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Human NUDT22 belongs to the diverse NUDIX family of proteins, but has, until now, remained uncharacterized. Here we show that human NUDT22 is a Mg2+-dependent UDP-glucose and UDP-galactose hydrolase, producing UMP and glucose 1-phosphate or galactose 1-phosphate. We present the structure of human NUDT22 alone and in a complex with the substrate UDP-glucose. These structures reveal a partially cons
Innate immune responses are rapid, dynamic and highly regulated to avoid overt reactions. This regulation is executed by innate immune tolerance mechanisms that remain obscure. Wnt5a is a signalling protein mainly involved in developmental processes and cancer. The effect of Wnt5a on inflammatory myeloid cells is controversial. Here, we combine primary cell cultures, in vitro binding studies, mass
Studies on the intergenerational transmission of human capital usually assume a one-way spillover from parents to children. However, children may also affect their parents’ human capital. Using exogenous variation in education, arising from a Swedish compulsory schooling reform in the 1950s and 1960s, we address this question by studying the causal effect of children's schooling on their parents’
Lactoferrin plays an important role in the defense against infections, including herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis. We studied the impact of three single nucleotide polymorphisms in the human lactoferrin gene on the susceptibility to HSV infections of the eye and the severity of such infections. Lactoferrin gene polymorphisms were determined by PCR combined with restriction fragment length anal
Psoriasis is a type-1 T cell-mediated, chronic inflammatory disease. Since interleukin (IL)-12p70 promotes the development of type-1 T cells, we investigated whether psoriasis is associated with an increased production of this cyctokine by blood cells. Results revealed that the production of IL-12p70 by cells of psoriasis patients stimulated by 1 and 10 ng per mL, but not 100 ng per mL of lipopoly
Cathelicidins are a family of antibacterial and lipopolysaccharide-binding proteins. hCAP-18, the only human cathelicidin, is a major protein of the specific granules of human neutrophils. The plasma level of hCAP-18 is >20-fold higher than that of other specific granule proteins relative to their levels within circulating neutrophils. The aim of this study was to elucidate the background for this
Yeast volatiles attract insects, which apparently is of mutual benefit, for both yeasts and insects. However, it is unknown whether biosynthesis of metabolites that attract insects is a basic and general trait, or if it is specific for yeasts that live in close association with insects. Our goal was to study chemical insect attractants produced by yeasts that span more than 250 million years of ev
BACKGROUND: Obesity rates have nearly tripled in the past 50 years, and by 2030 more than 1 billion individuals worldwide are projected to be obese. This creates a significant economic strain due to the associated non-communicable diseases. The root cause is an energy expenditure imbalance, owing to an interplay of lifestyle, environmental, and genetic factors. Obesity has a polygenic genetic arch
DEXD/H-box RNA helicases couple ATP hydrolysis to RNA remodeling by an unknown mechanism. We used x-ray crystallography and biochemical analysis of the human DEXD/H-box protein DDX19 to investigate its regulatory mechanism. The crystal structures of DDX19, in its RNA-bound prehydrolysis and free posthydrolysis state, reveal an alpha-helix that inserts between the conserved domains of the free prot
More than 12,000 South Korean doctors have gone on strike in a months-long protest against medical reforms. It may be the wrong position to take, but the government has much to account for too, say Erik Mobrand from Seoul National University and Hyejin Kim from National University of Singapore.
Nervous system function relies on the establishment of complex gene expression programs that provide neuron-type-specific and core pan-neuronal features. These complementary regulatory paradigms are controlled by terminal selector and parallel-acting transcription factors (TFs), respectively. Here, we identify the nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) TF as a pervasive direct and indirect regulator of both neur
Background: Over the past years, it has become clear that the microbial ecosystem in the gut has a profound capacity to interact with the host through the production of a wide range of bioactive metabolites. The microbially produced metabolite imidazole propionate (ImP) is clinically and mechanistically linked with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, but it is unclear how ImP is associated wit
Multiconfigurational pair-density functional theory (MC-PDFT) is a promising way to describe both strong and dynamic correlations in an inexpensive way. The functionals in MC-PDFT are often “translated” from standard spin density functionals. However, these translated functionals can in principle lead to “translated spin densities” with a nonzero imaginary component. Current developments so far ne
