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SABIO-RK--database for biochemical reaction kinetics.

Abstract (Expand)

SABIO-RK (http://sabio.h-its.org/) is a web-accessible database storing comprehensive information about biochemical reactions and their kinetic properties. SABIO-RK offers standardized data manually … extracted from the literature and data directly submitted from lab experiments. The database content includes kinetic parameters in relation to biochemical reactions and their biological sources with no restriction on any particular set of organisms. Additionally, kinetic rate laws and corresponding equations as well as experimental conditions are represented. All the data are manually curated and annotated by biological experts, supported by automated consistency checks. SABIO-RK can be accessed via web-based user interfaces or automatically via web services that allow direct data access by other tools. Both interfaces support the export of the data together with its annotations in SBML (Systems Biology Markup Language), e.g. for import in modelling tools.

Authors: Ulrike Wittig, , Martin Golebiewski, , Lei Shi, Lenneke Jong, Enkhjargal Algaa, Andreas Weidemann, Heidrun Sauer-Danzwith, Saqib Mir, , Meik Bittkowski, Elina Wetsch, ,

Date Published: 22nd Nov 2011

Publication Type: Journal Article

SABIO-RK, von Daten in der Publikation zur Suchlösung für Spezialisten

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Wolfgang Müller, Meik Bittkowski, Martin Golebiewski, Renate Kania, Maja Rey, Andreas Weidemann, Ulrike Wittig

Date Published: 1st Mar 2017

Publication Type: Journal Article

SABIO-RK: an updated resource for manually curated biochemical reaction kinetics.

Abstract (Expand)

SABIO-RK (http://sabiork.h-its.org/) is a manually curated database containing data about biochemical reactions and their reaction kinetics. The data are primarily extracted from scientific literature … and stored in a relational database. The content comprises both naturally occurring and alternatively measured biochemical reactions and is not restricted to any organism class. The data are made available to the public by a web-based search interface and by web services for programmatic access. In this update we describe major improvements and extensions of SABIO-RK since our last publication in the database issue of Nucleic Acid Research (2012). (i) The website has been completely revised and (ii) allows now also free text search for kinetics data. (iii) Additional interlinkages with other databases in our field have been established; this enables users to gain directly comprehensive knowledge about the properties of enzymes and kinetics beyond SABIO-RK. (iv) Vice versa, direct access to SABIO-RK data has been implemented in several systems biology tools and workflows. (v) On request of our experimental users, the data can be exported now additionally in spreadsheet formats. (vi) The newly established SABIO-RK Curation Service allows to respond to specific data requirements.

Authors: U. Wittig, M. Rey, A. Weidemann, R. Kania, W. Muller

Date Published: 4th Jan 2018

Publication Type: Journal Article

Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4741 and W303-1A laboratory strains differ in salt tolerance

Abstract (Expand)

Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells serve as a model to elucidate the bases of salt tolerance and potassium homeostasis regulation in eukaryotic cells. In this study, we show that two widely used … laboratory strains, BY4741 and W303-1A, differ not only in cell size and volume but also in their relative plasma-membrane potential (estimated with a potentiometric fluorescent dye diS-C3(3) and as Hygromycin B sensitivity) and tolerance to alkali-metal cations. W303-1A cells and their mutant derivatives lacking either uptake (trk1 trk2) or efflux (nha1) systems for alkali-metal cations are more tolerant to toxic sodium and lithium cations but also more sensitive to higher external concentrations of potassium than BY4741 cells and their mutants. Moreover, our results suggest that though the two strains do not differ in the total potassium content, the regulation of intracellular potassium homeostasis is probably not the same in BY4741 and W303-1A cells.

Editor:

Date Published: 1st Feb 2010

Publication Type: Not specified

Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Antimalarial Activity of the Novel Plasmodium Phosphatidylinositol 4-Kinase Inhibitor MMV390048 in Healthy Volunteers

Abstract (Expand)

MMV390048 is a novel antimalarial compound that inhibits Plasmodium phosphatidylinositol-4-kinase. The safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic profile, and antimalarial activity of MMV390048 were determined …of MMV390048 were determined in healthy volunteers in three separate studies. A first-in-human, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, single-ascending-dose study was performed. Additionally, a volunteer infection study investigated the antimalarial activity of MMV390048 using the Plasmodium falciparum induced blood-stage malaria (IBSM) model.

Authors: Phumla Sinxadi, Cristina Donini, Hilary Johnstone, Grant Langdon, Lubbe Wiesner, Elizabeth Allen, Stephan Duparc, Stephan Chalon, James S. McCarthy, Ulrike Lorch, Kelly Chibale, Jörg Möhrle, Karen I. Barnes

Date Published: 24th Mar 2020

Publication Type: Journal Article

SALARECON connects the Atlantic salmon genome to growth and feed efficiency

Abstract (Expand)

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is the most valuable farmed fish globally and there is much interest in optimizing its genetics and rearing conditions for growth and feed efficiency. Marine feed ingredients … must be replaced to meet global demand, with challenges for fish health and sustainability. Metabolic models can address this by connecting genomes to metabolism, which converts nutrients in the feed to energy and biomass, but such models are currently not available for major aquaculture species such as salmon. We present SALARECON, a model focusing on energy, amino acid, and nucleotide metabolism that links the Atlantic salmon genome to metabolic fluxes and growth. It performs well in standardized tests and captures expected metabolic (in)capabilities. We show that it can explain observed hypoxic growth in terms of metabolic fluxes and apply it to aquaculture by simulating growth with commercial feed ingredients. Predicted limiting amino acids and feed efficiencies agree with data, and the model suggests that marine feed efficiency can be achieved by supplementing a few amino acids to plant- and insect-based feeds. SALARECON is a high-quality model that makes it possible to simulate Atlantic salmon metabolism and growth. It can be used to explain Atlantic salmon physiology and address key challenges in aquaculture such as development of sustainable feeds.

Authors: Maksim Zakhartsev, Filip Rotnes, Marie Gulla, Ove Oyas, Jesse van Dam, Maria Suarez Diez, Fabian Grammes, Robert Hafthorsson, Wout van Helvoirt, Jasper Koehorst, Peter Schaap, Yang Jin, Liv Torunn Mydland, Arne Gjuvsland, Sandve Simen, Vitor Martins dos Santos, Jon Olav Vik

Date Published: 1st Jun 2022

Publication Type: Journal Article

SAR Studies and Biological Characterization of a Chromen-4-one Derivative as an Anti-Trypanosoma brucei Agent.

Abstract (Expand)

Chemical modulation of the flavonol 2-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)-chromen-4-one (1), a promising anti-Trypanosomatid agent previously identified, was evaluated through a phenotypic screening approach. … Herein, we have performed structure-activity relationship studies around hit compound 1. The pivaloyl derivative (13) showed significant anti-T. brucei activity (EC50 = 1.1 muM) together with a selectivity index higher than 92. The early in vitro ADME-tox properties (cytotoxicity, mitochondrial toxicity, cytochrome P450 and hERG inhibition) were determined for compound 1 and its derivatives, and these led to the identification of some liabilities. The 1,3-benzodioxole moiety in the presented compounds confers better in vivo pharmacokinetic properties than those of classical flavonols. Further studies using different delivery systems could lead to an increase of compound blood levels.

Authors: C. Borsari, N. Santarem, S. Macedo, M. D. Jimenez-Anton, J. J. Torrado, A. I. Olias-Molero, M. J. Corral, A. Tait, S. Ferrari, L. Costantino, R. Luciani, G. Ponterini, S. Gul, M. Kuzikov, B. Ellinger, B. Behrens, J. Reinshagen, J. M. Alunda, A. Cordeiro-da-Silva, M. P. Costi

Date Published: 11th Apr 2019

Publication Type: Journal Article

SARS and MERS: recent insights into emerging coronaviruses

Abstract (Expand)

The emergence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012 marked the second introduction of a highly pathogenic coronavirus into the human population in the twenty-first century. … The continuing introductions of MERS-CoV from dromedary camels, the subsequent travel-related viral spread, the unprecedented nosocomial outbreaks and the high case-fatality rates highlight the need for prophylactic and therapeutic measures. Scientific advancements since the 2002–2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) pandemic allowed for rapid progress in our understanding of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of MERS-CoV and the development of therapeutics. In this Review, we detail our present understanding of the transmission and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, and discuss the current state of development of measures to combat emerging coronaviruses.

Authors: Emmie de Wit, Neeltje van Doremalen, Darryl Falzarano, Vincent J. Munster

Date Published: 1st Aug 2016

Publication Type: Journal Article

SARS-CoV-2 Cell Entry Depends on ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and Is Blocked by a Clinically Proven Protease Inhibitor

Abstract (Expand)

The recent emergence of the novel, pathogenic SARS-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in China and its rapid national and international spread pose a global health emergency. Cell entry of coronaviruses depends … on binding of the viral spike (S) proteins to cellular receptors and on S protein priming by host cell proteases. Unravelling which cellular factors are used by SARS-CoV-2 for entry might provide insights into viral transmission and reveal therapeutic targets. Here, we demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 uses the SARS-CoV receptor ACE2 for entry and the serine protease TMPRSS2 for S protein priming. A TMPRSS2 inhibitor approved for clinical use blocked entry and might constitute a treatment option. Finally, we show that the sera from convalescent SARS patients cross-neutralized SARS-2S-driven entry. Our results reveal important commonalities between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV infection and identify a potential target for antiviral intervention.

Authors: Markus Hoffmann, Hannah Kleine-Weber, Simon Schroeder, Nadine Krüger, Tanja Herrler, Sandra Erichsen, Tobias S. Schiergens, Georg Herrler, Nai-Huei Wu, Andreas Nitsche, Marcel A. Müller, Christian Drosten, Stefan Pöhlmann

Date Published: 1st Mar 2020

Publication Type: Journal Article

SARS-CoV-2 invades host cells via a novel route: CD147-spike protein

Abstract (Expand)

Currently, COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been widely spread around the world; nevertheless, so far there exist no specific antiviral drugs for … treatment of the disease, which poses great challenge to control and contain the virus. Here, we reported a research finding that SARS-CoV-2 invaded host cells via a novel route of CD147-spike protein (SP). SP bound to CD147, a receptor on the host cells, thereby mediating the viral invasion. Our further research confirmed this finding. First, in vitro antiviral tests indicated Meplazumab, an anti-CD147 humanized antibody, significantly inhibited the viruses from invading host cells, with an EC50 of 24.86 μg/mL and IC50 of 15.16 μg/mL. Second, we validated the interaction between CD147 and SP, with an affinity constant of 1.85×10-7M. Co-Immunoprecipitation and ELISA also confirmed the binding of the two proteins. Finally, the localization of CD147 and SP was observed in SARS-CoV-2 infected Vero E6 cells by immuno-electron microscope. Therefore, the discovery of the new route CD147-SP for SARS-CoV-2 invading host cells provides a critical target for development of specific antiviral drugs.

Authors: Ke Wang, Wei Chen, Yu-Sen Zhou, Jian-Qi Lian, Zheng Zhang, Peng Du, Li Gong, Yang Zhang, Hong-Yong Cui, Jie-Jie Geng, Bin Wang, Xiu-Xuan Sun, Chun-Fu Wang, Xu Yang, Peng Lin, Yong-Qiang Deng, Ding Wei, Xiang-Min Yang, Yu-Meng Zhu, Kui Zhang, Zhao-Hui Zheng, Jin-Lin Miao, Ting Guo, Ying Shi, Jun Zhang, Ling Fu, Qing-Yi Wang, Huijie Bian, Ping Zhu, Zhi-Nan Chen

Date Published: 14th Mar 2020

Publication Type: Report

SARS-CoV-2 is sensitive to type I interferon pretreatment

Abstract (Expand)

Abstract SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus (CoV), has recently emerged causing an ongoing outbreak of viral pneumonia around the world. While genetically distinct from the original SARS-CoV, both group … 2B CoVs share similar genome organization and origins to coronaviruses harbored in bats. Importantly, initial guidance has used insights from SARS-CoV infection to inform treatment and public health strategies. In this report, we evaluate type-I Interferon (IFN-I) sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 relative to the original SARS-CoV. Our results indicate that while SARS-CoV-2 maintains similar viral replication kinetics to SARS-CoV in Vero cell, the novel CoV is much more sensitive to IFN-I pretreatment. Examining transcriptional factor activation and interferon stimulated gene (ISG) induction, SARS-CoV-2 in the context of type I IFN induces phosphorylation of STAT1 and increased ISG proteins. In contrast, the original SARS-CoV has no evidence for STAT1 phosphorylation or ISG protein increases even in the presence of type I IFN pretreatment. Finally, we examined homology between SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 in viral proteins shown to be interferon antagonist. The absence of open reading frame (ORF) 3b and significant changes to ORF6 suggest the two key IFN antagonists may not maintain equivalent function in SARS-CoV-2. Together, the results identify key differences in susceptibility to the IFN-I response between SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. that could help inform disease progression, treatment options, and animal model development. Importance With the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 disease, differences between the SARS-CoV-2 and the original SARS-CoV could be leveraged to inform disease progression and eventual treatment options. In addition, these findings could have key implications for animal model development as well as further research into how SARS-CoV-2 modulates the type I IFN response early during infection. Article Summary SARS-CoV-2 has similar replication kinetics to SARS-CoV, but demonstrates significant sensitivity to type I interferon treatment.

Authors: Kumari G. Lokugamage, Adam Hage, Craig Schindewolf, Ricardo Rajsbaum, Vineet D. Menachery

Date Published: 9th Mar 2020

Publication Type: Report

SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are predominantly expressed in a transient secretory cell type in subsegmental bronchial branches

Abstract (Expand)

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic affecting the human respiratory system severely challenges public health and urgently demands for increasing our understanding of COVID-19 pathogenesis, especially host factors … facilitating virus infection and replication. SARS-CoV-2 was reported to enter cells via binding to ACE2, followed by its priming by TMPRSS2. Here, we investigate ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression levels and their distribution across cell types in lung tissue (twelve donors, 39,778 cells) and in cells derived from subsegmental bronchial branches (four donors, 17,521 cells) by single nuclei and single cell RNA sequencing, respectively. While TMPRSS2 is expressed in both tissues, in the subsegmental bronchial branches ACE2 is predominantly expressed in a transient secretory cell type. Interestingly, these transiently differentiating cells show an enrichment for pathways related to RHO GTPase function and viral processes suggesting increased vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our data provide a rich resource for future investigations of COVID-19 infection and pathogenesis.

Authors: Soeren Lukassen, Robert Lorenz Chua, Timo Trefzer, Nicolas C. Kahn, Marc A. Schneider, Thomas Muley, Hauke Winter, Michael Meister, Carmen Veith, Agnes W. Boots, Bianca P. Hennig, Michael Kreuter, Christian Conrad, Roland Eils

Date Published: 14th Mar 2020

Publication Type: Report

SARS‐CoV‐2–host proteome interactions for antiviral drug discovery

Abstract (Expand)

Treatment options for COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, remain limited. Understanding viral pathogenesis at the molecular level is critical to develop effective therapy. Some recent studies have explored … SARS-CoV-2–host interactomes and provided great resources for understanding viral replication. However, host proteins that functionally associate with SARS-CoV-2 are localized in the corresponding subnetwork within the comprehensive human interactome. Therefore, constructing a downstream network including all potential viral receptors, host cell proteases, and cofactors is necessary and should be used as an additional criterion for the validation of critical host machineries used for viral processing. This study applied both affinity purification mass spectrometry (AP-MS) and the complementary proximity-based labeling MS method (BioID-MS) on 29 viral ORFs and 18 host proteins with potential roles in viral replication to map the interactions relevant to viral processing. The analysis yields a list of 693 hub proteins sharing interactions with both viral baits and host baits and revealed their biological significance for SARS-CoV-2. Those hub proteins then served as a rational resource for drug repurposing via a virtual screening approach. The overall process resulted in the suggested repurposing of 59 compounds for 15 protein targets. Furthermore, antiviral effects of some candidate drugs were observed in vitro validation using image-based drug screen with infectious SARS-CoV-2. In addition, our results suggest that the antiviral activity of methotrexate could be associated with its inhibitory effect on specific protein-protein interactions.

Authors: Xiaonan Liu, Sini Huuskonen, Tuomo Laitinen, Taras Redchuk, Mariia Bogacheva, Kari Salokas, Ina Pöhner, Tiina Öhman, Arun Kumar Tonduru, Antti Hassinen, Lisa Gawriyski, Salla Keskitalo, Maria K Vartiainen, Vilja Pietiäinen, Antti Poso, Markku Varjosalo

Date Published: 1st Nov 2021

Publication Type: Journal Article

Scaffolds and Biological Targets Avenue to Fight Against Drug Resistance in Leishmaniasis

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Chiara Borsari, Antonio Quotadamo, Stefania Ferrari, Alberto Venturelli, Anabela Cordeiro-da-Silva, Nuno Santarem, Maria Paola Costi

Date Published: 2018

Publication Type: Book Chapter

Schemes of flux control in a model of Saccharomyces cerevisiae glycolysis.

Abstract (Expand)

We used parameter scanning to emulate changes to the limiting rate for steps in a fitted model of glucose-derepressed yeast glycolysis. Three flux-control regimes were observed, two of which were under … the dominant control of hexose transport, in accordance with various experimental studies and other model predictions. A third control regime in which phosphofructokinase exerted dominant glycolytic flux control was also found, but it appeared to be physiologically unreachable by this model, and all realistically obtainable flux control regimes featured hexose transport as a step involving high flux control.

Authors: L. Pritchard, D. B. Kell

Date Published: 16th Aug 2002

Publication Type: Journal Article

Search and clustering orders of magnitude faster than BLAST

Abstract (Expand)

MOTIVATION: Biological sequence data is accumulating rapidly, motivating the development of improved high-throughput methods for sequence classification. RESULTS: UBLAST and USEARCH are new algorithms … enabling sensitive local and global search of large sequence databases at exceptionally high speeds. They are often orders of magnitude faster than BLAST in practical applications, though sensitivity to distant protein relationships is lower. UCLUST is a new clustering method that exploits USEARCH to assign sequences to clusters. UCLUST offers several advantages over the widely used program CD-HIT, including higher speed, lower memory use, improved sensitivity, clustering at lower identities and classification of much larger datasets. AVAILABILITY: Binaries are available at no charge for non-commercial use at http://www.drive5.com/usearch.

Author: R. C. Edgar

Date Published: 12th Aug 2010

Publication Type: Not specified

Search for a minimal set of parameters by assessing the total optimisation potential for a dynamic model of a biochemical network

Abstract (Expand)

Selecting an efficient small set of adjustable parameters to improve metabolic features of an organism is important for a reduction of implementation costs and risks of unpredicted side effects. In … practice, to avoid the analysis of a huge combinatorial space for the possible sets of adjustable parameters, experience-, and intuition-based subsets of parameters are often chosen, possibly leaving some interesting counter-intuitive combinations of parameters unrevealed. The combinatorial scan of possible adjustable parameter combinations at the model optimization level is possible; however, the number of analyzed combinations is still limited. The total optimization potential (TOP) approach is proposed to assess the full potential for increasing the value of the objective function by optimizing all possible adjustable parameters. This seemingly unpractical combination of adjustable parameters allows assessing the maximum attainable value of the objective function and stopping the combinatorial space scanning when the desired fraction of TOP is reached and any further increase in the number of adjustable parameters cannot bring any reasonable improvement. The relation between the number of adjustable parameters and the reachable fraction of TOP is a valuable guideline in choosing a rational solution for industrial implementation. The TOP approach is demonstrated on the basis of two case studies.

Authors: Egils Stalidzans, Ivars Mozga, Jurijs Sulins, Peteris Zikmanis

Date Published: 2016

Publication Type: Not specified

Searching the overlap between network modules with specific betweeness (S2B) and its application to cross-disease analysis

Abstract (Expand)

Discovering disease-associated genes (DG) is strategic for understanding pathological mechanisms. DGs form modules in protein interaction networks and diseases with common phenotypes share more DGs or … have more closely interacting DGs. This prompted the development of Specific Betweenness (S2B) to find genes associated with two related diseases. S2B prioritizes genes frequently and specifically present in shortest paths linking two disease modules. Top S2B scores identified genes in the overlap of artificial network modules more than 80% of the times, even with incomplete or noisy knowledge. Applied to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Spinal Muscular Atrophy, S2B candidates were enriched in biological processes previously associated with motor neuron degeneration. Some S2B candidates closely interacted in network cliques, suggesting common molecular mechanisms for the two diseases. S2B is a valuable tool for DG prediction, bringing new insights into pathological mechanisms. More generally, S2B can be applied to infer the overlap between other types of network modules, such as functional modules or context-specific subnetworks. An R package implementing S2B is publicly available at https://github.com/frpinto/S2B.

Authors: Marina L. Garcia-Vaquero, Margarida Gama-Carvalho, Javier De Las Rivas, Francisco R. Pinto

Date Published: 1st Dec 2018

Publication Type: Not specified

Second-Generation Engineering of a Thermostable Transketolase (TK Gst ) for Aliphatic Aldehyde Acceptors with Either Improved or Reversed Stereoselectivity

Abstract (Expand)

The transketolase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus (TKGst) is a thermostable enzyme with notable high activity and stability at elevated temperatures, but it accepts non‐α‐hydroxylated aldehydes … only with low efficiency. Here we report a protein engineering study of TKGst based on double‐site saturation mutagenesis either at Leu191 or at Phe435 in combination with Asp470; these are the residues responsible for substrate binding in the active site. Screening of the mutagenesis libraries resulted in several positive variants with activity towards propanal up to 7.4 times higher than that of the wild type. Variants F435L/D470E and L191V/D470I exhibited improved (73 % ee, 3S) and inverted (74 % ee, 3R) stereoselectivity, respectively, for propanal. L191V, L382F/E, F435L, and D470/D470I were concluded to be positive mutations at Leu191, Leu382, Phe435, and Asp470 both for activity and for stereoselectivity improvement. These results should benefit further engineering of TKGst for various applications in asymmetric carboligation.

Authors: Chaoqiang Zhou, Thangavelu Saravanan, Marion Lorillière, Dongzhi Wei, Franck Charmantray, Laurence Hecquet, Wolf-Dieter Fessner, Dong Yi

Date Published: 2nd Mar 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

Selecting the right partner is crucial: Co-expressing CPR effectively modulates the activity of foreign P450s in plant cells

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Yuriy V. Sheludko, Iryna Gerasymenko, Heribert Warzecha

Date Published: 5th Mar 2025

Publication Type: Conference Paper

Semantic Data and Models Sharing in Systems Biology: The Just Enough Results Model and the SEEK Platform

Abstract (Expand)

Research in Systems Biology involves integrating data and knowledge about the dynamic processes in biological systems in order to understand and model them. Semantic web technologies should be ideal … for exploring the complex networks of genes, proteins and metabolites that interact, but much of this data is not natively available to the semantic web. Data is typically collected and stored with free-text annotations in spreadsheets, many of which do not conform to existing metadata standards and are often not publically released. Along with initiatives to promote more data sharing, one of the main challenges is therefore to semantically annotate and extract this data so that it is available to the research community. Data annotation and curation are expensive and undervalued tasks that have enormous benefits to the discipline as a whole, but fewer benefits to the individual data producers. By embedding semantic annotation into spreadsheets, however, and automatically extracting this data into RDF at the time of repository submission, the process of producing standards-compliant data, that is available for semantic web querying, can be achieved without adding additional overheads to laboratory data management. This paper describes these strategies in the context of semantic data management in the SEEK. The SEEK is a web-based resource for sharing and exchanging Systems Biology data and models that is underpinned by the JERM ontology (Just Enough Results Model), which describes the relationships between data, models, protocols and experiments. The SEEK was originally developed for SysMO, a large European Systems Biology consortium studying micro-organisms, but it has since had widespread adoption across European Systems Biology.

Editor: David Hutchison and Takeo Kanade and Josef Kittler and Jon M. Kleinberg and Friedemann Mattern and John C. Mitchell and Moni Naor and Oscar Nierstrasz and C. Pandu Rangan and Bernhard Steffen and Madhu Sudan and Demetri Terzopoulos and Doug Tygar and Moshe Y. Vardi and Gerhard Weikum and Camille Salinesi and Moira C. Norrie and Óscar Pastor

Date Published: 2013

Publication Type: Journal Article

SemanticSBML: a tool for annotating, checking, and merging of biochemical models in SBML format

Abstract (Expand)

Semantic annotations in SBML (systems biology markup language) enable computer programs to check and process biochemical models based on their biochemical meaning. Annotations are an important prerequisite … for model merging, which would be a major step towards the construction of large-scale cell models. The software tool semanticSBML allows users to check and edit MIRIAM annotations and SBO terms, the most common forms of annotation in SBML models. It uses a large collection of biochemical names and database identifiers to support modellers in finding the right annotations. Annotated SBML models can also be built from lists of chemical reactions. In model merging, semanticSBML suggests a preliminary merged model based on MIRIAM annotations in the original models. This model provides a starting point for manually aligning the elements of all input models. To resolve conflicting element properties, conflicts are highlighted and categorised. The user can navigate through the models, change the matching of model elements, check the conflicts between them and decide how they should be resolved. Alternatively, the software can resolve all conflicts automatically, selecting each time the attribute value from the input model with highest priority. URL: http://www.semanticsbml.org/

Authors: Wolfram Liebermeister, , Jannis Uhlendorf, Timo Lubitz,

Date Published: 20th Apr 2009

Publication Type: Not specified

SensSB: A software toolbox for the development and sensitivity analysis of systems biology models

Abstract (Expand)

SUMMARY: SensSB (Sensitivity Analysis for Systems Biology) is an easy to use, MATLAB-based software toolbox, which integrates several local and global sensitivity methods that can be applied to a wide … variety of biological models. In addition to addressing the sensitivity analysis problem, SensSB aims to cover all the steps involved during the modeling process. The main features of SensSB are: (i) derivative and variance based global sensitivity analysis, (ii) pseudo-global identifiability analysis, (iii) optimal experimental design based on global sensitivities, (iv) robust parameter estimation, (v) local sensitivity and identifiability analysis, (vi) confidence intervals of the estimated parameters, and (vii) optimal experimental design based on the Fisher Information Matrix (FIM). SensSB is also able to import models in the Systems Biology Mark-up Language (SBML) format. Several examples from simple analytical functions to more complex biological pathways have been implemented and can be downloaded together with the toolbox. The importance of using sensitivity analysis techniques for identifying unessential parameters and designing new experiments is quantified by increased identifiability metrics of the models and decreased confidence intervals of the estimated parameters. AVAILABILITY: SensSB is a software toolbox freely downloadable from http://www.iim.csic.es/~gingproc/SensSB.html. The web site also contains several examples and an extensive documentation. CONTACT: mrodriguez@iim.csic.es.

Editor:

Date Published: 7th May 2010

Publication Type: Not specified

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Coronavirus ORF8 Protein Is Acquired from SARS-Related Coronavirus from Greater Horseshoe Bats through Recombination

Abstract (Expand)

Despite the identification of horseshoe bats as the reservoir of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-related coronaviruses (SARSr-CoVs), the origin of SARS-CoV ORF8, which contains the 29-nucleotide … signature deletion among human strains, remains obscure. Although two SARS-related Rhinolophus sinicus bat CoVs (SARSr-Rs-BatCoVs) previously detected in Chinese horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus sinicus) in Yunnan, RsSHC014 and Rs3367, possessed 95% genome identities to human and civet SARSr-CoVs, their ORF8 protein exhibited only 32.2 to 33% amino acid identities to that of human/civet SARSr-CoVs. To elucidate the origin of SARS-CoV ORF8, we sampled 348 bats of various species in Yunnan, among which diverse alphacoronaviruses and betacoronaviruses, including potentially novel CoVs, were identified, with some showing potential interspecies transmission. The genomes of two betacoronaviruses, SARSr-Rf-BatCoV YNLF_31C and YNLF_34C, from greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), possessed 93% nucleotide identities to human/civet SARSr-CoV genomes. Although these two betacoronaviruses displayed lower similarities than SARSr-Rs-BatCoV RsSHC014 and Rs3367 in S protein to civet SARSr-CoVs, their ORF8 proteins demonstrated exceptionally high (80.4 to 81.3%) amino acid identities to that of human/civet SARSr-CoVs, compared to SARSr-BatCoVs from other horseshoe bats (23.2 to 37.3%). Potential recombination events were identified around ORF8 between SARSr-Rf-BatCoVs and SARSr-Rs-BatCoVs, leading to the generation of civet SARSr-CoVs. The expression of ORF8 subgenomic mRNA suggested that the ORF8 protein may be functional in SARSr-Rf-BatCoVs. The high Ka/Ks ratio among human SARS-CoVs compared to that among SARSr-BatCoVs supported that ORF8 is under strong positive selection during animal-to-human transmission. Molecular clock analysis using ORF1ab showed that SARSr-Rf-BatCoV YNLF_31C and YNLF_34C diverged from civet/human SARSr-CoVs in approximately 1990. SARS-CoV ORF8 originated from SARSr-CoVs of greater horseshoe bats through recombination, which may be important for animal-to-human transmission., IMPORTANCE Although horseshoe bats are the primary reservoir of SARS-related coronaviruses (SARSr-CoVs), it is still unclear how these bat viruses have evolved to cross the species barrier to infect civets and humans. Most human SARS-CoV epidemic strains contain a signature 29-nucleotide deletion in ORF8, compared to civet SARSr-CoVs, suggesting that ORF8 may be important for interspecies transmission. However, the origin of SARS-CoV ORF8 remains obscure. In particular, SARSr-Rs-BatCoVs from Chinese horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus sinicus) exhibited \textless40% amino acid identities to human/civet SARS-CoV in the ORF8 protein. We detected diverse alphacoronaviruses and betacoronaviruses among various bat species in Yunnan, China, including two SARSr-Rf-BatCoVs from greater horseshoe bats that possessed ORF8 proteins with exceptionally high amino acid identities to that of human/civet SARSr-CoVs. We demonstrated recombination events around ORF8 between SARSr-Rf-BatCoVs and SARSr-Rs-BatCoVs, leading to the generation of civet SARSr-CoVs. Our findings offer insight into the evolutionary origin of SARS-CoV ORF8 protein, which was likely acquired from SARSr-CoVs of greater horseshoe bats through recombination.

Authors: Susanna K. P. Lau, Yun Feng, Honglin Chen, Hayes K. H. Luk, Wei-Hong Yang, Kenneth S. M. Li, Yu-Zhen Zhang, Yi Huang, Zhi-Zhong Song, Wang-Ngai Chow, Rachel Y. Y. Fan, Syed Shakeel Ahmed, Hazel C. Yeung, Carol S. F. Lam, Jian-Piao Cai, Samson S. Y. Wong, Jasper F. W. Chan, Kwok-Yung Yuen, Hai-Lin Zhang, Patrick C. Y. Woo

Date Published: 22nd Sep 2015

Publication Type: Journal Article

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Viroporin 3a Activates the NLRP3 Inflammasome

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: I-Yin Chen, Miyu Moriyama, Ming-Fu Chang, Takeshi Ichinohe

Date Published: 29th Jan 2019

Publication Type: Journal Article

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus 3a protein forms an ion channel and modulates virus release

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: W. Lu, B.-J. Zheng, K. Xu, W. Schwarz, L. Du, C. K. L. Wong, J. Chen, S. Duan, V. Deubel, B. Sun

Date Published: 15th Aug 2006

Publication Type: Journal Article

Sex and base excision repair as key susceptibility factors for alkylation-induced mutations, toxicity and hepatic cancer.

Abstract (Expand)

N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is present in food, water, and drugs and is considered a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The mechanism of action of NDMA … involves the generation of carcinogenic methyl lesions such as 3-methyladenine (3MeA) on DNA bases. Alkyladenine DNA Glycosylase (AAG; a.k.a. N-methylpurine DNA glycosylase, MPG) removes 3MeA to initiate Base Excision Repair, leaving an abasic site that is resolved by backbone cleavage, nucleotide insertion, and backbone ligation. The intermediate steps following base removal produce potentially toxic and mutagenic abasic sites and single-strand DNA breaks. Here, we explored differences between males and females regarding downstream DNA damage, toxicity, mutations and cancer arising from 3MeA in the livers of WT, Aag(-/-), and Aag-overexpressing (AagTg) mice. We found that males were more susceptible to NDMA-induced mutations (WT and Aag(-/-)) and cancer (all genotypes). In contrast, AagTg females were more prone to micronucleus induction. As we showed in our prior analyses where data were pooled for males and females, Aag(-/-) mice were significantly more susceptible to NDMA-induced mutations and cancer, and AagTg mice displayed significantly greater toxicity. Building on these findings, our analyses of sex-related differences show that Aag deficiency and maleness are both susceptibility factors for NDMA-induced hepatic cancer, while Aag overexpression drives toxicity, potentially with a greater effect in females. This study reveals a deeper understanding of the underpinnings for a well-known increased risk of hepatic cancer in men versus women by demonstrating a higher susceptibility of male mice to both mutations and cancer.

Authors: J. E. Kay, J. J. Corrigan, L. B. Volk, A. L. Armijo, N. A. Owiti, L. J. Pribyl, I. S. Nazari, D. K. Torous, S. L. Avlasevich, R. G. Croy, D. N. Wadduwage, S. E. Carrasco, S. D. Dertinger, J. M. Essigmann, L. D. Samson, B. P. Engelward

Date Published: 4th Aug 2026

Publication Type: Journal Article

Signal Transduction by Trigger Enzymes: Bifunctional Enzymes and Transporters Controlling Gene Expression

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Fabian M. Commichau, Jrg Stlke

Date Published: 16th Dec 2009

Publication Type: Not specified

Significance analysis and statistical mechanics: an application to clustering

Abstract (Expand)

This Letter addresses the statistical significance of structures in random data: given a set of vectors and a measure of mutual similarity, how likely is it that a subset of these vectors forms a cluster … with enhanced similarity among its elements? The computation of this cluster p value for randomly distributed vectors is mapped onto a well-defined problem of statistical mechanics. We solve this problem analytically, establishing a connection between the physics of quenched disorder and multiple-testing statistics in clustering and related problems. In an application to gene expression data, we find a remarkable link between the statistical significance of a cluster and the functional relationships between its genes.

Authors: Marta Łuksza, Michael Lässig,

Date Published: 27th Nov 2009

Publication Type: Not specified

Simplified absolute metabolite quantification by gas chromatography–isotope dilution mass spectrometry on the basis of commercially available source material

Abstract (Expand)

In the field of metabolomics, GC–MS has rather established itself as a tool for semi-quantitative strategies like metabolic fingerprinting or metabolic profiling. Absolute quantification of intra- or … extracellular metabolites is nowadays mostly accomplished by application of diverse LC–MS techniques. Only few groups have so far adopted GC–MS technology for this exceptionally challenging task. Besides numerous and deeply investigated problems related to sample generation, the pronounced matrix effects in biological samples have led to the almost mandatory application of isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) for the accurate determination of absolute metabolite concentrations. Nevertheless, access to stable isotope labeled internal standards (ILIS), which are in many cases commercially unavailable, is quite laborious and very expensive. Here we present an improved and simplified gas chromatography–isotope dilution mass spectrometry (GC–IDMS) protocol for the absolute determination of intra- and extracellular metabolite levels. Commercially available 13C-labeled algal cells were used as a convenient source for the preparation of internal standards. Advantages as well as limitations of the described method are discussed.

Authors: Oliver Vielhauer, , Thomas Horn, Ralf Takors,

Date Published: 1st Dec 2011

Publication Type: Not specified

Simplified absolute metabolite quantification by gas chromatography–isotope dilution mass spectrometry on the basis of commercially available source material

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Oliver Vielhauer, Maksim Zakhartsev, Thomas Horn, Ralf Takors, Matthias Reuss

Date Published: 1st Dec 2011

Publication Type: Not specified

Simulation Foundry: Automated and F.A.I.R. Molecular Modeling

Abstract (Expand)

The Simulation Foundry (SF) is a modular workflow for the automated creation of molecular modeling (MM) data. MM allows for the reliable prediction of the microscopic and macroscopic properties of … multicomponent systems from first principles. The SF makes MM repeatable, replicable, and findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (F.A.I.R.). The SF uses a standardized data structure and file naming convention, allowing for replication on different supercomputers and re-entrancy. We focus on keeping the SF simple by basing it on scripting languages that are widely used by the MM community (bash, Python) and making it reusable and re-editable. The SF was developed to assist expert users in performing parameter studies of multicomponent systems by high throughput molecular dynamics simulations. The usability of the SF is demonstrated by simulations of thermophysical properties of binary mixtures. A standardized data exchange format enables the integration of simulated data with data from experiments. The SF also provides a complete documentation of how the results were obtained, thus assigning provenance. Increasing computational power facilitates the intensification of the simulation process and requires automation and modularity. The SF provides a community platform on which to integrate new methods and create data that is reproducible and transparent (https://fairdomhub.org/studies/639/snapshots/1, https://fairdomhub.org/studies/639/snapshots/2).

Authors: Gudrun Gygli, Juergen Pleiss

Date Published: 27th Apr 2020

Publication Type: Journal Article

Simulations of stressosome activation emphasize allosteric interactions between RsbR and RsbT

Abstract (Expand)

Background The stressosome is a bacterial signalling complex that responds to environmental changes by initiating a protein partner switching cascade, which leads to the release of the alternative sigma … factor, sigmaB. Stress perception increases the phosphorylation of the stressosome sensor protein, RsbR, and the scaffold protein, RsbS, by the protein kinase RsbT. Subsequent dissociation of RsbT from the stressosome activates the sigmaB cascade. However, the sequence of physical events that occur in the stressosome during signal transduction is insufficiently understood. Results Here, we use computational modelling to correlate the structure of the stressosome with the efficiency of the phosphorylation reactions that occur upon activation by stress. In our model, the phosphorylation of any stressosome protein is dependent upon its nearest neighbours and their phosphorylation status. We compare different hypotheses about stressosome activation and find that only the model representing the allosteric activation of the kinase RsbT, by phosphorylated RsbR, qualitatively reproduces the experimental data. Conclusions Our simulations and the associated analysis of published data support the following hypotheses: (i) a simple Boolean model is capable of reproducing stressosome dynamics, (ii) different stressors induce identical stressosome activation patterns, and we also confirm that (i) phosphorylated RsbR activates RsbT, and (ii) the main purpose of RsbX is to dephosphorylate RsbS-P.

Authors: , , Jon Marles-Wright, ,

Date Published: 2013

Publication Type: Not specified

Simultaneous Clostridial fermentation, lipase-catalyzed esterification, and ester extraction to enrich diesel with butyl butyrate.

Abstract (Expand)

The recovery of 1-butanol from fermentation broth is energy-intensive since typical concentrations in fermentation broth are below 20 g L(-1). To prevent butanol inhibition and high downstream processing … costs, we aimed at producing butyl esters instead of 1-butanol. It is shown that it is possible to perform simultaneously clostridial fermentation, esterification of the formed butanol to butyl butyrate, and extraction of this ester by hexadecane. The very high partition coefficient of butyl butyrate pulls the esterification towards the product side even at fermentation pH and relatively low butanol concentrations. The hexadecane extractant is a model diesel compound and is nontoxic to the cells. If butyl butyrate enriched diesel can directly be used as car fuel, no product recovery is required. A proof-of-principle experiment for the one-pot bio-ester production from glucose led to 5 g L(-1) butyl butyrate in the hexadecane phase. The principle may be extended to a wide range of esters, especially to longer chain ones.

Authors: C. van den Berg, A. S. Heeres, L. A. van der Wielen, A. J. Straathof

Date Published: No date defined

Publication Type: Not specified

Single cell analysis of gene expression patterns during carbon starvation in Bacillus subtilis reveals large phenotypic variation

Abstract (Expand)

How cells dynamically respond to fluctuating environmental conditions depends on the architecture and noise of the underlying genetic circuits. Most work characterizing stress pathways in the model … bacterium Bacillus subtilis has been performed on bulk cultures using ensemble assays. However, investigating the single cell response to stress is important since noise might generate significant phenotypic heterogeneity. Here, we study the stress response to carbon source starvation and compare both population and single cell data. Using a top-down approach, we investigate the transcriptional dynamics of various stress-related genes of B. subtilis in response to carbon source starvation and to increased cell density. Our data reveal that most of the tested gene-regulatory networks respond highly heterogeneously to starvation and cells show a large degree of variation in gene expression. The level of highly dynamic diversification within B. subtilis populations under changing environments reflects the necessity to study cells at the single cell level.

Editor:

Date Published: 4th Oct 2012

Publication Type: Not specified

SMC is recruited to oriC by ParB and promotes chromosome segregation in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Abstract (Expand)

Segregation of replicated chromosomes is an essential process in all organisms. How bacteria, such as the oval-shaped human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae, efficiently segregate their chromosomes … is poorly understood. Here we show that the pneumococcal homologue of the DNA-binding protein ParB recruits S. pneumoniae condensin (SMC) to centromere-like DNA sequences (parS) that are located near the origin of replication, in a similar fashion as was shown for the rod-shaped model bacterium Bacillus subtilis. In contrast to B. subtilis, smc is not essential in S. pneumoniae, and Δsmc cells do not show an increased sensitivity to gyrase inhibitors or high temperatures. However, deletion of smc and/or parB results in a mild chromosome segregation defect. Our results show that S. pneumoniae contains a functional chromosome segregation machine that promotes efficient chromosome segregation by recruitment of SMC via ParB. Intriguingly, the data indicate that other, as of yet unknown mechanisms, are at play to ensure proper chromosome segregation in this organism.

Authors: Anita Minnen, Laetitia Attaiech, Maria Thon, Stephan Gruber,

Date Published: 22nd Jun 2011

Publication Type: Not specified

Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Enhancing the Leishmanicidal Activity of Delamanid

Abstract (Expand)

Leishmaniasis, a zoonotic parasitic disease transmitted by infected sandflies, impacts nearly 1 million people yearly and is endemic in many countries across Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the … Mediterranean; despite this, it remains a neglected disease with limited effective treatments, particularly in impoverished communities with limited access to healthcare. This study aims to repurpose approved drugs for an affordable leishmaniasis treatment. After the screening of potential drug candidates by reviewing databases and utilizing molecular docking analysis, delamanid was chosen to be incorporated into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNPs). Both in cellulo and in vivo tests confirmed the successful payload release within macrophages and through the epidermis following topical application on murine skin. The evaluation of macrophages infected with L. infantum amastigotes showed that the encapsulated delamanid exhibited greater leishmanicidal activity compared with the free drug. The process of encapsulating delamanid in SLNPs, as demonstrated in this study, places a strong emphasis on employing minimal technology, ensuring energy efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and reproducibility. It enables consistent, low-cost production of nanomedicines, even on a small scale, offering a promising step toward more accessible and effective leishmaniasis treatments.

Authors: Javier Santamaría-Aguirre, Daniela Jacho, Miguel A. Méndez, Ana Poveda, Javier Carrión, Mónica L. Fanarraga

Date Published: 27th Dec 2023

Publication Type: Journal Article

Solvent screening methodology for in situ ABE extractive fermentation

Abstract (Expand)

Solvent screening for in situ liquid extraction of products from acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation was carried out, taking into account biological parameters (biocompatibility, bioavailability, … and product yield) and ex-traction performance (partition coefficient and selectivity) determined in real fermentation broth. On the basis of different solvent characteristics obtained from literature, 16 compounds from different chemical families were selected and experimentally evaluated for their extraction capabilities in a real ABE fermentation broth system. From these compounds, nine potential solvents were also tested for their biocompatibility towards Clostridium acetobutylicum. Moreover, bioavailability and differences in substrate consumption and total n-butanol production with respect to solvent-free fermentations were quantified for each biocompatible solvent. Product yield was enhanced in the presence of organic solvents having higher affinity for butanol and butyric acid. Applying this methodology, it was found that the Guerbet alcohol 2-butyl-1-octanol presented the best extracting characteristics (the highest partition coefficient (6.76) and the third highest selectivity (644)), the highest butanol yield (27.4 %), and maintained biocompatibility with C. acetobutylicum.

Authors: H. González-Peñas, T. A. Lu-Chau, M. T. Moreira, J. M. Lema

Date Published: 1st Jul 2014

Publication Type: Journal Article

SPABBATS: A pathway-discovery method based on Boolean satisfiability that facilitates the characterization of suppressor mutants

Abstract (Expand)

Several computational methods exist to suggest rational genetic interventions that improve the productivity of industrial strains. Nonetheless, these methods are less effective to predict possible … genetic responses of the strain after the intervention. This problem requires a better understanding of potential alternative metabolic and regulatory pathways able to counteract the targeted intervention.

Authors: , Katrin Gunka, Rafael Polanía, Stefan Tholen,

Date Published: 11th Jan 2011

Publication Type: Not specified

Specifications of Standards in Systems and Synthetic Biology: Status and Developments in 2016.

Abstract (Expand)

Standards are essential to the advancement of science and technology. In systems and synthetic biology, numerous standards and associated tools have been developed over the last 16 years. This special … issue of the Journal of Integrative Bioinformatics aims to support the exchange, distribution and archiving of these standards, as well as to provide centralised and easily citable access to them.

Authors: F. Schreiber, G. D. Bader, P. Gleeson, M. Golebiewski, M. Hucka, N. Le Novere, C. Myers, D. Nickerson, B. Sommer, D. Walthemath

Date Published: 12th Feb 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

Specifications of Standards in Systems and Synthetic Biology: Status and Developments in 2017

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Falk Schreiber, Gary D. Bader, Padraig Gleeson, Martin Golebiewski, Michael Hucka, Sarah M. Keating, Nicolas Le Novère, Chris Myers, David Nickerson, Björn Sommer, Dagmar Waltemath

Date Published: 29th Mar 2018

Publication Type: Journal Article

Specifications of Standards in Systems and Synthetic Biology: Status and Developments in 2019

Abstract (Expand)

This special issue of the Journal of Integrative Bioinformatics presents an overview of COMBINE standards and their latest specifications. The standards cover representation formats for computational … modeling in synthetic and systems biology and include BioPAX, CellML, NeuroML, SBML, SBGN, SBOL and SED-ML. The articles in this issue contain updated specifications of SBGN Process Description Level 1 Version 2, SBML Level 3 Core Version 2 Release 2, SBOL Version 2.3.0, and SBOL Visual Version 2.1.

Authors: Falk Schreiber, Björn Sommer, Gary D. Bader, Padraig Gleeson, Martin Golebiewski, Michael Hucka, Sarah M. Keating, Matthias König, Chris Myers, David Nickerson, Dagmar Waltemath

Date Published: 13th Jul 2019

Publication Type: Journal Article

Specifications of standards in systems and synthetic biology: status and developments in 2020

Abstract (Expand)

This special issue of the Journal of Integrative Bioinformatics presents papers related to the 10th COMBINE meeting together with the annual update of COMBINE standards in systems and synthetic biology. …Not specified

Authors: Falk Schreiber, Björn Sommer, Tobias Czauderna, Martin Golebiewski, Thomas E. Gorochowski, Michael Hucka, Sarah M. Keating, Matthias König, Chris Myers, David Nickerson, Dagmar Waltemath

Date Published: 29th Jun 2020

Publication Type: Journal Article

Spliced-Leader RNA as a Dynamic Marker for Monitoring Viable Leishmania Parasites During and After Treatment.

Abstract (Expand)

Accurate detection of viable Leishmania parasites is critical for evaluating visceral leishmaniasis (VL) treatment response at an early timepoint. We compared the decay of kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) and … spliced-leader RNA (SL-RNA) in vitro, in vivo, and in a VL patient cohort. An optimized combination of blood preservation and nucleic acid extraction improved efficiency for both targets. SL-RNA degraded more rapidly during treatment than kDNA, and correlated better with microscopic examination. SL-RNA quantitative polymerase chain reaction emerges as a superior method for dynamic monitoring of viable Leishmania parasites. It enables individualized treatment monitoring for improved prognoses and has potential as an early surrogate endpoint in clinical trials.

Authors: R. Hendrickx, R. Melkamu, D. Tadesse, T. Teferi, P. B. Feijens, M. Vleminckx, S. van Henten, F. Alves, T. Shibru, J. van Griensven, G. Caljon, M. Pareyn

Date Published: 25th Jul 2024

Publication Type: Journal Article

Spontaneous spatiotemporal waves of gene expression from biological clocks in the leaf

Abstract (Expand)

The circadian clocks that drive daily rhythms in animals are tightly coupled among the cells of some tissues. The coupling profoundly affects cellular rhythmicity and is central to contemporary … understanding of circadian physiology and behavior. In contrast, studies of the clock in plant cells have largely ignored intercellular coupling, which is reported to be very weak or absent. We used luciferase reporter gene imaging to monitor circadian rhythms in leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana plants, achieving resolution close to the cellular level. Leaves grown without environmental cycles for up to 3 wk reproducibly showed spatiotemporal waves of gene expression consistent with intercellular coupling, using several reporter genes. Within individual leaves, different regions differed in phase by up to 17 h. A broad range of patterns was observed among leaves, rather than a common spatial distribution of circadian properties. Leaves exposed to light-dark cycles always had fully synchronized rhythms, which could desynchronize rapidly. After 4 d in constant light, some leaves were as desynchronized as leaves grown without any rhythmic input. Applying light-dark cycles to such a leaf resulted in full synchronization within 2-4 d. Thus, the rhythms of all cells were coupled to external light-dark cycles far more strongly than the cellular clocks were coupled to each other. Spontaneous desynchronization under constant conditions was limited, consistent with weak intercellular coupling among heterogeneous clocks. Both the weakness of coupling and the heterogeneity among cells are relevant to interpret molecular studies and to understand the physiological functions of the plant circadian clock.

Authors: B. Wenden, D. L. Toner, S. K. Hodge, R. Grima, A. J. Millar

Date Published: 13th Apr 2012

Publication Type: Not specified

Spontaneous spatiotemporal waves of gene expression from biological clocks in the leaf

Abstract (Expand)

The circadian clocks that drive daily rhythms in animals are tightly coupled among the cells of some tissues. The coupling profoundly affects cellular rhythmicity and is central to contemporary … understanding of circadian physiology and behavior. In contrast, studies of the clock in plant cells have largely ignored intercellular coupling, which is reported to be very weak or absent. We used luciferase reporter gene imaging to monitor circadian rhythms in leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana plants, achieving resolution close to the cellular level. Leaves grown without environmental cycles for up to 3 wk reproducibly showed spatiotemporal waves of gene expression consistent with intercellular coupling, using several reporter genes. Within individual leaves, different regions differed in phase by up to 17 h. A broad range of patterns was observed among leaves, rather than a common spatial distribution of circadian properties. Leaves exposed to light–dark cycles always had fully synchronized rhythms, which could desynchronize rapidly. After 4 d in constant light, some leaves were as desynchronized as leaves grown without any rhythmic input. Applying light–dark cycles to such a leaf resulted in full synchronization within 2–4 d. Thus, the rhythms of all cells were coupled to external light–dark cycles far more strongly than the cellular clocks were coupled to each other. Spontaneous desynchronization under constant conditions was limited, consistent with weak intercellular coupling among heterogeneous clocks. Both the weakness of coupling and the heterogeneity among cells are relevant to interpret molecular studies and to understand the physiological functions of the plant circadian clock.

Authors: Bénédicte Wenden, David L. K. Toner, Sarah K. Hodge, Ramon Grima, Andrew J. Millar

Date Published: 10th Apr 2012

Publication Type: Journal Article

Stable Core Gut Microbiota across the Freshwater-to-Saltwater Transition for Farmed Atlantic Salmon

Abstract (Expand)

Gut microbiota associations through habitat transitions are fundamentally important yet poorly understood. One such habitat transition is the migration from freshwater to saltwater for anadromous fish, … such as salmon. The aim of the current work was therefore to determine the freshwater-to-saltwater transition impact on the gut microbiota in farmed Atlantic salmon, with dietary interventions resembling freshwater and saltwater diets with respect to fatty acid composition. Using deep 16S rRNA gene sequencing and quantitative PCR, we found that the freshwater-to-saltwater transition had a major association with the microbiota composition and quantity, while diet did not show significant associations with the microbiota. In saltwater there was a 100-fold increase in bacterial quantity, with a relative increase of Firmicutes and a relative decrease of both Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. Irrespective of an overall shift in microbiota composition from freshwater to saltwater, we identified three core clostridia and one Lactobacillus-affiliated phylotype with wide geographic distribution that were highly prevalent and co-occurring. Taken together, our results support the importance of the dominating bacteria in the salmon gut, with the freshwater microbiota being immature. Due to the low number of potentially host-associated bacterial species in the salmon gut, we believe that farmed salmon can represent an important model for future understanding of host-bacterium interactions in aquatic environments. IMPORTANCE Little is known about factors affecting the interindividual distribution of gut bacteria in aquatic environments. We have shown that there is a core of four highly prevalent and co-occurring bacteria irrespective of feed and freshwater-to-saltwater transition. The potential host interactions of the core bacteria, however, need to be elucidated further.

Authors: Knut Rudi, Inga Leena Angell, Phillip B. Pope, Jon Olav Vik, Simen Rød Sandve, Lars-Gustav Snipen

Date Published: 15th Jan 2018

Publication Type: Not specified

Standardization of Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant production of bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stromal cells for immunotherapeutic applications.

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND AIMS: Human mesenchymal stem or stromal cells (MSCs) represent a potential resource not only for regenerative medicine but also for immunomodulatory cell therapies. The application of different … MSC culture protocols has significantly hampered the comparability of experimental and clinical data from different laboratories and has posed a major obstacle for multicenter clinical trials. Manufacturing of cell products for clinical application in the European Community must be conducted in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice and requires a manufacturing license. In Germany, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut as the Federal Authority for Vaccines and Biomedicines is critically involved in the approval process. METHODS: This report summarizes a consensus meeting between researchers, clinicians and regulatory experts on standard quality requirements for MSC production. RESULTS: The strategy for quality control testing depends on the product's cell composition, the manufacturing process and the indication and target patient population. Important quality criteria in this sense are, among others, the immunophenotype of the cells, composition of the culture medium and the risk for malignant transformation, as well as aging and the immunosuppressive potential of the manufactured MSCs. CONCLUSIONS: This position paper intends to provide relevant information to interested parties regarding these criteria to foster the development of scientifically valid and harmonized quality standards and to support approval of MSC-based investigational medicinal products.

Authors: P. Wuchter, K. Bieback, H. Schrezenmeier, M. Bornhauser, L. P. Muller, H. Bonig, W. Wagner, R. Meisel, P. Pavel, T. Tonn, P. Lang, I. Muller, M. Renner, G. Malcherek, R. Saffrich, E. C. Buss, P. Horn, M. Rojewski, A. Schmitt, A. D. Ho, R. Sanzenbacher, M. Schmitt

Date Published: 27th May 2014

Publication Type: Journal Article

Staphylococcal PknB as the first prokaryotic representative of the proline-directed kinases

Abstract (Expand)

In eukaryotic cell types, virtually all cellular processes are under control of proline-directed kinases and especially MAP kinases. Serine/threonine kinases in general were originally considered as a … eukaryote-specific enzyme family. However, recent studies have revealed that orthologues of eukaryotic serine/threonine kinases exist in bacteria. Moreover, various pathogenic species, such as Yersinia and Mycobacterium, require serine/threonine kinases for successful invasion of human host cells. The substrates targeted by bacterial serine/threonine kinases have remained largely unknown. Here we report that the serine/threonine kinase PknB from the important pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is released into the external milieu, which opens up the possibility that PknB does not only phosphorylate bacterial proteins but also proteins of the human host. To identify possible human targets of purified PknB, we studied in vitro phosphorylation of peptide microarrays and detected 68 possible human targets for phosphorylation. These results show that PknB is a proline-directed kinase with MAP kinase-like enzymatic activity. As the potential cellular targets for PknB are involved in apoptosis, immune responses, transport, and metabolism, PknB secretion may help the bacterium to evade intracellular killing and facilitate its growth. In apparent agreement with this notion, phosphorylation of the host-cell response coordinating transcription factor ATF-2 by PknB was confirmed by mass spectrometry. Taken together, our results identify PknB as the first prokaryotic representative of the proline-directed kinase/MAP kinase family of enzymes.

Authors: Malgorzata Miller, Stefanie Donat, Sonja Rakette, Thilo Stehle, Thijs R H M Kouwen, Sander H Diks, Annette Dreisbach, Ewoud Reilman, Katrin Gronau, Dörte Becher, Maikel P Peppelenbosch, , Knut Ohlsen

Date Published: 12th Nov 2009

Publication Type: Not specified

Stealthy annotation of experimental biology by spreadsheets

Abstract (Expand)

The increase in volume and complexity of biological data has led to increased requirements to reuse that data. Consistent and accurate metadata is essential for this task, creating new challenges in … semantic data annotation and in the constriction of terminologies and ontologies used for annotation. The BioSharing community are developing standards and terminologies for annotation, which have been adopted across bioinformatics, but the real challenge is to make these standards accessible to laboratory scientists. Widespread adoption requires the provision of tools to assist scientists whilst reducing the complexities of working with semantics. This paper describes unobtrusive ‘stealthy’ methods for collecting standards compliant, semantically annotated data and for contributing to ontologies used for those annotations. Spreadsheets are ubiquitous in laboratory data management. Our spreadsheet-based RightField tool enables scientists to structure information and select ontology terms for annotation within spreadsheets, producing high quality, consistent data without changing common working practices. Furthermore, our Populous spreadsheet tool proves effective for gathering domain knowledge in the form of Web Ontology Language (OWL) ontologies. Such a corpus of structured and semantically enriched knowledge can be extracted in Resource Description Framework (RDF), providing further means for searching across the content and contributing to Open Linked Data (http://linkeddata.org/)

Authors: , , Matthew Horridge, Simon Jupp, , , , , Robert Stevens,

Date Published: 1st Feb 2013

Publication Type: Journal Article

Stepwise mechanism for transcription fidelity

Abstract (Expand)

Transcription is the first step of gene expression and is characterized by a high fidelity of RNA synthesis. During transcription, the RNA polymerase active centre discriminates against not just … non-complementary ribo NTP substrates but also against complementary 2'- and 3'-deoxy NTPs. A flexible domain of the RNA polymerase active centre, the Trigger Loop, was shown to play an important role in this process, but the mechanisms of this participation remained elusive.

Authors: , Aleksandra Bochkareva, Vasisht R Tadigotla, Mohammad Roghanian, Savva Zorov, Konstantin Severinov,

Date Published: 1st Apr 2010

Publication Type: Not specified

Stochastic LCA Model of Upscaling the Production of Microalgal Compounds

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Pierre Jouannais, Stefan Hindersin, Sarah Löhn, Massimo Pizzol

Date Published: 28th Jun 2022

Publication Type: Journal Article

Stochastic modelling of a three-dimensional glycogen granule synthesis and impact of the branching enzyme

Abstract (Expand)

In humans, glycogen storage diseases result from metabolic inborn errors, and can lead to severe phenotypes and lethal conditions. Besides these rare diseases, glycogen is also associated to widely …y spread societal burdens such as diabetes. Glycogen is a branched glucose polymer synthesised and degraded by a complex set of enzymes. Over the past 50 years, the structure of glycogen has been intensively investigated. Yet, the interplay between glycogen structure and the related enzymes is still to be characterised. In this article, we develop a stochastic coarse-grained and spatially resolved model of branched polymer biosynthesis following a Gillespie algorithm. Our study largely focusses on the role of the branching enzyme, and first investigates the properties of the model with generic parameters, before comparing it to in vivo experimental data in mice. It arises that the ratio of glycogen synthase over branching enzyme activities drastically impacts the structure of the granule. We deeply investigate the mechanism of branching and parametrise it using distinct lengths. Not only do we consider various possible sets of values for these lengths, but also distinct rules to apply them. We show how combining them finely tunes glycogen macromolecular structure. Comparing the model with experimental data confirms that we can accurately reproduce glycogen chain length distributions in wild type mice. Additional granule properties obtained for this fit are also in good agreement with typically reported values in the experimental literature. Nonetheless, we find that the mechanism of branching must be more flexible than usually reported. Overall, we demonstrate that the chain length distribution is an imprint of the branching activity and mechanism. Our generic model and methods can be applied to any glycogen data set, and could in particular contribute to characterise the mechanisms responsible for glycogen storage disorders.

Authors: Yvan Rousset, Oliver Ebenhöh, Adélaïde Raguin

Date Published: 1st Nov 2022

Publication Type: Journal Article

Storing and annotating of kinetic data.

Abstract (Expand)

This paper briefly describes the SABIO-RK database model for the storage of reaction kinetics information and the guidelines followed within the SABIO-RK project to annotate the kinetic data. Such … annotations support the definition of cross links to other related databases and augment the semantics of the data stored in the database.

Authors: , Martin Golebiewski, , , Saqib Mir, Andreas Weidemann, Ulrike Wittig

Date Published: 14th Sep 2007

Publication Type: Journal Article

Stress-responsive systems set specific limits to the overproduction of membrane proteins in Bacillus subtilis

Abstract (Expand)

Essential membrane proteins are generally recognized as relevant potential drug targets due to their exposed localization in the cell envelope. Unfortunately, high-level production of membrane proteins … for functional and structural analyses is often problematic. This is mainly due to their high overall hydrophobicity. To develop new concepts for membrane protein overproduction, we investigated whether the biogenesis of overproduced membrane proteins is affected by stress response-related proteolytic systems in the membrane. For this purpose, the well-established expression host Bacillus subtilis was used to overproduce eight essential membrane proteins from B. subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. The results show that the sigma(W) regulon (responding to cell envelope perturbations) and the CssRS two-component regulatory system (responding to unfolded exported proteins) set critical limits to membrane protein production in large quantities. The identified sigW or cssRS mutant B. subtilis strains with significantly improved capacity for membrane protein production are interesting candidate expression hosts for fundamental research and biotechnological applications. Importantly, our results pinpoint the interdependent expression and function of membrane-associated proteases as key parameters in bacterial membrane protein production.

Authors: Jessica C Zweers, Thomas Wiegert,

Date Published: 9th Oct 2009

Publication Type: Not specified

Structural basis for the enhanced activity of cyclic antimicrobial peptides: The case of BPC194

Abstract (Expand)

We report the molecular basis for the differences in activity of cyclic and linear antimicrobial peptides. We iteratively performed atomistic molecular dynamics simulations and biophysical measurements … to probe the interaction of a cyclic antimicrobial peptide and its inactive linear analogue with model membranes. We establish that, relative to the linear peptide, the cyclic one binds stronger to negatively charged membranes. We show that only the cyclic peptide folds at the membrane interface and adopts a beta-sheet structure characterised by two turns. Subsequently, the cyclic peptide penetrates deeper into the bilayer while the linear peptide remains essentially at the surface. Finally, based on our comparative study, we propose a model characterising the mode of action of cyclic antimicrobial peptides. The results provide a chemical rationale for enhanced activity in certain cyclic antimicrobial peptides and can be used as a guideline for design of novel antimicrobial peptides.

Authors: , Gemma Moiset, Anna D Cirac, Lidia Feliu, Eduard Bardají, Marta Planas, Durba Sengupta, Siewert J Marrink,

Date Published: 19th May 2011

Publication Type: Not specified

Structural Genomics of SARS-CoV-2 Indicates Evolutionary Conserved Functional Regions of Viral Proteins

Abstract (Expand)

During its first two and a half months, the recently emerged 2019 novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has already infected over one-hundred thousand people worldwide and has taken more than four thousand … lives. However, the swiftly spreading virus also caused an unprecedentedly rapid response from the research community facing the unknown health challenge of potentially enormous proportions. Unfortunately, the experimental research to understand the molecular mechanisms behind the viral infection and to design a vaccine or antivirals is costly and takes months to develop. To expedite the advancement of our knowledge, we leveraged data about the related coronaviruses that is readily available in public databases and integrated these data into a single computational pipeline. As a result, we provide comprehensive structural genomics and interactomics roadmaps of SARS-CoV-2 and use this information to infer the possible functional differences and similarities with the related SARS coronavirus. All data are made publicly available to the research community.

Authors: Suhas Srinivasan, Hongzhu Cui, Ziyang Gao, Ming Liu, Senbao Lu, Winnie Mkandawire, Oleksandr Narykov, Mo Sun, Dmitry Korkin

Date Published: 1st Apr 2020

Publication Type: Journal Article

Structural Insights into the Development of Cycloguanil Derivatives as Trypanosoma brucei Pteridine-Reductase-1 Inhibitors.

Abstract (Expand)

Cycloguanil is a known dihydrofolate-reductase (DHFR) inhibitor, but there is no evidence of its activity on pteridine reductase (PTR), the main metabolic bypass to DHFR inhibition in trypanosomatid … parasites. Here, we provide experimental evidence of cycloguanil as an inhibitor of Trypanosoma brucei PTR1 (TbPTR1). A small library of cycloguanil derivatives was developed, resulting in 1 and 2a having IC50 values of 692 and 186 nM, respectively, toward TbPTR1. Structural analysis revealed that the increased potency of 1 and 2a is due to the combined contributions of hydrophobic interactions, H-bonds, and halogen bonds. Moreover, in vitro cell-growth-inhibition tests indicated that 2a is also effective on T. brucei. The simultaneous inhibition of DHFR and PTR1 activity in T. brucei is a promising new strategy for the treatment of human African trypanosomiasis. For this purpose, 1,6-dihydrotriazines represent new molecular tools to develop potent dual PTR and DHFR inhibitors.

Authors: G. Landi, P. Linciano, C. Borsari, C. P. Bertolacini, C. B. Moraes, A. Cordeiro-da-Silva, S. Gul, G. Witt, M. Kuzikov, M. P. Costi, C. Pozzi, S. Mangani

Date Published: 12th Jul 2019

Publication Type: Journal Article

Structural Optimization of BIPPO Analogs as Potent Antimalarials.

Abstract (Expand)

Malaria continues to pose a significant health threat, causing thousands of deaths each year. The limited availability of vaccines and medications, combined with the emergence of drug resistance, further … complicates the fight against this disease. In this study, we aimed to enhance the antimalarial potency of the previously reported hit compound BIPPO (pIC(50) 5.9). Through systematic modification of pyrazolopyrimidinone analogs, we discovered the promising analog 30 (NPD-3547), which exhibited approximately one log unit higher in vitro potency (pIC(50) 6.8) against Plasmodium falciparum. Furthermore, we identified several other BIPPO analogs (23, 28, 29 and 47a) with potent antimalarial activity (pIC(50) > 6.0) and favorable metabolic stability in mouse liver microsomes. These compounds can serve as new tools for further optimization towards the development of potential candidates for antimalarial studies.

Authors: Y. Zheng, A. Matheeussen, L. Maes, G. Caljon, G. J. Sterk, R. Leurs

Date Published: 23rd Jun 2023

Publication Type: Journal Article

Structure, function and antigenicity of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein

Abstract (Expand)

SUMMARY The recent emergence of a novel coronavirus associated with an ongoing outbreak of pneumonia (Covid-2019) resulted in infections of more than 72,000 people and claimed over 1,800 lives. Coronavirus … spike (S) glycoprotein trimers promote entry into cells and are the main target of the humoral immune response. We show here that SARS-CoV-2 S mediates entry in VeroE6 cells and in BHK cells transiently transfected with human ACE2, establishing ACE2 as a functional receptor for this novel coronavirus. We further demonstrate that the receptor-binding domains of SARS-CoV-2 S and SARS-CoV S bind with similar affinities to human ACE2, which correlates with the efficient spread of SARS-CoV-2 among humans. We found that the SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein harbors a furin cleavage site at the boundary between the S 1 /S 2 subunits, which is processed during biogenesis and sets this virus apart from SARS-CoV and other SARS-related CoVs. We determined a cryo-electron microscopy structure of the SARS-CoV-2 S ectodomain trimer, demonstrating spontaneous opening of the receptor-binding domain, and providing a blueprint for the design of vaccines and inhibitors of viral entry. Finally, we demonstrate that SARS-CoV S murine polyclonal sera potently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 S-mediated entry into target cells, thereby indicating that cross-neutralizing antibodies targeting conserved S epitopes can be elicited upon vaccination.

Authors: Alexandra C. Walls, Young-Jun Park, M. Alexandra Tortorici, Abigail Wall, Andrew T. McGuire, David Veesler

Date Published: 20th Feb 2020

Publication Type: Report

Structures of carbon catabolite protein A-(HPr-Ser46-P) bound to diverse catabolite response element sites reveal the basis for high-affinity binding to degenerate DNA operators

Abstract (Expand)

In Gram-positive bacteria, carbon catabolite protein A (CcpA) is the master regulator of carbon catabolite control, which ensures optimal energy usage under diverse conditions. Unlike other LacI-GalR … proteins, CcpA is activated for DNA binding by first forming a complex with the phosphoprotein HPr-Ser46-P. Bacillus subtilis CcpA functions as both a transcription repressor and activator and binds to more than 50 operators called catabolite response elements (cres). These sites are highly degenerate with the consensus, WTGNNARCGNWWWCAW. How CcpA-(HPr-Ser46-P) binds such diverse sequences is unclear. To gain insight into this question, we solved the structures of the CcpA-(HPr-Ser46-P) complex bound to three different operators, the synthetic (syn) cre, ackA2 cre and gntR-down cre. Strikingly, the structures show that the CcpA-bound operators display different bend angles, ranging from 31° to 56°. These differences are accommodated by a flexible linkage between the CcpA helix-turn-helix-loop-helix motif and hinge helices, which allows independent docking of these DNA-binding modules. This flexibility coupled with an abundance of non-polar residues capable of non-specific nucleobase interactions permits CcpA-(HPr-Ser46-P) to bind diverse operators. Indeed, biochemical data show that CcpA-(HPr-Ser46-P) binds the three cre sites with similar affinities. Thus, the data reveal properties that license this protein to function as a global transcription regulator.

Authors: Maria A Schumacher, Mareen Sprehe, , , Richard G Brennan

Date Published: 26th Nov 2010

Publication Type: Not specified

Subcellular Distribution of NAD+ between Cytosol and Mitochondria Determines the Metabolic Profile of Human Cells.

Abstract (Expand)

The mitochondrial NAD pool is particularly important for the maintenance of vital cellular functions. Although at least in some fungi and plants, mitochondrial NAD is imported from the cytosol by carrier … proteins, in mammals, the mechanism of how this organellar pool is generated has remained obscure. A transporter mediating NAD import into mammalian mitochondria has not been identified. In contrast, human recombinant NMNAT3 localizes to the mitochondrial matrix and is able to catalyze NAD(+) biosynthesis in vitro. However, whether the endogenous NMNAT3 protein is functionally effective at generating NAD(+) in mitochondria of intact human cells still remains to be demonstrated. To modulate mitochondrial NAD(+) content, we have expressed plant and yeast mitochondrial NAD(+) carriers in human cells and observed a profound increase in mitochondrial NAD(+). None of the closest human homologs of these carriers had any detectable effect on mitochondrial NAD(+) content. Surprisingly, constitutive redistribution of NAD(+) from the cytosol to the mitochondria by stable expression of the Arabidopsis thaliana mitochondrial NAD(+) transporter NDT2 in HEK293 cells resulted in dramatic growth retardation and a metabolic shift from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis, despite the elevated mitochondrial NAD(+) levels. These results suggest that a mitochondrial NAD(+) transporter, similar to the known one from A. thaliana, is likely absent and could even be harmful in human cells. We provide further support for the alternative possibility, namely intramitochondrial NAD(+) synthesis, by demonstrating the presence of endogenous NMNAT3 in the mitochondria of human cells.

Authors: M. R. VanLinden, C. Dolle, I. K. Pettersen, V. A. Kulikova, M. Niere, G. Agrimi, S. E. Dyrstad, F. Palmieri, A. A. Nikiforov, K. J. Tronstad, M. Ziegler

Date Published: 13th Nov 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

SubtiWiki--a comprehensive community resource for the model organism Bacillus subtilis

Abstract (Expand)

In the post-genomic era, most components of a cell are known and they can be quantified by large-scale functional genomics approaches. However, genome annotation is the bottleneck that hampers our … understanding of living cells and organisms. Up-to-date functional annotation is of special importance for model organisms that provide a frame of reference for studies with other relevant organisms. We have generated a Wiki-type database for the Gram-positive model bacterium Bacillus subtilis, SubtiWiki (http://subtiwiki.uni-goettingen.de/). This Wiki is centered around the individual genes and gene products of B. subtilis and provides information on each aspect of gene function and expression as well as protein activity and its control. SubtiWiki is accompanied by two companion databases SubtiPathways and SubtInteract that provide graphical representations of B. subtilis metabolism and its regulation and of protein-protein interactions, respectively. The diagrams of both databases are easily navigatable using the popular Google maps API, and they are extensively linked with the SubtiWiki gene pages. Moreover, each gene/gene product was assigned to one or more functional categories and transcription factor regulons. Pages for the specific categories and regulons provide a rapid overview of functionally related genes/proteins. Today, SubtiWiki can be regarded as one of the most complete inventories of knowledge on a living organism in one single resource.

Authors: , Arne G Schmeisky, ,

Date Published: 16th Nov 2011

Publication Type: Not specified

Sugars and circadian regulation make major contributions to the global regulation of diurnal gene expression in Arabidopsis.

Abstract (Expand)

The diurnal cycle strongly influences many plant metabolic and physiological processes. Arabidopsis thaliana rosettes were harvested six times during 12-h-light/12-h-dark treatments to investigate … changes in gene expression using ATH1 arrays. Diagnostic gene sets were identified from published or in-house expression profiles of the response to light, sugar, nitrogen, and water deficit in seedlings and 4 h of darkness or illumination at ambient or compensation point [CO(2)]. Many sugar-responsive genes showed large diurnal expression changes, whose timing matched that of the diurnal changes of sugars. A set of circadian-regulated genes also showed large diurnal changes in expression. Comparison of published results from a free-running cycle with the diurnal changes in Columbia-0 (Col-0) and the starchless phosphoglucomutase (pgm) mutant indicated that sugars modify the expression of up to half of the clock-regulated genes. Principle component analysis identified genes that make large contributions to diurnal changes and confirmed that sugar and circadian regulation are the major inputs in Col-0 but that sugars dominate the response in pgm. Most of the changes in pgm are triggered by low sugar levels during the night rather than high levels in the light, highlighting the importance of responses to low sugar in diurnal gene regulation. We identified a set of candidate regulatory genes that show robust responses to alterations in sugar levels and change markedly during the diurnal cycle.

Authors: O. E. Blasing, Y. Gibon, M. Gunther, M. Hohne, R. Morcuende, D. Osuna, O. Thimm, B. Usadel, W. R. Scheible, M. Stitt

Date Published: No date defined

Publication Type: Not specified

Suppression of indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 expression by promoter hypermethylation in ER-positive breast cancer.

Abstract (Expand)

Kynurenine formation by tryptophan-catabolic indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) plays a key role in tumor immune evasion and inhibition of IDO1 is efficacious in preclinical models of breast cancer. … As the response of breast cancer to immune checkpoint inhibitors may be limited, a better understanding of the expression of additional targetable immunomodulatory pathways is of importance. We therefore investigated the regulation of IDO1 expression in different breast cancer subtypes. We identified estrogen receptor alpha (ER) as a negative regulator of IDO1 expression. Serum kynurenine levels as well as tumoral IDO1 expression were lower in patients with ER-positive than ER-negative tumors and an inverse relationship between IDO1 and estrogen receptor mRNA was observed across 14 breast cancer data sets. Analysis of whole genome bisulfite sequencing, 450k, MassARRAY and pyrosequencing data revealed that the IDO1 promoter is hypermethylated in ER-positive compared with ER-negative breast cancer. Reduced induction of IDO1 was also observed in human ER-positive breast cancer cell lines. IDO1 induction was enhanced upon DNA demethylation in ER-positive but not in ER-negative cells and methylation of an IDO1 promoter construct reduced IDO1 expression, suggesting that enhanced methylation of the IDO1 promoter suppresses IDO1 in ER-positive breast cancer. The association of ER overexpression with epigenetic downregulation of IDO1 appears to be a particular feature of breast cancer as IDO1 was not suppressed by IDO1 promoter hypermethylation in the presence of high ER expression in cervical or endometrial cancer.

Authors: D. L. Dewi, S. R. Mohapatra, S. Blanco Cabanes, I. Adam, L. F. Somarribas Patterson, B. Berdel, M. Kahloon, L. Thurmann, S. Loth, K. Heilmann, D. Weichenhan, O. Mucke, I. Heiland, P. Wimberger, J. D. Kuhlmann, K. H. Kellner, S. Schott, C. Plass, M. Platten, C. Gerhauser, S. Trump, C. A. Opitz

Date Published: No date defined

Publication Type: Not specified

Supramolecular assemblies from antimony(V) complexes for the treatment of leishmaniasis

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Cynthia Demicheli, Virgínia M. R. Vallejos, Juliane S. Lanza, Guilherme S. Ramos, Bruno R. Do Prado, Sébastien Pomel, Philippe M. Loiseau, Frédéric Frézard

Date Published: 6th Jun 2023

Publication Type: Journal Article

Sustainable Antiparasitic Agents from an Agro-Industrial Waste: Mitochondria-Targeting Cashew Nutshell Liquid-Derived Phosphonium and Ammonium Salts

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Bianca Martinengo, Cecilia Baldassarri, Kayhan Ilbeigi, Hamed E. Alkhalaf, Aditya Sarode, Ehab Kotb Elmahallawy, Ba Reum Kwon, Amos Sarpong Agyei, Aigerim Abdimanova, Ludmila Ferreira de Almeida Fiuza, Raquel Azevedo, Ketlym da Conceição, Marcos Meuser Batista, Ellyêssa Nascimento Borges, Kleber Santiago Freitas e Silva, Éder Jéferson Souza Cardoso, Natália Cipriano Monteiro, Lais Flavia Nunes Lemes, Luiz Antonio Soares Romeiro, Antonio Alonso, Maria de Nazaré Correia Soeiro, Guy Caljon, Bryan W. Brooks, Harry P. De Koning, Maria Laura Bolognesi

Date Published: 8th Sep 2025

Publication Type: Journal Article

Sustained glycolytic oscillations in individual isolated yeast cells

Abstract (Expand)

Yeast glycolytic oscillations have been studied since the 1950s in cell-free extracts and intact cells. For intact cells, sustained oscillations have so far only been observed at the population level, … i.e. for synchronized cultures at high biomass concentrations. Using optical tweezers to position yeast cells in a microfluidic chamber, we were able to observe sustained oscillations in individual isolated cells. Using a detailed kinetic model for the cellular reactions, we simulated the heterogeneity in the response of the individual cells, assuming small differences in a single internal parameter. This is the first time that sustained limit-cycle oscillations have been demonstrated in isolated yeast cells. Database The mathematical model described here has been submitted to the JWS Online Cellular Systems Modelling Database and can be accessed at http://jjj.biochem.sun.ac.za/database/gustavsson/index.html free of charge.

Authors: Anna-Karin Gustavsson, David D van Niekerk, Caroline B Adiels, , Mattias Goksör,

Date Published: 23rd May 2012

Publication Type: Not specified

Sustained glycolytic oscillations in individual isolated yeast cells

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Anna-Karin Gustavsson, David D. van Niekerk, Caroline B. Adiels, Franco B. du Preez, Mattias Goksör, Jacky L. Snoep

Date Published: 1st Aug 2012

Publication Type: Not specified

Syntheses and computational analyses of selected macrolide derivatives derived from clarithromycin A

Abstract (Expand)

This study presents the synthesis and experimental and computational analysis of novel macrolide derivatives obtained from clarithromycin A, with the aim of exploring their potential to address the … growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. The compounds synthesized include 2?-O-acetyl-clarithromycin A, its phosphoramidite derivative, and the corresponding phosphonyl derivative. Special attention was paid to the optimization of phosphitylation conditions due to the inherent instability of phosphoramidite compounds. The purity of the phosphoramidite derivative was successfully confirmed using diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY). Comprehensive conformational analyses were carried out using molecular modeling techniques, followed by molecular docking and MM-GBSA calculations with a target protein from Escherichia coli to evaluate the relative binding affinities of clarithromycin A and its derivatives. The results indicate that the phosphoramidite and phosphonyl derivatives exhibit comparable binding affinities relative to the parent antibiotic. In addition, complex mass spectrometric fragmentation patterns of the phosphorus-containing derivatives were analyzed and rationalized using the MS Fragmenter computational tool.

Authors: Biljana Arsic, Gareth Morris, Abdolreza Hassanzadeh, Olga Jovanovic, Jill Barber, Djordje Glisin

Date Published: 2026

Publication Type: Journal Article

Synthesis and Anti-Chagas Activity Profile of a Redox-Active Lead 3-Benzylmenadione Revealed by High-Content Imaging

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Nathan Trometer, Jérémy Pecourneau, Liwen Feng, José A. Navarro-Huerta, Danielle Lazarin-Bidóia, Sueli de Oliveira Silva Lautenschlager, Louis Maes, Amanda Fortes Francisco, John M. Kelly, Brigitte Meunier, Monica Cal, Pascal Mäser, Marcel Kaiser, Elisabeth Davioud-Charvet

Date Published: 12th Apr 2024

Publication Type: Journal Article

Synthesis and Biophysical and Biological Studies of <i>N</i>-Phenylbenzamide Derivatives Targeting Kinetoplastid Parasites

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: J. Jonathan Nué-Martinez, David Cisneros, María del Valle Moreno-Blázquez, Cristina Fonseca-Berzal, José Ignacio Manzano, Damien Kraeutler, Marzuq A. Ungogo, Maha A. Aloraini, Hamza A. A. Elati, Alexandra Ibáñez-Escribano, Laura Lagartera, Tomás Herraiz, Francisco Gamarro, Harry P. de Koning, Alicia Gómez-Barrio, Christophe Dardonville

Date Published: 20th Sep 2023

Publication Type: Journal Article

Synthesis and evaluation of nitroheterocyclic aromatic adamantane amides with trypanocidal activity. Part II

Abstract

New nitroheterocyclic adamantane amides display promising trypanocidal activity. The spacer length between the adamantylphenyl backbone and the nitroheterocyclic ring plays a crucial role in potency.

Authors: Angeliki-Sofia Foscolos, Richard L. Atherton, Maria Billia, Markos-Orestis Georgiadis, Nuno Santarém, Anabela Cordeiro da Silva, Martin C. Taylor, John M. Kelly, Theodora Calogeropoulou, Andrew Tsotinis, Thomas Mavromoustakos, Ioannis P. Papanastasiou

Date Published: 2026

Publication Type: Journal Article

Synthesis and Evaluation of Nitroheterocyclic Aromatic Adamantanohydrazones with Trypanocidal Activity. Part III

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Angeliki-Sofia Foscolos, Konstantina Stavropoulou, Nuno Santarém, Anabela Cordeiro da Silva, Martin C. Taylor, Theodora Calogeropoulou, Andrew Tsotinis, Ioannis P. Papanastasiou, John M. Kelly, Susan Wyllie

Date Published: 17th Jun 2026

Publication Type: Journal Article

Synthesis of 1,2,3‐Triazole‐Methyl‐Menadione Derivatives: Evaluation of Electrochemical and Antiparasitic Properties against two Blood‐Dwelling Parasites

Abstract (Expand)

AbstractThis study explores the synthesis and evaluation of novel 1,2,3‐triazole‐methyl‐1,4‐naphthoquinone hybrids, focusing on their electrochemical properties and antiparasitic efficacies against two … human blood‐dwelling parasites Plasmodium falciparum and Schistosoma mansoni. Using copper‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), a well‐established tool in click chemistry, two synthetic routes were assessed to develop α‐ and β‐[triazole‐methyl]‐menadione derivatives. By optimizing the CuAAC reaction conditions, yields were significantly improved, reaching up to 94 % for key intermediates and resulting in the formation of a library of approximately 30 compounds. Biological evaluation of the compounds in antiparasitic drug assays demonstrated notable antischistosomal potencies, while no significant activity was observed for the same series against P. falciparum parasites. Electrochemical and ‘benzylic’ oxidation studies confirmed that the active ‘benzoyl’ metabolite responsible for the antiplasmodial activity of plasmodione cannot be generated. These findings highlight the potential of triazole‐linked menadione hybrids as promising early candidates for antischistosomal drug development, and provides insights into structure‐activity relationships crucial for future therapeutic strategies.

Authors: Baptiste Dupouy, Tanja Karpstein, Cécile Häberli, Monica Cal, Matthias Rottmann, Pascal Mäser, Jennifer Keiser, Mourad Elhabiri, Elisabeth Davioud‐Charvet

Date Published: 8th Jan 2025

Publication Type: Journal Article

Synthesis of Deoxysugars from Aliphatic α-Ketoacids and Aldoses Catalyzed by Thermostable Transketolase Variants from Geobacillus stearothermophilus

Abstract

Not specified

Author: Nazim Ocal, Giuseppe Arbia, Aurélie Lagarde, Muriel Joly, Samantha Gittings, Kirsty M. Graham, Franck Charmantray, Laurence Hecquet

Date Published: 14th Dec 2022

Publication Type: Journal Article

Synthesis of Methoxylated Benzoxanthones as Drug Metabolites of Antischistosomal Schistodiones—A Limited Environmental Risk

Abstract (Expand)

In the search for new antischistosomal 3-benzylmenadiones (benzylMDs), the screening of a library developed in our laboratory led to the identification of two regioisomeric analogues, the 2′,5′- and … 3′,5′-dimethoxy-benzylMD—designated schistodiones A2′,5′ and A3′,5′—which were investigated for their activity against the platyhelminth Schistosoma mansoni and various protozoan parasites, bacteria, and fungi. Reported work has shown that benzylMDs act as prodrugs: their bioactivation undergoes a cascade of redox reactions within the parasite, generating multiple drug metabolites, e.g., the main benzoylmenadione (benzoylMD) intermediates, and reactive oxygen species that interfere with key metabolic pathways. Among the secondary metabolites, benzoxanthones have been identified as potential products generated along this oxidative pathway. The aim of the study was to synthetize methoxylated benzoxanthones, as putative metabolites generated from these antischistosomal benzylMDs. During the synthetic work, several difficulties arose, including the absence of starting reagents, the incompatibility of certain reactions with methoxy groups, the possible formation of several isomers, and the easy re-oxidation of sensitive intermediates. To overcome these obstacles, we developed a new retrosynthetic strategy using modified precursors: replacing methoxy groups with O-methylenemethoxy (OMOM) groups that are more stable in basic media, using aldehydes or aromatic esters as precursors, and replacing certain substituents with groups that are easier and less costly to introduce (chlorine or nitro). Selected metabolites (benzoylMDs, benzoxanthones) were then tested in parasite and cellular assays. Furthermore, benzoylMDs were tested as subversive substrates of S. mansoni thioredoxin-glutathione reductase (SmTGR) and selected drug metabolites were investigated in SmTGR modeling experiments. From a One Health perspective, these benzylMD derivatives pose limited environmental risk because their metabolites lack toxicity when encountered externally, as toxicity requires intracellular metabolic activation and localized formation of reactive intermediates in close proximity to their cellular targets inside parasites.

Authors: Elena Cesar-Rodo, Jeremy Boilevin, Jimmy Richard, Peter D. Ziniel, Didier Belorgey, Louis Maes, Francesco Angelucci, David Lee Williams, Elisabeth Davioud-Charvet, Don Antoine Lanfranchi

Date Published: 27th May 2026

Publication Type: Journal Article

Synthesis of Tricyclic and Tetracyclic Lactone Derivatives of Thieno[2,3-b]pyrazine or Thieno[2,3-b]quinoline: Preliminary Antitumor and Antiparasitic Activity Evaluation

Abstract (Expand)

Tricyclic and tetracyclic lactone derivatives of thieno[2,3-b]pyrazine or thieno[2,3-b]quinoline, and 2H-pyrones were prepared using different methodologies. Pd/Cu-catalyzed Sonogashira coupling using … Et3N as a base, of methyl 7-bromothieno[2,3-b]pyrazine-6-carboxylate and (het)arylalkynes to yield the Sonogashira ester products, gave also the corresponding tricyclic lactones as minor products. However, the major products did not cyclize with TFA. Tricyclic lactones were then obtained by a tandem one-pot Sonogashira coupling and 6-endo-dig lactonization of 7-bromothieno[2,3-b]pyrazine-6-carboxylic acid with (het)arylalkynes, in good yields. Halogenated tricyclic lactones were synthesized by halocyclization using CuX and NXS. Tetracyclic lactones were synthesized through a Rh(III)-catalyzed formal [4+2] cycloaddition, between thieno[2,3-b]quinoline-2-carboxylic acid and internal alkynes, triggered by C-H activation, with the carboxylic group acting as a directing group. Using the SRB assay, the antitumor activity of both Sonogashira products and lactones was evaluated across five human cancer cell lines (CaCo-2, MCF-7, AGS, HeLa, NCI-H460). The best-performing compound was a Sonogashira product showing a GI50 < 10 µM in all tumor cell lines and low toxicity in PLP2 cells. Additionally, antiparasitic testing against Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania infantum revealed some compounds with IC50 < 11 µM, though some level of cytotoxicity was observed in THP-1—derived macrophages.

Authors: Maria F. Martins, Francisco Ribeiro, Ana Borges, Ricardo C. Calhelha, Nuno Santarém, Anabela Cordeiro-da-Silva, Maria-João R. P. Queiroz

Date Published: 30th Apr 2025

Publication Type: Journal Article

Synthesis, release, and recapture of compatible solute proline by osmotically stressed Bacillus subtilis cells

Abstract (Expand)

Bacillus subtilis synthesizes large amounts of the compatible solute proline as a cellular defense against high osmolarity to ensure a physiologically appropriate level of hydration of the cytoplasm … and turgor. It also imports proline for this purpose via the osmotically inducible OpuE transport system. Unexpectedly, an opuE mutant was at a strong growth disadvantage in high-salinity minimal media lacking proline. Appreciable amounts of proline were detected in the culture supernatant of the opuE mutant strain, and they rose concomitantly with increases in the external salinity. We found that the intracellular proline pool of severely salinity-stressed cells of the opuE mutant was considerably lower than that of its opuE(+) parent strain. This loss of proline into the medium and the resulting decrease in the intracellular proline content provide a rational explanation for the observed salt-sensitive growth phenotype of cells lacking OpuE. None of the known MscL- and MscS-type mechanosensitive channels of B. subtilis participated in the release of proline under permanently imposed high-salinity growth conditions. The data reported here show that the OpuE transporter not only possesses the previously reported role for the scavenging of exogenously provided proline as an osmoprotectant but also functions as a physiologically highly important recapturing device for proline that is synthesized de novo and subsequently released by salt-stressed B. subtilis cells. The wider implications of our findings for the retention of compatible solutes by osmotically challenged microorganisms and the roles of uptake systems for compatible solutes are considered.

Authors: , Carsten von Blohn, Agnieszka Stanek, Susanne Moses, Helena Barzantny,

Date Published: 8th Jun 2012

Publication Type: Not specified

Systematic transcriptional analysis of human cell lines for gene expression landscape and tumor representation

Abstract (Expand)

Abstract Cell lines are valuable resources as model for human biology and translational medicine. It is thus important to explore the concordance between the expression in various cell lines vis-à-vis …s vis-à-vis human native and disease tissues. In this study, we investigate the expression of all human protein-coding genes in more than 1,000 human cell lines representing 27 cancer types by a genome-wide transcriptomics analysis. The cell line gene expression is compared with the corresponding profiles in various tissues, organs, single-cell types and cancers. Here, we present the expression for each cell line and give guidance for the most appropriate cell line for a given experimental study. In addition, we explore the cancer-related pathway and cytokine activity of the cell lines to aid human biology studies and drug development projects. All data are presented in an open access cell line section of the Human Protein Atlas to facilitate the exploration of all human protein-coding genes across these cell lines.

Authors: Han Jin, Cheng Zhang, Martin Zwahlen, Kalle von Feilitzen, Max Karlsson, Mengnan Shi, Meng Yuan, Xiya Song, Xiangyu Li, Hong Yang, Hasan Turkez, Linn Fagerberg, Mathias Uhlén, Adil Mardinoglu

Date Published: 1st Dec 2023

Publication Type: Journal Article

Systems analysis of transcription factor activities in environments with stable and dynamic oxygen concentrations

Abstract (Expand)

Understanding gene regulation requires knowledge of changes in transcription factor (TF) activities. Simultaneous direct measurement of numerous TF activities is currently impossible. Nevertheless, … statistical approaches to infer TF activities have yielded non-trivial and verifiable predictions for individual TFs. Here, global statistical modelling identifies changes in TF activities from transcript profiles of Escherichia coli growing in stable (fixed oxygen availabilities) and dynamic (changing oxygen availability) environments. A core oxygen-responsive TF network, supplemented by additional TFs acting under specific conditions, was identified. The activities of the cytoplasmic oxygen-responsive TF, FNR, and the membrane-bound terminal oxidases implied that, even on the scale of the bacterial cell, spatial effects significantly influence oxygen-sensing. Several transcripts exhibited asymmetrical patterns of abundance in aerobic to anaerobic and anaerobic to aerobic transitions. One of these transcripts, ndh, encodes a major component of the aerobic respiratory chain and is regulated by oxygen-responsive TFs ArcA and FNR. Kinetic modelling indicated that ArcA and FNR behaviour could not explain the ndh transcript profile, leading to the identification of another TF, PdhR, as the source of the asymmetry. Thus, this approach illustrates how systematic examination of regulatory responses in stable and dynamic environments yields new mechanistic insights into adaptive processes.

Authors: , Andrea Ocone, Melanie R Stapleton, Simon Hall, Eleanor W Trotter, , ,

Date Published: 8th Aug 2012

Publication Type: Not specified

Systems Biology of Monovalent Cation Homeostasis in Yeast

Abstract (Expand)

Maintenance of monovalent cation homeostasis (mainly K(+) and Na(+)) is vital for cell survival, and cation toxicity is at the basis of a myriad of relevant phenomena, such as salt stress in crops and … diverse human diseases. Full understanding of the importance of monovalent cations in the biology of the cell can only be achieved from a systemic perspective. Translucent is a multinational project developed within the context of the SysMO (System Biology of Microorganisms) initiative and focussed in the study of cation homeostasis using the well-known yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model. The present review summarize how the combination of biochemical, genetic, genomic and computational approaches has boosted our knowledge in this field, providing the basis for a more comprehensive and coherent vision of the role of monovalent cations in the biology of the cell.

Authors: , Ebru Aydar, Samuel Drulhe, Daniel Ganser, , , , , Lynne Yenush, Olga Zimmermannová, G. Paul H. van Heusden, , , Chris Palmer, ,

Date Published: 2014

Publication Type: Not specified

Systems biology of the modified branched Entner-Doudoroff pathway in Sulfolobus solfataricus.

Abstract (Expand)

Sulfolobus solfataricus is a thermoacidophilic Archaeon that thrives in terrestrial hot springs (solfatares) with optimal growth at 80 degrees C and pH 2-4. It catabolizes specific carbon sources, such … as D-glucose, to pyruvate via the modified Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway. This pathway has two parallel branches, the semi-phosphorylative and the non-phosphorylative. However, the strategy of S.solfataricus to endure in such an extreme environment in terms of robustness and adaptation is not yet completely understood. Here, we present the first dynamic mathematical model of the ED pathway parameterized with quantitative experimental data. These data consist of enzyme activities of the branched pathway at 70 degrees C and 80 degrees C and of metabolomics data at the same temperatures for the wild type and for a metabolic engineered knockout of the semi-phosphorylative branch. We use the validated model to address two questions: 1. Is this system more robust to perturbations at its optimal growth temperature? 2. Is the ED robust to deletion and perturbations? We employed a systems biology approach to answer these questions and to gain further knowledge on the emergent properties of this biological system. Specifically, we applied deterministic and stochastic approaches to study the sensitivity and robustness of the system, respectively. The mathematical model we present here, shows that: 1. Steady state metabolite concentrations of the ED pathway are consistently more robust to stochastic internal perturbations at 80 degrees C than at 70 degrees C; 2. These metabolite concentrations are highly robust when faced with the knockout of either branch. Connected with this observation, these two branches show different properties at the level of metabolite production and flux control. These new results reveal how enzyme kinetics and metabolomics synergizes with mathematical modelling to unveil new systemic properties of the ED pathway in S.solfataricus in terms of its adaptation and robustness.

Authors: A. S. Figueiredo, T. Kouril, D. Esser, P. Haferkamp, P. Wieloch, D. Schomburg, P. Ruoff, B. Siebers, J. Schaber

Date Published: 12th Jul 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

Systems biology: the elements and principles of life

Abstract (Expand)

Systems Biology has a mission that puts it at odds with traditional paradigms of physics and molecular biology, such as the simplicity requested by Occam's razor and minimum energy/maximal efficiency. … By referring to biochemical experiments on control and regulation, and on flux balancing in yeast, we show that these paradigms are inapt. Systems Biology does not quite converge with biology either: Although it certainly requires accurate 'stamp collecting', it discovers quantitative laws. Systems Biology is a science of its own, discovering own fundamental principles, some of which we identify here.

Authors: , Catherine Winder, , Evangelos Simeonidis, Malgorzata Adamczyk, , Frank J Bruggeman, Warwick Dunn

Date Published: 6th Nov 2009

Publication Type: Not specified

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