1 INTRODUCTION During a long and extremely productive scientific life Michael Waring made substantial contributions to the understanding of certain fundamental physical properties of the DNA double helix. In this review I summarize his early studies on DNA supercoiling and his later conclusions on the role of natural DNA base analogues in determining DNA stiffness and nucleosome positioning. The latter

Probing amyloid formation of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) in aqueous solutions with ionic liquids (ILs) could help identify the IL–IDP interactions causing the process in this media. Takekiyo et al. report that ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) initiates the formation of intermolecular β‐sheet structure – amyloid‐like aggregates – of α‐synuclein. The cations and anions of EAN function as charges

Human calcitonin (hCT) is a 32‐residue peptide hormone that is produced in the thyroid where it regulates blood calcium levels and promotes bone formation. While hCT was previously used to treat bone disorders, this has ceased because hCT has been shown to aggregate when elevated levels of the peptide are either produced naturally or injected, and the resulting amyloid fibrils toxic. Deguo Du and his

Hydrogel dressings have significant advantages such as absorption of tissue exudate, maintenance of proper moist environment, and promotion of cell proliferation. However, facile preparation method and high‐efficient antibacterial hydrogel dressings are still a great challenge. In this study, a facile approach to prepare antibacterial nanocomposite hydrogel dressing to accelerate healing was explored

Recently, the use of hybrid double network (DN) hydrogels has become prominent due to their enhanced mechanical properties, which has opened the door for new applications of these soft materials. Only a few of these gels have demonstrated both injectable and moldable capabilities. In this work, we report the mechanical properties, gauge factor (GF) values and demonstrate both the injectability and

Solubilization of poorly water–soluble bioactive molecules in neutral aqueous media is a challenge in the development of functional foods and pharmaceuticals. Kodama et al. fabricated renatured β‐1,3‐1,6‐glucan (r‐glucan) nanoparticles (NPs) by neutralization of alkali‐denatured β‐1,3‐1,6‐glucan then centrifugation. Inclusion complexes were subsequently prepared by simply mixing host and guest solutions

We use video particle tracking microrheology (VPTMR) in order to investigate the viscoelasticity of salmon DNA and correlate it to its steady‐flow shear‐thinning viscosity. Aqueous solutions of DNA are tested in a wide concentration range from the dilute to the semidilute unentangled concentration regime. The observed mean squared displacement shows power‐law scaling with lag‐time which is equivalent

Modelling energy and charge transfer in DNA is a challenging problem because of the many conformations it can take. Belobo Belobo and Dang Koko use a discrete variational approach to study the charge transfer mechanism in DNA based on the Holstein‐Su‐Schrieffer‐Heeger model. By considering transversal and longitudinal motions in DNA, they show that the charge transfer mechanism may be explained as

The effect of adding ethylammonium nitrate (EAN), which is an ionic liquid (IL), on the aggregate formation of α‐synuclein (α‐Syn) in aqueous solution has been investigated. FTIR and Raman spectroscopy were used to investigate changes in the secondary structure of α‐Syn and in the states of water molecules and EAN. The results presented here show that the addition of EAN to α‐Syn causes the formation

Chitin displays a highly rigid structure due to the vast intra‐ and intermolecular hydrogen bonding, thus hindering its dissolution and deacetylation using most solvents. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are special and environmentally friendly solvents composed of a hydrogen bond acceptor and a hydrogen bond donor. This allows them to dissolve chitin by disturbing its natural hydrogen bonding while establishing

Cataract is the major reason for human blindness worldwide. α‐Crystallin, as a key chaperone of eye lenses, keeps the lenticular tissues in its transparent state over time. In this study, cataract‐causing familial mutations, P20R and A171T, were introduced in CRYАB gene. After successful expression in Escherichia coli and subsequent purification, the recombinant proteins were subjected to extensive

The pharmacological properties of a drug, e.g., bioavailability, distribution and metabolism, reflect its association with plasma proteins. Kabiru A. Musa et al. report on the interaction between mefloquine (MEF), the antimalarial drug, and human serum albumin (HSA), the main carrier protein in blood circulation. Data from fluorescence, absorption, and circular dichroism spectroscopies reveal the formation

Limitations associated with immunoglobulins have motivated the search for novel binding scaffolds. Repeat proteins have emerged as one promising class of scaffolds, but often are limited to binding protein and peptide targets. An exception is the repeat proteins of the immune system, which have in recent years served as an inspiration for binding scaffolds which can bind glycans and other classes of

The design of scaffolds for solubilizing/dispersing poorly water‐soluble bioactive molecules in neutral aqueous media is a major challenge of functional food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics development, as highlighted by the plethora of corresponding solubilization/dispersion strategies. Herein, renatured β‐1,3‐1,6‐glucan (r‐glucan) nanoparticles prepared by neutralization of alkali‐denatured β‐1,3‐1

Common pharmacological therapies for gastrointestinal diseases, e.g., inflammatory bowel diseases, irritable bowel syndrome and colon cancer, continue to show challenges in targeting efficacy. Moreover, current conventional oral therapies present different adverse effects associated with systemic exposure. Bertoni et al. summarize innovative approaches to overcoming these drawbacks using disease‐targeted

Modeling energy and charge transfer in DNA has been a challenging issue because of many conformations DNA can take. Due to its simplicity, we propose a discrete variational approach to study the charge transfer mechanism in DNA based on the Holstein‐Su‐Schrieffer‐Heeger model. It is shown that bright solitary waves may propagate through the DNA and the variational approximation provides explicit relations

One challenge of bone defect repair is the promotion of blood vessel formation. Many of the current methods promote vascularisation by adding specific growth factors to materials used for bone healing. However, the high cost and fast inactivation of the growth factors and angiogenic cells have limited the clinical use of such systems. Zhang et al. report the fabrication of a covalently cross‐linked

Enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass is an established method for producing biofuels. Lignocellulosic biomass such as corn stover is very inhomogeneous material with big variation on conversion rates between individual particles therefore leading to variable recalcitrance results. In this study, we used noninvasive optical microscopy techniques, such as two‐photon microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging

Human calcitonin (hCT) is a 32‐residue peptide that aggregates to form amyloid fibrils under appropriate conditions. In this study, we investigated the effect of the intramolecular disulfide bond formed at the N‐terminal region of the peptide in the aggregation kinetics of hCT. Our results indicate that the presence of the disulfide bond in hCT plays a crucial role in forming the critical nucleus needed

We present colloidal nanocomposites formed by incorporating magnetite Fe3O4 nanoparticles (MNPs) with lysozyme amyloid fibrils (LAFs). Preparation of two types of solutions, with and without addition of salt, was carried out to elucidate the structure of MNPs‐incorporated fibrillary nanocomposites and to study the effect of the presence of salt on the stability of the nanocomposites. The structural

Witko et al. describe poly(3‐hydroxyoctanoate) (PHO) films as a growth substrate for mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells, with a view to using them for medical applications. Surface characterization is carried out using atomic force microscopy, polarized light microscopy and force spectroscopy. Cells cultured on PHO exhibit thin densely spaced actin bundles, while the filaments are thicker but sparsely

The pharmacological therapy for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases, continues to present challenges in targeting efficacy. The need for maximal local drug exposure at the inflamed regions of the GI tract has led research to focus on a disease‐targeted drug delivery approach. Smart nanomaterials responsive to the reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrated in the inflamed

A chitosan Schiff base with an aromatic aldehyde was synthesized and characterized by FTIR and NMR spectroscopies. Furthermore, the degree of substitution was calculated based on the ratios of the area of the proton of the imine (Aimine) and the area of the peak of the proton of the pyranose ring (AH‐2). The antimicrobial activities were determined against bacterial and fungal strains, as well as multiple

The interaction between mefloquine (MEF), the antimalarial drug, and human serum albumin (HSA), the main carrier protein in blood circulation, was explored using fluorescence, absorption, and circular dichroism spectroscopic techniques. Quenching of HSA fluorescence with MEF was characterized as static quenching and thus confirmed the complex formation between MEF and HSA. Association constant values

Chitin‐binding protein 21 (CBP21) from Serratia marcescens is a lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase that contains a copper ion as a cofactor. We aimed to elucidate the unfolding mechanism of CBP21 and the effects of Cu2+ on its structural stability at pH 5.0. Thermal unfolding of both apo‐ and holoCBP21 was reversible. ApoCBP21 unfolded in a simple two‐state transition manner. The peak temperature of