Cold atmospheric plasma treatment enhances recombinant model protein production in yeast Pichia pastoris.

Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) has been described as a novel technology with expanding applications in biomedicine and biotechnology. In the present study, we provide a mildly stressful condition using non-lethal doses of CAP (120, 180, and 240 s) and evaluate its potential benefits on the recombinant production of a model protein (enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)) in yeast Pichia pastoris. The measured eGFP fluorescence augmented proportional to CAP exposure time. After 240 s treatment with CAP, the measured fluorescent intensity of culture supernatant (after 72 h) and results of real-time PCR (after 24 h) indicated an 84% and 76% increase in activity and related RNA concentration, respectively. Real-time analysis of a list of genes involved in oxidative stress response revealed a significant and durable improvement in their expression at five h and 24 h following CAP exposure. The improvement of the recombinant model protein production may be partly explained by the impact of the RONS on cellular constituents and altering the expression of specific stress genes. In conclusion, using CAP strategy may be considered a valuable strategy to improve recombinant protein production, and deciphering the molecular background mechanism could be inspiring in the reverse metabolic engineering of host cells.

An overview of the vaccine platforms to combat COVID-19 with a focus on the subunit vaccines.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging virus that has caused the recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic. The current approved COVID-19 vaccines have shown considerable efficiency against hospitalization and death. However, the continuation of the pandemic for more than two years and the likelihood of new strain emergence despite the global rollout of vaccination highlight the immediate need for the development and improvement of vaccines. mRNA, viral vector, and inactivated virus vaccine platforms were the first members of the worldwide approved vaccine list. Subunit vaccines. which are vaccines based on synthetic peptides or recombinant proteins, have been used in lower numbers and limited countries. The unavoidable advantages of this platform, including safety and precise immune targeting, make it a promising vaccine with wider global use in the near future. This review article summarizes the current knowledge on different vaccine platforms, focusing on the subunit vaccines and their clinical trial advancements against COVID-19.

Improving AOX1 promoter efficiency by overexpression of Mit1 transcription factor.

BACKGROUND: Reprogramming in transcriptional regulation provides an effective tool for adjusting cellular metabolic activities. The strong methanol-inducible alcohol oxidase-1 promoter (pAOX1) is commonly used for heterologous gene expression in the yeast Pichia pastoris. Here, we present a novel Pichia pastoris strain engineered to co-express methanol-induced transcription factor 1 (Mit1) and the target protein. Mit1 upregulates pAOX1 in response to methanol. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two model proteins (VEGF and eGFP) have been used as the target proteins under the control of pAOX1. The sequence of Mit1 had obtained from the yeast genome and likewise cloned under the control of pAOX1. The results indicated a 1.9 and 2.2 fold increase in the detected VEGF and eGFP, respectively, when co-expressed with Mit1. Furthermore, the double-recombinant cells, containing Mit-1 and eGFP, produced 1.3 fold more eGFP when the methanol feeding concentration was doubled. The real-time PCR indicated a slight increase in the Mit1 expression, probably due to the negative regulatory feedback loop that exists for the intrinsic yeast Mit1. Overexpression of Mit1 also led to duplication of AOX1 enzyme activity, which may enhance the yeast cells' capacity for methanol detoxification. CONCLUSION: Overexpression of Mit1 could be considered a promising strategy for upregulation of target recombinant proteins in Pichia pastoris. Intracellular overexpression of Mit1 upregulates the heterologous target gene (eGFP) production, which is expressed under the control of pAOX1.

Expression of functional eGFP-fused antigen-binding fragment of ranibizumab in Pichia pastoris.

Introduction: Ranibizumab is a mouse monoclonal antibody fragment antigen-binding (Fab) against human vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), inhibiting angiogenesis. This antibody is commercially produced in Escherichia coli host and used to treat wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: In this study, the heavy and light chains of ranibizumab were expressed in Pichia pastoris. The expressed chains were incubated overnight at 4°C for interaction. The formation of an active structure was evaluated based on the interaction with substrate VEGF-A using an indirect ELISA, and an electrochemical setup. Furthermore, reconstruction of split enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) reporter, chimerized at the C-terminus of the heavy and light chains, was used to characterize chains' interaction. Results: P. pastoris efficiently expressed designed constructs and secreted them into the culture medium. The anti-Fab antibody detected the constructed Fab structure in western blot analysis. Reconstruction of the split reporter confirmed the interaction between heavy and light chains. The designed ELISA and electrochemical setup results verified the binding activity of the recombinant Fab structure against VEGF-A. Conclusion: In this work, we indicated that the heavy and light chains of ranibizumab Fab fragments (with or without linkage to split parts of eGFP protein) were produced in P. pastoris. The fluorescence of reconstructed eGFP was detected after incubating the equal ratio of chimeric-heavy and light chains. Immunoassay and electrochemical tests verified the bioactivity of constructed Fab. The data suggested that P. pastoris could be considered a potential efficient eukaryotic host for ranibizumab production.

Expression, characterization, and activity optimization of a novel cellulase from the thermophilic bacteria Cohnella sp. A01.

Cellulases are hydrolytic enzymes with wide scientific and industrial applications. We described a novel cellulase, CelC307, from the thermophilic indigenous Cohnella sp. A01. The 3-D structure of the CelC307 was predicted by comparative modeling. Docking of CelC307 with specific inhibitors and molecular dynamic (MD) simulation revealed that these ligands bound in a non-competitive manner. The CelC307 protein was purified and characterized after recombinant expression in Escherichia coli (E. coli) BL21. Using CMC 1% as the substrate, the thermodynamic values were determined as Km 0.46 mM, kcat 104.30 × 10-3 (S-1), and kcat/Km 226.73 (M-1 S-1). The CelC307 was optimally active at 40 °C and pH 7.0. The culture condition was optimized for improved CelC307 expression using Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken design as follows: temperature 20 °C, pH 7.5, and inoculation concentration with an OD600 = 1. The endoglucanase activity was positively modulated in the presence of Na+, Li+, Ca2+, 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME), and glycerol. The thermodynamic parameters calculated for CelC307 confirmed its inherent thermostability. The characterized CelC307 may be a suitable candidate for various biotechnological applications.

A highly-sensitive vascular endothelial growth factor-A(165) immunosensor, as a tool for early detection of cancer.

Biomarkers can be ideal indicators for assessing the risk of the presence of a disease. In this study, a label-free electrochemical biosensor was designed to quantify the vascular endothelial growth factor A (165) (VEGF-A(165)) antigen, using reduced graphene oxide-gold nanoparticle for early detection of breast cancer. The conductivity of gold nanoparticle along with its biocompatibility provide an enhanced surface, suitable for anti-VEGF antibody immobilization. 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid was used to facilitate a single-step and convenient bonding of the antibodies to the surface, compared to previous studies. The dynamic range of the biosensor was between 20 to 120 pg/ml and its limit of detection of the biomarker VEGF-A(165) was obtained to be about 0.007 pg/ml, using different electric signal transduction modes. Hence, the biosensor is a beneficial immunosensor with high sensitivity and ideal dynamic range for early-stage diagnosis of breast cancer and other cancers diseases associated with expression of VEGF-A(165). The as-prepared immunosensor could be efficiently employed for designing a point-of-care diagnostic platform.

A novel thermostable alkaline histamine oxidase from Glutamicibacter sp. N1A3101, induced by histamine and its analogue betahistine.

Biogenic amines (BAs) are low molecular weight organic bases formed by natural amino acids decarboxylation and trigger an array of toxicological effects in humans and animals. Bacterial amine oxidases enzymes are determined as practical tools to implement the rapid quantification of BAs in foods. Our study set out to obtain a new efficient, amine oxidase enzyme for developing new enzyme-based quantification of histamine. The soils from different sources were screened using histamine as sole carbon and nitrogen sources, and histamine oxidase producing bacteria were selected and identified using specific primers for histamine oxidase (HOD) gene. The HOD gene of six strains, out of 26 isolated histamine-utilizing bacteria, were amplified using our designed primers. The HOD enzyme from Glutamicibacter sp. N1A3101, isolated from nettle soil, was found to be thermostable and showed the highest substrate specificity toward the histamine and with no detected activity in the presence of putrescine, cadaverine, spermine, and spermidine. Its oxidation activity toward tyramine was lower than other HOD reported so far. The isolated enzyme was stable at 60 °C for 30 min and showed pH stability ranging from 6 to 9. Furthermore, we indicated the induction of identified HOD activity in the presence of betahistine as well, with nearly equal efficiency and without the consumption of the substrate.

pMOX: a new powerful promoter for recombinant protein production in yeast Pichia pastoris.

AOX1 promoter (pAOX1) is a robust inducible promoter highly preferred for the production of recombinant proteins in Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris). However, repression by other carbon sources and induction by methanol, which is a fire hazard chemical and undesirable for industrial production, are remarkable drawbacks in large-scale use of this promoter. Hence, novel strong regulatory promoters are highly desired. In the present study, the promoter region of methanol oxidase gene (pMOX), from Hansenula polymorpha, was explored for the heterologous expression of foreign proteins in protease deficient and wild type P. pastoris strains. The promoter region of MOX was isolated and replaced with the pAOX1 in the pPINK-HC plasmid. The activity of pMOX and pAOX1 was compared using endoglucanase 3 (CMC3) and endoglucanase II (EgII) enzymes as the reporter proteins. Evaluation of carbon sources on pMOX activity showed complete inactivation in the presence of xylose and sorbitol and high activity by glycerol, glucose and methanol feeding. Furthermore, the results indicated that increasing the gene dosage and using protease deficient-trait significantly increased CMC3 and EgII expression under the control of pMOX. In conclusion, in this study, a new small powerful and methanol-free promoter is introduced for recombinant protein production in yeast P. pastoris.

Evaluation of Erythroferrone, Hepcidin, and Iron Overload Status in Iraqi Transfusion-Dependent ß-Thalassemia Major Patients.

Patients with ß-thalassemia major (ß-TM) show ineffective erythropoiesis and iron overload, which is the leading cause of mortality and organ injury. The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between two iron regulatory hormones, hepcidin and erythroferrone (ERFE) levels, and iron status parameters in Iraqi patients with ß-TM. Iron status parameters and hormones were measured in 60 patients and compared with 30 healthy controls. The results indicated significant changes in different iron status parameters, while ferritin with the ∼11-fold increase showed the most change. Significant reduction in hepcidin and an increase in ERFE levels were detected in patients when compared to the control group, while no direct correlation was identified with the other measured iron status parameters. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that the z-score of the composite of ERFE + ferritin has a full diagnostic ability for ß-TM. In conclusion, our findings indicated the correlation between different iron status parameters and ferritin as the leading predictor of iron overload and two main iron regulatory hormones.

Structural and biochemical characterization of a novel thermophilic Coh01147 protease.

Proteases play an essential role in living organisms and represent one of the largest groups of industrial enzymes. The aim of this work was recombinant production and characterization of a newly identified thermostable protease 1147 from thermophilum indigenous Cohnella sp. A01. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that protease 1147 is closely related to the cysteine proteases from DJ-1/ThiJ/PfpI superfamily, with the conserved catalytic tetrad. Structural prediction using MODELLER 9v7 indicated that protease 1147 has an overall α/ß sandwich tertiary structure. The gene of protease 1147 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) BL21. The recombinant protease 1147 appeared as a homogenous band of 18 kDa in SDS-PAGE, which was verified by western blot and zymography. The recombinant protein was purified with a yield of approximately 88% in a single step using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. Furthermore, a rapid one-step thermal shock procedure was successfully implemented to purify the protein with a yield of 73%. Using casein as the substrate, Km, and kcat, kcat/Km values of 13.72 mM, 3.143 × 10-3 (s-1), and 0.381 (M-1 S-1) were obtained, respectively. The maximum protease activity was detected at pH = 7 and 60°C with the inactivation rate constant (kin) of 2.10 × 10-3 (m-1), and half-life (t1/2) of 330.07 min. Protease 1147 exhibited excellent stability to organic solvent, metal ions, and 1% SDS. The protease activity was significantly enhanced by Tween 20 and Tween 80 and suppressed by cysteine protease specific inhibitors. Docking results and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation revealed that Tween 20 interacted with protease 1147 via hydrogen bonds and made the structure more stable. CD and fluorescence spectra indicated structural changes taking place at 100°C, very basic and acidic pH, and in the presence of Tween 20. These properties make this newly characterized protease a potential candidate for various biotechnological applications.

Enhancing chimeric hydrophobin II-vascular endothelial growth factor A165 expression in Pichia pastoris and its efficient purification using hydrophobin counterpart.

We report cloning and expressing of recombinant human VEGF-A165, fused at the N-terminal with Hydrophobin II (HFBII) from Trichoderma reseei, in yeast Pichia pastoris. We validated the construct using SDS-PAGE and ELISA against VEGF-A165 and efficiently performed protein purification and enrichment based on HFBII counterpart and using an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) with nonionic surfactant X-114. We studied the effects of various culture medium additives and interaction effects of positive factors to increase the recombinant HFBII-VEGF-A165 production. Supplementing the Pichia pastoris cell culture medium with Mg2+, Polysorbate 20 (PS 20), and 4-phenylbutyrate (PBA) improved the expression of the chimeric protein. Orthogonal experiments showed that the optimal condition to achieve maximal HFBII-VEGF-A165 production was with the addition of PBA, PS 20, and MgSO4. Under this condition, the production of the target protein was 4.5 times more than that in the medium without the additives. Overall, our approach to produce chimeric HFBII-VEGF-A165 and selectively capture it in ATPS is promising for large-scale protein production without laborious downstream processing.

Promoting hepatogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells using a novel laminin-containing gelatin cryogel scaffold.

Liver transplantation is the only definitive treatment currently available for acute and chronic liver failure. However, this approach has been restricted by complications including rejection and infection. Tissue engineering approaches using stem cell-derived functional hepatic cells offer a potential alternative. Using biologically compatible scaffolds is an important complementary key to achieve optimal construct for hepatic replacement. In the present study, to optimize the differentiation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) toward hepatocyte-like cells, a previously described gelatin cryogel was optimized and improved by laminin, the major component of basal lamina. The ADMSCs seeded on the scaffold displayed increased attachment in the presence of laminin and the MTT assay showed good compatibility for cell proliferation. The differentiation of stem cells were evaluated using glycogen staining, urea secretion measurement, hepatocyte specific cell surface analysis and gene expression analysis. The results of tests indicated that laminin protein and gelatin cryogel 3D scaffold, each on its own, enhanced hepatogenic differentiation of ADMSCs. However, when laminin immobilized on the gelatin cryogel surface, the differentiation was promoted significantly and the resulting cells showed striking similarity to HepG2 in terms of expressing studied hepatocyte markers.

The effect of non-thermal atmospheric plasma on the production and activity of recombinant phytase enzyme.

Atmospheric pressure cold plasma (ACP) is introduced as a useful tool in a variety of biological applications. Proteins are the most abundant macromolecules in living systems with a central role in all biological processes. These organic molecules are modified by ACP exposure that is responsible for many of ACP's biological effects. This study evaluated the effect of ACP on the production of recombinant phytase in yeast Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris) as well as the structure and function of the phytase enzyme. The results indicated that yeast cells treated with ACP, directly or indirectly, produced higher amounts of recombinant phytase, which was associated with the time of ACP treatment. The exposure of commercial phytase solution with ACP caused a significant increase in the enzyme activity (125%) after 4 hours. Evaluation of the phytase solution by far- and near-UV circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence analysis indicated that this protein maintained its secondary structure when exposed to ACP while the tertiary structure was slightly unfolded. The effects of heat and H2O2 on the phytase structure and function were compared with the effect of ACP treatment. The modification of Cys, Tyr and Trp amino acids upon reactive oxygen/nitrogen spices was simulated using a molecular dynamics approach. RMSF and RMSD analysis suggested that this structural alteration occurs owing to changes made by reactive species in accessible amino acids.

Changes in biophysical characteristics of PFN1 due to mutation causing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Single amino acid mutations in profilin 1 (PFN1) have been found to cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Recently, we developed a mouse model for ALS using a PFN1 mutation (glycine 118 to valine, G118V), and we are now interested in understanding how PFN1 becomes toxically lethal with only one amino acid substitution. Therefore, we studied mutation-related changes in the PFN1 protein and hypothesized that such changes significantly disturb its structure. Initially, we expressed and studied the purified PFN1WT and PFN1G118V proteins from bacterial culture. We found that the PFN1G118V protein has a different mean residue ellipticity, as measured by far-UV circular dichroism, accompanied by a spectral shift. The intrinsic fluorescence of PFN1G118V showed a small fluctuation in maximum fluorescence absorption and intensity. Moreover, we examined the time course of PFN1 aggregation using SDS-PAGE, western blotting, and MALDI-TOF/TOF and found that compared with PFN1WT, PFN1G118V had an increased tendency to form aggregates. Dynamic light scattering data confirmed this, showing a larger size distribution for PFN1G118V. Our data explain why PFN1G118V tends to aggregate, a phenotype that may be the basis for its neurotoxicity.

The enhancement of differentiating adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells toward hepatocyte like cells using gelatin cryogel scaffold.

Liver tissue engineering creates a promising methodology for developing functional tissue to restore or improve the function of lost or damaged liver by using appropriate cells and biologically compatible scaffolds. The present paper aims to study the hepatogenic potential of human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADSCs) on a 3D gelatin scaffold in vitro. For this purpose, mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from human adipose tissue and characterized by flowcytometry analysis and mesodermal lineage differentiation capacity. Then, porous cryogel scaffolds were fabricated by cryogelating the gelatin using glutaraldehyde as the crosslinking agent. The structure of the scaffolds as well as the adhesion and proliferation of the cells were then determined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis and MTT assay, respectively. The efficiency of hepatic differentiation of hADSCs on 2D and 3D culture systems has been assessed by means of morphological, cytological, molecular and biochemical approaches. Based on the results of flowcytometry, the isolated cells were positive for hMSC specific markers and negative for hematopoietic markers. Further, the multipotency of these cells was confirmed by adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation and the highly porous structure of scaffolds was characterized by SEM images. Biocompatibility was observed in the fabricated gelatin scaffolds and the adhesion and proliferation of hADSCs were promoted without any cytotoxicity effects. In addition, compared to 2D TCPS, the fabricated scaffolds provided more appropriate microenvironment resulting in promoting the differentiation of hADSCs toward hepatocyte-like cells with higher expression of hepatocyte-specific markers and appropriate functional characteristics such as increased levels of urea biosynthesis and glycogen storage. Finally, the created 3D gelatin scaffold could provide an appropriate matrix for hepatogenic differentiation of hADSCs, which could be considered for liver tissue engineering applications.

Enhancement of Alpha 1-antitrypsin Production in Pichia pastoris by Designing and Optimizing Medium Using Elemental Analysis.

Background: Human alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT) is a monomeric glycosylated protein; it is the potent inhibitor of a whole range of serine proteases and protects tissues against their destructive effects. The human plasma-derived AAT, which is currently used to augment the AAT level in patients, is limited due to high cost and source limitation. Recombinant production of AAT can be considered as a potential alternative. Objectives: This study aims to develop and optimize a new chemically defi ned medium based on an elemental analysis of the yeast Pichia pastoris for an effi cient culture of the recombinant yeast-producing secretory AAT. Materials and Methods: An elemental analysis of Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Nitrogen (N), Sulfur (S); CHNS in its abbreviated form, and metallic elements was performed to determine the exact molecular constituent of the P. pastoris. The medium components were selected according to the obtained formula; they were optimized by the response surface methodology (RSM). The grown yeast cell was measured at the end of 18 h glycerol batch culture. The amounts of AAT production and elastase inhibitory capacity (EIC) were measured at the end of three days' methanol feeding. Results: The optimized medium compositions consist of glycerol (40 g.L-1), KH2PO4 (24.78 g.L-1), NaCl, (0.88 g.L-1), MgSO4 .7H2 O (1.95 g.L-1), (NH4 )2 SO4 (22.76 g.L-1), and trace elements (20 mL.L-1). The presented quadratic models show that KH2 PO4 and (NH4)2 SO4, are the most abundant ones in the P. pastoris biomass and have the greatest effect on the cell growth, EIC, and AAT protein production responses. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that the characterizing cell composition formula could be considered as an appropriate method to design culture media in order to improve cell growth and productivity. Compared to the common P. pastoris chemically defi ned media, FM22 and BSM, production of AAT protein increased by 1.5 and 1.4 times, respectively, in this new medium.

Personalized disease-specific protein corona influences the therapeutic impact of graphene oxide.

The hard corona, the protein shell that is strongly attached to the surface of nano-objects in biological fluids, is recognized as the first layer that interacts with biological objects (e.g., cells and tissues). The decoration of the hard corona (i.e., the type, amount, and conformation of the attached proteins) can define the biological fate of the nanomaterial. Recent developments have revealed that corona decoration strongly depends on the type of disease in human patients from which the plasma is obtained as a protein source for corona formation (referred to as the 'personalized protein corona'). In this study, we demonstrate that graphene oxide (GO) sheets can trigger different biological responses in the presence of coronas obtained from various types of diseases. GO sheets were incubated with plasma from human subjects with different diseases/conditions, including hypofibrinogenemia, blood cancer, thalassemia major, thalassemia minor, rheumatism, fauvism, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and pregnancy. Identical sheets coated with varying protein corona decorations exhibited significantly different cellular toxicity, apoptosis, and uptake, reactive oxygen species production, lipid peroxidation and nitrogen oxide levels. The results of this report will help researchers design efficient and safe, patient-specific nano biomaterials in a disease type-specific manner for clinical and biological applications.

Elevating the expression level of biologically active recombinant human alpha 1-antitrypsin in Pichia pastoris

Background: Human alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT) is a potent inhibitor of multiple serine proteases, and protects tissues against their harmful effects. Individuals with reduced or abnormal production of this inhibitor need intravenous administration of exogenous protein. In this study, we employed the methylotrophic (methanol utilizing) yeast Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris) as a preferential host for efficient production and secretion of recombinant AAT. Furthermore, we examined different strategies to maximize the yield of the secreted protein. Results: Our findings revealed that optimizing the codon usage of AAT gene for P. pastoris had positive effects on the level of secreted AAT under the control of inducible alcohol oxidase 1 (AOX1) and constitutive glycerol aldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GAP) promoters. Compared to AOX1, the GAP promoter increased the yield of AAT by more than two fold. It was also demonstrated that the human AAT native signal sequence was more effective than the well-known yeast signal sequence, alpha mating factor (α-MF). Doubling gene dosage nearly doubled the production of AAT, though dosages exceeding this limit had negative effects on the yield. Conclusion: P. pastoris is shown to be an efficient expression system for production of recombinant and biologically active AAT. Also different strategies could be used to elevate the amount of this secretable protein.

Virtual screening of m3 protein antagonists for finding a model to study the gammaherpesvirus damaged immune system and chemokine related diseases.

INTRODUCTION: M3 protein is a chemokine decoy receptor involved in pathogenesis of persistent infection with gammaherpesvirus and complications related to the latency of this pathogen. We proposed that antagonists of the M3 would provide a unique opportunity for studying new therapeutic strategies in disordered immune system, immune-deficient states and role of chemokines in pathogenesis development. METHODS: Comparative modeling and fold recognition algorithms have been used for prediction of M3 protein 3-D model. Evaluation of the models using Q-mean and ProSA-web score, has led to choosing predicted model by fold recognition algorithm as the best model which was minimized regarding energy level using Molegro Virtual Docker 2011.4.3.0 (MVD) software. Pockets and active sites of model were recognized using MVD cavity detection, and MetaPocket algorithms. Ten thousand compounds accessible on KEGG database were screened; MVD was used for computer simulated docking study; MolDock SE was selected as docking scoring function and final results were evaluated based on MolDock and Re-rank score. RESULTS: Docking data suggested that prilocaine, which is generally applied as a topical anesthetic, binds strongly to 3-D model of M3 protein. CONCLUSION: This study proposes that prilocaine is a potential inhibitor of M3 protein and possibly has immune enhancing properties.

HIF-1α Overexpression Induces Angiogenesis in Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Stem cell therapy continues to be an innovative and promising strategy for heart failure. Stem cell injection alone, however, is hampered by poor cell survival and differentiation. This study was aimed to explore the possibility of improving stem cell therapy through genetic modification of stem cells, in order for them to promote angiogenesis in an auto- and paracrine manner under hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia inducible factor-1α was overexpressed in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by stable transduction using a lentiviral vector. Under hypoxic and normoxic conditions, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentration in the cells' supernatant was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Migration was assayed by wound healing and c-Met expression by flow cytometry. Tube formation was evaluated on a Matrigel basement membrane. The concentration of VEGF was significantly increased in the supernatant of HIF-1α-overexpressing MSCs; this medium was significantly more effective in inducing endothelial cell migration compared to untransduced MSCs. Transduced cells showed increased levels of c-Met expression and were more efficient at tube formation. However, no indication of differentiation toward an endothelial phenotype was observed. This study indicated that genetic modification of MSCs by HIF-1α overexpression has the potential to improve components of the angiogenesis process under a hypoxic condition by paracrine and autocrine mechanisms.