The molecular targets of Kangai injection in gastric cancer by in silico network pharmacology approach and experiment confirmation.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to identify the phytochemical constituents that could target gastric cancer in Kangai injection using a network pharmacology-based approach. METHODS: Protein-protein interactions (PPI), Gene Ontology, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were conducted utilizing String and OmicShare tools. In the in vitro experiments, the related mRNA and protein levels were assessed via real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. Cell proliferation was assessed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay. RESULTS: Kangai injection comprises several compounds, which target multiple substrates and pathways related to gastric cancer. The PPI and Gene Ontology analyses revealed that tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was a hub gene. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the the TNF pathway was significantly enriched. Kangai injection decreased the mRNA levels of TNFR2, TRAF2, PI3K, AKT, and IκBα and inhibited the phosphorylation of PI3K, AKT, and IκBα phosphorylations. Kangai injection inhibited cell proliferation, while TNFR2 overexpression or treatment with the PI3K activator 740 Y-P partially restored it. CONCLUSION: Kangai injection operates through multiple targets and pathways in gastric cancer, with the TNFR2/PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway playing a crucial role in its mechanism against gastric cancer.

Short communication: Bioinformatics-based mining of novel gene targets for identification of Cronobacter turicensis using PCR.

Cronobacter turicensis is a food-borne pathogen found in dairy products. It has been reported to cause bacteremia and enteritis in immunocompromised people, especially infants. Cronobacter turicensis has been isolated from various food sources, and contaminated powdered infant formula was found to be the most common source of infection among infants. Although some gene targets are used for the identification of C. turicensis, they are not specific at the species level. In this study, we analyzed the genome sequence of C. turicensis by bioinformatics and identified 13 specific gene targets. Primer sets targeting these sequences were designed and selected based on their specificity. Finally, primer set CT11, targeting gene CTU_19580, which codes for a hypothetical protein, was selected for development of the PCR assay because it alone produced positive PCR results for C. turicensis. To our knowledge, this is the first time that this gene target has been used to develop PCR detection assays for C. turicensis. The specific PCR assay had detection limits as low as 760 fg/µL for genomic DNA (approximately 158 copies/µL of DNA) and could detect C. turicensis in powdered infant formula with initial cell concentrations as low as 8.5 cfu per 10 g of powdered infant formula after 10 h of enrichment. Thus, this PCR assay is highly sensitive and can be used for rapid detection of C. turicensis.

Kinetics and equilibria of the chromatographic separation of maltose and trehalose.

Trehalose, a nonreducing disaccharide, has been extensively applied to food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical goods. The resultant solution of trehalose prepared by enzymatic methods includes high amounts of maltose. However, it is quite difficult to separate maltose and trehalose on an industrial scale because of their similar properties. In this paper, a high-performance resin was selected as a stationary phase to separate trehalose and maltose, and the resolution of these sugars was 0.59. The potential of a cation exchange resin was investigated as the stationary phase in separating trehalose and maltose using deionized water as the mobile phase. Based on the equilibrium dispersive model, the axial dispersion coefficients and overall mass transfer coefficients of maltose and trehalose were determined by moment analysis at two different temperatures, 50 and 70°C. Other parameters, including the column void and the adsorption isotherms, were also determined and applied to simulate the elution curves of trehalose and maltose. The simulated results matched the experimental data, validating the parameters. The optimized parameters are critical to the chromatographic separation of trehalose and maltose on an industrial scale.

Newly identified thermostable esterase from Sulfobacillus acidophilus: properties and performance in phthalate ester degradation.

EstS1, a newly identified thermostable esterase from Sulfobacillus acidophilus DSM10332, was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli and shown to enzymatically degrade phthalate esters (PAEs) to their corresponding monoalkyl PAEs. The optimal pH and temperature of the esterase were found to be 8.0 and 70°C, respectively. The half-life of EstS1 at 60°C was 15 h, indicating that the enzyme had good thermostability. The specificity constant (kcat/Km) of the enzyme for p-nitrophenyl butyrate was as high as 6,770 mM(-1) s(-1). The potential value of EstS1 was demonstrated by its ability to effectively hydrolyze 35 to 82% of PAEs (10 mM) within 2 min at 37°C, with all substrates being completely degraded within 24 h. At 60°C, the time required for complete hydrolysis of most PAEs was reduced by half. To our knowledge, this enzyme is a new esterase identified from thermophiles that is able to degrade various PAEs at high temperatures.

Accelerated myotube formation using bioprinting technology for biosensor applications.

Muscle-powered, biological, microelectro-mechanical system is promising for actuator and biosensor applications. Functional conjugation between the cells, tissues, and biomolecules to the microdevice is crucial for this application. Bioprinting as an enabling technology possesses the advantages of high throughput, digital control, and highly accurate delivery of various biological factors to the desired locations for numerous applications such as 3D tissue fabrication. We have now evaluated the feasibility of the precise placement of mouse myoblasts onto micro-sized cantilevers. The evenly aligned printed cells fused with each other and formed mature myotubes after only 4 days. In contrast, it took more than 14 days for randomly deposited cells to do so. The printed myotubes were functional and responded to the electrical stimulation synchronously. Furthermore, the integrated Bio-MEMS device responded to the chemical stimulation spontaneously which demonstrated the potential as a functional biosensor. The contractility of the system was recovered quickly after the removal of the chemical stimulation, which indicated the flexibility of this system and the recycling potential.

Crystallization and Performance of Polyamide Blends Comprising Polyamide 4, Polyamide 6, and Their Copolymers.

Polyamide 4 (PA4) is a biobased and biodegradable polyamide. The high hydrogen bond density of PA4 bestows it with a high melting point that is close to its thermal decomposition temperature, thereby limiting the melt processing of PA4. In this study, PA4 was blended with polyamide 6 (PA6) and further modified with copolyamide 4/6 (R46). The effects of composition on the crystallization behavior of the blends were studied. The results demonstrated that the binary PA4/PA6 (B46) and ternary PA4/PA6/R46 (B46/R46) blends formed two crystalline phases (PA4- and PA6-rich phases) through crystallization-induced phase separation. With increasing PA6 content, the thermal stability and crystallinity of the B46 blend increased and decreased, respectively, and the contribution of PA6 toward the crystallization of the PA4-rich phase diminished. Molecular dynamics simulations showed the molecular chain orientation of the B46 blends well. The melting points, crystallinities, and grain sizes of the B46/R46 blends were lower than those of the B46 blends. The crystallization of the PA4-rich phase was restrained by the dilution effect of molten-state PA6, and the nucleation and crystallization of the PA6-rich phase were promoted by the presence of crystallized PA4. The B46 blends with 30-40 wt% PA6 had the best mechanical properties.

Enhanced Low Molecular Weight Poly-γ-Glutamic Acid Production in Recombinant Bacillus subtilis 1A751 with Zinc Ion.

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is a novel biodegradable polyamide material. Microbial fermentation is the only way to produce γ-PGA, but the molecular weight of γ-PGA varied depending on different strains and culture conditions used. The molecular weight of γ-PGA is a main factor affecting the utilization of γ-PGA. It is urgent to find an efficient way to prepare γ-PGA with specific molecular weight, especially low molecular weight. Bacillus subtilis ECUST is a glutamate-dependent strain that produces γ-PGA. In this study, a recombinant B. subtilis harboring the γ-PGA synthase gene cluster pgsBCAE of our preciously identified γ-PGA-producing B. subtilis ECUST was constructed. Assay of γ-PGA contents and properties showed that recombinant B. subtilis 1A751-pBNS2-pgsBCAE obtained the ability to synthesize γ-PGA with low molecular weight (about 10 kDa). The excessive addition of glutamate inhibited the γ-PGA synthesis, while the addition of Zn2+ could promote the synthesis of γ-PGA by increasing the transcription of pgsB but had no effect on the molecular weight of synthesized γ-PGA. Under optimized conditions, γ-PGA produced by recombinant B. subtilis 1A751-pBNS2-pgsBCAE increased from initial 0.54 g/L to 3.9 g/L, and the glutamate conversion rate reached 78%. Recombinant B. subtilis 1A751-pBNS2-pgsBCAE has the potential for efficient preparation of low molecular weight γ-PGA.

One-step immobilization-purification of enzymes by carbohydrate-binding module family 56 tag fusion.

Immobilization of enzymes is an essential strategy with outstanding prospects in biocatalytic processes. Nontoxic, inexpensive immobilized enzyme approach is especially important for food enzymes. We here demonstrate that a carbohydrate-binding module family 56 domain (CBM56-Tag) mediates the immobilization of fusion enzymes with the curdlan (ß-1,3-glucan) particle support, thereby enabling the one-step immobilization-purification of target enzymes. CBM56-Tag exhibits an immunoglobulin-like ß-sandwich fold, which can be adsorbed by curdlan via hydrogen bond-mediated binding. The maximum adsorption capacity of a fusion chitosanase (CBM56-GsCsn46A) on curdlan is 50.72 mg/g. The immobilized enzyme could be directly used in the packed-bed reactor. This immobilization strategy utilizes a natural polysaccharide without any treatment, avoiding the negative environmental effects. Moreover, the one step immobilization-purification simplifies the purification step, which reduces the use of chemicals. Our study provides a nontoxic and inexpensive immobilization strategy for the biocatalytic reaction in food industry.

Expression and characterization of a novel cold-adapted chitosanase suitable for chitooligosaccharides controllable preparation.

Chitooligosaccharide is widely used as a functional food additive and a valuable pharmacological agent. The transformation of chitinous biomass into valuable bioactive chitooligosaccharides is one of the most exciting applications of chitosanase. A novel glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 46 chitosanase (GsCsn46A) from rhizobacterium Gynuella sunshinyii was cloned and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. GsCsn46A showed maximal activity at pH 5.5 and 30 °C. GsCsn46A featured remarkable cold-adapted property, which controllably hydrolyzed chitosan to three types of chitooligosaccharides at the mild reaction condition (reaction condition: pH 5.5 at 30 °C; method for stopping the reaction: 50 °C for 30 min). The yields of three types of chitooligosaccharides products (degree of polymerization (DP): 2-7, 2-5 and 2-3) were 70.9%, 87.1% and 94.6% respectively. This novel cold-adapted chitosanase provides a cleaner production process for the controllable preparation of chitooligosaccharides with the specific DP.

Increasing thermal stability of glutamate decarboxylase from Escherichia. coli by site-directed saturation mutagenesis and its application in GABA production.

Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) is an important bio-product used in pharmaceuticals, functional foods, and a precursor of the biodegradable plastic polyamide 4 (Nylon 4). Glutamate decarboxylase B (GadB) from Escherichia. coli is a highly active biocatalyst that can convert l-glutamate to GABA. However, its practical application is limited by the poor thermostability and only active under acidic conditions of GadB. In this study, we performed site-directed saturation mutagenesis of the N-terminal residues of GadB from Escherichia coli to improve its thermostability. A triple mutant (M6, Gln5Ile/Val6Asp/Thr7Gln) showed higher thermostability, with a 5.6 times (560%) increase in half-life value at 45 °C, 8.7 °C rise in melting temperature (Tm) and a 14.3 °C rise in the temperature at which 50% of the initial activity remained after 15 min incubation (T1550), compared to wild-type enzyme. Protein 3D structure analysis showed that the induced new hydrogen bonds in the same polypeptide chain or between polypeptide chains in E. coli GadB homo-hexamer may be responsible for the improved thermostability. Increased thermostability contributed to increased GABA conversion ability. After 12 h conversion of 3 mol/L l-glutamate, GABA produced and mole conversion rate catalyzed by M6 whole cells was 297 g/L and 95%, respectively, while those by wild-type GAD was 273.5 g/L and 86.2%, respectively.

The Association Between Physical Activity, Mental Status, and Social and Family Support with Five Major Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases Among Elderly People: A Cross-Sectional Study of a Rural Population in Southern China.

BACKGROUND: Non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) have become the top threat in China. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of major NCDs among the elderly population in rural areas in southern China and explore its associated social determinants. METHODS: A multistage cluster random sampling methodology was adopted to select a total of 9245 rural elderly people from 3860 rural households in Guangdong Province. Interviews and physical examinations were performed to collect patient information. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore factors associated with the presence of major NCDs. RESULTS: Over one-third (38.5%) of the study population suffered from five major NCDs. The grade of activities of daily living (ADL), mental status, and social relationship of elderly people without NCDs were better than those with NCDs. The major factors associated with the presence of NCDs among the elderly people included age (70-79 years group and 80-89 years group), education level (senior high/technical secondary school and junior college and above), mental status (concentration, enrichment and happy life and memory), relationship with neighbours, activities of daily living (ADL) (being able to climb three floors and bend over), physical activity, marital status (bereft), and living conditions (with offspring and family members). CONCLUSIONS: The study identified several social determinants associated with the presence of major NCDs. A higher level of family support and physical exercise might contribute to improved physical condition, mental status, and ADL among the elderly people in rural areas in southern China.