Rab GTPases, key regulators of vesicular transport, hydrolyze GTP very slowly unless assisted by Rab GTPase-activating proteins (RabGAPs). Dysfunction of RabGAPs is involved in many diseases. By combining X-ray structure analysis and time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy we reveal here the detailed molecular reaction mechanism of a complex between human Rab and RabGAP at the highest possible spatiotemporal resolution and in atomic detail. A glutamine residue of Rab proteins (cis-glutamine) that is essential for intrinsic activity is less important in the GAP-activated reaction. During generation of the RabGAP·Rab:GTP complex, there is a rapid conformational change in which the cis-glutamine is replaced by a glutamine from RabGAP (trans-glutamine); this differs from the RasGAP mechanism, where the cis-glutamine is also important for GAP catalysis. However, as in the case of Ras, a trans-arginine is also recruited to complete the active center during this conformational change. In contrast to the RasGAP mechanism, an accumulation of a state in which phosphate is bound is not observed, and bond breakage is the rate-limiting step. The movement of trans-glutamine and trans-arginine into the catalytic site and bond breakage during hydrolysis are monitored in real time. The combination of X-ray structure analysis and time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy provides detailed insight in the catalysis of human Rab GTPases.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1214431110 | DOI Listing |
ACS Photonics
January 2025
Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH-IESL), GR-70013 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
THz metamaterials present unique opportunities for next-generation technologies and applications as they can fill the "THz gap" originating from the weak response of natural materials in this regime, providing a variety of novel or advanced electromagnetic wave control components and systems. Here, we propose a novel metamaterial design made of three-dimensional, metallic, "cactus-like" meta-atoms, showing electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and enhanced refractive index sensing performance at low THz frequencies. Following a detailed theoretical analysis, the structure is realized experimentally using multiphoton polymerization and electroless silver plating.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBone Marrow Transplant
January 2025
Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya City University East Medical Center, Aichi, Japan.
Umbilical cord blood transplantation (CBT) is accepted as an effective treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC), rather than myeloablative conditioning (MAC) regimens allowed elderly patients to be treated safely. However, appropriate intensities of conditioning regimens are still unclear, especially for middle-aged patients. To compare outcomes after RIC and MAC regimens, we analyzed AML patients aged 16 years or older in the Japanese registry database, who underwent single cord unit CBT between 2010-2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Opin Struct Biol
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada; Program in Molecular Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada. Electronic address:
The tools of structural biology have undergone remarkable advances in the past decade. These include new computational and experimental approaches that have enabled studies at a level of detail - and ease - that were not previously possible. Yet, significant deficiencies in our understanding of biomolecular function remain and new challenges must be overcome to go beyond static pictures towards a description of function in terms of structural dynamics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhys Chem Chem Phys
January 2025
Solid State Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400 085, India.
Mesoporous silica exhibits a diverse range of applications owing to its pore structure and inter-pore correlation. Consequently, quantitative characterization of its mesoscopic structure is extremely crucial to reciprocate its potential applications. In this work, we utilized the chemical and aerosol routes to successfully synthesize granular, porous silica with an average pore size in the range of ∼5-10 nm and different degrees of structural correlation among its pores.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Phys Chem Lett
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea.
Practical density-corrected density functional theory (DC-DFT) calculations rely on Hartree-Fock (HF) densities, which can be computationally expensive for systems with over a hundred atoms. We extend the applicability of HF-DFT using the dual-basis method, where the density matrix from a smaller basis set is used to estimate the HF solution on a larger basis set. Benchmarks on many systems, including the GMTKN55 database for main-group chemistry, and the L7 and S6L data sets for large molecular systems demonstrate the efficacy of our approach.
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