Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Evgenii V. Matveev, Vyacheslav V. Safronov, Gennady V. Ponomarev, Marat D. Kazanov
Summary: The importance of 3D protein structure in proteolytic processing is well known. We developed a method that utilizes the structural features of potential substrates to predict proteolytic sites, taking into consideration factors such as solvent accessibility, secondary structure, and temperature factor. By carefully curating the training set, selecting an appropriate machine learning method, and determining the optimal positive-to-negative class size ratio, we demonstrated that our method outperforms existing bioinformatics methods for predicting proteolytic sites. This method may also have applications in predicting other post-translational modifications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Whendy Contreras, J. Fernando Bazan, Torben Mentrup
Summary: F rey1 has been identified as an inhibitory protein of SPPL2c, and its specific motif can be transplanted to the substrate PLN to generate inhibitors for this enzyme. The findings suggest a mechanism for inhibiting aspartic I-CLIPs and provide potential tools for targeted drug development.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Sellwane Jeanette Moloi, Rudo Ngara
Summary: Upon drought exposure, plants undergo changes in gene, protein, and metabolite expression through complex signal transduction events. Proteomics studies have identified numerous drought-responsive proteins involved in drought adaptation, including protein degradation processes that activate enzymes and signalling peptides, recycle nitrogen sources, and maintain protein turnover and homeostasis. This review focuses on the differential expression and functional activities of plant protease and protease inhibitor proteins under drought stress, particularly comparative studies of genotypes with contrasting drought phenotypes. The review also explores the role of transgenic plants overexpressing or repressing proteases or their inhibitors in drought response. Protease degradation plays a vital role in plant survival under water deficits, regardless of genotype's drought resilience. However, drought-sensitive genotypes exhibit higher proteolytic activities, while drought-tolerant genotypes protect proteins by expressing more protease inhibitors. Additionally, proteases and protease inhibitors are implicated in various physiological functions under drought stress, including stomatal regulation, maintenance of water content, phytohormonal signaling, and induction of stress genes. More validation studies are needed to further understand the functions of proteases and their inhibitors under water limitation and their contributions to drought adaptation.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mohamed Amine Jmel, Hajer Aounallah, Chaima Bensaoud, Imen Mekki, Jindrich Chmelar, Fernanda Faria, Youmna M'ghirbi, Michalis Kotsyfakis
Summary: Protease inhibitors are regulatory proteins found in all kingdoms that play crucial roles in controlling proteases, with potential applications in human disease treatment and agriculture. PIs from tick salivary glands have unique pharmacological properties and are promising candidates for drug development, progressing to preclinical and clinical trials.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Patrick J. Lariviere, Sean P. Leonard, Richard D. Horak, J. Elijah Powell, Jeffrey E. Barrick
Summary: Honey bees are important pollinators and model organisms for studying social behavior, development, and cognition. Researchers have engineered a bee gut bacterium, Snodgrassella alvi, to induce a sustained host RNA interference response that reduces the expression of targeted genes. This method offers a streamlined and scalable approach for studying honey bee biology.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tina Fink, Roman Jerala
Summary: Regulated proteolysis is a crucial mechanism that can be used for designing proteases to sense, transmit, or trigger signals, enabling the construction of complex proteolysis-regulated signaling networks for biotechnological and biomedical applications.
CURRENT OPINION IN CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Rosana E. De Castro, Maria I. Gimenez, Micaela Cerletti, Roberto A. Paggi, Mariana I. Costa
Summary: This article discusses the role of archaeal membrane proteases in cell physiology and their importance in adapting to hostile environments.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Amiram Sananes, Itay Cohen, Irit Allon, Oshrit Ben-David, Raghda Abu Shareb, Ksenia M. Yegodayev, David Stepensky, Moshe Elkabets, Niv Papo
Summary: Targeted therapies for prostate, breast, and ovarian cancers are based on their activity against primary tumors rather than their anti-metastatic activity. There is an urgent need for new agents targeting the metastatic process. Mesotrypsin and KLK6 are attractive putative targets for therapeutic intervention.
MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Azri Shahir Rozman, Norhashila Hashim, Bernard Maringgal, Khalina Abdan
Summary: Nanoemulsions (NEs) are widely used in various industries such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals due to their stability and long shelf life. This study successfully formulated stingless bee honey (SBH) NEs using a high-pressure homogeniser, with results showing reliable models developed through response surface methodology and particle sizes of SBH NEs ranging between 10 and 100 nm. This suggests a new direction for by-products of stingless bee honey.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
V. Marcel Alavi
Summary: The OMA1 protease in the mitochondrial inner membrane has potential as a drug target for complex diseases in the elderly. Its activation is related to cellular stress and apoptosis, and its inhibition can delay or prevent apoptosis in animal models. Understanding OMA1's structure and regulation is still limited, and technical challenges in OMA1 drug screens need to be addressed. Potent OMA1 inhibitors hold promise as a new class of cytoprotective medicines for disorders influenced by dysfunctional mitochondria.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jiangkun Wei, Yingqi Liang, Xingdi Chen, Stanislav N. Gorb, Zhigang Wu, Huizeng Li, Jianing Wu
Summary: Honey bee tongues have stiff and hydrophobic hairs which enhance their flexibility and adaptability to different environments. This finding could provide new insights for designing flexible fiber systems for transporting viscous liquids.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Wei Zhu, Zeenat Shyr, Donald C. Lo, Wei Zheng
Summary: COVID-19 remains a global threat, and the development of effective antiviral therapeutics is an urgent and long-term need. Targeting viral proteases, specific inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 proteases are critical therapeutics for COVID-19 treatment.
JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Shobana Sundar, Shanmughavel Piramanayagam, Jeyakumar Natarajan
Summary: Proteases are enzymes that break amide bonds in polypeptides and proteins. They are involved in various human ailments, including cancers, skin infections, and urinary tract infections. Bacterial proteases play a significant role in disease progression, breaking down host defense proteins and contributing to pathogen virulence. In this study, we review different types of human disease-causing bacterial proteases and their potential inhibitors.
ARCHIVES OF MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Physiology
Lisse Decraecker, Guy Boeckxstaens, Alexandre Denadai-Souza
Summary: Serine proteases play a crucial role in the development of abdominal pain in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and protease inhibitors are emerging as a potential therapeutic tool. However, the identity of dysregulated serine proteases released by the rectal mucosa of IBS patients remains poorly understood, highlighting a knowledge gap that needs to be addressed with advanced techniques.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alba Ramos-Llorca, Camilla Scarpellini, Koen Augustyns
Summary: This review examines the implications of proteases in the development and severity of dry eye disease and discusses the progress in utilizing protease inhibitors as potential therapeutic tools.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Mateusz Piet, A. Zajac, R. Paduch, M. Jaszek, M. Frant, D. Stefaniuk, A. Matuszewska, K. Grzywnowicz
Summary: The research found that Cerrena unicolor and Pycnoporus sanguineus have anti-tumorigenic activity against colon cancer cells and exhibit anticancer properties through various mechanisms. Culturing the fungi on milk-supplemented media may improve the health benefits of both milk and mushrooms.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Grzegorz Karol Wagner, Magdalena Jaszek, Bernard Staniec, Monika Prendecka, Dominika Pigon, Anna Belcarz, Dawid Stefaniuk, Anna Matuszewska, Ewa Pietrykowska-Tudruj, Miroslaw Zagaja
Summary: Six new water extracts obtained from nest carton of jet black ants were found to have significant antioxidative and anticancer effects. Extracts E1 and E2 showed the highest antioxidative potential, while extract E2 exhibited the most interesting chemopreventive activity against A-375 melanoma cells. The promising results of this study may lead to further research on the nest carton of jet black ant.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna Pawlik, Beata Ciolek, Justyna Sulej, Andrzej Mazur, Przemyslaw Grela, Magdalena Staszczak, Mateusz Niscior, Magdalena Jaszek, Anna Matuszewska, Grzegorz Janusz, Andrzej Paszczynski
Summary: The study found that laccases released by Cerrena unicolor are regulated at transcriptional, translational, and post-translational steps of gene expression, helping the fungus adapt to environmental changes.
Article
Microbiology
Justyna Sulej, Magdalena Jaszek, Monika Osinska-Jaroszuk, Anna Matuszewska, Renata Bancerz, Monika Janczarek
Summary: This study demonstrates that natural polysaccharides can enhance the stability of CDH, making them promising biotechnological tools for practical applications in various industries.
ARCHIVES OF MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adrian Zajac, Mateusz Piet, Dawid Stefaniuk, Michal Chojnacki, Joanna Jakubowicz-Gil, Roman Paduch, Anna Matuszewska, Magdalena Jaszek
Summary: The study demonstrates that supplementing the culture medium of Lentinus sajor-caju with cow milk enriches the nutrient composition and enhances antioxidant enzyme activity, leading to decreased levels of free radicals. Additionally, the extracts show anti-cancer properties by decreasing cancer cell viability, promoting apoptosis, and increasing nitric oxide secretion. These findings suggest that Lentinus sajor-caju has potential as a source of healthy biomolecules in modern medicine or functional foods.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katarzyna Sulkowska-Ziaja, Gokhan Zengin, Agnieszka Gunia-Krzyzak, Justyna Popiol, Agnieszka Szewczyk, Magdalena Jaszek, Jerzy Rogalski, Bozena Muszynska
Summary: This study assessed the biosynthetic potential of mycelial cultures of six Ganoderma species and found various bioactive compounds in the extracts. These cultures may be promising candidates for the development of new dietary supplements or pharmaceutical preparations.
Article
Orthopedics
Anna Matuszewska, Lukasz Matuszewski, Magdalena Jaszek, Pawel Polak, Szymon Stec
Summary: This study found that the use of bisphosphonate-enriched cement with Pamifos(R) after total knee arthroplasty can reduce the levels of bone turnover markers and cytokines, and may help to decrease the risk of osteoporotic fractures and aseptic revisions.
INTERNATIONAL ORTHOPAEDICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marta Ziaja-Soltys, Przemyslaw Kolodziej, Dawid Stefaniuk, Anna Matuszewska, Magdalena Jaszek, Anna Bogucka-Kocka
Summary: Plants and fungi are valuable sources of natural medicines for treating various diseases, including gastrointestinal diseases. This study investigated the antinematode properties of extracellular low-molecular subfractions obtained from the liquid growth medium of Cerrena unicolor cultures. The results showed that these fungal fractions had nematicidal activity and induced paralysis in nematodes.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Beata Podkoscielna, Anna Matuszewska, Dawid Stefaniuk, Marta Ruminowicz-Stefaniuk, Beata Ciolek, Magdalena Jaszek
Summary: This study presents the synthesis and characterization of polymeric cross-linked composites modified with lignin, and evaluates their effects on fungal cell metabolic processes and biomaterial structure.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna Michalicha, Agata Przekora, Dawid Stefaniuk, Magdalena Jaszek, Anna Matuszewska, Anna Belcarz
Summary: This study explores the modification of Curdlan hydrogel with a functional polycatecholamine layer, enabling the immobilization of oxidoreductases and resulting in significant changes in its biological and mechanical properties. The modified hydrogel shows reduced response of human monocytes, modulated reaction of human blood, and altered mechanical properties, making it attractive for biomedical applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Justyna Sulej, Monika Osinska-Jaroszuk, Magdalena Jaszek, Anna Olszewska, Anna Belcarz, Wiktoria Piatek-Golda
Summary: The study aimed to immobilize cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) on chitosan beads and characterize the properties of immobilized CDHs from different fungal sources. The immobilized CDHs were characterized using FTIR spectra and SEM microstructure. The most effective method of immobilization was the covalent bonding of enzyme molecules using glutaraldehyde, showing efficiencies ranging from 28% to 99%. Promising results were obtained in terms of antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic properties compared to free CDH. Chitosan appears to be a valuable material for the development of immobilization systems for biomedical applications or food packaging, while preserving the unique properties of CDH.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michal Fornal, Monika Osinska-Jaroszuk, Magdalena Jaszek, Dawid Stefaniuk, Adrian Wiater, Iwona Komaniecka, Lukasz Matuszewski, Anna Matuszewska
Summary: This study aimed to isolate, identify, and characterize a new polysaccharide (EPS) derived from laboratory-cultured vegetative mycelium of a new Spongipellis borealis strain isolated from the environment. The analysis showed that the isolated biopolymer was mainly composed of glucose, galactose, and mannose monomers. The study also revealed the impact of fungal polysaccharides on the stability of proteolytic enzymes and laccase activity in S. borealis for the first time.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Karolina Mlynarczyk, Magdalena Jaszek, Monika Osinska-Jaroszuk, Beata Podkoscielna
Summary: The synthesis and characteristics of composites based on bisphenol A diacrylate with different additives were studied. The composites showed antimicrobial properties due to the addition of benzethonium chloride and zinc oxide. UV polymerization was used to produce the composites. Aging and swelling tests were conducted to evaluate their performance in different environments. The composites also exhibited significant changes in the Cerrena unicolor fungus secretome.
PURE AND APPLIED CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Grzegorz K. Wagner, Magdalena Kunat-Budzynska, Bernard Staniec, Anna Matuszewska, Magdalena Jaszek, Dawid Stefaniuk, Jakub Kordaczuk, Anna Belcarz, Aneta A. Ptaszynska
Summary: An ethanol extract from Lasius fuliginosus ant nests was found to be highly effective against nosemosis in apiary honey bees. It significantly reduced Vairimorpha ceranae DNA copies and improved the honey bees' immune system by increasing the expression of genes encoding immune peptides. The extract also contained carbohydrates, proteins, phenolic compounds, and exhibited strong reducing activity.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Monika Prendecka-Wrobel, Dominika Pigon-Zajac, Magdalena Jaszek, Anna Matuszewska, Dawid Stefaniuk, Grzegorz Opielak, Katarzyna Piotrowska, Mansur Rahnama-Hezavah, Teresa Malecka-Massalska
Summary: This study investigated the pharmacokinetics of an active substance obtained from the medicinal fungus Cerrena unicolor at different concentrations. The results showed that the substance had no significant effects on normal cells, but exhibited inhibitory effects on colon cancer cells.
