Project description:Label free quantititative phosphoproteomics analysis following TiO2 enrichment, nanoscale capillary chromatography and high resolution tandem mass spectrometry.
Project description:Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain proteins are immune signaling components and function as NAD+-cleaving enzymes to activate defense responses. Activation of TIRs represses growth and drives cell death in plants and promotes axon degeneration in animals, but how plant TIRs are repressed remains unclear. Here, we show that TIR NADase activity requires a conserved serine residue spatially close to the catalytic glutamate. The plant Ca2+-dependent protein kinases (CPKs), the mammalian Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II delta (CAMK2D) and TANK binding kinase 1 (TBK1) phosphorylate TIR domains at this conserved serine, which blocks TIR NADase activities and functions and thus maintains growth in plants and suppresses SARM1 TIR signaling in animals, respectively. Our findings define a fundamental molecular mechanism by which phosphorylation at a conserved serine residue blocks TIR signaling to balance growth and defense trade-offs.
Project description:Lysosomes are implicated in a wide spectrum of human diseases including monogenic lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs), age-associated neurodegeneration and cancer. Profiling lysosomal content using tag-based lysosomal immunopurification (LysoIP) in cell and animal models allowed major discoveries in the field, however, studying lysosomal dysfunction in human patients remains a challenge. Here, we report the development of the tagless LysoIP method to enable rapid enrichment of lysosomes, via immunoisolation, using the endogenous integral lysosomal membrane protein TMEM192, directly from clinical samples and human cells. Isolated lysosomes are intact and suitable for subsequent multimodal omics analyses. To validate the utility of our approach, we employed the tagless LysoIP to enrich lysosomes from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) derived from fresh blood of patients with CLN3 Batten disease, a neurodegenerative LSD. Altogether, the tagless LysoIP provides a framework to study native lysosomes from patient samples, identify novel biomarkers and discover human-relevant disease mechanisms.
Project description:Liposomal amphotericin B is an important frontline drug for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis, a neglected disease of poverty. The mechanism of action of amphotericin B (AmB) is thought to involve interaction with ergosterol and other ergostane sterols, resulting in disruption of the integrity and key functions of the plasma membrane. Emergence of clinically refractory isolates of L. donovani and L. infantum is an ongoing issue and knowledge of potential resistance mechanisms can help to alleviate this problem. Here we report the characterisation of four independently selected L. donovani clones that are resistant to AmB. Whole genome sequencing revealed that in three of the moderately resistant clones, resistance was due solely to the deletion of a gene encoding C24-sterol methyltransferase (SMT1). The fourth, hyper-resistant resistant clone (>60-fold) was found to have a 24 bp deletion in both alleles of a gene encoding a putative cytochrome P450 reductase (P450R1). Metabolic profiling indicated these parasites were virtually devoid of ergosterol (0.2% versus 18% of total sterols in wild-type) and had a marked accumulation of 14-methylfecosterol (75% versus 0.1% of total sterols in wild-type) and other 14-alpha methylcholestanes. These are substrates for sterol 14-alpha demethylase (CYP51) suggesting that this enzyme is a bona fide P450R specifically involved in electron transfer from NADPH to CYP51 during catalysis. Deletion of P450R1 in wild-type cells phenocopied the metabolic changes observed in our AmB hyper-resistant clone as well as in CYP51 nulls. Likewise, addition of a wild type P450R1 gene restored sterol profiles to wild type. Our studies indicate that P450R1 is essential for L. donovani amastigote viability, thus loss of this gene is unlikely to be a driver of clinical resistance. Nevertheless, investigating the mechanisms underpinning AmB resistance in these cells provided insights that refine our understanding of the L. donovani sterol biosynthetic pathway.
Project description:Meal timing is essential in synchronization of circadian rhythms in different organ systems through clock-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Adipose tissue is a critical metabolic and endocrine organ whose circadian clock and transcriptome can be reset by meal timing. However, it remains largely unexplored how circadian rhythms in adipose tissue are organized in time-restricted feeding that intervenes meal timing. Here, we applied quantitative phospho-proteomics to characterize circadian features associated with ad libitum feeding (ALF), day/inactive phase-restricted feeding (DRF) and night/active phase-restricted feeding (NRF) in female mice.
Project description:Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that impairs memory, cognition, behavior, and other cognitive functions. Despite significant advances in understanding its molecular mechanisms, a definitive cure remains elusive. However, some treatments have the potential to slow disease progression if applied before brain damage occurs. Therefore, the identification of reliable biomarkers is critical for early diagnosis of AD and effective intervention. Recent advances in proteomics and the increased accuracy of machine learning algorithms have enhanced biomarker discovery and validation. In this study, we used a newly developed proteomic pipeline to analyse cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to profile the proteome of AD patients, which included two different subgroups based on their CSF levels of tau. Then, machine learning was used to identify proteins that best classified the two subgroups of AD patients compared to non-AD controls. The resulting model, based on few CSF proteins, demonstrated high accuracy in predicting AD and differentiating patients with elevated or normal CSF tau levels. These protein classifiers, detectable in the preclinical stages of AD, were further validated in silico using larger, publicly available proteomic datasets, confirming their potential as early diagnostic tools.
Project description:Toxoplasma gondii is a significant pathogen affecting both humans and animals, with clinical symptoms primarily driven by the uncontrolled proliferation of tachyzoites. In this study, we reveal the essential role and functional plasticity of the PP2A-2 holoenzyme in orchestrating daughter cell emergence during tachyzoite division. The holoenzyme, composed of the regulatory subunit TgPR48 (PP2A-B2), the catalytic subunit PP2A-C2, and the scaffolding subunit PP2A-A2, is critical for successful cell division. Depletion of any of these subunits resulted in severe defects in daughter cell emergence and impaired proper cell separation. Phosphoproteomic analysis following PP2A-C2 depletion identified multiple differentially phosphorylated proteins, including potential regulatory substrates DCS1 and DCS2. However, mutating several phosphorylation sites on DCS1 and DCS2 did not significantly alter their function. Interestingly, depletion of DCS1 or DCS2 disrupted TgPR48 localization, while PR48 overexpression partially rescued defects in DCS2-depleted parasites but not in DCS1-depleted parasites. This suggests that PP2A-2 may compensate through additional, yet unidentified, substrates. Our findings highlight the crucial role of PP2A-2–mediated dephosphorylation in T. gondii tachyzoite division and identify potential molecular targets for therapeutic intervention.