scholarly journals Molecular-scale spatio-chemical control of the activating-inhibitory signal integration in NK cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (24) ◽  
pp. eabc1640
Author(s):  
Esti Toledo ◽  
Guillaume Le Saux ◽  
Avishay Edri ◽  
Long Li ◽  
Maor Rosenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rational Design ◽  
Spatial Interaction ◽  
Immune Checkpoints ◽  
Cytotoxic Lymphocytes ◽  
Signal Integration ◽  
Size Mismatch ◽  
Molecular Scale ◽  
Signaling Receptors ◽  
Insight Into

The role of juxtaposition of activating and inhibitory receptors in signal inhibition of cytotoxic lymphocytes remains strongly debated. The challenge lies in the lack of tools that allow simultaneous spatial manipulation of signaling molecules. To circumvent this, we produced a nanoengineered multifunctional platform with molecular-scale spatial control of ligands, which was applied to elucidate KIR2DL1-mediated inhibition of NKG2D signaling—receptors of natural killer cells. This platform was conceived by bimetallic nanodot patterning with molecular-scale registry, followed by a ternary functionalization with distinct moieties. We found that a 40-nm gap between activating and inhibitory ligands provided optimal inhibitory conditions. Supported by theoretical modeling, we interpret these findings as a consequence of the size mismatch and conformational flexibility of ligands in their spatial interaction. This highly versatile approach provides an important insight into the spatial mechanism of inhibitory immune checkpoints, which is essential for the rational design of future immunotherapies.

scholarly journals Molecular Scale Spatio-Chemical Control of the Activating-Inhibitory Signal Integration in NK Cells

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esti Toledo ◽  
Guillaume Le Saux ◽  
Long Li ◽  
Maor Rosenberg ◽  
Yossi Keidar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nk Cells ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Spatial Interaction ◽  
Immune Checkpoints ◽  
Cytotoxic Lymphocytes ◽  
Inhibitory Receptors ◽  
Molecular Scale ◽  
Cell Niche

AbstractThe role of the spatial juxtaposition between activating and inhibitory receptors in cytotoxic lymphocytes has been strongly debated in the context of the inhibition of immune signaling. The challenge in addressing this problem was so far a lack of experimental tools which can simultaneously manipulate different signaling molecules. Here, we circumvent this challenge by introducing a nanoengineered multifunctional cell niche, in which activating and inhibitory ligands are positioned with molecular-scale variability and control, and applied it to elucidate the role of the spatial juxtaposition between ligands for NKG2D and KIR2DL1 – activating and inhibitory receptors in Natural Killer (NK) cells – in KIR2DL1-mediated inhibition of NKG2D signaling. We realized the niche by a nanopatterning of nanodots of different metals with molecular scale registry in one lithographic step, followed by a novel ternary functionalization of the fabricated bi-metallic pattern and its background to with three distinct biochemical moieties. We found, that within the probed range, the 40 nm gap between the activating and inhibitory ligands provided an optimal inhibition condition. Supported by theoretical modeling and simulations we interpret these findings as a consequence of the size and conformational flexibility of the ligands in their spatial interaction. Our findings provide an important insight onto the spatial mechanism of the inhibitory immune checkpoints, whose understanding is both fundamentally important, and essential for the rational design of future immunotherapies. Furthermore, our approach is highly versatile and paves the way to numerous complex molecular platforms aimed at revealing molecular mechanisms through which receptors integrate their signals.

scholarly journals GlcNAcstatins are nanomolar inhibitors of human O-GlcNAcase inducing cellular hyper-O-GlcNAcylation

2009 ◽  
Vol 420 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helge C. Dorfmueller ◽  
Vladimir S. Borodkin ◽  
Marianne Schimpl ◽  
Daan M. F. van Aalten
Keyword(s):  
Active Site ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Catalytic Mechanism ◽  
Conserved Residues ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Acetyl Group ◽  
Nanomolar Range ◽  
Insight Into

O-GlcNAcylation is an essential, dynamic and inducible post-translational glycosylation of cytosolic proteins in metazoa and can show interplay with protein phosphorylation. Inhibition of OGA (O-GlcNAcase), the enzyme that removes O-GlcNAc from O-GlcNAcylated proteins, is a useful strategy to probe the role of this modification in a range of cellular processes. In the present study, we report the rational design and evaluation of GlcNAcstatins, a family of potent, competitive and selective inhibitors of human OGA. Kinetic experiments with recombinant human OGA reveal that the GlcNAcstatins are the most potent human OGA inhibitors reported to date, inhibiting the enzyme in the sub-nanomolar to nanomolar range. Modification of the GlcNAcstatin N-acetyl group leads to up to 160-fold selectivity against the human lysosomal hexosaminidases which employ a similar substrate-assisted catalytic mechanism. Mutagenesis studies in a bacterial OGA, guided by the structure of a GlcNAcstatin complex, provides insight into the role of conserved residues in the human OGA active site. GlcNAcstatins are cell-permeant and, at low nanomolar concentrations, effectively modulate intracellular O-GlcNAc levels through inhibition of OGA, in a range of human cell lines. Thus these compounds are potent selective tools to study the cell biology of O-GlcNAc.

scholarly journals The CC′ loop of IgV domains of the immune checkpoint receptors, plays a key role in receptor:ligand affinity modulation

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shankar V. Kundapura ◽  
Udupi A. Ramagopal
Keyword(s):  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Protein Docking ◽  
Immune Checkpoints ◽  
Negative Regulators ◽  
Durable Response ◽  
Affinity Modulation ◽  
Polar Interactions ◽  
Checkpoint Receptors

AbstractAntibodies targeting negative regulators of immune checkpoints have shown unprecedented and durable response against variety of malignancies. While the concept of blocking the negative regulators of the immune checkpoints using mAbs appears to be an outstanding approach, their limited effect and several drawbacks, calls for the rational design of next generation of therapeutics. Soluble isoforms of the negative regulators of immune checkpoint pathways are expressed naturally and regulate immune responses. This suggests, affinity-modified versions of these self-molecules could be effective lead molecules for immunotherapy. To obtain better insights on the hotspot regions for modification, we have analysed structures of 18 immune receptor:ligand complexes containing the IgV domain. Interestingly, this analysis reveals that the CC′ loop of IgV domain, a loop which is distinct from CDRs of antibodies, plays a pivotal role in affinity modulation, which was previously not highlighted. It is noteworthy that a ~5-residue long CC′ loop in a ~120 residue protein makes significant number of hydrophobic and polar interactions with its cognate ligand. The post-interaction movement of CC′ loop to accommodate the incoming ligands, seems to provide additional affinity to the interactions. In silico replacement of the CC′ loop of TIGIT with that of Nectin-2 and PVR followed by protein docking trials suggests a key role of the CC′ loop in affinity modulation in the TIGIT/Nectin pathway. The CC′ loop appears to be a hotspot for the affinity modification without affecting the specificity to their cognate receptors.

scholarly journals Retrovirus-Associated Heparan Sulfate Mediates Immobilization and Gene Transfer on Recombinant Fibronectin

2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (17) ◽  
pp. 8722-8728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Lei ◽  
Bharat Bajaj ◽  
Stelios T. Andreadis
Keyword(s):  
Gene Transfer ◽  
Heparan Sulfate ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Surface Glycoprotein ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
Virus Surface ◽  
Viral Particles ◽  
Insight Into

ABSTRACT Recombinant retroviruses have been shown to bind to fibronectin (FN) and increase the efficiency of gene transfer to a variety of cell types. Despite recent work to optimize gene transfer on recombinant FN, the mechanism of retrovirus binding to FN and the interactions of target cells with the bound virus remain elusive. We investigated the roles of virus surface glycoprotein (gp70), cell-conditioned medium, and proteoglycans in mediating retrovirus binding to FN. We also examined the role of Polybrene (PB) in these interactions. We found that gp70 is not involved in retrovirus binding to FN. Immobilization of the virus, however, does not overcome its receptor requirement, and gp70 is still needed for successful gene transfer. Our results clearly show that retrovirus binds FN through virus-associated heparan sulfate (HS) and that binding is necessary for transduction without PB. Two distinct modes of gene transfer occur depending on PB: (i) in the presence of PB, retrovirus interacts directly with the target cells; and (ii) in the absence of PB, retrovirus binds to FN and target cells interact with the immobilized virus. PB may promote the former mode by interacting with the virus HS and reducing the negative charge of the viral particles. Interestingly, the latter mode is more efficient, leading to significantly enhanced gene transfer. A better understanding of these interactions may provide insight into virus-cell interactions and lead to a more rational design of transduction protocols.

Plasminogen Activation In Vivo upon Intravenous Infusion of DDAVP

1992 ◽  
Vol 67 (01) ◽  
pp. 111-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Levi ◽  
Jan Paul de Boer ◽  
Dorina Roem ◽  
Jan Wouter ten Cate ◽  
C Erik Hack
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibodies ◽  
Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Plasma Levels ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Fibrinolytic System ◽  
Plasminogen Activation ◽  
Plasminogen Activator Activity ◽  
Insight Into

SummaryInfusion of desamino-d-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP) results in an increase in plasma plasminogen activator activity. Whether this increase results in the generation of plasmin in vivo has never been established.A novel sensitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) for the measurement of the complex between plasmin and its main inhibitor α2 antiplasmin (PAP complex) was developed using monoclonal antibodies preferentially reacting with complexed and inactivated α2-antiplasmin and monoclonal antibodies against plasmin. The assay was validated in healthy volunteers and in patients with an activated fibrinolytic system.Infusion of DDAVP in a randomized placebo controlled crossover study resulted in all volunteers in a 6.6-fold increase in PAP complex, which was maximal between 15 and 30 min after the start of the infusion. Hereafter, plasma levels of PAP complex decreased with an apparent half-life of disappearance of about 120 min. Infusion of DDAVP did not induce generation of thrombin, as measured by plasma levels of prothrombin fragment F1+2 and thrombin-antithrombin III (TAT) complex.We conclude that the increase in plasminogen activator activity upon the infusion of DDAVP results in the in vivo generation of plasmin, in the absence of coagulation activation. Studying the DDAVP induced increase in PAP complex of patients with thromboembolic disease and a defective plasminogen activator response upon DDAVP may provide more insight into the role of the fibrinolytic system in the pathogenesis of thrombosis.

On Metaphysics and the Political: A Polemics of Reading Baudelaire in the 1930s

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-259
Author(s):  
Joseph Acquisto
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Political Crisis ◽  
The Political ◽  
Modern Poetry ◽  
Progressive Politics ◽  
The World ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into

This essay examines a polemic between two Baudelaire critics of the 1930s, Jean Cassou and Benjamin Fondane, which centered on the relationship of poetry to progressive politics and metaphysics. I argue that a return to Baudelaire's poetry can yield insight into what seems like an impasse in Cassou and Fondane. Baudelaire provides the possibility of realigning metaphysics and politics so that poetry has the potential to become the space in which we can begin to think the two of them together, as opposed to seeing them in unresolvable tension. Or rather, the tension that Baudelaire animates between the two allows us a new way of thinking about the role of esthetics in moments of political crisis. We can in some ways see Baudelaire as responding, avant la lettre, to two of his early twentieth-century readers who correctly perceived his work as the space that breathes a new urgency into the questions of how modern poetry relates to the world from which it springs and in which it intervenes.

Effect of High Salt Concentration on Ion Clustering and Transport in Polymer Solid Electrolytes: a Molecular Dynamics Study of PEO-LiTFSI

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Molinari ◽  
Jonathan P. Mailoa ◽  
Boris Kozinsky
Keyword(s):  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Salt Concentration ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Material System ◽  
Ion Dynamics ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Anion Clusters ◽  
Poly Ethylene Oxide ◽  
Poly Ethylene

<div> <div> <div> <p>The model and analysis methods developed in this work are generally applicable to any polymer electrolyte/cation-anion combination, but we focus on the currently most prominent polymer electrolyte material system: poly(ethylene) oxide/Li- bis(trifluoromethane) sulfonamide (PEO + LiTFSI). The obtained results are surprising and challenge the conventional understanding of ionic transport in polymer electrolytes: the investigation of a technologically relevant salt concentration range (1 - 4 M) revealed the central role of the anion in coordinating and hindering Li ion movement. Our results provide insights into correlated ion dynamics, at the same time enabling rational design of better PEO-based electrolytes. In particular, we report the following novel observations. 1. Strong binding of the Li cation with the polymer competes with significant correlation of the cation with the salt anion. 2. The appearance of cation-anion clusters, especially at high concentration. 3. The asymmetry in the composition (and therefore charge) of such clusters; specifically, we find the tendency for clusters to have a higher number of anions than cations.</p> </div> </div> </div>

Effect of High Salt Concentration on Ion Clustering and Transport in Polymer Solid Electrolytes: a Molecular Dynamics Study of PEO-LiTFSI

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Molinari ◽  
Jonathan P. Mailoa ◽  
Boris Kozinsky
Keyword(s):  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Salt Concentration ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Material System ◽  
Ion Dynamics ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Anion Clusters ◽  
Poly Ethylene Oxide ◽  
Poly Ethylene

<div> <div> <div> <p>The model and analysis methods developed in this work are generally applicable to any polymer electrolyte/cation-anion combination, but we focus on the currently most prominent polymer electrolyte material system: poly(ethylene) oxide/Li- bis(trifluoromethane) sulfonamide (PEO + LiTFSI). The obtained results are surprising and challenge the conventional understanding of ionic transport in polymer electrolytes: the investigation of a technologically relevant salt concentration range (1 - 4 M) revealed the central role of the anion in coordinating and hindering Li ion movement. Our results provide insights into correlated ion dynamics, at the same time enabling rational design of better PEO-based electrolytes. In particular, we report the following novel observations. 1. Strong binding of the Li cation with the polymer competes with significant correlation of the cation with the salt anion. 2. The appearance of cation-anion clusters, especially at high concentration. 3. The asymmetry in the composition (and therefore charge) of such clusters; specifically, we find the tendency for clusters to have a higher number of anions than cations.</p> </div> </div> </div>

Dažu vācu muzikālo tradīciju pārnese latviešu kultūrtelpā 18. gadsimta II pusē

Letonica ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Māra Grudule
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Musical Instrument ◽  
German Society ◽  
Original Form ◽  
Musical Life ◽  
Popular Songs ◽  
Death Of Jesus ◽  
Musical Traditions ◽  
Insight Into

The article gives insight into a specific component of the work of Baltic enlightener Gotthard Friedrich Stender (1714–1796) that has heretofore been almost unexplored — the transfer of German musical traditions to the Latvian cultural space. Even though there are no sources that claim that Stender was a composer himself, and none of his books contain musical notation, the texts that had been translated by Stender and published in the collections “Jaunas ziņģes” (New popular songs, 1774) and “Ziņģu lustes” (The Joy of singing, 1785, 1789) were meant for singing and, possibly, also for solo-singing with the accompaniment of some musical instrument. This is suggested, first, by how the form of the translation corresponds to the original’s form; second, by the directions, oftentimes attached to the text, that indicate the melody; and third, by the genres of the German originals cantata and song. Stender translated several compositions into Latvian including the text of the religious cantata “Der Tod Jesu” (The Death of Jesus, 1755) by composer Karl Heinrich Graun (1754–1759); songs by various composers that were widely known in German society; as well as a collection of songs by the composer Johann Gottlieb Naumann (1741–1801) that, in its original form, was published together with notation and was intended for solo-singing (female vocals) with the accompaniment of a piano. This article reveals the context of German musical life in the second half of the 18th century and explains the role of music as an instrument of education in Baltic-German and Latvian societies.

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