Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shinji Kishimoto, Yuya Matsubara, Kenji Watanabe
Summary: Ergopeptines are representative ergoline alkaloids with a tripeptide extension on the lysergic acid core. In this study, we characterized newly isolated ergopeptine-like compounds called lentopeptins from Aspergillus lentulus, which differ from traditional ergopeptines in structure and biosynthetic pathway. Targeted deletion of len cluster biosynthetic genes predicted from the genome sequence revealed the atypical biosynthetic pathway of lentopeptins.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Daniel Slunge, Anders Boman, Marie Studahl
Summary: The incidence of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) has increased in Sweden in recent decades. This study analyzed data from 1998 to 2014 to calculate the disease burden of TBE. The results showed that TBE patients had higher healthcare utilization, longer sick leave, and higher costs compared to those without TBE. The study provides important information for decision-making on immunization programs.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aileen Peters, Eric Herrmann, Nicolas Cornelissen, Nils Klocker, Daniel Kummel, Andrea Rentmeister
Summary: Methylation and demethylation of DNA, RNA, and proteins play a key role in epigenetic regulation. Engineered methionine adenosyltransferases have been utilized to modify biomolecules with non-natural groups, leading to efficient conversion of specific substrates and enabling photo-protection by visible light.
Article
Microbiology
Sheng Yin, Dongmei Yang, Yiying Zhu, Baozhu Huang
Summary: The study reveals that amino acid metabolism can regulate the biosynthesis of Monascus pigments (MPs), and methionine and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) play different roles in the regulation of MPs biosynthesis in Monascus purpureus RP2. The expression of SAM synthetase leads to an increased expression of transcriptional regulatory proteins of the MPs biosynthesis gene cluster, while the addition of SAM results in increased expression of MPs biosynthesis activators and the global regulator LaeA. These findings provide a new perspective for understanding the regulation of MPs biosynthesis in M. purpureus.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Huawen Peng, Yongjin Hu, Shaoping Li, Jingyi Rao, Qiang Zhao
Summary: This study utilized sulfonium salts to modify polyamide nanofiltration membranes for high performance Mg2+/Li+ separation. The modification resulted in enhanced positive charge and loose structures of the membranes, leading to a 4.3 times improved permeance. The modified membrane exhibited high water permeance and good Mg2+/Li+ selectivity, along with good stability. This study demonstrates the promising potential of sulfoniums for engineering advanced lithium extraction membranes.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Cheng Chen, Minyan Wang, Hongjian Lu, Binlin Zhao, Zhuangzhi Shi
Summary: Alkyl thianthrenium salts have been synthesized as reliable alkylation reagents, which can readily engage in copper-catalyzed Sonogashira and Kumada reactions to build C(sp(3))-C(sp) bonds under mild photochemical conditions. The method demonstrates great functional breadth and compatibility, even with sensitive Cl, Br, and I atoms.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ruoyu Wang, Ravindra Duddu, Shihong Lin
Summary: The use of ion exchange membranes (IEMs) leverages the selectivity of the membranes for electrochemical ion-ion separation, but a mechanistic model for relating selectivity with membrane properties is lacking. In this study, we extend Manning's counter-ion condensation model to mixed salts scenarios and evaluate its performance against experimental data. Our analysis shows that the extended Donnan-Manning model generally outperforms the ideal Donnan model and the Donnan-Affinity model in predicting ion partitioning and mobility selectivity. However, its performance for anion exchange membranes is still unsatisfactory.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael J. Wheadon, Craig A. Townsend
Summary: Nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) are large, multidomain enzymes involved in the assembly-line-like synthesis of peptide natural products, including clinically useful antibiotics. The condensation (C) domains in NRPSs catalyze peptide bond formation during synthesis. Research has shown that in certain cases, the function of C domains can be altered, providing insights into beta-lactam synthesis and canonical peptide synthesis mechanisms.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ayumi Suematsu, Ryo Akiyama
Summary: This study calculated the effective interaction between macroanions immersed in an electrolyte solution using an integral equation theory of liquids, investigating the solvent granularity effect on the effective attraction mediated by cations. It was found that the effective attraction in the explicit solvent model was stronger than that in the implicit solvent model. The study also proposed an indirect mechanism for the intensification of attraction by the solvent granularity.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Vitaly V. Chaban
Summary: The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's atmosphere is linked to global warming. This study introduces trialkylsulfonium aprotic ionic liquids (ILs) as highly capacitive CO2 scavengers. By analyzing the reaction profiles, the viability of these new sorbents is advocated. The computational results suggest that sulfonium-based ILs show promise for CO2 chemisorption in terms of thermodynamics and kinetics.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Pallaba Ganjan Dalai, Niranjan Panda
Summary: The benzannulation and N-annulation of beta-ketoenamines using the in-situ generated methyl(methylene)sulfonium ion from the reaction of DMSO and DBE was achieved. This reaction provides a novel method for synthesizing pyridine derivatives and substituted anilines.
ADVANCED SYNTHESIS & CATALYSIS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Rahul Sujanani, Lynn E. Katz, Donald R. Paul, Benny D. Freeman
Summary: Nafion, a well-studied polymer with rapid proton transport, was compared in terms of ion activity coefficients and solubility in various aqueous solutions. The study found that the ion pairing effect significantly affects the solubility of Na2SO4 in Nafion. While the counter-ion condensation theory shows general applicability to highly charged polymers, it also reveals fundamental limitations related to ion pairing effects.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dona Sleiman, Pierre Simon Garcia, Marion Lagune, Jerome Loc'h, Ahmed Haouz, Najwa Taib, Pascal Rothlisberger, Simonetta Gribaldo, Philippe Marliere, Pierre Alexandre Kaminski
Summary: This study reveals a third purine pathway encoded by cyanobacterial virus S-2L and Vibrio phage PhiVC8, catalyzed by PurZ, which synthesizes 2-amino-2'-deoxyadenosine-5'-triphosphate. Crystallography and phylogenetics analyses show a close relationship between phage PurZ and archaeal PurA enzymes. This work elucidates a biocatalytic innovation beyond canonical molecular biology, remodeling a DNA building block.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Martin N. Mayanja, Frank N. Mwiine, Julius J. Lutwama, Alfred Ssekagiri, Moses Egesa, Emma C. Thomson, Alain Kohl
Summary: Mosquito-transmitted arboviruses, a significant portion of emerging infectious diseases, pose a threat to public health and animal populations. This study focuses on mosquito-borne viruses identified in Uganda, detailing their origins, characteristics, modes of transmission, and potential threats. With a high historical burden and endemicity of arboviruses in Uganda, the presence of diverse mosquito species suggests the existence of many yet undiscovered mosquito-borne viruses.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Martin N. Mayanja, Frank N. Mwiine, Julius J. Lutwama, Alfred Ssekagiri, Moses Egesa, Emma C. Thomson, Alain Kohl
Summary: Mosquito-transmitted arboviruses, including 24 identified in Uganda, pose a significant public health threat in East Africa. Among them, Peribunyaviridae is the most common family. Ten viruses were first described in Uganda, and historically, the country has a high burden of arboviruses. Next generation sequencing has led to the discovery of novel viruses, emphasizing the importance of advanced diagnostic platforms in characterizing mosquito viromes.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Charles A. Lewis, Richard Wolfenden
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Charles A. Lewis, Richard Wolfenden
Summary: SAM is a powerful methylating agent that evolved to modify specific lysine residues in proteins and transcription factors. The methyl transfer reactions are insensitive to pH changes and each step in the process has a similar change in free energy value.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Charles A. Lewis Jr, Richard Wolfenden
Summary: Citrate lyase enables Klebsiella aerogenes to grow anaerobically on citrate as the sole carbon source. Experiments show that citrate is cleaved nonenzymatically to acetate and oxaloacetate at a slow rate, while malate cleavage occurs even more slowly. The introduction of an alpha-keto group enhances the rate of aldol cleavage of malate significantly. The rate enhancement produced by citrate lyase is comparable to that of OMP decarboxylase.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Charles A. Lewis, Lin Shen, Weitao Yang, Richard Wolfenden