Biology subjects

Hubalek, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Hubalek, M..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Expanding the CarD interaction network: CrsL is a novel transcription factor in Mycobacterium smegmatis

Bacterial transcription regulation is critical for adaptation and survival. CarD is an essential transcription factor in mycobacteria involved in regulation of gene expression. We searched for CarD interaction partners in the model organism Mycobacterium smegmatis and identified two proteins: ApeB (MSMEG_5828) and an uncharacterized protein, which we named CrsL (MSMEG_5890). While ApeB interacted with CarD only when CarD was overexpressed, CrsL associated with CarD at its physiological levels. CrsL is a 5.7 kDa protein shown by NMR to be intrinsically disordered. CrsL homologs are present in actinobacteria including pathogenic species such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. CrsL directly interacts with CarD and binds RNAP. ChIP-seq showed that CrsL associates with promoters of actively transcribed genes and [~]75 % of these regions are also associated with CarD. RNA-seq showed [~]50% and [~]66% overlap in differentially expressed genes between CrsL and CarD knockdowns during exponential and stationary phases, respectively. CrsL represses expression of DesA desaturase (MSMEG_5773) and DEAD/DEAH-box RNA helicase MSMEG_1930, which are important for adaptation to cold stress. Furthermore, CrsL promotes the growth of M. smegmatis at elevated temperature. In summary, this study identifies CrsL as a novel actinobacterial transcription factor and provides a basis for its further investigation.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

A myristoyl switch at the plasma membrane triggers cleavage and oligomerization of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus matrix protein

For most retroviruses, including HIV, association with the plasma membrane (PM) promotes the assembly of immature particles, which occurs simultaneously with budding and maturation. In these viruses, maturation is initiated by oligomerization of polyprotein precursors. In contrast, several retroviruses, such as Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV), assemble in the cytoplasm into immature particles that are transported across the PM. Therefore, protease activation and specific cleavage must not occur until the preassembled particle interacts with the PM. This interaction is triggered by a bipartite signal consisting of a cluster of basic residues in the matrix (MA) domain of Gag polyprotein and a myristoyl moiety N-terminally attached to MA. Here, we provide evidence that myristoyl exposure from the MA core and its insertion into the PM occurs in M-PMV. By a combination of experimental methods, we show that this results in a structural change at the C-terminus of MA allowing efficient cleavage of MA from the downstream region of Gag. This suggests that, in addition to the known effect of the myristoyl switch of HIV-1 MA on the multimerization state of Gag and particle assembly, the myristoyl switch may have a regulatory role in initiating sequential cleavage of M-PMV Gag in immature particles.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2023

WOMBAT-P: Benchmarking Label-Free Proteomics Data Analysis Workflows

Proteomics research encompasses a wide array of experimental designs, resulting in diverse datasets varying in structure and properties. This diversity has led to a considerable variety of software solutions for data analysis, each of them using multiple tools with different algorithms for operations like peptide-spectrum matching, protein inference, quantification, statistical analysis, and visualization. Computational workflows combine these algorithms to facilitate end-to-end analysis, spanning from raw data to detecting differentially regulated proteins. We introduce WOMBAT-P, a versatile platform designed for the automatic benchmarking and comparison of bottom-up label-free proteomics workflows. By standardizing software parameterization and workflow outputs, WOMBAT-P empowers an objective comparison of four commonly utilized data analysis workflows. Furthermore, WOMBAT-P streamlines the processing of public data based on the provided metadata, with an optional specification of 30 parameters. Wombat-P can use Sample and Data Relationship Format for Proteomics (SDRF-Proteomics) as the file input to simply process annotated local or ProteomeXchange deposited datasets. This feature offers a shortcut for data analysis and facilitates comparisons among diverse outputs. Through an examination of experimental ground truth data and a realistic biological dataset, we unveil significant disparities and a low overlap between identified and quantified proteins. WOMBAT-P not only enables rapid execution and seamless comparison of four workflows (on the same dataset) using a wide range of benchmarking metrics but also provides insights into the capabilities of different software solutions. These metrics support researchers in selecting the most suitable workflow for their specific dataset. The modular architecture of WOMBAT-P promotes extensibility and customization, making it an ideal platform for testing newly developed software tools within a realistic data analysis context.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2021

Biogenesis of hepatitis B virus e antigen is driven by translocon-associated protein complex and regulated by conserved cysteines in signal peptide

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) uses e antigen (HBe), which is dispensable for virus infectivity, to modulate host immune responses and achieve viral persistence in human hepatocytes. The HBe precursor (p25) is directed to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where cleavage of the signal peptide (sp) gives rise to the first processing product, p22. P22 can be retro-translocated back to the cytosol or enter the secretory pathway and undergo a second cleavage event, resulting in secreted p17 (HBe). Here, we report that translocation of p25 to the ER is promoted by translocon-associated protein complex (TRAP). We found that p25 is not completely translocated into the ER; a fraction of p25 is phosphorylated and remains in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Within the p25 sp sequence, we identified three cysteine residues that control the efficiency of sp cleavage and contribute to proper subcellular distribution of the precore pool.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Dinucleoside polyphosphates act as 5'-RNA caps in Escherichia coli

Dinucleoside polyphosphates (NpnNs), discovered more than 50 years ago,1 are pleiotropic molecules present in almost all types of cells.2 It has been shown that their intracellular concentration can under stress conditions increase from the {micro}M to mM range 2,3. However, the cellular roles and mechanisms of action of NpnNs are still speculative4,5. They have never been considered as part of the RNA, even though they have similar chemical structures as already known RNA caps, such as the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)6-8 and 7-methylguanylate cap9. Here, we show that both methylated and non-methylated Npn Ns serve as RNA caps in Escherichia coli (E. coli). NpnNs are excellent substrates for T7 and E. coli RNA polymerases (RNAP) and efficiently initiate transcription. Further, we demonstrate that the E. coli decapping enzyme RNA 5 pyrophosphohydrolase (RppH) is able to remove the NpnNs-cap from the RNA. RppH was, however, not able to cleave the methylated forms of the NpnN-caps, suggesting that the methylation adds an additional layer to the RNA stability regulation. Our work introduces an original perspective on the chemical structure of RNA in prokaryotes and the function of RNA caps. This is the first evidence that small molecules like NpnNs can act in cells via their incorporation into RNA and influence the cellular metabolism.

molecular biology↗