Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ivona Kubalova, Amanda Souza Camara, Petr Capal, Tomas Beseda, Jean-Marie Rouillard, Gina Marie Krause, Katerina Holusova, Helena Toegelova, Axel Himmelbach, Nils Stein, Andreas Houben, Jaroslav Dolezel, Martin Mascher, Hana Simkova, Veit Schubert
Summary: Hi-C analysis, biopolymer modeling, and structured illumination microscopy were used to reveal the chromonema, a helically-wound chromatin thread forming barley mitotic chromatids. The helical turn size varies along the chromosome length and intermingles chromatin from adjacent turns. The observable dimensions of sister chromatid exchanges further support the helical chromonema model.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Integrative & Complementary Medicine
Yi-lin Xie, Ji-yao Wang, Yun He, Xiao-min Yu, Qing-yun Zheng, Chen Ling, Xi-lin Feng, Li-qing Zhu
Summary: The use of melittin significantly enhances transgene expression mediated by recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 2 vectors (rAAV2) both in vitro and in vivo. Pre-incubation of rAAV2 vectors with melittin greatly improves their transduction efficiency in HEK293 and Huh7 cells. This research expands the pharmacological potential of melittin and provides a new strategy to enhance gene therapy using rAAV vectors.
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE-JIM
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Bency Thankappan, Anto Thomas, Aishwarya Sakthivadivel, Nivetha Shanmuganathan, Jayaraman Angayarkanni
Summary: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of self-assembled melittin nanoparticles (MelNP) with native melittin peptide (Mel). MelNP showed a lower minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa compared to Mel peptide. MelNP also exhibited lower hemolytic activity and higher lytic activity against trypsin/serum. In toxicity analysis, MelNP was non-toxic to zebrafish embryos while Mel caused mortality. Furthermore, MelNP and Mel reduced bacterial load and improved survivability in infected embryos. Overall, MelNP could be a more effective and safer therapeutic molecule than Mel.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Francis R. Hopkins, Beatriz Alvarez-Rodriguez, George R. Heath, Kyriakoulla Panayi, Samantha Hover, Thomas A. Edwards, John N. Barr, Juan Fontana
Summary: Bunyaviruses are emerging RNA viruses that cause significant disease and economic burden and for which vaccines or therapies approved for humans are not available. The bunyavirus genome is wrapped up by the nucleoprotein (NP) and interacts with the viral polymerase, forming a ribonucleoprotein (RNP). This is the only form of the genome active for viral replication and assembly. However, until now how NPs are organized within an RNP was not known for any orthobunyavirus. Here, we purified RNPs from the prototypical orthobunyavirus, Bunyamwera virus, and employed microscopy approaches to show that the NP portion of the RNP was helical. We then combined our helical average with the known structure of an NP monomer, generating a pseudo-atomic model of this region. This arrangement allowed the RNPs to be highly flexible, which was critical for several stages of the viral replication cycle, such as segment circularization.
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Z. Y. Zhang, Y. B. Song, Y. F. Wang, C. G. Wang
Summary: Micro-and nanobots with controlled propulsion at low Reynolds number have the potential to revolutionize medicine by enabling targeted diagnosis and therapy. This study focuses on the development of a smart nested or uncoiled design for temperature-sensitive helical swimmers, specifically designed for low Reynolds numbers. The research utilizes theoretical modeling, experiments, and numerical calculations to explore the thermomechanical properties of swimmers. The findings reveal the influence of different configurations on swimming capability and provide a reliable design strategy. These smart helix-based swimmers have potential applications in active matter, biomedical sensing, and targeted drug delivery.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Cheng Xu, Kai Yang, Bing Yuan
Summary: This study investigates the correlation between single-lipid diffusion and the function realization of membrane-active peptides by analyzing the diffusion of individual lipids in a bilayer membrane during the membrane actions of typical peptides.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Rima Sengupta, Haruka Hashimoto, Yohei Haketa, Hayato Sakai, Taku Hasobe, Hiromitsu Maeda
Summary: A series of stable helical π-electronic cations based on ion pairs of abidipyrrin-Au-III complex have been prepared via ion-pair metathesis. The helical cation exhibits NIR absorption and phosphorescence emission, and forms solid-state ion-pairing assemblies with assembling modes depending on the properties of coexisting counteranions.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Cheng Xu, Kai Yang, Bing Yuan
Summary: This study investigated the spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics of lipid motions during the membrane actions of typical peptides using the diffusion analysis of individual lipids in a bilayer membrane. The study revealed the correlation between lipid diffusion and the action mechanisms of membrane-active peptides.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Ran Ye, Yuan Zheng, Yang Chen, Xiaohui Wei, Sanyuan Shi, Yuetan Chen, Wanxin Zhu, Anqi Wang, Liuxin Yang, Yuhong Xu, Jinliang Peng
Summary: A biocompatible and stable melittin-loaded lipid-coated polymeric nanoparticle formulation was designed to address the obstacles of melittin in clinical applications, showing high stability and antitumor activity.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Soma Yoshida, Keiji Yada, Yukio Tanaka, Takehito Yokoyama
Summary: We study superconductivity and surface Andreev bound states in helical crystals. We consider the interlayer pairings along the helical hopping and investigate the surface local density of states on the (001) and zigzag surfaces for all the possible irreducible representations. There are three and four irreducible representations exhibiting the zero-energy peaks in the local density of states at the (001) and zigzag surfaces of helical lattices, respectively. By calculating the one-dimensional winging number, we show that these appearances of the zero-energy peaks stem from the surface Andreev bound states.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Pelin Erkoc, Bjoern Marcus von Reumont, Tim Lueddecke, Marina Henke, Thomas Ulshoefer, Andreas Vilcinskas, Robert Fuerst, Susanne Schiffmann
Summary: The venom of honeybees, specifically melittin peptides, has shown potential therapeutic effects on inflammation and cancer. This study explores the pharmacological activities of known and newly discovered melittin variants from honeybees and older solitary bees in the context of cancer and inflammation. The findings suggest that some ancestral variants from solitary bees have promising therapeutic potential in modulating inflammatory processes and inhibiting cancer cell viability/proliferation, including aggressive breast cancers.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Mina Raileanu, Mihaela Bacalum
Summary: Cancer is a global health issue and one of the leading causes of death. Conventional cancer therapies have major drawbacks, including severe side effects and drug resistance. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as a potential alternative treatment with targeting tumor cells and less toxicity to normal tissues. This study investigated the effects of several AMPs on colorectal cancer-derived spheroids and found that Melittin and a Cecropin A-Melittin hybrid were most effective in reducing cell viability and inducing cellular senescence.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kirill E. Medvedev, R. Dustin Schaeffer, Kenneth S. Chen, Nick V. Grishin
Summary: The recent progress in protein structure prediction achieved a historic milestone with AlphaFold predicting 200 million protein models comparable to experimental methods. These predicted structures have the potential to provide previously unavailable information about cancer biology, which is crucial for understanding evolution and identifying drug targets. Our team evaluated the pan-cancer structurome by classifying domains from human protein models released by AlphaFold, revealing significant differences in the representation of beta sandwich and alpha helical domains in different cancer types. This suggests a potential correlation between the prevalence of these domains and tumor development-related inflammation as well as the promotion of successful oncogenesis.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Composites
Biao Xu, Bing Wang, Kevin S. Fancey, Shuncong Zhong, Chenmin Zhao, Xiayu Chen
Summary: The article introduces a novel bistable helical structure that achieves large axial deformations and demonstrates better stability and reliability for twistable structure design. It utilizes a compression tape-spring structure and has adjustable storage ratio, making it suitable for aerospace deployable structures' torsional design.
COMPOSITES COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Atieh Yaghoubi, Saeid Amel Jamehdar, Mohammad Reza Akbari Eidgahi, Kiarash Ghazvini
Summary: This study found that melittin peptide, alone or in combination with sulfasalazine, significantly cured clinical ulcerative colitis and attenuated inflammation and tissue damage in colon tissue. Furthermore, this peptide had an antioxidant effect by disrupting the oxidant/antioxidant balance.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)