Articles in 2019

The chromosomal partitioning system (par) of Caulobacter crescentus was repurposed to create an inducible genetic circuit for asymmetric plasmid partitioning and cell division in Escherichia coli.

Structural and biochemical characterization of the spirochaete flagellar hook protein FlgE reveals how cysteine and lysine residues spontaneously react to form an interdomain lysinoalanine crosslink without the involvement of additional enzymes.

A new sugar-based cysteine-reactive probe, combined with competitive activity-based protein profiling (ABPP), enables site-centric target deconvolution of itaconate in native proteomes, shedding light on a novel mechanism of action for this important immunoregulatory metabolite in inflammatory macrophages.

The N⁶-methyladenosine modification on RNA affects almost all steps of RNA metabolism. A new approach, using the CRISPR-based technology to modulate m⁶A level in mRNA, enables direct functional interrogation of site-specific m⁶A.

Fusion of Cas9 with m6A writers METTL3 and METTL14 or eraser ALKBH5 enables site-specific writing or erasing of RNA m6A modifications in mammalian cells and investigation of individual m6A modification-mediated function.

A bacterial 2-hydroxyacyl-CoA lyase catalyzes ligation of carbonyl-containing molecules of different chain lengths with formyl-CoA to produce elongated 2-hydroxyacyl-CoAs, enabling a one-carbon bioconversion pathway with formaldehyde as a substrate.

Using a thiol-reactive probe, chemoproteomic profiling of cysteine targets of itaconate reveals the covalent modification of glycolytic enzymes, impairing glycolytic flux and contributing to attenuation of the inflammatory response in macrophages.

Hetz et al. discuss recent advances in the identification and optimization of small molecules targeting the unfolded protein response and the application of these small molecules in cancers, neurodegeneration and metabolic diseases.

Male C. elegans excrete an N-acylated glutamine that acts via evolutionarily conserved nuclear hormone receptor and chemosensory pathways to counteract dauer diapause and accelerate sexual maturation of hermaphrodites, at the cost of shortening hermaphrodite lifespan.

The C termini sequences recognized by E3 ubiquitin ligase CHIP were identified via a peptide library screen. Caspase cleavage caused the exposure of aspartic acid at the C termini of Tau and caspase-6 that made them accessible to CHIP.

Use of DNA-origami nanostructures to study lipid transfer between closely apposed membrane bilayers supports a model where phospholipids are transferred by extended synaptotagmin 1 between the endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane through a shuttle mechanism.

Using knowledge of their evolutionary origin, an automated platform has been developed to provide accurate de novo structural predictions of products from trans-acyltransferase polyketide synthases.

Characterization of multiple enzymes involves in biosynthesis of the aminocyclitol antibiotic pactamycin reveals a key step involving the glycosylation of an acyl carrier protein-bound intermediate by the promiscuous glycosyltransferase PtmJ.

The TransATor application bioinformatically predicts chemical structures for the products of trans-acyltransferase polyketide synthases, enabling the characterization of new polyketide natural products from (unusual) bacterial sources.

A new small molecule that targets the vacuolar H⁺-ATPase activates autophagy, inhibits mTORC1 signaling, and displays potential for clearing toxic protein aggregates involved in neurodegenerative diseases.

Elucidation of a multi-enzyme pathway for degradation of the polysaccharide ulvan by Formosa agariphila provides tools to use ulvan biomass from marine algal blooms as feedstock for renewable sources of carbohydrates.