Publications by authors named "Sara K Makanani"
Diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs) accelerate evolution by rapidly diversifying variable proteins. The human gastrointestinal microbiota harbors the greatest density of DGRs known in nature, suggesting they play adaptive roles in this environment. We identified >1,100 unique DGRs among human-associated species and discovered a subset that diversify adhesive components of Type V pili and related proteins.
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- * The text describes a specific proteomics method called affinity purification-mass spectrometry (AP-MS) to study protein interactions by tagging "bait" proteins in mammalian cells.
- * This protocol allows researchers to identify, quantify, and visualize changes in protein-protein interaction networks under different conditions and is adaptable across various cell types and biological studies.
Article Synopsis
- COVID-19 is linked to serious thrombotic events and neurological symptoms that can persist in long COVID patients, but the mechanisms behind these complications are not well understood and treatment options are limited.
- *Fibrinogen, a key component of blood clots, is found in high amounts in the lungs and brains of COVID-19 patients, where it correlates with the severity of the disease and can predict cognitive issues afterward.
- *Research shows that fibrin interacts with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, causing inflammatory blood clots that contribute to complications like inflammation and nerve damage, suggesting that therapies targeting fibrin may be beneficial for treating both acute and long COVID cases.*
Proteins congregate into complexes to perform fundamental cellular functions. Phenotypic outcomes, in health and disease, are often mechanistically driven by the remodeling of protein complexes by protein-coding mutations or cellular signaling changes in response to molecular cues. Here, we present an affinity purification-mass spectrometry (APMS) proteomics protocol to quantify and visualize global changes in protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks between pairwise conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCells of the innate immune system retain memory of prior exposures through a process known as innate immune training. β-glucan, a Dectin-1 ligand purified from the Candida albicans cell wall, has been one of the most widely utilized ligands for inducing innate immune training. However, many Dectin-1 ligands exist, and it is not known whether these all produce the same phenotype.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiversity-generating retroelements (DGRs) create vast amounts of targeted, functional diversity by facilitating the rapid evolution of ligand-binding protein domains. Thousands of DGRs have been identified in bacteria, archaea, and their respective viruses. They are broadly distributed throughout the microbial world, with enrichment observed in certain taxa and environments.
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- Ecological and evolutionary processes are crucial for understanding how all organisms, including viruses like SARS-CoV-2, interact and spread over time and space during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The text discusses five key ecological and evolutionary concepts— invasion, consumer-resource interactions, spatial ecology, diversity, and adaptation— that provide insights into the emergence and transmission of the virus.
- Emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches, the authors argue that these concepts can enhance our understanding of viral behavior across different biological and spatial levels, from individual hosts to larger communities.