Structural Genomics Consortium, Banting Institute, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
Published: May 2008
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Cyclophilins comprise one of the three classes of peptidylprolyl isomerases found in all eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms, as well as viruses. Many of the 17 annotated human cyclophilins contain the catalytic domain in tandem with other domains, and many of the specific functions of a particular cyclophilin or its associated domains remain unknown. The structure of the isomerase domain from a spliceosome-associated cyclophilin, PPWD1 (peptidylprolyl isomerase containing WD40 repeat), has been solved to 1.65 A. In the crystal, the N-terminus of one isomerase domain is bound in the active site of a neighboring isomerase molecule in a manner analogous to substrate. NMR solution studies show that this sequence binds to the active site of the cyclophilin, but cannot be turned over by the enzyme. A pseudo-substrate immediately N-terminal to the cyclophilin domain in PPWD1 could have wider implications for the function of this cyclophilin in the spliceosome, where it is located in human cells.
Aim: Recent studies have implicated autophagy in both weight regulation and depression. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between stress-induced weight loss and autophagy-related gene expression in a mouse model of depression.
Method: Male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to a chronic immobilization stress (CIS) protocol for 14 days to induce depressive-like behavior.
Genes involved in regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, including the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), are linked to various stress-related psychopathologies including bipolar disorder as well as other mood and trauma-related disorders. The protein product of the cell cycle gene, is a GR interaction partner in peripheral cells. However, the precise roles of SKA2 in stress and GR signaling in the brain, specifically in nonreplicating postmitotic neurons, and its involvement in HPA axis regulation remain unclear.
The potentially devastating effects of climate change have raised awareness of the need to understand how the biology of wild animals is influenced by extreme-weather events. We investigate how a wild arctic-breeding bird, the Lapland longspur (Calcarius lapponicus), responds to different environmental perturbations and its coping strategies. We explore the transcriptomic response to environmental adversity during the transition from arrival at the breeding grounds to incubation on the Arctic tundra.
Aggregation of alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) is implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and Dementia with Lewy bodies, collectively termed synucleinopathies. Thus, tremendous efforts are being made to develop strategies to prevent or inhibit α-Syn aggregation. Here, we genetically engineered fission yeast to express human α-Syn C-terminally fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) at low and high levels.
Unlabelled: As components of a family of proteins with peptidyl-prolyl isomerase activity family, FKBP (FK506-binding protein) and CYP (Cyclophilins) exert crucial roles in various physiological and biochemical processes such as cell signal transduction and stress resistance. The functions of the FKBP or CYP family have been extensively discussed in various organisms, while the comprehensive characterization of this family in remains unreported. In this study, a total of 22 and 26 genes were identified in the genome of , with highly conserved functional domains observed within each member of these gene families.
