Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Md Sharear Saon, Brent M. Znosko
Summary: RNA folding is hierarchical and involves predicting secondary structure before tertiary structure. Secondary structure prediction is based on free energy minimization, and for accurate prediction, all types of secondary structure motifs need to be characterized. The current model for predicting the stability of pentaloops, a specific secondary structure motif, is not accurate enough. By identifying common pentaloops and conducting experiments, a new pentaloop-specific model with improved accuracy was derived.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dana Beseiso, Erin Chen, Sawyer E. McCarthy, Kailey N. Martin, Elizabeth P. Gallagher, Joanne Miao, Liliya A. Yatsunyk
Summary: G-quadruplexes (GQs) are DNA structures composed of stabilized G-tetrads. This study investigates telomeric DNA variants from Tetrahymena thermophila and solves the crystal structure of two variants, revealing new GQ structures. The results expand our understanding of telomeric repeats and GQs in general.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mahmoud Salehi
Summary: Thermodynamic and kinetic parameters are crucial in evaluating enzyme stability and activity. This study addresses and corrects mistakes in the measurement of key parameters and introduces a new parameter, 8, for predicting the potential industrial application of enzymes. Additionally, this study provides a comprehensive collection of all thermodynamic and kinetic parameters for proteases, serving as a valuable resource for understanding the relationships between these parameters and the industrial potential of enzymes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2024)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rachel S. Cueny, Sameer Varma, Kristina Schmidt, James Keck
Summary: Bloom syndrome helicase (BLM) is a RecQ-family helicase involved in various cellular processes. Mutations in human BLM cause Bloom syndrome (BS), leading to negative health impacts. Non-BS mutations of BLM, such as BLM P868L and BLM G1120R, increase sister chromatid exchanges. In vitro studies showed that these mutant proteins still retain helicase function. Another mutant protein, BLMcore K869A K870A, has diminished ATPase and helicase activity compared to wild-type BLMcore, suggesting the importance of a lysine-rich loop in BLM's functions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yanan Lu, Hanhui Wang, Zhi Liu, Tianxu Zhang, Zongjian Li, Li Cao, Siyao Wu, Yueying Liu, Song Yu, Qingzhu Zhang, Zhimin Zheng
Summary: Yellowhorn flowers undergo a gradual color change from yellow to purple during flowering development, which is mainly caused by the accumulation of anthocyanins. The expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes is regulated by a cluster of R2R3-MYB transcription factor genes, XsMYB113s. Additionally, DNA methylation status on a transposon element near XsMYB113-1 affects its transcript level during flower development.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Construction & Building Technology
Jiaxuan E, Bo Xia, Connie Susilawati, Qing Chen, Xuechun Wang
Summary: This study provides an overview of naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs) and explores how they impact ageing in place. The study reviews previous research on NORCs and categorizes research themes and findings. The results show that the social environment in NORCs plays a crucial role in supporting older adults and promoting their well-being.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jagannath Jana, Klaus Weisz
Summary: G-quadruplexes have gained increasing attention for their presence in vivo and potential biological functions, as well as their utility in technological applications. While research has revealed their structural diversity, understanding of G-quadruplex stabilities in relation to sequence and environmental factors is still developing, posing challenges in predicting the most stable folds for a given sequence and environment.
Article
Biology
Titi Rindi Antika, Dea Jolie Chrestella, Yi-Kuan Tseng, Yi-Hung Yeh, Chwan-Deng Hsiao, Chien-Chia Wang
Summary: The mini alanyl-tRNA synthetase of the Tupanvirus can replace its yeast counterpart and has developed a new tRNA-binding mode in absence of C-Ala.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Miaojuan Wang, Ligen Lin, Jin-Jian Lu, Xiuping Chen
Summary: Isobavachalcone (IBC), a naturally occurring chalcone, exhibits various pharmacological activities and has the potential to be a promising lead compound for drug discovery.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Patricia Filippsen Favaro, Samuel D. Stewart, Bradon R. McDonald, Jacob Cawley, Tania Contente-Cuomo, Shukmei Wong, William P. D. Hendricks, Jeffrey M. Trent, Chand Khanna, Muhammed Murtaza
Summary: Comparative studies of naturally occurring canine cancers have provided new insights into cancer research. Analysis of ctDNA in pet dogs can help address diagnostic needs in both veterinary and human oncology. This study demonstrates the feasibility of ctDNA analysis in dogs with hemangiosarcoma using a cost-effective approach. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and determine the role of ctDNA in assessing disease burden and treatment response in dogs with cancer.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Polymer Science
Emma J. Murphy, Gustavo Waltzer Fehrenbach, Ismin Zainol Abidin, Ciara Buckley, Therese Montgomery, Robert Pogue, Patrick Murray, Ian Major, Emanuele Rezoagli
Summary: The prevention and treatment of diseases require effective functioning immune systems, which can be achieved by eliminating infections and abnormal cells. Immune or biological therapy can stimulate or inhibit the immune system depending on the circumstances. Polysaccharides, abundant biomacromolecules in plants, animals, and microbes, interact with and affect the immune response, playing a crucial role in treating various human illnesses. There is an urgent need to identify natural biomolecules that can prevent infection and treat chronic diseases. This article discusses the therapeutic potential of naturally occurring polysaccharides, extraction methods, and immunological modulatory capabilities.
Article
Plant Sciences
Richard Philbrook, Marzieh Jafari, Sydney Gerstenberg, Krista L. Say, Jeremy Warren, Andrew Maxwell Phineas Jones
Summary: Polyploidy is a significant evolutionary process in plants and it has been recognized as a key mechanism driving plant diversification and adaptation. This study reveals that polyploidy is a naturally occurring event in cannabis, with natural triploids present at an average frequency of approximately 0.5%. These findings provide valuable insights into the natural variation in ploidy within cannabis populations and contribute to our understanding of cannabis genetics and breeding practices.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Liat Katrivas, Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Dvir Rotem, Danny Porath, Alexander Kotlyar
Summary: The guanine octuplex (G8)-DNA is a novel DNA structure with enhanced stiffness, mechanical and thermodynamic stability compared to its parent G4-DNA, making it a compelling candidate for molecular nanoelectronics.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Lijun Niu, Jianguo Li, Siqin Wang, Kyriakos Manoli, Lei Zhang, Xin Yu, Mingbao Feng
Summary: This study revealed that free DNA bases can serve as activators for removing emerging contaminants from water in Mn(VII) systems. However, the transformation products may have adverse health effects on aquatic organisms, highlighting the need for consideration in water safety assessments.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Nadratun N. Chowdhury, Ethan Hicks, Mark R. Wiesner
Summary: This study examines the regulation of extracellular antibiotic resistance genes (eARGs) bioavailability by environmentally relevant nanoparticles (NPs). The results show that NPs decrease bacterial growth and eARG bioavailability, but they increase transformation when DNase I is present. Smaller nanoparticles with larger surface area per volume (HASNPs) enhance transformation more effectively.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)