Structural studies of worm proteins- adventures with nematode CAP proteins
Project Type
Faculty Scholarship
Scholarship Domain(s)
Scholarship of Discovery
Presentation Type
Presentation
Abstract
Invited presentation; guest of Dr. Douglas Armstrong. Connect to Zoom recording link using pass code: m$%X1Dkl
Dr. Asojo's research on drugs for rare and neglected, tropical diseases was described in the February 15/22 (2021) issue of C&EN.
Abstract
My lab's focus over the past two decades includes characterizing neglected parasite proteins' structures and functions. Some of the proteins are vaccine candidates, immune evasion molecules, and immune suppression molecules. Characterizing these structures allows us to: identify interactions with host proteins, define mechanisms of action of novel proteins, identify minimally active fragments of vaccines, and generate preliminary data for rational drug design. Our studies have revealed structural similarity between parasite and host proteins, likely due to co-evolution, and maybe part of parasites' attempts to mimic hosts. We have also characterized the structures and functions of parasite proteins from Sperm-coating protein / Tpx / antigen 5 / pathogenesis related-1 / Sc7 (SCP/TAPS) superfamily. In many nematodes, the major proteins secreted upon transition to parasitism are SCP/TAPS. These proteins are characterized by a ~15 kDa cysteine-rich CAP domain, with limited sequence identity. While many eukaryotic SCP/TAPS proteins only have one CAP domain, some parasite CAP proteins have two covalently linked CAP domains. Additionally, the CAP domain has been implicated in lipid binding and transport with at least three unique lipid-binding regions. Structural analysis of nematode SCP/TAPS and other proteins will be presented in the context of their possible functions.
Permission Type
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Structural studies of worm proteins- adventures with nematode CAP proteins
Other
Invited presentation; guest of Dr. Douglas Armstrong. Connect to Zoom recording link using pass code: m$%X1Dkl
Dr. Asojo's research on drugs for rare and neglected, tropical diseases was described in the February 15/22 (2021) issue of C&EN.
Abstract
My lab's focus over the past two decades includes characterizing neglected parasite proteins' structures and functions. Some of the proteins are vaccine candidates, immune evasion molecules, and immune suppression molecules. Characterizing these structures allows us to: identify interactions with host proteins, define mechanisms of action of novel proteins, identify minimally active fragments of vaccines, and generate preliminary data for rational drug design. Our studies have revealed structural similarity between parasite and host proteins, likely due to co-evolution, and maybe part of parasites' attempts to mimic hosts. We have also characterized the structures and functions of parasite proteins from Sperm-coating protein / Tpx / antigen 5 / pathogenesis related-1 / Sc7 (SCP/TAPS) superfamily. In many nematodes, the major proteins secreted upon transition to parasitism are SCP/TAPS. These proteins are characterized by a ~15 kDa cysteine-rich CAP domain, with limited sequence identity. While many eukaryotic SCP/TAPS proteins only have one CAP domain, some parasite CAP proteins have two covalently linked CAP domains. Additionally, the CAP domain has been implicated in lipid binding and transport with at least three unique lipid-binding regions. Structural analysis of nematode SCP/TAPS and other proteins will be presented in the context of their possible functions.