N-cadherin mechanosensing in ovarian follicles controls oocyte maturation and ovulation.

The cell adhesion molecule N-cadherin (CDH2) is a membrane component of adherens junctions which regulates tissue morphogenesis and architecture. In the follicles of mammalian ovaries, N-cadherin adherens junctions are present between granulosa cells, cumulus cells, and at the interface of cumulus cell transzonal projections and the oocyte. We demonstrate a mechanosensory role of N-cadherin integrating tissue structure and hormonal regulation of follicular morphogenic events including expansion of the cumulus-oocyte complex (COC) matrix, oocyte maturation, and ovulation.

Structure-guided design and synthesis of ATP-competitive N-acyl-substituted sulfamide d-alanine-d-alanine ligase inhibitors.

d-Alanine-d-alanine ligase (Ddl) catalyses the ATP-dependent formation of d-Ala-d-Ala, a critical component in bacterial cell wall biosynthesis and is a validated target for new antimicrobial agents. Here, we describe the structure-guided design, synthesis, and evaluation of ATP-competitive N-acyl-substituted sulfamides 27-36, 42, 46, 47 as inhibitors of Staphylococcus aureus Ddl (SaDdl). A crystal structure of SaDdl complexed with ATP and d-Ala-d-Ala (PDB: 7U9K) identified ATP-mimetic 8 as an initial scaffold for further inhibitor design.

DNA G-Quadruplex and i-Motif Structure Formation Is Interdependent in Human Cells.

Guanine- and cytosine-rich nucleic acid sequences have the potential to form secondary structures such as G-quadruplexes and i-motifs, respectively. We show that stabilization of G-quadruplexes using small molecules destabilizes the i-motifs, and vice versa, indicating these gene regulatory controllers are interdependent in human cells. This has important implications as these structures are predominately considered as isolated structural targets for therapy, but their interdependency highlights the interplay of both structures as an important gene regulatory switch.