Article
Chemistry, Applied
Alexander Montoya-Arroyo, Katja Lehnert, Peter E. Lux, Victor M. Jimenez, Patricia Esquivel, Ana Margarita Silva-Benavides, Walter Vetter, Jan Frank
Summary: This study identified 11'-alpha-tocomonoenol as the predominant form of tocochromanol in cyanobacteria and microalgae, particularly Tetraselmis sp., and reported its presence in aquatic photosynthetic organisms for the first time.
JOURNAL OF FOOD COMPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Audrey R. Q. Lim, Que Kong, Sanjay K. Singh, Liang Guo, Ling Yuan, Wei Ma
Summary: This study identifies and characterizes HaWRI1, a sunflower ortholog of the transcription factor WRI1, which is highly expressed in developing seeds and stimulates oil accumulation. It is demonstrated that HaWRI1 acts as a pivotal transcription factor controlling the expression of genes involved in late glycolysis and fatty acid biosynthesis. The study also highlights the importance of an 80 amino-acid C-terminal domain of HaWRI1 for its transactivation. Additionally, seed-specific overexpression of HaWRI1 in Arabidopsis plants leads to enhanced seed oil content, suggesting its potential for bioengineering sunflower oil yield improvement.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joan M. Cook-Mills, Samantha H. Averill, Jacquelyn D. Lajiness
Summary: Asthma and allergic disease are the result of interactions between environmental exposures and genetics. Different isoforms of vitamin E have opposite functions in regulating allergic inflammation and development of allergic disease, which may explain the varying outcomes of vitamin E on allergies.
FREE RADICAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Desiree Bartolini, Rita Marinelli, Danilo Giusepponi, Roberta Galarini, Carolina Barola, Anna Maria Stabile, Bartolomeo Sebastiani, Fabiola Paoletti, Michele Betti, Mario Rende, Francesco Galli
Summary: New metabolomics protocols have allowed for the exploration of individual differences in the metabolism of alpha-tocopherol, revealing marked variability in the metabolites. Enzymatic metabolites showed significant interindividual variability, while free radical-derived metabolite alpha-tocopheryl quinone demonstrated a significant correlation with post-supplementation levels of alpha-tocopherol. The study also found that the expression of certain target genes of alpha-tocopherol in leukocytes was stimulated by supplementation, highlighting the importance of considering intrinsic variability in future studies.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ishani Jhamb, Alyssa Freeman, Michelle R. Lotfi, Matthew VanOrmer, Corrine Hanson, Ann Anderson-Berry, Melissa Thoene
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the concentrations of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol in placental tissue and assess their relationships with maternal and umbilical cord plasma concentrations. The results demonstrated significant positive correlations of gamma-tocopherol concentrations among all sample types. Placental tissue had significantly lower alpha:gamma-tocopherol concentration ratio compared to maternal and umbilical cord plasma.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Debora Gabriela Fernandes Assuncao, Lorena Thalia Pereira da Silva, Juliana Dantas de Araujo Santos Camargo, Ricardo Ney Cobucci, Karla Danielly da Silva Ribeiro
Summary: Vitamin E deficiency is not only associated with preterm newborns but also found in full-term newborns. This deficiency can compromise neurogenesis in children. Further studies are needed to assess the difference in vitamin E status among newborns of different gestational ages to support neonatal monitoring protocols.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Stepan Feduniw, Lidia Korczynska, Konrad Gorski, Magdalena Zgliczynska, Monika Baczkowska, Maciej Byrczak, Jakub Kociuba, Mohamed Ali, Michal Ciebiera
Summary: Menopause is a physiological change in women, but its symptoms can be difficult to accept and hormone therapy may not always be desirable. Vitamin E, as a phytoestrogen, is believed to be useful in alleviating some menopausal symptoms. This review aimed to assess the effectiveness of vitamin E in alleviating menopausal symptoms and found that it influences hot flashes, vascular modulation, lipid profile, and vaginal changes. However, estrogen administration has better clinical effects. Additional high-quality data is needed for conclusive findings.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maret G. Traber, Brian Head
Summary: This narrative review focuses on the structures, functions, biological determinants, and deficiency symptoms of vitamin E in humans, discussing the mechanisms for alpha-T tissue enrichment, potential new biomarkers, pharmacokinetic data, and approaches to evaluate alpha-T dietary requirements. The possible role of alpha-T supplements in delaying chronic diseases and the evaluation of vitamin E safety are also considered in this review.
FREE RADICAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Yue Niu, Qian Zhang, Jiaojiao Wang, Yanjie Li, Xinhua Wang, Yan Bao
Summary: Vitamin E is a lipid-soluble antioxidant that is essential for both humans and plants. The biosynthesis pathway of vitamin E has been extensively studied, but the chlorophyll-derived prenyl precursors for synthesizing vitamin E are still unknown. Recent research has made significant progress in understanding vitamin E and its role in plant stress response and signaling.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Somrutai Winichayakul, Amy Curran, Roger Moraga, Ruth Cookson, Hong Xue, Tracey Crowther, Marissa Roldan, Greg Bryan, Nick Roberts
Summary: The highly variable cytoplasmic N-terminus of plant DGAT1 plays important roles in oligomerization and allostery. However, the biological significance of variation within this region is not well understood. In this study, we found that Poaceae DGAT1s have high GC compositional gradients and numerous repeats in the variable N-terminus. Reciprocal chimeric DGAT1s in different angiosperms showed similar effects on protein accumulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Furthermore, expression of specific chimeras in Camelina sativa seeds increased total lipid content and seed size. Our results also revealed the localization of the C-terminus in the ER lumen, contradicting earlier reports of its cytoplasmic location.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Angelo Azzi, Jeffrey Atkinson, Nesrin Kartal Ozer, Danny Manor, Maria Wallert, Francesco Galli
Summary: This article proposes revising the nomenclature of vitamin E and argues that only RRR-alpha-tocopherol should be considered as vitamin E. Other tocochromanols have not been scientifically proven to function as vitamins. Prescribing molecules as vitamin E without proper testing could result in ineffective therapy and potential risks for patients.
FREE RADICAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rashmi Panigrahi, J. N. Mark Glover, Saranya Nallusamy
Summary: With the help of modern detectors and robust structure solution pipeline, cryogenic electron microscopy has brought significant changes to the field of structural biology. Membrane proteins, a challenging target, have received much attention. This minireview focuses on DGAT1, a membrane embedded triglyceride synthesizing machine. Recent cryo-EM structures of this enzyme have provided valuable insights into its mechanism, including the role of the flipping of catalytic histidine and the preference for long fatty acyl chains.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rajakumar Selvaraj, Sarah Zehnder, Russell Watts, Jihong Lian, Chinmayee Das, Randal Nelson, Richard Lehner
Summary: Two distinct diacylglycerol acyltransferases (DGAT1 and DGAT2) catalyze the final step of TG synthesis in hepatocytes. TG is either stored in cytosolic LDs or assembled into VLDLs in the ER. DGAT1-made TG is stored in smaller LDs while DGAT2-made TG is stored in larger LDs. ATGL targets DGAT1-generated LDs and the fatty acids released from these LDs are preferentially used for oxidation.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR AND CELL BIOLOGY OF LIPIDS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
M. J. Kuhn, L. M. Sordillo
Summary: This study explored the antioxidant functions of various vitamin E analogs in bovine cells, finding that gamma-tocopherol and gamma-tocotrienol may have better abilities to reduce oxidative stress and protect cellular viability compared to alpha-tocopherol. Gamma-tocotrienol was shown to have significant cytotoxicity and reductions in viability at higher doses, suggesting a potential negative impact at supraphysiological levels. Further research is needed to fully understand the antioxidant properties of different vitamin E analogs in different cell types or animal models.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeffrey Atkinson, Drew Marquardt, Mitchell DiPasquale, Thad Harroun
Summary: Vitamin E was one of the last fat-soluble vitamins discovered, and it plays important roles as an antioxidant and structural component in phospholipid bilayer membranes. Despite our detailed understanding of the orientation and dynamics of alpha-tocopherol in lipid bilayers, gaps still exist in our knowledge regarding its effects and potential receptors in controlling gene transcription.
FREE RADICAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Nelly Herault, Julia Wagner, Sarah-Luise Abram, Jerome Widmer, Lenke Horvath, Dimitri Vanhecke, Carole Bourquin, Katharina M. Fromm
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NANOMEDICINE
(2020)
Article
Materials Science, Textiles
Edwin S. Madivoli, Patrick G. Kareru, Anthony N. Gachanja, Samuel M. Mugo, David M. Sujee, Katharina M. Fromm
Summary: Cellulose nanocrystals or cellulose nanofibers with different properties can be obtained through enzymatic, chemical or mechanical treatment. In this study, cellulose nanofibers from Oryza sativa were isolated and fibrillated using the Kraft process and TEMPO mediated oxidation. The properties of the fibers changed during the treatment, and carboxyl functional groups were introduced. This offers the possibility of further chemical functionalization of cellulose nanofibers isolated from agricultural residues.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL FIBERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Mohammed Srout, Mohja Amou, Katharina M. Fromm, Ismael Saadoune
Summary: The new NFTP@C electrode showed good initial discharge capacity and high coulombic efficiency, but the capacity dropped at faster current rates. In long-term cycling tests, iron and additional Ni2+ ions helped maintain structural stability and improve capacity retention.
JOURNAL OF ELECTROANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Serhii Vasylevskyi, Guillaume Raffy, Stefan Salentinig, Andre Del Guerzo, Katharina M. Fromm, Dario M. Bassani
Summary: An anthracene-based Ni-MOF material capable of adsorbing C60 and C70 was reported, with fullerenes showing homogeneous distribution in single crystals under confocal fluorescence and Raman microscopy. Efficient energy transfer from 1 to fullerenes and stronger binding between 1 and C70 than C60 were observed, providing a basis for the selective retention of C70 in liquid chromatography columns packed with 1.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Anton Georgiev, Dancho Yordanov, Nikoleta Ivanova, Vera Deneva, Nikolay Vassilev, Fadhil S. Kamounah, Michael Pittelkow, Aurelien Crochet, Katharina M. Fromm, Liudmil Antonov
Summary: Two novel Schiff bases based on 7-hydroxyquinoline have been synthesized and studied for their spectral properties, indicating their potential as bistable switches. However, intramolecular rotation does not occur upon protonation with trifluoroacetic acid after forming complexes with the acidic counter ion.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Atena B. Solea, Christophe Curty, Katharina M. Fromm, Christophe Allemann, Olimpia Mamula Steiner
Summary: A new sensor has been developed for the fast and accurate detection of phosgene in air and solution. The sensor is highly sensitive, selective, and capable of detecting phosgene in solution within 5 seconds with a limit of detection of 9.7 nM/0.8 ppb. When fixed on a solid support, it is able to detect phosgene down to concentrations of 0.1 ppm.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Maksym Karamash, Michael Stumpe, Jorn Dengjel, Carlos A. Salgueiro, Bernd Giese, Katharina M. Fromm
Summary: This study investigated the influence of metal salts and multiheme c-cytochromes on electron flux during the respiration process of Geobacter sulfurreducens. The reduction kinetics of different metal salts were measured, and it was found that the reduction rates were similar for all salts and followed zero-order kinetics. C-cytochromes played a role in stabilizing respiration rates by varying their redox states, and increasing Fe2+/heme levels enhanced electron flux and respiration flexibility. The findings parallel the electrochemical results of G. sulfurreducens biofilms and can contribute to the optimization of bioelectrochemical devices.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Katharina M. Fromm
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the organization of the Nobel Symposium, originally planned for 2020. This event, which usually features a unique group of speakers and a limited number of observers, will also invite three members of the scientific press.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bernd Giese, Maksym Karamash, Katharina M. Fromm
Summary: This review describes the molecular mechanisms of respiratory processes in biological redox reactions that ensure redox homeostasis in a compartmentalized setup. It highlights the progress made in mechanistic studies on long-distance electron transfer through metal-free peptides and proteins.
Article
Polymer Science
Edwin Shigwenya Madivoli, Justine Veronique Schwarte, Patrick Gachoki Kareru, Anthony Ngure Gachanja, Katharina M. M. Fromm
Summary: A stimuli-responsive hydrogel with inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli was prepared by chemically crosslinking carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCs) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC). Polydiacetylene-zinc oxide (PDA-ZnO) nanosheets were synthesized and photopolymerized within the hydrogel matrix to impart thermal and pH responsiveness. The prepared hydrogel showed a pH-dependent swelling capacity and exhibited significant inhibitory activity against E. coli due to the slow release of zinc nanoparticles.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Damien L. Berthier, Jerome Girard, Katharina M. Fromm, Andreas Herrmann
Summary: This article presents a method for measuring the evaporation kinetics of individual fragrances in perfume, and analyzes the fixative effect of a specific compound. The study reveals that certain 2-oxo-2-phenylacetate compounds have a fixative effect on fragrance evaporation, which is influenced by their molecular structure.
FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Atena B. Solea, Liangru Yang, Aurelien Crochet, Katharina M. Fromm, Christophe Allemann, Olimpia Mamula
Summary: The complexation behavior of two novel, chiral pinene-bipyridine-type ligands towards lanthanide ions was investigated, and the ligand with a shorter carboxylic arm formed more stable complexes compared to the ligand with a longer carboxylic arm. IR and fluorescence spectroscopy provided additional information about the structure of these complexes.
CHEMISTRY-SWITZERLAND
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Atena B. Solea, Sining Wang, Xiao-Song Xue, Aurelien Crochet, Katharina M. Fromm, Kendall N. Houk, Olimpia Mamula, Christophe Allemann
Summary: This study describes a straightforward one-pot method for synthesizing unreported pyrido-[2,1-a]isoindolones in excellent yield, along with the synthesis and full characterization of two novel isoindolones. The alkyl substituents on the pyridine were found to play a crucial role in determining the reaction outcome. The mechanism, investigated through DFT calculations, reveals a novel intramolecular cyclization reaction involving a carboxylic acid activated by tosyl chloride and an electron-poor pyridinic nitrogen.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lucille Babel, Minh-Ha Nguyen, Cedric Mittelheisser, Marie Martin, Katharina M. Fromm, Olivier Walker, Maggy Hologne
Summary: The study demonstrates the role of SilE in storing silver ions and proposes for the first time the interplay between SilB and SilE through experiments using model peptides and techniques such as NMR and CD.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lucille Babel, Soledad Bonnet-Gomez, Katharina M. Fromm
CHEMISTRY-SWITZERLAND
(2020)