Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Patrick Lenz, Fabienne Hilgers, Alina Burmeister, Leonie Zimmermann, Kristina Volkenborn, Alexander Grunberger, Dietrich Kohlheyer, Thomas Drepper, Karl-Erich Jaeger, Andreas Knapp
Summary: The iSplit GFP assay has been successfully developed for the detection, quantification, and online monitoring of recombinant protein production in Bacillus subtilis during cultivation. This system allows for monitoring protein production at a single-cell level, providing insights into intracellular protein distribution and culture heterogeneity.
MICROBIAL CELL FACTORIES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Estelle Blochouse, Rony Eid, Nahla Araji, Wei Tuo, Remi Chatre, Sebastien Papot, Nicolas Leveque, Raphael Thuillier, Pauline Poinot
Summary: Induced volatolomics is a promising field for biomedical applications. This pilot study demonstrates the use of VOC-based probes to identify new metabolic markers for disease prognosis. By incubating the probes in plasma samples, dysregulated glycosidases associated with critical COVID-19 illness were identified. These findings suggest that VOC-based probes could be valuable analytical tools for personalized medicine.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Shuo Li, Long Yu, Li Xiong, Yuxiu Xiao
Summary: The study introduced a novel method for detecting GCU activity using both fluorescence and chromaticity signals. This method allows for sensitive detection of GCU activity and can aid in early disease diagnosis.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chang Xu, Lifang Sun, Yuanyuan Mei, Gongling Sun, Wenjing Li, Dan Wang, Xin Li, Ning Ning Wang
Summary: The gaseous hormone ethylene is important for plant growth and development. ACC synthase (ACS) is the key enzyme that controls ethylene biosynthesis, and recent findings revealed that it also possesses CSL activity. This study conducted domain swapping experiments and identified key residues required for ACS and CSL activities of AtACS7, providing insights for further understanding its biological functions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Letter
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Mohammad Haneef Khan, Guillaume C. Onyeaghala, Armin Rashidi, Shernan G. Holtan, Alexander Khoruts, Ajay Israni, Pamala A. Jacobson, Christopher Staley
Summary: The activity of intestinal microbiota-produced beta-glucuronidase plays a crucial role in the metabolism of the immunosuppressant mycophenolate mofetil. Differences in beta-glucuronidase activity between transplant types may account for variations in dosing requirements.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Shao-Bin He, Hui-Jing Yang, Liu Yang, Hamada A. A. Noreldeen, Hua-Ping Peng, Hao-Hua Deng, Wei Chen, Guo-Lin Hong
Summary: Rutin was found to regulate the peroxidase-like activity of Fe-OSiNDs, acting as a coenzyme. Rutin activated the peroxidase-like activity of Fe-OSiNDs at low concentrations, accelerating the oxidation process. The addition of beta-glucuronidase hydrolyzed rutin and suppressed its peroxidase-like activity, allowing the establishment of a colorimetric sensor for beta-glucuronidase.
MICROCHEMICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yuling Wang, Rongrong Pan, Depeng Jiang, Dechen Jiang, Hong-Yuan Chen
Summary: By confining the aqueous phase volume at the tip of a nanopipette using an organic solvent, the confinement effect on the specific activity of glucose oxidase was investigated. The enzymatic activity shows a near-exponential drop with the increase in space volume.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Vanessa S. D. Carvalho, Laura Gomez-Delgado, M. Angeles Curto, M. Belen Moreno, Pilar Perez, Juan Carlos Ribas, Juan Carlos G. Cortes
Summary: The study examined the efficiency and reproducibility of 12 recombinant endo-beta(1,3)-D-glucanases for degrading the cell wall beta(1,3)-D-glucan in fission yeast. The GH16 endo-beta(1,3)-D-glucanase PfLam16A from Pyrococcus furiosus showed complete and reproducible degradation, making it a valuable tool for studying cell wall composition and developing new antifungal drugs.
MICROBIAL CELL FACTORIES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Qingnan Li, Wenzhi Qiang, Jie Yuan, Lehui Xiao
Summary: The sensitive and accurate detection of biomarkers is crucial in clinical diagnosis and drug discovery. Existing amplification-based methods face challenges of limited reproducibility and high background noise. To solve these problems, a robust plasmonic nanoparticle-coupled single-molecule kinetic fingerprinting (PNP-SMKF) method is developed, allowing ultrasensitive detection of protein kinase A (PKA). This method shows great potential as a versatile platform for enzyme detection and inhibitor screening.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Liang Yang, Xianbao Sun, Lingling Xu, Xiaotong Cheng, Xiaoyang Liu, Yu Deng, Xinyi Hu, Gaolin Liang
Summary: A bioluminescence probe Glc-Luc was designed to enable in vivo imaging of GLU. The probe showed specific responsiveness to GLU with high catalytic efficiency and low limit of detection. It exhibited significantly higher bioluminescence intensity in cell lysates and tumor-bearing mice, suggesting its potential for sensitive diagnosis of GLU-related diseases.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Zheng Ersong, Wang Xuming, Xu Rumeng, Yu Feibo, Zheng Chao, Yang Yong, Chen Yang, Chen Jianping, Yan Chengqi, Zhou Jie
Summary: OsPR10a is a well-known pathogenesis-related gene in rice, induced by multiple plant hormones and pathogens. The study on OsPR10a promoter revealed that JA and CK treatments significantly increased its expression in leaves, with some OsWRKY genes playing a regulatory role. However, not all key transcription factors in JA and CK signaling pathways are responsible for the activation of OsPR10a promoter.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Karolina Lagowska, Anna M. Malinowska, Karina Kapczuk, Joanna Mikolajczyk-Stecyna, Agata Chmurzynska, Marcin Schmidt
Summary: This study evaluated the relationship between beta-glucuronidase and androgen levels in overweight and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The results showed no relationship between beta-glucuronidase activity and androgen levels. However, the study suggested that regulating gut microbiota abundance through special diets could improve carbohydrate metabolism and diet quality.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Ke-Meng Zhao, Shu-Shu Zhong, Jun Zhang, Cun-Sheng Zhang, Zhi Dang, Ze-Hua Liu
Summary: A new method based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed for the simultaneous measurement of arylsulfatase and beta-glucuronidase, avoiding the potential underestimation issue encountered by the classic spectrophotometric method.
WATER ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Aleksandra Suhorukova, Alexander A. Tyurin, Olga S. Pavlenko, Orkhan N. Mustafayev, Igor G. Sinelnikov, Irina Goldenkova-Pavlova
Summary: This study presents a new vector system for quantitative analysis of the contribution of regulatory elements to gene expression in plants. The system quantifies the effect of tested regulatory elements on expression by evaluating the enzyme activities of reporter proteins and taking into account the transcription of their genes.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Vy Ha Nguyen Tran, Valentina Perna, Maria Dalgaard Mikkelsen, Thuan Thi Nguyen, Vo Thi Dieu Trang, Andreas Baum, Hang Thi Thuy Cao, Tran Thi Thanh Van, Anne S. Meyer
Summary: A new quantitative endo-fucoidanase assay based on FTIR-PARAFAC method was developed to monitor spectral changes of substrates and products during enzymatic depolymerization, providing potential for better understanding and exploring endo-fucoidanases.
ENZYME AND MICROBIAL TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Letter
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Enio R. Vasques, Estela R. R. Figueira, Joel A. Rocha-Filho, Cinthia Lanchotte, Jorge L. S. Ximenes, Helena B. Nader, Ivarne L. S. Tersariol, Marcelo A. Lima, Tiago Rodrigues, Jose E. M. Cunha, Eleazar Chaib, Luiz A. C. D'Albuquerque, Flavio H. F. Galvao
HEPATOBILIARY & PANCREATIC DISEASES INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Mieke Guinan, Ningwu Huang, Chris S. Hawes, Marcelo A. Lima, Mark Smith, Gavin J. Miller
Summary: Analogues of canonical nucleosides play crucial roles in antiviral and anticancer research, with 4'-thionucleosides being an important chemotype in this field. Synthetic capability towards a common 4-thioribose building block is established, allowing access to thio-ribo and thio-arabino pyrimidine nucleosides, as well as their 4'-sulfinyl derivatives. These new analogues exhibit varying cytotoxic capabilities against human pancreatic cancer and human primary glioblastoma cell lines, with reasons for their reduced activity compared to established nucleoside analogues still unclear. This access to chemotypes with thiohemiaminal linkages will enable further exploration in purine and triphosphate analogues for potential resistance towards relevant hydrolytic enzymes in nucleic acid biochemistries.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Danielle de Paula Moreira, Angela May Suzuki, Andre Luiz Teles e Silva, Elisa Varella-Branco, Maria Cecilia Zorel Meneghetti, Gerson Shigeru Kobayashi, Mariana Fogo, Merari de Fatima Ramires Ferrari, Rafaela Regina Cardoso, Naila Cristina Vilaca Lourenco, Karina Griesi-Oliveira, Elaine Cristina Zachi, Debora Romeo Bertola, Karina de Souza Weinmann, Marcelo Andrade de Lima, Helena Bonciani Nader, Andrea Laurato Sertie, Maria Rita Passos-Bueno
Summary: Biallelic pathogenic variants in TBCK lead to IHPRF3, but the molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. This study reported two sisters with IHPRF3 and TBCK variants and provided evidence that TBCK may play a critical role in the early secretory pathway in neuroprogenitor cells. Impairment of TBCK function has been associated with disrupted vesicle transport and autophagosome biogenesis, altered cell cycle progression, and impaired migration capacity.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Scott E. Guimond, Courtney J. Mycroft-West, Neha S. Gandhi, Julia A. Tree, Thuy T. Le, C. Mirella Spalluto, Maria Humbert, Karen R. Buttigieg, Naomi Coombes, Michael J. Elmore, Matthew Wand, Kristina Nystrom, Joanna Said, Yin Xiang Setoh, Alberto A. Amarilla, Naphak Modhiran, Julian D. J. Sng, Mohit Chhabra, Paul R. Young, Daniel J. Rawle, Marcelo A. Lima, Edwin A. Yates, Richard Karlsson, Rebecca L. Miller, Yen-Hsi Chen, Ieva Bagdonaite, Zhang Yang, James Stewart, Dung Nguyen, Stephen Laidlaw, Edward Hammond, Keith Dredge, Tom M. A. Wilkinson, Daniel Watterson, Alexander A. Khromykh, Andreas Suhrbier, Miles W. Carroll, Edward Trybala, Tomas Bergstrom, Vito Ferro, Mark A. Skidmore, Jeremy E. Turnbull
Summary: This study found that the synthetic HS mimetic pixatimod can interact with the receptor binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and directly inhibit its binding to ACE2. The results show that pixatimod can effectively inhibit the infection of multiple clinical isolates of SARS-CoV-2 virus and has broad potency against various variants. In a mouse model, pixatimod also reduces viral titers and weight loss. This study provides strong evidence for the potential use of synthetic HS mimetics as a therapeutic approach for COVID-19.
ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Maria C. Z. Meneghetti, Lucy Naughton, Conor O'Shea, Dindet S. E. Koffi Teki, Vincent Chagnault, Helena B. Nader, Timothy R. Rudd, Edwin A. Yates, Jose Kovensky, Gavin J. Miller, Marcelo A. Lima
Summary: Heparan sulfate is a ubiquitous carbohydrate in animals that plays important roles in biological processes and has potential therapeutic targets. However, its chemical heterogeneity makes it difficult to establish direct structure-function correlations. Through the use of NMR and chemical synthesis, this study explores how different sulfation patterns affect the geometry of the polysaccharide backbone and investigates the conformational changes caused by substitution with more stable S-glycosidic forms.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Michela Parafioriti, Minghong Ni, Maurice Petitou, Courtney J. Mycroft-West, Timothy R. Rudd, Neha S. Gandhi, Vito Ferro, Jeremy E. Turnbull, Marcelo A. Lima, Mark A. Skidmore, David G. Fernig, Edwin A. Yates, Antonella Bisio, Marco Guerrini, Stefano Elli
Summary: The infection of host cells by SARS-CoV-2 involves the recognition of cell surface heparan sulfate by the virus spike protein, leading to viral-cell membrane fusion. Ligand-based NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics were used to investigate the interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and heparan sulfate, revealing different binding modes and potential binding sites. This study suggests that diverse heparan sulfate structures may be more effective as inhibitors.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Thais Kristini Almendros Barbosa, Rosario Dominguez Crespo Hirata, Glaucio Monteiro Ferreira, Jessica Bassani Borges, Victor Fernandes de Oliveira, Renata Gorjao, Elisangela Rodrigues da Silva Marcal, Rodrigo Marques Goncalves, Andre Arpad Faludi, Renata Caroline Costa de Freitas, Carolina Dagli-Hernandez, Raul Hernandes Bortolin, Gisele Medeiros Bastos, Tania Cristina Pithon-Curi, Helena Bonciani Nader, Mario Hiroyuki Hirata
Summary: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is caused by harmful mutations in the LDLR gene, resulting in significantly increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In this study, the functional effects of LDLR variants in Brazilian FH patients were assessed. It was found that LDLR null and defective variants reduce LDL binding and uptake in activated T-lymphocytes, while LDLR missense variants affect LDLR conformational stability and the dissociation of the LDLR-ApoB complex.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Helena B. Nader
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Anthony J. Devlin, Courtney J. Mycroft-West, Jeremy E. Turnbull, Marcelo Andrade de Lima, Marco Guerrini, Edwin A. Yates, Mark A. Skidmore
Summary: Heparin, a polydisperse and heterogeneous polysaccharide of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) class, is widely used as a potent anticoagulant and is classified as an essential medicine by the World Health Organization. The contamination crisis in 2008 highlighted the need for rigorous monitoring and quality control of pharmaceutical heparin. Multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy techniques and multivariate analysis emerged as the gold standard, but an alternative approach utilizing attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) combined with multivariate analysis has been developed. This method enables rapid, cost-effective monitoring and analysis of pharmaceutical heparin, making it suitable for future deployment throughout the supply chain.
ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alice J. C. Wahart, Jonathan P. Dolan, Simon D. Anderson, Aisling Ni Cheallaigh, Jessica Staniland, Marcelo A. Lima, Mark A. Skidmore, Gavin J. Miller, Sebastian C. Cosgrove
Summary: This study presents an alternative approach for purifying alkylglucosides using oxidative biocatalysis. By utilizing immobilized engineered alcohol oxidase, a selective enzymatic oxidation of a long-chain alcohol by-product is achieved, followed by removal using amino resins. The method lays a foundation for the development of sustainable alkylglucoside purification and refining other important chemical feedstocks.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jonathan P. Dolan, Sanaz Ahmadipour, Alice J. C. Wahart, Aisling Ni Cheallaigh, Suat Sari, Chatchakorn Eurtivong, Marcelo A. Lima, Mark A. Skidmore, Konstantin P. Volcho, Johannes Reynisson, Robert A. Field, Gavin J. Miller
Summary: This study used virtual screening and experimental validation to discover a new compound that can inhibit the synthesis of alginate in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The compound showed stronger inhibition than existing inhibitors, offering a potential pathway for the development of new selective antibacterial drugs.
RSC CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Caecilie M. M. Benckendorff, Valentyna D. Slyusarchuk, Ningwu Huang, Marcelo A. Lima, Mark Smith, Gavin J. Miller
Summary: Analogues of the canonical nucleosides play a crucial role in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery research. This study successfully synthesized a new type of nucleoside with alternative pharmacophore space, and confirmed its stereochemistry using X-ray crystallography and NMR analysis. In addition, the biological capabilities of these nucleosides were preliminarily explored.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
M. A. Lima, T. R. Rudd, D. G. Fernig, E. A. Yates
Summary: Phosphate and sulfate groups play important roles in energy metabolism and precise binding/activation of protein partners. They have distinct properties and functions in biological systems, and are interconnected through complex signaling networks.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Paulo H. Jr Jr Olivieri, Marcelo B. Jesus, Helena B. Nader, Giselle Z. Justo, Alioscka A. Sousa
Summary: This study reveals that surface glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) can regulate the cellular internalization of nanoparticles. Anionic nanoparticles are hindered by the charged surface GAGs, while cationic nanoparticles interact favorably with GAGs. Further investigation shows that the interaction of nanoparticles with GAGs is different, and heparan sulfate plays a crucial role in the cellular internalization of cationic nanoparticles.