System Of Various Organisms Research Articles

Recent approaches in the application of antimicrobial peptides in food preservation.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small peptides existing in nature as an important part of the innate immune system in various organisms. Notably, the AMPs exhibit inhibitory effects against a wide spectrum of pathogens, showcasing potential applications in different fields such as food, agriculture, medicine. This review explores the application of AMPs in the food industry, emphasizing their crucial role in enhancing the safety and shelf life of food and how they offer a viable substitute for chemical preservatives with their biocompatible and natural attributes. It provides an overview of the recent advancements, ranging from conventional approaches of using natural AMPs derived from bacteria or other sources to the biocomputational design and usage of synthetic AMPs for food preservation. Recent innovations such as structural modifications of AMPs to improve safety and suitability as food preservatives have been discussed. Furthermore, the active packaging and creative fabrication strategies such as nano-formulation, biopolymeric peptides and casting films, for optimizing the efficacy and stability of these peptides in food systems are summarized. The overall focus is on the spectrum of applications, with special attention to potential challenges in the usage of AMPs in the food industry and strategies for their mitigation.

Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) and the Microbiome in Preterm Infants: Consequences and Opportunities for Future Therapeutics.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are crucial components of the innate immune system in various organisms, including humans. Beyond their direct antimicrobial effects, AMPs play essential roles in various physiological processes. They induce angiogenesis, promote wound healing, modulate immune responses, and serve as chemoattractants for immune cells. AMPs regulate the microbiome and combat microbial infections on the skin, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. Produced in response to microbial signals, AMPs help maintain a balanced microbial community and provide a first line of defense against infection. In preterm infants, alterations in microbiome composition have been linked to various health outcomes, including sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, atopic dermatitis, and respiratory infections. Dysbiosis, or an imbalance in the microbiome, can alter AMP profiles and potentially lead to inflammation-mediated diseases such as chronic lung disease and obesity. In the following review, we summarize what is known about the vital role of AMPs as multifunctional peptides in protecting newborn infants against infections and modulating the microbiome and immune response. Understanding their roles in preterm infants and high-risk populations offers the potential for innovative approaches to disease prevention and treatment.

Anticancer activities of natural antimicrobial peptides from animals.

Cancer is the most common cause of human death worldwide, posing a serious threat to human health and having a negative impact on the economy. In the past few decades, significant progress has been made in anticancer therapies, but traditional anticancer therapies, including radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, immunotherapy and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), have serious side effects, low specificity, and the emergence of drug resistance. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new treatment methods to improve efficacy and reduce side effects. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) exist in the innate immune system of various organisms. As the most promising alternatives to traditional drugs for treating cancers, some AMPs also have been proven to possess anticancer activities, which are defined as anticancer peptides (ACPs). These peptides have the advantages of being able to specifically target cancer cells and have less toxicity to normal tissues. More and more studies have found that marine and terrestrial animals contain a large amount of ACPs. In this article, we introduced the animal derived AMPs with anti-cancer activity, and summarized the types of tumor cells inhibited by ACPs, the mechanisms by which they exert anti-tumor effects and clinical applications of ACPs.

Rx and its downstream factor, Musashi1, is required for establishment of the apical organ in sea urchin larvae.

Acetylcholine, a vital neurotransmitter, plays a multifarious role in the brain and peripheral nervous system of various organisms. Previous research has demonstrated the proximity of cholinergic neurons to serotonergic neurons in the apical organ of sea urchin embryos. While several transcription factors have been identified as playing a role in the development of serotonergic neurons in this region of a sea urchin, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus, comparatively little is known about the specific transcription factors and their spatiotemporal expression patterns that regulate the development of cholinergic neurons. In this study, we establish the requirement of the transcription factor Rx for the development of cholinergic neurons in the apical organ of the species. Furthermore, we investigate the role of the RNA-binding protein Musashi1, known to be involved in neurogenesis, including cholinergic neurons in other organisms, and demonstrate that it is a downstream factor of Rx, and that choline acetyltransferase expression is suppressed in Musashi1 downregulated embryos. Our research also highlights the intricate network formed by neurons and other cells in and around the apical organ of sea urchin larvae through axons and dendrites, providing possibility for a systematic and complexed neural pattern like those of the brain in other organisms.

Re-recognition of innate immune memory as an integrated multidimensional concept.

In the past decade, the concept of immunological memory, which has long been considered a phenomenon observed in the adaptive immunity of vertebrates, has been extended to the innate immune system of various organisms. This de novo immunological memory is mainly called "innate immune memory", "immune priming", or "trained immunity" and has received increased attention because of its potential for clinical and agricultural applications. However, research on different species, especially invertebrates and vertebrates, has caused controversy regarding this concept. Here we discuss the current studies focusing on this immunological memory and summarize several mechanisms underlying it. We propose "innate immune memory" as a multidimensional concept as an integration between the seemingly different immunological phenomena.

Designing the antimicrobial peptide with centrosymmetric and amphipathic characterizations for improving antimicrobial activity.

Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections are becoming a serious health issue and will cause 10 million deaths per year by 2050. As a result, the development of new antimicrobial agents is urgently needed. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are found in the innate immune systems of various organisms to effectively fend off invading pathogens. In this study, we designed a series of AMPs (THL-2-1 to THL-2-9) with centrosymmetric and amphipathic properties, through substituting different amino acids on the hydrophobic side and at the centrosymmetric position to improve their antimicrobial activity. The results showed that leucine as a residue on the hydrophobic side of the peptide could enhance its antimicrobial activity and that glutamic acid as a centrosymmetric residue could increase the salt resistance of the peptide. Thus, the THL-2-3 peptide (KRLLRELKRLL-NH2 ) showed the greatest antimicrobial activity (MIC90 of 16 μM) against Gram-negative bacteria and had the highest salt resistance and cell selectivity among all the designed peptides. In summary, the results of this study provide useful references for the design of AMPs to enhance antimicrobial activity.

Enzyme-Free Nucleic Acid Circuits for Fold-Change Detection.

Fold-change detection is widespread in sensory systems of various organisms. Dynamic DNA nanotechnology provides an important toolbox for reproducing structures and responses of cellular circuits. In this work, we construct an enzyme-free nucleic acid circuit based on the incoherent feed-forward loop using toehold-mediated DNA strand displacement reactions and explore its dynamic behaviors. The mathematical model based on ordinary differential equations is used to evaluate the parameter regime required for fold-change detection. After selecting appropriate parameters, the constructed synthetic circuit exhibits approximate fold-change detection for multiple rounds of inputs with different initial concentrations. This work is anticipated to shed new light on the design of DNA dynamic circuits in the enzyme-free environment.

Evaluation of the biotechnological potential of peptide Cupiennin 1a and analogs.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are components in the innate immune system of various organisms, and many AMPs can be found in poisons from animals such as spiders, scorpions, and snakes. The peptide Cupiennin-1a is present in the venom of the spider Cupiennius salei and belongs to a group of peptides called cupiennins. The peptide demonstrated high cytotoxic activity against mammalian cells; thus, aiming to solve this problem, seven analogs were designed (R1a, R1b, R2b, R3b, R6b, R8b, and R10b) based on the primary structure of the peptide Cupiennin 1a, reducing its size and substituting some amino acid residues. The antimicrobial results showed that all Cupiennin 1a analogs displayed antimicrobial activity against the tested bacterial and fungal strains. Cytotoxicity tests demonstrated a decrease in the cytotoxic effect of the analogs when compared to the peptide Cupiennin-1a. The antitumor activity against breast adenocarcinoma lines was observed for all the peptides, displaying a better effect against the MCF-7 and MDAMB-231 cell lines. The eight peptides have insecticidal potential, and the original peptide and analogs R6b, R8b, and R10b showed better efficiency even at low concentrations. The rational design of the analogs led to new molecules displaying activities against different cell types and reduced cytotoxicity toward healthy mammalian cells when compared to the original peptide, demonstrating that this was an interesting approach for the development of molecules with biotechnological potential.

Targeting Multidrug Resistance With Antimicrobial Peptide-Decorated Nanoparticles and Polymers.

As a category of small peptides frequently found in nature, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) constitute a major part of the innate immune system of various organisms. Antimicrobial peptides feature various inhibitory effects against fungi, bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Due to the increasing concerns of antibiotic resistance among microorganisms, development of antimicrobial peptides is an emerging tool as a favorable applicability prospect in food, medicine, aquaculture, animal husbandry, and agriculture. This review presents the latest research progress made in the field of antimicrobial peptides, such as their mechanism of action, classification, application status, design techniques, and a review on decoration of nanoparticles and polymers with AMPs that are used in treating multidrug resistance. Lastly, we will highlight recent progress in antiviral peptides to treat emerging viral diseases (e.g., anti-coronavirus peptides) and discuss the outlook of AMP applications.

Bacterial pretreatment of microalgae and the potential of novel nature hydrolytic sources

Microalgae are photosynthetic organisms that can synthesize biomass as a potential source of bioenergy. The hydrolysis of a microalgal cell wall is the main issue in biofuel production. A cost–benefit method with a positive energy balance for cell wall hydrolysis should be optimized. Biological pretreatment is an environmentally friendly technique that has yielded promising results in microalgae because of the absence of lignin in their structure. Pretreatment with bacteria is one of the promising approaches of biological pretreatment. Generally, bacteria can produce enzymes required for the digestion of different biomasses; therefore, they do not encounter further problems associated with enzyme deactivation. Finding new bacterial isolates for biological pretreatment development is an essential step toward attaining an efficient and economic pretreatment method. In this work, the application of bacterial pretreatment in microalgal biomass is highlighted. Moreover, the potential of the microbiome from the digestive system of various organisms as a novel source of hydrolytic bacteria and enzymes is elaborated. • The lignin absence in microalgae offers a more promising biological pretreatment. • Selecting hydrolytic enzymes are strain-depended. • Bacteria pretreatment is more practical dut to constant hydrolytic enzymes release. • Many organisms’s gut comprises unexploited hydrolytic microbes and enzymes.

Imaging and Targeted Antibacterial Therapy Using Chimeric Antimicrobial Peptide Micelles.

Infectious diseases induced by multidrug-resistant bacteria are a challenging problem in medicine because of global rise in the drug resistance to pathogenic bacteria. Despite great efforts on the development of antibiotics and antimicrobial agents, there is still a great need to develop a strategy to early detect bacterial infections and eradicate bacteria effectively and simultaneously. The innate immune systems of various organisms produce antimicrobial peptides, which kill a broad range of bacteria with minimal cytotoxicity to mammalian cells. Therefore, antimicrobial peptides have recently attracted increasing attention as an alternative to conventional antibiotics in antibacterial medications. Here, we report a new family of antibacterial agents, which is formulated from self-assembly of a chimeric antimicrobial lipopeptide (DSPE-HnMc) and amphiphilic biodegradable polymers. HnMc micelles could effectively bind the bacterial membrane to kill a wide spectrum of bacteria and bacterial biofilms. In the studies of mouse models of drug-resistant bacterial infections, HnMc micelles could target bacterial infections with high specificity and also kill drug-resistant bacteria effectively, demonstrating the great potential of HnMc micelles as imaging and targeted antibacterial agents. These findings also provide new insight into the design of antimicrobial peptide-based nanomedicine for detection and treatment of bacterial infections.

Fragmentation of Dicarboxylic and Tricarboxylic Acids in the Krebs Cycle Using GC-EI-MS and GC-EI-MS/MS

Isotope labeling measurements using mass spectrometry can provide informative insights on the metabolic systems of various organisms. The detailed identification of carbon positions included in the fragment ions of dicarboxylic and tricarboxylic acids in central carbon metabolism is needed for precise interpretation of the metabolic states. In this study, fragment ions containing the carbon backbone cleavage of dicarboxylic and tricarboxylic in the Krebs cycle were investigated by using gas chromatography (GC)-electron ionization (EI)-MS and GC-EI-MS/MS. The positions of decarboxylation in the dicarboxylic and tricarboxylic acids were successfully identified by analyses using position-specific 13C-labeled standards prepared by in vitro enzymatic reactions. For example, carboxyl groups of C1 and C6 of trimethylsilyl (TMS)- and tert-butyldimethylsilyl (TBDMS)-derivatized malic and citric acids were primarily cleaved by EI. MS/MS analyses were also performed, and fragment ions of TBDMS-citric and α-ketoglutaric acids (αKG) with the loss of two carboxyl groups in collision-induced dissociation (CID) were observed.

Lactobacillus helveticus SBT2171 upregulates the expression of β‐defensin and ameliorates periodontal disease caused by Porphyromonas gingivalis

Antimicrobial peptides play important roles in the innate immune system of various organisms, and they may also be considered to prevent the organisms from infections. In particular, β-defensins, mainly produced in epithelial cells, are recognized as one of the major antimicrobial peptides in mammals, including humans. In this study, we showed that Lactobacillus helveticus SBT2171 (LH2171), one of the several species of lactic acid bacteria, upregulates the production of β-defensins in oral epithelial cells in vitro. Moreover, LH2171 reduced the increase of proinflammatory cytokine expression, induced by Porphyromonas gingivalis stimulation, in gingival epithelial cells. These data suggested that LH2171 suppresses P. gingivalis-induced inflammation by upregulating the expression of β-defensins in gingival epithelial cells. We subsequently investigated the effects of LH2171 in vivo and revealed that β-defensin expression was increased in the oral cavities of LH2171-fed mice. Furthermore, LH2171 decreased alveolar bone loss, gingival inflammation, and amounts of P. gingivalis-specific 16S ribosomal RNA in the gingiva of P. gingivalis-inoculated mice. Taken together, our results showed that LH2171 upregulates the expression of β-defensins in oral cavity, thereby decreasing the number of P. gingivalis consequently ameliorating the experimental periodontal disease.

Effects of endocrine disruption by 4-nonylphenol ethoxylate on the grwoth preformance and immune responses of female and male immature Koi carp (Cyprinus carpio carpio)

Nonylphenol (NP) is an endocrine disrupting chemical which has been shown to be able to modulate endocrine system of various organisms by different mechanisms. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential effects of 4-NP and 17-β-estradiol (E2) on immune parameters (IgM level and lysozyme activity) of Koi carp (Cyprinus the carpio carpio) in an attempt to expand the knowledge of the immune-reproductive system interactions. Fish were injected with ascending doses (10, 50,100 μg/g-1 body weight) of 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) and (2 μg/g-1 body mass) of 17-β-estradiol (E2) by vehicle during 3a weeks experiment. After 21 days, the fishes (180) were anesthetized, blood samples collected from their caudal vein, and after dissection, theywere grouped into male and female according to their gonadal characters. The results of plasmatic immune parameters measurement showed that 4-NP induced significant increase in IgM levels and lysozyme activity at 50μg/g -1 dosagewhile the their value decreased at higher doses of 4-NP (100 μg/g-1) compared with the control treatment (p<0.05). In addition,the treatment with 2 μg/g-1E2 injection, induced a significant decrease in IgM and lysozyme activity levels. These results indicated that 4-NP and E2 could potentially disturb the balance of immune system in immature koi carp with potential consequences for their endocrine interactions.

Physical extraction and extrusion entrapment of C-phycocyanin from Arthrospira platensis

C-phycocyanin (C-PC) is a blue photosynthetic pigment and the major phycobiliprotein in many blue-green algae with high nutritional values and antioxidant, antivirus, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. It also boosts the immune system in various organisms and can be used in immunoassays to track target cells because it has fluorescent properties. This study focused on optimizing extraction conditions for C-phycocyanin encapsulation from Arthrospira platensis using ultrasonic and extrusion techniques. Parameters affecting C-phycocyanin production were type of biomass, buffer, and biomass-solvent ratio. Results indicated that the highest C-phycocyanin concentration of 6 mg ml−1 was obtained from freeze-dried samples extracted by 0.01 M sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7) and biomass-solvent ratio of 1:15, with extract purity and yield of 0.6 and 60 mg g−1, respectively. The optimized conditions of C-phycocyanin ultrasonic encapsulation at 98% were 3% sodium alginate, 2.5% calcium chloride, and 1 mg ml−1 initial C-phycocyanin concentration. C-phycocyanin extracted from A. platensis can be prepared in encapsulated form and utilized for various applications.

Insights into the mechanism of persulfate activation with nZVI/BC nanocomposite for the degradation of nonylphenol

Nonylphenol (NP) is an endocrine disrupting chemical which is capable of interfering with the hormonal system of various organisms in the environment. In this study, nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) supported on biochar (BC) nanocomposite (nZVI/BC) was synthesized using low-cost rice husk through reduction of ferrous iron with sodium borohydride as a reductant under nitrogen atmosphere. The morphology and structure of nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller studies. The synthesis nZVI/BC nanocomposite is used as an efficient persulfate (PS) activator to generate sulfate radicals (SO4−) for the degradation of NP. The degradation efficiency of NP (20mg/L) was 96.2% within 120min using initial dosage of 0.4g/L nZVI/BC3 and concentrations of 5mM persulfate. The effects of reaction parameters such as initial pH, PS concentration and dosage of nZVI/BC3 nanocomposite were investigated. The presence of oxygen functional groups on the surface of BC and large surface area, nZVI/BC nanocomposite increased generation of SO4− which enhanced NP degradation. The radical scavenger experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies showed that both SO4− and OH were responsible for degradation of NP. The findings of this study provide new insights into the mechanism of nZVI/BC activating persulfate and its potential applications for the treatment of wastewater.

Алгоритм реабілітаційного обстеження дітей з бронхо-легеневими захворюваннями

Purpose: to develop the algorithm of rehabilitation examination for children with bronchopulmonary diseases. Material & Methods: analysis, generalization, systematization and comparison of data of scientific and methodical literature on problems of physical rehabilitation at bronchopulmonary diseases. Results: the offered algorithm of rehabilitation examination of children with bronchopulmonary diseases provides the consecutive application of such methods as: poll, physical examination, functional examination and method of indexes, which analysis allows defining the rehabilitation diagnosis, which is the basis of technology of the rehabilitation process. Conclusions: rehabilitation examination is the compound of physical rehabilitation which is carried out for the purpose of definition of the rehabilitation diagnosis and is based on subjective, objective assessments and data of supervision. The consecutive carrying out of the complex rehabilitation examination on the offered algorithm and the detailed analysis of its results will promote the determination of rehabilitation potential, the reasons of violations from various systems of organism and individualization of the rehabilitation process of children with bronchopulmonary diseases.

Rapid method for DNA isolation from a tough cell wall green alga Tetraspora sp. CU2551.

Genetic studies are important to understand the complex biological system of various organisms. Some eukaryotic green organisms have tough cell wall which precludes the efficient extraction of the genetic materials. Here, we developed the method for simple and rapid isolation of high quality DNA from a green alga Tetraspora sp. CU2551. The cell homogenization procedures were combined with physical force plus heat treatment to disrupt the cell envelope of Tetraspora sp. CU2551. Without protease treatment, vortexing with glass bead for 30-105s at 70°C led to the isolation of a high purity DNA which was suitable for downstream process. The improved method was successfully developed and could be applied for the rapid isolation of DNA from other unicellular and filamentous green microalgal strains.

Crossbred steer temperament as yearlings and whole genome association of steer temperament as yearlings and calf temperament post-weaning.

cattle often have the reputation for a poor or dangerous temperament. Identification of genomic regions that associate with temperament of such cattle may be useful for genetic improvement strategies. The objectives of this study were to evaluate subjective temperament scores (1 to 9; higher scores indicated more unfavorable temperament) for aggressiveness, nervousness, flightiness, gregariousness, and overall temperament of one-half steers in feedlot conditions at 1 yr of age and compare those scores of those steers when evaluated approximately 1 mo postweaning, and conduct whole genome association analyses using SNP markers and the temperament traits of those steers at 1 yr of age and for temperament traits of all calves at weaning. Contemporary groups ( < 0.001) were steers born in the same year and season, and fed in the same feedlot pen. Aggressiveness of steers at 1 yr of age was not associated with aggressiveness at weaning (linear regression coefficient did not differ from 0; = 0.96), but regressions of all other yearling scores of steers on the scores at weaning were positive (coefficients ranged from 0.26 ± 0.04 to 0.32 ± 0.04; < 0.001). Estimates of Pearson correlation coefficients (using unadjusted values and residual values) of the different traits measured at 1 yr of age were large ( > 0.63; < 0.008) except for aggressiveness with nervousness, flightiness, or gregariousness, which did not differ from 0 ( > 0.1). Five SNP on BTA 1, 24, and 29 had suggestive associations (0.17 < [adjusted for FDR] < 0.24) with aggressiveness, nervousness, or flightiness at evaluation postweaning and 13 SNP on 11 chromosomes had suggestive associations (0.07 < [adjusted for FDR] < 0.24) with aggressiveness, nervousness, flightiness, or overall temperament score of steers at 1 yr of age. Genes close to these loci with roles in neural systems of various organisms included synaptotagmin 4 (BTA 24), FAT atypical cadhedrin 3 (BTA 29), tubulin tyrosine ligase-like 1 (BTA 5), spermatogenesis associated 17 (BTA 16), stanniocalcin 2 (BTA 20), and GABA receptor γ 3 (BTA 21).

Secretory production of antimicrobial peptides in Escherichia coli using the catalytic domain of a cellulase as fusion partner

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small molecules which serve as essential components of the innate immune system in various organisms. AMPs possess a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities. However, the scaled production of such peptides in Escherichia coli faces many difficulties because of their small size and toxicity to the host. Here, we described a new fusion strategy to extracellularly produce significant amounts of these antimicrobial peptides in recombinant E. coli at significant amount. Employing the catalytic domain of a cellulase (Cel-CD) from Bacillus subtilis KSM-64 as the fusion partner, five recombinant antimicrobial peptides were confirmed to accumulate in the culture medium at concentrations ranging from 184mg/L to 297mg/L. The radical diffusion experiment demonstrated that the released model antimicrobial peptide, bombinin, had antibacterial activities against both E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. This strategy will be suitable for the production of antimicrobial peptides and other toxicity proteins.