Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jaroslaw Ruczynski, Brygida Parfianowicz, Piotr Mucha, Katarzyna Wisniewska, Lidia Piechowicz, Piotr Rekowski
Summary: Mastoparan is a peptide with antimicrobial properties and various biological activities. Its analogs have potential applications as antimicrobial, antiviral, and antitumor agents. This study designed and synthesized new Mastoparan analogs, and compared their antibacterial activity and structure. Two analogs were found to have high antibacterial activity, making them attractive targets for further research.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
J. Michael Conlon, Laure Guilhaudis, Samir Attoub, Laurent Coquet, Jerome Leprince, Thierry Jouenne, Milena Mechkarska
Summary: Peptidomic analysis of skin secretions from Boana boans frogs led to the isolation and structural characterization of five host-defense peptides with limited structural similarity to figainin 2 and picturin peptides. These peptides showed antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity against human tumor-derived cells.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aaron P. Decker, Abraham F. Mechesso, Guangshun Wang
Summary: Unlike the alpha-helical and beta-sheet antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), amino acid-rich AMPs have limited knowledge. This article conducted a systematic study on rich AMPs (>25%) from different life kingdoms using the Antimicrobial Peptide Database (APD) and program R. Of the 3425 peptides analyzed, 724 rich AMPs were identified. The distribution of rich AMPs differs among animals, bacteria, and plants. Certain amino acids are frequently observed in rich AMPs, while others are occasionally observed or not yet found. These findings can guide peptide design and rich AMPs show promise as future antibiotics.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lucia De Rosa, Donatella Diana, Rossella Di Stasi, Alessandra Romanelli, Michele F. M. Sciacca, Danilo Milardi, Carla Isernia, Roberto Fattorusso, Luca D. D'Andrea
Summary: Replacing leucine 10 in the QK peptide with different hydrophobic amino acids leads to changes in helical content and thermal stability, depending on the type of interaction that could be established between Leu7 and the residue in position 10. Interestingly, the changes in helical content and thermal stability are not always correlated, highlighting the complex nature of these interactions.
BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Hisako Sato, Masaru Shimizu, Keisuke Watanabe, Jun Yoshida, Izuru Kawamura, Jun Koshoubu
Summary: A multidimensional vibrational circular dichroism system with a positional coordinate was developed, utilizing a Quantum cascade laser as a high-intensity light source for precise focusing. The instrument was operated to analyze samples containing amide groups, including measurements in high background absorbance due to water medium. The system allowed for movement in both x and y directions, maintaining a mirror-image relation between optical antipodes.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Dongsheng Song, Rafal E. Dunin-Borkowski
Summary: This study presents a method for three-dimensional magnetic measurement at atomic scale using EMCD technology, which allows for obtaining signals related to magnetization in three Cartesian directions by using a subangstrom convergent electron beam in STEM. Atomic resolution EMCD signals from all three directions can be separately acquired by moving the detector, and signal enhancement can be achieved by using a defocused electron beam.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Munehiro Kumashiro, Ryoga Tsuji, Shoma Suenaga, Koichi Matsuo
Summary: The antimicrobial peptide magainin 2 (M2) interacts with bacterial cell membranes and causes structural damage. This study investigates the conformation and orientation of M2 on lipid membranes, as well as the mechanism of membrane-mediated oligomerization of M2. The results suggest that the formation of beta-strand oligomers plays a crucial role in the disruption of the cell membrane.
Article
Optics
Joohoon Kim, Wonjoong Kim, Dong Kyo Oh, Hyunjung Kang, Hongyoon Kim, Trevon Badloe, Seokwoo Kim, Chanwoong Park, Hojung Choi, Heon Lee, Junsuk Rho
Summary: This paper introduces a single-step printable platform for UV metasurfaces, which solves the problems of scarcity in low-loss UV materials and manufacturing limitations of high cost and low throughput. A UV-curable resin dispersed with zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles is developed as a printable material, which has a high refractive index and low extinction coefficient in the UV range. By utilizing nanoimprint lithography, UV metasurfaces can be fabricated in a single step. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of this method in fabricating UV metaholograms with vivid and clear holographic images. The proposed method enables repeat and rapid manufacturing of UV metasurfaces, bringing them closer to real-life applications.
LIGHT-SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Zhaohui Zong, Heng Zhang, Aiyou Hao, Pengyao Xing
Summary: This study reveals that intramolecular chirality transfer behaviors in ferrocene-conjugated amino acids depend on the substituent groups, influencing multiple intramolecular interactions and molecular geometry. The research also demonstrates that intramolecular weak forces have an impact on molecular geometry and contribute to diverse Cotton effects. This work provides evidence for the ignored intramolecular factors in self-assembled systems and paves the way for the fabrication of functional chiroptical systems.
DALTON TRANSACTIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alessandro Contini, Emanuela Erba, Valeria Bondavalli, Alberto Barbiroli, Maria Luisa Gelmi, Alessandra Romanelli
Summary: The chemical structure of oligonucleotide analogues determines their interaction with DNA and RNA, and research on new analogues has shown their ability to bind DNA and stabilize complexes.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yao Wang, Xiaole Wang, Jin Kim Montclare
Summary: The study presents the design and characterization of a triblock protein polymer hydrogel consisting of different self-assembling domains, which demonstrates stability, swelling ability, and sustained drug release. The hydrogel can be used for drug delivery with high encapsulation and controlled release of the drug over a specific time period.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Herman Duim, Maria Antonietta Loi
Summary: This article discusses the potential of chiral hybrid organic-inorganic metal halides (HMHs) in the field of optics, examining the impact of chiral transfer on electronic structure and optical properties. It further explores efforts to improve and tune the chiroptical response, while also proposing future research directions for enhancing chiral HMHs.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qi Zhang, Stefano Crespi, Ryojun Toyoda, Romain Costil, Wesley R. Browne, Da-Hui Qu, He Tian, Ben L. Feringa
Summary: By utilizing hydrogen bonds, control over the chirality of disulfide bonds is achieved to enable intramolecular and supramolecular chirality transfers, showcasing the accessibility of dynamic stereochemical space through noncovalent chirality transmission encoded in homochiral amino acid building blocks.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qi-Ping Hu, Hao Zhou, Teng-Yu Huang, Yu-Fei Ao, De-Xian Wang, Qi-Qiang Wang
Summary: An adaptive, achiral trithiourea molecular cage and its conformational and stereodynamics toward tricarboxylate anion binding are reported. The cage exhibits a flexible conformation and strongly binds 1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylate, forming a sandwich-like inclusion complex. By incorporating chiral arms on the guest, a gear-like complex with a specific helical sense is produced.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Prapenpuksiri Rungsa, Steve Peigneur, Nisachon Jangpromma, Sompong Klaynongsruang, Jan Tytgat, Sakda Daduang
Summary: This study investigates the structure-activity relationship of antimicrobial peptides by analyzing the effect of amino acid substitutions and deletion of C-terminal residues. It is found that phenylalanine substitution increases antibacterial activity, while deletions of C-terminal residues decrease antibacterial and hemolytic activity.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yves A. Muller, Sigrun Haege, Sewar Alkhashrom, Tobias Hoellriegl, Sebastian Weigert, Simon Dolles, Kerstin Hof, Sascha A. Walzer, Claudia Egerer-Sieber, Marcus Conrad, Stephanie Holst, Josephine Loesing, Eric Sonntag, Heinrich Sticht, Jutta Eichler, Manfred Marschall
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jasmin Meltretter, Johannes Wuest, Daniel Dittrich, Johannes Lach, Jonas Ludwig, Jutta Eichler, Monika Pischetsrieder
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Angela Tomasovic, Theresa Brand, Constanze Schanbacher, Sofia Kramer, Martin W. Huemmert, Patricio Godoy, Wolfgang Schmidt-Heck, Peter Nordbeck, Jonas Ludwig, Susanne Homann, Armin Wiegering, Timur Shaykhutdinov, Christoph Kratz, Ruth Knuechel, Hans-Konrad Mueller-Hermelink, Andreas Rosenwald, Norbert Frey, Jutta Eichler, Dobromir Dobrev, Ali El-Armouche, Jan G. Hengstler, Oliver J. Mueller, Karsten Hinrichs, Friederike Cuello, Alma Zernecke, Kristina Lorenz
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2020)
Review
Virology
Manfred Marschall, Sigrun Haege, Marcus Conrad, Sewar Alkhashrom, Jintawee Kicuntod, Johannes Schweininger, Mark Kriegel, Josephine Loesing, Julia Tillmanns, Frank Neipel, Jutta Eichler, Yves A. Muller, Heinrich Sticht
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Rebecca Hoffmann, Tamara Ruegamer, Johanna Schaubaecher, Anette Rohrhofer, Peter Kirmess, Karen M. Fiebig, Barbara Schmidt, Jutta Eichler
Summary: Co-infection with HPgV-1 can benefit disease progression in HIV-1-infected individuals, with the peptide P6-2 showing inhibitory activity against HIV-1 by interacting with the envelope glycoprotein gp120.
Article
Virology
Jintawee Kicuntod, Sewar Alkhashrom, Sigrun Hage, Benedikt Diewald, Regina Muller, Friedrich Hahn, Peter Lischka, Heinrich Sticht, Jutta Eichler, Manfred Marschall
Summary: This study investigates the oligomeric interaction of HCMV core NEC and the antiviral activity of targeted inhibitors, suggesting the oligomeric binding pattern and drug-accessible complex as validated antiviral drug targets. The research provides insights into the formation of HCMV core NEC and the potential for developing new antiviral strategies.
Article
Virology
Sewar Alkhashrom, Jintawee Kicuntod, Sigrun Haege, Johannes Schweininger, Yves A. Muller, Peter Lischka, Manfred Marschall, Jutta Eichler
Summary: The study identified a new type of small molecule inhibitors that can inhibit HCMV core NEC formation and have antiviral effects on HCMV infection.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mark Kriegel, Hanna J. Wiederanders, Sewar Alkhashrom, Jutta Eichler, Yves A. Muller
Summary: The application of PROSS server algorithms enabled the development of variant ERPRS* with 24 amino acid substitutions, leading to improved production rates, crystallization, and thermal stability. Despite 10% amino acid substitutions, ERPRS* preserved the allosteric regulatory behaviors of nuclear receptors, suggesting promise for developing novel modulators targeting hER alpha.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Antonia Sophia Peter, Edith Roth, Sebastian R. Schulz, Kirsten Fraedrich, Tobit Steinmetz, Dominik Damm, Manuela Hauke, Elie Richel, Sandra Mueller-Schmucker, Katharina Habenicht, Valentina Eberlein, Leila Issmail, Nadja Uhlig, Simon Dolles, Eva Gruner, David Peterhoff, Sandra Ciesek, Markus Hoffmann, Stefan Pohlmann, Paul F. McKay, Robin J. Shattock, Roman Wolfel, Eileen Socher, Ralf Wagner, Jutta Eichler, Heinrich Sticht, Wolfgang Schuh, Frank Neipel, Armin Ensser, Dirk Mielenz, Matthias Tenbusch, Thomas H. Winkler, Thomas Grunwald, Klaus Uberla, Hans-Martin Jack
Summary: TRIANNI mice were used to generate 29 hybridoma antibodies that reacted with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and identified two clusters of neutralizing antibodies targeting different regions of the spike protein. These neutralizing antibodies significantly reduced viral spread and protected mice from SARS-CoV-2-induced weight loss, showing potential for therapy and prophylaxis of COVID-19.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Susanne Huhmann, Elisabeth K. Nyakatura, Anette Rohrhofer, Johann Moschner, Barbara Schmidt, Jutta Eichler, Christian Roth, Beate Koksch
Summary: This study evaluated a fluorinated peptide inhibitor which showed the ability to block HIV-1 infection of target cells at nanomolar levels, indicating that fluorinated amino acids are suitable tools for the development of novel peptide therapeutics.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Isabelle Aillaud, Senthilvelrajan Kaniyappan, Ram Reddy Chandupatla, Lisa Marie Ramirez, Sewar Alkhashrom, Jutta Eichler, Anselm H. C. Horn, Markus Zweckstetter, Eckhard Mandelkow, Heinrich Sticht, Susanne Aileen Funke
Summary: The study suggests that ISAD1 and related D-amino acid peptides may be helpful in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease by inhibiting Tau fibrillization and preventing its toxicity.
ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH & THERAPY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Johannes Schweininger, Mark Kriegel, Sigrun Hage, Marcus Conrad, Sewar Alkhashrom, Josephine Losing, Sigrid Weiler, Julia Tillmanns, Claudia Egerer-Sieber, Andrea Decker, Tihana Lenac Rovis, Jutta Eichler, Heinrich Sticht, Manfred Marschall, Yves A. Muller
Summary: The formation of the core nuclear egress complex (NEC) in varicella-zoster virus (VZV) displays subfamily-specific features. Understanding these features is crucial for developing drugs that target multiple herpesviruses.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lucas Weissenborn, Elie Richel, Helena Hueseman, Julia Welzer, Silvan Beck, Simon Schaefer, Heinrich Sticht, Klaus Ueberla, Jutta Eichler
Summary: Using the structure of a de novo designed miniprotein (LCB1) in complex with the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, truncated peptide variants of LCB1 were generated and characterized. These variants, which retained virus neutralizing potency against different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC), showed even stronger antiviral activity than the full-length peptide. The cyclic variant of the two-helix peptides exhibited significantly improved proteolytic stability, making it a better candidate for SARS-CoV-2 therapy. These peptides can also be chemically modified to further stabilize them against degradation and enhance their virus neutralizing capacity.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Sewar Alkhashrom, Jintawee Kicuntod, Katharina Stillger, Tamara Luetzenburg, Christian Anzenhofer, Ines Neundorf, Manfred Marschall, Jutta Eichler
Summary: The study identifies a peptide that can interfere with human cytomegalovirus infection and inhibit the interaction of viral proteins pUL50 and pUL53, indicating its potential as a target for new antiviral drugs.
Article
Biology
Manuel Deubler, Lucas Weissenborn, Simon Leukel, Anselm H. C. Horn, Jutta Eichler, Heinrich Sticht
Summary: PG16 is a broadly neutralizing antibody that binds to the gp120 subunit of the HIV-1 Env protein. Sulfation of Tyr100H in the CDRH3 residue enhances interactions with gp120 and stabilizes the protein-protein contacts and interactions with the gp120 glycan shield. PG16-CDRH3 can be used as a template to develop peptide mimetics as potential inhibitors of HIV invasion.