Search results for "Spike"

Role of RNA Guanine Quadruplexes in Favoring the Dimerization of SARS Unique Domain in Coronaviruses

2020

ABSTRACTCoronaviruses may produce severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). As a matter of fact, a new SARS-type virus, SARS-CoV-2, is responsible of a global pandemic in 2020 with unprecedented sanitary and economic consequences for most countries. In the present contribution we study, by all-atom equilibrium and enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulations, the interaction between the SARS Unique Domain and RNA guanine quadruplexes, a process involved in eluding the defensive response of the host thus favoring viral infection of human cells. Our results evidence two stable binding modes involving an interaction site spanning either the protein dimer interface or only one monomer. The …

Mass Spectrometry and Structural Biology Techniques in the Studies on the Coronavirus-Receptor Interaction

2020

Mass spectrometry and some other biophysical methods, have made substantial contributions to the studies on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and human proteins interactions. The most interesting feature of SARS-CoV-2 seems to be the structure of its spike (S) protein and its interaction with the human cell receptor. Mass spectrometry of spike S protein revealed how the glycoforms are distributed across the S protein surface. X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy made huge impact on the studies on the S protein and ACE2 receptor protein interaction, by elucidating the three-dimensional structures of these proteins and their conformational changes. The…

Essential oil variation within and among natural populations of Lavandula latifolia and its relation to their ecological areas

2007

Essential oil yield and composition in seven natural populations of Lavandula latifolia from the eastern Iberian Peninsula were determined by GC/MS. Twenty-eight constituents were identified, accounting for 92.0e95.4% of the total oils. These oils were dominated by the monoterpene fraction and three of them (linalool, cineole and camphor) constituted 79.5e86.9% of the oil from flowers. Essential oil yield in leaves and flowers varied among and within populations, but hierarchic analyses of variance showed that the proportion of variation attributable to individuals was significantly higher than that attributable to population differences. Principal component and cluster analyses allowed thr…

Putative excitatory and putative inhibitory inputs are localised in different dendritic domains in aDrosophilaflight motoneuron

2012

Input-output computations of individual neurons may be affected by the three-dimensional structure of their dendrites and by the targeting of input synapses to specific parts of their dendrites. However, only few examples exist where dendritic architecture can be related to behaviorally relevant computations of a neuron. By combining genetic, immunohistochemical, and confocal laser scanning methods this study estimates the location of the spike initiating zone and the dendritic distribution patterns of putative synaptic inputs on an individually identified Drosophila flight motorneuron, MN5. MN5 is a monopolar neuron with more than 4000 dendritic branches. The site of spike initiation was e…

Electrophysiological Analysis of Effects of Exogenous and Endogenous Adenosine in Hippocampal Slices

1988

Little doubt remains that adenosine serves a modulatory role in the nervous system (Sattin and Rail, 1970; Shimizu and Daly, 1970; Fredholm and Hedqvist, 1980; Phillis and Wu, 1981; Stone, 1981; Daly et al., 1984; Dunwiddie, 1985). While electrophysiologically active concentrations of adenosine have been found in the extracellular fluid, the source and control of the levels of this active adenosine are unclear. There are indications that adenosine is released (or coreleased) from synaptic endings, fulfilling a typical transmitter role (Burnstock, 1975, 1981; Nagy et al., 1986). A synaptic hyperpolarization in autonomic neurons has been identified as an adenosine-mediated potential (Akasu et…

Are dendrites in Drosophila homologous to vertebrate dendrites?

2005

AbstractDendrites represent arborising neurites in both vertebrates and invertebrates. However, in vertebrates, dendrites develop on neuronal cell bodies, whereas in higher invertebrates, they arise from very different neuronal structures, the primary neurites, which also form the axons. Is this anatomical difference paralleled by principal developmental and/or physiological differences? We address this question by focussing on one cellular model, motorneurons of Drosophila and characterise the compartmentalisation of these cells. We find that motorneuronal dendrites of Drosophila share with typical vertebrate dendrites that they lack presynaptic but harbour postsynaptic proteins, display c…

Possible Transmission Flow of SARS-CoV-2 Based on ACE2 Features

2020

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the cellular receptor for the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that is engendering the severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The spike (S) protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 binds to the three sub-domains viz. amino acids (aa) 22&ndash

A suspicious calcium spike.

2015

Interfering with Host Proteases in SARS-CoV-2 Entry as a Promising Therapeutic Strategy

2020

Abstract: Due to its fast international spread and substantial mortality, the coronavirus disease COVID-19 evolved to a global threat. Since there is currently no causative drug against this viral infection available, science is striving for new drugs and other approaches to treat the new disease. Studies have shown that the cell entry of coronaviruses into host cells takes place through the binding of the viral spike (S) protein to cell receptors. Priming of the S protein occurs via hydrolysis by different host proteases. The inhibition of these proteases could impair the processing of the S protein, thereby affecting the interaction with the host-cell receptors and preventing virus cell …

An unexpected biomaterial against SARS-CoV-2: Bio-polyphosphate blocks binding of the viral spike to the cell receptor.

2021

Graphical abstract