Biology subjects

Mosalaganti, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Mosalaganti, S..

20 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

bioRxiv2020

In situ structural analysis of SARS-CoV-2 spike reveals flexibility mediated by three hinges

The spike (S) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is required for cell entry and is the major focus for vaccine development. We combine cryo electron tomography, subtomogram averaging and molecular dynamics simulations to structurally analyze S in situ. Compared to recombinant S, the viral S is more heavily glycosylated and occurs predominantly in a closed pre-fusion conformation. We show that the stalk domain of S contains three hinges that give the globular domain unexpected orientational freedom. We propose that the hinges allow S to scan the host cell surface, shielded from antibodies by an extensive glycan coat. The structure of native S contributes to our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of safe vaccines. The large scale tomography data set of SARS-CoV-2 used for this study is therefore sufficient to resolve structural features to below 5 [A]ngstrom, and is publicly available at EMPIAR-10453.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2017

In situ architecture of the algal nuclear pore complex

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) span the nuclear envelope and mediate nucleocytoplasmic exchange. They are a hallmark of eukaryotes and are deeply rooted in the evolutionary origin of cellular compartmentalization. NPCs have an elaborate architecture that has been well studied in vertebrates. Whether this architecture is unique or varies significantly in other eukaryotic kingdoms remains unknown, predominantly due to missing in situ structural data. Here, we report the architecture of the algal NPC from the early branching eukaryote Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and compare it to the human NPC. We find that the inner ring of the Chlamydomonas NPC has an unexpectedly large diameter, and the outer rings exhibit an asymmetric oligomeric state that is unprecedented compared to all previously proposed models of NPC architecture. Our study provides evidence that the NPC is subject to substantial structural variation between species. The divergent and conserved features of NPC architecture provide insights into the evolution of the nucleocytoplasmic transport machinery.

cell biology↗