Università della Svizzera italiana

Insights into the effect of the G245S single point mutation on the structure of p53 and the binding of the protein to DNA

Lepre, Marco Gaetano ; Omar, Sara Ibrahim ; Grasso, Gianvito ; Morbiducci, Umberto ; Deriu, Marco Agostino ; Tuszynski, Jack A.

In: Molecules, 2017, vol. 22, no. 8, p. 1358

The transcription factor p53 is a potent tumor suppressor dubbed as the “guardian of the genome” because of its ability to orchestrate protective biological outputs in response to a variety of oncogenic stresses. Mutation and thus inactivation of p53 can be found in 50% of human tumors. The majority are missense mutations located in the DNA binding region. Among them, G245S is known to be...

Università della Svizzera italiana

Protein environment : a crucial triggering factor in Josephin domain aggregation : the role of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol

Visentin, Cristina ; Navarro, Susanna ; Grasso, Gianvito ; Regonesi, Maria Elena ; Deriu, Marco Agostino ; Tortora, Paolo ; Ventura, Salvador

In: International journal of molecular sciences, 2018, vol. 19, no. 8, p. 2151

The protein ataxin-3 contains a polyglutamine stretch that triggers amyloid aggregation when it is expanded beyond a critical threshold. This results in the onset of the spinocerebellar ataxia type 3. The protein consists of the globular N-terminal Josephin domain and a disordered C-terminal tail where the polyglutamine stretch is located. Expanded ataxin-3 aggregates via a two-stage...