Inhibitory serpins are metastable proteins that undergo a substantial conformational rearrangement to covalently trap target peptidases. The serpin reactive center loop contributes a majority of the interactions that serpins make during the initial binding to target peptidases. However, structural studies on serpin-peptidase complexes reveal a broader set of contacts on the scaffold of inhibitory serpins that have substantial influence on guiding peptidase recognition. Structural and biophysical studies also reveal how aberrant serpin folding can lead to the formation of domain-swapped serpin multimers rather than the monomeric metastable state. Serpin domain swapping may therefore underlie the polymerization events characteristic of the serpinopathies. Finally, recent structural studies reveal how the serpin fold has been adapted for non-inhibitory functions such as hormone binding.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/jbc.R110.141408 | DOI Listing |
Int J Mol Sci
January 2025
Botulinum Research Center, Institute of Advanced Sciences, Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA.
Botulinum toxin (BoNT), the most potent substance known to humans, likely evolved not to kill but to serve other biological purposes. While its use in cosmetic applications is well known, its medical utility has become increasingly significant due to the intricacies of its structure and function. The toxin's structural complexity enables it to target specific cellular processes with remarkable precision, making it an invaluable tool in both basic and applied biomedical research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
The recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has exerted considerable impact on global health. To prepare for rapidly mutating viruses and for the forthcoming pandemic, effective therapies targeting the critical stages of the viral life cycle need to be developed. Viruses are dependent on the interaction between the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the viral Spike (S) protein (S-RBD) and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor to efficiently establish infection and the following replicate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
Bacterial cell wall assembly and remodeling require activities of peptidoglycan (PG) hydrolases as well as PG synthases. In particular, the activity of DD-endopeptidases, which cleave the 4-3 peptide crosslinks in PG, is essential for PG expansion in gram-negative bacteria. Maintaining optimal levels of DD-endopeptidases is critical for expanding PG without compromising its integrity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
Entomopathogenic fungi play a critical role in regulating insect populations, and representative species from the and genera have been developed as eco-friendly biocontrol agents for managing agricultural insect pests. Relative to the advances in understanding antifungal immune responses in , knowledge of how fungi evade insect immune defenses remains limited. In this study, we report the identification and characterization of a virulence-required effector Fkp1 in .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioconjug Chem
January 2025
School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
Positron-emission tomography (PET) offers high sensitivity for cancer diagnosis. However, small-molecule-based probes often exhibit insufficient accumulation in tumor sites, while nanoparticle-based agents typically have limited delivery efficiency. To address this challenge, this study proposes a novel PET imaging probe, Ga-CBT-PSMA, designed for prostate cancer.
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