liang xiaoge

Ms. liang xiaoge


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

5Years (2022-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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CZCheng Zhu
Cheng Zhu
LXliang xiaoge
liang xiaoge
XCXu Chen
Xu Chen
MLMiaomiao Liang
Miaomiao Liang
JZJianting Zheng
Jianting Zheng
SLShukun Luo
Shukun Luo
Gametogenesis is an essential step for malaria parasite transmission and is activated in mosquito by signals including temperature drop, pH change, and mosquito-derived xanthurenic acid (XA). Recently, a membrane protein gametogenesis essential protein 1 (GEP1) was found to be responsible for sensing these signals and interacting with a giant guanylate cyclase α (GCα) to activate the cGMP-PKG-Ca2+ signaling pathway for malaria parasite gametogenesis. However, the molecular mechanisms for this process remain unclear. In this study, we used AlphaFold2 to predict the structure of GEP1 and found that it consists of a conserved N-terminal helical domain and a transmembrane domain that adopts a structure similar to that of cationic amino acid transporters. Molecular docking results showed that XA binds to GEP1 via a pocket similar to the ligand binding sites of known amino acid transporters. In addition, truncations of this N-terminal sequence significantly enhanced the expression, solubility, and stability of GEP1. In addition, we found that GEP1 interacts with GCα via its C-terminal region, which is interrupted by mutations of a few conserved residues. These findings provide further insights into the molecular mechanism for the XA recognition by GEP1 and the activation of the gametogenesis of malaria parasites through GEP1-GCα interaction.

27 June 2022 in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
MLMiaomiao Liang
Miaomiao Liang
XCXu Chen
Xu Chen
CZCheng Zhu
Cheng Zhu
LXliang xiaoge
liang xiaoge
ZGZhuoqun Gao
Zhuoqun Gao
SLShukun Luo
Shukun Luo