IscX (or YfhJ) is a protein of unknown function which takes part in the iron-sulfur cluster assembly machinery, a highly specialized and essential metabolic pathway. IscX binds to iron with low affinity and interacts with IscS, the desulfurase central to cluster assembly. Previous studies have suggested a competition between IscX and CyaY, the bacterial ortholog of frataxin, for the same bindin...

Direct coupling analysis (DCA) is a powerful statistical inference tool used to study protein evolution. It was introduced to predict protein folds and protein-protein interactions, and has also been applied to the prediction of entire interactomes. Here, we have used it to analyze three proteins of the iron-sulfur biogenesis machine, an essential metabolic pathway conserved in all organisms. W...

We have exploited the capability of in-cell NMR to selectively observe flexible regions within folded proteins to carry out a comparative study of two members of the highly conserved frataxin family which are found both in prokaryotes and in eukaryotes. They all contain a globular domain which shares more than 50% identity, which in eukaryotes is preceded by an N-terminal tail containing the mi...

Friedreich's ataxia is caused by a deficit in frataxin, a small mitochondrial protein of unknown function that has been conserved during evolution. Previous studies have pointed out a role for frataxin in mitochondrial iron-sulfur (Fe-S) metabolism. Here, we have analyzed the incorporation of Fe-S clusters into yeast ferredoxin imported into isolated energized mitochondria from cells grown in t...

Reduced levels of frataxin, an essential protein of as yet unknown function, are responsible for causing the neurodegenerative pathology Friedreich's ataxia. Independent reports have linked frataxin to iron-sulphur cluster assembly through interactions with the two central components of this machinery: desulphurase Nfs1/IscS and the scaffold protein Isu/IscU. In this study, we use a combination...

The impulse oscillation system (IOS) measures respiratory impedance (Zrs) in terms of resistance (Rrs) and reactance (Xrs) at multiples of 5 Hz. These measurements can be used clinically to help diagnose and monitor respiratory disorders, independent of effort. There is, as yet, no information on reference values for IOS in Iranian adolescents.The predictive equation for resistance and impedanc...

Frataxin is a highly conserved nuclear-encoded mitochondrial protein whose deficiency is the primary cause of Friedreich's ataxia, an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease. The frataxin structure comprises a well-characterized globular domain that is present in all species and is preceded in eukaryotes by a non-conserved N-terminal tail that contains the mitochondrial import signal. Lit...

The proteomics strategy was utilized to analyze and identify the gold adsorption proteins from Tepidimonas fonticaldi AT-A2, due to its outstanding performance in gold-binding and recovery. The results showed that three small proteins, including histidine biosynthesis protein (HisIE), iron donor protein (CyaY) and hypothetical protein_65aa, have a higher ability to adsorb gold ions because of t...

Frataxin is a highly conserved mitochondrial protein whose deficiency in humans results in Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA), an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by progressive ataxia and cardiomyopathy. Although its cellular function is still not fully clear, the fact that frataxin plays a crucial role in Fe-S assembly on the scaffold protein Isu is well accepted. In the present paper, we r...