Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
He Li, Yawei Du, Hanrui Ji, Yanan Yang, Changchang Xu, Qiaodan Li, Longkai Ran, Chongming Wu, Qile Zhou, Shengxian Wu
Summary: The adenosine extract from Ganoderma lucidum (AEGL) was found to have lipid-lowering effects on hyperlipidemic mice, significantly reducing serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels, improving hepatic steatosis without causing liver or kidney damage. Regulating the expression and acetylation/crotonylation of proteins involved in the PPAR signaling pathway may be one of the potential mechanisms behind the lipid-lowering effects of AEGL.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ziyan Fan, Yaam Deckel, Lauren A. A. Lowe, Daniel W. K. Loo, Tetsuya Yomo, Jack W. W. Szostak, Collin Nisler, Anna Wang
Summary: Vesicle fusion is a crucial process in cell division, transport, and membrane trafficking. While certain fusogens induce fusion in phospholipid systems, they do not have the same effect on fatty acid vesicles. Fatty acid vesicles do not rupture despite appearing adhered or hemifused, likely due to their single aliphatic tail and higher dynamic nature. Instead, lipid exchange is proposed as an alternate pathway for fusion in fatty acid systems, which is supported by experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. These findings shed light on how membrane biophysics may influence the evolutionary dynamics of protocells.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jean-Paul Douliez
Summary: Scientists have found that fatty acids can self-assemble into lipid vesicles, similar to modern cells, and suggest that life may have originated from these vesicles. Recent studies show that double emulsion droplets can form phospholipid vesicles to encapsulate materials, providing a possible explanation for the formation of encapsulated protocells.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Julieta N. Naso, Fernando A. Bellesi, Victor M. Pizones Ruiz-Henestrosa, Ana M. R. Pilosof
Summary: This study demonstrates that the solubilization capacity of bile salt micelles for fatty acids is influenced by emulsion components, as well as the concentration of the emulsifier. The increased concentration of the emulsifier affects the kinetics of lipolysis in oil-in-water emulsions, potentially impacting the bioavailability of fatty acids.
FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Johannes N. Singer, Felix M. Mueller, Ewa Wegrzyn, Christina Hoelzl, Hans Hurmiz, Chuyi Liu, Luis Escobar, Thomas Carell
Summary: RNA is a molecule that plays a significant role in the origin of life as it can store genetic information and catalyze reactions. Recent studies have shown that RNA can form chimeras with amino acids, combining the information-coding properties of RNA with the catalytic potential of amino acids, which may have been the structures from which life emerged. This study reports a prebiotic chemistry method that allows the loading of nucleosides and RNAs with amino acids, paving the way for RNA-based peptide synthesis in a hypothetical RNA-peptide world.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Adriana Cristina Urcan, Adriana Dalila Criste, Daniel Severus Dezmirean, Otilia Bobis, Victorita Bonta, Francisc Vasile Dulf, Rodica Margaoan, Mihaiela Cornea-Cipcigan, Maria Graca Campos
Summary: Beebread is a fermented bee product made from plant pollen, honey and bee saliva, containing high levels of proteins, lipids, free sugars, essential amino acids, and natural antioxidants. These findings suggest that Beebread could serve as a valuable source of value-added nutrients and bioactive compounds.
LWT-FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Ghina Hajjar, Lenny Haddad, Toufic Rizk, Serge Akoka, Joseph Bejjani
Summary: This study developed a high-resolution spectral treatment method to address signal overlapping issues in 1H NMR of triacylglycerols. The developed method was successful in characterizing and authenticating animal origin food products using egg yolk as a model matrix, with potential biomarkers for origin and farming systems. Additionally, multivariate statistical analyses were utilized for classification and construction of quantitation models for individual fatty acids.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Martina Ghezzi, Silvia Pescina, Andrea Delledonne, Ilaria Ferraboschi, Cristina Sissa, Francesca Terenziani, Paula De Freitas Rosa Remiro, Patrizia Santi, Sara Nicoli
Summary: The study aimed to improve the solubility and skin retention of Imiquimod using micelles of TPGS and oleic acid, which showed significant enhancement in drug solubility and micellar stability. The delivery efficiency of this formulation was found to be 42- and 25-folds higher than that of commercial creams after application.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ana Rita Cavaco, Ana Rita Matos, Andreia Figueiredo
Summary: Lipids and fatty acids play crucial roles in plant immunity, functioning as the first barriers to pathogen invasion and mediating interactions and immune responses between plants and pathogens. Studies suggest that lipids may serve as candidate biomarkers for resistance or susceptibility to pathogens, and they may also play a role in intercellular communication and systemic acquired resistance during plant-pathogen interactions.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Clement Debrie, Noemie Coudert, Jean-Michel Guigner, Taco Nicolai, Francois Stoffelbach, Olivier Colombani, Jutta Rieger
Summary: Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) is a powerful method to produce polymeric nano-objects in (aqueous) solution. The mechanisms involved in morphological transitions during PISA are still not well understood. Through a systematic study, it is found that unimer exchange is not necessary for the formation of higher order morphologies in PISA, and the monomer present in the polymerization medium is responsible for the morphological transitions.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Liandong Ye, Min Liu, Xiao Wang, Zhihong Yu, Zhihao Huang, Nianchen Zhou, Zhengbiao Zhang, Xiulin Zhu
Summary: In this study, discrete amphiphilic co-oligomers with the same composition but different building blocks were reported. These sequence-defined oligomers became amphipathic due to quaternization of the amine groups in acidic aqueous solution. Under the same conditions, these oligomer isomers self-assembled into different nanoparticles, including nanofibers, hollow vesicles, and spherical micellar complexes. This work demonstrates the customization of functional nanoparticles through sequence structure control in synthetic co-oligomers.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Avilene Rodriguez Lara, Maria Dolores Mesa-Garcia, Karla Alejandra Damian Medina, Rosa Quirantes Pine, Rafael A. Casuso, Antonio Segura Carretero, Jesus Rodriguez Huertas
Summary: Chia seeds are rich sources of various macro and micronutrients associated with health benefits, making them potential functional foods. The composition of chia seeds varies depending on factors such as variety, origin, climate, and soil. Studies have shown that dark chia seeds from Mexico contain high levels of fiber, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential amino acids, and antioxidant phenolic compounds, suggesting their potential use in the development of functional foods and dietary supplements.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Kehong Liang, Hong Zhu, Shanshan Zhao, Haijin Liu, Yan Zhao
Summary: By characterizing the chemical profiles of flaxseed samples using lipids/fatty acids, stable isotopes, and antioxidant capacity, combined with principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis, a satisfactory discrimination rate of 98.6% was achieved in tracing the geographic origin of flaxseed from five regions in northern China.
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Yu-Long Sun, Bing-Qiang Ge, Mi-Zhuan Li, Lei Wang, Zhong-Xiu Chen
Summary: In this study, the effects of crowding degree on the autocatalytic production of fatty acid with different chain lengths were investigated using polyethylene glycol (PEG). The results showed that higher crowding degree led to slower production rate of decanoic acid but faster rate of oleic acid due to changes in vesicle sizes. Decanoic acid vesicles exhibited viscous behavior, while oleic acid vesicles displayed elastic behavior. This research provides valuable insights into the unusual autocatalyzed production of fatty acid in macromolecular crowding and its relevance to lipid digestion.
NPJ SCIENCE OF FOOD
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jianxi Ying, Ruiwen Ding, Yumeng Zhang, Bowen Han, Yeting Guo, Ning Wang, Dandan Guo, Yile Wu, Junwei Huang, Yan Liu, Feng Ni, Shaohua Huang, Yufen Zhao
Summary: This study reveals the mechanism of chiral selection in Earth's life and suggests the existence of a chiral system opposite to that on Earth, implying a world of life that is a complete mirror image of Earth.
CHINESE CHEMICAL LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Caitlin E. Cornell, Allison D. Skinkle, Shushan He, Ilya Leyental, Kandice R. Levental, Sarah L. Keller
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2018)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caitlin E. Cornell, Roy A. Black, Mengjun Xue, Helen E. Litz, Andrew Ramsay, Moshe Gordon, Alexander Mileant, Zachary R. Cohen, James A. Williams, Kelly K. Lee, Gary P. Drobny, Sarah L. Keller
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mengjun Xue, Roy A. Black, Caitlin E. Cornell, Gary P. Drobny, Sarah L. Keller
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caitlin E. Cornell, Alexander Mileant, Niket Thakkar, Kelly K. Lee, Sarah L. Keller
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mengjun Xue, Roy A. Black, Zachary R. Cohen, Adrienne Roehrich, Gary P. Drobny, Sarah L. Keller
Summary: The study explores the catalytic functions of dipeptides, raising questions about their co-localization with protocells, structural features affecting their association with membranes, and the role of this association in driving molecular evolution. Results show that prebiotic amino acids and dipeptides can bind to prebiotic membranes, with dipeptides exhibiting lower binding extent compared to amino acids.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zachary R. Cohen, Brennan L. Kessenich, Avijit Hazra, Julia Nguyen, Richard S. Johnson, Michael J. MacCoss, Gojko Lalic, Roy A. Black, Sarah L. Keller
Summary: Dehydration and rehydration cycles may have facilitated the formation of peptides and RNA in harsh conditions on early Earth. The development of protocells likely depended on the colocalization of these biopolymers with fatty acid membranes. Experimental results suggest that protocells could have formed in evaporating environments on early Earth.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zachary R. Cohen, Caitlin E. Cornell, David C. Catling, Roy A. Black, Sarah L. Keller
Summary: Experimental findings suggest that vesicles composed of specific fatty acids retain encapsulated contents during flocculation and disaggregation in saturated salt solution, but lose this property after complete dehydration. In contrast, phospholipid vesicles demonstrate stability in encapsulation.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Louis-Philippe Bergeron-Sandoval, Sandeep Kumar, Hossein Khadivi Heris, Catherine L. A. Chang, Caitlin E. Cornell, Sarah L. Keller, Paul Francois, Adam G. Hendricks, Allen J. Ehrlicher, Rohit Pappu, Stephen W. Michnick
Summary: Endocytic coat proteins with prion-like domains form hemispherical puncta in budding yeast, which act as biomolecular condensates to organize proteins at the membrane for actin-dependent endocytosis. These endocytic condensates are reversible, forming and dissolving in response to temperature and solution conditions, and are organized around dynamic protein-protein interaction networks.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chantelle L. Leveille, Caitlin E. Cornell, Alexey J. Merz, Sarah L. Keller
Summary: Membrane phase separation in vacuoles of budding yeast during the cell's growth cycle is regulated by physical conditions and is essential for yeast survival. The transition temperature of phase separation is adapted by cells to maintain proximity to the transition. Depletion of ergosterol, the major sterol in yeast, leads to the formation of membrane domains, contradicting previous assumptions.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Thomas Portet, Zachary R. Cohen, Gunnar J. Goetz, Nicole Panek, Peter N. Holmes, Sean A. Stephens, Tamas Varga, Sarah L. Keller
Summary: Ripples can be observed at the edges of blooming lilies and torn plastic sheets, which are caused by excess length along the edges. The scaling relationship a( proportional to)root w(L - w) accurately describes the ripples in both systems, where a represents amplitude, w represents wavelength, and L represents arc length. The previous phenomenological relationship for self-similar ripple patterns can be derived assuming constant buckling stress. Furthermore, the excess length along petal edges can also affect the overall Gaussian curvature, resulting in a shift from a cup shape to a saddle shape during blooming. Previous simulations have assumed a quadratic decrease in petal thickness, but tomography scans of lily buds reveal that this assumption is only valid along the short axis.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zachary R. Cohen, Zoe R. Todd, David C. Catling, Roy A. Black, Sarah L. Keller
Summary: Research suggests that cold temperatures near 0 degrees C may have been beneficial for the stability and replication of RNA genomes on early Earth, with membranes composed of shorter-chain fatty acids encapsulating solutes more efficiently as temperatures approached 0 degrees C. In contrast, saturated fatty acids forming gel-phase membranes at low temperatures may limit membrane mobility and growth.
Article
Biophysics
John Reinhard, Chantelle L. Leveille, Caitlin E. Cornell, Alexey J. Merz, Christian Klose, Robert Ernst, Sarah L. Keller
Summary: Upon nutrient limitation, budding yeast of Saccharomyces cerevisiae shift from fast growth to quiescence, accompanied by liquid-liquid phase separation in the vacuole membranes. Lipidomics analysis revealed that stationary-stage vacuole membranes have higher fractions of phosphatidylcholine lipids, with higher melting temperatures due to longer and more saturated acyl chains, compared to log-stage membranes. Surprisingly, there is no significant change in sterol content. These lipidomic changes fit within the prevailing view that membrane phase separation requires lipids with different melting temperatures and sterols.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zachary R. Cohen, Zoe R. Todd, Nicholas Wogan, Roy A. Black, Sarah L. Keller, David C. Catling
Summary: The first cells may have been bounded by membranes made of fatty acids with at least 8 carbons. The origin and abundance of fatty acids on the early Earth are not certain, but three possible sources are delivery by carbonaceous meteorites, synthesis on metals delivered by impactors, and electrochemical synthesis by spark discharges. Calculations suggest that synthesis on iron-rich surfaces from impactors could have supplied significantly more fatty acids than carbonaceous meteorites or electrochemical synthesis. However, a single carbonaceous meteorite would not deliver a high enough concentration of fatty acids into existing bodies of water to form membranes without further concentration. Further research is needed to understand how fatty acids could have been concentrated to assemble into membranes during the origin of life.
ACS EARTH AND SPACE CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Scott P. Rayermann, Glennis E. Rayermann, Caitlin E. Cornell, Alexey J. Merz, Sarah L. Keller
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2017)
Article
Biophysics
Caitlin E. Cornell, Nicola L. C. McCarthy, Kandice R. Levental, Ilya Levental, Nicholas J. Brooks, Sarah L. Keller
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2017)