Excess Substrate Research Articles

Oxidases as Oxygen Scavengers in Hypoxic Conditions: A Kinetic Model.

A simple kinetic model allowed for the description of the observed decay of the oxygen content in hypoxic aqueous samples with and without headspace, in the presence of glucose oxidase (Glucox) or laccase and their substrates (glucose for Glucox and ABTS for Laccase). The experimental tests involved both the direct measurement of the oxygen content with a fluorescence-based probe and the indirect stopped-flow spectroscopic detection of colored compounds generated from suitable chromogenic reagents. The complete depletion of dissolved oxygen occurred in the no-headspace samples, whereas some residual oxygen remained in a steady state in the samples with headspace. Simple pseudo-first-order kinetics was adequate to describe the behavior of the system, as long as oxygen was the rate-limiting compound, i.e., in the presence of excess substrates. The values of the kinetic constants drawn from best-fit routines of the data from both experimental approaches were quite comparable. The oxygen residues in the samples with headspace seemed related to the low solubility of O2 in the aqueous phase, especially if compared with the large amount of oxygen in the headspace. The extent of such residue decreased by increasing the concentration of the enzyme. The kinetic model proposed in this paper can be of help in assembling suitable sensors to be used for food safety and quality control.

Activation/Inhibition of Cholinesterases by Excess Substrate: Interpretation of the Phenomenological b Factor in Steady-State Rate Equation

Cholinesterases (ChEs) display a non-michaelian behavior with positively charged substrates. In the steady-state rate equation, the b factor describes this behavior: if b > 1 there is substrate activation, if b < 1 there is substrate inhibition. The mechanistic significance of the b factor was investigated to determine whether this behavior depends on acylation, deacylation or on both steps. Kinetics of human acetyl- (AChE) and butyryl-cholinesterase (BChE) were performed under steady-state conditions and using a time-course of complete substrate hydrolysis. For the hydrolysis of short acyl(thio)esters, where acylation and deacylation are partly rate-limiting, steady-state kinetic analysis could not decide which step determines b. However, the study of the hydrolysis of an arylacylamide, 3-(acetamido)-N,N,N-trimethylanilinium (ATMA), where acetylation is rate-limiting, showed that b depends on the acylation step. The magnitude of b and opposite b values between AChE and BChE for the hydrolysis of acetyl(thio)- versus benzoyl-(thio) esters, then indicated that the productive adjustment of substrates in the active center at high concentration depends on motions of both the Ω and the acyl-binding loops. Benzoylcholine was shown to be a poor substrate of AChE, and steady-state kinetics showed a sudden inhibition at high concentration, likely due to the non-dissociation of hydrolysis products. The poor catalytic hydrolysis of this bulky ester by AChE illustrates the importance of the fine adjustment of substrate acyl moiety in the acyl-binding pocket. Molecular modeling and QM/MM simulations should definitively provide evidence for this statement.

1630-P: Reduced Fatty Acid Oxidation Does Not Prevent Intralipid-Induced Peripheral Insulin Resistance in Humans

Mitochondrial handling of excess lipid substrate is thought to be an important determinant of insulin resistance. Evidence from animal models support insulin signaling defects resulting from either intra-cellular lipid accumulation or by mitochondrial dysfunction and altered fatty acid oxidation (FAO) flux. To explore the relationship between FAO and insulin sensitivity, we measured the change in peripheral glucose disposal (Rd) during a 5-hour hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp with co-infusion of a control glycerol solution versus a 20% intralipid solution in 18 subjects with an inherited defect in FAO (FAOD; including Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase 2, Very long-chain, medium-chain or long-chain 3-hydroxy AcylcoA Dehydrogenase Deficiencies) and 18 age, sex, and weight-matched normal healthy controls. Rd was similar between groups during the glycerol control clamp. Intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) content as measured by MRS increased after the 5 hour intralipid infusion in controls but not in participants with FAOD. Plasma free fatty acids during intralipid infusion were higher in FAOD compared to controls suggesting infused lipid remained in circulation. Muscle fiber type and expression of lipid transporters CD36 and FATP1 were similar in biopsy samples between groups and cannot explain decreased lipid uptake into muscle among FAOD subjects. However, intralipid suppressed Rd equally in subjects with FAOD and controls inducing peripheral insulin resistance in both groups. Impaired FAO decreased lipid accumulation in the muscle during intralipid infusion, but despite lower IMCL, subjects with FAOD developed peripheral insulin resistance similar to controls. Increased IMCL is not essential for, nor is reduced FAO flux protective against, the development of peripheral insulin resistance during intralipid infusion. Disclosure M.B.Gillingham: None. J.Q.Purnell: Advisory Panel; Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Novo Nordisk. A.N.Gregor: None. O.Varlamov: None. J.J.Robino: None. C.E.Mccurdy: None. K.T.Greyslak: None. D.Choi: None. E.Baetscher: Consultant; Biogen. W.Rooney: Consultant; Ultragenix, Research Support; Revalesio. Funding National Institutes of Health (DK102813)

Pharmacological inhibition of lipolysis prevents adverse metabolic outcomes during glucocorticoid administration

ObjectiveGlucocorticoids are one of the most commonly prescribed classes of anti-inflammatory drugs; however, chronic treatment promotes iatrogenic (drug-induced) diabetes. As part of their physiological role, glucocorticoids stimulate lipolysis to spare glucose. We hypothesized that persistent stimulation of lipolysis during glucocorticoid therapy plays a causative role in the development of iatrogenic diabetes. MethodsMale C57BL/6J mice were given 100 μg/mL corticosterone (Cort) in the drinking water for two weeks and were fed either normal chow (TekLad 8640) or the same diet supplemented with an adipose triglyceride lipase inhibitor (Atglistatin - 2 g/kg diet) to inhibit the first step of lipolysis. ResultsHerein, we report for the first time that glucocorticoid administration promotes a unique state of substrate excess and energetic overload in skeletal muscle that primarily results from the rampant mobilization of endogenous fuels. Inhibiting lipolysis protected mice from Cort-induced gains in fat mass, excess ectopic lipid accrual, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperglycemia. The role lipolysis plays in Cort-mediated pathology appears to differ between tissues. Within skeletal muscle, Cort-induced lipolysis facilitated diversion of glucose-derived carbons toward the pentose phosphate and hexosamine biosynthesis pathways but contributed to <3% of the Cort-induced genomic adaptations. In contrast, Cort stimulation of lipolysis accounted for ∼35% of the genomic changes in the liver but had minimal impact on hepatic metabolites reported. ConclusionsThese data support the idea that activation of lipolysis plays a causal role in the progression toward iatrogenic diabetes during glucocorticoid therapy with differential impact on skeletal muscle and liver.

Improved Hydrolysis of Granular Starches by a Psychrophilic α-Amylase Starch Binding Domain-Fusion.

Degradation of starch granules by a psychrophilic α-amylase, AHA, from the Antarctic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAB23 was facilitated by C-terminal fusion to a starch-binding domain (SBD) from either Aspergillus niger glucoamylase (SBDGA) or Arabidopsis thaliana glucan, water dikinase 3 (SBDGWD3) via a decapeptide linker. Depending on the waxy, normal or high-amylose starch type and the botanical source, the AHA-SBD fusion enzymes showed up to 3 times higher activity than AHA wild-type. The SBD-fusion thus increased the density of enzyme attack-sites and binding-sites on the starch granules by up to 5- and 7-fold, respectively, as measured using an interfacial catalysis approach that combined conventional Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with the substrate in excess, and inverse kinetics, having enzyme in excess, with enzyme-starch granule adsorption isotherms. Higher substrate affinity of the SBDGA compared to SBDGWD3 was accompanied by the superior activity of AHA-SBDGA in agreement with the Sabatier principle of adsorption limited heterogenous catalysis.

Mechanism of D-cycloserine inhibition of D-amino acid transaminase from &lt;i&gt;Haliscomenobacter hydrossis&lt;/i&gt;

D-cycloserine inhibits pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzymes. The inhibition efficiency depends on the organization of their active center and the mechanism of the catalyzed reaction. D-cycloserine interacts with the PLP form of enzyme similarly to substrate amino donor, and the interaction is predominantly reversible. Inhibition products include hydroxyisoxazole-pyridoxamine-5′-phosphate, oxime between PLP and β-aminooxy-D-alanine, ketimine between pyridoxamine-5′-phosphate and cyclic or open forms of D-cycloserine, pyridoxamine-5′-phosphate, etc. For some enzymes the formation of a stable aromatic product - hydroxyisoxazole can lead to irreversible D-cycloserine inhibition at certain pH value. The aim of this work was to study the mechanism of D-cycloserine inhibition of PLP-dependent D-amino acid transaminase from the bacterium Haliscomenobacter hydrossis. Spectral methods revealed several products of the interaction of D-cycloserine with PLP in the active site of transaminase: oxime between PLP and β-aminooxy-D-alanine, ketimine between pyridoxamine-5′-phosphate and cyclic or open forms of D-cycloserine, pyridoxamine-5′-phosphate. The formation of hydroxyisoxazole-pyridoxamine-5′-phosphate was not observed. The 3D structure of the complex of transaminase with D-cycloserine was obtained by X-ray diffraction analysis. In the active site of transaminase, a ketimine adduct between pyridoxamine-5′-phosphate and D-cycloserine in the cyclic form was found; the ketimine occupied two positions and was coordinated via hydrogen bonds with different active site residues. Using kinetic and spectral methods we have shown that D-cycloserine inhibition is reversible, and the activity of transaminase from H. hydrossis can be restored by adding an excess of keto substrate as well as by adding an excess of cofactor. The results obtained confirm the reversibility of D-cycloserine inhibition and the conversion of various adducts of D-cycloserine and PLP into each other.

Dual-Ligand Catalyst for the Nondirected C-H Olefination of Heteroarenes.

Pd(II)-catalyzed nondirected C-H functionalization of heteroarenes is a significant challenge for the following reasons: poor reactivity of electron-deficient heterocycles and the unproductive coordination of Lewis basic nitrogen atoms. Existing methodologies using palladium catalysis often employ a large excess of heterocycle substrates to overcome these hurdles. Despite recent advances in nondirected functionalization of arenes that allow them to be used as limiting reagents, the reaction conditions are incompatible with electron-deficient heteroarenes. Herein we report a dual-ligand catalyst that enables Pd(II)-catalyzed nondirected C-H olefination of heteroarenes without using a large excess of substrate. In general, the use of 1-2 equiv of substrates was sufficient to obtain synthetically useful yields. The reactivity was rationalized by the synergy between two types of ligands: a bidentate pyridine-pyridone ligand promotes C-H cleavage; the monodentate heterocycle substrate acts as a second ligand to form a cationic Pd(II) complex that has high affinity for arenes. The proposed dual-ligand cooperation is supported by a combination of X-ray, kinetics, and control experiments.

The cytotoxic activity of carfilzomib together with nelfinavir is superior to the bortezomib/nelfinavir combination in non-small cell lung carcinoma

Chemotherapy resistance is still a major problem in the treatment of patients with non-small-cell-lung carcinoma (NSCLC), and novel concepts for the induction of cytotoxicity in NSCLC are highly warranted. Proteotoxicity, the induction of cytotoxicity by targeting the ubiquitin proteasome system, represents an appealing innovative strategy. The combination of the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (BTZ) and the proteotoxic stress-inducing HIV drug nelfinavir (NFV) synergistically induces proteotoxicity and shows encouraging preclinical efficacy in NSCLC. The second-generation proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib (CFZ) is superior to BTZ and overcomes BTZ resistance in multiple myeloma patients. Here, we show that CFZ together with NFV is superior to the BTZ + NFV combination in inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress and proteotoxicity through the accumulation of excess proteasomal substrate protein in NSCLC in vitro and ex vivo. Interestingly, NFV increases the intracellular availability of CFZ through inhibition of CFZ export from NSCLC cells that express multidrug resistance (MDR) protein. Combining CFZ with NFV may therefore represent a future treatment option for NSCLC, which warrants further investigation.

Induction and rationalization of supramolecular chirality in a Zn(II)porphyrin dimer using chiral substrates: Role of substrates in the architectural selectivity

A flexible Zn(II)porphyrin dimer has been utilized as an efficient host for the selective binding of several diols and diamines as substrates. Stepwise formation of a 1:1 host-guest polymer and 1:2 host-guest monomer via intermolecular self-assembling and disassembling processes, has been demonstrated with a series of diamine/diols. Transfer of chirality from the molecular to the supramolecular level has been rationalized with structural elucidation. The formation of the 1:1 host-guest polymer displays a bisignate CD couplet. X-ray structure demonstrates the presence of both clockwise and anticlockwise conformers, however, the conformer formed as per pre-organization in the substrate chirality contributes more towards the overall CD couplet in solution. The addition of the substrate in excess leads to the inversion of the CD couplet due to the formation of the monomeric complex. Architectural selectivity has been illustrated for the 1:1 host-guest complexation by simply tuning the length of the substrates. Crystallographic characterizations revealed linear 1D polymeric structures for the 1:1 host-guest complexes with longer diamines while shorter substrates stabilize cyclic dimer via intermolecular H-bonding between the urea bridge (cis-NH-CO-) of the two porphyrin dimers. Interestingly, the molecular structure of 1:1 host-guest complexes with diols displays a linear polymer despite the shorter length of the substrates. Along with weaker coordination of the alcoholic oxygen towards the Zn(II) ion, the presence of bulky substituents at the coordinating sites of the diols renders the formation of intermolecular H-bonding interactions. Thus, the nature of metal ion and their binding affinity towards the substrate, host-guest size complementarity, and the bulk of the substituents contribute cumulatively towards the architectural selectivity. The cyclic dimers display larger upfield shifts of the substrate protons in the 1H NMR spectra as compared to the linear polymers. Moreover, the computational calculations further substantiate the experimental observations.

Imaging and Quantifying the Endocytosis of IRON-REGULATED TRANSPORTER1 from Arabidopsis.

Iron plays an essential role in plant metabolism and the regulation of its transport is essential for the plant. In Arabidopsis thaliana, iron uptake in root epidermal cells is mediated by the IRT1 (IRON-REGULATED TRANSPORTER 1) broad-spectrum transporter. The regulation of the IRT1 protein is controlled by sophisticated mechanisms that allow it to fine-tune the amount of transporter found at the plasma membrane and to modulate the uptake of iron and divalent metals transported by IRT1. IRT1 shows low selectivity and transports different metals such as manganese, zinc, cobalt, and cadmium. An excess of these non-iron metal substrates of IRT1 is toxic for the plant. The ability of plants to adapt to non-iron metal stress is based on the sensing of their excess, leading to the internalization and degradation of IRT1. IRT1 acts as a bifunctional transporter/receptor directly sensing metal non-iron excess and then undergoes a series of post-translational modifications of the protein culminating in its endocytosis and vacuolar degradation. To monitor the intracellular dynamics of IRT1, we describe in this chapter a live cell imaging approach to follow and quantify IRT1-mCitrine trafficking from the plasma membrane to the vacuole.

Frustration and the Kinetic Repartitioning Mechanism of Substrate Inhibition in Enzyme Catalysis.

Substrate inhibition, whereby enzymatic activity decreases with excess substrate after reaching a maximum turnover rate, is among the most elusive phenomena in enzymatic catalysis. Here, based on a dynamic energy landscape model, we investigate the underlying mechanism by performing molecular simulations and frustration analysis for a model enzyme adenylate kinase (AdK), which catalyzes the phosphoryl transfer reaction ATP + AMP ⇋ ADP + ADP. Intriguingly, these reveal a kinetic repartitioning mechanism of substrate inhibition, whereby excess substrate AMP suppresses the population of an energetically frustrated, but kinetically activated, catalytic pathway going through a substrate (ATP)-product (ADP) cobound complex with steric incompatibility. Such a frustrated pathway plays a crucial role in facilitating the bottleneck product ADP release, and its suppression by excess substrate AMP leads to a slow down of product release and overall turnover. The simulation results directly demonstrate that substrate inhibition arises from the rate-limiting product-release step, instead of the steps for populating the catalytically competent complex as often suggested in previous works. Furthermore, there is a tight interplay between the enzyme conformational equilibrium and the extent of substrate inhibition. Mutations biasing to more closed conformations tend to enhance substrate inhibition. We also characterized the key features of single-molecule enzyme kinetics with substrate inhibition effect. We propose that the above molecular mechanism of substrate inhibition may be relevant to other multisubstrate enzymes in which product release is the bottleneck step.

Calorimetric adaptation of the inhibited autoxidation method to determine the activity of individual antioxidants and natural extracts

This work aims to determine the antioxidants activity of individual antioxidants and natural extracts by isothermal calorimetry. The proposed method is an adaptation of the “inhibited autoxidation method”. It consists of the monitoring of the heat-flow signal evolved during the autoxidation of styrene, in the presence of 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) as radical initiator, with individual antioxidants or plant extracts as inhibitors, and under isothermal conditions (303 K). The resulting calorimetric traces were transformed in conversion fractions over time. The antioxidant activity was expressed with the initial slope of the inhibited period of styrene autoxidation. Also, the induction period observed at the onset of the uninhibited styrene autoxidation leaded the stoichiometry number of the reaction between antioxidants and free radicals. The approach was very simple, and it allowed to rank individual antioxidants (α-tocopherol > > gallic acid = quercetin > syringic acid > > synaptic acid > 4-hydroxybenzoic acid) and plant extracts (Olea europea > Melissa officinalis > Fraxinus excelsior > > Papaver rhoeas), based on their ability to decrease the conversion rate of styrene autoxidation. The results on plant extracts were critically compared with those from the DPPH assay. Differently to the many antioxidant assays widely used nowadays, the proposed approach has the merit to test the activity of micromolar quantities of antioxidants to inhibit the autoxidation of a large excess of an oxidizable substrate, whose oxidation is induced by a constant rate of free radicals formation under well controlled and reproducible experimental conditions.

Chronic Hyperglycaemia Inhibits Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle in Rat Cardiomyoblasts Overexpressing Glucose Transporter Type 4.

An oversupply of nutrients with a loss of metabolic flexibility and subsequent cardiac dysfunction are hallmarks of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Even if excess substrate is offered, the heart suffers energy depletion as metabolic fluxes are diminished. To study the effects of a high glucose supply, a stably glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4)-overexpressing cell line presenting an onset of diabetic cardiomyopathy-like phenotype was established. Long-term hyperglycaemia effects were analysed. Rat cardiomyoblasts overexpressing GLUT4 (H9C2KE2) were cultured under normo- and hyperglycaemic conditions for long-term. Expression profiles of several proteins were compared to non-transfected H9C2 cells (H9C2) using RT-qPCR, proteomics-based analysis, or Western blotting. GLUT4 surface analysis, glucose uptake, and cell morphology changes as well as apoptosis/necrosis measurements were performed using flow cytometry. Additionally, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, glucose consumption, and lactate production were quantified. Long-term hyperglycaemia in H9C2KE2 cells induced increased GLUT4 presence on the cell surface and was associated with exaggerated glucose influx and lactate production. On the metabolic level, hyperglycaemia affected the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle with accumulation of fumarate. This was associated with increased BNP-levels, oxidative stress, and lower antioxidant response, resulting in pronounced apoptosis and necrosis. Chronic glucose overload in cardiomyoblasts induced by GLUT4 overexpression and hyperglycaemia resulted in metabolically stimulated proteome profile changes and metabolic alterations on the TCA level.

226-OR: Reduced Fatty Acid Oxidation Prevents Intralipid-Induced Hepatic Insulin Resistance in Humans

Mitochondrial handling of excess lipid substrate may be an important determinant of insulin resistance. Animal models support insulin signaling defects resulting from both defective fatty acid oxidation (FAO) with subsequent intra-cellular lipid accumulation on the one hand and enhanced FAO flux on the other. To explore the relationship between FAO and insulin sensitivity, we measured the change in intra-hepatic lipids (IHL) by MRS and hepatic insulin sensitivity during a 5-hour hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp with co-infusion of either a control glycerol solution versus a 20% intralipid solution, in random order and separated by 4 months. The study cohort included 18 subjects with an inherited defect in FAO (FAOD; including Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase 2, Long chain 3-Hydroxyacyl-CoA Dehydrogenase, Very Long-chain or Medium-chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiencies) and 18 matched normal healthy controls. Endogenous glucose production (EGP) before the start of the insulin infusion was similar between FAOD and controls. In controls, insulin suppressed EGP during the glycerol control clamp but this effect was significantly reduced during intralipid infusion (P&amp;lt;0.05, reduced hepatic insulin sensitivity) . In FAOD subjects, insulin suppressed EGP similarly during the glycerol and intralipid clamps (no impairment in insulin action) . Untargeted lipidomics /metabolomics of plasma measured at the end of the intralipid clamp demonstrated significant elevations of plasma acylcarnitines and some triglyceride species but lower production of ketones, and several phospholipids in subjects with FAOD compared to controls. Neither increased IHL nor elevated plasma acylcarnitines in FAOD subjects were associated with hepatic insulin resistance. In fact, impaired FAO protected against intralipid-induced hepatic insulin resistance suggesting that increased FAO flux rather than impaired mitochondrial function is a major determinant of insulin resistance in the liver. Disclosure J.Q.Purnell: Advisory Panel; Novo Nordisk. A.N.Gregor: None. D.Choi: None. E.Baetscher: None. W.Rooney: Consultant; Ultragenix, Research Support; Italofarmco, Revalesio. C.O.Harding: None. M.B.Gillingham: None. Funding NIH/NIDDK: R01DK102813NIH/NCATS: UL1TR002369

Insights into the role of F26 residue in the FMN: ATP adenylyltransferase activity of Staphylococcus aureus FAD synthetase

The bifunctional flavin adenine dinucleotide synthetase (FADS) synthesizes the flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) co-factors essential for the function of flavoproteins. The Staphylococcus aureus FADS (SaFADS) produces FMN from riboflavin (RF) by ATP:riboflavin kinase (RFK) activity at its C-terminal domain. The N-terminal domain converts FMN to FAD under a reducing environment by FMN:ATP adenylyltransferase (FMNAT) activity which is reversible (FAD pyrophosphorylase activity). Herein, we investigated the role of F26 residue of the 24-GFFD-28 motif of SaFADS FMNAT domain, mostly conserved in the reducing agent-dependent FADSs. The steady-state kinetics studies showed changes in the KmATP values for mutants, indicating that the F26 residue is crucial for the FMNAT activity. Further, the FMNAT activity of the F26S mutant was observed to be higher than that of the wild-type SaFADS and its other variants at lower reducing agent concentration. In addition, the FADpp activity was inhibited by an excess of FAD substrate, which was more potent in the mutants. The altered orientation of the F26 side-chain observed in the molecular dynamics analysis suggested its plausible involvement in stabilizing FMN and ATP substrates in their respective binding pockets. Also, the SaFADS ternary complex formed with reduced FMN exhibited significant structural changes in the β4n-β5n and L3n regions compared to the oxidised FMN bound and apo forms of SaFADS. Overall, our data suggests the functional role of F26 residue in the FMNAT domain of SaFADS.

The Potential Role of the Serotonin Transporter as a Drug Target against Parasitic Infections: A Scoping Review of the Literature.

Several in vitro and in vivo biological activities of serotonin, 5- hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), as a bioactive molecule, and its transporter (5-HT-Tr) were evaluated in parasitic infections. Herein, the roles of 5-HT and 5-HTR in helminths and protozoan infections with medical and veterinary importance are reviewed. We searched information in 4 main databases and reviewed published literature about the serotonin transporter's role as a promising therapeutic target against pathogenic parasitic infections between 2000 and 2021. Based on recent investigations, 5-HT and 5-HT-Tr play various roles in parasite infections, including biological function, metabolic activity, organism motility, parasite survival, and immune response modulation. Moreover, some of the 5-HT-TR in Schistosoma mansoni showed an excess of favorite substrates for biogenic amine 5-HT compared to their mammalian hosts. Furthermore, the main neuronal protein related to the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) was identified in S. mansoni and Echinococcus granulosus, playing main roles in these parasites. In addition, 5-HT increased in toxoplasmosis, giardiasis, and Chagas disease. On the other hand, in Plasmodium spp., different forms of targeted 5-HTR stimulate Ca2+ release, intracellular inositol triphosphate (ITP), cAMP, and protein kinase A (PKA) activity. This review summarized the several functional roles of the 5-HT and the importance of the 5-HT-TR as a drug target with minimal harm to the host to fight against helminths and protozoan infections. Hopefully, this review will shed light on research regarding serotonin transporter-based therapies as a potential drug target soon.

Integrated Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analysis and Identification of Dammarenediol-II Synthase Involved in Saponin Biosynthesis in Gynostemma longipes.

Gynostemma longipes contains an abundance of dammarane-type ginsenosides and gypenosides that exhibit extensive pharmacological activities. Increasing attention has been paid to the elucidation of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs) and UDP-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs) that participate downstream of ginsenoside biosynthesis in the Panax genus. However, information on oxidosqualene cyclases (OSCs), the upstream genes responsible for the biosynthesis of different skeletons of ginsenoside and gypenosides, is rarely reported. Here, an integrative study of the metabolome and the transcriptome in the leaf, stolon, and rattan was conducted and the function of GlOSC1 was demonstrated. In total, 46 triterpenes were detected and found to be highly abundant in the stolon, whereas gene expression analysis indicated that the upstream OSC genes responsible for saponin skeleton biosynthesis were highly expressed in the leaf. These findings indicated that the saponin skeletons were mainly biosynthesized in the leaf by OSCs, and subsequently transferred to the stolon via CYPs and UGTs biosynthesis to form various ginsenoside and gypenosides. Additionally, a new dammarane-II synthase (DDS), GlOSC1, was identified by bioinformatics analysis, yeast expression assay, and enzyme assays. The results of the liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) analysis proved that GlOSC1 could catalyze 2,3-oxidosqualene to form dammarenediol-II via cyclization. This work uncovered the biosynthetic mechanism of dammarenediol-II, an important starting substrate for ginsenoside and gypenosides biosynthesis, and may achieve the increased yield of valuable ginsenosides and gypenosides produced under excess substrate in a yeast cell factory through synthetic biology strategy.

Improved yield, stability, and cleavage reaction of a novel tobacco etch virus protease mutant.

The protease catalytic subunit of the nuclear inclusion protein A from tobacco etch virus (TEVp) is widely used to remove tags and fusion proteins from recombinant proteins. Some intrinsic drawbacks to its recombinant production have been studied for many years, such as low solubility, auto-proteolysis, and instability. Some point mutations have been incorporated in the amino acid protease sequence to improve its production. Here, a comprehensive review of each mutation reported so far has been made to incorporate them into a mutant called TEVp7M with a total of seven changes. This mutant with a His7tag at N-terminus was produced with remarkable purification yields (55mg/L of culture) from the soluble fraction in a single step affinity purification. The stability of His7-TEVp7M was analyzed and compared with the single mutant TEVp S219V, making evident that His7-TEVp7M shows very constant thermal stability against pH variation, whereas TEVp S219V is highly sensitive to this change. The cleavage reaction was optimized by determining the amount of protease that could cleave a 100-fold excess substrate in the shortest possible time at 30°C. Under these conditions, His7-TEVp7M was able to cleave His-tag in the buffers commonly used for affinity purification. Finally, a structural analysis of the mutations showed that four of them increased the polarity of the residues involved and, consequently, showed increased solubility of TEVp and fewer hydrophobic regions exposed to the solvent. Taken together, the seven changes studied in this work improved stability, solubility, and activity of TEVp producing enough protease to digest large amounts of tags or fusion proteins. KEY POINTS: • Production of excellent yields of a TEVp (TEVp7M) by incorporation of seven changes. • His-tag removal in an excess substrate in the common buffers used for purification. • Incorporated mutations improve polarity, stability, and activity of TEVp7M.

Equisetin is an anti-obesity candidate through targeting 11β-HSD1

Obesity is increasingly prevalent globally, searching for therapeutic agents acting on adipose tissue is of great importance. Equisetin (EQST), a meroterpenoid isolated from a marine sponge-derived fungus, has been reported to display antibacterial and antiviral activities. Here, we revealed that EQST displayed anti-obesity effects acting on adipose tissue through inhibiting adipogenesis in vitro and attenuating HFD-induced obesity in mice, doing so without affecting food intake, blood pressure or heart rate. We demonstrated that EQST inhibited the enzyme activity of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1), a therapeutic target of obesity in adipose tissue. Anti-obesity properties of EQST were all offset by applying excessive 11β-HSD1's substrates and 11β-HSD1 inhibition through knockdown in vitro or 11β-HSD1 knockout in vivo. In the 11β-HSD1 bypass model constructed by adding excess 11β-HSD1 products, EQST's anti-obesity effects disappeared. Furthermore, EQST directly bond to 11β-HSD1 protein and presented remarkable better intensity on 11β-HSD1 inhibition and better efficacy on anti-obesity than known 11β-HSD1 inhibitor. Therefore, EQST can be developed into anti-obesity candidate compound, and this study may provide more clues for developing higher effective 11β-HSD1 inhibitors.

Compact CPW‐fed ultra‐wideband ‐MIMO antenna with quad‐band notched characteristics

A compact CPW-fed ultra-wideband (UWB) multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) antenna with quad-band-notched characteristic is proposed in this work. The antenna elements are placed orthogonally, the introduction of defected ground structure (DGS) and double Y-shaped stub makes the isolation between different antenna ports better than 20 dB, and the cutting of the excess dielectric substrate part reduces the antenna area by about 30.75%. Complementary split-ring resonators and slots on the ground and the radiation patch have been introduced to achieve the four-notch characteristics at 7 GHz lower digital microwave relay communicator band, 5.8 GHz upper WLAN, 5.25 GHz lower WLAN, and 3.5 GHz WiMAX. The wide bandwidth of the antenna is obtained by applying tapered feed line and CPW feed, which covers 2.88–12 GHz with the four-notched bands of 3.34–3.93 GHz, 5.15–5.61 GHz, 5.72–6.0 GHz, and 6.75–7.6 GHz. Moreover, ECC (<0.02), DG (>9.99), the peak gain of 4.01 dB, good radiation pattern and TARC prove the presented antenna is suitable for UWB-MIMO systems.