Publications by authors named "Chaohua Lai"

PYL10 is a monomeric abscisic acid (ABA) receptor that inhibits protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) activity in Arabidopsis thaliana. Previous studies reported that the PP2C phosphatase inhibition by PYL10 was ABA-independent. Here, systematic PYL10 biochemical studies demonstrated that PYL10 activity was ABA-dependent, and the previously reported studies was interfered by the presence of BSA in the commercial kit.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Integrins are heterodimeric membrane proteins that regulate essential processes: cell migration, cell growth, extracellular matrix assembly and tumor metastasis. Each integrin α or β subunit contains a large extracellular domain, a single transmembrane (TM) domain, and a short cytoplasmic tail. The integrin TM domains are important for heterodimeric association and dissociation during the conversion from inactive to active states.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Caenorhabditis elegans MPS1 is a single transmembrane helical auxiliary subunit that co-localizes with the voltage-gated potassium channel KVS1 in the nematode nervous system. MPS-1 shares high homology with KCNE (potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily E member) auxiliary subunits, and its cytosolic domain was reported to have a serine/threonine kinase activity that modulates KVS1 channel function via phosphorylation. In this study, NMR spectroscopy indicated that the full length and truncated MPS-1 cytosolic domain (134-256) in the presence or absence of n-dodecylphosphocholine detergent micelles adopted a highly flexible random coil secondary structure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

KCNQ1 channels play vital roles in cardiovascular, gastric and other systems. The conductance and dynamics of KCNQ1 could be modulated by different single transmembrane helical auxiliary proteins (such as KCNE1, KCNE2 and others). In this study, detail KCNQ1 function modulations by different regions of KCNE1 or KCNE2 were examined using combinational methods of electrophysiology, immunofluorescence, solution NMR and related backbone flexibility analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The BK channel, a tetrameric potassium channel with very high conductance, has a central role in numerous physiological functions. The BK channel can be activated by intracellular Ca(2+) and Mg(2+), as well as by membrane depolarization. Unlike other tetrameric potassium channels, the BK channel has seven transmembrane helices (S0-S6) including an extra helix S0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Integrin proteins are very important adhesion receptors that mediate cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. They play essential roles in cell signaling and the regulation of cellular shape, motility, and the cell cycle. Here, the transmembrane and cytoplasmic (TMC) domains of integrin α1 and β1 were over-expressed and purified in detergent micelles.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Rv0899 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis belongs to the OmpA (outer membrane protein A) family of outer membrane proteins. It functions as a pore-forming protein; the deletion of this gene impairs the uptake of some water-soluble substances, such as serine, glucose, and glycerol. Rv0899 has also been shown to play a part in low-pH environment adaption, which may play a part in pathogenic mycobacteria overcoming the host's defense mechanisms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

MiRP1 (MinK related protein 1) is a membrane protein in the KCNE family. It can associate with and modulate various voltage gated potassium channels. Mutations in human MiRP1 have been found to cause many congenital and acquired long QT syndromes, which are potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Zinc finger motif contains a zinc ion coordinated by several conserved amino acid residues. Yeast Sgf73 protein was identified as a component of SAGA (Spt/Ada/Gcn5 acetyltransferase) multi-subunit complex and Sgf73 protein was known to contain two zinc finger motifs. Sgf73(1-104), containing the first zinc finger motif, was necessary to modulate the deubiquitinase activity of SAGA complex.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF