N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs) are signaling molecules in many quorum-sensing (QS) systems that regulate interactions between various pathogenic bacteria and their hosts. Quorum quenching by the enzymatic inactivation of AHLs holds great promise in preventing and treating infections, and several such enzymes have been reported. In this study, we report the characterization of a novel AHL-degrading protein from the soil bacterium Ochrobactrum sp. strain T63. This protein, termed AidH, shares no similarity with any of the known AHL degradases but is highly homologous with a hydrolytic enzyme from Ochrobactrum anthropi ATCC 49188 that contains the alpha/beta-hydrolase fold. By liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, we demonstrate that AidH functions as an AHL-lactonase that hydrolyzes the ester bond of the homoserine lactone ring of AHLs. Mutational analyses indicate that the G-X-Nuc-X-G motif or the histidine residue conserved among alpha/beta-hydrolases is critical for the activity of AidH. Furthermore, the AHL-inactivating activity of AidH requires Mn(2+) but not several other tested divalent cations. We also showed that AidH significantly reduces biofilm formation by Pseudomonas fluorescens 2P24 and the pathogenicity of Pectobacterium carotovorum, indicating that this enzyme is able to effectively quench QS-dependent functions in these bacteria by degrading AHLs.

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays essential roles in embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis. Axin is a concentration-limiting factor responsible for the formation of the β-catenin destruction complex. Wnt signaling itself promotes the degradation of Axin. However, the underlying molecular mechanism and biological relevance of this targeting of Axin have not been elucidated. Here, we identify SIAH1/2 (SIAH) as the E3 ligase mediating Wnt-induced Axin degradation. SIAH proteins promote the ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of Axin through interacting with a VxP motif in the GSK3-binding domain of Axin, and this function of SIAH is counteracted by GSK3 binding to Axin. Structural analysis reveals that the Axin segment responsible for SIAH binding is also involved in GSK3 binding but adopts distinct conformations in Axin/SIAH and Axin/GSK3 complexes. Knockout of SIAH1 blocks Wnt-induced Axin ubiquitination and attenuates Wnt-induced β-catenin stabilization. Our data suggest that Wnt-induced dissociation of the Axin/GSK3 complex allows SIAH to interact with Axin not associated with GSK3 and promote its degradation and that SIAH-mediated Axin degradation represents an important feed-forward mechanism to achieve sustained Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

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Dear Editor, DNA N 6-methyladenine (6mA) modification is common in prokaryotes 1 and eukaryotes, 2 involving in gene regulation, transposon, stem cell differentiation, and human tumors. At

We performed large-scale molecular dynamics simulations on the graphitediamond transition under high-temperature, high-pressure conditions. The simulations suggested that diamond nuclei would emerge due to the corrugation and thermal fluctuation of graphite layers and then grow in a preferred direction along the graphite [120] direction, resulting in the cubic diamond phase being the kinetically favorable product while the hexagonal phase would appear as minor amounts of twin structures. The simulated coherent interface is confirmed by subsequent high-resolution transmission electron microscopy experiments.

Angle-dispersive synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements were performed on vaterite-type YBO3/Eu3+, GdBO3, and EuBO3, respectively, up to 41 GPa at room temperature using a diamond-anvil cell. Pressure-induced amorphization was observed in hexagonal GdBO3 with a significant compression along the c-axis. Compared to the ions of the distorted GdBO3 phase, its anions may lose their long-range order prior to the cations at high pressures. Based on the experimental pressure-volume data, the obtained bulk moduli of YBO3/Eu3+ and GdBO3 are 329 and 321 GPa, respectively, which are more than 90% larger than that of EuBO3 (167 GPa) and are presumably attributed to Gd3+ and Y3+ with a high density of d valence electrons.

CDC73/Parafibromin is a critical component of the Paf1 complex (PAF1C), which is involved in transcriptional elongation and histone modifications. Mutations of the human CDC73/HRPT2 gene are associated with hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumor (HPT-JT) syndrome, an autosomal dominant disorder. CDC73/parafibromin was initially recognized as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting cell proliferation via repression of cyclin D1 and c-myc genes. In recent years, it has also shown oncogenic features by activating the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway. Here, through limited proteolysis analysis, we demonstrate that the evolutionarily conserved human CDC73 N-terminal 111 residues form a globularly folded domain (hCDC73-NTD). We have determined a crystal structure of hCDC73-NTD at 1.02 Å resolution, which reveals a novel protein fold. CDC73-NTD contains an extended hydrophobic groove on its surface that may be important for its function. Most pathogenic CDC73 missense mutations associated with the HPT-JT syndrome are located in the region encoding CDC73-NTD. Our crystal and biochemical data indicate that most CDC73 missense mutations disrupt the folding of the hydrophobic core of hCDC73-NTD, while others such as the K34Q mutant reduce its thermostability. Overall, our results provide a solid structural basis for understanding the structure and function of CDC73 and its association with the HPT-JT syndrome and other diseases.