Publications by authors named "Joseph M Pennington"

Article Synopsis
  • The resurgence of the Zika virus has been linked to health issues like Guillain-Barré syndrome and birth defects, highlighting the importance of understanding immune responses to the virus.
  • Researchers used advanced antibody screening methods to study the anti-Zika antibodies in individuals who recovered from the infection, examining their properties and interactions.
  • Findings revealed significant variations in antibody development based on individual characteristics, providing valuable insights into how the immune system responds to Zika and paving the way for better vaccine designs against this and similar viruses.
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Siroheme is the central cofactor in a conserved class of sulfite and nitrite reductases that catalyze the six-electron reduction of sulfite to sulfide and nitrite to ammonia. In Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, siroheme is produced by a trifunctional enzyme, siroheme synthase (CysG). A bifunctional active site that is distinct from its methyltransferase activity catalyzes the final two steps, NAD-dependent dehydrogenation and iron chelation.

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This is the first X-ray crystal structure of the monomeric form of sulfite reductase (SiR) flavoprotein (SiRFP-60) that shows the relationship between its major domains in an extended position not seen before in any homologous diflavin reductases. Small angle neutron scattering confirms this novel domain orientation also occurs in solution. Activity measurements of SiR and SiRFP variants allow us to propose a novel mechanism for electron transfer from the SiRFP reductase subunit to its oxidase metalloenzyme partner that, together, make up the SiR holoenzyme.

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The siroheme-containing subunit from the multimeric hemoflavoprotein NADPH-dependent sulfite reductase (SiR/SiRHP) catalyzes the six electron-reduction of SO to S. Siroheme is an iron-containing isobacteriochlorin that is found in sulfite and homologous siroheme-containing nitrite reductases. Siroheme does not work alone but is covalently coupled to a FeS cluster through one of the cluster's ligands.

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Assimilatory NADPH-sulfite reductase (SiR) from Escherichia coli is a structurally complex oxidoreductase that catalyzes the six-electron reduction of sulfite to sulfide. Two subunits, one a flavin-binding flavoprotein (SiRFP, the α subunit) and the other an iron-containing hemoprotein (SiRHP, the β subunit), assemble to make a holoenzyme of about 800 kDa. How the two subunits assemble is not known.

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Bacterial peptide display libraries enable the rapid and efficient selection of peptides that have high affinity and selectivity toward their targets. Using a 15-mer random library on the outer surface of Escherichia coli (E.coli), high-affinity peptides were selected against a staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) protein after four rounds of biopanning.

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