Molecular insights into the antifungal mechanism of bacilysin

Bacilysin is one of the simplest antimicrobial peptides and has drawn great attention for its excellent performance against Candida albicans. In this study, the antifungal mechanism of bacilysin was investigated. The target enzyme glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase (GFA) was expressed heterologously in Escherichia coli and its inhibition by bacilysin and derivatives was studied. It was concluded that bacilysin could be hydrolyzed by a proteinase of C. albicans, and that the released product, anticapsin, then inhibited the aminotransferase activity of GFA. This result was verified by molecular simulation, and the interaction mode of anticapsin with GFA was detailed, which provides data for the development of novel antifungal drugs. Transport of bacilysin into fungal cells was also simulated and it was shown that bacilysin is more readily transported into cells than anticapsin. Thus, our findings support a mechanism whereby bacilysin is transported into fungal pathogens, hydrolyzed to anticapsin, which then inhibits GFA.     

A Novel Graphene Oxide Wrapped Na2Fe2(SO4)3/C Cathode Composite for Long Life and High Energy Density Sodium‐Ion Batteries

The cathode materials in the Na‐ion battery system are always the key issue obstructing wider application because of their relatively low specific capacity and low energy density. A graphene oxide (GO) wrapped composite, Na₂Fe₂(SO₄)₃@C@GO, is fabricated via a simple freeze‐drying method. The as‐prepared material can deliver a 3.8 V platform with discharge capacity of 107.9 mAh g^?1 at 0.1 C (1 C = 120 mA g^?1) as well as offering capacity retention above 90% at a discharge rate of 0.2 C after 300 cycles. The well‐constructed carbon network provides fast electron transfer rates, and thus, higher power density also can be achieved (75.1 mAh g^?1 at 10 C). The interface contribution of GO and Na₂Fe₂(SO₄)₃ is recognized and studied via density function theory calculation. The Na storage mechanism is also investigated through in situ synchrotron X‐ray diffraction, and pseudocapacitance contributions are also demonstrated. The diffusion coefficient of Na⁺ ions is around 10^?12–10^?10.8 cm² s^?1 during cycling. The higher working voltage of this composite is mainly ascribed to the larger electronegativity of the element S. The research indicates that this well‐constructed composite would be a competitive candidate as a cathode material for Na‐ion batteries.     

水牛卵巢黄体形成和退化的蛋白质表达谱构建及生物信息学分析

本研究构建了水牛卵巢黄体形成及退化过程的定量蛋白质表达谱,从中寻找与水牛发情周期相关的重要蛋白质。为研究水牛卵巢周期性变化的分子机制提供蛋白质水平的数据支撑,进而为提高水牛繁殖效率奠定实验基础。以水牛排卵后的红体期(corpus hemorrhagicum,CH)、黄体期(corpus luteum,CL)和白体期(corpus fibrosum,CF)的卵巢作为研究对象,利用串联质谱标签(tandem mass tag,TMT)标记结合液质联用((liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry,LC-MS/MS)的定量蛋白质组学技术,采用相关软件对得到的差异表达蛋白质进行生物信息学分析。同时对与水牛发情周期相关的重要差异蛋白质:单核巨噬细胞分化抗原(CD14)、通用转录因子Ⅱ-Ⅰ(GTF2I)、羟基类固醇(17β)脱氢酶1(HSD17B1)、U6 sn RNA相关Sm样蛋白质(LSM1)和纤溶酶原激活物抑制物(SERPINE1)进行了qRT-PCR分析验证。结果显示,共鉴定得到2 343种蛋白质,其中差异表达蛋白质有284种(差异倍数≥2.0),初步构建了水牛卵巢黄体形成和退化的定量蛋白质表达谱。对其中的五种重要差异蛋白质(CD14、GTF2I、HSD17B1、LSM1和SERPINE1)进行qRT-PCR验证,结果有四种(CD14、HSD17B1、LSM1和SERPINE1)的qPCR结果与质谱结果相一致,仅GTF2I与质谱结果不一致,可能是由于GTF2I存在转录后调控。本研究首次从蛋白质水平对水牛卵巢排卵后的周期性变化的分子机制进行了探究,同时为其他家畜品种发情周期的研究提供了新的研究思路。     

Seasonal Change in Diet and Habitat Use in Wild Mandrills (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mandrillus sphinx</Emphasis>)

Primates show various behavioral responses to resource seasonality, including changes in diet and habitat use. These responses may be particularly important for species living in large groups, owing to strong competition for resources. We investigated seasonality in diet and habitat use in wild mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), which form some of the largest primate groups, in Moukalaba–Doudou National Park, Gabon. We used a fallen fruit census to measure fruit availability and camera trapping to measure visit frequency by mandrill groups on 11 line transects from January 2012 to November 2013, and collected mandrill feces for 25 months in 2009–2013 to assess their diets. Fruit availability varied seasonally, with a peak in December–February, and a scarce period in March–August. Relative volumes of fruit skin, pulp, and intact seeds in fecal remains varied with fruit availability, whereas feces contained as large a proportion of crushed seeds in the fruit-scarce season as in the fruit-peak season. The relative volumes of woody tissue (e.g., bark and roots) and the number of food types increased in the fruit-scarce season compared to in the fruit-peak season. Camera trapping revealed seasonality in habitat use. In fruit-rich seasons, mandrill visits were highly biased toward transects where fruit species that appeared in the majority of feces in a group were abundant. In contrast, in fruit-scarce seasons, visit frequencies were distributed more uniformly and the relationship with fruit availability was unclear. Our results suggest that mandrill groups in the study area respond to seasonal fruit scarcity by consuming seeds and woody tissue and by ranging more widely than in fruit-rich seasons. These flexible dietary and ranging behaviors may contribute to the maintenance of extremely large groups in mandrills.     

Measurement of individual cell strength of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Botryococcus braunii</Emphasis> in cell culture

Botryococcus braunii is a microalga considered for biofuel production and may require physical disruption of cells/colonies for efficient hydrocarbon extraction. In this study, the strength of individual cells of B. braunii was measured using a nanoindenter. From the load and cell size, the pressure for bursting the cell was calculated to be 56.9 MPa. This value is 2.3–10 times those of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Chlorella vulgaris found in another research, because B. braunii has two types of cell walls with different thicknesses. The energy required to disrupt 1 g of dry B. braunii cells, estimated by load-displacement curves, is 3.19 J g^?1 which is 0.19–1.2 times higher than those of S. cerevisiae and C. vulgaris. When using a high-pressure homogenizer for disrupting B. braunii cells, the cell disruption degree increased with the treatment pressure at above 30 MPa, and 70% of cells were disrupted at 80 MPa.