Gemological characteristics and inclusions of green rutilated quartz from Huanggangliang, Inner Mongolia.

Normally, various minerals exist in quartz as inclusions. In this study, methods such as gem microscopy, polarizing microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) were used to systematically study the gemological characteristics and inclusions in green rutilated quartz from Inner Mongolia. Results show that the sample appears green due to the chaotic distribution of green inclusions in the shape of hair filaments.

Effects of ligand binding on the mechanical stability of protein GB1 studied by steered molecular dynamics simulation.

Regulation of the mechanical properties of proteins plays an important role in many biological processes, and sheds light on the design of biomaterials comprised of protein. At present, strategies to regulate protein mechanical stability focus mainly on direct modulation of the force-bearing region of the protein. Interestingly, the mechanical stability of GB1 can be significantly enhanced by the binding of Fc fragments of human IgG antibody, where the binding site is distant from the force-bearing region of the protein.

Impacts of the charged residues mutation S48E/N62H on the thermostability and unfolding behavior of cold shock protein: insights from molecular dynamics simulation with Gō model.

The cold shock protein from the hyperthermophile Thermotoga maritima (Tm-Csp) exhibits significantly higher thermostability than its homologue from the thermophile Bacillus caldolyticus (Bc-Csp). Experimental studies have shown that the electrostatic interactions unique to Tm-Csp are responsible for improving its thermostability. In the present work, the favorable charged residues in Tm-Csp were grafted into Bc-Csp by a double point mutation of S48E/N62H, and the impacts of the mutation on the thermostability and unfolding/folding behavior of Bc-Csp were then investigated by using a modified Gō model, in which the electrostatic interactions between charged residues were considered in the model.

The Intrinsic Dynamics and Unfolding Process of an Antibody Fab Fragment Revealed by Elastic Network Model.

Antibodies have been increasingly used as pharmaceuticals in clinical treatment. Thermal stability and unfolding process are important properties that must be considered in antibody design. In this paper, the structure-encoded dynamical properties and the unfolding process of the Fab fragment of the phosphocholine-binding antibody McPC603 are investigated by use of the normal mode analysis of Gaussian network model (GNM).

Conformational Motions and Functionally Key Residues for Vitamin B12 Transporter BtuCD-BtuF Revealed by Elastic Network Model with a Function-Related Internal Coordinate.

BtuCD-BtuF from Escherichia coli is a binding protein-dependent adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette (ABC) transporter system that uses the energy of ATP hydrolysis to transmit vitamin B12 across cellular membranes. Experimental studies have showed that during the transport cycle, the transporter undergoes conformational transitions between the "inward-facing" and "outward-facing" states, which results in the open-closed motions of the cytoplasmic gate of the transport channel. The opening-closing of the channel gate play critical roles for the function of the transporter, which enables the substrate vitamin B12 to be translocated into the cell.

[Effect of magnesium deficiency on photosynthetic physiology and triacylglyceride (TAG) accumulation of Chlorella vulgaris].

As an excellent biological resource, Chlorella has wide applications for production of biofuel, bioactive substances and water environment restoration. Therefore, it is very important to understand the photosynthetic physiology characteristics of Chlorella. Magnesium ions play an important role in the growth of microalgae, not only the central atom of chlorophyll, but also the cofactor of some key enzyme in the metabolic pathway.

Red yeast rice increases excretion of bile acids in hamsters.

Objective: To investigate the hypocholesterolemic activity of red yeast rice (RYR) and its underlying mechanism.

Methods: Three groups of hamsters were fed either the control diet or one of the two experimental diets containing by weight 0.1% RYR (0.

Self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) improves anticancer effect of oral 9-nitrocamptothecin on human cancer xenografts in nude mice.

9-Nitrocamptothecin (9-NC) is an orally administered topoisomerase-I inhibitor for the treatment of pancreatic carcinoma, but its oral absorption and bioavailability are poor. The main objective of this study was to develop optimal 9-nitrocamptothecin (9-NC) microemulsion prepared by self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS). Two SMEDDS formulations of 9-NC prepared from a mixture of ethyl oleate, Tween-80 (T-form) or Cremophor EL (C-form), and PEG-400/ethanol were formed as microemulsions under dilution with aqueous phase.