Project description:Dengue virus remains a public health threat. Dengue NS2B-NS3 proteins are prime antiviral drug targets and have been studied extensively. Here, we combine cross-linking mass spectrometry, molecular dynamics simulations and biochemical assays to identify NS2B-NS3 full length interactions. Using cross-linkers of different lengths as molecular rulers, we identified NS2B S48 as a key interacting residue that has not been previously reported. Molecular dynamics simulations modelled a compact conformation of NS2B to NS3 interaction with better agreement to cross-link data. In contrast, previously reported crystal structure indicated an elongated conformation with poor agreement to cross-link data. Mutation of NS2B S48 to alanine or lysine greatly reduces protease activity and disrupts the NS2B S48 binding pocket in the compact conformation. NS2B-NS3 cross-links were also found to be conserved across all four dengue serotypes. Our interdisciplinary approach reveals new key interacting residue and a compact conformation that can guide drug development against dengue.
Project description:Molecular evolution of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains from patients and hospital environment in a prolonged outbreak
Project description:Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an ubiquitous gram-negative bacterium that may colonize a wide range of organisms, including bacteria, plants, and animals. It is a human opportunistic pathogen which shows a great threat to immunocompromised patients. P. aeruginosa displays intrinsic resistance to many antibiotics, and has a high ability to develop novel mechanisms of resistance which forms a threat in hospital environments and makes it extremely hard to eradicate. Additionally over half of the genes of this bacteria have no described function, so it is urgent to search for proteins related to its pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance. The aim of this study was to characterise the P. aeruginosa PA2504 protein of unknown function. Basic phenotypic analysis did not indicate the role of PA2504 in the cell, thus, in order to recognize transcripts affected by the lack of PA2504 transcriptomes of the ΔPA2504 and the wild-type PAO1161 strains were compared using high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Using qRT-PCR method we determined that the level of PA2504 transcript is higher in the stationary phase of growth as compared to the exponential phase of bacterial growth (Log2 FC = 2,77) thus the samples for the RNA-seq experiments were withdrawn from this phase of growth.The RNA-seq revealed that the expression of 42 transcripts was changed in the ΔPA2504 mutant as compared to the parental PAO1161 strain and that the majority of them were connected to the sulphur transport/metabolism.
2021-07-01 | GSE179150 | GEO
Project description:Molecular Characterization of Multi and Extensively Drug Resistant Strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
| PRJNA1077114 | ENA
Project description:The challenge of drug resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Clonal spread of NDM-1 positive ST-308 within a tertiary hospital