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Hori, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Hori, T..

12 recordsLinked to original sources

RGI-Toolkit: Differentiable Restraints for Controllable Biomolecular Structure Prediction

Diffusion-based models have substantially advanced biomolecular structure prediction. Within this framework, restraint-guided inference (RGI) corrects the denoiser output at each reverse-diffusion step using a differentiable restraint loss, allowing available experimental information, stereochemical requirements, or a specified target conformational state to be incorporated into predictions without retraining the model. Here, we present RGI-Toolkit, a general-purpose Python library that makes RGI available for a range of structure predictors. The toolkit consolidates restraint definition, atom selection, loss evaluation, and coordinate optimization into a shared, backend-agnostic engine, limiting predictor-specific code to a thin preprocessing adapter and a single hook in the denoising loop. Restraints on distances, angles, and dihedrals, on deviations from reference structures, and on user-defined reaction coordinates, together with ligand conformer restraints, are all specified in a common configuration format. The toolkit currently supports six predictors, including AlphaFold3. Across all six predictors, conformer restraints eliminated chirality and cis/trans errors in the predicted ligands and improved their local geometry, while geometric and custom restraints systematically shifted the sampled protein conformations toward the specified target states. RGI-Toolkit thus provides a unified framework for integrating experimental information and prior geometric knowledge into structure prediction and for generating biomolecular structures with specified conformational and stereochemical properties.

bioinformatics↗

Three-dimensional vascular microenvironments uncover endothelial plasticity during TGF-β2-driven vascular remodeling

The tumor microenvironment plays a pivotal role in tumor development, harboring elements such as endothelial cells, immune cells, fibroblasts, and soluble factors such as transforming growth factor-{beta} (TGF-{beta}) family. TGF-{beta} family regulates cell development and promotes tumor invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT). Here, we investigate the effects of TGF-{beta} signaling on vascular remodeling using a three-dimensional (3D) vascular network in a microfluidic device. Using both a co-culture (3D-Co) and simplified endothelial monoculture (3D-CM), we demonstrate that TGF-{beta} signaling reduces the quality and functionality of the vasculature by regressing them. In addition, we observed the upregulation of EndoMT-related markers in mRNA and protein expressions, suggesting the induction of EndoMT in 3D vascular networks. The increased vascular permeability stimulated by TGF-{beta}2 also supports the loss of endothelial identity in the 3D-Co. Transcriptomic analysis revealed the coordinated activation of pathways associated with cell migration and EndoMT, along with the suppression of cell cycle progression. A comparative analysis of two-dimensional (2D) and 3D cultures revealed a fundamentally distinct endothelial response to TGF-{beta}2 in the 3D context, including metabolic reprogramming. These findings demonstrate that the 3D microenvironment critically modulates endothelial responses to TGF-{beta} and enables the emergence of vascular phenotypes not captured in 2D systems. This study provides a more physiologically relevant platform to investigate endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodeling.

bioengineering↗

Off-target-free chemogenetic platform that decodes physiological roles of target GPCRs

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are essential mediators of cellular processes, and their dysfunction is implicated in various diseases. Although pharmacological approaches are powerful for elucidating GPCR functions, careful consideration of potential off-target effects remains crucial. Here, we present an off-target-free chemogenetic platform to dissect the physiological roles of target GPCRs. As a proof-of-concept, we focused on the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR), a prototypical GPCR involved in neurodegenerative diseases. Leveraging the ligand recognition mechanisms of A2AR, we designed a prominent chemogenetic pair comprising a clinical A2AR antagonist and an engineered A2AR mutant that is insensitive to the antagonist but retains responsiveness to adenosine. Using this pair, we uncovered the critical role of A2AR in neurite outgrowth under hypoxic conditions in neuron-like cells, while avoiding potential off-target effects. Furthermore, we demonstrate the generalizability of this chemogenetic approach to other class A GPCRs, offering a versatile platform for receptor-specific dissection of GPCR signaling.

biochemistry↗

Distance-Restraint-Guided Diffusion Models for Sampling Protein Conformational Changes and Ligand Dissociation Pathways

Protein conformational dynamics and ligand binding processes are fundamental to biological function, yet their systematic sampling and thermodynamic characterization remain challenging. Here, we present a distance-restraint-guided inference method that extends AlphaFold3-like diffusion model frameworks to predict protein structures at specified conformational states. By restraining intergroup distances defined as center-of-mass distances between atom groups during the reverse diffusion process, our method enables systematic sampling along reaction coordinates without model retraining. We implemented this approach in Boltz-2 and demonstrated its effectiveness on three model proteins that undergo open-closed conformational transitions, as well as on a protein-peptide dissociation pathway. Compared with conventional approaches that induce conformational diversity by manipulating input multiple sequence alignments, our method achieved more uniform coverage of conformational space while maintaining high structural quality as assessed by both learning-based confidence metrics and stereochemistry-based validation. By combining distance-restrained sampling with molecular dynamics simulations, we constructed free energy landscapes and quantitatively estimated binding free energies. Altogether, our approach bridges deep learning-based structure prediction and physics-based simulations, providing an efficient strategy for characterizing the dynamics of biomolecules. The materials supporting this article, including the source code and Colab notebook are available at github (https://github.com/cddlab/boltz_restr).

biophysics↗

Dual pathways via CENP-C and Mis18C recruit HJURP for CENP-A deposition into vertebrate centromeres

Centromere position is specified and maintained by sequence-independent epigenetic mechanisms in vertebrate cells, with the incorporation of the centromere-specific histone H3 variant CENP-A into chromatin being a key event for centromere specification. Although many models for CENP-A incorporation have been proposed, much remains unknown. In this study, we reveal that the CENP-A chaperone HJURP directly binds to the C-terminal domain of chicken CENP-C in vitro and that this interaction is essential for new CENP-A incorporation in chicken DT40 cells. While existing models have suggested that HJURP is recruited by the Mis18 complex (Mis18C), here, we propose that CENP-C and Mis18C provide dual recruitment pathways for HJURP localization to centromeres in DT40 cells. We demonstrate that both HJURP localization and new CENP-A incorporation are completely abolished in Mis18C knockout cells expressing an HJURP mutant lacking CENP-C binding ability. Furthermore, co-immunoprecipitation experiments reveal that CENP-C, HJURP and Mis18C form a tight association in the chromatin fraction. These two pathways are critical for robust CENP-A incorporation to maintain centromere position in vertebrate cells.

cell biology↗

Meta-omic insights into active bacteria mediating N2O mitigation and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium in an ammonia recovery bioreactor

Shifting from ammonia removal to recovery is the current strategy in wastewater treatment management. We recently developed a microaerophilic activated sludge (MAS) system for retaining ammonia while removing organic carbon with minimal N2O emissions. A comprehensive understanding of nitrogen metabolisms in the MAS system is essential to optimize system performance. Here, we employed metagenomics and metatranscriptomics analyses to characterize the microbial community structure and activity during the transition from a microaerophilic to an aerobic condition. A hybrid approach of high-quality Illumina short reads and Nanopore long reads recovered medium-to high-quality 98 non-redundant metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from the MAS communities. The suppressed bacterial ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) expression was upregulated after shifting from a microaerophilic to an aerobic condition. The 73 MAGs (>74% of the total) from 11 bacterial phyla harbored genes encoding proteins involved in nitrate respiration; 39 MAGs ([~]53%) carried N2O reductase (nosZ) genes with the predominance of clade II nosZ (31 MAGs), and 24 MAGs ([~]33%) possessed nitrite reductase (ammonia forming) genes (nrfA). Clade II nosZ and nrfA genes exhibited the highest and second-highest expressions among nitrogen metabolism genes, indicating robust N2O consumption and ammonification. Non-denitrifying clade II nosZ bacteria, Cloacibacterium spp., in the most abundant and active phylum Bacteroioda, were likely major N2O sinks. Elevated dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration inhibited clade II nosZ expression but not nrfA expression, potentially switching phenotypes from N2O reduction to ammonification. Collectively, the multi-omics analysis illuminated vital bacteria responsible for N2O reduction and ammonification in microaerophilic and aerobic conditions, facilitating high-performance ammonia recovery.

ecology↗

Wild gut microbiome suppresses the opportunistic pathogen Aeromonas in medaka under domesticated rearing conditions

BackgroundThe gut microbiome plays a crucial role in the metabolic health and pathogen resistance of various host animals. It is also well established that external environmental factors can influence the gut microbiome, leading to differences in its composition. However, the functional implications of these differences remain poorly understood. This study examined the gut microbiome of medaka (Oryzias latipes species complex) by comparing domesticated and wild populations, with the aim of gaining insights into the functional significance of their specific characteristics, particularly those of the wild-type microbiome. ResultsFor the comparative analysis of the gut microbiome, 48 domesticated and 122 wild medaka were collected from multiple laboratories, pet stores and streams across Japan. The results showed that wild medaka exhibited significantly higher gut microbiome diversity, with a broader range of bacterial members. In contrast, the gut microbiome of domesticated medaka harbored lower microbial diversity and was consistently dominated by Aeromonas, a typical opportunistic pathogen in fish. Additionally, 88.6% of Aeromonas isolates from domesticated medaka exhibited haemolytic activity. Moreover, a domesticated rearing experiment with wild populations showed no proliferation or dominance of Aeromonas in their gut, as observed in domesticated medaka. A further rearing experiment revealed that pre-exposing antibiotic-treated medaka to sediments from their natural habitats prevented Aeromonas colonisation, even when reared under domesticated conditions. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that the habitat-derived wild gut microbiome can inhibit Aeromonas proliferation in domesticated fish, highlighting its potential to mitigate opportunistic diseases in aquaculture.

microbiology↗

Condensin reorganizes centromeric chromatin during mitotic entry into a bipartite structure stabilized by cohesin

The Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) complexes cohesin and condensin establish the 3D organization of mitotic chromosomes1-3. Cohesin is essential to maintain sister chromatid pairing until anaphase onset4, while condensin is important for mitotic centromere structure and elastic resistance to spindle forces5-8. Both complexes are also important to form productive kinetochore-spindle attachments6, 8, 9. How condensin and cohesin work together to shape the mitotic centromere to ensure faithful chromosome segregation remains unclear. Here we show by super-resolution imaging, Capture-C analysis and polymer modeling that vertebrate centromeres are partitioned into two distinct condensin-dependent subdomains during mitosis. This bipartite sub-structure is found in human, mouse and chicken centromeres and also in human neocentromeres devoid of satellite repeats, and is therefore a fundamental feature of vertebrate centromere identity. Super-resolution imaging reveals that bipartite centromeres assemble bipartite kinetochores with each subdomain capable of binding a distinct microtubule bundle. Cohesin helps to link the centromere subdomains, limiting their separation in response to mitotic spindle forces. In its absence, separated bipartite kinetochores frequently engage in merotelic spindle attachments. Consistently, uncoupling of centromere subdomains is a common feature of lagging chromosomes in cancer cells. The two-domain structure of vertebrate regional centromeres described here incorporates architectural roles for both condensin and cohesin and may have implications for avoiding chromosomal instability in cancer cells.

cell biology↗

Microaerophilic activated sludge system for ammonia recovery from high-strength nitrogenous wastewater: Performance and microbial communities

A transition to ammonia recovery from wastewater has started; however, a technology for sustainable nitrogen retention in the form of ammonia is still in development. This study validated a microaerophilic activated sludge (MAS) system to efficiently retain ammonia from high-strength nitrogenous wastewater. The MAS is based on conventional activated sludge (CAS) with aerobic and settling compartments. Low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations (<0.1 mg/L) and short solid retention times (SRTs) (<5 d) eliminated nitrifying bacteria. The two parallel MASs were successfully operated for 300 d and had ammonia retention of 101.7 {+/-} 24.9% and organic carbon removal of 85.5 {+/-} 8.9%. The MASs mitigated N2O emissions with an emission factor of <0.23%, much lower than the default value of CAS (1.6%). A short-term step-change test demonstrated that N2O indicated the initiation of nitrification and the completion of denitrification in the MAS. The parallel MASs had comparable microbial diversity, promoting organic carbon oxidation while inhibiting ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs), as revealed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, qPCR of functional genes, and fluorescent in situ hybridization of {beta}-Proteobacteria AOB. The microbial analyses also uncovered that filamentous bacteria were positively correlated with effluent turbidity. Together, controlling DO and SRT achieved successful ammonia retention, mainly by suppressing AOM activity. This process represents a new nitrogen management paradigm. SynopsisMoving from nitrogen removal to nitrogen recovery is critical for establishing a sustainable society. We provided proof-of-the-concept for a novel ammonia retention technology by retrofitting an activated sludge system.

microbiology↗

Microtubule assembly by soluble tau impairs vesicle endocytosis and excitatory neurotransmission via dynamin sequestration in Alzheimer's disease synapse model

Elevation of soluble wild-type (WT) tau occurs in synaptic compartments in Alzheimers disease. We addressed whether tau elevation affects synaptic transmission at the calyx of Held in brainstem slices. Whole-cell loading of WT human tau (h-tau) in presynaptic terminals at 10-20 {micro}M caused microtubule (MT) assembly and activity-dependent rundown of excitatory neurotransmission. Capacitance measurements revealed that the primary target of WT h-tau is vesicle endocytosis. Blocking MT assembly using nocodazole prevented tau-induced impairments of endocytosis and neurotransmission. Immunofluorescence imaging analyses revealed that MT assembly by WT h-tau loading was associated with an increased bound fraction of the endocytic protein dynamin. A synthetic dodecapeptide corresponding to dynamin-1-pleckstrin-homology domain inhibited MT-dynamin interaction and rescued tau-induced impairments of endocytosis and neurotransmission. We conclude that elevation of presynaptic WT tau induces de novo assembly of MTs, thereby sequestering free dynamins. As a result, endocytosis and subsequent vesicle replenishment are impaired, causing activity-dependent rundown of neurotransmission. Significance StatementWild-type human recombinant tau loaded in rodent presynaptic terminals inhibited vesicle endocytosis, thereby causing activity-dependent rundown of excitatory transmission. This endocytic block is caused by a sequestration of dynamin by excess microtubules newly assembled by tau and can be rescued by a peptide inhibiting the microtubules-dynamin interaction, or by the microtubule disassembler nocodazole. Thus, synaptic dysfunction can be induced by pathological increase of endogenous soluble tau in Alzheimer disease slice model.

neuroscience↗

Atypical spatial frequency dependence of visual metacognition among schizophrenia patients

Although altered early stages of visual processing have been reported among schizophrenia patients, how such atypical visual processing may affect higher-level cognition remains largely unknown. Here we tested the hypothesis that metacognitive performance may be atypically modulated by spatial frequency (SF) of visual stimuli among individuals with schizophrenia, given their altered magnocellular function. To study the effect of SF on metacognitive performance, we asked patients and controls to perform a visual detection task on gratings with different SFs and report confidence, and analyzed the data using the signal detection theoretic measure meta-d. Control subjects showed better metacognitive performance after yes- (stimulus-presence) than after no- (stimulus-absence) responses ( yes-response advantage) for high SF (HSF) stimuli but not for low SF (LSF) stimuli. The patients, to the contrary, showed a yes-response advantage not only for HSF but also for LSF stimuli, indicating atypical SF dependency of metacognition. An fMRI experiment using the same task revealed that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), known to be crucial for metacognition, shows activity mirroring the behavioral results: decoding accuracy of perceptual confidence in DLPFC was significantly higher for HSF than for LSF stimuli in controls, whereas this decoding accuracy was independent of SF in patients. While individuals without schizophrenia may flexibly adapt metacognitive computations across SF ranges, patients may employ a different mechanism that is independent of SF. Because visual stimuli of low SF have been linked to top-down processing in predictive coding, this may reflect atypical functioning in these processes in schizophrenia. HighlightsO_LIVisual metacognition of controls was dependent on spatial frequency. C_LIO_LIVisual metacognition of schizophrenia patients was independent of spatial frequency. C_LIO_LIPatients and controls differently rely on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. C_LIO_LISensory inputs may reach metacognitive circuits in an atypical manner among patients. C_LI

neuroscience↗

Identification of bridgin, an unconventional linker, connects the outer kinetochore to centromeric chromatin

The microtubule-binding outer kinetochore is linked to centromeric chromatin through the inner kinetochore CENP-CMif2, CENP-TCnn1, and CENP-UAme1 pathways. These are the only known kinetochore linker proteins across eukaryotes. Linker proteins are structurally less conserved than their outer kinetochore counterparts. Here, we demonstrate the recurrent loss of most inner kinetochore CCAN, including certain linker proteins during evolution in the fungal phylum of Basidiomycota. By studying the kinetochore interactome, a previously undescribed linker protein, bridgin was identified in the basidiomycete Cryptococcus neoformans, a human fungal pathogen. In vivo and in vitro functional analyses of bridgin reveal that it binds to the outer kinetochore and centromere chromatin simultaneously to ensure accurate kinetochore-microtubule attachments. Unlike known linker proteins, bridgin is recruited by the outer kinetochore. Homologs of bridgin were identified outside fungi. These results showcase a divergent strategy, with a more ancient origin than fungi, to link the outer kinetochore to centromeric chromatin.

cell biology↗