Influence of Parameters Used to Prepare Sterile Solutions of Poloxamer 188 on Their Physicochemical Properties.

The physicochemical properties of emulsions based on poloxamers (triblock copolymers of a hydrophobic polyoxypropylene chain and two hydrophilic polyoxyethylene chains) depend on the composition and preparation method. This study examined the impact of poloxamer P188 concentration, autoclaving mode, heating, and salt presence on the viscosity, particle size distribution, and morphology of particles using viscometric analysis, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was shown that sample preparation affects the particle size and morphology but not the chemical composition of P188.

Novel Antimicrobial Peptide from the Hepatopancreas of the Red King Crab.

Crustaceans have successfully adapted to survive in their natural habitat, rich in microorganisms, due to the presence of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in their organism. They achieve this adaptation despite lacking the highly specific adaptive immune system found in vertebrates. One valuable source of AMPs is the hepatopancreas, a waste product from crab fishery and its processing.

Nonspecific Amyloid Aggregation of Chicken Smooth-Muscle Titin: In Vitro Investigations.

A giant multidomain protein of striated and smooth vertebrate muscles, titin, consists of tandems of immunoglobulin (Ig)- and fibronectin type III (FnIII)-like domains representing β-sandwiches, as well as of disordered segments. Chicken smooth muscles express several titin isoforms of ~500-1500 kDa. Using various structural-analysis methods, we investigated in vitro nonspecific amyloid aggregation of the high-molecular-weight isoform of chicken smooth-muscle titin (SMT, ~1500 kDa).

Investigation of lipolytic activity of the red king crab hepatopancreas homogenate by NMR spectroscopy.

The digestive gland of craboids (hepatopancreas) is rich in a huge number of various enzymes (collagenases, nucleases, hyaluronidases, proteases), which are well studied at the moment. However, little is known about crustacean lipases. In this work, using H NMR spectroscopy, it was found that the hepatopancreas homogenate of the red king crab demonstrates high lipolytic activity against triacetin in a wide pH range and shows moderate activity against the caprylic/capric triglyceride emulsion.

β-elimination of hyaluronate by red king crab hyaluronidase.

Crustacean hyaluronidases are poorly understood both in terms of their enzymatic properties and in terms of their structural features. In this work, we show that the hepatopancreas homogenate of the red king crab has a hyaluronidase activity that is an order of magnitude higher than its commercial counterpart. Zymography revealed that the molecular weight of a protein with hyalorunidase activity is 40-50 kDa.

Myosin Binding Protein-C Forms Amyloid-Like Aggregates In Vitro.

This work investigated in vitro aggregation and amyloid properties of skeletal myosin binding protein-C (sMyBP-C) interacting in vivo with proteins of thick and thin filaments in the sarcomeric A-disc. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) found a rapid (5-10 min) formation of large (>2 μm) aggregates. sMyBP-C oligomers formed both at the initial 5-10 min and after 16 h of aggregation.

The effect of hepatopancreas homogenate of the Red king crab on HA-based filler.

In this study, several methods were used to analyze the hydrolysis of hyaluronic acid (HA)-based cosmetic fillers by the hepatopancreas homogenate of the Red king crab. The results show that the homogenate and commercially available hyaluronidases have similar hydrolysis activities on the fillers. Atomic force microscopy images reveal that the HA fillers consist mainly of spherical-like particles, which are converted into filamentous structures as a result of hydrolysis by the Red king crab hepatopancreas homogenate.

Effect of Single Amino Acid Substitutions by Asn and Gln on Aggregation Properties of Bence-Jones Protein BIF.

The nature of renal amyloidosis involving Bence-Jones proteins in multiple myeloma is still unclear. The development of amyloidosis in neurodegenerative diseases is often associated with a high content of asparagine and glutamine residues in proteins forming amyloid deposits. To estimate the influence of Asn and Gln residues on the aggregation of Bence-Jones protein BIF, we obtained recombinant BIF and its mutants with the substitution of Tyr187→Asn (Y187N) in α-helix of C domain, Lys170→Asn (K170N) and Ser157→Gln (S157Q) in C domain loops, Arg109→Asn in V-C linker (R109N) and Asp29→Gln in V domain loop (D29Q).

Different amyloid aggregation of smooth muscles titin in vitro.

A comparative study of amyloid properties of the aggregates of smooth muscle titin (SMT) from chicken gizzard was carried out. These aggregates were formed in two solutions: 0.15 M glycine-KOH, pH 7.

Analyzing and mapping sweat metabolomics by high-resolution NMR spectroscopy.

The content of human sweat is studied by high-resolution NMR, and the majority of organic components most often found in sweat of conditionally healthy people are identified. Original and simple tools are designed for sweat sampling from different areas of human body. The minimal surface area needed for sampling is in the range of 50-100 cm(2).

Solution structure and dynamics of the chimeric SH3 domains, SHH- and SHA-"Bergeracs".

Two chimeric proteins, SHcapital EN, Cyrillic and SHA of the "SH3-Bergerac" family (where the beta-turn N47D48 in spectrin SH3 domain was substituted for KITVNGKTYE or KATANGKTYE sequences, respectively), were analyzed by high-resolution NMR to resolve their spatial structures and to analyze their dynamics. Although the presence of a stable beta-hairpin in the region of the insertion was confirmed, the introduced extension of the polypeptide chain in SHcapital EN, Cyrillic (approximately 17%) practically did not affect the total molecule topology. Interestingly, the introduced beta-hairpin had higher mobility in comparison with other protein regions.