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Analysis of institutional authors

Fernandez Pacios, LuisAuthorCuevas-Zuviría BAuthorGarrido-Arandia MAuthor

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August 17, 2020
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A computational structural study on the DNA-protecting role of the tardigrade-unique Dsup protein

Publicated to:Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 13424- - 2020-12-01 10(1), DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70431-1

Authors: Mínguez-Toral M; Cuevas-Zuviría B; Garrido-Arandia M; Pacios LF

Affiliations

Biotecnología Vegetal. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid - Author
Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros Agronomos de Madrid - Author
Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria - Author

Abstract

© 2020, The Author(s). The remarkable ability of tardigrades to withstand a wide range of physical and chemical extremes has attracted a considerable interest in these small invertebrates, with a particular focus on the protective roles of proteins expressed during such conditions. The discovery that a tardigrade-unique protein named Dsup (damage suppressor) protects DNA from damage produced by radiation and radicals, has raised expectations concerning its potential applications in biotechnology and medicine. We present in this paper what might be dubbed a “computational experiment” on the Dsup-DNA system. By means of molecular modelling, calculations of electrostatic potentials and electric fields, and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we obtained a dynamic picture of the Dsup-DNA interaction. Our results suggest that the protein is intrinsically disordered, which enables Dsup to adjust its structure to fit DNA shape. Strong electrostatic attractions and high protein flexibility drive the formation of a molecular aggregate in which Dsup shields DNA. While the precise mechanism of DNA protection conferred by Dsup remains to be elucidated, our study provides some molecular clues of their association that could be of interest for further investigation in this line.

Keywords

AnimalsBindingBiologyComputational biologyDamageDnaDna damageIntrinsic disorderMolecular dynamics simulationMolecular-dynamicsParticleProtein bindingProteinsRadiation toleranceSpaceStatic electricitySystemTardigradaTaxonomy

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Scientific Reports due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2020, it was in position 17/72, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Multidisciplinary Sciences.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from the Field Citation Ratio (FCR) of the Dimensions source, it yields a value of: 4.34, which indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: Dimensions Jul 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-07-20, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 1
  • Scopus: 23
  • Google Scholar: 31

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-07-20:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 88.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 92 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 153.95.
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 78 (Altmetric).
  • The number of mentions on Wikipedia: 1 (Altmetric).
  • The number of mentions in news outlets: 9 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Mínguez-Toral M) and Last Author (Pacios LF).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been Pacios LF.