Functional characterization and structural basis of an efficient ochratoxin A-degrading amidohydrolase.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination in various agro-products poses a serious threat to the global food safety and human health, leading to enormous economic losses. Enzyme-mediated OTA degradation is an appealing strategy, and the search for more efficient enzymes is a prerequisite for achieving this goal. Here, a novel amidohydrolase, termed PwADH, was demonstrated to exhibit 7.

Chemical Profiling of Shen-Wu-Yi-Shen Tablets Using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and Its Quality Evaluation Based on UPLC-DAD Combined with Multivariate Statistical Analysis.

Shen-Wu-Yi-Shen tablets (SWYST) is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription used for treating chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study aims to characterize the constituents in SWYST and evaluate the quality based on the quantification of multiple bioactive components. SWYST samples were analyzed with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) and a data-processing strategy.

Structural and functional insights into the self-sufficient flavin-dependent halogenase.

Flavin-dependent halogenases (FDHs) have tremendous applications in synthetic chemistry. A single-component FDH, AetF, exhibits both halogenase and reductase activities in a continuous polypeptide chain. AetF exhibits broad substrate promiscuity and catalyzes the two-step bromination of l-tryptophan (l-Trp) to produce 5-bromotryptophan (5-Br-Trp) and 5,7-dibromo-l-tryptophan (5,7-di-Br-Trp).

Variational Bayesian Algorithms for Maneuvering Target Tracking with Nonlinear Measurements in Sensor Networks.

The variational Bayesian method solves nonlinear estimation problems by iteratively computing the integral of the marginal density. Many researchers have demonstrated the fact its performance depends on the linear approximation in the computation of the variational density in the iteration and the degree of nonlinearity of the underlying scenario. In this paper, two methods for computing the variational density, namely, the natural gradient method and the simultaneous perturbation stochastic method, are used to implement a variational Bayesian Kalman filter for maneuvering target tracking using Doppler measurements.

Comparative pharmacokinetics of six bioactive components of Shen-Wu-Yi-Shen tablets in normal and chronic renal failure rats based on UPLC-TSQ-MS/MS.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Shen-Wu-Yi-Shen tablets (SWYST), a Chinese patent medicine consisting of 12 herbal medicines, was formulated by a famous TCM nephrologist, Zou Yunxiang. It is clinically used to improve the symptoms of nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, dry mouth and throat, and dry stool in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) accompanied by qi and yin deficiency, dampness, and turbidity. SWYST can reduce urea nitrogen, blood creatinine, and urinary protein loss, and increase the endogenous creatinine clearance rate.

Cryo-EM structure and rational engineering of a superefficient ochratoxin A-detoxifying amidohydrolase.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is among the most prevalent mycotoxins detected in agroproducts, posing serious threats to human and livestock health. Using enzymes to conduct OTA detoxification is an appealing potential strategy. The recently identified amidohydrolase from Stenotrophomonas acidaminiphila, termed ADH3, is the most efficient OTA-detoxifying enzyme reported thus far and can hydrolyze OTA to nontoxic ochratoxin α (OTα) and L-β-phenylalanine (Phe).

Mechanisms of action underlying the effect of Tongsaimai on wound healing based on experimental and network pharmacology.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Tongsaimai (TSM) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has several therapeutic qualities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, and anti-vasculitis effects. However, its impacts and underlying mechanisms on wound healing remain unclear.

Aim Of The Study: The aim of our study was to evaluate TSM for its pro-healing effect and the relevant mechanisms using both experimental validation and network pharmacology analysis.

MicroRNA408 negatively regulates salt tolerance by affecting secondary cell wall development in maize.

Although microRNA408 (miR408) is a highly conserved miRNA, the miR408 response to salt stress differs among plant species. Here, we show that miR408 transcripts are strongly repressed by salt stress and methyl viologen treatment in maize (Zea mays). Application of N, N1-dimethylthiourea partly relieved the NaCl-induced down-regulation of miR408.

Screening and characterization of xenobiotics in rat bio-samples after oral administration of Shen-Wu-Yi-Shen tablet using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS combined with a targeted and non-targeted strategy.

Shen-Wu-Yi-Shen tablet (SWYST), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine prescription (TCMP), has been effectively used for treating chronic kidney disease (CKD) in clinically. However, an in-depth study of in vivo metabolism of SWYST is lacking. In this study, a targeted and non-targeted strategy based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was developed to screen and characterize SWYST-related xenobiotics in rats.

Spatiotemporal optical properties of dissolved organic matter in a sluice-controlled coastal plain river with both salinity and trophic gradients.

Due to the combined effect of sluices and sea tide, the sluice-controlled coastal plain river would be characterized by both trophic state and salinity gradients, affecting the spatiotemporal optical properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM). In this study, we investigated the spatiotemporal variation of water quality parameters and optical properties of DOM in the Haihe River, a representative sluice-controlled coastal plain river in Tianjin, China. A significant salinity gradient and four trophic states were observed in the water body of the Haihe River.

Nitrate availability controls translocation of the transcription factor NAC075 for cell-type-specific reprogramming of root growth.

Plant root architecture flexibly adapts to changing nitrate (NO) availability in the soil; however, the underlying molecular mechanism of this adaptive development remains under-studied. To explore the regulation of NO-mediated root growth, we screened for low-nitrate-resistant mutant (lonr) and identified mutants that were defective in the NAC transcription factor NAC075 (lonr1) as being less sensitive to low NO in terms of primary root growth. We show that NAC075 is a mobile transcription factor relocating from the root stele tissues to the endodermis based on NO availability.

Structure-based rational design of a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase for improving activity toward mycotoxin patulin.

Patulin is a fatal mycotoxin that is widely detected in drinking water and fruit-derived products contaminated by diverse filamentous fungi. CgSDR from Candida guilliermondii represents the first NADPH-dependent short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase that catalyzes the reduction of patulin to the nontoxic E-ascladiol. To elucidate the catalytic mechanism of CgSDR, we solved its crystal structure in complex with cofactor and substrate.

Structural analysis and engineering of aldo-keto reductase from glyphosate-resistant Echinochloa colona.

Glyphosate is a dominant organophosphate herbicide that inhibits 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) of the shikimate pathway. Glyphosate is extensively applied since manufactured, which has led to the emergence of various glyphosate-resistant crops and weeds. However, the molecular mechanism of many glyphosate-resistance machineries remains unclear.

Structural and Functional Insights into a Nonheme Iron- and α-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Halogenase That Catalyzes Chlorination of Nucleotide Substrates.

Nonheme iron- and α-ketoglutarate (αKG)-dependent halogenases (NHFeHals), which catalyze the regio- and stereoselective halogenation of the unactivated C()-H bonds, exhibit tremendous potential in the challenging asymmetric halogenation. AdeV from Actinomadura sp. ATCC 39365 is the first identified carrier protein-free NHFeHal that catalyzes the chlorination of nucleotide 2'-deoxyadenosine-5'-monophosphate (2'-dAMP) to afford 2'-chloro-2'-deoxyadenosine-5'-monophosphate.

Crystal structure and biochemical analysis of the specialized deoxynivalenol-detoxifying glyoxalase SPG from Gossypium hirsutum.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) and its acetylated derivatives such as 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3A-DON) and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15A-DON) are notorious mycotoxins in Fusarium contaminated cereals, which pose a great threat to human and livestock health. The specialized glyoxalase I from Gossypium hirsutum (SPG) can lower the toxicity of 3A-DON by conducting isomerization to transfer C8 carbonyl to C7 and double bond from C9-C10 to C8-C9. Here we report that the substrate-flexible SPG can also recognize 15A-DON and DON, probably following the same isomerization mechanism as that for 3A-DON.

Catalytically inactive lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase PcAA14A enhances the enzyme-mediated hydrolysis of polyethylene terephthalate.

The massive accumulation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in the global ecosystem is a growing environmental crisis. Development of environmental friendly strategies to achieve enzyme-catalyzed PET degradation has attracted tremendous attention. In this study, we demonstrated the synergistic effects of combining a specific PET-degrading enzyme IsPETase variant from PET-assimilating bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis and a lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase from a white-rot fungus Pycnoporus coccineus (PcAA14A) in PET degradation.

Enhancing PET hydrolytic enzyme activity by fusion of the cellulose-binding domain of cellobiohydrolase I from Trichoderma reesei.

The large amounts of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) that enter and accumulate in the environment have posed a serious threat to global ecosystems and human health. A PET hydrolase from PET-assimilating bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis (IsPETase) that exhibits superior PET hydrolytic activity at mild conditions is attracting enormous attention in development of plastic biodegrading strategies. In order to enhance the PET hydrolysis capacity of IsPETase, we selected several polymer-binding domains that can adhere to a hydrophobic polymer surface and fused these to a previously engineered IsPETase (IsPETase) variant.

Increased miR‑187‑3p expression after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion induces apoptosis via initiation of endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury induces activation of the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) pathway, accompanied by an increase in apoptosis. Multiple microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are dysregulated during I/R and contribute to I/R-induced injury. miRNAs act as suppressors of gene expression and negatively regulate gene expression by targeting the protein-coding sequence (CDS) of specific target mRNAs.

Water quality characteristics and assessment of Yongding New River by improved comprehensive water quality identification index based on game theory.

The Yongding New River is essential for the water supplies of Tianjin. To date, there is no comprehensive report that assesses the year-round water quality of the Yongding New River Main stream. Moreover, little attention has been given to determining a combined weight for improving the traditional comprehensive water quality identification index (ICWQII) by the game theory.

Berberine Ameliorates Oxygen-glucose Deprivation/Reperfusion-induced Apoptosis by Inhibiting Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Autophagy in PC12 Cells.

This study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which berberine protects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) PC12 model was established. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect the toxicity of berberine and the viability of PC12 cells.

Structural dissection of unnatural ginsenoside-biosynthetic UDP-glycosyltransferase Bs-YjiC from Bacillus subtilis for substrate promiscuity.

Glycosylation catalyzed by uridine diphosphate-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGT) contributes to the chemical and functional diversity of a number of natural products. Bacillus subtilis Bs-YjiC is a robust and versatile UGT that holds potentials in the biosynthesis of unnatural bioactive ginsenosides. To understand the molecular mechanism underlying the substrate promiscuity of Bs-YjiC, we solved crystal structures of Bs-YjiC and its binary complex with uridine diphosphate (UDP) at resolution of 2.

miR‑187‑3p inhibitor attenuates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by regulating Seipin‑mediated autophagic flux.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) have been reported to affect ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)‑induced cerebral damage. miRNAs cause post‑transcriptional gene silencing by binding to the protein‑coding sequence (CDS) of mRNAs. Seipin has a potential role in regulating autophagic flux.

The effect of overexpression of the gene on the malignant proliferation, invasion, and tumor formation of pancreatic cancer cell PANC-1.

Background: To determine the role of HOXD10 in pancreatic cancer.

Methods: A stable HOXD10-expressing PANC-1 cell line was established. Proliferation rates were detected by 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (Edu) staining while invasion was evaluated by Transwell assay.

PNU282987 inhibits amyloid‑β aggregation by upregulating astrocytic endogenous αB‑crystallin and HSP‑70 via regulation of the α7AChR, PI3K/Akt/HSF‑1 signaling axis.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder. Abnormal aggregation of the neurotoxic amyloid‑β (Aβ) peptide is an early event in AD. The activation of astrocytic α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) can inhibit Aβ aggregation; thus, the molecular mechanism between α7 nAChR activation and Aβ aggregation warrants further investigation.