Investigation on the Interaction of Dabrafenib with Human Serum Albumin Using Combined Experiment and Molecular Dynamics Simulation: Exploring the Binding Mechanism, Esterase-like Activity, and Antioxidant Activity.

Dabrafenib is a novel targeted antimelanoma drug. The present work explored the binding mechanism of dabrafenib-human serum albumin (HSA) and the effect on the esterase-like activity and antioxidant activity of HSA by using F NMR, spectroscopy methods, and molecular dynamics simulation. The results of F NMR, fluorescence, and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that dabrafenib spontaneously binds to the subdomain IIIA of the HSA by hydrophobic action and forms a static complex.

Agile and Resilient Insect-Scale Robot.

A key challenge in bioinspired insect-scale running robots is to make them both agile and resilient. In this study, we develop a dielectric elastomer actuated soft robot that mimics inchworms. We use an elastomer to make the soft body, a stretchable dielectric to provide electrostatic actuation of high power density, and multizone actuation to achieve ratcheting locomotion.

Formation of high aspect ratio wrinkles and ridges on elastic bilayers with small thickness contrast.

An elastic bilayer composed of a stiff film bonded to a soft substrate forms wrinkles under compression. While these uniform and periodic wrinkles initially grow in amplitude with applied strain, the onset of secondary bifurcations such as period doubling typically limit the aspect ratio (i.e.

Interspecific chloroplast genome sequence diversity and genomic resources in Diospyros.

Background: Fruits of persimmon plants are traditional healthy food in China, Korea and Japan. However, due to the shortage of morphological and DNA markers, the development of persimmon industry has been heavily inhibited.

Results: Chloroplast genomes of Diospyros cathayensis, D.

Hydrogel Interferometry for Ultrasensitive and Highly Selective Chemical Detection.

Developing ultrasensitive chemical sensors with small scale and fast response through simple design and low-cost fabrication is highly desired but still challenging. Herein, a simple and universal sensing platform based on a hydrogel interferometer with femtomol-level sensitivity in detecting (bio)chemical molecules is demonstrated. A unique local concentrating effect (up to 10 folds) in the hydrogel induced by the strong analyte binding and large amount of ligands, combined with the signal amplification effect by optical interference, endows this platform with an ultrahigh sensitivity, specifically 10 m for copper ions and 1.

Regulation of miR-155 affects the invasion and migration of gastric carcinoma cells by modulating the STAT3 signaling pathway.

Studies investigating the effects of microRNA (miR)-155 on the behavior of tumor cells have concentrated primarily on proliferation and apoptosis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of miR-155 inhibitor on the metastatic and invasive ability of gastric carcinoma cells and whether this effect is mediated via the signal transduction and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway. The miR-155 inhibitor and miR-155 negative control (NC) were transfected into the AGs and MKN-45 cell lines.

Clinical utilization of serum- or plasma-based miRNAs as early detection biomarkers for pancreatic cancer: A meta-analysis up to now.

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a lethal disease, however current screening methods unable to achieve early diagnosis. Blood-based microRNAs (miRNAs) are promising molecular biomarkers for detecting PC. This meta-analysis summaries studies identifying serum- or plasma-based miRNAs dysregulated in PC patients compared to non-PC cases to evaluate their diagnostic accuracy for characterizing PC.

Sharpening the Scissors: Mechanistic Details of CRISPR/Cas9 Improve Functional Understanding and Inspire Future Research.

Interest in CRISPR/Cas9 remains high level as new applications of the revolutionary gene-editing tool continue to emerge. While key structural and biochemical findings have illuminated major steps in the enzymatic mechanism of Cas9, several important details remain unidentified or poorly characterized that may contribute to known functional limitations. Here we describe the foundation of research that has led to a fundamental understanding of Cas9 and address mechanistic uncertainties that restrict continued development of this gene-editing platform, including specificity for the protospacer adjacent motif, propensity for off-target binding and cleavage, as well as interactions with cellular components during gene editing.

Study of the interaction of broad-spectrum antimicrobial drug sitafloxacin with human serum albumin using spectroscopic methods, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation.

Sitafloxacin (STFX) is a new generation of broad-spectrum oral fluoroquinolones. STFX has significantly enhanced antibacterial activity than most similar drugs. Clinically, this drug is mainly used to treat respiratory and urinary tract infections and other serious bacterial infections.

Activity-dependent Synaptic Recruitment of Neuroligin 1 in Spinal Dorsal Horn Contributed to Inflammatory Pain.

Neuroligin 1 (NLGN1), a cell adhesion molecule present at excitatory glutamatergic synapses, has been shown to be critical for synaptic specialization and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-subtype glutamate receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity. Whether and how NLGN1 is engaged in nociceptive behavioral sensitization remains largely unknown. In this study, we found an activity-dependent regulation of NLGN1 synaptic expression in pain-related spinal cord dorsal horns of mice.

Identification of an early diagnostic biomarker of lung adenocarcinoma based on co-expression similarity and construction of a diagnostic model.

Background: The purpose of this study was to achieve early and accurate diagnosis of lung cancer and long-term monitoring of the therapeutic response.

Methods: We downloaded GSE20189 from GEO database as analysis data. We also downloaded human lung adenocarcinoma RNA-seq transcriptome expression data from the TCGA database as validation data.

Stretchable Seal.

Many stretchable electronic devices require stretchable hermetic seals. However, stretchability and permeability are inextricably linked at the molecular level: stretchable, low-permeability materials do not exist. We collect data for the permeation of water and oxygen in many materials and describe the scaling relations for both flat and wrinkled seals.

Highly Stretchable and Tough Hydrogels below Water Freezing Temperature.

Hydrogels consist of hydrophilic polymer networks dispersed in water. Many applications of hydrogels rely on their unique combination of solid-like mechanical behavior and water-like transport properties. If the temperature is lowered below 0 °C, however, hydrogels freeze and become rigid, brittle, and non-conductive.

Inhibition of Epigallocatechin-3-gallate/Protein Interaction by Methyl-β-cyclodextrin in Myofibrillar Protein Emulsion Gels under Oxidative Stress.

Nowadays, natural antioxidants abundant in polyphenols have been widely used to substitute synthetic antioxidants in meat products. In general, high doses of natural antioxidants are required to provide comparative antioxidant effects as synthetic antioxidants. Noticeably, the qualities of meat products can be jeopardized due to interactions between polyphenols and myofibrillar proteins (MPs).

InSAR Baseline Estimation for Gaofen-3 Real-Time DEM Generation.

For Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), the normal baseline is one of the main factors that affects the accuracy of the ground elevation. For Gaofen-3 (GF-3) InSAR processing, the poor accuracy of the real-time orbit determination results in a large baseline error, leads to a modulation error in azimuth and a slope error in the range for timely Digital Elevation Model (DEM) generation. In order to address this problem, a novel baseline estimation approach based on Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) DEM is proposed in this paper.

Effects of Stiff Film Pattern Geometry on Surface Buckling Instabilities of Elastic Bilayers.

Buckling instabilities-such as wrinkling and creasing-of micropatterned elastic surfaces play important roles in applications, including flexible electronics and microfluidics. In many cases, the spatial dimensions associated with the imposed pattern can compete with the natural length scale of the surface instabilities (e.g.

High SRPX2 protein expression predicts unfavorable clinical outcome in patients with prostate cancer.

Background: Sushi repeat-containing protein X-linked 2 (SRPX2) is overexpressed in a variety of different tumor tissues and correlated with poor prognosis in patients. Little research focuses on the role of SRPX2 expression in prostate cancer (PCa), and the clinicopathological significance of the protein expression in this tumor is relatively unknown. However, our previous transcriptome data from those cancer stem-like cells indicated the role of SRPX2 in PCa.

Kinetic Mechanism of DNA Polymerases: Contributions of Conformational Dynamics and a Third Divalent Metal Ion.

Faithful transmission and maintenance of genetic material is primarily fulfilled by DNA polymerases. During DNA replication, these enzymes catalyze incorporation of deoxynucleotides into a DNA primer strand based on Watson-Crick complementarity to the DNA template strand. Through the years, research on DNA polymerases from every family and reverse transcriptases has revealed structural and functional similarities, including a conserved domain architecture and purported two-metal-ion mechanism for nucleotidyltransfer.

Post-transcriptional regulator Rbm47 elevates IL-10 production and promotes the immunosuppression of B cells.

Regulatory B cells (Bregs) are a functionally defined B cell subset, and IL-10 is crucial for the suppressive functions of Bregs. However, little is known regarding how IL-10 production is regulated in B cells. To explore the mechanisms by which IL-10 is regulated in B cells, we used mRNA microarrays to screen for molecules that are upregulated in IL-10-producing B cells and identified RNA-binding motif protein 47 (Rbm47) as a post-transcriptional regulator.

Preclinical evaluation of novel PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor SN202 as potential anti-renal cancer agent.

The PI3K/mTOR pathway is one of the most frequently aberrantly activated pathways in human malignancies, such as renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and contributes to resistance to antitumor therapies. Thus, PI3K/mTOR is an attractive target for the development of antitumor agents. In this study, we evaluated the preclinical effects of a novel inhibitor SN202.

Disruption of SHP1/NMDA receptor signaling in spinal cord dorsal horn alleviated inflammatory pain.

Src-homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase-1 (SHP1) is one of the non-receptor-like phosphatases that are highly enriched in hematopoietic cells. Although accumulating evidence has implicated the protein tyrosine phosphatases in the regulation of nociceptive transmission and plasticity, it is largely unknown whether SHP1 was expressed in pain-related spinal cord dorsal horn and engaged in the synaptic modification of nociceptive signals. Here we found that SHP1 was present in spinal neurons of rats and functionally coupled to GluN2A subunit-containing N-methyl-d-aspartate subtype of glutamate receptors, one of the key players in central sensitization of nociceptive behaviors.

Inhibition of interaction between epigallocatechin-3-gallate and myofibrillar protein by cyclodextrin derivatives improves gel quality under oxidative stress.

High levels of polyphenols can interact with myofibrillar proteins (MPs), causing damage to a MP emulsion gel. In this study, β-cyclodextrins were used to reduce covalent and non-covalent interaction between epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and MPs under oxidative stress. The loss of both thiol and free amine groups and the unfolding of MPs caused by EGCG (80 μM/g protein) were significantly prevented by β-cyclodextrins, and the structural stability and solubility were improved.

Topological Adhesion of Wet Materials.

Achieving strong adhesion between wet materials (i.e., tissues and hydrogels) is challenging.