Comprehensive analysis of phospholipid in milk and their biological roles as nutrients and biomarkers.

Phospholipids (PL) have garnered significant attention due to their physiological activities. Milk and other dairy products are important dietary sources for humans and have been extensively used to analyze the presence of PL by various analytical techniques. In this paper, the analysis techniques of PL were reviewed with the eight trigrams of phospholipidomics and a comprehensive fingerprint of 1295 PLs covering 8 subclasses in milk and other dairy products, especially. Technology is the primary productive force. Based on phospholipidomics technology, we further review the relationship between the composition of PL and factors that may be involved in processing and experimental operation, and emphasized the significance of the biological role played by PL in dietary supplements and biomarkers (production, processing and clinical research), and providing the future research directions.

Benzimidazole-Resistant Isolates with E198A/V/K Mutations in the ß-Tubulin Gene Possess Different Fitness and Competitive Ability in Botrytis cinerea.

Previous studies in Botrytis cinerea showed that resistance to methyl benzimidazole carbamates (MBCs) was mainly related to E198A/V/K and F200Y mutations of the ß-tubulin gene, and E198V was the dominant mutation in the resistant subpopulation in Hubei Province of China, indicating that resistant mutations might influence fitness. However, little is known about the effect of each E198A/V/K mutation on fitness. In this study, the fitness and competitive ability of isolates with E198A/V/K mutations were investigated. Results showed that E198A/V/K isolates and wild-type isolates shared similar fitness components in terms of virulence, sporulation, conidial germination, oxidative sensitivity, and sclerotial production and viability. However, slower mycelial growth at 4°C, higher sensitivity to 4% NaCl, and increased sclerotial production percentage at 4°C were observed in the isolates with E198V, E198K, and E198A mutations, respectively. Competitive analysis showed that the wild-type subpopulation became dominant after three disease cycles in the absence of fungicide selection pressure, whereas the resistant subpopulation seized the space of the sensitive subpopulation upon MBC application. Unexpectedly, the frequency of E198V isolates decreased dramatically after the first disease cycle with or without fungicide selection pressure. These results suggest that MBC-resistant isolates suffer little fitness penalty but possess competitive disadvantages in the absence of fungicide selection pressure. Under fungicide selection pressure, E198V isolates could not compete with E198A/K isolates. According to the current results, there is a great possibility that the E198V mutation will lose dominance in the future in China.

Isolation and identification of new chemical constituents from Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum) and toxicological evaluation of raw and cooked Chinese chive.

Chinese chive (jiu cai) is a popular vegetable in China and has a unique flavour and aroma. The molecular basis of the characteristic fragrance and nutritional properties of Chinese chive has not been previously identified. Sequential extractions in a series of solvents and high-performance liquid chromatography were used to isolate 40 compounds from Chinese chive. The compounds were identified based on high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectra, 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, and circular dichroism spectra. Eight novel compounds were identified-four new pyrazines, which have distinctive flavour; one new lignan; and three new flavonoids-together with 32 known compounds. Several of these compounds have potential applications as health-promoting dietary supplements, food additives, or seasonings. Additionally, the volatile organic compounds in fresh and steamed Chinese chive were compared, and the toxicological activity of extracts from fresh and steamed Chinese chive was tested in normal rat liver (IAR20) and kidney (NRK) cells. The results showed that Chinese chive is toxic to liver and kidney cells when fresh, but is safe after heating. This could explain why it is traditional to eat cooked Chinese chive. A possible metabolic rule regarding pyrazines is postulated based on this data, and a human metabolic pathway is suggested for two of the novel compounds which have the highest amount of Chinese chive extracts.

Biosensor of alkaline phosphatase based on non-fluorescent FRET of Eu3+-doped oxide nanoparticles and phosphorylated peptide labeled with cyanine dye.

Dephosphorylation of biomolecules under the catalysis of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is a critical physiological process. Abnormal levels of ALP activity have been associated with a number of diseases; thus, a simple and sensitive assay of ALP activity is highly demanded. Herein, to simulate biological conditions, we labeled a hydrosoluble phosphorylated heptapeptide Gly-Pro-Gly-Asn-p-Tyr-Gly-Ala (pGA) with aminated heptamethine cyanine dye (Cy) to give a low fluorescent labeled peptide Cy-pGA. The synthesized Cy-pGA and Eu3+-doped oxide Y0.6Eu0.4VO4 nanoparticles (NPs) were employed respectively as acceptor and donor to in situ form a non-fluorescent Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) Cy-pGA-NP system, with the help of the strong interaction between Eu3+ ions in the NPs and phosphate group in Cy-pGA. The breaking of the FRET system of Cy-pGA-NP was triggered by the removal of phosphate group in Cy-pGA catalyzed by ALP and resulting in the release of fluorescent Y0.6Eu0.4VO4 NPs. Thus, the formed Cy-pGA-NP as a sensitive sensor can very well respond to the activity of ALP by measuring the time-resolved fluorescent intensity at near-infrared 617 nm (λ ex = 320 nm, delay time 400 µs). This sensor can not only accurately measure the activity of ALP (1-5 mU/mL) in the designed solutions, but it can also be applied to detect the activity of ALP in biological samples, such as cell lysate and human serum, without the interference of autofluorescent background of biosamples and screen ALP inhibitor by a simple mix-and-measure manner. Graphical abstract A biosensor of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) based on non-fluorescent FRET of Eu3+-doped oxide Y0.6Eu0.4VO4 nanoparticles and the phosphorylated heptapeptide labeled with cyanine dye (Cy-pGA).