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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

The past, present and future of microbiome analyses

Microbes evolved on Earth approximately 3.5 billion years ago and eventually occupied every habitable environment in its biosphere. While microorganisms are responsible for key functions on Earth including carbon and nutrient cycling and determining the health and disease of its inhabitants (i.e. plants and animals), >99% of the estimated trillions of microbes have yet to be discovered.1 In addition, high microbial diversity has made it difficult to study specific functions carried out by complex microbial communities within "microbiomes", such as those inhabiting the soil and human gut.2,3 Fortunately, technological advances over the last few decades have greatly facilitated studies of complex microbiomes and their functions. Here we will specifically discuss advances related to nucleic acid sequencing and mass spectrometry analyses that have enabled exploration and understanding of complex microbiomes in a range of environments and our own bodies.4,5,6,7

Next Generation sequencing and Mass Spec↗
DOE OSTI2017

Guide-bound structures of an RNA-targeting A-cleaving CRISPR–Cas13a enzyme

CRISPR adaptive immune systems protect bacteria from infections by deploying CRISPR RNA (crRNA)-guided enzymes to recognize and cut foreign nucleic acids. Type VI-A CRISPR–Cas systems include the Cas13a enzyme, an RNA-activated RNase capable of crRNA processing and single-stranded RNA degradation upon target-transcript binding. Here we present the 2.0-Å resolution crystal structure of a crRNA-bound Lachnospiraceae bacterium Cas13a (LbaCas13a), representing a recently discovered Cas13a enzyme subtype. This structure and accompanying biochemical experiments define the Cas13a catalytic residues that are directly responsible for crRNA maturation. In addition, the orientation of the foreign-derived target-RNA-specifying sequence in the protein interior explains the conformational gating of Cas13a nuclease activation. These results describe how Cas13a enzymes generate functional crRNAs and how catalytic activity is blocked before target-RNA recognition, with implications for both bacterial immunity and diagnostic applications.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Structural visualization of RNA polymerase III transcription machineries

Abstract RNA polymerase III (Pol III) transcription initiation requires the action of the transcription factor IIIB (TFIIIB) and is highly regulated. Here, we determine the structures of Pol III pre-initiation complexes (PICs) using single particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). We observe stable Pol III–TFIIIB complexes using nucleic acid scaffolds mimicking various functional states, in which TFIIIB tightly encircles the upstream promoter DNA. There is an intricate interaction between TFIIIB and Pol III, which stabilizes the winged-helix domains of the C34 subunit of Pol III over the active site cleft. The architecture of Pol III PIC more resembles that of the Pol II PIC than the Pol I PIC. In addition, we also obtain a 3D reconstruction of Pol III in complex with TFIIIB using the elongation complex (EC) scaffold, shedding light on the mechanism of facilitated recycling of Pol III prior to transcription re-initiation.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Coupling of ssRNA cleavage with DNase activity in type III-A CRISPR-Csm revealed by cryo-EM and biochemistry

The type III CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR-associated genes) systems are bacterially encoded adaptive immune systems for defense against invading nucleic acids. They accomplish this task through the coordinated cleavage of invading substrates of single-stranded RNA and DNA (ssDNA and ssRNA) by the Csm (type III-A) or Cmr (type III-B) effector complexes. The ssRNA is complementarily bound to the CRISPR RNA (crRNA). However, the structural basis for the DNase and RNase activation of the Csm nucleoprotein complex is largely unknown. Here we report cryo-EM structures of the Csm-crRNA complex, with or without target ssRNA, at near-atomic resolution. Our cryo-EM maps allow us to build atomic models of the key macromolecular components, including Cas10, Csm2, Csm3, Csm4, crRNA and the invading ssRNA. Our structure resolves unambiguously the stoichiometry and tertiary structures of the Csm protein complex and the interactions between protein components and the crRNA/ssRNA. Interestingly, the new atomic structures of the Csm proteins presented here are similar to those of previously known Csm proteins in other species despite their low sequence similarity. Our combined structural and biochemical data suggest that ssRNA cleavage is preferentially carried out near its 5’-end, that the extent of interactions among the ssRNA, crRNA and the protein components regulates the DNase activity of the Csm complex, and that the 3’ flanking sequence of ssRNA activates the Cas10 DNase activity allosterically.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Structural basis for IL-1α recognition by a modified DNA aptamer that specifically inhibits IL-1α signaling

IL-1α is an essential cytokine that contributes to inflammatory responses and is implicated in various forms of pathogenesis and cancer. Here we report a naphthyl modified DNA aptamer that specifically binds IL-1α and inhibits its signaling pathway. By solving the crystal structure of the IL-1α/aptamer, we provide a high-resolution structure of this critical cytokine and we reveal its functional interaction interface with high-affinity ligands. The non-helical aptamer, which represents a highly compact nucleic acid structure, contains a wealth of new conformational features, including an unknown form of G-quadruplex. The IL-1α/aptamer interface is composed of unusual polar and hydrophobic elements, along with an elaborate hydrogen bonding network that is mediated by sodium ion. IL-1α uses the same interface to interact with both the aptamer and its cognate receptor IL-1RI, thereby suggesting a novel route to immunomodulatory therapeutics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

A guanine-flipping and sequestration mechanism for G-quadruplex unwinding by RecQ helicases

Homeostatic regulation of G-quadruplexes (G4s), four-stranded structures that can form in guanine-rich nucleic acids, requires G4 unwinding helicases. The mechanisms that mediate G4 unwinding remain unknown. We report the structure of a bacterial RecQ DNA helicase bound to resolved G4 DNA. Unexpectedly, a guanine base from the unwound G4 is sequestered within a guanine-specific binding pocket. Disruption of the pocket in RecQ blocks G4 unwinding, but not G4 binding or duplex DNA unwinding, indicating its essential role in structure-specific G4 resolution. A novel guanine-flipping and sequestration model that may be applicable to other G4-resolving helicases emerges from these studies.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Multi-level chirality in liquid crystals formed by achiral molecules

Complex materials often exhibit a hierarchical structure with an intriguing mechanism responsible for the 'propagation' of order from the molecular to the nano- or micro-scale level. In particular, the chirality of biological molecules such as nucleic acids and amino acids is responsible for the helical structure of DNA and proteins, which in turn leads to the lack of mirror symmetry of macro-bio-objects. To fully understand mechanisms of cross-level order transfer there is an intensive search for simpler artificial structures exhibiting hierarchical arrangement. Here we present complex systems built of achiral molecules that show four levels of structural chirality: layer chirality, helicity of a basic repeating unit, mesoscopic helix and helical filaments. The structures are identified by a combination of hard and soft x-ray diffraction measurements, optical studies and theoretical modelling. Similarly to many biological systems, the studied materials exhibit a coupling between chirality at different levels.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Target preference of Type III-A CRISPR-Cas complexes at the transcription bubble

Type III-A CRISPR-Cas systems are prokaryotic RNA-guided adaptive immune systems that use a protein-RNA complex, Csm, for transcription-dependent immunity against foreign DNA. Csm can cleave RNA and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), but whether it targets one or both nucleic acids during transcription elongation is unknown. Here, we show that binding of a Thermus thermophilus ( T. thermophilus ) Csm (TthCsm) to a nascent transcript in a transcription elongation complex (TEC) promotes tethering but not direct contact of TthCsm with RNA polymerase (RNAP). Biochemical experiments show that both TthCsm and Staphylococcus epidermidis ( S. epidermidis ) Csm (SepCsm) cleave RNA transcripts, but not ssDNA, at the transcription bubble. Taken together, these results suggest that Type III systems primarily target transcripts, instead of unwound ssDNA in TECs, for immunity against double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) phages and plasmids. This reveals similarities between Csm and eukaryotic RNA interference, which also uses RNA-guided RNA targeting to silence actively transcribed genes.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Sequence-selective dynamic covalent assembly of information-bearing oligomers

Relatively robust dynamic covalent interactions have been employed extensively to mediate molecular self-assembly reactions; however, these assembly processes often do not converge to a thermodynamic equilibrium, instead yielding mixtures of kinetically-trapped species. Here, we report a dynamic covalent self-assembly process that mitigates kinetic trapping such that multiple unique oligomers bearing covalently coreactive pendant groups are able to undergo simultaneous, sequence-selective hybridization with their complementary strands to afford biomimetic, in-registry molecular ladders with covalent rungs. Analogous to the thermal cycling commonly employed for nucleic acid melting and annealing, this is achieved by raising and lowering the concentration of a multi-role reagent to effect quantitative dissociation and subsequently catalyze covalent bond rearrangement, affording selective assembly of the oligomeric sequences. The hybridization specificity afforded by this process further enabled information encoded in oligomers to be retrieved through selective hybridization with complementary, mass-labeled sequences.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

A deep learning approach to programmable RNA switches

Engineered RNA elements are programmable tools capable of detecting small molecules, proteins, and nucleic acids. Predicting the behavior of these synthetic biology components remains a challenge, a situation that could be addressed through enhanced pattern recognition from deep learning. Here, we investigate Deep Neural Networks (DNN) to predict toehold switch function as a canonical riboswitch model in synthetic biology. To facilitate DNN training, we synthesize and characterize in vivo a dataset of 91,534 toehold switches spanning 23 viral genomes and 906 human transcription factors. DNNs trained on nucleotide sequences outperform (R 2 = 0.43–0.70) previous state-of-the-art thermodynamic and kinetic models (R 2 = 0.04–0.15) and allow for human-understandable attention-visualizations (VIS4Map) to identify success and failure modes. This work shows that deep learning approaches can be used for functionality predictions and insight generation in RNA synthetic biology.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Dynamic self-assembly of compartmentalized DNA nanotubes

Abstract Bottom-up synthetic biology aims to engineer artificial cells capable of responsive behaviors by using a minimal set of molecular components. An important challenge toward this goal is the development of programmable biomaterials that can provide active spatial organization in cell-sized compartments. Here, we demonstrate the dynamic self-assembly of nucleic acid (NA) nanotubes inside water-in-oil droplets. We develop methods to encapsulate and assemble different types of DNA nanotubes from programmable DNA monomers, and demonstrate temporal control of assembly via designed pathways of RNA production and degradation. We examine the dynamic response of encapsulated nanotube assembly and disassembly with the support of statistical analysis of droplet images. Our study provides a toolkit of methods and components to build increasingly complex and functional NA materials to mimic life-like functions in synthetic cells.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Resolving the structure of phage–bacteria interactions in the context of natural diversity

Microbial communities are shaped by viral predators. Yet, resolving which viruses (phages) and bacteria are interacting is a major challenge in the context of natural levels of microbial diversity. Thus, fundamental features of how phage-bacteria interactions are structured and evolve in the wild remain poorly resolved. Here we use large-scale isolation of environmental marine Vibrio bacteria and their phages to obtain estimates of strain-level phage predator loads, and use all-by-all host range assays to discover how phage and host genomic diversity shape interactions. We show that lytic interactions in environmental interaction networks (as observed in agar overlay) are sparse—with phage predator loads being low for most bacterial strains, and phages being host-strain-specific. Paradoxically, we also find that although overlap in killing is generally rare between tailed phages, recombination is common. Together, these results suggest that recombination during cryptic co-infections is an important mode of phage evolution in microbial communities. In the development of phages for bioengineering and therapeutics it is important to consider that nucleic acids of introduced phages may spread into local phage populations through recombination, and that the likelihood of transfer is not predictable based on lytic host range.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Structural basis of tRNA recognition by the widespread OB fold

The widespread oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB)-fold recognizes diverse substrates from sugars to nucleic acids and proteins, and plays key roles in genome maintenance, transcription, translation, and tRNA metabolism. OB-containing bacterial Trbp and yeast Arc1p proteins are thought to recognize the tRNA elbow or anticodon regions. Here we report a 2.6 Å co-crystal structure of Aquifex aeolicus Trbp111 bound to tRNA Ile , which reveals that Trbp recognizes tRNAs solely by capturing their 3' ends. Structural, mutational, and biophysical analyses show that the Trbp/EMAPII-like OB fold precisely recognizes the single-stranded structure, 3' terminal location, and specific sequence of the 3' CA dinucleotide — a universal feature of mature tRNAs. Arc1p supplements its OB – tRNA 3' end interaction with additional contacts that involve an adjacent basic region and the tRNA body. This study uncovers a previously unrecognized mode of tRNA recognition by an ancient protein fold, and provides insights into protein-mediated tRNA aminoacylation, folding, localization, trafficking, and piracy.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Developmental assembly of multi-component polymer systems through interconnected synthetic gene networks in vitro

Abstract Living cells regulate the dynamics of developmental events through interconnected signaling systems that activate and deactivate inert precursors. This suggests that similarly, synthetic biomaterials could be designed to develop over time by using chemical reaction networks to regulate the availability of assembling components. Here we demonstrate how the sequential activation or deactivation of distinct DNA building blocks can be modularly coordinated to form distinct populations of self-assembling polymers using a transcriptional signaling cascade of synthetic genes. Our building blocks are DNA tiles that polymerize into nanotubes, and whose assembly can be controlled by RNA molecules produced by synthetic genes that target the tile interaction domains. To achieve different RNA production rates, we use a strategy based on promoter “nicking” and strand displacement. By changing the way the genes are cascaded and the RNA levels, we demonstrate that we can obtain spatially and temporally different outcomes in nanotube assembly, including random DNA polymers, block polymers, and as well as distinct autonomous formation and dissolution of distinct polymer populations. Our work demonstrates a way to construct autonomous supramolecular materials whose properties depend on the timing of molecular instructions for self-assembly, and can be immediately extended to a variety of other nucleic acid circuits and assemblies.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2019

Crystal engineering with DNA

This Review chronicles over two decades of research into creating a genetic code for crystal engineering. Rather than directing biological processes, this code uses synthetic forms of DNA to programme the assembly of nanoparticles and microparticles into 1D, 2D and 3D crystalline architectures, in which almost every aspect of the resultant structures can be systematically controlled. Within this conceptual framework, the structural and functional advances are described in an effort to define the present level of sophistication and to predict future directions of the platform. These advances include exotic structures with programmable lattice symmetries and well-defined crystal habits, responsive materials that leverage the intrinsic properties of nucleic acids to manipulate structures on demand, nanoparticle superlattices grown epitaxially from surfaces and colloidal crystals that offer insights into light–matter interactions. Looking forward, we challenge the community to leverage the extraordinary structural control afforded by crystal engineering with DNA to synthesize classes of functional materials that push beyond what has been possible with naturally occurring crystalline materials or those made by more conventional strategies.

catalysis (homogeneous), solar (photovoltaic), bio↗
DOE OSTI2018

Structural basis of G-quadruplex unfolding by the DEAH/RHA helicase DHX36

Guanine-rich nucleic acid sequences challenge the replication, transcription, and translation machinery by spontaneously folding into G-quadruplexes, the unfolding of which requires forces greater than most polymerases can exert. Eukaryotic cells contain numerous helicases that can unfold G-quadruplexes. The molecular basis of the recognition and unfolding of G-quadruplexes by helicases remains poorly understood. DHX36 (also known as RHAU and G4R1), a member of the DEAH/RHA family of helicases, binds both DNA and RNA G-quadruplexes with extremely high affinity, is consistently found bound to G-quadruplexes in cells, and is a major source of G-quadruplex unfolding activity in HeLa cell lysates. DHX36 is a multi-functional helicase that has been implicated in G-quadruplex-mediated transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation, and is essential for heart development, haematopoiesis, and embryogenesis in mice. Here we report the co-crystal structure of bovine DHX36 bound to a DNA with a G-quadruplex and a 3' single-stranded DNA segment. Furthermore, we show that the N-terminal DHX36-specific motif folds into a DNA-binding-induced α-helix that, together with the OB-fold-like subdomain, selectively binds parallel G-quadruplexes. Comparison with unliganded and ATP-analogue-bound DHX36 structures, together with single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analysis, suggests that G-quadruplex binding alone induces rearrangements of the helicase core; by pulling on the single-stranded DNA tail, these rearrangements drive G-quadruplex unfolding one residue at a time.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Polymers with controlled assembly and rigidity made with click-functional peptide bundles

The engineering of biological molecules is a key concept in the design of highly functional, sophisticated soft materials. Biomolecules exhibit a wide range of functions and structures, including chemical recognition (of enzyme substrates or adhesive ligands, for example), exquisite nanostructures (composed of peptides, proteins or nucleic acids), and unusual mechanical properties (such as silk-like strength, stiffness, viscoelasticity and resiliency). Here we combine the computational design of physical (noncovalent) interactions with pathway-dependent, hierarchical ‘click’ covalent assembly to produce hybrid synthetic peptide-based polymers. The nanometre-scale monomeric units of these polymers are homotetrameric, α-helical bundles of low-molecular-weight peptides. These bundled monomers, or ‘bundlemers’, can be designed to provide complete control of the stability, size and spatial display of chemical functionalities. The protein-like structure of the bundle allows precise positioning of covalent linkages between the ends of distinct bundlemers, resulting in polymers with interesting and controllable physical characteristics, such as rigid rods, semiflexible or kinked chains, and thermally responsive hydrogel networks. Chain stiffness can be controlled by varying only the linkage. Moreover, by controlling the amino acid sequence along the bundlemer periphery, we use specific amino acid side chains, including non-natural ‘click’ chemistry functionalities, to conjugate moieties into a desired pattern, enabling the creation of a wide variety of hybrid nanomaterials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Measurement of atom resolvability in cryo-EM maps with Q-scores

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) maps are now at the point where resolvability of individual atoms can be achieved. However, resolvability is not necessarily uniform throughout the map. We introduce a quantitative parameter to characterize the resolvability of individual atoms in cryo-EM maps, the map Q-score. Q-scores can be calculated for atoms in proteins, nucleic acids, water, ligands and other solvent atoms, using models fitted to or derived from cryo-EM maps. Q-scores can also be averaged to represent larger features such as entire residues and nucleotides. Averaged over entire models, Q-scores correlate very well with the estimated resolution of cryo-EM maps for both protein and RNA. Here, assuming the models they are calculated from are well fitted to the map, Q-scores can be used as a measure of resolvability in cryo-EM maps at various scales, from entire macromolecules down to individual atoms. Q-score analysis of multiple cryo-EM maps of the same proteins derived from different laboratories confirms the reproducibility of structural features from side chains down to water and ion atoms.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗