Review of molecular biological research on the treatment of membranous nephropathy with Tripterygium glycosides based on TCM theory.

To explore the mechanism of Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycoside (TWP) in the treatment of membranous nephropathy (MN) by network pharmacology. TCMSP and DrugBank databases were used to screen the main targets of the main active components of Tripterygium glycosides, and OMIM and Gene Cards databases were used to search the gene targets of MN. UniProt database was used to normalize all the targets to get the intersection targets of TGs and MNs.

A Strategy for the Synthesis of Sulfonamides on DNA.

An efficient method is reported to synthesize sulfonamides on DNA from sulfinic acids or sodium sulfinates and amines in the presence of iodine under mild conditions. This method demonstrates a major expansion of scope of sulfonamide formation on DNA through the utilization of a novel sodium carbonate-sodium sulfinate bifunctional reagent class.

Receptor-transporting protein (RTP) family members play divergent roles in the functional expression of odorant receptors.

Receptor transporting protein (RTP) family members, RTP1S and RTP2, are accessory proteins to mammalian odorant receptors (ORs). They are expressed in the olfactory sensory neurons and facilitate OR trafficking to the cell-surface membrane and ligand-induced responses in heterologous cells. We previously identified different domains in RTP1S that are important for different stages of OR trafficking, odorant-mediated responses, and interaction with ORs.

BitterX: a tool for understanding bitter taste in humans.

BitterX is an open-access tool aimed at providing a platform for identifying human bitter taste receptors, TAS2Rs, for small molecules. It predicts TAS2Rs from the molecular structures of arbitrary chemicals by integrating two individual functionalities: bitterant verification and TAS2R recognition. Using BitterX, several novel bitterants and their receptors were predicted and experimentally validated in the study.

Identification of novel compounds for human bitter taste receptors.

The finely tuned bitter taste sensing in humans is orchestrated by a group of 25 bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs), which belong to the G-protein-coupled receptor superfamily. TAS2Rs are expressed in the specialized taste bud cells of the gustatory system and perceive a plethora of bitter substances with versatile structures. To date, more than one hundred bitter ligands have been matched with their cognate receptors, but the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of TAS2Rs remains limited.

Crucial role of copper in detection of metal-coordinating odorants.

Odorant receptors (ORs) in olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) mediate detection of volatile odorants. Divalent sulfur compounds, such as thiols and thioethers, are extremely potent odorants. We identify a mouse OR, MOR244-3, robustly responding to (methylthio)methanethiol (MeSCH(2)SH; MTMT) in heterologous cells.

ODORactor: a web server for deciphering olfactory coding.

Summary: ODORactor is an open access web server aimed at providing a platform for identifying odorant receptors (ORs) for small molecules and for browsing existing OR-ligand pairs. It enables the prediction of ORs from the molecular structures of arbitrary chemicals by integrating two individual functionalities: odorant verification and OR recognition. The prediction of the ORs for several odorants was experimentally validated in the study.