In Vitro Screening of Ecotoxic and Cytotoxic Activities of Leaf Extract against Target and Non-Target Plant and Animal Cells.

, an invasive plant species, exhibits pharmacological properties, but also some allergic effects on humans. This study aimed to evaluate the potential toxicity of leaves, using a complex approach towards different organisms. The ecotoxic impact of a crude extract was investigated on seeds germination and brine shrimp lethality.

Relevance of amphiphilicity and helicity on the antibacterial action of a histatin 5-derived peptide.

Peptide dhvar4, derived from the active domain of our salivary peptide histatin 5, bears a Phe residue in the middle of its hydrophilic face when folded into an α-helix. We then synthesized an analog with this Phe replaced by Lys and two analogs preserving Phe but bearing two and three α-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) residues to stabilize the helical structure. The aim of this design was to verify which of the two features is more favorable to the biological activity.

Folding of Class IIa HDAC Derived Peptides into α-helices Upon Binding to Myocyte Enhancer Factor-2 in Complex with DNA.

Interaction of transcription factor myocyte enhancer factor-2 (MEF2) family members with class IIa histone deacetylases (HDACs) has been implicated in a wide variety of diseases. Though considerable knowledge on this topic has been accumulated over the years, a high resolution and detailed analysis of the binding mode of multiple class IIa HDAC derived peptides with MEF2D is still lacking. To fulfil this gap, we report here the crystal structure of MEF2D in complex with double strand DNA and four different class IIa HDAC derived peptides, namely HDAC4, HDAC5, HDAC7 and HDAC9.

Oxime and thiazolidine chemoselective ligation reactions: a green method for cotton functionalization.

Unlabelled: During the last years, the need to create textile materials provided with peculiar properties has grown significantly. In particular, new textiles are studied to be a first protection in the prevention of living organisms from pathogens. In this regard, modifying a textile material with biologically active compounds, such as antibacterial or antiviral peptides would be useful for many applications.