The ubiquitin-specific protease 21 is critical for cancer cell mitochondrial function and regulates proliferation and migration.

Ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs) are the main members of deubiquitinases (DUBs) that catalyze removing ubiquitin chains from target proteins, thereby modulating their half-life and function. Enzymatic activity of USP21 regulates protein degradation which is critical for maintaining cell homeostasis. USP21 determines the stability of oncogenic proteins and therefore is implicated in carcinogenesis.

Effect of Diets with the Addition of Edible Insects on the Development of Atherosclerotic Lesions in ApoE/LDLR Mice.

Foods enriched with insects can potentially prevent several health disorders, including cardiovascular diseases, by reducing inflammation and improving antioxidant status. In this study, and were selected to determine the effect on the development of atherosclerosis in ApoE/LDLR mice. Animals were fed AIN-93G-based diets (control) with 10% (TM) and 10% (GA) for 8 weeks.

Bioaccessibility of trace elements and Fe and Al endogenic nanoparticles in farmed insects: Pursuing quality sustainable food.

This study investigated the in vitro bioaccessibility of aluminum, copper, iron, manganese, lead, selenium, and zinc in three important species of farmed insects: the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), the house cricket (Acheta domesticus) and the migratory locust (Locusta migratoria). Results show that all three insect species constitute excellent sources of essential elements (Fe, Cu and Zn) for the human diet, contributing to the recommended dietary allowance, i.e.

Culinary treatments impact the digestibility and protein quality of edible insects: a case study with and .

The escalating global population is anticipated to intensify the demand for high-quality proteins, necessitating the exploration of alternative protein sources. Edible insects are a promising solution, owing to their nutritional richness and sustainability. However, their digestibility and protein quality, particularly after culinary treatment, remains underexplored.

Sequestration of membrane cholesterol by cholesterol-binding proteins inhibits SARS-CoV-2 entry into Vero E6 cells.

Membrane lipids and proteins form dynamic domains crucial for physiological and pathophysiological processes, including viral infection. Many plasma membrane proteins, residing within membrane domains enriched with cholesterol (CHOL) and sphingomyelin (SM), serve as receptors for attachment and entry of viruses into the host cell. Among these, human coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), use proteins associated with membrane domains for initial binding and internalization.

Evaluation of rapeseed cake as a protein substitute in the feed of edible crickets: A case study using Gryllus assimilis.

This paper aimed to investigate the optimization of Gryllus assimilis farming production by examining the effects of replacing soybean meal with rapeseed cake (25-100%) and supplementing it with rapeseed oil. The results reveal no adverse effects of soybean meal replacement on the feed conversion ratio and weight of the harvested crickets. However, incorporating larger quantities of rapeseed cake into the diet increased crude protein and decreased fat content.

Electrophoretic determination of chitin in insects.

An electrophoretic method (on-line coupled capillary isotachophoresis with capillary zone electrophoresis with conductometric detection (cITP-CZE-COND)) for the determination of chitin in insects based on the analysis of glucosamine after acidic hydrolysis of the sample is described. Chitin is deacetylated and hydrolyzed to glucosamine by acidic hydrolysis (6 M sulfuric acid, 110 °C, 6 h). Under optimized electrophoresis conditions, glucosamine (GlcN) is separated from other sample components in cationic mode and detected with a conductometer within 15 min.

Changes in purine and uric acid content in edible insects during culinary processing.

Recently, edible insects were proposed to be promising alternative foods combining nutritional, environmental, and economic benefits. While composition of the basic nutrients of insects is quite well known, little is known about other compounds contained in them such as purines. From this point of view, raw insects were reported to belong among purine-rich foods.

Folate contents in insects as promising food components quantified by stable isotope dilution.

Concerning the increasing population, edible insects are of growing interest due to several advantages such as sustainable production and as a source of high-quality nutrients. One of the less studied nutrients are folates, in the context of insects is folates, which play an important role in human metabolism. In the article, we describe how six different insect species are reared and extracted for five common folate vitamers by high-performance liquid chromatography interfaced with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

First isolation of Borrelia lusitaniae DNA from green lizards (Lacerta viridis) and Ixodes ricinus ticks in the Czech Republic.

This study aimed to reveal whether green lizards (Lacerta viridis), common hosts of tick larvae and nymphs, might be involved in the transmission cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in the Czech Republic. Green lizards were sampled in two areas at the Tiché Údolí Nature Reserve (site A: 50.1482 N, 14.

Escherich (1905) Became a Common Pest in Europe: Case Studies from Czechia and the United Kingdom.

Synanthropic invasive silverfish, , has been recently reported to cause nuisance in the indoor environment in many European countries. To get more details on the species distribution, the species occurrence was monitored by the authors in the countries where establishment of has been revealed in the last years. In Czechia, 20 findings from 14 municipalities in eight regions were recorded within the last three years.

Beyond pore formation: reorganization of the plasma membrane induced by pore-forming proteins.

Pore-forming proteins (PFPs) are a heterogeneous group of proteins that are expressed and secreted by a wide range of organisms. PFPs are produced as soluble monomers that bind to a receptor molecule in the host cell membrane. They then assemble into oligomers that are incorporated into the lipid membrane to form transmembrane pores.

Nymphs of Are More Sensitive to Deet Than Adult Females.

The use of repellents is a unique measure of personal protection, which can avoid tick attachment and thus reduce the risk of tick-borne infections. In the European Union, the efficacy of the repellents coming onto the market has to be evaluated according to the guidelines published by the European Chemical Agency before registration. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has a similar role.

Insight into the Structural Dynamics of the Lysenin During Prepore-to-Pore Transition Using Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry.

Lysenin is a pore-forming toxin of the aerolysin family, which is derived from coelomic fluid of the earthworm . Upon binding to sphingomyelin (SM)-containing membranes, lysenin undergoes a series of structural changes promoting the conversion of water-soluble monomers into oligomers, leading to its insertion into the membrane and the formation of a lytic β-barrel pore. The soluble monomer and transmembrane pore structures were recently described, but the underlying structural details of oligomerization remain unclear.

Laboratory evaluation of repellency of traditional Czech homemade repellents against Aedes aegypti.

Objectives: In the Czech Republic, autochtonous transmission of mosquito borne diseases is not common; however, the need for personal protection should not be underestimated. Many people still rely on homemade repellents utilizing recipes based on local folk wisdom that are published annually in local Czech media. Despite minimal disease risk, nuisance biting and potential allergic responses make it essential to evaluate the chemical composition, effect, and duration of four homemade repellents often used and determine the necessity for public health education on application and use of alternative repellent products.

Fine-tuning of the stability of β-strands by Y181 in perfringolysin O directs the prepore to pore transition.

Perfringolysin O (PFO) is a toxic protein that forms β-barrel transmembrane pores upon binding to cholesterol-containing membranes. The formation of lytic pores requires conformational changes in PFO that lead to the conversion of water-soluble monomers into membrane-bound oligomers. Although the general outline of stepwise pore formation has been established, the underlying mechanistic details await clarification.

Effect of sex on the nutritional value of house cricket, Acheta domestica L.

Since January 2018, insects have been recognised as novel foods in the EU, but their nutritional value varies, and factors affecting their nutritional composition have been debated. We investigated the effect of sex on the nutritional value and chemical composition of the house cricket (Acheta domestica L.).

The invasive mosquito Aedes albopictus (Diptera, Culicidae) firstly recorded in Bohemia, Czech Republic.

Study Objective: In 2016-2017, the monitoring of possible introduction of an invasive mosquito species, the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse, 1894) (Diptera, Culicidae), was conducted in eastern, southern, central and western parts of Bohemia, Czech Republic.

Material And Methods: The focus was placed on local major traffic arteries (motorways D1, D3 and D5 and an expressway E49), which connecting South Europe and some of Balkan countries, infested by Ae. albopictus, with the Czech capital Prague.

R468A mutation in perfringolysin O destabilizes toxin structure and induces membrane fusion.

Perfringolysin O (PFO) belongs to the family of cholesterol-dependent cytolysins. Upon binding to a cholesterol-containing membrane, PFO undergoes a series of structural changes that result in the formation of a β-barrel pore and cell lysis. Recognition and binding to cholesterol are mediated by the D4 domain, one of four domains of PFO.

Crucial role of perfringolysin O D1 domain in orchestrating structural transitions leading to membrane-perforating pores: a hydrogen-deuterium exchange study.

Perfringolysin O (PFO) is a toxic protein that binds to cholesterol-containing membranes, oligomerizes, and forms a β-barrel transmembrane pore, leading to cell lysis. Previous studies have uncovered the sequence of events in this multistage structural transition to a considerable detail, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet fully understood. By measuring hydrogen-deuterium exchange patterns of peptide bond amide protons monitored by mass spectrometry (MS), we have mapped structural changes in PFO and its variant bearing a point mutation during incorporation to the lipid environment.

Visualization of cholesterol deposits in lysosomes of Niemann-Pick type C fibroblasts using recombinant perfringolysin O.

Background: Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is caused by defects in cholesterol efflux from lysosomes due to mutations of genes coding for NPC1 and NPC2 proteins. As a result, massive accumulation of unesterified cholesterol in late endosomes/lysosomes is observed. At the level of the organism these cholesterol metabolism disorders are manifested by progressive neurodegeneration and hepatosplenomegaly.

Raft coalescence and FcγRIIA activation upon sphingomyelin clustering induced by lysenin.

Activation of immunoreceptor FcγRIIA by cross-linking with antibodies is accompanied by coalescence of sphingolipid/cholesterol-rich membrane rafts leading to the formation of signaling platforms of the receptor. In this report we examined whether clustering of the raft lipid sphingomyelin can reciprocally induce partition of FcγRIIA to rafts. To induce sphingomyelin clustering, cells were exposed to non-lytic concentrations of GST-lysenin which specifically recognizes sphingomyelin.

Sphingomyelin-rich domains are sites of lysenin oligomerization: implications for raft studies.

Lysenin is a self-assembling, pore-forming toxin which specifically recognizes sphingomyelin. Mutation of tryptophan 20 abolishes lysenin oligomerization and cytolytic activity. We studied the interaction of lysenin WT and W20A with sphingomyelin in membranes of various lipid compositions which, according to atomic force microscopy studies, generated either homo- or heterogeneous sphingomyelin distribution.