Copines, a Family of Calcium Sensor Proteins and Their Role in Brain Function.

The Copines are a family of evolutionary conserved calcium-binding proteins found in most eukaryotic organisms from protists to humans. They share a unique architecture and contain tandem C2 domains and a Von Willebrand factor type A (VWA) domain. C2 domains in Copines bind calcium, phospholipids, and other proteins and mediate the transient association of these proteins with biological membranes at elevated calcium levels.

SNARE Modulators and SNARE Mimetic Peptides.

The soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF) attachment protein (SNAP) receptor (SNARE) proteins play a central role in most forms of intracellular membrane trafficking, a key process that allows for membrane and biocargo shuffling between multiple compartments within the cell and extracellular environment. The structural organization of SNARE proteins is relatively simple, with several intrinsically disordered and folded elements (e.g.

Therapeutic Antibodies in Cancer Treatment in the UK.

The growing understanding of the molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis accelerated the development of monoclonal therapeutic antibodies to specifically target multiple cancer pathways. Recombinant protein therapeutics now constitute a large proportion of yearly approved medicines. Oncology, autoimmune diseases and to a smaller degree the prophylaxis of organ transplant rejection are their main application areas.

AC/DC Thermal Nano-Analyzer Compatible with Bulk Liquid Measurements.

Nanocalorimetry, or thermal nano-analysis, is a powerful tool for fast thermal processing and thermodynamic analysis of materials at the nanoscale. Despite multiple reports of successful applications in the material sciences to study phase transitions in metals and polymers, thermodynamic analysis of biological systems in their natural microenvironment has not been achieved yet. Simply scaling down traditional calorimetric techniques, although beneficial for material sciences, is not always appropriate for biological objects, which cannot be removed out of their native biological environment or be miniaturized to suit instrument limitations.

Peptides and Anti-peptide Antibodies for Small- and Medium-Scale Peptide and Anti-peptide Affinity Microarrays.

This chapter describes the principles for selection of antigenic peptides for the development of anti-peptide antibodies suitable for microarray-based multiplex affinity assays and optional mass spectrometry detection. The methods described here are mostly applicable to small- and medium-scale multiplex affinity assay and microarrays. Although the same principles of peptide selection may also be applied to larger-scale arrays (with 100+ features), informatics software and printing methods may well differ.

Fast Protocols for Characterizing Antibody-Peptide Binding.

Microarray assay formats gained popularity in the 1990s, first implemented in DNA-based arrays but later adopted for use with proteins, namely antibodies, peptides, low molecular weight (LMW) molecules, such as lipids, and even tissues. In nucleic acid-based affinity assays and arrays, but not in protein or peptide arrays, the specificity and affinity of complementary strand interactions can be deduced from or adjusted through modifications to the nucleotide sequence. Arrays of LMW molecules are characterized by largely uniform but low binding affinities.

Rational Approach to Finding Genes Encoding Molecular Biomarkers: Focus on Breast Cancer.

Early detection of cancer facilitates treatment and improves patient survival. We hypothesized that molecular biomarkers of cancer could be rationally predicted based on even partial knowledge of transcriptional regulation, functional pathways and gene co-expression networks. To test our data mining approach, we focused on breast cancer, as one of the best-studied models of this disease.

Bottom-Up Approach to the Discovery of Clinically Relevant Biomarker Genes: The Case of Colorectal Cancer.

Traditional approaches to genome-wide marker discovery often follow a common top-down strategy, where a large scale 'omics' investigation is followed by the analysis of functional pathways involved, to narrow down the list of identified putative biomarkers, and to deconvolute gene expression networks, or to obtain an insight into genetic alterations observed in cancer. We set out to investigate whether a reverse approach would allow full or partial reconstruction of the transcriptional programs and biological pathways specific to a given cancer and whether the full or substantially expanded list of putative markers could thus be identified by starting with the partial knowledge of a few disease-specific markers. To this end, we used 10 well-documented differentially expressed markers of colorectal cancer (CRC), analyzed their transcription factor networks and biological pathways, and predicted the existence of 193 new putative markers.

Environmentally Acquired and Their Role in Colonization Resistance.

is an environmentally acquired, anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium which ordinarily causes disease following antibiotic-mediated dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota. Although much is understood regarding the life cycle of , the fate of spores upon ingestion remains unclear, and the underlying factors that predispose an individual to colonization and subsequent development of infection (CDI) are not fully understood. Here, we show that , a ubiquitous and environmentally acquired, spore-forming bacterium is associated with colonization resistance to .

Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis: The Obstacles We Face in Determining a Non-Invasive Test and Current Advances in Biomarker Detection.

Globally, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer, with 1.4 million new cases and over 700,000 deaths per annum. Despite being one of the most common cancers, few molecular approaches to detect CRC exist.

Assessing Fast Structure Formation Processes in Isotactic Polypropylene with a Combination of Nanofocus X-ray Diffraction and In Situ Nanocalorimetry.

A combination of in situ nanocalorimetry with simultaneous nanofocus 2D Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS) was used to study polymorphic behaviour and structure formation in a single micro-drop of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) with defined thermal history. We were able to generate, detect, and characterize a number of different iPP morphologies using our custom-built ultrafast chip-based nanocalorimetry instrument designed for use with the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) high intensity nanofocus X-ray beamline facility. The detected iPP morphologies included monoclinic alpha-phase crystals, mesophase, and mixed morphologies with different mesophase/crystalline compositional ratios.

Micellar Antibiotics of .

Members of the genus, particularly the " group", are known to produce amphipathic lipopeptides with biosurfactant activity. This includes the surfactins, fengycins and iturins that have been associated with antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-viral properties. We have screened a large collection of , isolated from human, animal, estuarine water and soil samples and found that the most potent lipopeptide producers are members of the species .

Modelling the adsorption of proteins to nanoparticles at the solid-liquid interface.

Hypothesis: We developed a geometrical model to determine the theoretical maximum number of proteins that can pack as a monolayer surrounding a spherical nanoparticle. We applied our new model to study the adsorption of receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to silica nanoparticles. Due to its abundance and extensive use in manufacturing, silica represents a reservoir where the virus can accumulate.

The Urban River Syndrome: Achieving Sustainability Against a Backdrop of Accelerating Change.

Human activities have been affecting rivers and other natural systems for millennia. Anthropogenic changes to rivers over the last few centuries led to the accelerating state of decline of coastal and estuarine regions globally. Urban rivers are parts of larger catchment ecosystems, which in turn form parts of wider nested, interconnected systems.

Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) and Its Monitoring in Medical Diagnostic and in Sports.

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is the principal mediator of growth hormone (GH), plays a crucial role in promoting cell growth and differentiation in childhood and continues to have an anabolic effect in adults. IGF-1 is part of a wide network of growth factors, receptors and binding proteins involved in mediating cellular proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Bioavailability of IGF-1 is affected by insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) which bind IGF-1 in circulation with an affinity equal to or greater than that of the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R).

A thermo-responsive, self-assembling biointerface for on demand release of surface-immobilised proteins.

Dedicated chemistries for on-demand capture and release of biomolecules at the solid-liquid interface are required for applications in drug delivery, for the synthesis of switchable surfaces used in analytical devices and for the assembly of next-generation biomaterials with complex architectures and functions. Here we report the engineering of a binary self-assembling polypeptide system for reversible protein capture, immobilisation and controlled thermo-responsive release from a solid surface. The first element of the binary system is a universal protein substrate immobilised on a solid surface.

Directed and Modular Protein Immobilization on Gold and Silver Nanoparticles.

Conjugation of proteins to gold nanoparticles (AuNP), silver nanoparticles (AgNP), or other metal nanoparticles (NPs) can often be achieved using passive adsorption. Although such an approach is simple and effective, there is usually no control over the orientation of the protein and denaturation due to close contact with the metal surface. The method described here makes use of adapter proteins which have the ability to adsorb to the NP surface in an oriented and stable way and at the same time enable straightforward attachment to other proteins of interest.

Oriented Immobilization on Gold Nanoparticles of a Recombinant Therapeutic Zymogen.

Direct immobilization of functional proteins on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) affects their structure and function. Changes may vary widely and range from strong inhibition to the enhancement of protein function. More often though the outcome of direct protein immobilization results in protein misfolding and the loss of protein activity.

Protein Immobilization on Gold Nanoparticles: Quantitative Analysis.

Conjugation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with biologically relevant molecules underpins many applications in medicine and biochemistry. Immobilization of functional proteins on AuNPs often affects protein structure and function. Such effects are protein dependent and require thorough investigation using suitable quantitative tests.

Developing a circumpolar programme for the monitoring of Arctic terrestrial biodiversity.

The Arctic is undergoing biological and environmental changes, and a coordinated effort to monitor is critical to detect these changes. The Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Programme (CBMP) of the Arctic Council biodiversity working group, Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), has developed pan-Arctic biodiversity monitoring plans that aims to improve the ability to detect and report on long-term changes. Whilst introducing this special issue, this paper also presents the making of the terrestrial monitoring plan and discusses how the plan follows the steps required for an adaptive and ecosystem-based monitoring programme.

Status and trends of tundra birds across the circumpolar Arctic.

Tundra-breeding birds face diverse conservation challenges, from accelerated rates of Arctic climate change to threats associated with highly migratory life histories. Here we summarise the status and trends of Arctic terrestrial birds (88 species, 228 subspecies or distinct flyway populations) across guilds/regions, derived from published sources, raw data or, in rare cases, expert opinion. We report long-term trends in vital rates (survival, reproduction) for the handful of species and regions for which these are available.

Documenting lemming population change in the Arctic: Can we detect trends?

Lemmings are a key component of tundra food webs and changes in their dynamics can affect the whole ecosystem. We present a comprehensive overview of lemming monitoring and research activities, and assess recent trends in lemming abundance across the circumpolar Arctic. Since 2000, lemmings have been monitored at 49 sites of which 38 are still active.

Comment on "Global pattern of nest predation is disrupted by climate change in shorebirds".

Kubelka (Reports, 9 November 2018, p. 680) claim that climate change has disrupted patterns of nest predation in shorebirds. They report that predation rates have increased since the 1950s, especially in the Arctic.