The N-terminal hydrophobicity modulates a distal structural domain conformation of zearalenone lacton hydrolase and its application in protein engineering.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is one of the most common mycotoxins in maize, wheat, barley, sorghum, rye and other grains. ZEN contamination in feed is an international health issue due to its estrogenicity by competitively binding to estrogen receptors. Enzymatic detoxification of ZEN is superior to physical and chemical methods in terms of safety, environmental impact and preserving nutritional value and palatability, but is hampered by both the currently limited repertoire of detoxifying enzymes and the lack of knowledge about their structure-function relationships. In this study, a ZEN lacton hydrolase candidate (ZHD11C) was identified from thermo-tolerant Fonsecaea multimorphosa CBS 102226, and characterized to be more thermostable than these reported homologues. An intriguing feature of ZHD11C is that the N-terminal hydrophobicity affects its thermal stability and causes conformational change of a domain far from the N-terminal. This finding was successfully applied to enhance the thermostability of the most active ZEN lacton hydrolase ZHD518 through rationally tailoring its N-terminal hydrophobicity. Our results not only provide more insights into the structure-function relationships of ZEN lacton hydrolases, but generate better candidate for bio-decontamination of zearalenone in feed industries.

Bilateral impairments of quadriceps neuromuscular function occur early after anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The study aimed to investigate the impairments in quadriceps neuromuscular function, including strength, rate of torque development (RTD) and activation failure (QAF) early after an ACL injury. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Thirty physically active patients with a primary ACL injury within three months, aged 18 to 40 years old, and who were scheduled for ACL reconstruction were included. Thirty matched healthy controls were also recruited. All the outcomes were measured on an isokinetic dynamometer with knee flexion at 45°. Quadriceps strength was measured by maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC). Early (RTD0-50) and late (RTD100-200) phases of RTD were retrieved from the MVIC test from 0 to 50 ms and 100-200 ms, respectively. QAF was quantified by the central activation ratio (CAR) measured by superimposed burst technique. The results of Mann-Whitney U test showed that compared with the healthy limbs, the injured limbs of the ACL group showed lower quadriceps strength (P < 0.001), RTD0-50 (P < 0.001) and RTD100-200 (P < 0.001); the uninjured limbs showed lower quadriceps strength (P = 0.009), RTD0-50 (P = 0.006) as well as greater QAF (P = 0.010). To conclude, bilateral quadriceps suffered from neuromuscular impairments early after an ACL injury.

A salt-stress-regulator from the Poplar R2R3 MYB family integrates the regulation of lateral root emergence and ABA signaling to mediate salt stress tolerance in Arabidopsis.

The roles of most MYB transcription factors (TFs) in the poplar remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that PtrSSR1, a salt-stress-regulator in the Populus trichocarpa R2R3 MYB gene family, mediates the tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis plants to salt stress. The transcripts of PtrSSR1 could be induced by salt stress rapidly in poplar. Subcellular localization and yeast assays indicated that PtrSSR1 encoded a nuclear protein with transactivation activity. The Arabidopsis transformants overexpressing PtrSSR1 clearly displayed lateral root emergence (LRE) inhibition compared with wild-type (Wt) under normal conditions; while upon NaCl treatment, the transformants showed improved tolerance, and the LRs emerged faster from salt-induced inhibition. A strong correlation could exist between the LRE mediated by PtrSSR1 and abscisic acid (ABA), mainly because the transformants displayed more sensitivity to exogenous ABA during both seed germination and LRE, and had a distinctly increased level of endogenous ABA. Furthermore, several ABA- and salt-related genes, such as NCED3, ABI1 and CBL1, were up-regulated. Thus, our results suggest that elevation in the endogenous ABA content bring alteration of plant LR development, and that the poplar R2R3 MYB TF PtrSSR1 vitally improve salt stress tolerance by integrating the regulation of LRE and ABA signaling in Arabidopsis.