Biochemistry & molecular biology journal最新文献

Crop protection against destructive pests has been at the forefront of recent agricultural advancements. Rapid adaptive evolution has led to insects becoming immune to the chemicals employed to quell their damage. Insecticide resistance is a serious problem that negatively impacts food production, food storage, human health, and the environment. To make matters more complicated are the strict regulations in place on insecticide development, driven by rising public concern relating to the harmful effects these chemicals have on the environment and on society. A key component to solving the problem of insecticide resistance, while keeping public welfare in mind, is the identification of novel insect-specific protein targets. One unexplored target for the development of new targeted insecticides are the insect arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferases (iAANATs). This group of enzymes, shown to be intrinsic in the development of the insect cuticle, is an untapped well of potential for target-specific inhibition, while offering enough variety to ensure protection for non-target enzymes. In this review, we highlight kinetic, genetic and bioinformatic data showing that the iAANATs are intriguing insecticide targets that should be specific only for particular insect pests. Such a pest-specific insecticide would minimize environmental harm by eliminating such non-discriminate attacks which have made insecticides such a highly regulated industry, and would have negligible toxicity to humans and other mammals.

The methods currently employed for in vivo site-directed mutagenesis in yeast are laborious and/or inefficient. Recent developments of the CRISPR-based approaches hold great promise for genome editing, but its application in the yeast S. cerevisiae remains a time-consuming affair. The rate-limiting step in CRISPR-mediated genetic engineering in yeast is the incorporation of the guide sequences, which target Cas9 to relevant chromosomal locus, into the relevant yeast vectors. Here we present a PCR-based strategy to introduce specific point mutation into the yeast CDC48 gene via CRISPR. Our method eliminates the need for special dam- strain and markedly shortens the elaborate multi-step cloning process, leading to significant savings in time, labor and cost.

The non-mevalonate dependent (NMVA) pathway for the biosynthesis of isopentenyl pyrophosphate and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate is the sole source of these terpenoids for the production of isoprenoids in the apicomplexan parasites, in many eubacteria, and in plants. The absence of this pathway in higher organisms has opened a new platform for the development of novel antibiotics and anti-malarials. The enzyme catalyzing the first step of the NMVA pathway is 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXPS). DXPS catalyzes the thiamine pyrophosphate- and Mg (II)-dependent conjugation of pyruvate and D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate to form 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate and CO₂. The kinetic mechanism of DXPS from Deinococcus radiodurans most consistent with our data is random sequential as shown using a combination of kinetic analysis and product and dead-end inhibition studies. The role of active site amino acids, identified by sequence alignment to other DXPS proteins, was probed by constructing and analyzing the catalytic efficacy of a set of targeted site-directed mutants.

The ability of Hsp90 to activate a disparate clientele implicates this chaperone in diverse biological processes. To accommodate such varied roles, Hsp90 requires a variety of regulatory mechanisms that are coordinated in order to modulate its activity appropriately. Amongst these, the master-regulator heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) is critically important in upregulating Hsp90 during stress, but is also responsible, through interaction with specific transcription factors (such as STAT1 and Strap/p300) for the integration of a variety of biological signals that ultimately modulate Hsp90 expression. Additionally, transcription factors, such as STAT1, STAT3 (including STAT1-STAT3 oligomers), NF-IL6, and NF-kB, are known to influence Hsp90 expression directly. Co-chaperones offer another mechanism for Hsp90 regulation, and these can modulate the chaperone cycle appropriately for specific clientele. Co-chaperones include those that deliver specific clients to Hsp90, and others that regulate the chaperone cycle for specific Hsp90-client complexes by modulating Hsp90s ATPase activity. Finally, post-translational modification (PTM) of Hsp90 and its co-chaperones helps too further regulate the variety of different Hsp90 complexes found in cells.

Background/purpose: To investigate the effect of nanosilver particles in solution stabilized in a matrix of sodium alginate on the growth and development of pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Enterobacter cloacae, the antibiotic-resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the yeast-like fungus Candida albicans, and the luminescent bacteria Photobacterium leiognathi Sh1.

Methods: Isolates of pathogenic bacteria obtained from bronchoalveolar and peritoneal lavage samples from Wistar rats with experimental pneumonia and peritonitis were tested for their susceptibility to silver nanoparticles in solution with an alginate stabilizer. The antifungal activity of silver nanoparticles in sodium alginate was studied for C. albicans (strain CCM885) using the Sabouraud agar method. The biocidal impact of silver nanoparticles in solution with a sodium alginate matrix on the luminescent bacteria P. leiognathi Sh1 was investigated using a BLM 8801 luminometer.

Results: It was observed that a 0.02-0.05% nanosilver solution with an alginate stabilizer limits the growth and development of pathogenic bacteria within the first 24 hours of exposure. If the concentration of nanosilver solution is 0.0005-0.05%, it inhibits the viability of the fungus C. albicans. A nanosilver solution at a concentration of 0.05-0.2 μg/mL represses bioluminescence in the bacteria P. leiognathi Sh1. From these results, it appears that the biocidal effect of nanosilver is related either to the presence of ions that are formed during dissolution, or to the availability of nanoparticles that interrupt the membrane permeability of bacterial cells.

Conclusion: Silver nanoparticles stabilized in a solution of sodium alginate possess significant in vitro antimicrobial activity, which is manifested by inhibition of the bioluminescence of P. leiognathi Sh1, and inhibition of the growth and development of the pathogenic bacteria S. aureus, E. faecalis, E. coli, P. vulgaris, E. cloacae, the antibiotic-resistant strain of P. aeruginosa, and the fungus C. albicans.