this collection of Voices.

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To understand the molecular mechanisms of cellular pathways, contemporary workflows typically require multiple techniques to identify proteins, track their localization, and determine their structures in vitro. Here, we combined cellular cryoelectron tomography (cryo-ET) and AlphaFold2 modeling to address these questions and understand how mammalian sperm are built in situ. Our cellular cryo-ET and subtomogram averaging provided 6.

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Article Synopsis
  • Host-pathogen interactions are crucial for understanding infections, and while affinity-purification mass spectrometry has its uses, it has scalability and authenticity limitations.
  • The study introduces co-fractionation mass spectrometry to analyze host-pathogen interactions in viral infections of two jumbophages (ϕKZ and ϕPA3) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, detecting over 6000 interactions and providing insights into previously unknown phage proteins.
  • An online platform called PhageMAP was created to make this data accessible for network querying and visualization, potentially advancing research in host-pathogen dynamics.
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Single-particle cryo-EM is widely used to determine enzyme-nucleosome complex structures. However, cryo-EM sample preparation remains challenging and inconsistent due to complex denaturation at the air-water interface (AWI). To address this issue, we developed graphene-oxide-coated EM grids functionalized with either single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or thiol-poly(acrylic acid-co-styrene) (TAASTY) co-polymer.

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The Hsp90 molecular chaperone collaborates with the phosphorylated Cdc37 cochaperone for the folding and activation of its many client kinases. As with many kinases, the Hsp90 client kinase CRaf is activated by phosphorylation at specific regulatory sites. The cochaperone phosphatase PP5 dephosphorylates CRaf and Cdc37 in an Hsp90-dependent manner.

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Objective: To compare intraoperative UDS results with UDS in the postoperative care unit (PACU) to assess the accuracy and efficacy of intraoperative UDS in children who cannot tolerate ambulatory urodynamic evaluation.

Methods: Pediatric patients undergoing intraoperative UDS at a single institution were enrolled over a 5-year time period (1/2013-8/2018). Urodynamics were performed in the operating room under general anesthesia, then in the PACU after recovery from anesthesia.

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To protect themselves from host attack, numerous jumbo bacteriophages establish a phage nucleus-a micron-scale, proteinaceous structure encompassing the replicating phage DNA. Bacteriophage and host proteins associated with replication and transcription are concentrated inside the phage nucleus while other phage and host proteins are excluded, including CRISPR-Cas and restriction endonuclease host defense systems. Here, we show that nucleus fragments isolated from ϕPA3 infected Pseudomonas aeruginosa form a 2-dimensional lattice, having p2 or p4 symmetry.

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Article Synopsis
  • Host-pathogen interactions (HPIs) are crucial for understanding how infections establish and progress; traditional methods focus on small pathogens but can be limiting.
  • The researchers introduced co-fractionation mass spectrometry (SEC-MS) to analyze HPIs from two large phages, revealing over 6000 unique interactions and insights into fundamental viral mechanisms.
  • To enhance accessibility, they created PhageMAP, an online tool for visualizing and querying these interactions, aimed at advancing the study of host-pathogen dynamics.
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Hsp90 is an essential molecular chaperone responsible for the folding and activation of hundreds of 'client' proteins, including the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Previously, we revealed that GR ligand binding activity is inhibited by Hsp70 and restored by Hsp90, aided by co-chaperones. We then presented cryo-EM structures mechanistically detailing how Hsp70 and Hsp90 remodel the conformation of GR to regulate ligand binding.

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The protein structure prediction problem is solved, at last, thanks in large part to the use of artificial intelligence. The structures predicted by AlphaFold and RoseTTAFold are becoming the requisite starting point for many protein scientists. New frontiers, such as the conformational sampling of intrinsically disordered proteins, are emerging.

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  • Fragmentation ion spectral analysis is a key technique in proteomics for studying protein interactions and structures, and Kojak version 2.0 is an updated tool designed for identifying cross-linked peptides from these analyses.
  • The new version includes improved algorithms, better scoring metrics, support for cleavable cross-linkers, and the ability to identify cross-links in specific protein structures, making it more versatile in experimental setups.
  • Kojak 2.0 integrates with the Trans-Proteomic Pipeline for additional analytical tools and remains open-source and compatible across multiple platforms.
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The flagella of mammalian sperm display non-planar, asymmetric beating, in contrast to the planar, symmetric beating of flagella from sea urchin sperm and unicellular organisms. The molecular basis of this difference is unclear. Here, we perform in situ cryo-electron tomography of mouse and human sperm, providing the highest-resolution structural information to date.

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Mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) is a multi-subunit kinase complex, central to multiple essential signaling pathways. Two core subunits, Rictor and mSin1, distinguish it from the related mTORC1 and support context-dependent phosphorylation of its substrates. mTORC2 structures have been determined previously; however, important questions remain, particularly regarding the structural determinants mediating substrate specificity and context-dependent activity.

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AreTomo, an abbreviation for Alignment and Reconstruction for Electron Tomography, is a GPU accelerated software package that fully automates motion-corrected marker-free tomographic alignment and reconstruction in a single package. By correcting in-plane rotation, translation, and importantly, the local motion resulting from beam-induced motion from tilt to tilt, AreTomo can produce tomograms with sufficient accuracy to be directly used for subtomogram averaging. Another major application is the on-the-fly reconstruction of tomograms in parallel with tilt series collection to provide users with real-time feedback of sample quality allowing users to make any necessary adjustments of collection parameters.

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Doublet microtubules (DMTs) provide a scaffold for axoneme assembly in motile cilia. Aside from α/β tubulins, the DMT comprises a large number of non-tubulin proteins in the luminal wall of DMTs, collectively named the microtubule inner proteins (MIPs). We used cryoET to study axoneme DMT isolated from We present the structures of DMT at nanometer and sub-nanometer resolution.

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Maintaining a healthy proteome is fundamental for the survival of all organisms. Integral to this are Hsp90 and Hsp70, molecular chaperones that together facilitate the folding, remodelling and maturation of the many 'client proteins' of Hsp90. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a model client protein that is strictly dependent on Hsp90 and Hsp70 for activity.

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Hsp90 is a conserved and essential molecular chaperone responsible for the folding and activation of hundreds of 'client' proteins. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a model client that constantly depends on Hsp90 for activity. GR ligand binding was previously shown to nr inhibited by Hsp70 and restored by Hsp90, aided by the co-chaperone p23.

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