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Curr Opin Chem Biol 2021 Apr 9;63:123-131. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA. Electronic address:

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins extensively diversify the biological information flow from the genome to the proteome and thus have profound pathophysiological implications. Precise dissection of the regulatory networks of PTMs benefits from the ability to achieve conditional control through external optogenetic or chemogenetic triggers. Genetic code expansion provides a unique solution by allowing for site-specific installation of functionally masked unnatural amino acids (UAAs) into proteins, such as enzymes and enzyme substrates, rendering them inert until rapid activation through exposure to light or small molecules. Read More

J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2021 Feb 24;1173:122587. Epub 2021 Feb 24.

Analytical Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ 07065, USA. Electronic address:

Recent advances in biomedical and pharmaceutical processes has enabled a notable increase of protein- and peptide-based drug therapies and vaccines that often contain a higher-order structure critical to their efficacy. Hyphenation of chromatographic and spectrometric techniques is at the center of all facets of biopharmaceutical analysis, purification and chemical characterization. Although computer-assisted chromatographic modeling of small molecules has reached a mature stage across the pharmaceutical industry, software-based method optimization approaches for large molecules has yet to see the same revitalization. Read More

J Colloid Interface Sci 2021 Mar 24;596:233-244. Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Gustav Wieds Vej 14, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark. Electronic address:

The anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) interacts strongly with most globular proteins and denatures and unfolds them. While scattering studies using X-rays and neutrons have shown that this denaturation generally leads to protein-decorated SDS micelles, a different SDS-decorated polypeptide model has recently been suggested for complexes between SDS and Ubiquitin (UBI), in which individual SDS molecules are distributed on a partially stretched protein. To resolve this apparent discrepancy, we have investigated the SDS-UBI system by a number of complementary techniques. Read More

J Thorac Oncol 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Department of Radiation Oncology, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus. Electronic address:

Monoclonal antibodies that target immune checkpoint proteins, so-called immune checkpoint inhibitors, prevent tumor evasion of the immune system and are often effective in the treatment of lung cancer. Studies have demonstrated improved objective response rates, progression free survival, and overall survival with immune checkpoint inhibitors when used in both first and subsequent-line settings. Unfortunately, only a subset of unselected lung cancer patients responds to these therapies. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res 2021 Apr 9:119026. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Departments of Cell Biology, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del IPN (Cinvestav-IPN), Mexico City, MEXICO. Electronic address:

Chemotactic and angiogenic factors secreted within the tumor microenvironment eventually facilitate the metastatic dissemination of cancer cells. Calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) activates secretory pathways in breast cancer cells via a mechanism driven by vesicular trafficking of this receptor. However, it remains to be elucidated how endosomal proteins in secretory vesicles are controlled by CaSR. Read More