Prokaryotic viperins produce diverse antiviral molecules.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Bernheim A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7610908 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Discovery of the anti-phage activity of prokaryotic viperins
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Project description:Viperin is an interferon-induced cellular protein conserved in animals. It was shown to inhibit the replication of multiple viruses by producing a ribonucleotide called 3’-deoxy-3’4’-didehydro-CTP (ddhCTP), which acts as a chain terminator for the viral RNA polymerase. Here we show that the eukaryotic viperin has originated from a clade of bacterial and archaeal proteins that protect against phage infection. Prokaryotic viperins (pVips) produce a set of modified ribonucleotides that include, in addition to ddhCTP, also ddhGTP and ddhUTP. We further provide evidence that pVips protect against T7 phage infection by inhibiting viral polymerase-dependent transcription, suggesting a conserved mechanism of action shared between pVips and the animal viperin. Our results unveil a potential repository of natural antiviral compounds produced by bacterial immune systems.
2020-08-24 | MTBLS1750 | MetaboLights
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Project description:Eudicot leaves have astoundingly diverse shapes. The central problem addressed in this paper is the developmental origin of this diversity. To investigate this problem, we propose a computational model of leaf development that generalizes the largely conserved molecular program for the reference plants Arabidopsis thaliana, Cardamine hirsuta and Solanum lycopersicum. The model characterizes leaf development as a product of three interwoven processes: the patterning of serrations, lobes and/or leaflets on the leaf margin; the patterning of the vascular system; and the growth of the leaf blade spanning the main veins. The veins play a significant morphogenetic role as a local determinant of growth directions. We show that small variations of this model can produce diverse leaf shapes, from simple to lobed to compound. It is thus plausible that diverse shapes of eudicot leaves result from small variations of a common developmental program.
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