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Hahm, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Hahm, J..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

NULISA: a novel proteomic liquid biopsy platform with attomolar sensitivity and high multiplexing

The blood proteome holds great promise for precision medicine but poses substantial challenges due to the low abundance of most plasma proteins and the vast dynamic range across the proteome. We report a novel proteomic technology - NUcleic acid Linked Immuno-Sandwich Assay (NULISA) - that incorporates a dual capture and release mechanism to suppress the assay background and improves the sensitivity of the proximity ligation assay by over 10,000-fold to the attomolar level. It utilizes pairs of antibodies conjugated to DNA oligonucleotides that enable immunocomplex purification and generate reporter DNA containing target- and sample-specific barcodes for a next-generation sequencing-based, highly multiplexed readout. A 200-plex NULISA targeting 124 cytokines and chemokines and 80 other immune response-related proteins demonstrated superior sensitivity for detecting low-abundance proteins and high concordance with other immunoassays. The ultrahigh sensitivity allowed the detection of previously difficult-to-detect, but biologically important, low-abundance biomarkers in patients with autoimmune diseases and COVID-19. Fully automated NULISA addresses longstanding challenges in proteomic analysis of liquid biopsies and makes broad and in-depth proteomic analysis accessible to the general research community and future diagnostic applications.

genomics↗

Direct photoresponsive inhibition of a p53-like transcription activation domain in PIF3 by Arabidopsis phytochrome B

Phytochrome B (PHYB) triggers diverse light responses in Arabidopsis by binding to a group of antagonistically acting PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING transcription FACTORs (PIFs) to promote PIF degradation, consequently downregulating PIF target genes. However, whether PHYB directly controls the transactivation activity of PIFs remains ambiguous. Here we show that the prototypic PIF, PIF3, possesses a p53-like transcription activation domain (TAD) consisting of a sequence-specific, hydrophobic activator motif surrounded by acidic residues. A PIF3mTAD mutant in which the activator motif is replaced with alanines fails to activate PIF3 target genes in Arabidopsis in dark, light, and shade conditions, validating the in vivo functions of the PIF3 TAD. Intriguingly, binding of PHYBs N-terminal photosensory module to the PHYB-binding site adjacent to the TAD inhibits its transactivation activity. These results unveil a photoresponsive transcriptional switching mechanism in which photoactivated PHYB directly masks the transactivation activity of PIF3. Our study also suggests the unexpected conservation of sequence-specific TADs between the animal and plant kingdoms.

plant biology↗

Increases in ambient temperature progressively disassemble Arabidopsis phytochrome B from individual photobodies with distinct thermostabilities

Warm temperature is postulated to induce plant thermomorphogenesis through a signaling mechanism similar to shade, as both destabilize the active form of the photoreceptor and thermosensor phytochrome B (phyB). At the cellular level, shade antagonizes phyB signaling by triggering phyB disassembly from photobodies. Here we report temperature-dependent photobody localization of fluorescent protein-tagged phyB (phyB-FP) in the epidermal cells of Arabidopsis hypocotyl and cotyledon. Our results demonstrate that warm temperature operates through different photobody dynamics from shade. Increases in temperature from 12{degrees}C to 27{degrees}C incrementally reduce photobody number by stimulating phyB-FP disassembly from selective thermo-unstable photobodies. The thermostability of photobodies relies on phyBs photosensory module. Surprisingly, elevated temperatures inflict opposite effects on phyBs functions in the hypocotyl and cotyledon despite inducing similar photobody dynamics, indicative of tissue/organ-specific temperature signaling circuitry downstream of photobody dynamics. Our results thus provide direct cell biology evidence supporting an early temperature signaling mechanism via dynamic assembly/disassembly of individual photobodies possessing distinct thermostabilities.

plant biology↗