- Journal Article
Authors : Graham, ebecca E. (2023) - A new form of cell death has recently been proposed involving copper-induced cell death,
termed cuproptosis. This new form of cell death has been widely studied in relation to a novel
class of copper ionophores, including elesclomol and disulfiram. However, the exact
mechanism leading to cell death remains contentious. The oldest and mostly widely accepted
biological mechanism is that the accumulated intracellular copper leads ...
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- Journal Article
Authors : Prus, Gabriela (2023) - Ubiquitylation regulates virtually all proteins and biological processes in a cell. However, the
global site-specific occupancy (stoichiometry) and turnover rate of ubiquitylation have never
been quantified. Here, we present the first integrated picture of ubiquitylation site
occupancy and half-life. Ubiquitylation occupancy spans four orders of magnitude, but the
median ubiquitylation site occupancy is three orders of magnitude lower than that of
20...
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- Journal article
Authors : Becker, Tobias (2021) - Protein AMPylation is a pervasive posttranslational modification with an emerging role in
neurodevelopment. In metazoans the two highly conserved protein AMP-transferases together
with a diverse group of AMPylated proteins have been identified using chemical proteomics
and biochemical techniques. However, the function of this modification remains largely
unknown. Particularly problematic is the localization of thus far identified AMPylated proteins
and putative...
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- Journal article
Authors : Baumann, Sebastian J. (2023) - Understanding where in the cytoplasm mRNAs are translated is increasingly recognised as being as important as knowing the timing and level of protein expression. mRNAs are localised via active motor-driven transport along microtubules (MTs) but the underlying essential factors and dynamic interactions are largely unknown. Using biochemical in vitro reconstitutions with purified mammalian proteins, multi-colour TIRF-microscopy (TIRF-M), and interaction kinetics measurements, we s...
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- Journal article
Authors : Blank, Heidi M. (2023) - How cells coordinate their metabolism with division determines the rate of cell
proliferation. Dynamic patterns of metabolite synthesis during the cell cycle are
unexplored. We report the first isotope tracing analysis in synchronous, growing
budding yeast cells. Synthesis of leucine, a branched-chain amino acid (BCAA),
increased through the G1 phase of the cell cycle, peaking later during DNA replication.
Cells lacking Bat1, a mitochondrial...
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- Journal article
Authors : Do, Hoa Quynh (2021) - The Proton-Coupled Folate Transporter (PCFT) is a transmembrane transport protein that controls the
absorption of dietary folates in the small intestine. PCFT also mediates uptake of chemotherapeutically
used antifolates into tumor cells. PCFT has been identified within lipid rafts observed in phospholipid
bilayers of plasma membranes, a micro environment that is altered in tumor cells. The present study aimed
at investigating the ...
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- Journal Article
Authors : McNeilage, Robert (2023) - The Tat pathway is essential for photosynthetic protein transport across plant thylakoid
membranes and is also ubiquitous throughout prokaryotes and archaea. The Tat pathway is quite
unique amongst protein translocation pathways as it specializes in transporting folded proteins
driven by a proton motive force. Mechanistic details of the actual translocation step (s) of the
pathway remain elusive. Here, we show that membrane thinning ...
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- Journal article
Authors : Henle, Andrea M (2023) - This study outlines a two-week laboratory module for an authentic cell biology undergraduate research
experience that uses zebrafish (Danio rerio), a popular model organism for research. Previous research
has indicated that course-based undergraduate research experiences such as this one increase student
confidence, active learning, and retention. During this research experience, students investigate
variations in pigmentation in the caudal fins of wild type...
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- Journal Article
Authors : Ranjan, Prashant (2023) - G-Quadruplexes (G4Q) are higher-order, four-stranded structures that can be formed by repeated
guanine tracts in human genomes. In this study, we used a structure-based virtual screening of
phytomolecules derived from medicinal plants in order to discover new natural DNA G4Q
binders. The top 40 ligands were sorted out based on binding affinity values after completing a
docking study on 314 phytomolecule samples with parallel and mixed ...
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- Journal article
Authors : Smith, Frances M. (2023) - Friedreich’s Ataxia (FRDA) is the most prevalent inherited ataxia; the disease
results from loss of Frataxin, an essential mitochondrial iron trafficking protein.
FRDA presents as neurodegeneration of the dorsal root ganglion and cerebellar dentate
nuclei, followed by brain iron accumulation in the latter. End stage disease includes cardiac
fibrosis that contributes to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The microvasculature
plays an essential barrier role in...
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- Journal article
Authors : Nascimento, Janaina F. (2023) - ATP hydrolysis is required for the synthesis, transport and polymerization of monomers for
25 macromolecules as well as for the assembly of the latter into cellular structures. Other
26 cellular processes not directly related to synthesis of biomass, such as maintenance of
27 membrane potential and cellular shape, also require ATP. The unicellular flagellated
28 parasite Trypanosoma brucei has a complex digenetic life cycle. The primary...
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- Journal article
Authors : Fiddler, Joanna L. (2023) - Serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2) catalyzes the reversible conversion of 35 tetrahydrofolate (THF) and serine producing THF-conjugated one-carbon units and glycine in 36 the mitochondria. Biallelic SHMT2 variants were identified in humans and suggested to alter the 37 protein’s active site, potentially disrupting enzymatic function. SHMT2 expression has also been 38 shown to decrease with aging in human fibroblasts. Immortalized cells models of total SHMT2 39...
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- Journal article
Authors : Müller, Max A. (2023) - Microglia are non-neuronal cells, which are residing in the central nervous system and are known to play an important role in health and disease. We investigated lipidomic phenotypes of human naïve and stimulated microglia-like cells by atmospheric-pressure scanning microprobe matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (AP-SMALDI MSI). With lateral resolutions between 5 μm and 1.5 μm, we were able to chart lipid compositions of individua...
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- Journal article
Authors : Nawaz, Mudassar (2021) - Soybean is a legume crop enriched with proteins and oil. It is frequently exposed to anthropogenic and natural flooding that limits its growth and yield. Current study applied gel free proteomic techniques to unravel soybean response mechanism to flooding stress. Two-days 44 old soybeans were flooded for 4 days continuously and root samples were collected at days 2 to 6 for proteomic and enzymatic analyses. Age-matched untreated soybeans ...
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- Journal article
Authors : DasGupta, Saurja (2023) - Demonstrating RNA catalysis within prebiotically relevant models of primordial cells (protocells)
remains a challenge in Origins of life research. Fatty acid vesicles encapsulating genomic and
catalytic RNAs (ribozymes) are attractive models for protocells; however, RNA catalysis has
largely been incompatible with fatty acid vesicles due to their instability in the presence of Mg2+ at
concentrations required for ribozyme function. Here, we report a r...
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- Journal Article
Authors : Scheepers, Ronél (2023) - Although cholesterol is essential for cellular viability and proliferation, it is highly toxic in excess.
The concentration of cellular cholesterol must therefore be maintained within tight tolerances, and
is thought to be subject to a stringent form of homeostasis known as Robust Perfect Adaptation
(RPA). While much is known about the cellular signalling interactions involved in cholesterol
regulation, the specific chemical reaction network structur...
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- Journal article
Authors : König, Stefanie (2021) - Ceramides and long chain bases (LCBs) are plant sphingolipids involved in the induction of plant programmed
cell death (PCD). The fatty acid hydroxylase mutant fah1 fah2 exhibits high ceramide levels and moderately
elevated LCB levels. Salicylic acid (SA) is strongly induced in these mutants, but no cell death is visible. To
determine the effect of ceramides with different chain lengths, fah1 fah2 was crossed with ceramide ...
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- Journal article
Authors : Birke, Ramona (2021) - Sulfonated rhodamines that endow xanthene dyes with cellular impermeability are presented. We
fuse charged sulfonates to red and far-red dyes to obtain Sulfo549 and Sulfo646, respectively, and
further link these to SNAP- and Halo-tag substrates for protein self-labelling. Cellular
impermeability is validated in live cell imaging experiments in transfected HEK cells and neurons
derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Lastly, we show that&...
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