Biomedical subjects

Gyorgy Babnigg

Publications and source records attributed to Gyorgy Babnigg.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Primary structure-based function characterization of BRCT domain replicates in BRCA1.

BRCA1 is a large protein that exhibits a multiplicity of functions in its apparent role in DNA repair. Certain mutations of BRCA1 are known to have exceptionally high penetrance with respect to familial breast and ovarian cancers. The structures of the N-terminus and C-terminus of the protein have been determined. The C-terminus unit consists of two alpha-beta-alpha domains designated BRCT. We predicated two homologous BRCT regions in the BRCA1 internal region, and subsequently produced and purified these protein domains. Both recombinant domains show significant self-association capabilities as well as a preferential tendency to interact with each other. These results suggest a possible regulatory mechanism for BRCA1 function. We have demonstrated p53-binding activity by an additional region, and confirmed previous results showing that two regions of BRCA1 protein bind p53 in vitro. Based on sequence analysis, we predict five p53-binding sites. Our comparison of binding by wild-type and mutant domains indicates the sequence specificity of BRCA1-p53 interaction.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2005

Global profiling of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1: expression of hypothetical genes and improved functional annotations.

The gamma-proteobacterium Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1 is a metabolically versatile organism that can reduce a wide range of organic compounds, metal ions, and radionuclides. Similar to most other sequenced organisms, approximately 40% of the predicted ORFs in the S. oneidensis genome were annotated as uncharacterized "hypothetical" genes. We implemented an integrative approach by using experimental and computational analyses to provide more detailed insight into gene function. Global expression profiles were determined for cells after UV irradiation and under aerobic and suboxic growth conditions. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses confidently identified 538 hypothetical genes as expressed in S. oneidensis cells both as mRNAs and proteins (33% of all predicted hypothetical proteins). Publicly available analysis tools and databases and the expression data were applied to improve the annotation of these genes. The annotation results were scored by using a seven-category schema that ranked both confidence and precision of the functional assignment. We were able to identify homologs for nearly all of these hypothetical proteins (97%), but could confidently assign exact biochemical functions for only 16 proteins (category 1; 3%). Altogether, computational and experimental evidence provided functional assignments or insights for 240 more genes (categories 2-5; 45%). These functional annotations advance our understanding of genes involved in vital cellular processes, including energy conversion, ion transport, secondary metabolism, and signal transduction. We propose that this integrative approach offers a valuable means to undertake the enormous challenge of characterizing the rapidly growing number of hypothetical proteins with each newly sequenced genome.

Gene Expression Profiling↗

PubMed2002

Global analysis of a "simple" proteome: Methanococcus jannaschii.

The completed genome of Methanococcus jannaschii, including the main chromosome and two extra-chromosomal elements, predicts a proteome comprised of 1783 proteins. How many of those proteins are expressed at any given time and the relative abundance of the expressed proteins, however, cannot be predicted solely from the genome sequence. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with peptide mass spectrometry is being used to identify the proteins expressed by M. jannaschii cells grown under different conditions as part of an effort to correlate protein expression with regulatory mechanisms. Here we describe the identification of 170 of the most abundant proteins found in total lysates of M. jannaschii grown under optimal fermentation conditions. To optimize the number of proteins detected, two different protein specific stains (Coomassie Blue R250 or silver nitrate) and two different first dimension separation methods (isoelectric focusing or nonequilibrium pH gradient electrophoresis) were used. Thirty-two percent of the proteins identified are annotated as hypothetical (21% conserved hypothetical and 11% hypothetical), 21% are enzymes involved in energy metabolism, 12% are proteins required for protein synthesis, and the remainder include proteins necessary for intermediary metabolism, cell division, and cell structure. Evidence of post-translational modification of numerous M. jannaschii proteins has been found, as well as indications of incomplete dissociation of protein-protein complexes. These results demonstrate the complexity of proteome analysis even when dealing with a relatively simple genome.

Archaeal Proteins↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Template-based recognition of protein fold within the midnight and twilight zones of protein sequence similarity.

Most homologous pairs of proteins have no significant sequence similarity to each other and are not identified by direct sequence comparison or profile-based strategies. However, multiple sequence alignments of low similarity homologues typically reveal a limited number of positions that are well conserved despite diversity of function. It may be inferred that conservation at most of these positions is the result of the importance of the contribution of these amino acids to the folding and stability of the protein. As such, these amino acids and their relative positions may define a structural signature. We demonstrate that extraction of this fold template provides the basis for the sequence database to be searched for patterns consistent with the fold, enabling identification of homologs that are not recognized by global sequence analysis. The fold template method was developed to address the need for a tool that could comprehensively search the midnight and twilight zones of protein sequence similarity without reliance on global statistical significance. Manual implementations of the fold template method were performed on three folds--immunoglobulin, c-lectin and TIM barrel. Following proof of concept of the template method, an automated version of the approach was developed. This automated fold template method was used to develop fold templates for 10 of the more populated folds in the SCOP database. The fold template method developed three-dimensional structural motifs or signatures that were able to return a diverse collection of proteins, while maintaining a low false positive rate. Although the results of the manual fold template method were more comprehensive than the automated fold template method, the diversity of the results from the automated fold template method surpassed those of current methods that rely on statistical significance to infer evolutionary relationships among divergent proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗