12-OPDA Reductase and OPC-8:0 CoA Ligase Mediate Jasmonic Acid Synthesis in .

Jasmonic acid (JA), a phytohormone with a distinct flavor, is an important fragrance ingredient. The filamentous fungi sp. can produce JA via fermentation.

A new toad of Myers & Leviton, 1962 (Anura, Megophryidae) from Sichuan Province, southwest China.

A new species of the genus Myers & Leviton, 1962 is described from Sichuan Province, southwest China. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial gene sequences clustered the new species as an independent clade nested with , , and . The new species could be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: body size moderate (39.

Preparation and Application of Nanostructured ZnO in Radiation Detection.

In order to adapt to the rapid development of high-speed imaging technology in recent years, it is very important to develop scintillators with an ultrafast time response. Because of its radiation-induced ultrafast decay time, ZnO has become an important material for radiation detection and dosimetry. According to different detection sources and application scenarios, ZnO is used in various radiation detectors in different structures, including nanoarrays and nanocomposites.

Computer-driven Evolution of Myrosinase from the Cabbage Aphid for Efficient Production of (R)-Sulforaphane.

Myrosinase (Myr) catalyzes the hydrolysis of glucosinolates, yielding biologically active metabolites. In this study, glucoraphanin (GRA) extracted from broccoli seeds was effectively hydrolyzed using a Myr-obtained cabbage aphid () (Myr) to produce (R)-sulforaphane (SFN). The gene encoding Myr was successfully heterologously expressed in , resulting in the production of 1.

Microstructure and Properties of Hot Pressing Sintered SiC/YAlO Composite Ceramics for Dry Gas Seals.

Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics with high bending strength were prepared by hot pressing sintering (HPS) with yttrium aluminum garnet (YAlO, YAG) as sintering additive, and the effects of YAG content and sintering temperature on the sintering behavior, microstructure and mechanical properties of SiC ceramics were investigated in detail. The uniform distribution of YAG to form a liquid phase and the driving force provided by hot pressing sintering decrease the sintering temperature, improve the densification of SiC ceramics, and refine the crystal size. By means of suitable sintering conditions with the additional amount of YAG of 5 wt%, the sintering temperature of 1950 °C and a pressure of 30 MPa, the resultant SiC/YAG composite ceramics possesses high sintering and mechanical properties with the relative density of 98.

Engineered Zea mays phenylalanine ammonia-lyase for improve the catalytic efficiency of biosynthesis trans-cinnamic acid and p-coumaric acid.

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) plays a pivotal role in the biosynthesis of phenylalanine. PAL from Zea mays (ZmPAL2) exhibits a bi-function of direct deamination of L-phenylalanine (L-Phe) or L-tyrosine(-L-Tyr) to form trans-cinnamic acid or p-coumaric acid. trans-Cinnamic acid and p-coumaric acid are mainly used in flavors and fragrances, food additives, pharmaceutical and other fields.

Engineering of 4-hydroxyphenylacetate 3-hydroxylase derived from Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the ortho-hydroxylation of ferulic acid.

Polyphenolic compounds have natural antioxidant properties, and their antioxidant activity is usually related to the number and position of hydroxyls. Here, we successfully applied the engineered 4-hydroxyphenylacetate 3-hydroxylases (4HPA3Hs) derived from Pseudomonas aeruginosa to catalyze ferulic acid (FA) synthesis of ortho-hydroxyferulic acid (5-hydroxyferulic acid, 5-OHFA). Through optimization of co-expression, the oxygenase component (PaHpaB) and the reductase component (PaHpaC) in E.

4-Hydroxyphenylacetate 3-Hydroxylase (4HPA3H): A Vigorous Monooxygenase for Versatile -Hydroxylation Applications in the Biosynthesis of Phenolic Derivatives.

4-Hydroxyphenylacetate 3-hydroxylase (4HPA3H) is a long-known class of two-component flavin-dependent monooxygenases from bacteria, including an oxygenase component (EC 1.14.14.

Enhancing the Catalytic Efficiency of D-lactonohydrolase through the Synergy of Tunnel Engineering, Evolutionary Analysis, and Force-Field Calculations.

Computational design advances enzyme evolution and their use in biocatalysis in a faster and more efficient manner. In this study, a synergistic approach integrating tunnel engineering, evolutionary analysis, and force-field calculations has been employed to enhance the catalytic activity of D-lactonohydrolase (D-Lac), which is a pivotal enzyme involved in the resolution of racemic pantolactone during the production of vitamin B5. The best mutant, N96S/A271E/F274Y/F308G (M3), was obtained and its catalytic efficiency (k/K) was nearly 23-fold higher than that of the wild-type.

Cell-type-specific 3D-genome organization and transcription regulation in the brain.

3D organization of the genome plays a critical role in regulating gene expression. However, it remains unclear how chromatin organization differs among different cell types in the brain. Here we used genome-scale DNA and RNA imaging to investigate 3D-genome organization in transcriptionally distinct cell types in the primary motor cortex of the mouse brain.

Development of highly efficient and specific base editors in Actinobacillus succinogenes for enhancing succinic acid production.

The production of bio-succinic acid (SA) from renewable feedstocks is a promising and sustainable approach to mitigating the high carbon emissions associated with the current energy crisis. Actinobacillus succinogenes was recognized as one of the most promising SA producers; however, lack of genetic background and the scarcity of genetic manipulation tools hinder the improvement in A. succinogenes by metabolic engineering.

Biosynthesis of 3-Hydroxyphloretin Using Rational Design of 4-Hydroxyphenylacetate 3-Monooxygenase.

The compound 3-hydroxyphloretin is a typical dihydrochalcone that can be obtained in plants by the 3-hydroxylation of phloretin. Here, the flavin-dependent two-component monooxygenase (HpaBC) derived from was used to convert phloretin into 3-hydroxyphloretin. Following molecular docking and sequence alignment, modifications to the substrate pocket and loop of HpaBC were rationally designed, and mutant residues were selected.

Rational Redesign of Chitosanase to Enhance Thermostability and Catalytic Activity to Produce Chitooligosaccharides with a Relatively High Degree of Polymerization.

Chitooligosaccharides (hdpCOS) with a high degree of polymerization (hdp, DP 4-10) generally have greater biological activities than those of low-DP (ldp, DP 2-3) COS. Chitosanase from KCP2 (Csn46) can degrade chitosan to more hdpCOS at high temperature (70 °C), but low thermal stability at this temperature makes it unsuitable for industrial application; the wild-type enzyme can only produce COS (DP 2-4) at lower temperatures. Several thermostable mutants were obtained by modifying chitosanase using a comprehensive strategy based on a computer-aided mutant design.

Genome Sequencing and Analysis Reveal Potential High-Valued Metabolites Synthesized by DWH-2.

sp. is a typical opportunistic plant pathogen, which can also be classified as an endophytic fungus. In this study, the genome of a jasmonic-acid-producing DWH-2 was sequenced and analyzed to understand its application value.

High-Yield Natural Vanillin Production by sp. after CRISPR-Cas12a-Mediated Gene Deletion.

Vanillin is an aromatic compound, which is widely used in food flavoring, beverages, perfumes, and pharmaceuticals. sp. is considered a good strain for the production of vanillin from ferulic acid by fermentation; however, its high genomic guanine-cytosine (GC) content (>70%) and low transformation and recombination efficiency limit its genetic modification potential to improve vanillin production.

Thermostability modification of β-mannanase from flexibility modification engineering.

Introduction: β-Mannanases can hydrolyze mannans, which are widely available in nature. However, the optimum temperature of most β-mannanases is too low to be directly utilized in industry.

Methods: To further improve the thermostability of Anman (mannanase from CBS513.

Purification and characterization of aspartic protease from Aspergillus niger and its efficient hydrolysis applications in soy protein degradation.

Background: Adding acid protease to feed can enhance protein digestibility, boost feed utilization, and stimulate the growth of animals in breading industry. In order to obtain an acid protease with high hydrolysis efficiency to plant protein, in this study, an aspartic protease from Aspergillus niger was heterologous expressed in Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris).

Immobilization of Actinobacillus succinogenes on nano- and micro-fiber membranes for efficient and robust production of succinic acid.

This work aimed to study the efficiency of nano- and micro- fiber membranes in immobilizing Actinobacillus succinogenes CCTCC M2012036 for succinic acid production. Among the four kinds of electrospun nanofiber membranes of cellulose acetate, chitosan, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan-PVA, the cellulose acetate nanofiber membrane-immobilized cells performed the best with a succinic acid concentration and yield to be 27.3 ± 3.

Effects of down-regulation of ackA expression by CRISPR-dCpf1 on succinic acid production in Actinobacillus succinogenes.

Succinic acid (SA), a key intermediate in the cellular tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), is a 4-carbon dicarboxylic acid of great industrial value. Actinobacillus succinogenes can ferment various carbon sources and accumulate relatively high concentrations of SA, but few reliable genetic engineering tools exist for A. succinogenes and this has hindered strain improvement to increase SA production for industrial application.

Impact of the COVID-19 kindergarten closure on overweight and obesity among 3- to 7-year-old children.

Background: Knowledge on the impact of the temporary kindergarten closure policy under COVID-19 in 2020 on childhood overweight and obesity is inadequate. We aimed to examine differences in rates of overweight and obesity from 2018 to 2021 among kindergarten children aged 3-7 years.

Methods: Overweight was defined as body mass index (BMI) > 1 standard deviation (SD) for age and sex, and obesity was defined as BMI > 2 SD for age and sex.

Multivariate and spatio-temporal groundwater pollution risk assessment: A new long-time serial groundwater environmental impact assessment system.

Groundwater pollution risk assessment is an important part of environmental assessment. Although it has been developed for many years, there has not yet been a multi-dimensional method that takes into account long time series and spatial factors. We proposed a new method combines the advantages of remote sensing cloud computing, long-term groundwater modeling simulation and GIS technology to solve it efficiently.

Human Arm Motion Prediction for Collision Avoidance in a Shared Workspace.

Industry 4.0 transforms classical industrial systems into more human-centric and digitized systems. Close human-robot collaboration is becoming more frequent, which means security and efficiency issues need to be carefully considered.

Production of (2)-sakuranetin from (2)-naringenin in by strengthening methylation process and cell resistance.

(2)-Sakuranetin is a 7--methylflavonoid that has anticancer, antiviral, and antimicrobial activities. Methylation process is involved in biosynthesizing (2)-sakuranetin from (2)-naringenin, in which -adenosylmethionine (SAM) serves as the methyl donor. In this study, after methyl donor and substrate inhibition were identified as limiting factors for (2)-sakuranetin biosynthesis, an efficient (2)-sakuranetin-producing strain was constructed by enhancing methyl donor supply and cell tolerance to (2)-naringenin.

A Monte Carlo simulation for studying grid inefficiency of Frisch grid ionization chamber.

The grid inefficiency (GI) of Frisch grid ionization chambers (FGICs) must be considered in the case of accurate energy measurements. A Monte-Carlo model has been developed based on the Garfield and SRIM toolkits to investigate the GI of FGIC. It could simulate the charge signals from different electrodes without considering the electrical noises and random effects in the experiments.