Altering Escherichia coli envelope integrity by mimicking the lipoprotein RcsF.

Escherichia coli cell envelope is crucial for stress sensing and signal transduction, mediated by numerous protein-protein interactions to enable adaptation and survival. Interfering with these interactions might affect envelope integrity leading to bacterial death. The outer membrane lipoprotein (RcsF) is the stress sensor of the regulator of capsule synthesis (Rcs) phosphorelay that senses envelope threats. RcsF interacts with two essential proteins, IgaA (repressing the Rcs system) and BamA (inserting ß-barrel proteins in the outer membrane). Disturbing RcsF interactions may alter Rcs signaling and/or membrane integrity thus affecting bacterial survival. Here, we derived the sequence of a peptide mimicking RcsF (RcsFmim), based on the in silico docking of RcsF with IgaA. Expression of rcsFmim caused 3-to-4-fold activation of the Rcs system and perturbation of the outer membrane. Both effects result in decreased E. coli growth rate. We anticipate that RcsFmim present a candidate for future antibacterial peptide development.

Egyptian cobra (Naja haje haje) venom phospholipase A2: a promising antiviral agent with potent virucidal activity against simian rotavirus and bovine coronavirus.

Viral infections are linked to a variety of human diseases. Despite the achievements made in drug and vaccine development, several viruses still lack preventive vaccines and efficient antiviral compounds. Thus, developing novel antiviral agents is of great concern, particularly the natural products that are promising candidates for such discoveries. In this study, we have purified an approximately 15 kDa basic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzyme from the Egyptian cobra Naja haje haje venom. The purified N. haje PLA2 showed a specific activity of 22 units/mg protein against 6 units/mg protein for the whole crude venom with 3.67-fold purification. The antiviral activity of purified N. haje PLA2 has been investigated in vitro against bovine coronavirus (BCoV) and simian rotavirus (RV SA-11). Our results showed that the CC50 of PLA2 were 33.6 and 29 µg/ml against MDBK and MA104 cell lines, respectively. Antiviral analysis of N. haje PLA2 showed an inhibition of BCoV and RV SA-11 infections with a therapeutic index equal to 33.6 and 16, respectively. Moreover, N. haje PLA2 decreased the BCoV and RV SA-11 titers by 4.25 log10 TCID50 and 2.5 log10 TCID50, respectively. Thus, this research suggests the potential antiviral activity of purified N. haje PLA2 against BCoV and RV SA-11 infections in vitro.

The first detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in urban wastewater in Giza, Egypt.

The new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is a respiratory virus causing coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Individuals with COVID-19 can shed the viral genome in their feces, even if they do not have symptoms, and the virus can be detected in wastewater. The current study provides the first surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome in the wastewater in Egypt. To study this aim, untreated influent (n = 48) and treated effluent (n = 48) samples were collected between January and December 2021 from the wastewater treatment plant in Giza. The viral RNA genome was determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (S, E, and N target regions) and real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-qPCR) (N1 and N2 target regions). The RT-PCR assay failed to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in all samples analyzed, whereas RT-qPCR succeeded in the detection of N gene of SARS-CoV-2 in 62.5% of untreated influent samples. The RT-qPCR Ct values of those samples tested positive ranged from 19.9 to 30.1 with a mean of 23. The treated effluent samples were negative for viral RNA detected by both RT-PCR and RT-qPCR, indicating the efficiency of the sewage treatment plant in degrading SARS-CoV-2. Our preliminary findings provide evidence for the value of wastewater epidemiology approach for the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in the population to assist in the responses of public health to COVID-19 outbreak.

Amino group of salicylic acid exhibits enhanced inhibitory potential against insulin amyloid fibrillation with protective aptitude toward amyloid induced cytotoxicity.

Protein misfolding and aggregation lead to amyloid generation that in turn may induce cell membrane disruption and leads to cell apoptosis. In an effort to prevent or treat amyloidogenesis, large number of studies has been paying attention on breakthrough of amyloid inhibitors. In the present work, we aim to access the effect of two drugs, that is, acetylsalicylic acid and 5-amino salicylic acid on insulin amyloids by using various biophysical, imaging, cell viability assay, and computational approaches. We established that both drugs reduce the turbidity, light scattering and fluorescence intensity of amyloid indicator dye thioflavin T. Premixing of drugs with insulin inhibited the nucleation phase and inhibitory potential was boosted by increasing the concentration of the drug. Moreover, addition of drugs at the studied concentrations attenuated the insulin fibril induced cytotoxicity in breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. Our results highlight the amino group of salicylic acid exhibited enhanced inhibitory effects on insulin fibrillation in comparison to acetyl group. It may be due to presence of amino group that helps it to prolong the nucleation phase with strong binding as well as disruption of aromatic and hydrophobic stacking that plays a key role in amyloid progression.

Cloning and catalytic profile of Hyalomma dromedarii leucine aminopeptidase.

Ticks have harmful impacts on both human and animal health and cause considerable economic losses. Leucine aminopeptidase enzymes (LAP) play important roles during tick infestation to liberate vital amino acids necessary for growth. The aim of the current study is to identify, express and characterize the LAP from the hard tick Hyalomma dromedarii and elucidate its biochemical characteristics. We cloned an open reading frame of 1560 bp encoding a protein of 519 amino acids. The LAP full-length was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and purified. The recombinant enzyme (H.d rLAP- 6×His) had a predicted molecular mass of approximately 55 kDa. Purification and the enzymatic characteristics of H.d rLAP- 6×His were studied. The purified enzyme showed maximum activity at 37 °C and pH 8.0-8.5 using Leu-p-nitroanilide as a substrate. The activity of H.d rLAP- 6×His was sensitive to ß-mercaptoethanol, dl-dithiothreitol, 1,10- phenanthroline, bestatin HCl, and EDTA and completely abolished by 0.05 % SDS. In parallel, the enzymatic activity was enhanced by Ni2+, Mn2+ and Mg2+, partially inhibited by Na+, Cu2+, Ca2+ and completely inhibited by Zn2+.

Exploration of antimicrobial and anticancer activities of L-amino acid oxidase from Egyptian Naja haje venom.

Hepatocellular carcinoma and bacterial resistance are major health burdens nowadays. Thus, providing new therapies that overcome that resistance is of great interest, particularly those derived from nature rather than chemotherapeutics to avoid cytotoxicity on normal cells. Venomous animals are among the natural sources that assisted in the discovery of novel therapeutic regimens. L-amino acid oxidase Nh-LAAO (140 kDa), purified from Egyptian Naja haje venom by a successive two-step chromatography protocol, has an optimal pH and temperature of 8 and 37 °C. Under standard assay conditions, Nh-LAAO exhibited the highest specificity toward L-Arg, L-Met and L-Leu, with Km and Vmax values of 3.5 mM and 10.4 µmol/min/ml, respectively. Among the metal ions, Ca+2, Na+, and K+ ions are activators, whereas Fe+2 inhibited LAAO activity. PMSF and EDTA slightly inhibited the Nh-LAAO activity. In addition, Nh-LAAO showed antibacterial and antifungal activities, particularly against Gentamicin-resistant P. aeruginosa and E. coli strains with MIC of 18 ± 2 µg/ml, as well as F. proliferatum and A. parasiticus among the selected human pathogenic strains. Furthermore, Nh-LAAO exhibited anti-proliferative activity against cancer HepG2 and Huh7 cells with IC50 of 79.37 and 60.11 µg/ml, respectively, with no detectable effect on normal WI-38 cells. Consequently, the apoptosis % of the HepG2 and Huh7 cells were 12 ± 1 and 34.5 ± 2.5 %, respectively, upon Nh-LAAO treatment. Further, the Nh-LAAO arrested the HepG2 and Huh7 cell cycles in the G0/G1 phase. Thus, the powerful selective cytotoxicity of L-amino acid oxidase opens up the possibility as a good candidate for clinical cancer therapy.

Monoclonal IgY antibodies: advancements and limitations for immunodiagnosis and immunotherapy applications.

Due to their high specificity and scalability, Monoclonal IgY antibodies have emerged as a valuable alternative to traditional polyclonal IgY antibodies. This abstract provides an overview of the production and purification methods of monoclonal IgY antibodies, highlights their advantages over polyclonal IgY antibodies, and discusses their recent applications. Monoclonal recombinant IgY antibodies, in contrast to polyclonal IgY antibodies, offer several benefits. such as derived from a single B-cell clone, monoclonal antibodies exhibit superior specificity, ensuring consistent and reliable results. Furthermore, it explores the suitability of monoclonal IgY antibodies for low- and middle-income countries, considering their cost-effectiveness and accessibility. We also discussed future directions and challenges in using polyclonal IgY and monoclonal IgY antibodies. In conclusion, monoclonal IgY antibodies offer substantial advantages over polyclonal IgY antibodies regarding specificity, scalability, and consistent performance. Their recent applications in diagnostics, therapeutics, and research highlight their versatility.

Chicken egg yolk antibodies (IgY) and monoclonal antibodies: advancements and limitations for immunodiagnosis and immunotherapy applications Chicken egg yolk antibodies (IgY antibodies) and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are two types of antibodies used in medical applications. IgY antibodies are cost-effective, stable, and specific, with the advantage of not triggering harmful immune responses. However, they may have limitations in identifying certain target areas and availability. On the other hand, mAbs are highly specific and can detect multiple target areas on antigens, but their production is expensive and may cause immune responses. Despite these drawbacks, both IgY antibodies and mAbs show promise in various applications such as infectious disease diagnosis, cancer treatment, and autoimmune disorders. Ongoing developments in antibody technology are likely to expand their applications in immunology. This review provides an overview of the strengths and limitations of IgY antibodies and mAbs in immunodiagnosis and immunotherapy, as well as their role in pandemic control.

Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: From Origin to Clinical Diagnosis.

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and HCC-related deaths has increased over the last few decades. There are several risk factors of HCC such as viral hepatitis (B, C), cirrhosis, tobacco and alcohol use, aflatoxin-contaminated food, pesticides, diabetes, obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and metabolic and genetic diseases. Diagnosis of HCC is based on different methods such as imaging ultrasonography (US), multiphasic enhanced computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and several diagnostic biomarkers. In this review, we examine the epidemiology of HCC worldwide and in Egypt as well as risk factors associated with the development of HCC and, finally, provide the updated diagnostic biomarkers for the diagnosis of HCC, particularly in the early stages of HCC. Several biomarkers are considered to diagnose HCC, including downregulated or upregulated protein markers secreted during HCC development, circulating nucleic acids or cells, metabolites, and the promising, recently identified biomarkers based on quantitative proteomics through the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ). In addition, a diagnostic model used to improve the sensitivity of combined biomarkers for the diagnosis of early HCC is discussed.

Assessment of specific human antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain by rapid in-house ELISA.

BACKGROUND: The recently emerged SARS-CoV-2 caused a global pandemic since the last two years. The urgent need to control the spread of the virus and rapid application of the suitable health measures raised the importance of available, rapid, and accurate diagnostic approaches. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to describe a rapid in-house optimized ELISA based on the expression of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in a prokaryotic system. METHODS: We show the expression of the 30 kDa recombinant SARS-CoV-2 RBD-6×His in four different E. coli strains (at 28∘C using 0.25mM IPTG) including the expression strain E. coli BL21 (DE3) Rosetta Gami. SARS-CoV-2 rRBD-6×His protein was purified, refolded, and used as an antigen coat to assess antibody response in human sera against SARS-CoV-2 infection. RESULTS: The assessment was carried out using a total of 155 human sero-positive and negative SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The ELISA showed 69.5% sensitivity, 88% specificity, 78.5% agreement, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 92.3%, and a negative predictive value of 56.5%. Moreover, the optical density (OD) values of positive samples significantly correlated with the commercial kit titers. CONCLUSIONS: Specific human antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein were detected by rapid in-house ELISA in sera of human COVID-19-infected patients. The availability of this in-house ELISA protocol would be valuable for various diagnostic and epidemiological applications, particularly in developing countries. Future studies are planned for the use of the generated SARS-CoV-2 rRBD-6×His protein in vaccine development and other diagnostic applications.

Purification and characterization of a cytotoxic neurotoxin-like protein from Naja haje haje venom that induces mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.

This study reported the purification and characterization of a cytotoxic, neurotoxin-like protein derived from the venom of the Egyptian cobra Naja haje haje, Elapidae family, and explored their mechanistic role in the cell death. The protein purification was performed through ion-exchange chromatography and gel-filtration chromatography and was characterized by SDS-PAGE, amino acid sequencing, and mass spectrum analysis. The antitumor activity of Naja haje venom (NHV) and its fractions (NHVI, NHV-Ia, NHV-Ib, NHV-Ic, NHV-II, NHV-III, and NHV-IV) were tested against different human cancer cell lines. The molecular cascade of cell death was explored through evaluation of apoptosis/necrosis ratio, DNA fragmentation, histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity, mitochondrial transmembrane potential (Δψ(m)), cytochrome c release, total caspases, caspase-3, caspase-9, and cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry. Most of the separated fractions possessed variable cytotoxic effect against different cancer cells. The most potent antitumor fraction was NHV-Ic due to its ability to induce DNA damaging and fragmentation that was associated with a significant induction of apoptosis via mitochondrial pathway and disturbed cell cycle phases as well as an inhibition of HDAC activity. NHV-Ic induced the mitochondrial pathway initially by the impairment of Δψ(m) besides the DNA damage and in response to that the mitochondria-released cytochrome c that may in turn activated total caspases, caspase-3 and caspase-9 in lymphoblastic leukemia 1301 cells. The partial amino acid sequencing of NHV-Ic revealed 100, 95.65, and 91.3% homology with the Long neurotoxin 1 from Naja haje anchietae (Angolan cobra), Naja haje haje (Egyptian cobra), and Boulengerina annulata annulata (banded water cobra), respectively.

A review of monoclonal antibodies in COVID-19: Role in immunotherapy, vaccine development and viral detection.

The harmful COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus imposes the scientific community to develop or find conventional curative drugs, protective vaccines, or passive immune strategies rapidly and efficiently. Passive immunity is based on recovering hyper-immune plasma from convalescent patients, or monoclonal antibodies with elevated titer of neutralizing antibodies with high antiviral activity, that have potential for both treatment and prevention. In this review, we focused on researching the potentiality of monoclonal antibodies for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection. Our research review includes antibody-based immunotherapy, using human monoclonal antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 viral protein regions, specifically the spike protein regions, and using hyper-immune plasma from convalescent COVID-19 patients, in which monoclonal antibodies act as immunotherapy for the cytokine storm syndrome associated with the COVID-19 infection. In addition, we will demonstrate the role of the monoclonal antibodies in the development of candidate vaccines for SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, the recent progress of the diagnostic mouse monoclonal antibodies' role will be highlighted, as an accurate and rapid diagnostic assay, in the antigen detection of SARS-CoV-2. In brief, the monoclonal antibodies are the potential counter measures that may control SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 disease, through immunotherapy and vaccine development, as well as viral detection.

Grafted carrageenan: alginate gel beads for catalase enzyme covalent immobilization.

A new matrix formulation was devised for catalase immobilization. Carrageenan-alginate beads different ratios were developed and soaked into different ratios of CaCl2-KCl as a hardening solution. The best formulation for loading capacity was selected, treated with polyethylene imine followed by glutaraldehyde and further studied. The best concentration of catalase for immobilization was 300U/ml and the best loading time was 6 h. The catalytic properties increased after immobilization and the immobilized catalase achieved optimum activity at a temperature range of 30-50 °C that was compared to the optimum activity of free catalase which occurred at 40 °C. Higher catalytic activity of immobilized catalase occurred at alkaline pHs than the free one which achieved optimum catalytic activity at neutral pH. A comparison between the kinetic parameters of immobilized and free catalase showed variation. The K M and Vmax of the immobilized catalase were 2.4 fold and six times higher than those of free catalase. The results of the study indicate that the formulated matrix can be used as a good matrix for catalase enzyme in various industrial applications.

Biophysical insight reveals tannic acid as amyloid inducer and conformation transformer from amorphous to amyloid aggregates in Concanavalin A (ConA).

The aggregation phenomenon (amyloid and amorphous) is associated with several pathological complications in human, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington, Cataract diseases, and Diabetes mellitus type 2. In the present study we are offering evidence and breaking the general belief with regard to the polyphenols action as protein aggregate inhibitors. Herein we confirm that tannic acid (TA) is not only an amyloid inducer, but also it switches one type of conformation, ultimately morphology, into another. We ascertain based on our findings that aggregates are not rigid structures and the stability can be challenged under certain conditions. This study also confirms that unfolded and amorphous aggregates can serve as precursors of amyloids and TA interactions with unordered aggregates (amorphous) bringing orderliness in the conformation via amyloidosis. The shifting of unordered conformation toward orderliness is governed by the modulation in surface hydrophobic patches in Concanavalin A (ConA). Hence, a degree of exposed hydrophobic cluster can be claimed as a strong parameter to detect and distinguish the native, amorphous and both types of amyloids. Turbidity and Rayleigh light scattering measurements followed similar pattern while Thioflavin T and 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate fluorescence assays of the binding with amorphous and amyloid followed an inverse relation. Electron microscopic studies revealed the morphological variation in the ConA at 65°C as amorphous while the ConA treated with TA followed by heat treatment at 65°C was defined as amyloid in nature. Interestingly for the first time we are reporting the slight agglutination activity by the ConA amyloids.

Phytotherapeutic effects of Echinacea purpurea in gamma-irradiated mice.

Echinacea (E.) purpurea herb is commonly known as the purple coneflower, red sunflower and rudbeckia. In this paper, we report the curative efficacy of an Echinacea extract in gamma-irradiated mice. E. purpurea was given to male mice that were divided into five groups (control, treated, irradiated, treated before irradiation & treated after irradiation) at a dose of 30 mg/kg body weight for 2 weeks before and after irradiation with 3 Gy of gamma-rays. The results reflected the detrimental reduction effects of gamma-rays on peripheral blood hemoglobin and the levels of red blood cells, differential white blood cells, and bone marrow cells. The thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs) level, Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSPx) activities and DNA fragmentation were also investigated. FT-Raman spectroscopy was used to explore the structural changes in liver tissues. Significant changes were observed in the microenvironment of the major constituents, including tyrosine and protein secondary structures. E. purpurea administration significantly ameliorated all estimated parameters. The radio-protection effectiveness was similar to the radio-recovery curativeness in comparison to the control group in most of the tested parameters. The radio-protection efficiency was greater than the radio-recovery in hemoglobin level during the first two weeks, in lymphoid cell count and TBARs level at the fourth week and in SOD activity during the first two weeks, as compared to the levels of these parameters in the control group.

Purification and characterization of two larval glycoproteins from the cattle tick, Boophilus annulatus.

The present study was conducted to identify new target immunogenic molecules from the larval stage of the cattle tick, Boophilus annulatus (Acari: Ixodidae). Two specific larval glycoproteins (GLPs) were isolated by two-step affinity chromatography. The larval immunogens were first purified with CNBr-Sepharose coupled to rabbit anti-larval immunoglobulins, and the glycoproteins were then purified with Con-A Sepharose. These glycoproteins have molecular weights of approximately 32 and 15 kDa with isoelectric points between 6.8 and 7.2. Antibodies against the two GLPs, labeled I and II, were detected in the anti-whole tick, -whole larval, and -gut antigens through immunoblot analysis. These results suggest that these GLPs are good immunogens and can be useful in the vaccination of cattle against tick infestation.

Attenuation of amyloid fibrillation in presence of Warfarin: A biophysical investigation.

Protein misfolding and aggregation are associated with more than twenty diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases. The amyloid oligomers and fibrils may induce cell membrane disruption and lead to cell apoptosis. A great number of studies have focused on discovery of amyloid inhibitors which may prevent or treat amyloidosis. In this study, we used human serum albumin (HSA) as an amyloid model to test the anti-amyloid effects of warfarin (WFN), a very well-known drug for treatment of thrombosis and also used by biophysicists to characterize the specific binding site on HSA (site I of subdomain IIA). We have used a combination of different biophysical, spectroscopic and imaging techniques to prove the anti-amyloidogenic behavior of WFN. Our results demonstrated that WFN is capable enough to inhibit the HSA fibrillation. Exposed HSA surface hydrophobicity was decreased by 50% as judged by ANS analysis. Moreover, anti-amyloidegenic behavior of WFN was found to be concentration dependent as supported by decreased ThT fluorescence by 22.4% and 46% at WFN concentrations of 500 and 1000µM, respectively. Circular dichroism technique showed the change in secondary structure of native HSA as well as in presence of WFN. These results suggests that WFN is capable of inhibiting amyloid aggregation, hence, WFN related compounds may thus be further explored for designing effective anti-amyloidosis compounds.

Mechanisms of protein aggregation and inhibition.

Protein and peptide aggregation raises keen interest due to their involvement in number of pathological conditions ranging from neurodegenerative disorders to systemic amyloidosis. Here, we have reviewed recent advances in mechanisms of aggregation, emerging technologies towards exploration, characterization of aggregate structures, detection at molecular level and the strategies to combat the phenomenon of aggregation both in cellular and in vitro conditions. In consistence, we have illustrated almost all factors that influence the protein aggregation both in vitro and in vivo environments. In addition, we have discussed a detailed journey of protein aggregation phenomenon that starts with very first events of protein aggregation. We had also described advancement in current scenarios, present aspects of fibril association to several life threatening disorders and current experimental strategies that are employed to oppose or reverse the amyloid formation.

Interaction of anticancer drug clofarabine with human serum albumin and human α-1 acid glycoprotein. Spectroscopic and molecular docking approach.

The binding interaction between clofarabine, an important anticancer drug and two important carrier proteins found abundantly in human plasma, Human Serum Albumin (HSA) and α-1 acid glycoprotein (AAG) was investigated by spectroscopic and molecular modeling methods. The results obtained from fluorescence quenching experiments demonstrated that the fluorescence intensity of HSA and AAG is quenched by clofarabine and the static mode of fluorescence quenching is operative. UV-vis spectroscopy deciphered the formation of ground state complex between anticancer drug and the two studied proteins. Clofarabine was found to bind at 298K with both AAG and HSA with the binding constant of 8.128×103 and 4.120×103 for AAG and HSA, respectively. There is stronger interaction of clofarabine with AAG as compared to HSA. The Gibbs free energy change was found to be negative for the interaction of clofarabine with AAG and HSA indicating that the binding process is spontaneous. Binding of clofarabine with HSA and AAG induced ordered structures in both proteins and lead to molecular compaction. Clofarabine binds to HSA near to drug site II. Hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions were the main bonding forces between HSA-clofarabine and AAG-clofarabine as revealed by docking results. This study suggests the importance of binding of anticancer drug to AAG spatially in the diseases like cancers where the plasma concentration of AAG increases many folds. Design of drug dosage can be adjusted accordingly to achieve optimal treatment outcome.

Fibrillogenesis of human serum albumin in the presence of levodopa - spectroscopic, calorimetric and microscopic studies.

Studying amyloid associated neurodegenerative diseases is an active area of research. Cure for these diseases are still to be discovered. In the present study we have performed comprehensive biophysical and computational experiments showing levodopa not only significantly inhibits heat induced fibrillization of human serum albumin but also disaggregates preformed fibrils. Thioflavin T (ThT) binding assay was used to monitor the fibrillation process of human serum albumin (HSA) at 65°C in the presence and absence of levodopa. Binding of levodopa was studied using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), binding constant was found to be 3.6×103M-1. Thermal stabilization effect of levodopa on HSA was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Microscopic imaging techniques were employed to analyze the morphology of aggregates and effect of levodopa on aggregation. Further, molecular docking study was also utilized to decipher the amino acid residues involved in the binding interaction of levodopa with HSA. Levodopa interferes in the Fibrillogenesis of HSA by interacting with the amino acid residues near to drug binding site II on the HSA with the binding constant of the order of 103 and stabilizes the protein. The results are indicative of the potential use of levodopa as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of amyloid diseases.

Purification and partial characterization of serine-metallokeratinase from a newly isolated Bacillus pumilus NRC21.

A serine metallokeratinase enzyme (30 kDa) produced by a newly isolated Bacillus strain (Bacillus pumilus NRC21) cultivated under optimized conditions in medium containing chicken feather meal was purified and characterized in a set of biochemical assays. The purification was carried out using two successive chromatographic steps; cation exchange chromatography on CM-cellulose and gel filtration on sephadex G-100 columns. The purified enzyme showed a specific activity of 2000 units/mg protein against 170 units/mg protein for crude extract with 12 fold purification. The enzymatic activity of the keratinase stimulated by (Na(+), K(+), Mg(2+)), Hg(+2) had no effect, and inhibited by entire tested cations, serine and metalloproteinase inhibitors, therefore it can be considered as a serine metalloenzyme. The optimum pH and temperature for the purified enzyme were (7.5, 8.5) and (50, 45 °C) when using keratin azure and azocasein as substrates, respectively. The purified enzyme was highly stable at broad pH and temperature ranged (5-10) and (20-60 °C), respectively and its thermoactivity and thermostability were enhanced in the presence of 5 mM Mg(+2). These results suggest that the purified keratinase may be used in several industrial applications.