Project description:Analysis of genes and biological processes influenced by Neuronal calcium sensor 1 (NCS1) based on whole transcriptome analyiss of Ncs1+/+ (wildtype) and Ncs1-/- (knockout) mouse brain tissues, i.d. the frontal cortex and the hippocampus.
Project description:Phosphatidylinositol 4 kinase III (PI4KIII/PI4KA) is an essential lipid kinase that is critical for regulating plasma membrane identity. PI4KA is primarily recruited to the plasma membrane through targeted recruitment by the proteins EFR3A and EFR3B, with these binding to the PI4KA accessory proteins TTC7 (TTC7A and TTC7B) and FAM126 (FAM126A and FAM126B). Here we characterised how both EFR3 isoforms interact with all possible TTC7 and FAM126 combinations and developed a nanobody that specifically blocks EFR3 mediated PI4KA recruitment in TTC7B containing complexes. Using a yeast display approach, we generated a nanobody that is selective for TTC7B and blocks EFR3 binding. Cryo-electron microscopy and hydrogen deuterium exchange mass spectrometry reveal that the nanobody sterically blocks EFR3 recruitment and shows an extended interface with both PI4KA and TTC7B. Overall, this work provides insight into PI4KA regulation and is a useful tool for manipulating unique complexes of PI4KA that may be valuable for future therapeutic targeting of PI4KA.
Project description:Upon axonal injury, Sterile alpha (SAM) and Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) motif containing 1 (SARM1) is activated by nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) to deplete NAD and consequently promote the process of axon degeneration (AxD). Currently, only the inactive form of SARM1 in its auto-inhibitory conformation has been resolved. The flexibility of the enzymatically active form of SARM1 has so far precluded its structural determination. To solve the problem, we generated a stabilizing nanobody, Nb-C6, that specifically recognized 30 only the NMN-activated form of SARM1. The conformation specificity was verified by immunoprecipitation and surface plasmon resonance. Fluorescently labeled Nb-C6 could immunostain only the activated SARM1 in cells stimulated with CZ-48, a permeant mimetic of NMN. Expression of Nb-C6 in live cells resulted in stabilization of the active form of the endogenous and exogenous SARM1, producing and elevating cellular levels of cyclic ADP-ribose, a calcium messenger. Cryo-EM of the NMN-activated SARM1 complexed by Nb-C6 showed an octameric structure resembling a “blooming lotus” with the ARM domains bending significantly inward and swinging out together with the TIR domains to form the “petals of the lotus”. Nb-C6 bound to the SAM domain of the activated SARM1 and stabilized its Armadillo repeat motif domain. Analyses using hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), and cross-linking MS (XL-MS) indicate that the activated SARM1 is highly dynamic and flexible and the neighboring TIRs form dimers via the surface close to one BB loop. The Nanobody is thus a valuable tool for delineating the mechanism of activation of SARM1 in AxD and other cellular processes.