Upon detecting pathogens or cell stress, several NOD-like receptors (NLRs) form inflammasome complexes with the adapter ASC and caspase-1, inducing gasdermin D (GSDMD)-dependent cell death and maturation and release of IL-1β and IL-18. The triggers and activation mechanisms of several inflammasome-forming sensors are not well understood. Here we show that mitochondrial damage activates the NLRP10 inflammasome, leading to ASC speck formation and caspase-1-dependent cytokine release.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe type-III secretion effector YopO helps pathogenic Yersinia to outmaneuver the human immune system. Injected into host cells, it functions as a Ser/Thr kinase after activation by actin binding. This activation process is thought to involve large conformational changes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ferrous iron transporter FeoB is an important factor in the iron metabolism of many bacteria. Although several structural studies have been performed on its cytosolic GTPase domain (NFeoB), the full-length structure of FeoB remains elusive. Based on a crystal packing analysis that was performed on crystals of NFeoB, a trimeric structure of the FeoB channel was proposed, where the transport pore runs along the trimer axis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ferrous iron transporter FeoB is an important factor in the iron metabolism of various bacteria. As a membrane bound GTPase it also represents an interesting evolutionary link between prokaryotic and eukaryotic membrane signalling pathways. To date, structural information for FeoB is limited to the cytosolic GTPase domain and structural features such as the oligomeric state of the transporter in the membrane, and thereby the nature of the transport pore are a matter of constant debate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFatty acid biosynthesis is an essential component of metabolism in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. The fatty acid biosynthetic pathway of Gram-negative bacteria is an established therapeutic target. Two homologous enzymes FabA and FabZ catalyze a key step in fatty acid biosynthesis; both dehydrate hydroxyacyl fatty acids that are coupled via a phosphopantetheine to an acyl carrier protein (ACP).
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