Synthesis and evaluation of novel sulfenamides as novel anti Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus agents

A total of 29 novel sulfenamide compounds were synthesized, spectroscopically characterized and evaluated in vitro for antimicrobial activity against various infectious pathogens. Compounds 1b and 2c exhibited potent inhibition against clinical Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 1.56 μg/mL.     

Resistin-Inhibited Neural Stem Cell-Derived Astrocyte Differentiation Contributes to Permeability Destruction of the Blood–Brain Barrier

Neurochemical Research - Neuroinflammation is an important part of the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s and amyotrophic lateral...     

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.     

Hydrogen sulphide reduced the accumulation of lipid droplets in cardiac tissues of db/db mice via Hrd1 S-sulfhydration

Accumulation of lipid droplets (LDs) induces cardiac dysfunctions in type 2 diabetes patients. Recent studies have shown that hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) ameliorates cardiac functions in db/db mice, but its regulation on the formation of LDs in cardiac tissues is unclear. Db/db mice were injected with NaHS (40 μmol·kg^-1) for twelve weeks. H9c2 cells were treated with high glucose (40 mmol/L), oleate (200 µmol/L), palmitate (200 µmol/L) and NaHS (100 µmol/L) for 48 hours. Plasmids for the overexpression of wild-type Hrd1 and Hrd1 mutated at Cys115 were constructed. The interaction between Hrd1 and DGAT1 and DGAT2, the ubiquitylation level of DGAT1 and 2, the S-sulfhydration of Hrd1 were measured. Exogenous H₂S ameliorated the cardiac functions, decreased ER stress and reduced the number of LDs in db/db mice. Exogenous H₂S could elevate the ubiquitination level of DGAT 1 and 2 and increased the expression of Hrd1 in cardiac tissues of db/db mice. The S-sulfhydration of Hrd1 by NaHS enhanced the interaction between Hrd1 and DGAT1 and 2 to inhibit the formation of LD. Our findings suggested that H₂S modified Hrd1 S-sulfhydration at Cys115 to reduce the accumulation of LDs in cardiac tissues of db/db mice.     

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.