唾液酸苷酶的催化机理及水解与合成寡糖进展

唾液酸苷酶(EC.3.2.1.18)是一类重要的糖苷水解酶,在动物和微生物中广泛存在.该类酶催化寡糖或糖缀合物上非还原末端唾液酸水解,具有重要的生物学功能,如参与溶酶体降解代谢物、癌症发生、微生物致病等多种生理和病理过程.除了水解活性外,有的唾液酸苷酶还具有转糖基活性,能够以唾液酸单糖或糖苷为糖基供体,催化唾液酸转移到受体分子上,一步合成寡糖和糖苷化合物.这种合成活性对于唾液酸相关糖链的大量获得具有重要意义,有利于推动该类寡糖的基础研究及其在食品和医药中的应用.本文综述了唾液酸苷酶的结构和催化机理、生理功能、转糖基作用及其在寡糖合成中的应用.     

视黄酸对皮肤上皮基底培养细胞表面膜糖蛋白N-连接型糖链结构的影响

维生素A类化合物对糖蛋白N-连接型糖链(简称N-糖链)结构的影响,近年来在研究其作用机制中颇受重视。本文研究视黄酸(RA)对大鼠皮肤上皮基底培养细胞表面膜糖蛋白糖链结构作用,发现RA促进N-糖链合成,使~3H-甘露糖掺入糖链量增加43.5％,RA可改变N-糖链的类型,促进复杂型N-糖链合成,表现为增加三、四天线复杂型N-糖链合成而不是二天线;RA还使含分叉性GIeNAc和核心Fuc的百分比上升。本文还用细胞电泳方法研究膜表面唾液酸相对量,发现RA可引起唾液酸含量下降。结果提示RA对N-糖链结构的影响,是其多种生物学作用的可能途径之一。     

中药有效成分在干扰素生物技术实验与临床研究中的应用

中草药是我国的宝贵财富,刺五加、茯苓、银耳、云芝等均具有抗菌、抗病毒、免疫调节和抗肿瘤作用。而干扰素(IFN)的三种类型(α、β、γ)也具有这种生物学效应,为了研究上述补气类中药有效成分这一药理效应的物质基础和分子介质,本文用刺五加甙及其多糖,羧甲基茯苓多糖、银耳多糖、云芝糖肽等中药有效成分进行 了干扰素促诱生效应的研究。     

微生物异源合成咖啡酸及其酯类衍生物研究进展

咖啡酸及其酯类衍生物如绿原酸、迷迭香酸和咖啡酸苯乙酯等具有天然抗氧化、抗肿瘤、抗病毒和抗炎等重要的药理活性,具有广阔的药用开发前景。从天然药物中提取或者化学合成咖啡酸及其酯类衍生物,存在含量低、提取效率不高、催化成本高昂以及环境污染等问题。随着咖啡酸及其酯类衍生物合成途径解析和合成生物学的快速发展,微生物异源合成咖啡酸及其酯类衍生物的研究已逐渐展开。对微生物异源合成咖啡酸及其酯类衍生物合成途径的最新进展以及代谢工程策略进行了综述,并讨论了目前存在的问题和未来的发展趋势。     

二氢杨梅素结构修饰及生物活性研究进展

二氢杨梅素是一种二氢黄酮醇,具有抗菌、抗炎、抗肿瘤以及保肝护肝等多种生物活性。由于其结构中的6个羟基导致其脂溶性差及生物利用度低,因此对其进行结构修饰以期提高生物利用度和生物活性。本文综述了二氢杨梅素的化学法结构修饰及其生物活性等研究工作,化学修饰方法涉及醚化反应、酯化反应和金属配合物等方法,合成的衍生物具有抗病毒、抗菌、抗氧化、神经保护以及抑制肿瘤细胞增殖等活性,并且提出二氢杨梅素结构修饰过程中存在的挑战及发展方向,为更好地开发二氢杨梅素衍生物提供技术服务。     

天然抗菌肽的研究进展及应用前景

天然抗菌肽是生物体内经诱导产生的一种具有抗菌活性的小分子多肽,来源广泛。目前已从多种物种中分离纯化出千余种抗菌肽,其分子量大约在3～6kD之间,由20～60个氨基酸残基组成。天然抗菌肽具有多种生物活性,如抗细菌、抗真菌、抗病毒和抗癌细胞等作用。综述了天然抗菌肽的分类、生物活性及其作用机理和应用前景。     

针对细胞壁合成途径的抗菌药物研究进展

细胞壁是细菌区别真核生物的一个重要特征,因此其合成途径早已成为人们广泛研究的抗菌药物靶标来源.目前临床上上广泛应用的抗生素,如β内酰胺类(青霉素、头孢菌素类等)和糖肽类(万古霉素等)抗生素主要就是通过阻断细菌的细胞壁合成而起到杀菌作用[1].     

综述: N-连接完整糖肽的质谱分析策略和研究方法

蛋白质糖基化作为最普遍、最重要的蛋白质修饰,一直是组学研究的焦点之一．近十几年来,N-连接糖蛋白质组学研究普遍采用的方法是将糖链与所修饰的多肽分开进行分析．该策略虽降低了分析难度,却也丢失了糖链与蛋白质糖基化位点间重要的对应关系信息．近年来,完整糖肽的质谱分析策略和方法逐步建立起来．总体而言,要实现对完整糖肽的直接质谱分析,首先需要从复杂样品中富集完整糖肽以消除非糖基化多肽对完整糖肽分析的影响,然后在质谱分析中还需要根据糖肽特性调整相应质谱分析参数,最后在后续数据分析中还需要开发相应的分析软件以完成完整糖肽中多肽序列和糖链组成或结构的鉴定．本文即从以上三个主要方面系统阐述目前N-完整糖肽分析中常用的质谱和数据分析策略和方法,并进一步在糖肽谱图识别、母离子单同位素分子质量校正、数据库选择以及假阳性率评估和控制等方面都进行了逐一探讨．完整糖肽的直接质谱分析有助于获取糖链和糖基化位点间的对应关系信息,可为生物标志物发现和疾病致病机理等研究提供更有力的糖蛋白质组学研究工具．     

白藜芦醇抗菌抗病毒作用的研究进展

白藜芦醇是一种天然活性物质,被认为是植物体在恶劣环境下受到病原菌感染,植物自身分泌的一种抗毒素,对植物本身起保护作用。随着对白藜芦醇研究的深入,发现白藜芦醇具有抗肿瘤、抗心血管疾病、治疗突变、抗氧化、抗菌抗炎、保肝、诱导细胞凋亡等生物药理活性。近年来,国内外很多学者对白藜芦醇的部分生物学功能进行了深层研究,但关于白藜芦醇抗菌、抗病毒的研究报道较少,本研究对近年来发现的白藜芦醇可抵抗的病原生物,按细菌、真菌、病毒进行分类列举,并对其部分已知抗菌抗病毒机制进行归纳。     

N-连接完整糖肽的质谱分析策略和研究方法

蛋白质糖基化作为最普遍、最重要的蛋白质修饰,一直是组学研究的焦点之一.近十几年来,N-连接糖蛋白质组学研究普遍采用的方法是将糖链与所修饰的多肽分开进行分析.该策略虽降低了分析难度,却也丢失了糖链与蛋白质糖基化位点间重要的对应关系信息.近年来,完整糖肽的质谱分析策略和方法逐步建立起来.总体而言,要实现对完整糖肽的直接质谱分析,首先需要从复杂样品中富集完整糖肽以消除非糖基化多肽对完整糖肽分析的影响,然后在质谱分析中还需要根据糖肽特性调整相应质谱分析参数,最后在后续数据分析中还需要开发相应的分析软件以完成完整糖肽中多肽序列和糖链组成或结构的鉴定.本文即从以上三个主要方面系统阐述目前N-完整糖肽分析中常用的质谱和数据分析策略和方法,并进一步在糖肽谱图识别、母离子单同位素分子质量校正、数据库选择以及假阳性率评估和控制等方面都进行了逐一探讨.完整糖肽的直接质谱分析有助于获取糖链和糖基化位点间的对应关系信息,可为生物标志物发现和疾病致病机理等研究提供更有力的糖蛋白质组学研究工具.     

Fullerenes in biology

Fullerenes are chemical structures made of carbon atoms. The stable form is molecule composed of 60 carbon atoms arranged in a soccer ball-shaped structure. With respect to its electron donor and acceptor capability and photochemical behavior fullerenes can be effective antioxidants and radical scavengers or prooxidants and photosensitizers. These properties of fullerenes have paid attention on their possible biological applications. Results of previous studies point to the great dependance of fullerenes activity upon quality, quantity and geometry of substituents in fullerene derivatives. Some of fullerene derivatives show antiviral and antimicrobial activity, including anti-HIV properties. C60 and its derivatives are able to exhibit cytotoxic and enzyme-inhibiting abilities as well as radical-quenching and antioxidative abilities. Generation of reactive oxygen species under influence of visible light is another ability of fullerene derivetives desired in photodynamic therapy.     

TSAO Derivatives: Highly Specific Inhibitors of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-1 (HIV-1) Replication

Abstract

TSAO derivatives represent a unique class of nucleosides that are specifically targeted at HIV-1 RT. This overview is focussed on the chemical synthesis, the conformational studies, the antiviral and metabolic properties of TSAO derivatives, as well as their mechanism of antiviral action and the molecular basis of the rapid selection of resistant HIV-1 strains that emerge in cell culture in the presence of TSAO derivatives.     

Disulfide bond assignment of the Ebola virus secreted glycoprotein SGP

The non-structural glycoprotein (SGP) of Ebola virus (EboV) is secreted in large amounts from infected cells as a disulfide-linked homodimer. In this communication, highly purified SGP, derived from Vero E6 cultures infected with the Zaire species of EboV, was used to determine the correct localization of inter- and intrachain disulfide bonds. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis of proteolytic cleavage fragments indicates that all cysteines (six per monomeric unit) form unique disulfide bonds. Monomers of the SGP homodimer are joined in a parallel manner by two intersubunit disulfide bonds formed between paired N-terminal and C-terminal cysteines (C53-C53' and C306-C306'). The remaining cysteines are involved in intrachain disulfide bonding (paired as C108-C135 and C121-C147), which resembles the disulfide bond topology of fibronectin type II domains. The findings presented here provide the foundation for future studies aimed at defining the structural and functional properties of SGP.     

Comparison of the effects of acylation and amidation on the antimicrobial and antiviral properties of lactoferrin

AIMS: To compare amidation and acylation of lactoferrin (LF) from bovine milk, as a means of enhancing its antimicrobial and antiviral properties. METHODS AND RESULTS: LF was chemically modified by amidation with a 1-ethyl-3-[3-(dimethylamino) propyl] carbodiimide (EDC) in the presence of ammonium ions or by acylation with either succinic or acetic anhydride. In the test systems used, amidation substantially enhanced the activity of LF against Pseudomonas fluorescens in comparison with native LF. However, increasing the net negative charge of LF by acylation had no effect on the activity of LF against P. fluorescens, and abrogated the antimicrobial activity of LF against Bacillus subtilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Increasing the net negative charges of LF by acylation eliminated its antimicrobial and antiviral effects against poliovirus and feline calicivirus (nonenveloped viruses). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of positive charges to LF via amidation enhanced antimicrobial properties in contrast to increasing the negative charges by acylation, which abolished both the antimicrobial and antiviral properties of LF. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The effects of charge alteration of LF determined in this study provides a basis for further development of LF formulations with enhanced antimicrobial effectiveness for use in food process hygiene, veterinary and health-care applications.     

Oleanolic acid and related derivatives as medicinally important compounds

Oleanolic acid has been isolated from chloroform extract of Olea ferruginea Royle after removal of organic bases and free acids. The literature survey revealed it to be biologically very important. In this review the biological significance of oleanolic acid and its derivatives has been discussed. The aim of this review is to update current knowledge on oleanolic acid and its natural and semisynthetic analogs, focussing on its cytotoxic, antitumer, antioxidant, anti-inflamatory, anti-HIV, acetyl cholinesterase, alpha-glucosidase, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antipruritic, spasmolytic activity, anti-angiogenic, antiallergic, antiviral and immunomodulatory activities. We present in this review, for the first time, a compilation of the most relevant scientific papers and technical reports of the chemical, pre-clinical and clinical research on the properties of oleanolic acid and its derivatives.     

Protein interactions of SGP, an essential Streptococcus mutans GTPase, revealed by biochemical and yeast two-hybrid system analyses

SGP, a Streptococcus mutans essential GTPase, plays a role in the stress response of the organism. Recently, we proposed that one of the physiological functions of the SGP is the modulation of the GTP/GDP ratio under different growth conditions. In order to further determine the functions of SGP and its possible interactions with other molecules, we carried out immunoprecipitation, SGP binding, and the yeast two-hybrid system analyses. These approaches suggest that SGP may oligomerize and such interactions could be important for the function of this regulatory protein.     

Enhancement of Antiviral Activity of Human Alpha-Defensin 5 against Herpes Simplex Virus 2 by Arginine Mutagenesis at Adaptive Evolution Sites

Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) infection is still one of the common causes of sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. The prevalence of HSV strains resistant to traditional nucleoside antiviral agents has led to the development of novel antiviral drugs. Human alpha-defensin 5 (HD5), a kind of endogenous antimicrobial peptide expressed in the epithelia of the small intestine and urogenital tract, displays natural antiviral activity. Based on arginine-rich features and adaptive evolution characteristics of vertebrate defensins, we conducted a screen for HD5 derivatives with enhanced anti-HSV-2 activity by a single arginine substitution at the adaptive evolution sites. Cell protection assay and temporal antiviral studies showed that HD5 and its mutants displayed affirmatory but differential anti-HSV-2 effects in vitro by inhibiting viral adhesion and entry. Inspiringly, the E21R-HD5 mutant had significantly higher antiviral activity than natural HD5, which is possibly attributed to the stronger binding affinity of the E21R-HD5 mutant with HSV-2 capsid protein gD, indicating that E21R mutation can increase the anti-HSV-2 potency of HD5. In a mouse model of lethal HSV-2 infection, prophylactic and/or therapeutic treatment with E21R-HD5 via intravaginal instillation remarkably alleviated the symptoms and delayed disease progress and resulted in about a 1.5-fold-higher survival rate than in the HD5 group. Furthermore, the E21R variant exhibited a 2-fold-higher antiviral potency against HIV-1 over parental HD5 in vitro. This study demonstrates that arginine mutagenesis at appropriate evolution sites may significantly enhance the antiviral activity of HD5, which also paves a facile way to search for potent antiviral drugs based on natural antimicrobial peptides.     

Determination of antimicrobial and antiviral properties of IR3535

Insect repellent is a substance directly applied to skin or clothing in order to repel flies, mosquitoes, ticks etc. IR3535 or Ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate (EBAAP) is a relatively new repellent which is classified as a biopesticide due to exceptional skin tolerance and overall safety. The repellency against various insect and ticks, and the low toxicity of IR3535 are well acknowledged. However, there has been no attempt to investigate the effects on microorganisms or viruses up to now. In the present study, antimicrobial activity was investigated based on disc diffusion and micro-well dilution assays. Disc diffusion assays revealed IR3535 displayed remarkable antimicrobial activity on the microorganisms tested. MIC results showed that the antifungal efficiency of IR3535 is higher with respect to its antibacterial and anticandidal efficiency. Moreover, antiviral test results revealed that IR3535 showed antiviral effects against Poliovirus and Adenovirus. This is the first study that reveals IR3535’s antimicrobial and antiviral properties against a broad range of microorganisms and viruses. In consideration of the antimicrobial and antiviral properties, IR3535 is a promising agent that could be used to develop novel therapeutic approaches, new application areas and formulations in the future.

     

Perspective: the potential of pyrazole-based compounds in medicine

Pyrazoles are widely used as core motifs for a large number of compounds for various applications such as catalysis, agro-chemicals, building blocks of other compounds and in medicine. The attractiveness of pyrazole and its derivatives is their versatility that allows for synthesis of a series of analogues with different moieties in them, thus affecting the electronics and by extension the properties of the resultant compounds. In medicine pyrazole is found as a pharmacophore in some of the active biological molecules. While pyrazole derivatives have been extensively studied for many applications including anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiglycemic, anti-allergy and antiviral, much less has been reported on their metal counterparts in spite of the fact that metals have been shown to impart activity to ligands. Thus this perspective is intended to demonstrate the potential of pyrazole and pyrazolyl metal complexes in the areas of drug discovery and development. Several examples, that include palladium, platinum, copper, gold, zinc, cobalt, nickel, iron, copper, silver and gallium complexes, are used to bolster the above point. For the purposes of this review three areas are discussed, that is pyrazole metal complexes as: (i) anticancer, (ii) antibacterial/parasitic and (iii) antiviral agents.     

Antimicrobial betalains

Betalains are nitrogen-containing plant pigments that can be red-violet (betacyanins) or yellow-orange (betaxanthins), currently employed as natural colourants in the food and cosmetic sectors. Betalains exhibit antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of microbes including multidrug-resistant bacteria, as well as single-species and dual-species biofilm-producing bacteria, which is highly significant given the current antimicrobial resistance issue reported by The World Health Organization. Research demonstrating antiviral activity against dengue virus, in silico studies including SARS-CoV-2, and anti-fungal effects of betalains highlight the diversity of their antimicrobial properties. Though limited in vivo studies have been conducted, antimalarial and anti-infective activities of betacyanin have been observed in living infection models. Cellular mechanisms of antimicrobial activity of betalains are yet unknown; however existing research has laid the framework for a potentially novel antimicrobial agent. This review covers an overview of betalains as antimicrobial agents and discussions to fully exploit their potential as therapeutic agents to treat infectious diseases.