Tyrosine metabolic enzymes from insects and mammals：A comparative perspective

Differences in the metabolism of tyrosine between insects and mammals present an interesting example of molecular evolution. Both insects and mammals possess finetuned systems of enzymes to meet their specific demands for tyrosine metabolites; however, more homologous enzymes involved in tyrosine metabolism have emerged in many insect species. Without knowledge of modem genomics, one might suppose that mammals, which are generally more complex than insects and require tyrosine as a precur sor for important catecholamine neurotransmitters and for melanin, should possess more enzymes to control tyrosine metabolism. Therefore, the question of why insects actually possess more tyrosine metabolic enzymes is quite interesting. It has long been known that insects rely heavily on tyrosine metabolism for cuticle hardening and for innate immune responses, and these evolutionary constraints are likely the key answers to this question. In terms of melanogenesis, mammals also possess a high level of regulation; yet mam malian systems possess more mechanisms for detoxification whereas insects accelerate pathways like melanogenesis and therefore must bear increased oxidative pressure. Our research group has had the opportunity to characterize the structure and function of many key proteins involved in tyrosine metabolism from both insects and mammals. In this mini review we will give a brief overview of our research on tyrosine metabolic enzymes in the scope of an evolutionary perspective of mammals in comparison to insects.

Fluorine-defects induced solid-state red emission of carbon dots with an excellent thermosensitivity

Up to date,solid-state carbon dots(CDs)with bright red fluorescence have scarcely achieved due to aggregation-caused quenching(ACQ)effect and extremely low quantum yield in deep-red to near infrared region.Here,we report a novel fluorine-defects induced solid-state red fluorescence(λ_(em)=676 nm,the absolute fluorescence quantum yields is 4.17%)in fluorine,nitrogen and sulfur co-doped CDs(F,N,S-CDs),which is the first report of such a long wavelength emission of solid-state CDs.As a control,CDs without fluorine-doping(N,S-CDs)show no fluorescence in solid-state,and the fluorescence quantum yield/emission wavelength of N,S-CDs in solution-state are also lower/shorter than that of F,N,S-CDs,which is mainly due to the F-induced defect traps on the surface/edge of F,N,S-CDs.Moreover,the solid-state F,N,S-CDs exhibit an interesting temperature-sensitive behavior in the range of 80-420 K,with the maximum fluorescence intensity at 120 K,unveiling its potential as the temperature-dependent fluorescent sensor and the solid-state light-emitting device adapted to multiple temperatures.

One-pot synthesis of CoO-ZnO/rGO supported on Ni foam for high-performance hybrid supercapacitor with greatly enhanced cycling stability

The high specific capacitance along with good cycling stability are crucial for practical applications of supercapacitors,which always demands high-performance and stable electrode materials.In this work,we report a series of ternary composites of CoO-ZnO with different fractions of reduced graphene oxide(rGO)synthesized by in-situ growth on nickel foam,named as CZG-1,2 and 3,respectively.This sort of binder-free electrodes presents excellent electrochemical properties as well as large capacitance due to their low electrical resistance and high oxygen vacancies.Particularly,the sample of CZG-2(CoO-ZnO/rGO 20 mg)in a nanoreticular structure shows the best electrochemical performance with a maximum specific capacitance of 1951.8 F/g(216.9 mAh/g)at a current intensity of 1 A/g.The CZG-2-based hybrid supercapacitor delivers a high energy density up to 45.9 Wh/kg at a high power density of 800 W/kg,and kept the capacitance retention of 90.1%over 5000 charge-discharge cycles.

Synthesis of Sn nanocluster@carbon dots for photodynamic therapy application

Recently,photodynamic therapy(PDT)has been extensively applied in clinical and coadjuvant treatment of various kinds of tumors.However,the photosensitizer(PS)of PDT still lack of high production of singlet oxygen(^(1)O_(2)),low cytotoxicity and high biocompatibility.Herein,we propose a facile method for establishing a new core-shell structured Sn nanocluster@carbon dots(CDs)PS.Firstly,Sn^(4+)@S-CDs complex is synthesized using the sulfur-doped CDs(S-CDs)and SnCl4 as raw materials,and subsequently the new PS(Sn nanocluster@CDs)is obtained after vaporization of Sn4+@S-CDs solution.Remarkably,the obtained Sn nanocluster@CDs show an enhanced fluorescence as well as a higher ^(1)O_(2) quantum yield(QY)than S-CDs.The high ^(1)O_(2) QY(58.3%)irradiated by the LED light(400-700 nm,40 mW/cm^(2)),induce the reduction of 4 T1 cancer cells viability by 25%.More intriguingly,no visible damage happens to healthy cells,with little impact on liver tissue due to renal excretion,both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that Sn nanocluster@CDs may become a promising PS,owning a high potential for application in PDT.

Crystal structure of acetylcholinesterase catalytic subunits of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae

Dear Editor, Acetylcholinesterase （ACHE） hydrolyzes the neurotransmitter acetylcholine at cholinergic synapses in the central nervous system （Toutant, 1989）. Inhibition of the enzyme in insects could lead to the death of insects rapidly; thus AChE has been a molecular target for developing insecticides.