Plant heterotrimeric G proteins are a major group of signaling molecules involved in regulation of critical processes including stress adaptation, seed size, grain quality and immune responses. Despite an abundance of in situ functional studies; purification of the individual subunits of the plant heterotrimer for biophysical and structural characterization and for studies on their interactions are

Biosynthesis of chlorophyll involves several enzymatic reactions of which many are shared with the heme biosynthesis pathway. Magnesium chelatase is the first specific enzyme in the chlorophyll pathway. It catalyzes the formation of Mg-protoporphyrin IX from the insertion of Mg2+ into protoporphyrin IX. The enzyme consists of three subunits encoded by three genes. The three genes are named Xantha-h

Antifungal proteins and peptides have drawn the attention of numerous plant biologists and Clinicians, owing to their potential value in protecting commercial crops as well as preventing fungal infections in humans. Various proteins and peptides, such as glucanases, chitinases, chitinase-like proteins, lectins, peroxidases, defensins, and lipid transfer proteins have antifungal activities. Thaumatin

Enzymes play important roles in many biological processes. Amino acid residues in the active site pocket of an enzyme, which are in direct contact with the substrate(s), are generally believed to be critical for substrate recognition and catalysis. Identifying and understanding how these “catalytic” residues help enzymes achieve enormous rate enhancement has been the focus of many structural and biochemical

Abstract Enzymes are important tools for various applications. We have studied structural transitions and functional stability of a Kunitz trypsin inhibitor from Chickpea (CaTI2), a potent insect gut-protease inhibitor, under different stress conditions like non-neutral pH, elevated temperature and co-solvent concentrations. CaTI2 was cloned and expressed in an eukaryotic system P. pastoris and was

New support was fabricated to enhance the enzyme activity of cellulase following immobilization. Functionalized core-shell magnetic gold nanoparticles were prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cellulase enzyme was immobilized on support via covalent bonding. The successful

Lectins are proteins that bind to the carbohydrate moieties on surface of bacteria, erythrocytes and other cells of invertebrates causing agglutination and mediate in recognition of foreign substances. In the present study, we isolated and characterized a lectin molecule present in the hemolymph of Macrobrachium rosenbergii, an important cultured freshwater prawn. Lectin in serum samples of adult prawns

Cecropin AD (CAD) is a hybrid peptide composed of 37 amino acids with the characters of strong antibacterial, antitumor properties and no hemolytic activity, which was regarded as a promising antibiotic candidate. Thus, a safe method to produce Cecropin AD is necessary to be found. In the study, Bacillus subtilis WB800N was employed as host strain. The CAD coding sequence fused with the signal peptide

The temperature-dependent secondary structure of two monoclonal IgG antibodies, anti-IGF1R and anti-TSLP, were examined by transmission mode Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Anti-IGF1R and anti-TSLP are IgG monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against human Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 Receptor for anti-tumor activity and Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin cytokine for anti-asthma activity

Surface accessibility of different types of the same elements of secondary structure has been studied in 10 non-redundant sets of proteins (total number of three-dimensional structures is 1730) with a help of DSSP (Dictionary of Secondary Structure of Proteins). Random coils (C), beta strands (B), and alpha helices (H) have been classified according to their flanking elements of secondary structure

The major threat in modern medicine was biofilm forming bacterial related infections and they were highly tolerant to conventional antibiotics and a boundless demand for new drugs. In this regard, antimicrobial peptide (AMP) have been considered as potential alternative agents to conventional antibiotics. In this study, we have reported a CxxC zinc finger protein derived peptide, MF18 and its various

We attempted to identify the total proteome in sesame lipid droplets. Results from two-dimensional electrophoresis showed 139 protein spots in lipid droplet samples. Each spot was isolated, digested with trypsin, and applied to liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (Q-Tof Premier). As a result, 103 spots were identified. Although oleosin, caleosin, and steroleosin are known major components

We have computed the low energy minima for the two endomorphin peptides, N-acetyl-Tyr-Pro-Trp-Phe-NHCH3 (endomorphin 1) and Tyr-Pro-Phe-Phe-NHCH3 (endomorphin 2) in aqueous solution. These peptides block pain without inducing the harmful side effects of the opiates that bind to the same mu opiate receptor but have short half lives. From over 1000 starting conformations for each peptide, we find less

The devastating effects of the recent global pandemic (termed COVID-19 for "coronavirus disease 2019") caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) are paramount with new cases and deaths growing at an exponential rate. In order to provide a better understanding of SARS CoV-2, this article will review the proteins found in the SARS CoV-2 that caused this global pandemic

The pod wall of legumes is known to protect the developing seeds from pests and pathogens. However, the mechanism of conferring defense against insects has not yet been deciphered. Here, we have utilized 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-GE) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to identify over expressed proteins in the pod wall of two different cultivars (commercial cultivar: JG 11 and tolerant

Previously, the crude extracts of recombinant Nattokinase (NK) variants i.e. NatTK and NatOC and one wild type Douchi Fibrinolytic Enzyme (DFE) from Indonesian traditional fermented foods has been shown to demonstrate fibrinolytic activity. Both NKs contain substitutions of D41N, V192A and 252-RLQHTLEALSTM-263 but NatOC has additional V4F. In the present study, the effects of amino acid substitutions

Class-I restricted T cell-associated molecule (CRTAM) is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, and it is closely related to nectin-like protein. CRTAM is expressed in activated CD8 T cells, NKT cells, NK cells and in a subpopulation CD4 T cells. In this study, we produce as recombinant proteins, the Ig-domains of CRTAM (IgV-IgC), the IgV, and the IgC. These proteins were successfully purified

Lipoxygenases are non-heme iron-containing lipid dioxygenases enzymes that catalyze the hydroperoxidation of lipids. The Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a prominent source of the enzyme with a regeneration capacity in limbs. It has been shown that transfected human osteosarcoma and keratinocyte cells with epidermal lipoxygenase (LOXe) have an increased rate of cell migration. In the present

Background Lysine specific demethylase 2B, KDM2B, regulates genes that participate in cellular development, morphogenesis, differentiation and metabolism as a component of the polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1). The CxxC finger of KDM2B is responsible for the DNA binding capacity of this epigenetic regulator, acting as a sampling mechanism across chromatin for gene repression Objectives The molecular

In the original version of this article, under the Introduction section in paragraph starting "Some findings of this study..." the "Sect. 10" should be changed to "Sect. 3".

Previous studies have indicated that each conotoxin precursor has a hyperconserved signal region, a rather conserved pro region and a hypervariable mature region, and nucleotide mutations are the main driven factor. However, in this study, we made an in-depth analysis on the M-superfamily conotoxin precursors and found that the diversity of the signal, pro and mature regions are more complicated than

Biofluorescence has been found to be an increasingly widespread phenomenon in the ocean. The reclusive Caribbean chlopsid eel, Kaupichthys hyoproroides displays bright green fluorescence in its native marine environment. We have previously shown the fluorescence to be attributed to a fluorescent fatty acid-binding protein, Chlopsid FP, part of a larger family of fluorescent fatty acid-binding proteins

The global increase in the morbidity/mortality rate of Mycobacterial infections, predominantly renascent tuberculosis, leprosy, and Buruli ulcers have become worrisome over the years. More challenging is the incidence of resistance mediated by mutant Mycobacterium strains against front-line antitubercular drugs. Homologous to all Mycobacteria species is the GlcNAc-6-phosphate deacetylase (NagA) which

Gout is a common rheumatic condition caused due to increase in serum uric acid level (hyperuricemia). Uricase is for lowering the level of uric acid but unfortunately, it is not produced in humans due to evolutionary changes. Therefore, it is administered to humans from outside in case of the high uric acid level in blood. A different formulation of uricase from bacterial, fungal, and mammalian sources

The pace and efficiency of drug target strategies have been emanating debates among researchers in the field of drug development. Covalent inhibitors possess significant advantages over non-covalent inhibitors, such that covalent warheads can target rare residues of a particular target protein, thus leading to the development of highly selective inhibitors. However, toxicity can be a real challenge

The segmented annelid worm, Mesenchytraeus solifugus, is a permanent resident of temperate, maritime glaciers in the Pacific northwestern region of North America, displaying atypically high intracellular ATP levels which have been linked to its unusual ability to thrive in hydrated glacier ice. We have shown previously that ice worms contain a highly basic, carboxy terminal extension on their ATP6

Cancers are a great threat to humans. In cancer therapy, surgical removal of the tumor combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy is the most routine treatment procedure and usually the most effective. However, radiotherapy and chemotherapy drugs that kill cancer cells efficiently also kill normal cells, thus exhibiting large side effects. Cancer-targeted drugs, which aim to specifically recognize

Previously we reported that site-specific modification of the human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) A3C analog with polyethylene glycol (PEG) dramatically improved the pharmacokinetic properties of the protein in rats. However, we could not evaluate the hematological properties of the PEG-A3C protein in rats because human GM-CSF is inactive in rodents. To study the biological

In eukaryotes, chromosome ends (telomeres) are tethered to the inner nuclear membrane. During the early stages of meiosis, telomeres move along the nuclear membrane and gather near the spindle-pole body, resulting in a bouquet-like arrangement of chromosomes. This chromosomal configuration appears to be widely conserved among eukaryotes, and is assumed to play an important role in the normal progression

Therapeutic targeting of folate biosynthetic pathway has recently been explored as a viable strategy in the treatment of tuberculosis. The bioactive metabolite substrate of Para-amino salicyclic acid (PAS-M) reportedly dual-targets dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and flavin-dependent thymidylate synthase (FDTS), two essential enzymes in folate biosynthetic pathway. However, the molecular mechanisms

Matrixins play a major role in tissue regeneration and also in various patho-physiological processes. Discovery of matrix metallo proteins (MMPs) and their detailed structural and functional analysis would lead to the development of numerous potent synthetic inhibitors of matrixins to treat certain diseases. In the present investigation, a marine cephalopod- Octopus sp. collected from Cochin, in the

For proteome analyses, the tissue samples are mostly preserved either snap frozen or formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded form. Use of RNAlater-a non-toxic solution primarily used to stabilize the RNA content of samples-in tissue preservation for proteome analysis recently described equally reliable with snap-frozen preservation in human tissues. Even though RNALater storage has great potential in the

Since the interactions of anti-cancer agents with blood constituents, in particular with human serum albumin (HSA) may have a major impact on drug pharmacology, the present study designed to provide a fundamental understanding of the interaction of nanodiamonds (NDs) together with paclitaxel (PTX) with HSA in detail for the first time. The UV-Vis, steady-state fluorescence, far-UV CD and zeta potential

A class of secondary structure prediction algorithms use the information from the statistics of the residue pairs found in secondary structural elements. Because the protein folding process is dominated by backbone hydrogen bonding, an approach based on backbone hydrogen-bonded residue pairings would improve the predicting capabilities of these class algorithms. The reliability of the prediction algorithms

Metroxylon sagu Rottb. or locally known as sago palm is a tropical starch crop grown for starch production in commercial plantations in Malaysia, especially in Sarawak, East Malaysia. This plant species accumulate the highest amount of edible starch compared to other starch-producing crops. However, the non-trunking phenomenon has been observed to be one of the major issues restricting the yield of

The pupylation pathway marks proteins for prokaryotic ubiquitin-like protein (Pup)-proteasomal degradation and survival strategy of mycobacteria inside of the host macrophages. Deamidase of Pup (Dop) plays a central role in the pupylation pathway. It is still a matter of investigation to know the function of Dop in virulence of mycobacterial lineage. Hence, the present study was intended to describe

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are natural antagonistic tools of many bacteria and are considered as attractive antimicrobial agents for the treatment of bacteria with multidrug resistance. Lactic acid bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract of animals and human produce various AMPs inhibiting the growth of pathogens. Here we report the isolation and identification of novel Lactobacillus fermentum

PfbA (Plasmin(ogen) and Fibronectin Binding protein A) is an adhesin present on the surface of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Initial studies characterized PfbA as plasmin(ogen) and fibronectin binding protein and later it was found that it binds with many other proteins of the extracellular matrix such as fibrinogen, collagen and laminin. It also binds to blood protein human serum albumin (HSA). Interestingly

Halophilic enzymes contain a large number of acidic amino acids and marginal large hydrophobic amino acids, which make them highly soluble even under strongly hydrophobic conditions. This characteristic of halophilic enzymes provides potential for their industrial application. However, halophilic enzymes easily degrade when used for industrial applications compared with enzymes from other extremophiles

Cystatin C, also known as γ-trace or post-γ-globulin, is a cysteine protease inhibitor from the cystatin superfamily. It is usually used as a marker of the glomerular filtration rate owing to its low molecular weight and constant secretion. The recently available methods for cystatin C preparation have low outputs. Hence, a productive preparation system is urgently required. In this study, a 6 × His-tag

Being an important regulator of cell growth and survival, a point mutation at glycine-12 residue of Kras4B to valine (V), renders Kras4BG12V oncogenic. Kras4B recombinant protein is used as a bait to fish its potential ligands in the attempt of drugging this oncoprotein and to validate its pharmacologically relevant ligand in protein-ligand interaction studies. Nevertheless, synthesis of Kras4B recombinant

The invasive tactics employed by the malarial parasite renders malaria a global health threat, further impeding the effective treatment of the mosquito borne-parasitic disease. Although there have been countless efforts directed towards the development of effective therapeutics, factors such as emerging strains of drug resistance, enhanced toxicity and poor pharmacokinetic properties of current therapeutics

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an essential factor to pathologic angiogenesis. Disruption of VEGF/VEGF receptor interaction in cancer patients inhibits the development of new and pre-existing tumor blood vessels. Consequently, VEGF becomes an important therapeutic target for handling solid tumors. In this work, human VEGF was produced in the culture supernatant of SiHa cells transduced

α-Amylases are used in various biotechnological processes including the textile, paper, food, biofuels, detergents and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, a novel gene encoding α-amylase was cloned from marine bacterium Salinispora arenicola CNP193 and the protein was expressed in Escherichia coli. The α-amylase gene from S. arenicola CNP193 had a length of 1839 bp and encoded a α-amylase with

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is an economically important fruit. However, the marketability of mango is affected by the perishable nature and short shelf-life of the fruit. Therefore, a better understanding of the mango ripening process is of great importance towards extending its postharvest shelf life. Proteomics is a powerful tool that can be used to elucidate the complex ripening process at the

Cellulase from Trichoderma reesei was immobilized by covalent or non-covalent binding onto magnetic hierarchical porous carbon (MHPC) nanomaterials. The immobilization yield and the enzyme activity were higher when covalent immobilization approach was followed. The covalent immobilization approach leads to higher immobilization yield (up to 96%) and enzyme activity (up to 1.35 U mg-1) compared to the

Sepsis is a clinical syndrome characterized by the presence of circulating microbial endotoxins and oxidative stress. Endotoxin and oxidative stress activate endothelial cells via a convergent signaling pathway (TLR4/MyD88/PI3 K/PLCɣ/NF-B) that stimulates both the transcription of SELP gene (which encodes for human P-selectin) and the release of P-selectin from Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs). However

The aim of present study was to investigate the binding interactions of a model hydrophobic molecule, dimethylcurcumin (DMC) with nanoparticle form of bovine serum albumin (BSA) using fluorescence spectroscopy techniques. For this, BSA nanoparticles (size = 62.0 ± 3.5 nm, molecular weight = 11,243 ± 3445 kD) prepared by thermal denaturation method was mixed with DMC in solution and monitored for fluorescence

Modern organic chemistry faces many difficulties in the reliable production of cyclopeptides, such as poor yields and insufficient regio- and stereoselectivity. Thioesterase (TE) shows impressive stereospecificity, region- and chemoselectivity during the cyclization of peptide substrates. The biocatalytic properties of TE provide high value for industrial applications. Herein, a novel chemoenzymatic

Queen conch (Lobatus gigas) is a marine gastropod endemic to the Caribbean. This species is a cultural symbol, being a significant local food source and the second largest commercial fishery in the region. However, over-exploitation and natural habitat degradation have exerted high survival pressure on this species. This work aims to provide novel proteomic data to highlight the metabolism of the species

Cryo-correlative light and electron microscopy (Cryo-CLEM) is materializing as a widespread approach amalgamating the advantages of both fluorescence light microscopy (FLM) as well as three dimensional (3D) cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) to reveal the ultrastructure of significant target molecules with specific cellular functions. Cryo-CLEM allows imaging of cells by means of fluorescence microscopy

Thymosin beta 10 (TB10) is one of the common members among beta-thymosins. Human TB10 is reported to play a role in anti-angiogenesis and inhibition of cell migration during the tumorigenesis or metastasis of some certain cancers. Thus, it would be a potent clinical agent. In the present study, the coding sequence of TB10 was optimized based on the codon preference of Escherichia coli and cloned to

Two-component systems (TCSs) are highly conserved in prokaryotes, endowing cells with multiple physiological functions to respond to changes in the ambient environment. The signaling pathway of a typical TCS consists of a sensory histidine kinase and a response regulator. The TCSs of Kocuria rhizophila, which is usually used as a target strain for various antibiotics and other adverse factors, have

The original publication of this article contained a number of grammatical errors. Unfortunately, an incorrect version of the file that did not include some final language editing was inadvertently published online. The original article has been corrected.

Understanding and computationally predicting the protein folding process remains one of the most challenging scientific problems and has uniquely garnered the interdisciplinary efforts of researchers from both the biological, chemical, physical and computational disciplines. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of long-range interactions in guiding the native structure. However, predicting

The biochemical properties and biological activities of the venom from three individual Ophiophagus hannah (King cobra) specimens was compared. The toxicity against mice, the cytotoxicity against five cell lines, and the antioxidant activity were measured. The KV2 venom showed a higher cytotoxicity than the KV6 and the non-cytotoxic KV9 venoms. Comparative analysis of the O. hannah venom proteins was

Circulating exosomes are promising biomarker source in various diseases. Exosomal constituents can stably exist in the circulating plasma and serum thus making them ideal biomarkers for a number of clinical applications. Exosomes can also mediate the occurrence of many types of diseases, including distal cancerous metastasis and tumour enlargement, through encapsulated proteins or RNAs, which regulate

Gold nanoclusters protected with bovine serum albumin (AuNC) can be used in multiple biomedical applications through functionalization with two new and bioactive peptides. Both cationic peptides sequences of 17 amino acids in length and the cysteine residue at its C-terminus were designed and synthesized. Peptides were obtained by solid phase synthesis using the Fmoc strategy. Peptides may be coupled

Human cystatin C (HCC) binds and inhibits all types of cysteine proteases from the papain family, including cathepsins (a group of enzymes that participate in a variety of physiological processes), which are some of its natural targets. The affinities of diverse proteases for HCC, expressed as equilibrium binding constants (Kb), range from 106 to 1014 M-1. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is