Background: New genes generated by retroposition are widespread in humans and other mammalian species. Usually, this process copies a single parental gene and inserts it into a distant genomic location. However, retroposition of two adjacent parental genes, i.e. co-retroposition, had not been reported until the hominoid chimeric gene, PIPSL, was identified recently. It was shown how two genes linked in tandem (phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinase, type I, alpha, PIP5K1A and proteasome 26S subunit, non-ATPase, 4, PSMD4) could be co-retroposed from a single RNA molecule to form this novel chimeric gene. However, understanding of the origination and biological function of PIPSL requires determination of the coding potential of this gene as well as the evolutionary forces acting on its hominoid copies.Results: We tackled these problems by analyzing the evolutionary signature in both within-species variation and between species divergence in the sequence and structure of the gene. We revealed a significant evolutionary signature: the coding region has significantly lower sequence variation, especially insertions and deletions, suggesting that the human copy may encode a protein. Moreover, a survey across five different hominoid species revealed that all adaptive changes of PSMD4-derived regions occurred on branches leading to human and chimp rather than other hominoid lineages. Finally, computational analysis suggests testis-specific transcription of PIPSL is regulated by tissue-dependent methylation rather than some transcriptional leakage.Conclusion: Therefore, this set of analyses showed that PIPSL is an extraordinary co-retroposed protein-coding gene that may participate in the male functions of humans and its close relatives.

NADP(H) is an important cofactor that controls many fundamental cellular processes. We have determined the crystal structure of HSCARG, a novel NADPH sensor, and found that it forms an asymmetrical dimer with only one subunit occupied by an NADPH molecule, and the two subunits have dramatically different conformations. To study the role of NADPH in affecting the structure and function of HSCARG, here, we constructed a series of HSCARG mutants to abolish NADPH binding ability. Protein structures of two mutants, R37A and Y81A, were solved by X-ray crystallography. The dimerization of wild-type and mutant HSCARG was studied by dynamic light scattering. Differences between the function of wild-type and mutant HSCARG were also compared. Our results show that binding of NADPH is necessary for HSCARG to form a stable asymmetric dimer. The conformation of the monomeric mutants was similar to that of NADPHbound Molecule I in wild-type HSCARG, although some conformational changes were found in the NADPH binding site. Furthermore, we also noticed that abolition of NADPH binding ability changes the distribution of HSCARG in the cell and that these mutants without NADPH are more strongly associated with argininosuccinate synthetase as compared with wild-type HSCARG. These data suggest that NADPH functions as an allosteric regulator of the structure and function of HSCARG. In response to the changes in the NADPH/NADP+ ratio within cells, HSCARG, as a redox sensor, associates and dissociates with NADPH to form a new dynamic equilibrium. This equilibrium, in turn, will tip the dimerization balance of the protein molecule and consequently controls the regulatory function of HSCARG.

Molecular patterns in pathogenic RNAs can be recognized by the innate immune system, and a component of this response is the interferon-induced enzyme RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR). The major activators of PKR have been proposed to be long double-stranded RNAs. We report that RNAs with very limited secondary structures activate PKR in a 5'-triphosphate-dependent fashion in vitro and in vivo. Activation of PKR by 5'-triphosphate RNA is independent of RIG-I and is enhanced by treatment with type 1 interferon (IFN-a). Surveillance of molecular features at the 5' end of transcripts by PKR presents a means of allowing pathogenic RNA to be distinguished from self-RNA. The evidence presented here suggests that this form of RNA-based discrimination may be a critical step in mounting an early immune response.

NAD(P) has long been known as an essential energy-carrying molecule in cells. Recent data, however, indicate that NAD(P) also plays critical signaling roles in regulating cellular functions. The crystal structure of a human protein, HSCARG, with functions previously unknown, has been determined to 2.4-Å resolution. The structure reveals that HSCARG can form an asymmetrical dimer with one subunit occupied by one NADP molecule and the other empty. Restructuring of its NAD(P)-binding Rossmann fold upon NADP binding changes an extended loop to an _-helix to restore the integrity of the Rossmann fold. The previously unobserved restructuring suggests that HSCARG may assume a resting state when the level of NADP(H) is normal within the cell. When the NADP(H) level passes a threshold, an extensive restructuring of HSCARG would result in the activation of its regulatory functions. Immunofluorescent imaging shows that HSCARG redistributes from being associated with intermediate filaments in the resting state to being dispersed in the nucleus and the cytoplasm. The structural change of HSCARG upon NADP(H) binding could be a new regulatory mechanism that responds only to a significant change of NADP(H) levels. One of the functions regulated by HSCARG may be argininosuccinate synthetase that is involved in NO synthesis.

Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) is a potential target for structure-based inhibitor design for the treatment of parasitic diseases. We created point mutants of Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis HGPRT and tested their activities to identify side chains that were important for function. Mutating residues Leu160 and Lys133 substantially diminished the activity of HGPRT, confirming their importance in catalysis. All 11 HGPRT mutants were subject to crystallization screening. The crystal structure of one mutant, L160I, was determined at 1.7 A ˚ resolution. Surprisingly, the active site is occupied by a peptide from the N-terminus of a neighboring tetramer. These crystal contacts suggest an alternate strategy for structure-based inhibitor design.