FoldMod: The role of local amino acid interactions in protein folding, fold stability and the location of post-translational modifications. Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Moreover, in cells some ...
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a childhood autoimmune disease in which insulin producing beta cells are targeted and destroyed. This project builds on recent observations indicating that modification of self-proteins is a possible mechanism for acceleration of autoimmunity and progression to T1D. Our goal is to elucidate the mechanisms by which self-proteins are modified due to stress, how such modifications increase immune recognition, and whether ...
Levels of the acute phase protein serum amyloid A1 (SAA1) rise dramatically in serum and synovial fluid (SF) from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). As biological characterization of SAA1 has been hampered by low-quality commercial SAA preparations, the exact role of SAA1 in RA joints is not yet known. Moreover, both pro- and anti-inflammatory actions have been ascribed to SAA1. Interestingly, post-translational modification (PTM) of ...
The worldwide yield loss in cultivated crops due to drought, temperature, salt and pathogen-related stress is enormous. So, crop 'stress tolerance' becomes a major objective in plant biotechnology research. The warning message used by plants under stress are 'Reactive Oxygen Species' (ROS)’. ROS can function as a messenger through oxidation of amino acid residues in signaling proteins. In this way, the plant defense response can be switched ...
Increased concentrations of reacive oxygen species can induce various modifications in cellular proteins. Some are oxydations, while others are due to reactive NO-derivatives. This can lead to functional changes and often acts as signalling triggers. Using a novel gel-free proteomics approach, we will identify the protein targets and locate the sites of modification of these oxidation-related events.
Proteases are enzymes catalysing the breakdown of proteins into polypeptides or single amino acids, a process called proteolysis. They are key molecules involved in different physiological processes, ranging from digestion of food proteins to development and host protection against pathologies. However, they also contribute to pathological processes including autoimmune diseases and cancer. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are an important ...
Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Recent insights have endorsed the importance of energy metabolism in the pathophysiology, governed by the liver. Previous research by our group links the downregulation of certain metabolic genes in sepsis to a loss of function and reduced DNA-binding activity of HNF4α, a key transcription factor. The transcriptional activity of nuclear ...
Post-translational modifications on histone proteins (hPTMs) have long been recognized to be crucial epigenetic regulators that mediate Eukaryote protein expression and thus health and disease. However, their large-scale study has lagged behind compared to targeted epigenomic profiling techniques based on sequencing, such as BS-Seq and ChIPseq. This hampers a mechanistic understanding of this evolutionary conserved regulation mechanism, in ...