Publications by authors named "Wanqiu Liu"

Aim Of The Study: This study investigated the mechanism by which the Postoperative Tongqi Formula (PTQF) treats postoperative ileus (POI) through regulation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway, Zona occludens 1 (ZO-1) protein, and metabolism.

Methods: The primary components of PTQF were characterized using UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. The identified compounds subsequently employed network pharmacology to predict the signaling pathways associated with the inflammatory phase of POI.

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  • Researchers conducted RNA-seq analysis to investigate matrix metalloproteinase-3 as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for cervical cancer.
  • The study included 100 cervical cancer patients and 100 healthy women, analyzing gene expression and survival rates, revealing significant changes in serum protein levels.
  • The findings suggest that targeting matrix metalloproteinase-3 could offer new avenues for early diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer.
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  • - Synthetic BioBricks enable precise manipulation of genetic information and programming of cellular behavior, but their stability relies on the compatibility of DNA fragments without causing harm to host cells.
  • - The study introduces a new method called BP (Blue/Purple, Ban/Pick) evaluation, which uses chromoproteins to assess BioBrick compatibility efficiently by analyzing the color ratio of E. coli colonies.
  • - Several compatible BioBrick assemblies were identified using this method, indicating its potential to improve the evaluation of BioBricks in biotechnological applications and broaden the use of chromoproteins in synthetic biology.
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  • - Diarrhea is a significant public health problem globally, with limited research on coinfections caused by multiple enteric viruses, prompting this study on a child with acute gastroenteritis infected by human adenovirus (HAdV) and human astrovirus (HAstV).
  • - Researchers used RT-PCR and whole-genome sequencing to analyze the genotypes and genetic evolution of the viruses, identifying HAdV as genotype 41 and HAstV as a recombinant strain of HAstV-2 and HAstV-4.
  • - The study found that both viruses in this coinfection are rare variants in Southern China, contributing to the understanding of genetic diversity among epidemic strains and providing insights for future vaccine and medical research.
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  • This study introduces a new method for genome integration using orthogonal serine integrases, allowing for stable storage of multiple genes within the chromosome of the MG1655 host organism.
  • It demonstrates high-efficiency integration of DNA fragments, with the capability of handling large sequences (up to 13 kb) without additional markers.
  • The research highlights the potential of these engineered strains for various synthetic biology applications, such as protein expression, paving the way for improved genome manipulation and gene storage techniques.
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  • Anthraquinone-fused enediynes are natural compounds with anticancer properties that include a DNA-intercalating anthraquinone part, but the process of their biosynthesis isn't fully understood yet.
  • Recent research identified two key enzymes, DynE13 and DynA1, that work together to convert a precursor compound into hydroxyanthraquinone, with specific roles in adding oxygen and removing sulfur.
  • The study revealed that DynE13 adds two oxygen atoms while breaking down sulfur and carbon, while DynA1 adds the last oxygen atom, highlighting their essential roles in creating anthraquinones and providing insight into their biosynthetic mechanisms.
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  • RiPPs (Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides) are natural products with various structures and strong biological effects, but many of their gene clusters in microbes are still unexplored due to challenges in studying them.
  • The researchers developed a new system called UniBioCat, which uses cell-free gene expression for the quick biosynthesis and modification of RiPPs, exemplified by creating salivaricin B, a type of RiPP.
  • By removing specific genes from the source strain, UniBioCat improved the production and screening of salivaricin B variants with better antimicrobial properties and also successfully synthesized and tested ten previously uncharacterized lanthipeptides, paving the way for faster Ri
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  • Enzymatic cascades serve as a green method for creating valuable chemicals and drugs by using a series of enzymes in a complex that enhances biosynthetic processes.
  • The study presents a hybrid biocatalytic system made of three different enzymes that efficiently convert styrene into 1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol, achieving a threefold increase in production compared to traditional methods.
  • This innovative approach combines advanced techniques like protein display, enzyme organization, and cell-free expression, suggesting it could significantly improve chemical synthesis for various applications in agriculture, industry, and pharmaceuticals.
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  • Molecular cloning allows the combination of different DNA fragments into plasmids that replicate in host cells, typically requiring expensive and complex screening methods like blue-white screening to identify successful clones.
  • The new Rainbow Screening method streamlines this process by using chromoproteins for easy visual identification of E. coli colonies, which reduces the need for extra genetic modifications and costs.
  • This method has shown over 80% efficiency in assembling DNA fragments and accurately identifying correct constructs, potentially advancing molecular cloning techniques in biotechnology and synthetic biology.
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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Massa Medicata Fermentata, a fermented Chinese medicine, is produced by the fermentation of six traditional Chinese medicines. Liu Shenqu (LSQ) and charred Liu Shenqu (CLSQ) have been used for strengthening the spleen and enhancing digestion for over a thousand years, and CLSQ is commonly used in clinical practice. However, it is unclear whether there is a difference in the spleen strengthening and digestion effects between LSQ and CLSQ, as well as their mechanisms of action.

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Gene-encoded aldehyde tag technology has been widely utilized in protein bioorthogonal chemistry and biotechnological application. Herein, we report utilization of the promiscuous rSAM cyclophane synthase SjiB involved in triceptide biosynthesis as a dedicated and highly efficient formylglycine synthase. The new aldehyde tag sequence in this system, YQSSI, is biosynthetically orthogonal to the known aldehyde tag (C/S)x(P/A)xR.

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In this study, we addressed the limitations of conventional enzyme-polymer-conjugate-based Pickering emulsions for interfacial biocatalysis, which traditionally suffer from nonspecific and uncontrollable conjugation positions that can impede catalytic performance. By introducing a non-canonical amino acid (ncAA) at a specific site on target enzymes, we enabled precise polymer-enzyme conjugation. These engineered conjugates then acted as biocatalytically active emulsifiers to stabilize Pickering emulsions, while encapsulating a cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) system in the aqueous phase for targeted enzyme expression.

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Four undescribed sesquiterpene-shikimates (1-4), eight undescribed monoterpene-shikimates (5-12), together with two known ones were isolated and identified from the 95% ethanol extract of the plant endophytic fungus Phyllosticta capitalensis cultured in rice medium. Capitalensis A (1) was identified as the first sesquiterpene-shikimate-conjugated spirocyclic meroterpenoid degradation product, while capitalensis B (2) is a sesquiterpene-shikimate-conjugated spirocyclic meroterpenoid with a unique D-ring formed by a C-2-O-C-9' connection. The structures of these previously undescribed compounds were elucidated by multiple techniques, including IR, HR-ESI-MS, and NMR analysis.

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  • - Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) is identified as a promising probiotic microbe for synthetic biology, but its molecular tools and techniques need further development.
  • - Researchers expanded the EcN toolbox by genetically engineering plasmids for enhanced gene coexpression and creating new technologies for DNA transfer and protein expression quantification.
  • - The study also introduced native integrase-mediated genetic engineering and a cell-free protein synthesis system, providing more reliable strategies for researchers in synthetic biology using EcN.
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Plant-originated natural products are important drug sources. However, total biosynthesis of these compounds is often not achievable due to their uncharacterized, lengthy biosynthetic pathways. In nature, phenethylisoquinoline alkaloids (PIAs) such as colchicine are biosynthesized via a common precursor 6,7-dihydroxy-1-(4-hydroxyphenylethyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (i.

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  • Designing efficient electrocatalysts for water splitting is crucial for green hydrogen production, with a focus on a quaternary heterostructured material synthesized through hydrothermal reactions.
  • The electrocatalyst, Ni(NO)(OH)/Ni(OH)/NiS/NiFe-LDH, shows improved oxygen evolution performance due to unique structural features and metal interactions, achieving a low overpotential of 223 mV.
  • As both cathode and anode, it allows an alkaline electrolyzer to operate at 1.67 V for a current density of 10 mA cm, demonstrating excellent stability and durability.
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Living materials represent a new frontier in functional material design, integrating synthetic biology tools to endow materials with programmable, dynamic, and life-like characteristics. However, a major challenge in creating living materials is balancing the tradeoff between structural stability, mechanical performance, and functional programmability. To address this challenge, a sheath-core living hydrogel fiber platform that synergistically integrates living bacteria with hydrogel fibers to achieve both functional diversity and structural and mechanical robustness is proposed.

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Cell-free expression systems have emerged as a potent and promising platform for the biosynthesis of chemicals by reconstituting in vitro expressed enzymes. Here, we report cell-free biosynthesis of cinnamyl alcohol (cinOH) with enhanced productivity by using the Plackett-Burman experimental design for multifactor optimization. Initially, four enzymes were individually expressed in vitro and directly mixed to reconstitute a biosynthetic route for the synthesis of cinOH.

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Serratiopeptidase is a clinical therapeutic protein for the treatment of human diseases such as arthritis, bronchitis, and thrombosis. Yet production of this protein in a heterologous host (e.g.

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Crude extract-based cell-free expression systems have been used to produce natural products by reconstitution of their biosynthetic pathways . However, the chemical scope of cell-free synthesized natural compounds is still limited, which is partially due to the length of biosynthetic gene clusters. To expand the product scope, here, we report cell-free biosynthesis of several lysine-derived unnatural amino acids with functional moieties such as chloro, alkene, and alkyne groups.

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Erythritol, one of the natural sugar alcohols, is widely used as a sugar substitute sweetener in food industries. Humans themselves are not able to catabolize erythritol and their gut microbes lack related catabolic pathways either to metabolize erythritol. Here, Escherichia coli (E.

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Fatty acid-derived products such as alkanes, fatty aldehydes, and fatty alcohols have many applications in the chemical industry. These products are predominately produced from fossil resources, but their production processes are often not environmentally friendly. While microbes like have been engineered to convert fatty acids to corresponding products, the design and optimization of metabolic pathways in cells for high productivity is challenging due to low mass transfer, heavy metabolic burden, and intermediate/product toxicity.

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The traditional Chinese medicine of fermented medicine may be under the involvement of multiple strains and the interaction between these microorganisms. Liu Shenqu (Massa Medicata Fermentata, MMF) is one of the most widely used fermented medicines, whose potential processing mechanism is still unclear. In this work, UPLC/MS and GNPS methods were employed to rapidly predict chemical compositions in MMF.

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Purpose: To assess the expression of genes that are relevant to pyroptosis and the relationship between these genes and prognosis in uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC).

Methods: The research identifies 16 pyroptosis regulators with different expressions in normal endometrium and UCEC. In accordance with the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), the various kinds of UCEC are classified into two sub-types.

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Nonribosomal peptides (NRPs) are a large family of secondary metabolites with notable bioactivities, which distribute widely in natural resources across microbes and plants. To obtain these molecules, heterologous production of NRPs in robust surrogate hosts like Escherichia coli represent a feasible approach. However, reconstitution of the full biosynthetic pathway in a host often leads to low productivity, which is at least in part due to the low efficiency of enzyme interaction in vivo except for the well-known reasons of metabolic burden (e.

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