The HSV-1 ubiquitin ligase ICP0: Modifying the cellular proteome to promote infection.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) hijacks ubiquitination machinery to modify the cellular proteome to create an environment permissive for virus replication. HSV-1 encodes its own RING-finger E3 ubiquitin (Ub) ligase, Infected Cell Protein 0 (ICP0), that directly interfaces with component proteins of the Ub pathway to inactivate host immune defences and cellular processes that restrict the progression of HSV-1 infection. Consequently, ICP0 plays a critical role in the infectious cycle of HSV-1 that is required to promote the efficient onset of lytic infection and productive reactivation of viral genomes from latency.

A selective autophagy cargo receptor NBR1 modulates abscisic acid signalling in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The plant selective autophagy cargo receptor neighbour of breast cancer 1 gene (NBR1) has been scarcely studied in the context of abiotic stress. We wanted to expand this knowledge by using Arabidopsis thaliana lines with constitutive ectopic overexpression of the AtNBR1 gene (OX lines) and the AtNBR1 Knock-Out (KO lines). Transcriptomic analysis of the shoots and roots of one representative OX line indicated differences in gene expression relative to the parental (WT) line.

Overexpression of the Selective Autophagy Cargo Receptor NBR1 Modifies Plant Response to Sulfur Deficit.

Plants exposed to sulfur deficit elevate the transcription of what might reflect an increased demand for NBR1 in such conditions. Therefore, we investigated the role of this selective autophagy cargo receptor in plant response to sulfur deficit (-S). Transcriptome analysis of the wild type and NBR1 overexpressing plants pointed out differences in gene expression in response to -S.

Inhibition of the inflammatory response to stress by targeting interaction between PKR and its cellular activator PACT.

PKR is a cellular kinase involved in the regulation of the integrative stress response (ISR) and pro-inflammatory pathways. Two N-terminal dsRNA Binding Domains (DRBD) are required for activation of PKR, by interaction with either dsRNA or PACT, another cellular DRBD-containing protein. A role for PKR and PACT in inflammatory processes linked to neurodegenerative diseases has been proposed and raised interest for pharmacological PKR inhibitors.

The family of LSU-like proteins.

The plant response to sulfur deficiency includes extensive metabolic changes which can be monitored at various levels (transcriptome, proteome, metabolome) even before the first visible symptoms of sulfur starvation appear. Four members of the plant-specific LSU (response to Low SUlfur) gene family occur in Arabidopsis thaliana (LSU1-4). Variable numbers of LSU genes occur in other plant species but they were studied only in Arabidopsis and tobacco.

Intronic T-DNA insertion in Arabidopsis NBR1 conditionally affects wild-type transcript level.

The SALK_135513 line of Arabidopsis thaliana is annotated by GenBank to have the T-DNA insertion in the fourth exon of NBR1 (At4g24690). Careful molecular analyses of the homozygous plants of SALK_135513 line indicated the place of T-DNA insertion in the fourth intron. Unexpectedly, 2 kinds of NBR1 transcripts, the wild-type and the mutated, resulting from alternative splicing events, were detected in those plants.