The Protein Factory 2.0
Welcome to a world of new solutions
Professor Loredano Pollegioni has been elected Treasurer of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Antibody-drug conjugates, also named “armed antibodies”, can direct drugs to specific tissues. Here an evolved version of the ROS-generating enzyme D-amino acid oxidase was delivered to tumors by generating a chimeric protein with the F8 antibody against EDA of fibronectin, a protein abundantly expressed in the subendothelial extracellular matrix of tumor vessels. The recombinant chimeric protein produced in E. coli cells generates a strong cytotoxicity to tumor cells following the supplementation of the pro-drug D-alanine, especially when an inhibitor of the antioxidant systems is used.
Rosini et al., 2021. Nanomedicine. doi: 10.1016/j.nano.2021.102424.
New publication:
the human enzyme D-3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase catalyzes the first step of the L-serine biosynthesis, which plays an important role in numerous physiological functions. This enzyme is involved in cancer progression and in several neurological disorders. Here our new publication on PHGDH biochemical properties, part of PRIN project “Dissecting serine metabolism in the brain”. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/8/4231/htm
The cover art by Valentina Pirillo has been selected in The FEBS Journal Cover Competition 2021:
this image is an artist representation of a plastic-degrading enzyme (PET hydrolase) that is correlated with the recent Emerging Methods and Technologies article published in The FEBS Journal: ‘Analytical methods for the investigation of enzyme-catalyzed degradation of polyethylene terephthalate’ by Valentina Pirillo, Loredano Pollegioni and Gianluca Molla.
Rendered with 3D Protein Imaging
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Not only regulation of D-amino acids. We propose a new function for human D-amino acid oxidase: DAAO plays an important role in the maintenance of the homeostasis of gut microbiota through the production of two antimicrobial peptides in the intestinal lumen. Murtas et al., 2021. Cell Mol Life Sci. doi: 10.1007/s00018-020-03755-w.
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Serum D- and L-serine levels can represent a suitable, easy-to-detect and precocious biomarker for the diagnosis of the Alzheimer's disease and its progression. Piubelli et al., 2021. Transl Psych. doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01202-3.
NOVEMBER 2020:
Elena Rosini produced the recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein. The coronavirus spike protein plays a key role in the early steps of COVID-19 viral infection, mainly through the interaction with the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) present on the surface of alveolar epithelial cells. Both the full-length and a truncated form (containing only the receptor binding domain) of S-protein are available at "The Protein Factory 2.0" lab and can be used to develop new diagnostic tools.
