Article
Biology
Masamichi Nagae, Tetsuya Hirata, Hiroaki Tateno, Sushil K. Mishra, Noriyoshi Manabe, Naoko Osada, Yuko Tokoro, Yoshiki Yamaguchi, Robert J. Doerksen, Toshiyuki Shimizu, Yasuhiko Kizuka
Summary: X-ray crystallography, NMR, and computer modeling were used to investigate the structure and catalytic mechanism of GnTIVa, an enzyme involved in the synthesis of GlcNAc branches. The enzyme contains a C-terminal lectin domain that regulates its activity. The lectin domain was found to interact selectively with N-glycans having a beta 1-4 GlcNAc branch. Our findings provide insights into the biosynthesis of branching structures in N-glycans.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Doaa B. Darwesh, Yahya S. Al-Awthan, Imadeldin Elfaki, Salem A. Habib, Tarig M. Alnour, Ahmed B. Darwish, Magdy M. Youssef
Summary: In this study, the L-asparaginase gene from Burkholderia pseudomallei was successfully cloned and expressed in E. coli. The purified recombinant enzyme exhibited optimal activity at 50 degrees C and pH 8.0, and showed good stability at different temperatures and pH values. The enzyme demonstrated high substrate specificity towards L-asparaginase substrate and displayed significant cytotoxicity against leukemia and liver cancer cell lines.
JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Seita Tomida, Masamichi Nagae, Yasuhiko Kizuka
Summary: The FUT8 stem region is crucial for enzyme oligomerization. Loss of the stem region destabilizes the FUT8 protein structure, leading to altered cellular localization and shortened half-life, without affecting the catalytic activity.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shreya S. Shettar, Zabin K. Bagewadi, Deepak A. Yaraguppi, Simita Das, Nilkamal Mahanta, Surya P. Singh, Aditi Katti, Dimple Saikia
Summary: This study investigated the multifunctional attributes of recombinant subtilisin, including antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer potential. The codon-optimized subtilisin gene from Bacillus subtilis was successfully transformed into E. coli cells and expressed at a high level. The obtained recombinant subtilisin showed high alkali-thermostability and exhibited strong antibacterial activity against various pathogens. It also demonstrated antioxidant potential and cytotoxicity against cancer cells. The structural and functional analysis further supported its potential therapeutic applications in healthcare industries.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nagwa Elarabi, Abdelhadi A. Abdelhadi, Ahmed G. M. Sief-Eldein, Ismail A. Ismail, Naglaa A. Abdallah
Summary: Research found that transforming the chiA gene in Astragalus trigonus can effectively increase apigenin production, with yeast extract being the best elicitor. The transformed cell suspension showed the highest content of apigenin and can be used to enhance apigenin production in Astragalus trigonus.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wei Jiang, Xiaoli Fu, Weiliang Wu
Summary: AKR is an enzyme with a broad substrate range and excellent organic solvent resistance, making it potentially applicable in the pharmaceutical field.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tetsuya Hirata, Yoichiro Harada, Koichiro M. Hirosawa, Yuko Tokoro, Kenichi G. N. Suzuki, Yasuhiko Kizuka
Summary: Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) secreted from cancer cells are crucial in cancer metastasis and malignancy by transferring biomolecules and modifying future metastatic sites. This study investigates the enzyme activity of glycosyltransferases, specifically N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-V (GnT-V), in cancer-derived sEVs. The results show that cleaved GnT-V is selectively enriched in non-exosomal sEVs and can be transferred to recipient cells, leading to the remodeling of N-glycan structures in recipient cells.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jialuan Wang, Fengyi Zhao, Wenlong Wu, Lianfei Lyu, Weilin Li, Chunhong Zhang
Summary: Ellagic acid (EA), found in many berries, has various beneficial health effects, including anticancer properties. This study focused on the extraction, purification, and assessment of EA from Hull blackberry fruit. The highest EA content was found in the green fruit stage. The optimized extraction process resulted in a 90% purity of EA powder. The anticancer evaluation showed that EA inhibited HeLa cells and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. The PI3K/PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway was identified as the mechanism by which EA inhibits HeLa cell growth.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Minoru Tateno, Ayaka Enami, Koji Fujinami, Hisashi Ohta
Summary: Japanese cedar and cypress pollen allergens were found to have differences in amino acid sequences, with Cha o 2 showing polymorphism and heterogeneity, while Cha o 1 displayed relative uniformity. This suggests that studies using pollen from different trees may yield varying results.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Siyu Wang, Louise Fairall, Trong Khoa Pham, Timothy J. Ragan, Dipti Vashi, Mark O. Collins, Cyril Dominguez, John W. R. Schwabe
Summary: This study reveals that MIER1 protein binds to both H2A:H2B histone dimer and complete histone octamer. Additionally, a larger MIER1:HDAC1:BAHD1:C1QBP complex co-purifies with an intact nucleosome containing di- or tri-methylated H3K27. These findings suggest that the MIER1 complex acts downstream of PRC2, expanding regions of repressed chromatin and potentially depositing histone octamer onto nucleosome-depleted regions of DNA.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiahui Wang, Jing Nie, De Wang, Hui Liu, Meng Liu, Yanjing Yang, Shian Zhong
Summary: Coriolus versicolor (in Chinese), also known as Yun Zhi, is a traditional Chinese medicine widely used as a functional food. In this study, a homogeneous polysaccharide, YZP-la, was isolated from C. versicolor and its structure was determined. YZP-la showed significant anticancer activity by inhibiting cell migration and inducing cell apoptosis.
NEW JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nicolas G. Glynos, Lily Carter, Soo Jung Lee, Youngsoo Kim, Robert T. Kennedy, George A. Mashour, Michael M. Wang, Jimo Borjigin
Summary: This study investigates the role of INMT in the biosynthesis of DMT in rats. The results show that brain and lung tissues of INMT-knockout rats exhibit tryptamine-dependent activity, but the enzymatic products are not NMT or DMT. These findings suggest an alternative enzymatic pathway for DMT biosynthesis in rats.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Mahmoud H. Hendy, Amr H. Hashem, Waleed B. Sulieman, Mahmoud H. Sultan, Mohamed Abdelraof
Summary: L-methionine gamma-lyase (MGL) was purified from A. fumigatus using heat treatment and gel filtration, resulting in 3.04-fold purification and 73.9% enzymatic recovery. The purified MGL showed a molecular mass of approximately 46 KDa. It exhibited maximum activity at pH 7 and stability within the pH range of 5.0-7.5. The enzyme had the highest catalytic activity at 30-40°C and remained stable up to 40°C. It was significantly inhibited by several metal ions and chemical reagents. MGL demonstrated anticancer activity against Hep-G2 and HCT116 cell lines at low concentrations. Overall, A. fumigatus MGL possesses favorable catalytic properties and potential for enzymotherapy.
MICROBIAL CELL FACTORIES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Zachary C. Severance, Juan I. Nunez, Anh T. Le-McClain, Cori A. Malinky, Ryan C. Bensen, Robert S. Fogle, Gianni W. Manginelli, Sophia H. Sakers, Emily C. Falcon, Richard Hoang Bui, Kevin J. Snead, Christina R. Bourne, Anthony W. G. Burgett
Summary: Oxysterol-binding protein (OSBP) and its related protein 4 (ORP4) are potential drug targets for antiviral and precision cancer drug development. Different small molecules, including steroidal compounds OSW-1 and T-00127-HEV2, can interact with OSBP and ORP4. This study characterizes the structure-activity relationships of oxysterols and related compounds binding to human OSBP and ORP4, revealing different binding modes.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sobia Nisa, Yamin Bibi, Saadia Masood, Ashraf Ali, Sadia Alam, Maimoona Sabir, Abdul Qayyum, Waqas Ahmed, Sarah Alharthi, Eman Y. Santali, Saif A. Alharthy, Waleed M. Bawazir, Majed N. Almashjary
Summary: Medicinal plants are important in public health worldwide. In this study, two bioactive compounds were isolated from Arisaema flavum (Forssk.) and their anticancer activity against human breast cancer cells was evaluated.