Deciphering Structural Traits for Thermal and Kinetic Stability across Protein Family Evolution through Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction.

Natural proteins are frequently marginally stable, and an increase in environmental temperature can easily lead to unfolding. As a result, protein engineering to improve protein stability is an area of intensive research. Nonetheless, since there is usually a high degree of structural homology between proteins from thermophilic organisms and their mesophilic counterparts, the identification of structural determinants for thermoadaptation is challenging.

Expanding the clinical and immunological phenotypes of PAX1-deficient SCID and CID patients.

Paired box 1 (PAX1) deficiency has been reported in a small number of patients diagnosed with otofaciocervical syndrome type 2 (OFCS2). We described six new patients who demonstrated variable clinical penetrance. Reduced transcriptional activity of pathogenic variants confirmed partial or complete PAX1 deficiency.

The metagenome-derived esterase PET40 is highly promiscuous and hydrolyses polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a widely used synthetic polymer and known to contaminate marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Only few PET-active microorganisms and enzymes (PETases) are currently known, and it is debated whether degradation activity for PET originates from promiscuous enzymes with broad substrate spectra that primarily act on natural polymers or other bulky substrates, or whether microorganisms evolved their genetic makeup to accepting PET as a carbon source. Here, we present a predicted diene lactone hydrolase designated PET40, which acts on a broad spectrum of substrates, including PET.

Kinetic characterization and phylogenetic analysis of human ADP-dependent glucokinase reveal new insights into its regulatory properties.

Although ADP-dependent sugar kinases were first described in archaea, at present, the presence of an ADP-dependent glucokinase (ADP-GK) in mammals is well documented. This enzyme is mainly expressed in hematopoietic lineages and tumor tissues, although its role has remained elusive. Here, we report a detailed kinetic characterization of the human ADP-dependent glucokinase (hADP-GK), addressing the influence of a putative signal peptide for endoplasmic reticulum (ER) destination by characterizing a truncated form.

40 Years of Research on Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs)-A Historical Overview and Newest Data of a Promising Anticancer Drug.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of molecules with an ambiguous background in literature. PBDEs were first isolated from marine sponges of species in 1981 and have been under continuous research to the present day. This article summarizes the two research aspects, (i) the marine compound chemistry research dealing with naturally produced PBDEs and (ii) the environmental toxicology research dealing with synthetically-produced brominated flame-retardant PBDEs.

Characterization of hydroxymethylpyrimidine phosphate kinase from mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria and structural insights into their differential thermal stability.

The hydroxymethylpyrimidine phosphate kinases (HMPPK) encoded by the thiD gene are involved in the thiamine biosynthesis pathway, can perform two consecutive phosphorylations of 4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methyl pyrimidine (HMP) and are found in thermophilic and mesophilic bacteria, but only a few characterizations of mesophilic enzymes are available. The presence of another homolog enzyme (pyridoxal kinase) that can only catalyze the first phosphorylation of HMP and encoded by pdxK gene, has hampered a precise annotation in this enzyme family. Here we report the kinetic characterization of two HMPPK with structure available, the mesophilic and thermophilic enzyme from Salmonella typhimurium (StHMPPK) and Thermus thermophilus (TtHMPPK), respectively.

Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP) Mining and Their Effect on the Tridimensional Protein Structure Prediction in a Set of Immunity-Related Expressed Sequence Tags (EST) in Atlantic Salmon ().

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are single genetic code variations considered one of the most common forms of nucleotide modifications. Such SNPs can be located in genes associated to immune response and, therefore, they may have direct implications over the phenotype of susceptibility to infections affecting the productive sector. In this study, a set of immune-related genes ( [], integrin β2 (itβ2, also named ), [], [], []) were analyzed to identify SNPs by data mining.

ADP-Dependent Kinases From the Archaeal Order Adapt to Salt by a Non-canonical Evolutionarily Conserved Strategy.

Halophilic organisms inhabit hypersaline environments where the extreme ionic conditions and osmotic pressure have driven the evolution of molecular adaptation mechanisms. Understanding such mechanisms is limited by the common difficulties encountered in cultivating such organisms. Within the , for example, only the and the order include readily cultivable halophilic species.