Molecular engineering of PETase for efficient PET biodegradation.

The widespread utilization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has caused a variety of environmental and health problems. Compared with traditional thermomechanical or chemical PET cycling, the biodegradation of PET may offer a more feasible solution. Though the PETase from Ideonalla sakaiensis (IsPETase) displays interesting PET degrading performance under mild conditions; the relatively low thermal stability of IsPETase limits its practical application. In this study, enzyme-catalysed PET degradation was investigated with the promising IsPETase mutant HotPETase (HP). On this basis, a carbohydrate-binding module from Bacillus anthracis (BaCBM) was fused to the C-terminus of HP to construct the PETase mutant (HLCB) for increased PET degradation. Furthermore, to effectively improve PET accessibility and PET-degrading activity, the truncated outer membrane hybrid protein (FadL) was used to expose PETase and BaCBM on the surface of E. coli (BL21with) to develop regenerable whole-cell biocatalysts (D-HLCB). Results showed that, among the tested small-molecular weight ester compounds (p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP), p-Nitrophenyl acetate (pNPA), 4-Nitrophenyl butyrate (pNPB)), PETase displayed the highest hydrolysing activity against pNPP. HP displayed the highest catalytic activity (1.94 µM(p-NP)/min) at 50 °C and increased longevity at 40 °C. The fused BaCBM could clearly improve the catalytic performance of PETase by increasing the optimal reaction temperature and improving the thermostability. When HLCB was used for PET degradation, the yield of monomeric products (255.7 µM) was ∼25.5 % greater than that obtained after 50 h of HP-catalysed PET degradation. Moreover, the highest yield of monomeric products from the D-HLCB-mediated system reached 1.03 mM. The whole-cell catalyst D-HLCB displayed good reusability and stability and could maintain more than 54.6 % of its initial activity for nine cycles. Finally, molecular docking simulations were utilized to investigate the binding mechanism and the reaction mechanism of HLCB, which may provide theoretical evidence to further increase the PET-degrading activities of PETases through rational design. The proposed strategy and developed variants show potential for achieving complete biodegradation of PET under mild conditions.

Composite System of Ag Nanoparticles and Metal-Organic Frameworks for the Capture and Conversion of Carbon Dioxide under Mild Conditions.

The materials Ag@MIL-100(Fe) and Ag@UIO-66(Zr) are obtained for the capture and transformation of CO2 into alkynyl carboxylic acids, which are environmental friendly, facile to synthesize, and exhibit excellent efficiency and reusability. The influence on the catalytic activity of such Ag@MOF systems by metal-organic frameworks' (MOFs) surface area, thermal, and chemical stability, especially the acid-base characteristics of the pores, are compared and discussed systematically.

An efficient nanoscale heterogeneous catalyst for the capture and conversion of carbon dioxide at ambient pressure.

Silver nanoparticles were successfully supported on the zeolite-type metal-organic framework MIL-101 to yield Ag@MIL-101 by a simple liquid impregnation method. For the first time, the conversion of terminal alkynes into propiolic acids with CO2 was achieved by the use of the Ag@MIL-101 catalysts. Owing to the excellent catalytic activity, the reaction proceeded at atmospheric pressure and low temperature (50 °C). The Ag@MIL-101 porous material is of outstanding bifunctional character as it is capable of simultaneously capturing and converting CO2 with low energy consumption and can be recovered easily by centrifugation.

[Synthesis and characterization of dihydroeugenol acrylate].

Dihydroeugenol acrylate was synthesized by the reaction of acryloyl chloride (AC) with lignin mode compound dihydroeugenol (DH) in the presence of TEA and characterized by using FTIR, GC/MS, 1H-NMR and GPC. FTIR spectra showed that, after the esterification with acryloyl chloride, the intensity of stretching vibration peak of O-H (centered at 3 495 cm(-1)) of DH was disappeared. At the same time, a new peak appeared at 1 762 cm(-1) which was assigned to ester group. Additionally, the appearance of 1 631 and 981 cm(-1) were attributed to the carbon - carbon double bond confirmed the success in the synthesis of DH-AC. 1H-NMR spectra showed that, after the esterification with acryloyl chloride, the proton signal of O-H at 5.5 ppm was disappeared. Meanwhile, the appearance of three new proton signals at 6.0 ppm, 6.4 and 6.7 ppm, attributed to the vinylic protons, indicated that acryloyl chloride was successfully grafted onto DH. The results further confirmed the structures of the DH-AC. GC-MS results showed the DH-AC had a high purity of 98.63%. GPC results showed that dihydroeugenol acrylate could polymerize in the 1,4-dioxane using a thermal initiator of AIBN (2.0 Wt% of total monomers). The weight average molecular mass (Mw) of the homopolymer is 37 400 g x mol(-1), and the number average molecular mass is 23 400 g x mol(-1)' with a polydispersity index Mw/Mn of 1.60, indicating that the dihydroeugenol acrylate has high polymerization activity. This strategy provides a novel approach for extending the comprehensive utilization of lignin.

[Chemical structure of bioethanol lignin by low-temperature alkaline catalytic hydrothermal treatment].

In order to improve the reaction activity of bioethanol lignin, we investigated the activation of bioethanol lignin by a hydrothermal treatment method. Catalytic hydrothermal treatment of bioethanol lignin was performed at 180 degrees C for 3 h in the presence of alkaline solutions (NaOH, Na2 CO3, KOH and K2 CO3), the change in bioethanol lignin structures was studied comparatively by FTIR, 1H NMR,GPC and elemental analysis. FTIR spectra showed that after alkali hydrothermal treatment, the band at 1 375 cm(-1) attributed to the phenolic hydroxyl groups increased, and the band intensity at 1 116 cm(-1) attributed to the ether bond decreased. On the other hand, the band at 1 597 and 1 511 cm(-1) attributed to aromatic skeletal vibration remained almost unchanged. 1H NMR spectra showed that after alkali hydrothermal treatment, the number of aromatic methoxyl is increased, and based on the increment of the content of phenolic hydroxyl, the catalytic activity can be ranked as follows: KOH > NaOH > K2 CO3 > Na2 CO3. Especially for KOH, the increment of the content of phenolic hydroxyl was 170%, because the ion radius of potassium cation is bigger than sodium cation, so the potassium cations more easily formed cation adducts with lignin. GPC results showed that the molecular weight of alkali hydrothermal treatment lignin decreased and the molecular distribution got wider. Elemental analysis showed that hydrothermal treatment could break the interlinkage between lignin and protein, which can reduce the protein content and increase the purity of lignin, meanwhile, the content of O and H both decreased,while C fell, indicating that the bioethanol lignin had suffered a decarbonylation reaction. This is the most benefit of the lignin as a substitute for phenol.

[Prevalence of dietary problems in children of 1-6 years in Chengdu, China].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of dietary problems in children 1-6 years old in Chengdu. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in Chengdu. Five child care facilities were randomly selected. All of the children attending those facilities were surveyed using a structured questionnaire containing questions about socio-economic situation and dietary behaviors of the children and nutritional knowledge of their caregivers. This resulted in 1421 respondents. RESULTS: Some 38.63% of children had at least one dietary problem. Strong preference for a small range of foods accounted for 27.23% of all dietary problems. CONCLUSION: Dietary problems in children of 1-6 year are common in Chengdu. Parents should be educated and play a more important role in the prevention and intervention of dietary problems in children.

Engineered Biosynthesis through the Adenylation Domains from Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetases.

Nonribosomal peptide synthetases, consisted of multiple catalytic domains, are involved in the biosynthesis of an important family of bioactive natural products in a coordinated manner. Among the functional domains, adenylation domains are specifically responsible for recognizing carboxylic acid building blocks and synthesizing aminoacyl adenylates. Given their critical roles in the biosynthesis of the growing peptide, A-domains are also referred to as the "gatekeeper". In this review, very recent developments on the A-domains from NRPSs are reviewed to expand the fundamental knowledge of the A domain, including knowledge on the structures, functions, and molecular interactions. Several recent examples were also discussed to highlight the great potential of A-domain engineering. This study should provide a framework for the combinatorial biosynthesis or synthetic biology-driven microbial production of novel nonribosomal peptides.

Apolipoprotein A-IV restrains fat accumulation in skeletal and myocardial muscles by inhibiting lipogenesis and activating PI3K-AKT signalling.

BACKGROUND: One of the pathological characteristics of obesity is fat accumulation of skeletal muscles (SKM) and the myocardium, involving mechanisms of insulin resistance and abnormal lipid metabolism. Apolipoprotein A-IV (ApoA-IV) is an essential gene in both glucose and lipid metabolisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using high-fat diet (HFD) induced obese apoA-IV-knockout mice and subsequent introduction of exogenous recombinant-ApoA-IV protein and adeno-associated virus (AAV)-transformed apoA-IV, we examined lipid metabolism indicators of SKM and the myocardium, which include triglyceride (TG) content, RT-PCR for lipogenic indicators and western blotting for AKT phosphorylation. Similarly, we used high-glucose-fed or palmitate (Pal)-induced C2C12 cells co-cultured with ApoA-IV protein to evaluate glucose uptake, the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT pathway, and lipid metabolisms. RESULTS: In stable obese animal models, we find ApoA-IV-knockout mice show elevated TG content, enhanced expression of lipogenic enzymes and diminished phosphorylated AKT in SKM and the myocardium, but both stable hepatic expression of AAV-apoA-IV and brief ApoA-IV protein administration suppress lipogenesis and promote AKT phosphorylation. In a myoblast cell line C2C12, ApoA-IV protein suppresses Pal-induced lipid accumulation and lipogenesis but enhances AKT activation and glucose uptake, and the effect is abolished by a PI3K inhibitor. CONCLUSION: We find that ApoA-IV reduces fat accumulation by suppressing lipogenesis and improves glucose uptake in SKM and the myocardium by regulating the PI3K-AKT pathway.

Apolipoprotein A-IV reduced metabolic inflammation in white adipose tissue by inhibiting IKK and JNK signaling in adipocytes.

Apolipoprotein A-IV (ApoA-IV) plays a role in satiation and serum lipid transport. In diet-induced obesity (DIO) C57BL/6J mice, ApoA-IV deficiency induced in ApoA-IV-/-knock-out (KO mice) resulted in increased bodyweight, insulin resistance (IR) and plasma free fatty acid (FFA), which was partially reversed by stable ApoA-IV-green fluorescent protein (KO-A4-GFP) transfection in KO mice. DIO KO mice exhibited increased M1 macrophages in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) as well as in the blood. Based on RNA-sequencing analyses, cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions, T cell and B cell receptors, and especially IL-17 and TNF-α, were up-regulated in eWAT of DIO ApoA-IV KO compared with WT mice. Supplemented ApoA-IV suppressed lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced IKK and JNK phosphorylation in Raw264.7 macrophage cell culture assays. When the culture medium was supplemented to 3T3-L1 adipocytes they exhibited an increased sensitivity to insulin. ApoA-IV protects against obesity-associated metabolic inflammation mainly through suppression in M1 macrophages of eWAT, IL17-IKK and IL17-JNK activity.

Structures of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and applications for novel drug development.

COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 has raised a health crisis worldwide. The high morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19 and the lack of effective drugs or vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 emphasize the urgent need for standard treatment and prophylaxis of COVID-19. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the glycosylated spike protein (S protein) is capable of binding to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) and initiating membrane fusion and virus entry. Hence, it is rational to inhibit the RBD activity of the S protein by blocking the RBD interaction with hACE2, which makes the glycosylated S protein a potential target for designing and developing antiviral agents. In this study, the molecular features of the S protein of SARS-CoV-2 are highlighted, such as the structures, functions, and interactions of the S protein and ACE2. Additionally, computational tools developed for the treatment of COVID-19 are provided, for example, algorithms, databases, and relevant programs. Finally, recent advances in the novel development of antivirals against the S protein are summarized, including screening of natural products, drug repurposing and rational design. This study is expected to provide novel insights for the efficient discovery of promising drug candidates against the S protein and contribute to the development of broad-spectrum anti-coronavirus drugs to fight against SARS-CoV-2.

Apolipoprotein A4 Restricts Diet-Induced Hepatic Steatosis via SREBF1-Mediated Lipogenesis and Enhances IRS-PI3K-Akt Signaling.

SCOPE: Hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance (IR) are risk factors for many metabolic syndromes such as NAFLD and T2DM. ApoA4 improves glucose hemostasis by increasing glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and glucose uptake via PI3K-Akt activation in adipocytes. However, whether ApoA4 has an effect on hepatic steatosis or IR remains unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: ApoA4-knockout (KO) aggravates diet-induced obesity, hepatic steatosis, and IR in mice promoted by increased hepatic lipogenesis gene expression based on RNA-seq data. Conversely, liver-specific overexpression of ApoA4 via AAV-ApoA4 transduction reverses the effect in ApoA4-KO mice, accompanied by suppressed hepatic lipogenesis, increased lipolysis, and fatty acid oxidation. Short-term treatment with recombinant ApoA4 protein improves glucose clearance and liver insulin sensitivity, and reduces hepatic lipogenesis gene expression in the absence of insulin. Moreover, in primary hepatocytes and a hepatic cell line, ApoA4 improves hepatic glucose uptake via IRS-PI3K-Akt signaling and decreases fat deposition and hepatic lipogenesis gene expression by inhibiting SREBF1 activity. CONCLUSION: ApoA4 restricts hepatic steatosis by inhibiting SREBF1-mediated lipogenesis and improves insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake via IRS-PI3K-Akt signaling in the liver. These findings indicate that ApoA4 may serve as a therapeutic target for obesity-associated NAFLD.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals a novel inhibitory effect of ApoA4 on NAFL mediated by liver-specific subsets of myeloid cells.

The liver immune microenvironment is a key element in the development of hepatic inflammation in NAFLD. ApoA4 deficiency increases the hepatic lipid burden, insulin resistance, and metabolic inflammation. However, the effect of ApoA4 on liver immune cells and the precise immune cell subsets that exacerbate fatty liver remain elusive. The aim of this study was to profile the hepatic immune cells affected by ApoA4 in NAFL. We performed scRNA-seq on liver immune cells from WT and ApoA4-deficient mice administered a high-fat diet. Immunostaining and qRT-PCR analysis were used to validate the results of scRNA-seq. We identified 10 discrete immune cell populations comprising macrophages, DCs, granulocytes, B, T and NK&NKT cells and characterized their subsets, gene expression profiles, and functional modules. ApoA4 deficiency led to significant increases in the abundance of specific subsets, including inflammatory macrophages (2-Mφ-Cxcl9 and 4-Mφ-Cxcl2) and activated granulocytes (0-Gran-Wfdc17). Moreover, ApoA4 deficiency resulted in higher Lgals3, Ctss, Fcgr2b, Spp1, Cxcl2, and Elane levels and lower Nr4a1 levels in hepatic immune cells. These genes were consistent with human NAFLD-associated marker genes linked to disease severity. The expression of NE and IL-1ß in granulocytes and macrophages as key ApoA4 targets were validate in the presence or absence of ApoA4 by immunostaining. The scRNA-seq data analyses revealed reprogramming of liver immune cells resulted from ApoA4 deficiency. We uncovered that the emergence of ApoA4-associated immune subsets (namely Cxcl9+ macrophage, Cxcl2+ macrophage and Wfdc17+ granulocyte), pathways, and NAFLD-related marker genes may promote the development of NAFL. These findings may provide novel therapeutic targets for NAFL and the foundations for further studying the effects of ApoA4 on immune cells in various diseases.

Potential molecular targets of nonstructural proteins for the development of antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and SARS-CoV-2 have produced high pathogenicity and mortality rates in human populations. However, to meet the increasing demand for treatment of these pathogenic coronaviruses, accelerating novel antiviral drug development as much as possible has become a public concern. Target-based drug development may be a promising approach to achieve this goal. In this review, the relevant features of potential molecular targets in human coronaviruses (HCoVs) are highlighted, including the viral protease, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and methyltransferases. Additionally, recent advances in the development of antivirals based on these targets are summarized. This review is expected to provide new insights and potential strategies for the development of novel antiviral drugs to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Discovery and Targeted Isolation of Phenylpropanoid-Substituted Ester-Catechins Using UPLC-Q/TOF-HRMS/MS-Based Molecular Networks: Implication of the Reaction Mechanism among Polyphenols during Green Tea Processing.

Tea is an important beverage source of dietary polyphenols and well known for containing phenolic structure diversity. A series of phenylpropanoid-substituted catechins, flavonols, flavan-3-hexoside, and proanthocyanidin are present in different herbs with various biological activities, inspiring our exploration of phenylpropanoid-substituted ester type of catechins (PSECs) due to the enrichment of galloylated catechins in tea. In this study, we used a guiding-screening-location-isolation integrated route including creating a hypothesized PSEC dataset, MS/MS data acquiring, construction of molecular networks, and traditional column chromatography and preliminarily identified 14 PSECs by MS/MS spectrum. Two of these PSECs were further purified and elucidated by NMR and CD spectra. Further MS detection in tea products and fresh leaves suggests that the production of the two new compounds was enhanced during tea processing. The synthesis mechanism was proposed to obtain these types of components for further investigation on their roles in human health protection. This study provides an example for the exploration of new functional ingredients from food sources guided by MS/MS data-based networking, and also new insights into the reaction mechanism to form new catechin conjugates among polyphenols in green tea.

Rational engineering of BaLal_16 from a novel Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain to improve catalytic performance.

L-amino acid ligases (Lals) are promising biocatalysts for the synthesis of dipeptides with special biological properties. However, their poor (or broad) substrate specificity limits their industrial applications. To address this problem, a molecular engineering method for Lals was developed to enhance their catalytic performance. Based on substrate channeling, entrances to the active site for different substrates were identified, and the "gate" located around the active site pocket, which plays an essential role in substrate recognition, was then engineered to facilitate acceptance of L-Gln. Two mutants (L110Y and N108F/L110Y) were discovered to display significantly increased catalytic activity toward L-Ala and L-Gln in the biosynthesis of Ala-Gln. The catalytic efficiency (kcat/ Km) of the L110Y and N108F/L110Y mutants was improved by 2.64-fold and 4.06-fold, respectively, compared with that of the wild type. N108F/L110Y was then further applied for batch production of Ala-Gln, which showed that the released Pi yield was 694.47 µM, which was an increase of approximately 21.4 %, and the yield of Ala-Gln was approximately 2.59 mM-1 L-1 mg-1. Collectively, these findings suggest the potential practical application of this method in the rational design of Lals for increased catalytic performance.

Detection and quantification of flavoalkaloids in different tea cultivars and during tea processing using UPLC-TOF-MS/MS.

Flavoalkaloids have been found from tea. However, there is limited information about their content in different teas. Herein, 51 tea samples were screened for flavoalkaloid content. Twelve teas with relatively higher contents of flavoalkaloids were further quantified by UPLC-TOF-MS/MS. The cultivars Yiwu and Bulangshan had the highest levels, with total flavoalkaloid contents of 3063 and 2727 µg g-1, respectively. Each of the six flavoalkaloids were at levels > 198 µg g-1 in these cultivars. Of the flavoalkaloids, etc-pyrrolidinone A had the highest content in the teas, reaching 835 µg g-1 in Yiwu. The content of the flavoalkaloids varied among tea cultivars and with processing procedures, particularly heating. The potential of using flavoalkaloids to discriminate grades of Keemun black tea was studied and discussed. The teas identified in this work with high levels of flavoalkaloids can be used in the future to study the mechanisms by which flavoalkaloids are synthesized in tea.

Design, identification, antifungal evaluation and molecular modeling of chlorotetaine derivatives as new anti-fungal agents.

It is feasible to rationally modify existing bioactive components for new drug development, achieving molecules with improved biological activities. In this study, rational modification of chlorotetaine was carried out following in silico molecular modelling to enhance interactions between the fungal oligopeptide transmembrane transporter PTR22 and the ligand. The peptide obtained with the lowest docking energy, Lys-chlorotetaine (LC), displayed an improved antifungal effect compared with chlorotetaine. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration observed against a tested pathogen was 1.47 µg/mL (Candida krusei CBS573), which was satisfactory. To thoroughly explore the detailed interactions between the transporter and LC, molecular dynamics simulation was also performed, which revealed that LC could bind to the transporter via different intermolecular interactions from chlorotetaine, and predicted electrostatic interactions (salt-bridges) would enable the more efficient release of LC. This study provides a simple and reliable method for the rational modification of oligopeptide antibiotics.

l-amino acid ligase: A promising alternative for the biosynthesis of l-dipeptides.

Given their special action mechanisms and structural simplicity, L-amino acid ligases (Lals) are considered to be desirable tools for the catalytic biosynthesis of dipeptides. Ywf E (BacD) was the first Lal identified and was shown to be involved in the biosynthesis of a potent antibacterial, bacilysin, since then, various novel Lals have been discovered. Each Lal has different substrate spectra and is capable of synthesizing different dipeptides. Owning to their great potentials for producing bioactive dipeptides of industrial importance, in this review, recent developments of Lals are discussed, including their structures, action mechanisms, applications and the advantages and disadvantages of different Lals. In addition, protein engineering of Lals to improve their substrate specificity and catalytic performance is also discussed.

trans-Di-µ-carbonyl-bis-{carbon-yl[η-2,3,4,5-tetra-methyl-1-(2-thien-yl)cyclo-penta-dien-yl]ruthenium(I)}(Ru-Ru).

The title compound, [Ru(2)(C(13)H(15)S)(2)(CO)(4)], is a centrosymmetric binuclear metal-carbonyl complex containing an Ru-Ru single bond [2.7511 (8) Å]. Each Ru(I) atom is coordinated by two bridging carbonyl ligands, one terminal carbonyl ligand and one η(5)-cyclo-penta-dienyl group. The complex has a trans conformation and the two cyclo-penta-dienyl ring planes are parallel. The crystal structure involves weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

trans-Di-µ-carbonyl-bis-{carbon-yl[η-2,3,4,5-tetra-methyl-1-(5-methyl-2-fur-yl)cyclo-penta-dien-yl]ruthenium(I)}(Ru-Ru).

In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Ru(2)(C(14)H(17)O)(2)(CO)(4)], each Ru(I) atom is connected to one end-on and two bridging carbonyl groups and one cyclo-penta-dienyl ring. The two Ru atoms are connected into binuclear complexes via two bridging carbonyl groups, forming four-membered rings which are located on centres of inversion. The Ru-Ru distance of 2.7483 (11) Šcorresponds to a single bond. The two carbonyl groups in these binuclear complexes are trans-oriented.