Integrated structural and functional analysis of the protective effects of kinetin against oxidative stress in mammalian cellular systems.

Metabolism and signaling of cytokinins was first established in plants, followed by cytokinin discoveries in all kingdoms of life. However, understanding of their role in mammalian cells is still scarce. Kinetin is a cytokinin that mitigates the effects of oxidative stress in mammalian cells. The effective concentrations of exogenously applied kinetin in invoking various cellular responses are not well standardized. Likewise, the metabolism of kinetin and its cellular targets within the mammalian cells are still not well studied. Applying vitality tests as well as comet assays under normal and hyper-oxidative states, our analysis suggests that kinetin concentrations of 500 nM and above cause cytotoxicity as well as genotoxicity in various cell types. However, concentrations below 100 nM do not cause any toxicity, rather in this range kinetin counteracts oxidative burst and cytotoxicity. We focus here on these effects. To get insights into the cellular targets of kinetin mediating these pro-survival functions and protective effects we applied structural and computational approaches on two previously testified targets for these effects. Our analysis deciphers vital residues in adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) and adenosine receptor (A2A-R) that facilitate the binding of kinetin to these two important human cellular proteins. We finally discuss how the therapeutic potential of kinetin against oxidative stress helps in various pathophysiological conditions.

Molecular Modeling of the Interaction Between Stem Cell Peptide and Immune Receptor in Plants.

Molecular docking enables comprehensive exploration of interactions between chemical moieties and proteins. Modeling and docking approaches are useful to determine the three-dimensional (3D) structure of experimentally uncrystallized proteins and subsequently their interactions with various inhibitors and activators or peptides. Here, we describe a protocol for carrying out molecular modeling and docking of stem cell peptide CLV3p on plant innate immune receptor FLS2.

Entropy Analysis of Carbon Nanotubes Based Nanofluid Flow Past a Vertical Cone with Thermal Radiation.

Our objective in the present study is to scrutinize the flow of aqueous based nanofluid comprising single and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) past a vertical cone encapsulated in a permeable medium with solutal stratification. Moreover, the novelty of the problem is raised by the inclusion of the gyrotactic microorganisms effect combined with entropy generation, chemical reaction, and thermal radiation. The coupled differential equations are attained from the partial differential equations with the help of the similarity transformation technique. The set of conservation equations supported by the associated boundary conditions are solved numerically with the bvp4c MATLAB function. The influence of numerous parameters on the allied distributions is scrutinized, and the fallouts are portrayed graphically in the analysis. The physical quantities of interest including the skin friction coefficient and the rate of heat and mass transfers are evaluated versus essential parameters, and their outcomes are demonstrated in tabulated form. For both types of CNTs, it is witnessed that the velocity of the fluid is decreased for larger values of the magnetic and suction parameters. Moreover, the value of the skin friction coefficient drops versus the augmented bioconvection Rayleigh number. To corroborate the authenticity of the presented model, the obtained results (under some constraints) are compared with an already published paper, and excellent harmony is achieved in this regard.

Simultaneous Enrichment and On-line Detection of Low-Concentration Copper, Cobalt, and Nickel Ions in Water by Near-Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy Combined with Chemometrics.

Sensitive detection of heavy metal ions in water is of great importance considering the effects that heavy metals have on public health. A developed fluidized bed enrichment technique was used to concentrate and detect low concentrations of Cu2+, Co2+, and Ni2+ in water samples by near-IR diffuse reflectance (NIDR) spectroscopy (NIDRS) directly without using any chemicals or reagents. The NIDR spectra of adsorbent were measured on-line, and quantitative detection was achieved by applying a built partial least-squares chemometric model. Sensitivity and accuracy was improved significantly because large-volume mixture solutions were used in the enrichment process. Root mean square error of cross-validation values for Cu2+, Co2+, and Ni2+ were 0.29, 0.41, and 0.35 µg/mL, respectively, with mean relative error values in the acceptable range of 6.56-10.27%. This study confirms the potential application of fluidized bed enrichment combined with NIDRS and chemometrics for the simultaneous detection of trace heavy metal ions in water, with low relative error.