Publications by authors named "Janusz Stepinski"

Article Synopsis
  • Nudt15 is a well-studied enzyme from the NUDIX protein family, primarily for its effects on thiopurine drugs used in cancer and inflammatory disease treatment.
  • Besides its known activity on thiopurines, Nudt15 also acts on various nucleotide substrates, and there's speculation about its role in the degradation of mRNA through hydrolysis of mGDP.
  • Recent research showed that Nudt15 has moderate activity with methylated forms of GDP and GTP, suggesting these can inform the design of new small molecule inhibitors targeting Nudt15.
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Recent findings have substantially broadened our knowledge about the diversity of modifications of the 5'end of RNAs, an issue generally attributed to mRNA cap structure (mGpppN). Nudt12 is one of the recently described new enzymatic activities involved in cap metabolism. However, in contrast to its roles in metabolite-cap turnover (e.

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Article Synopsis
  • Nudt16, part of the NUDIX hydrolase family, selectively works on nucleoside diphosphates but there are conflicting reports on its substrates and biological roles.* -
  • A study found that hNudt16 has the strongest affinity for IDP and GppG, with K values under 100 nM, while other substrates displayed significantly weaker binding.* -
  • The research identified GppG as a new substrate for hNudt16 and suggested the enzyme's strong binding is enhanced by interactions with specific amino acids, hinting at its regulatory functions.*
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Article Synopsis
  • DcpS enzymes are crucial for mRNA degradation in eukaryotes and are linked to conditions like spinal muscular atrophy and acute myeloid leukemia, with recent connections to intellectual disability.* -
  • This study is the first to analyze the effects of different tags (N-terminus vs. C-terminus) on DcpS enzymes from humans and other species, noting that native forms were created through tag removal.* -
  • While the thermal stability of most DcpS versions remained stable, the catalytic activity showed that tagged DcpSs had enhanced efficiency with specific substrates compared to their native counterparts, except for mGDP which was resistant to cleavage.*
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Article Synopsis
  • - Human Nudt16 (hNudt16) is an enzyme that breaks down various RNA-related substrates, with a particular focus on its decapping activity in the nucleolus, specifically targeting U8 snoRNA.
  • - Recent findings show that hNudt16 localizes to the cytoplasm and plays a role in RNA turnover, similar to the enzyme Dcp2, by hydrolyzing cap structures in RNA.
  • - The study reveals that hNudt16 is more effective at breaking down dinucleotide cap analogs and short capped oligonucleotides that contain guanine, indicating its broader specificity than previously understood.
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The mRNA 5' cap structure plays a pivotal role in coordination of eukaryotic translation and mRNA degradation. Poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN) is a dimeric exoribonuclease that efficiently degrades mRNA 3' poly(A) tails while also simultaneously interacting with the mRNA 5' cap. The cap binding amplifies the processivity of PARN action.

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Article Synopsis
  • Scavenger decapping enzymes (DcpS) play a crucial role in breaking down mRNA by targeting the cap structure m(7)GpppN, which is a common feature in eukaryotic mRNA.
  • The study explores how different substitutions at the N7 position of the guanine in the cap structure affect DcpS from various organisms, including humans and some nematodes, focusing on their rate of hydrolysis and binding affinities.
  • Findings indicate that the DcpS enzyme has a flexible cap-binding pocket, allowing it to accommodate various substrates with different N7 structural modifications for effective hydrolysis.
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Members of the eIF4E mRNA cap-binding family are involved in translation and the modulation of transcript availability in other systems as part of a three-component complex including eIF4G and eIF4A. The kinetoplastids possess four described eIF4E and five eIF4G homologs. We have identified two new eIF4E family proteins in Trypanosoma brucei, and define distinct complexes associated with the fifth member, TbEIF4E5.

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Background: The passage of a lead in tissues and in the cardiovascular system depends on the implantation technique. The structure of the leads, which is a combination of two or more materials, triggers their wear. Breakage of the external pacemaker (PM) lead insulation causes unsealing of the lead and exposure of its internal spaces, which can be the anchor of lead-dependent infective endocarditis (LDIE).

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The 5' cap of human messenger RNA contains 2'-O-methylation of the first and often second transcribed nucleotide that is important for its processing, translation and stability. Human enzymes that methylate these nucleotides, termed CMTr1 and CMTr2, respectively, have recently been identified. However, the structures of these enzymes and their mechanisms of action remain unknown.

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Decapping scavenger (DcpS) enzymes catalyze the cleavage of a residual cap structure following 3' → 5' mRNA decay. Some previous studies suggested that both m(7)GpppG and m(7)GDP were substrates for DcpS hydrolysis. Herein, we show that mononucleoside diphosphates, m(7)GDP (7-methylguanosine diphosphate) and m(3)(2,2,7)GDP (2,2,7-trimethylguanosine diphosphate), resulting from mRNA decapping by the Dcp1/2 complex in the 5' → 3' mRNA decay, are not degraded by recombinant DcpS proteins (human, nematode, and yeast).

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Metazoan spliced leader (SL) trans-splicing generates mRNAs with an m(2,2,7)G-cap and a common downstream SL RNA sequence. The mechanism for eIF4E binding an m²²⁷G-cap is unknown. Here, we describe the first structure of an eIF4E with an m(2,2,7)G-cap and compare it to the cognate m⁷G-eIF4E complex.

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Molecular mechanisms underlying the recognition of the mRNA 5' terminal structure called "cap" by the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) are crucial for cap-dependent translation. To gain a deeper insight into how the yeast eIF4E interacts with the cap structure, isothermal titration calorimetry and the van't Hoff analysis based on intrinsic protein fluorescence quenching upon titration with a series of chemical cap analogs were performed, providing a consistent thermodynamic description of the binding process in solution. Equilibrium association constants together with thermodynamic parameters revealed similarities and differences between yeast and mammalian eIF4Es.

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In RNA silencing, microRNA (miRNA)-mediated translational repression occurs through mechanisms that do not invoke messenger-RNA (mRNA) target cleavage by Argonaute proteins. The nature of these mechanisms is unclear, but several recent studies have proposed that a direct interaction between the mRNA-cap and the middle (MID) domain of Argonautes is involved. Here, we present crystallographic and NMR data demonstrating that cap analogues do not bind significantly to the isolated MID domain of human Argonaute 2 (hAGO2) and are found in the miRNA 5'-nucleotide binding site in an implausible binding mode.

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Adenosine 5'-phosphoramidate (NH₂-pA) is an uncommon natural nucleotide of poorly understood biochemistry and function. We studied a plant enzyme potentially involved in the catabolism of NH₂-pA. A fast and simple method comprising extraction of yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus) seed-meal with a low ionic strength buffer, ammonium sulfate and acetone fractionations, removal of contaminating proteins by heat denaturation, and affinity chromatography on AMP-agarose, yielded homogenous nucleoside 5'-phosphoramidase.

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Cellular eukaryotic mRNAs are capped at their 5' ends with a 7-methylguanosine nucleotide, a structural feature that has been shown to be important for conferring mRNA stability, stimulating mRNA biogenesis (splicing, poly(A) addition, nucleocytoplasmic transport), and increasing translational efficiency. Whereas yeast mRNAs have no additional modifications to the cap, called cap0, higher eukaryotes are methylated at the 2'-O-ribose of the first or the first and second transcribed nucleotides, called cap1 and cap2, respectively. In the present study, we identify the methyltransferase responsible for cap1 formation in human cells, which we call hMTr1 (also known as FTSJD2 and ISG95).

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The activity of the Caenorhabditis elegans scavenger decapping enzyme (DcpS) on its natural substrates and dinucleotide cap analogs, modified with regard to the nucleoside base or ribose moiety, has been examined. All tested dinucleotides were specifically cleaved between beta- and gamma-phosphate groups in the triphosphate chain. The kinetic parameters of enzymatic hydrolysis (K(m), V(max)) were determined using fluorescence and HPLC methods, as complementary approaches for the kinetic studies of C.

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Eukaryotic mRNA translation begins with recruitment of the 40S ribosome complex to the mRNA 5' end through the eIF4F initiation complex binding to the 5' m(7)G-mRNA cap. Spliced leader (SL) RNA trans splicing adds a trimethylguanosine (TMG) cap and a sequence, the SL, to the 5' end of mRNAs. Efficient translation of TMG-capped mRNAs in nematodes requires the SL sequence.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Tgs proteins are enzymes involved in methylating specific RNA nucleotides, particularly in forming the TMG RNA cap.
  • Human Tgs1 can perform two distinct methylation steps on the 7-methylguanosine (m(7)G) cap to create a fully modified TMG cap, while Giardia's Tgs can only create a dimethylguanosine cap and cannot convert it to TMG.
  • The Mimivirus Tgs shares some traits with Giardia's Tgs but can perform a single methylation step without the need for prior modifications, illustrating diverse capabilities within the Tgs enzyme family.
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The eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4E recognizes the mRNA cap, a key step in translation initiation. Here we have characterized eIF4E from the human parasite Schistosoma mansoni. Schistosome mRNAs have either the typical monomethylguanosine (m(7)G) or a trimethylguanosine (m(2,2,7)G) cap derived from spliced leader trans-splicing.

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A new member of the FHIT protein family, designated HIT-45, has been identified in the African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei. Recombinant HIT-45 proteins were purified from trypanosomal and bacterial protein expression systems and analyzed for substrate specificity using various dinucleoside polyphosphates, including those that contain the 5'-mRNA cap, i.e.

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The heterodimeric nuclear cap-binding complex (CBC) specifically recognizes the monomethylguanosine 5' cap structure of the eukaryotic RNA polymerase II transcripts such as mRNA and U snRNA. The binding is essential for nuclear maturation of mRNA, for nuclear export of U snRNA in metazoans, and for nonsense-mediated decay of mRNA and the pioneer round of translation. We analysed the recognition of the cap by native human CBC and mutants in which each tyrosine that stacks with the 7-methylguanosine moiety was replaced by phenylalanine or alanine and both tyrosines were replaced by phenylalanines.

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Analogs of the mRNA cap are widely employed to study processes involved in mRNA metabolism as well as being useful in biotechnology and medicinal applications. Here we describe synthesis of six dinucleotide cap analogs bearing a single phosphorothioate modification at either the alpha, beta, or gamma position of the 5',5'-triphosphate chain. Three of them were also modified with methyl groups at the 2'-O position of 7-methylguanosine to produce anti-reverse cap analogs (ARCAs).

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Recognition of the 5' cap by the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) is the rate-limiting step in the ribosome recruitment to mRNAs. The regular cap consists of 7-monomethylguanosine (MMG) linked by a 5'-5' triphosphate bridge to the first transcribed nucleoside, while some primitive eukaryotes possess a N (2), N (2),7-trimethylguanosine (TMG) cap structure as a result of trans splicing. Mammalian eIF4E is highly specific to the MMG form of the cap in terms of association constants and thermodynamic driving force.

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Eukaryotic cells utilize scavenger decapping enzymes to degrade cap structure following 3'-5' mRNA decay. Human DcpS recently has been described as a highly specific hydrolase (a member of the HIT family) that catalyses the cleavage of m(7)GpppG and short capped oligoribonucleotides. We have demonstrated here that cap-1 (m(7)GpppGm) is a preferred substrate among several investigated dinucleotide cap analogues m(7)Gp(n)N (n = 3-5, N is a purine or pyrimidine base) and m(7)GMP is always one of the reaction product.

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