Peptide fragments, derived from prostatic acidic phosphatase, are secreted in large amounts into human semen and form amyloid fibrils. These fibrillar structures, termed semen-derived enhancer of virus infection (SEVI), capture HIV virions and direct them to target cells. Thus, SEVI appears to be an important infectivity factor of HIV during sexual transmission. Here, we are able to demonstrate that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major active constituent of green tea, targets SEVI for degradation. Furthermore, it is shown that EGCG inhibits SEVI activity and abrogates semen-mediated enhancement of HIV-1 infection in the absence of cellular toxicity. Therefore, EGCG appears to be a promising supplement to antiretroviral microbicides to reduce sexual transmission of HIV-1.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0811827106 | DOI Listing |
Plant Methods
January 2025
College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China.
Background: Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a rapid and powerful method for gene functional analysis in plants that pose challenges in stable transformation. Numerous VIGS systems based on Agrobacterium infiltration has been widely developed for tender tissues of various plant species, yet none is available for recalcitrant perennial woody plants with firmly lignified capsules, such as tea oil camellia. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an efficient, robust, and cost-effective VIGS system for recalcitrant tissues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Plant Biol
January 2025
Institute of Tropical Horticulture Research, Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571100, China.
Background: Tea-oil Camellia within the genus Camellia is renowned for its premium Camellia oil, often described as "Oriental olive oil". So far, only one partial mitochondrial genomes of Tea-oil Camellia have been published (no main Tea-oil Camellia cultivars), and comparative mitochondrial genomic studies of Camellia remain limited.
Results: In this study, we first reconstructed the entire mitochondrial genome of C.
J Bone Miner Metab
January 2025
Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
BMJ Case Rep
January 2025
SUT Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
This case report describes an adult man in his 50s with a history of type 2 diabetes and previously well-controlled hypertension, who presented with uncontrolled hypertension, muscle weakness and fatigue. Biochemical testing revealed hypokalaemia. There was no evidence of renal/renovascular disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Jianghuai Agricultural Product Fine Processing and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Anhui Engineering Research Center for High Value Utilization of Characteristic Agricultural Products, College of Tea & Food Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China. Electronic address:
This study investigated the effect of different-polarity aqueous ethanol solutions on the formation of V-type starch originating from corn starch. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the morphology of starch transformed from a random lamellar structure to a granular structure with decreasing solution polarity. When the ethanol concentration increased from 40 % to 60 %, the crystallinity and single-helix ratio of V-type starch increased from 9.
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