Project description:Determining lipid composition of diabetic microvascular complication-prone tissues and comparing tissues levels to plasma levels. Samples are in addition to plasma and kidney tissue samples ran (shotgun lipidomics) in June-July 2014.
Project description:Plasma, kidney, sciatic nerve, and retina samples collected from control (db/m) and diabetic (db/db) mice. Samples snap frozen and stored at -80. Plasma volume measured and tissues weighed for lipid extraction.
Project description:MicroRNAs are important negative regulators of protein coding gene expression, and have been studied intensively over the last few years. To this purpose, different measurement platforms to determine their RNA abundance levels in biological samples have been developed. In this study, we have systematically compared 12 commercially available microRNA expression platforms by measuring an identical set of 20 standardized positive and negative control samples, including human universal reference RNA, human brain RNA and titrations thereof, human serum samples, and synthetic spikes from homologous microRNA family members. We developed novel quality metrics in order to objectively assess platform performance of very different technologies such as small RNA sequencing, RT-qPCR and (microarray) hybridization. We assessed reproducibility, sensitivity, quantitative performance, and specificity. The results indicate that each method has its strengths and weaknesses, which helps guiding informed selection of a quantitative microRNA gene expression platform in function of particular study goals.
Project description:Protein O-mannosyltransferases (PMTs) are conserved endoplasmic reticulum membrane embedded enzymes responsible for the transfer of mannose from dolichol phosphate-mannose (Dol-P-Man) to serine/threonine-rich protein substrates or unfolded proteins. PMTs from three subfamilies form obligate dimers with different substrate specificities, and require the concerted action of their transmembrane domains (TMDs) and a luminal MIR domain for catalysis. Here, we present structures, native mass spectrometry and structure-based mutagenesis of the Chaetomium thermophilum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pmt4 homodimers. The core fold of the TMDs and MIR domain is conserved with the Pmt1-Pmt2 heterodimer, indicating a shared catalytic mechanism. Distinct to Pmt4, the MIR domain interacts in cis with the TMDs of the same subunit and has a beta-hairpin insertion required for O-mannosylation of substrates. We further identify a cytosolic binding site for substrate Dol33 P-Man within the Pmt4 TMDs, which is conserved amongst PMTs and important for in vivo activity. Thus, we provide a framework to understand the substrate specificity and regulation of the Pmt4 homodimer.