Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Takamitsu Miyafusa, Hideki Watanabe, Shinya Honda
Summary: In this study, an artificial protein AF.2A1 was developed to specifically recognize non-native IgG structures, showing potential applications in quality control of biopharmaceuticals. AF.2A1 was found to recognize an exposed hydrophobic core centered on Trp417, providing molecular rationale for its usage.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mana Mohan Rabha, Upamanyu Sharma, Anurup Gohain Barua
Summary: The study found that when the temperature is raised to 34 degrees C, the emitted pulses become narrow due to denaturation of luciferase, while a decrease in temperature to around 10.5-9 degrees C leads to blue-shifted peak and abnormal increase in flash-duration, possibly indicating cold denaturation of luciferase. These two temperature effects likely determine the temperature-tolerance and habitat selection of fireflies.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Edward Chau, Jin Ryoun Kim
Summary: This study investigated the interactions between Aβ42 and αS in different conformations. It was found that αS monomers and oligomers promoted the oligomerization and stabilization of soluble Aβ42, while αS fibrils hindered the aggregation of Aβ42. These interactions may be achieved through direct binding or co-assembly, and different parts of Aβ42 mediated the interactions with αS.
ARCHIVES OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Veronica Murcia-Belmonte, Maria Tercero-Diaz, Diego Barrasa-Martin, Sandra Lopez de la Vieja, Marina Munoz-Lopez, Pedro F. Esteban
Summary: The X-linked form of Kallmann syndrome is caused by mutations in the ANOS1 gene, resulting in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and anosmia. This study reveals that anosmin 1 can enhance the activation of the PK2/PKR2 pathway and modulate its biological effects. The N-terminal region of anosmin 1 interacts with PKR2, and the whey acidic protein domain is necessary for this modulatory activity, while the cysteine-rich and FnIII.1 domains may assist in binding to PKR2 and regulating receptor activation by PK2.
CELLULAR SIGNALLING
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vera A. Borzova, Andrey M. Chernikov, Valeriya V. Mikhaylova, Boris I. Kurganov
Summary: Chemical chaperones are capable of suppressing protein aggregation at different stages. This study investigates the change in aggregation kinetics of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase in the presence of 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin. The results show that the addition of the chaperone alters the aggregation kinetics and the order of aggregation with respect to protein.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qian Wang, Manoj S. Nair, Saumya Anang, Shijian Zhang, Hanh Nguyen, Yaoxing Huang, Lihong Liu, David D. Ho, Joseph G. Sodroski
Summary: The study found that emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 have increased affinity for the ACE2 receptor and are more stable in cold temperatures, with B.1.1.7 being the most stable. Additionally, some variants showed lower susceptibility to neutralization by antibodies from convalescent and vaccinated individuals.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Shanila Akhter, Hafiz Muhammad Irfan, Alamgeer, Shafeeq Ur Rahman, Mukhtar Ansari, Zaid Mustafa, Muhammad Bilal Latif
Summary: The study found that mandelic acid has the potential to treat rheumatoid arthritis by inhibiting protein denaturation and stabilizing the red blood cell membrane. In animal testing, mandelic acid dose-dependently reduced paw volume in arthritic rats, and showed no signs of toxicity in acute and sub-acute treatments.
PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoyu Liu, Fangkun Zhao, Xianghong Wang, Shuiping Chen, Jingyi Qu, Yaxin Sang
Summary: In this study, Bacillus pumilus E-1-1-1 isolated from feces of 38 kinds of animals was found to have the ability to degrade aflatoxin M1 (AFM1). By conducting whole genome sequencing and proteomics, it was confirmed that eight genes in Bacillus pumilus E-1-1-1 were capable of degrading AFM1, with the most degrading proteins being oxidoreductases.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Spectroscopy
Nicoleta Sandu, Claudia G. Chilom, Monica Florescu
Summary: Research has shown that rutin can affect the structure of the BSA-LT4 complex, with fluorescence studies confirming the affinity and quenching mechanism of rutin to the complex. Thermodynamic parameters indicate that the binding of rutin to BSA-LT4 is a spontaneous process driven primarily by enthalpy and electrostatic forces.
SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY
(2022)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Seonmin Lee, Kyung Jo, Hyun Gyung Jeong, Yun-Sang Choi, Hyunjin Kyoung, Samooel Jung
Summary: Freezing meat can cause denaturation of proteins, affecting the overall quality of the product. Cold denaturation and protein oxidation occur at typical freezing temperatures. To maintain the quality of meat products, it is important to choose an appropriate freezing temperature and avoid temperature fluctuations.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Khadijeh Pouraghajan, Hamid Mahdiuni, Sirous Ghobadi, Reza Khodarahmi
Summary: Recent studies have suggested that inhibiting the formation of the beta-catenin/LRH-1 complex may be a potential strategy for inhibiting the progression of pancreatic cancer cells. In this study, a biomimetic approach was used to design an affinity peptide that showed inhibitory effects on the Wnt signaling pathway and induced apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. The peptide also demonstrated inhibitory effects on the stemness feature of the cells.
JOURNAL OF BIOMOLECULAR STRUCTURE & DYNAMICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ying Xiong, Yiyu Zhang, Zefan Li, Md Shamim Reza, Xinyu Li, Xiaodong Tian, Hui-wang Ai
Summary: The NanoLuc luciferase and its furimazine substrate have greatly improved bioluminescence assays and imaging. However, their use for mammalian tissue imaging is limited by the low tissue penetration of blue photons. In this study, a mutant NLuc called QLuc was developed, which catalyzes the oxidation of a synthetic QTZ luciferin to produce bright and red-shifted emission. This red-shifted luciferase showed improved performance for imaging deep-tissue targets in live mice. Using QLuc, the researchers also demonstrated the use of immunoBLI for molecular imaging of tumor-associated antigens in a xenograft mouse model. QLuc is expected to have broad applications in noninvasive mammalian imaging, and immunoBLI serves as a convenient and nonradioactive molecular imaging tool for animal models in basic and preclinical research.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Hong Sun, Chuan Yao, Kaibo You, Can Chen, Shuoshuo Liu, Zhihong Xu
Summary: In this study, a dynamic monitoring approach based on nanopore single-molecule biosensor was developed to detect the folding and unfolding transitions of proteins. By gradually increasing the concentration of denaturant guanidine hydrochloride (GdmCl), sensitive responses were observed with lysozyme unfolding. The existence of a stable intermediate was experimentally confirmed, providing insights into the conformation of the intermediate and the manner of denaturant towards lysozyme.
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pooya Afaghi, Michael Anthony Lapolla, Khashayar Ghandi
Summary: The study found that irradiating the spike protein with a 700 W, 2.45 GHz electromagnetic field for 2 minutes can denature the protein to around 95%. This electromagnetic denaturation may offer potential therapeutic or sanitation applications for the virus's proteins.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andy Hsien-Wei Yeh, Christoffer Norn, Yakov Kipnis, Doug Tischer, Samuel J. Pellock, Declan Evans, Pengchen Ma, Gyu Rie Lee, Jason Z. Zhang, Ivan Anishchenko, Brian Coventry, Longxing Cao, Justas Dauparas, Samer Halabiya, Michelle DeWitt, Lauren Carter, K. N. Houk, David Baker
Summary: We have successfully designed an artificial luciferase with high selectivity and catalytic efficiency using a deep-learning-based approach. This achievement is a major milestone in computational enzyme design and has broad applications in biomedical research.