Molecular dynamics simulations exploring drug resistance in HIV-1 proteases

Although HIV-1 subtype B still dominates the epidemic AIDS in developed countries, an increasing number of people in developing countries are suffering from an epidemic of non-subtype B viruses. What is worse, the efficacy of the combinational use of an-tiretroviral drugs is gradually compromised by the rapid development of drug resistance. To gain an insight into drug resistance, 10-ns MD simulations were simultaneously conducted on the complexes of the TL-3 inhibitor with 4 different proteases (B_wt, B_mut, F_wt and F_mut), among which the complex of the B_wt protease with the TL-3 inhibitor was treated as the control group. Detailed analyses of MD data indicated that the drug resistance of B_mut against TL-3 mainly derived from loss of an important hydrogen bond and that of F_wt was caused by the decrease of hydrophobic interactions in S1/S1’ pocket, while both of the two reasons mentioned above were the cause of the F_mut protease’s resistance. These results are in good agreement with the previous experiments, revealing a possible mechanism of drug resistance for the aforementioned protease subtypes against the TL-3 inhibitor. Additionally, another indication was obtained that the mutations of M36I, V82A and L90M may induce structural transforms so as to alter the inhibitor’s binding mode.     

Molecular mechanisms of nociception

The sensation of pain alerts us to real or impending injury and triggers appropriate protective responses. Unfortunately, pain often outlives its usefulness as a warning system and instead becomes chronic and debilitating. This transition to a chronic phase involves changes within the spinal cord and brain, but there is also remarkable modulation where pain messages are initiated - at the level of the primary sensory neuron. Efforts to determine how these neurons detect pain-producing stimuli of a thermal, mechanical or chemical nature have revealed new signalling mechanisms and brought us closer to understanding the molecular events that facilitate transitions from acute to persistent pain.     

Molecular mechanisms of serpin deficiencies

The study of serpin deficiency is currently one of the most active areas in basic medical research. Recently, three hypotheses concerning serpin deficiency have been proposed, which are referred to as the conformational disturbance hypothesis (CDH) , loop-sheet polymerisation hypothesis (LSPH) and multiple binding site hypothesis (MB-SH) . CDH was put forward to explicit serpin deficiency due to conformational change of reactive loop of serpins as a result of mutations occurring away from the reactive site residues and LSPH was to explain deficient serpins due to the formation of polymers. MBSH was proposed to explain the mechanism of the formation of stable enzyme-serpin complex via more than one binding site and blockage or mutation in any of the sites resulting in serpin deficiency. A combination of these mechanisms may be critical in understanding the roles of the many documented mutations and autoimmunities which result in qualitative and quantitative serpin deficiency.     

Identification and comparison of two sequence elements that confer cell-type specific transcription in yeast

The MAT alpha 2 protein of budding yeast represses a set of genes; if the MATa1 protein is also present, a further set of genes is repressed. DNA sequence comparisons reveal a 20-base pair 'operator' sequence that is present in genes repressed by a1/alpha 2. A related, but distinct, sequence is found in genes repressed by alpha 2 alone.     

Molecular mechanisms and clinical applications of angiogenesis

Blood vessels deliver oxygen and nutrients to every part of the body, but also nourish diseases such as cancer. Over the past decade, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis (blood vessel growth) has increased at an explosive rate and has led to the approval of anti-angiogenic drugs for cancer and eye diseases. So far, hundreds of thousands of patients have benefited from blockers of the angiogenic protein vascular endothelial growth factor, but limited efficacy and resistance remain outstanding problems. Recent preclinical and clinical studies have shown new molecular targets and principles, which may provide avenues for improving the therapeutic benefit from anti-angiogenic strategies.     

Antibiotic interactions that select against resistance

Multidrug combinations are increasingly important in combating the spread of antibiotic-resistance in bacterial pathogens. On a broader scale, such combinations are also important in understanding microbial ecology and evolution. Although the effects of multidrug combinations on bacterial growth have been studied extensively, relatively little is known about their impact on the differential selection between sensitive and resistant bacterial populations. Normally, the presence of a drug confers an advantage on its resistant mutants in competition with the sensitive wild-type population. Here we show, by using a direct competition assay between doxycycline-resistant and doxycycline-sensitive Escherichia coli, that this differential selection can be inverted in a hyper-antagonistic class of drug combinations. Used in such a combination, a drug can render the combined treatment selective against the drug's own resistance allele. Further, this inversion of selection seems largely insensitive to the underlying resistance mechanism and occurs, at sublethal concentrations, while maintaining inhibition of the wild type. These seemingly paradoxical results can be rationalized in terms of a simple geometric argument. Our findings demonstrate a previously unappreciated feature of the fitness landscape for the evolution of resistance and point to a trade-off between the effect of drug interactions on absolute potency and the relative competitive selection that they impose on emerging resistant populations.     

Multiple molecular mechanisms for multidrug resistance transporters

The acquisition of multidrug resistance is a serious impediment to improved healthcare. Multidrug resistance is most frequently due to active transporters that pump a broad spectrum of chemically distinct, cytotoxic molecules out of cells, including antibiotics, antimalarials, herbicides and cancer chemotherapeutics in humans. The paradigm multidrug transporter, mammalian P-glycoprotein, was identified 30 years ago. Nonetheless, success in overcoming or circumventing multidrug resistance in a clinical setting has been modest. Recent structural and biochemical data for several multidrug transporters now provide mechanistic insights into how they work. Organisms have evolved several elegant solutions to ridding the cell of such cytotoxic compounds. Answers are emerging to questions such as how multispecificity for different drugs is achieved, why multidrug resistance arises so readily, and what chance there is of devising a clinical solution.     

Molecular mechanisms of kinetochore capture by spindle microtubules

For high-fidelity chromosome segregation, kinetochores must be properly captured by spindle microtubules, but the mechanisms underlying initial kinetochore capture have remained elusive. Here we visualized individual kinetochore-microtubule interactions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by regulating the activity of a centromere. Kinetochores are captured by the side of microtubules extending from spindle poles, and are subsequently transported poleward along them. The microtubule extension from spindle poles requires microtubule plus-end-tracking proteins and the Ran GDP/GTP exchange factor. Distinct kinetochore components are used for kinetochore capture by microtubules and for ensuring subsequent sister kinetochore bi-orientation on the spindle. Kar3, a kinesin-14 family member, is one of the regulators that promote transport of captured kinetochores along microtubules. During such transport, kinetochores ensure that they do not slide off their associated microtubules by facilitating the conversion of microtubule dynamics from shrinkage to growth at the plus ends. This conversion is promoted by the transport of Stu2 from the captured kinetochores to the plus ends of microtubules.     

内蒙古额吉淖尔盐碱湖嗜盐古菌的抗生素抗性及分泌的嗜盐菌素的抑菌性

本实验室从内蒙古额吉淖尔湖盐碱土样分离得到一株属于Natrinema属的嗜盐古菌。本文对其进行了抗生素抗性实验以及对其产生的嗜盐菌素进行了抑菌性研究。结果表明诺氟沙星对该菌具有较强的抑菌作用,头孢氨苄对该菌具有微弱的抑菌作用。通过测定抑菌圈的大小表明该菌株对抗生素具有一定的抗性。该菌株所生产的嗜盐菌素对蛋白酶K 较敏感,对大肠杆菌和金黄色葡萄球菌具有抑菌作用。