Biological macromolecules must fold into native structures to gain functional activities. In living cells, proteins called molecular chaperones mediate productive folding by preventing undesired interactions and aggregation and by facilitating refolding of misfolded macromolecules into their bioactive forms. Inspired by natural molecular chaperones, artificial chaperones that mimic some features of their biological counterparts have been designed. This review describes recent progress in the development of artificial chaperones and their promising applications in enhancing macromolecular assembly of proteins, polypeptides, and nucleic acids.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.120150 | DOI Listing |
Adv Sci (Weinh)
January 2025
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02134, USA.
Natural olfactory systems possess remarkable sensitivity and precision beyond what is currently achievable by engineered gas sensors. Unlike their artificial counterparts, noses are capable of distinguishing scents associated with mixtures of volatile molecules in complex, typically fluctuating environments and can adapt to changes. This perspective examines the multifaceted biological principles that provide olfactory systems their discriminatory prowess, and how these ideas can be ported to the design of electronic noses for substantial improvements in performance across metrics such as sensitivity and ability to speciate chemical mixtures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetab Eng
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Marine Food Processing and Safety Control, College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266404, PR China; Qingdao Key Laboratory of Food Biotechnology, Qingdao, 266404, PR China; Key Laboratory of Biological Processing of Aquatic Products, China National Light Industry, Qingdao, 266404, PR China. Electronic address:
Specific cellular microenvironment, multi-enzyme complex and expensive essential cofactor make the biological manufacturing of plant chloroplast natural products (PCNPs) extremely challenging. The above difficulties have hampered the biosynthesis of capsanthin and capsorubin in the past 30 years. Here, we take capsanthin and capsorubin as examples to design an innovative microbial factory to promote the heterologous synthesis of PCPNs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cell Biol
March 2025
Department of Biological Sciences, Laboratory of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan.
The accumulation of defective polypeptides in cells is a major cause of various diseases. However, probing defective proteins is difficult because no currently available method can retrieve unstable defective translational products in a soluble state. To overcome this issue, there is a need for a molecular device specific to structurally defective polypeptides.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSubcell Biochem
December 2024
Department of Biotechnology Engineering, ORT Braude College, Karmiel, Israel.
Ageing is a complex yet universal and inevitable degenerative process that results in a decline in the cellular capacity for repair and adaptation to external stresses. Therefore, maintaining the appropriate balance of the cellular proteome is crucial. In addition to the ubiquitin-proteasome and autophagy-lysosomal systems, molecular chaperones play a vital role in a sophisticated protein quality control system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
November 2024
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore 119260, Singapore.
Water exists in the beginning and hydrates all matter. Life emerged in water, requiring three essential components in compartmentalized spaces: (1) universal energy sources driving biochemical reactions and processes, (2) molecules that store, encode, and transmit information, and (3) functional players carrying out biological activities and structural organization. Phosphorus has been selected to create adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as the universal energy currency, nucleic acids for genetic information storage and transmission, and phospholipids for cellular compartmentalization.
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