Recent progress in the biosynthesis of dicarboxylic acids, a monomer of biodegradable plastics / 生物工程学报

Plastics are one of the most important polymers with huge global demand. However, the downsides of this polymer are that it is difficult to degrade, which causes huge pollution. The environmental-friendly bio-degradable plastics therefore could be an alternative and eventually fulfill the ever-growing demand from every aspect of the society. One of the building blocks of bio-degradable plastics is dicarboxylic acids, which have excellent biodegradability and numerous industrial applications. More importantly, dicarboxylic acid can be biologically synthesized. Herein, this review discusses the recent advance on the biosynthesis routes and metabolic engineering strategies of some of the typical dicarboxylic acids, in hope that it will help to provide inspiration to further efforts on the biosynthesis of dicarboxylic acids.

Prediction of the B cell epitope for the S protein of SARS coronavirus / 第三军医大学学报

Objective To predict the B cell epitopes for S protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus. Methods Based on SARS coronavirus genome sequence and the analysis of the flexible regions of secondary structure for S protein, the B cell epitopes for S protein were predicted by methods of Kyte Doolittle hydrophilicity plot, Emini, and Jameson Wolf. Results The computer predicted most possible epitopes for S protein were located within or nearby its N terminal No. 91-98, 1121-1153 and 185-193. The N terminal No. 1050-1059, 752-765, 41-50, 666-674, 264-287, 340-348, 408-416, and 424-439 may be the possible B cell epitopes. Conclusion Prediction of the B cell epitopes for the S protein based on multiple parameters is helpful for the identification of B cell epitopes using experimental methods.