Chemical biology: Paper alert

A selection of interesting papers that were published in the two months before our press date in major journals most likely to report significant results in chemical biology.     

A critical review on brain and heart axis response in COVID-19 patients: Molecular mechanisms,mediators, biomarkers,and therapeutics

Since the outbreak of highly virulent coronaviruses, significant interest was assessed to the brain and heart axis (BHA) in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-affected patients. The majority of clinical reports accounted for unusual symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections which are of the neurological type, such as headache, nausea, dysgeusia, anosmia, and cerebral infarction. The SARS-CoV-2 enters the cells through the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE-2) receptor. Patients with prior cardiovascular disease (CVD) have a higher risk of COVID-19 infection and it has related to various cardiovascular (CV) complications. Infected patients with pre-existing CVDs are also particularly exposed to critical health outcomes. Overall, COVID-19 affected patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) and exposed to stressful environmental constraints, featured with a cluster of neurological and CV complications. In this review, we summarized the main contributions in the literature on how SARS-CoV-2 could interfere with the BHA and its role in affecting multiorgan disorders. Specifically, the central nervous system involvement, mainly in relation to CV alterations in COVID-19-affected patients, is considered. This review also emphasizes the biomarkers and therapy options for COVID-19 patients presenting with CV problems.     

A peptide containing a reactive lysyl group from ox liver glutamate dehydrogenase

1. Inhibition of ox liver glutamate dehydrogenase with N-(N'-acetyl-4[(35)S]-sulphamoylphenyl)maleimide (ASPM) is more specific at pH7.3 than at pH6.9. At pH7.3 inhibition accompanies the incorporation at 1 mole of ASPM residues into about 53000g. of protein. 2. Digestion of the modified protein with chymotrypsin and trypsin yields a unique radioactive peptide. 3. Acid hydrolysis of 1 mole of this peptide yields 1 mole of N(in)-succin-2-yl-lysine. The in-amino group of a lysyl residue is thus the site of modification of the protein. 4. The sequence containing the modified lysyl residue is: [Formula: see text] where Asx respresents either aspartic acid or asparagine.