Crystal structures of the β-barrel porin AlgE reveal a mechanism whereby alginate is exported from P. aeruginosa for biofilm formation.

The V27A mutation confers adamantane resistance to the influenza A matrix 2 (M2) proton channel and is becoming more prevalent in circulating populations of influenza A virus. We have used X-ray crystallography to solve structures of a spiro-adamantyl amine inhibitor bound to M2(22-46) V27A and also to M2(21-61) V27A in the Inward closed conformation. The spiroadamantyl amine binding site is nearly identical for the two crystal structures. Compared to the M2 "wild type" (WT) with valine at position 27, we observe that the channel pore is wider at its N-terminus as a result of the V27A mutation and that this removes V27 side chain hydrophobic interactions that are important for binding of amantadine and rimantadine. The spiro-adamantyl amine inhibitor blocks proton conductance in both the WT and V27A mutant channels by shifting its binding site in the pore depending on which residue is present at position 27. Additionally, in the structure of the M2(21-61) V27A construct, the C-terminus of the channel is tightly packed relative to the M2(22-46) construct. We observe that residues Asp44, Arg45, and Phe48 face the center of the channel pore and would be well-positioned to interact with protons exiting the M2 channel after passing through the His37 gate. A 300 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of *

Scope: Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a bioactive substance predominantly found in ruminant products, improves insulin resistance and exhibits anti-inflammatory activity. The chief objective of the study is to investigate the effects and potential mechanisms of CLA on high fructose-induced hyperuricemia and renal inflammation. Methods and results: Hyperuricemia and renal inflammation are induced in rats by 10% fructose. Hyperuricemia, insulin resistance, and renal inflammation are evaluated. CLA potently ameliorates fructose-induced hyperuricemia with insulin resistance and significantly reduces the levels of inflammation factors in serum and kidney. It reverses fructose-induced upregulation of glucose transporter 9 (GLUT9) and urate transporter 1 (URAT1) in the kidney. Moreover, CLA dramatically inhibits the activation of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. Additionally, CLA suppresses toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) signaling activation to inhibit nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) signaling in the kidney of fructose-fed rats. Conclusion: CLA ameliorates hyperuricemia along with insulin resistance and renal inflammatory, which may be associated with the suppression of renal GLUT9 and URAT1 in fructose-fed rats. Its molecular mechanism may be related to the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome and TLR4/MyD88 signaling pathway. Therefore, CLA may be a promising candidate for preventing fructose-induced hyperuricemia and renal inflammation.

Background Analysis of viral protein–protein interactions is an essential step to uncover the viral protein functions and the molecular mechanism for the assembly of a viral protein complex. We employed a mammalian two-hybrid system to screen all the viral proteins of SARS-CoV-2 for the protein–protein interactions. Results Our study detected 48 interactions, 14 of which were firstly reported here. Unlike Nsp1 of SARS-CoV, Nsp1 of SARS-CoV-2 has the most interacting partners among all the viral proteins and likely functions as a hub for the viral proteins. Five self-interactions were confirmed, and five interactions, Nsp1/Nsp3.1, Nsp3.1/N, Nsp3.2/Nsp12, Nsp10/Nsp14, and Nsp10/Nsp16, were determined to be positive bidirectionally. Using the replicon reporter system of SARS-CoV-2, we screened all viral Nsps for their impacts on the viral replication and revealed Nsp3.1, the N-terminus of Nsp3, significantly inhibited the replicon reporter gene expression. We found Nsp3 interacted with N through its acidic region at N-terminus, while N interacted with Nsp3 through its NTD, which is rich in the basic amino acids. Furthermore, using purified truncated N and Nsp3 proteins, we determined the direct interactions between Nsp3 and N protein. Conclusions Our findings provided a basis for understanding the functions of coronavirus proteins and supported the potential of interactions as the target for antiviral drug development.

. Logistic regression analysis also revealed that gender was independently associated with UC patients carried MICA-A5·1 allele ( P = = = = 0·046, OR (male) = = = = 0·511, 95% CI: 0·264-0·987). Although the UC patients with extensive colitis (32·5% versus 17·4% in the healthy controls, P = = = = 0·005, Pc = = = = 0·025) and the UC patients with extraintestinal manifestations (36% versus 17·4% in the healthy controls, P = = = = 0·0039, Pc = = = = 0·0195) were more likely to carry the MICA-A5·1 allele, EIMs was associated with extent of disease ( P < < < < 0·0001, OR (with EIMs) = = = = 3·511, 95% CI 1·747-7·056) and MICA-A5·1 allele was not associated with UC patients with extensive colitis or with EIMs in the logistic regression analysis. Therefore, the MICA-A5·1 homozygous genotype and A5·1 allele were closely associated with UC and the MICA-A5·1 allele was positively associated with the female UC patients in Chinese population.