Publications by authors named "V Nicole James"

Article Synopsis
  • The main protease (M) of SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for the virus's maturation and is the target of the COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid, but there's a pressing need to find new inhibitors due to potential viral resistance.
  • The study utilized advanced techniques like native mass spectrometry and UV photodissociation to analyze the structure of M and how it interacts with potential covalent inhibitors.
  • Results indicated that certain inhibitors enhance the stability of M by creating dimeric complexes with higher melting temperatures and lower charge states, providing valuable insights into how these inhibitors work.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Protein glycosylation is implicated in a wide array of diseases, yet glycoprotein analysis remains elusive owing to the extreme heterogeneity of glycans, including microheterogeneity of some of the glycosites (amino acid residues). Various mass spectrometry (MS) strategies have proven tremendously successful for localizing and identifying glycans, typically utilizing a bottom-up workflow in which glycoproteins are digested to create glycopeptides to facilitate analysis. An emerging alternative is top-down MS that aims to characterize intact glycoproteins to allow precise identification and localization of glycans.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction The goal of endodontic therapy is to completely eliminate the infection and stop microbes from infecting or reinfecting the root canal and the periradicular tissues. Amongst the primary microorganisms,  (), a Gram-positive anaerobe, is the main cause of pulpal and periapical inflammation causing root canal failure. Literature evidence shows that the gold-standard calcium hydroxide is ineffective against due to its resistance to the alkaline pH and proton pump mechanism.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Here we used native mass spectrometry (native MS) to probe a SARS-CoV protease, PLpro, which plays critical roles in coronavirus disease by affecting viral protein production and antagonizing host antiviral responses. Ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) and variable temperature electrospray ionization (vT ESI) were used to localize binding sites of PLpro inhibitors and revealed the stabilizing effects of inhibitors on protein tertiary structure. We compared PLpro from SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 in terms of inhibitor and ISG15 interactions to discern possible differences in protease function.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The blur introduced by breathing motion degrades the diagnostic accuracy of whole-body F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (F-FDG PET-CT) in lesions adjacent to the diaphragm by increasing the apparent size and by decreasing their metabolic activity. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of motion correction by four-dimensional phase-based respiratory-gated (RG) F-FDG PET-CT in improving metabolic parameters of lesions adjacent to the diaphragm (especially in the lungs or liver).

Materials And Methods: Eighteen patients with known lung or liver lesions underwent conventional F-FDG PET-CT and respiratory-gated PET-CT acquisition of the desired region using a pressure-sensing, phase-based respiratory-gating system.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF