Glycerol-3-Phosphate Acyltransferase Contributes to Triacylglycerol Biosynthesis,Lipid Droplet Formation,and Host Invasion in Metarhizium robertsii

Enzymes involved in the triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis have been well studied in the model organisms of yeasts and animals. Among these, the isoforms of glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) redundantly catalyze the first and rate-limiting step in glycerolipid synthesis. Here, we report the functions of mrGAT, a GPAT ortholog, in an insect-pathogenic fungus, Metarhizium robertsii. Unlike in yeasts and animals, a single copy of the mrGAT gene is present in the fungal genome and the gene deletion mutant is viable. Compared to the wild type and the gene-rescued mutant, the ΔmrGAT mutant demonstrated reduced abilities to produce conidia and synthesize TAG, glycerol, and total lipids. More importantly, we found that mrGAT is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum and directly linked to the formation of lipid droplets (LDs) in fungal cells. Insect bioassay results showed that mrGAT is required for full fungal virulence by aiding fungal penetration of host cuticles. Data from this study not only advance our understanding of GPAT functions in fungi but also suggest that filamentous fungi such as M. robertsii can serve as a good model to elucidate the role of the glycerol phosphate pathway in fungal physiology, particularly to determine the mechanistic connection of GPAT to LD formation.     

Actively Tunable Fano Resonance Based on a T-Shaped Graphene Nanodimer

We present the strength modulation and frequency tuning of Fano resonance by employing a graphene nanodimer formed by two coplanar perpendicular nanostrips with different dimensions. The Fano resonance is induced by destructive interference between the bright dipole mode of a short nanostrip and the dark quadrupole mode of a long nanostrip. The strength, line width, and resonance frequency of the Fano resonance can be actively modulated by changing the spatial separation of those two graphene nanostrips and the Fermi energy of the graphene nanodimer, respectively, without re-fabricating the nanostructures. The tuning of the strength and resonance frequency can be attributed to the coupling strength and optical properties of graphene, respectively. Importantly, a figure of merit value as high as 39 is achieved in the proposed nanostructures. Our results may provide potential applications in optical switching and bio-chemical sensing.     

Enhanced Biological Behavior of In Vitro Human Gingival Fibroblasts on Cold Plasma-Treated Zirconia

ObjectiveTo evaluate whether atmospheric-pressure dielectric-barrier-discharge plasma treatment of zirconia enhances its biocompatibility with human gingival fibroblasts.ResultsAfter plasma treatment, the surface morphology and roughness remained the same, while the contact angle decreased from 78.31° to 43.71°, and the surface C/O ratio decreased from 3.17 to 0.89. The surficial areas and perimeters of HGFs were increased two-fold in the treated groups at 3 h. Fibroblasts density increased on treated disks at all time points, especially the ones treated for 60 s. Attachment-related genes in the groups treated for 30 and 60 s were significantly higher at 3 and 24 h.ConclusionThe helium atmospheric-pressure dielectric-barrier-discharge plasma treatment enhances the biological behavior of fibroblasts on zirconia by increasing the expression of attachment-related genes within 24 h and promoting the cell density during longer culture times. Wettability of zirconia, an important physicochemical property, has a vital influence on the cell behaviors.     

1H, 13C and 15N resonance assignment of truncated SUMO from Trypanosoma brucei

SUMO (small ubiquitin-like modifier) plays important roles in diverse processes by posttranslationally modifying many proteins. Here we report the resonance assignment of the truncated SUMO from Trypanosoma brucei.     

Diverse Secondary Metabolites Produced by Marine‐Derived Fungus Nigrospora sp. MA75 on Various Culture Media

Bioassay‐guided isolation of a fungal strain Nigrospora sp. MA75, an endophytic fungus obtained from the marine semi‐mangrove plant Pongamia pinnata, which was fermented on three different culture media, resulted in the isolation and identification of seven known compounds, 2, 3 , and 5 – 9 , from a medium containing 3.5% NaCl, while a new compound, 2,3‐didehydro‐19α‐hydroxy‐14‐epicochlioquinone B ( 10 ) was obtained from the medium containing 3.5% NaI. In addition, two new griseofulvin derivatives, 6‐O‐desmethyldechlorogriseofulvin ( 1 ) and 6′‐hydroxygriseofulvin ( 4 ), were isolated and identified from the rice solid medium. Dechlorogriseofulvin ( 2 ) and griseofulvin ( 3 ) were the major components in fermentation extracts of all these culture media, while compounds 1 and 4, 5 and 6 , and 10 were only present in the extract of respective culture medium. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic analysis, and the absolute configuration of 1 was determined by CD measurement. Compounds 9 and 10 exhibited antibacterial activities toward five tested bacterial strains, while compounds 5, 6 , and 8 selectively inhibited MRSA, E. coli, and S. epidermidis, and compound 3 showed moderate activity against V. mali and S. solani. Moreover, compound 10 potently inhibited the growth of MCF‐7, SW1990, and SMMC7721 tumor cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 4, 5, and 7 μg/ml, respectively.     

The Effect of Polyhydroxylated Alkaloids on Maltase-Glucoamylase

One of the most important carbohydrate-splitting enzymes is themaltase-glucoamylase which catalyzes the hydrolysis of alpha-glucosidic linkages. Maltase-glucoamylase inhibitors during the last few years have aroused medical interests in the treatment of diabetes. They contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism of maltase-glucoamylase. At present there are many different classes of maltase-glucoamylase inhibitors. This paper focuses on alkaloidal inhibitors of maltase-glucoamylase and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies between them in order to discover some drugs with better efficiency and lower toxicity for treating diabetes.     

Maduramicin Inhibits Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis in Myoblast Cells

Maduramicin, a polyether ionophore antibiotic derived from the bacterium Actinomadura yumaensis, is currently used as a feed additive against coccidiosis in poultry worldwide. It has been clinically observed that maduramicin can cause skeletal muscle and heart cell damage, resulting in skeletal muscle degeneration, heart failure, and even death in animals and humans, if improperly used. However, the mechanism of its toxic action in myoblasts is not well understood. Using mouse myoblasts (C2C12) and human rhabdomyosarcoma (RD and Rh30) cells as an experimental model for myoblasts, here we found that maduramicin inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell death in a concentration-dependent manner. Further studies revealed that maduramicin induced accumulation of the cells at G₀/G₁ phase of the cell cycle, and induced apoptosis in the cells. Concurrently, maduramicin downregulated protein expression of cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK4 and CDK6), and CDC25A, and upregulated expression of the CDK inhibitors (p21^Cip1 and p27^Kip1), resulting in decreased phosphorylation of Rb. Maduramicin also induced expression of BAK, BAD, DR4, TRADD and TRAIL, leading to activation of caspases 8, 9 and 3 as well as cleavage of poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP). Taken together, our results suggest that maduramicin executes its toxicity in myoblasts at least by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptotic cell death.