Computational design and optimization of novel d-peptide TNFα inhibitors.

Compared to small molecule drugs, peptide therapeutics provides greater efficacy, selectivity, and safety. The intrinsic disadvantages of peptides are their sensitivity to proteases. To overcome this, we have developed a general computational strategy for de novo design of protein binding helical d-peptides.

Drosophila tsRNAs preferentially suppress general translation machinery via antisense pairing and participate in cellular starvation response.

Transfer RNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) are an emerging class of small RNAs, yet their regulatory roles have not been well understood. Here we studied the molecular mechanisms and consequences of tsRNA-mediated regulation in Drosophila. By analyzing 495 public small RNA libraries, we demonstrate that most tsRNAs are conserved, prevalent and abundant in Drosophila.

NF-κB signaling and cell-fate decision induced by a fast-dissociating tumor necrosis factor mutant.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a pluripotent inflammatory cytokine that can induce both the pro-survival nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway and the pro-apoptotic caspase pathway. Selectively activating only one of the two pathways remains challenging. We used TNF mutants with different receptor binding kinetics to study their effects on NF-κB signaling dynamics and cell apoptosis.

Alteration in successional trajectories of bacterioplankton communities in response to co-exposure of cadmium and phenanthrene in coastal water microcosms.

Coexistence of heavy metals and organic contaminants in coastal ecosystems may lead to complicated circumstances in ecotoxicological assessment for biological communities due to potential interactions of contaminants. Consequences of metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) co-contamination on coastal marine microbes at the community level were paid less attention. We chose cadmium (Cd) and phenanthrene (PHE) as representatives of metals and PAHs, respectively, and mimicked contaminations using coastal water microcosms spiked with Cd (1 mg/L), PHE (1 mg/L), and their mixture over two weeks.