Structural and Functional Annotation of Hypothetical Protein of Fusobacterium nucleatum Strain MJR7757B: An in Silico Approach

Fusobacterium nucleatum is an anaerobic, commensal, gram-negative oral bacterium that is carcinogenic and causes a wide range of human diseases. The present study focused on the analysis of the hypothetical protein, HMPREF3221_01179, derived from F. nucleatum strain MJR7757B, employing various computational methods to anticipate both its structure and functional characteristics. NCBI conserved domain analysis, NCBI BLASTp and MEGA Phylogenetic tree study characterize the target protein as an outer membrane efflux protein (ToIC family) which facilitate the bacterial transmembrane transport. With a molecular weight of 52120.02 Da, an isoelectric point (pI) of 8.33, and an instability index of 29.47, the protein is anticipated to exhibit good solubility in the extracellular space and crucial stability for pharmaceutical applications. The protein’s structure meets quality standards during the construction and refinement of its 3D model. The efflux inhibitor Arginine beta-naphthylamide exhibits a significant binding affinity (-7.1 kcal/mol) to the binding site of the target protein. The in-silico analysis improves the understanding of the protein and facilitates future investigations into therapeutic medication.

Development and Biochemical Composition Assessment of Fish Powders from Bangladeshi Indigenous Fish Species and Shelf-Life Characteristics Evaluation During 90 Days of Room Temperature (27°C - 30°C) Storage

In Bangladesh, Fish is a major source of daily protein intake of millions of people but most of the fishes are consumed here as fresh fish which is highly susceptible to damage during transportation and marketing. Therefore, an innovative approach was undertaken to process the fish to avoid damage and extend shelf-life while preserving the nutritional qualities to facilitate the more efficient use of fish as a source of protein and other essential nutrients. This study was conducted to develop some dried protein-enriched fish powders from some commonly consumed fish species in Bangladesh and the nutritional, sensorial, and safety qualities were assessed. Five indigenous abundant fish species including small indigenous fish (SIS) and carp fishes namely Awaous grammepomus, Channa punctata, Puntius puntio, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Labeo rohita were used for the preparation of dried protein-enriched fish powders. Biochemical, trace elements, sensorial, total viable count (TVC), pH, peroxide value, and moisture reconstitution during 90 days storage period were performed by standard analytical methods. The moisture, protein, fat, ash, carbohydrate (including fiber), and energy contents were ranged from (6.84% to 8.85%), (70.80% to 75.80%), (5.85% to 8.04%), (7.66% to 9.19%), (3.14% to 6.01%) and (367.50% to 379.61% kcal)/100g respectively. Highest content of protein was found in A. grammepomus (75.80%) samples and the lowest in H. molitrix (70.80%) samples. Maximum calcium content was found in sample L. rohita (2.54 g/kg) and minimum in C. punctate as (2.43 g/kg). Maximum iron content was found in H. molitrix (0.15 g/kg) and minimum in A. grammepomus. As for the phosphorous content the L. rohita samples contained the highest (1.4 g/kg) and the lowest in C. punctate (0.73 g/kg) samples. The pH, peroxide value (mEq of O2/kg of fat), and moisture reconstitution (g/100g) during 90 days were ranged from (5.30 to 8.17), (8.60 to 16.77), and (6.84 to 13.83) respectively. Microbial loads over the 90 days period were in acceptable range at the end of 90 days storage period. On the basis of biochemical qualities, sensorial and microbial attributes our findings suggest that the dried fish powders are enriched with macro and micro-nutrients especially proteins and could safely be used at least up to 3 months for food applications.