Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Meiyun Yang, Weiwei Huan, Guobing Zhang, Jie Li, Fengyan Xia, Rabia Durrani, Wei Zhao, Jidong Lu, Xinmeng Peng, Fei Gao
Summary: Current quality evaluation standards for toad venom have limitations due to insufficient research on proteins. It is necessary to identify suitable quality markers and establish appropriate evaluation methods to ensure the safety and efficacy of toad venom proteins in clinical applications.
Article
Plant Sciences
Shi-Wen Zhou, Jing-Yu Quan, Zi-Wei Li, Ge Ye, Zhuo Shang, Ze-Ping Chen, Lei Wang, Xin-Yuan Li, Xiao-Qi Zhang, Jie Li, Jun-Shan Liu, Hai-Yan Tian
Summary: Toads produce potent toxins called bufadienolides to defend against predators. Pharmacological research has shown that bufadienolides have potential as anticancer drugs. In this study, nine bufadienolides were identified from the eggs of the toad Bufo bufo gargarizans, including two new compounds.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2021)
Article
Integrative & Complementary Medicine
Bo Sun, Shan Jiang, Mingli Li, Yan Zhang, Yanyan Zhou, Xiaolu Wei, Hongjie Wang, Nan Si, Baolin Bian, Haiyu Zhao
Summary: Our study investigated the changes in toad larvae during metamorphosis and revealed the accumulation process, regulatory pathways, and synthetic site of bufadienolides (BDs), which are valuable chemical defense substances secreted by toads. We found significant lipid metabolism changes in tadpoles during metamorphosis, including ketosis, lipogenesis, cholesterol metabolism, and fatty acid oxidation, to adapt to terrestrial life. The pentose phosphate pathway and Aromatase activity may play critical roles in BD synthesis, with predominantly expressed genes in the liver.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Chengzhi Yan, Hui Ma, Yuejun Yang, Zhiping Mi
Summary: The limb bones of the Bufo gargarizans in southwest China were found to exhibit sexual dimorphism. Males had longer forelimb skeletons, but shorter hand length compared to females. Additionally, males had larger deltoid and medial crest areas, as well as heavier humerus and radioulna weights. In terms of hindlimbs, males had greater lengths in various bone measurements, but no significant weight differences. These findings suggest that sexual selection plays a role in the evolution of sexual size and shape dimorphism in the limb bones of B. gargarizans.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lihong Chai, Ibrahim Sory Jabbie, Aixia Chen, Ling Jiang, Mengfan Li, Huihui Rao
Summary: The coexistence of Pb and Cu has complex effects on the health of Bufo gargarizans tadpoles, including impacts on morphology, intestinal histology, and bacterial community. Significant retardation of growth and intestinal histological alterations were observed in tadpoles exposed to Pb+Cu1.0. The relative abundance of Bacteroidetes significantly decreased in all treatment groups, and metabolic disorders were associated with Pb+Cu0.25 and Pb+Cu1.0 exposure. These findings provide insights into the adverse effects of Pb and Cu coexistence on amphibians.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yue Lan, Lewei He, Xue Dong, Ruixiang Tang, Wanyu Li, Jiao Wang, Lei Wang, Bisong Yue, Megan Price, Tao Guo, Zhenxin Fan
Summary: This study investigated the gene expression of different skin sites in the Asiatic toad and identified genes related to toxin secretion and skin protection. The findings provide important insights into the gene expression and function of amphibians.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yanan Zhang, Xue Li, Di Xu, Mengyun Wu, Yinghui Dai, Mingyu Xia, Dong Wang
Summary: The study cloned the 5β reductase (Bbg-SRD5β) from the parotoid gland of Bufo bufo gargarizans, and explored its key role in biosynthesis through mutation and expression optimization. While mutant Bbg-SRD513 was unable to reduce progesterone, it significantly affected the enzyme's affinity with NADPH; mutation of Y132 could adjust the catalytic rate.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Zhongyi Yao, Kun Huang, Yin Qi
Summary: This study investigates the thermal performance changes in poikilothermic animals under different climatic conditions by comparing two populations of Asiatic toads. The results show that after exhaustive exercise, the high-altitude population experienced a greater reduction in body temperature compared to the low-altitude population. Therefore, low-altitude toads may need to enhance their hypothermic reaction to survive warming climates, although the plasticity of their hypothermic performance is limited.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Li-Jun Ruan, Hai-Yun Chen, Wei Xu, Zhi-Jun Song, Ren-Wang Jiang
Summary: The chemical constituents of bile acids in the gallbladder of Bufo bufo gargarizans were investigated, resulting in the identification of eight new bile acids and two known ones. These bile acids displayed unique structures and biological activities, which are important for understanding the toxins in toad venom.
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Qi-Ji Li, Peng-Fei Tang, Xin Zhou, Wei-Jia Lu, Wen-Jun Xu, Jun Luo, Ling-Yi Kong
Summary: In this study, eight elodeoidins were discovered from Hypericum elodeoides, with elodeoidins 5 and 6 showing significant anti-inflammatory activity. The structures and biosynthetic pathways of these compounds were elucidated, demonstrating the value of the biosynthetic fragment-inspired discovery and elucidation strategy for novel natural products.
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY FRONTIERS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Hou-Li Jiang, Yan-Yan Zhang, Hao-Yu Mao, Yue Zhang, Yin-Xue Cao, Hong-Yan Yu, Xiao-Yun Dong, Li Tao, Chang-Shui Yang
Summary: Two novel rearranged norditerpenoids, strophiofimbrins A (1) and B (2), were isolated from plants of the Euphorbiaceae family. Their unique tricyclic carbon skeletons were determined using various spectroscopic and analytical techniques. These compounds, which represent the first examples of diterpenoids with unprecedented 5/6/7-fused ring systems, were found to have potential biological activities including proliferation inhibition and neuroprotection.
JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Lingjie Meng, Qinghong Kong, Jianxun Xie, Feng Pan, Keyu Lu, Sanhua Li, Yiling Li, Di Zhang, Yun Liu
Summary: Three new bufadienolides with a Delta(14,15) double bond were isolated from the skins of Bufo bufo gargarizans. Compound 5 exhibited the highest potential for inhibiting the growth of ovarian cancer cells A2780 and SKOV3.
NATURAL PRODUCT RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Tu-Xiang Mo, Xi-Shan Huang, Wen-Xiu Zhang, Till F. Schaeberle, Jiang-Ke Qin, De-Xiong Zhou, Xiao-Ya Qin, Zhao-Long Xu, Jun Li, Rui-Yun Yang
Summary: Five new meroterpenoids were isolated from the fungus Penicillium sp. GDGJ-285 using MS/MS based molecular networking, including three novel skeleton meroterpenoids and two new isoaustinone analogues. The structures were determined by HRMS, NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis. Compound 3 showed inhibition of nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells with an IC50 value of 39.03 mu M.
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY FRONTIERS
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Guangli Li, Tianyue An, Yu Li, Jinyang Yue, Ruoshi Huang, Jia Huang, Jincai Liang, Wei Yao, Liufang Huang, Yidu Chen, Rongrong Zhang, Aijia Ji, Lixin Duan
Summary: This study analyzed the transcriptome of different tissues of Bufo bufo gargarizans to explore the biosynthesis pathway of bufadienolides, an important component in traditional Chinese medicine. The study identified candidate genes and a key enzyme involved in the biosynthesis, and found that a plant enzyme showed higher production than the enzyme from Bufo bufo gargarizans. These findings provide valuable insights into the molecular research of bufadienolides biosynthesis.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Fu-Rong Jiao, Bin-Bin Gu, Hong-Rui Zhu, Yun Zhang, Ke-Chun Liu, Wei Zhang, Hua Han, Shi-Hai Xu, Hou-Wen Lin
Summary: Asperfloketals A and B, isolated from a sponge-associated fungus, exhibit strong anti-inflammatory activity without cytotoxicity against specific cell lines.
JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Miaomiao Liang, Fan Zhang, Jiaxin Xu, Xiaoning Wang, Ruibo Wu, Zheyong Xue
Summary: In this study, two triterpene synthases, AsHS1 and AsHS2, were discovered through a genome-wide investigation of OSCs from Avena strigosa. Mutations at residue 410 in AsHS2 were found to play a key role in the enzymatic activity and product synthesis, demonstrating the importance of amino acid residues in differentiating between hopane-type scaffolds in diverse plant species. This study provides mechanistic insight into triterpenoid synthesis.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wenlong Zha, Fan Zhang, Jiaqi Shao, Xingmei Ma, Jianxun Zhu, Pinghua Sun, Ruibo Wu, Jiachen Zi
Summary: Metabolic and enzymatic engineering strategies were combined to achieve the production of sandalwood oil with a desirable component ratio in baker's yeast. This study represents a paradigm of constructing biotechnological platforms of plant essential oils with desirable component ratios.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jia Huang, Yaru She, Jingyang Yue, Yidu Chen, Yu Li, Jing Li, Yonger Hu, Deying Yang, Jiabo Chen, Lu Yang, Zhongqiu Liu, Ruibo Wu, Pengfei Jin, Lixin Duan
Summary: Anemarrhena asphodeloides, a popular medicinal herb in China, contains mangiferin which has various pharmacological activities. A promiscuous C-glycosyltransferase (AaCGT) was identified from Anemarrhena asphodeloides, which was capable of catalyzing mono-C-glycosylation and di-C-glycosylation reactions. AaCGT showed potential as a biocatalyst for synthesizing high-value C-glycosides.
SYNTHETIC AND SYSTEMS BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shuangjia Zheng, Tao Zeng, Chengtao Li, Binghong Chen, Connor W. Coley, Yuedong Yang, Ruibo Wu
Summary: The authors developed a computational toolkit, BioNavi-NP, for predicting the biosynthetic pathways of natural products (NPs) and NP-like compounds. By training a bio-retrosynthesis prediction model using organic and biosynthetic reactions, and using a planning algorithm, plausible biosynthetic pathways can be efficiently sampled. The evaluation results showed that BioNavi-NP accurately identified biosynthetic pathways for test compounds and outperformed existing rule-based approaches. The toolkit provides useful information for researchers and facilitates the elucidation and reconstruction of biosynthetic pathways for NPs.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Chengzhi Liu, Nan Lv, Yuling Song, Lijuan Dong, Min Huang, Qing Shen, Gerui Ren, Ruibo Wu, Binju Wang, Zexing Cao, Hujun Xie
Summary: The interaction between zein and beta-lactoglobulin and its importance in the preparation of complex nanoparticles were investigated through experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. The results demonstrated that hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions played critical roles in the stability and formation of beta-LG-zein complex nanoparticles.
FOOD HYDROCOLLOIDS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hongbo Wang, Yike Zou, Miao Li, Zhijun Tang, Jiabao Wang, Zhenhua Tian, Nina Strassner, Qian Yang, Qingfei Zheng, Yujiao Guo, Wen Liu, Lifeng Pan, K. N. Houk
Summary: In this study, PloI4, a beta-barrel-fold protein homologous to exo-selective 4 + 2 cyclase, was found to catalyze competitive 2 + 2 and 4 + 2 cycloaddition reactions. The versatility of PloI4 was rationalized through biochemical characterizations, computational analyses, (co)crystal structures, and mutagenesis outcomes. Mechanistic studies involved directed engineering of PloI4 to preferentially produce exo-4 + 2, endo-4 + 2, or exo-2 + 2 products. These findings demonstrate enzymatic thermal 2 + 2 cycloaddition and provide evidence for the co-evolution of an enzyme and its substrate for specialization and activity improvement.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yuxin Li, Rong Zhang, Yuling Song, Hujun Xie, Ruibo Wu
Summary: This study investigated the reaction mechanism of endo-selective Diels-Alder reactions between lindenane sesquiterpenes and pyridines, using density functional theory calculations. The findings demonstrate that pyridines can promote endo-selectivity through hydrogen bonding, with the strength of the hydrogen bond being a key driving factor. These insights provide a foundation for designing more efficient promoters for Diels-Alder reactions in biometric synthesis applications.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Economics
Rui Feng, Jin Zhang, Yuelong Wu, Ruibo Wu, Baozhen Yao
Summary: This paper proposes two mixed-load SBRP strategies to improve the efficiency of school bus systems. Through case studies, the results show that the mixed-load mode (strategy 1) is the most effective in terms of comprehensive assessment of operating costs and school accessibility.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Xiaozhuang Zhou, Nan Zhang, Shruthi Kandalai, Huapeng Li, Farzana Hossain, Shiqi Zhang, Jiangjiang Zhu, Junran Zhang, Jiaxi Cui, Qingfei Zheng
Summary: Electro-responsive dynamic hydrogels with robust mechanical properties and precise spatiotemporal resolution are reported. These hydrogels are based on the rearrangement of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles induced by direct current voltage (DCV). The hydrogels show enlarged mesh size, high stretchability (>6000%), and toughness (507 J/m2). They also possess self-healing and malleable properties. These hydrogels have potential applications in wearable bioelectronics and smart drug delivery systems.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tingting Lou, Annan Li, Houchao Xu, Jingfeng Pan, Baiying Xing, Ruibo Wu, Jeroen S. Dickschat, Donghui Yang, Ming Ma
Summary: This study determined the crystal structures of three sesquiterpene synthases (STSs) and explored their catalytic mechanisms using combined molecular dynamics simulations and experimental validation. It revealed the key active site residues and their role in stabilizing reactive intermediates, providing deep insights into the catalytic mechanisms of these enzymes. The study also demonstrated the potential for expanding the chemical space of STSs, which could have implications in synthetic biology approaches for pharmaceutical and perfumery agents.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Xiaozhuang Zhou, Shruthi Kandalai, Farzana Hossain, Nan Zhang, Huapeng Li, Qingfei Zheng
Summary: A new class of pH-responsive and recyclable hydrogels with versatile gas-releasing and scavenging properties is reported in this study. The hydrogels can be reversibly controlled through pH changes, allowing for disassembly and reassembly of the gel network. The disassembled copolymer chains can reform hydrogels, and the mineral salts used in the process can function as gas donors or scavengers. This research provides a facile and environmentally friendly method to recycle hydrogels with gas-releasing and gas-scavenging properties, with potential applications in wound healing, wastewater management, and gas therapy for diseases.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anthony D. Rish, Zhangfei Shen, Zhenhang Chen, Nan Zhang, Qingfei Zheng, Tian-Min Fu
Summary: This study reports two cryo-EM structures of RuvB, revealing the mechanism of HJ branch migration. RuvB assembles into a spiral staircase, ring-like hexamer, enveloping double-stranded DNA. The asymmetric assembly of RuvB explains the 6:4 stoichiometry of the RuvB/RuvA complex in coordinating HJ migration in bacteria. These findings provide a mechanistic understanding of HJ branch migration facilitated by RuvB, which may be universally shared by prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rasmus Pihl, Qingfei Zheng, Yael David
Summary: Manipulating the chemical composition of proteins and peptides is crucial for improving polypeptide-based therapeutics and addressing challenging biological questions. Protein ligation, a process of covalently linking polypeptides, offers a powerful strategy for generating semisynthetic products and controlling polypeptide topology. Nature-inspired protein ligation strategies, utilizing enzymatic mechanisms, have been repurposed as tools in chemical biology to enhance control over polypeptide composition.
NATURE REVIEWS CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Shruthi Kandalai, Huapeng Li, Nan Zhang, Haidong Peng, Qingfei Zheng
Summary: Recent evidence has shown that the human microbiome is associated with various diseases, including cancer. The microbiomes present within local tissue, other regions, and tumors themselves have been shown to promote and restrict the development and progression of cancer, most often by affecting cancer cells or the host immune system. These microbes have also been shown to impact the efficacy of various cancer therapies, including radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy.
CANCER BIOLOGY & THERAPY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mo E. Sun, Qingfei Zheng
Summary: DJ-1 is a highly conserved multifunctional enzyme found in humans and diverse species. Its enzymatic and non-enzymatic activities, along with its role as a transcriptional coactivator, make it an essential regulator in cellular processes and a potential therapeutic target for various diseases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
