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.

New 4-imino-4H-Chromeno[2,3-d]Pyrimidin-3(5H)-Amine: Synthesis, Cytotoxic Effects on Tumoral Cell Lines and in Silico ADMET Properties

The synthesis of new 4-imino-4H-chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-3(5H)-amine in four steps including one step under microwave dielectric heating is reported. The structural identity of the synthesized compounds was established according to their spectroscopic analysis, such as FT-IR, NMR and mass spectroscopy. These new compounds were tested for their antiproliferative activities on seven representative human tumoral cell lines (Huh7 D12, Caco2, MDA-MB231, MDA-MB468, HCT116, PC3 and MCF7) and also on fibroblasts. Among them, only the compounds 6c showed micromolar cytotoxic activity on tumor cell lines (1.8 50 50 > 25 μM). Finally, in silico ADMET studies ware performed to investigate the possibility of using of the identified compound 6c as potential anti-tumor compound.

质谱MRM方法开发--ABC外排蛋白指纹肽段的Insilico筛选研究

目的基于质谱MRM方法开发,建立相关ABC外排蛋白P-gp、MRP1、BCRP指纹肽段的In silico筛选方法。方法运用生物信息学方法,使用Uniprot软件获取目标氨基酸序列,根据肽段选择规则进行筛选;使用Skyline软件预测肽段离子及MRM相关母离子和子离子的信息,并排除特定不确定或不稳定的氨基酸;最后采用Blast软件对候选指纹肽段进行独特性确认,最终需结合质谱检测的方法进行验证。结果成功运用生物信息学方法,选定代表各自目标蛋白的指纹肽段,结果为P-gp蛋白肽段,IATEAIENFR;MRP1蛋白肽段,EDAQVDLFR;BCRP蛋白肽段,SSLLDVLAAR。结论In silico联合质谱的MRM方法成功选定了ABC相关外排蛋白的指纹肽段,为具有肽段组成的各类蛋白类、多肽类物质检测奠定了基础。

In silico prospective analysis of the medicinal plants activity on the CagA oncoprotein from Helicobacter pylori

BACKGROUND Colonization with Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)has a strong correlation with gastric cancer,and the virulence factor CagA is implicated in carcinogenesis.Studies have been conducted using medicinal plants with the aim of eliminating the pathogen;however,the possibility of blocking H.pylori-induced cell differentiation to prevent the onset and/or progression of tumors has not been addressed.This type of study is expensive and time-consuming,requiring in vitro and/or in vivo tests,which can be solved using bioinformatics.Therefore,prospective computational analyses were conducted to assess the feasibility of interaction between phenolic compounds from medicinal plants and the CagA oncoprotein.AIM To perform a computational prospecting of the interactions between phenolic compounds from medicinal plants and the CagA oncoprotein of H.pylori.METHODS In this in silico study,the structures of the phenolic compounds(ligands)kaempferol,myricetin,quercetin,ponciretin(flavonoids),and chlorogenic acid(phenolic acid)were selected from the PubChem database.These phenolic compounds were chosen based on previous studies that suggested medicinal plants as non-drug treatments to eliminate H.pylori infection.The three-dimensional structure model of the CagA oncoprotein of H.pylori(receptor)was obtained through molecular modeling using computational tools from the I-Tasser platform,employing the threading methodology.The primary sequence of CagA was sourced from GenBank(BAK52797.1).A screening was conducted to identify binding sites in the structure of the CagA oncoprotein that could potentially interact with the ligands,utilizing the GRaSP online platform.Both the ligands and receptor were prepared for molecular docking using AutoDock Tools 4(ADT)software,and the simulations were carried out using a combination of ADT and AutoDock Vina v.1.2.0 software.Two sets of simulations were performed:One involving the central region of CagA with phenolic compounds,and another involving the carboxy-terminus region of CagA with phenolic compounds.The receptor-ligand complexes were then analyzed using PyMol and BIOVIA Discovery Studio software.RESULTS The structure model obtained for the CagA oncoprotein exhibited high quality(C-score=0.09)and was validated using parameters from the MolProbity platform.The GRaSP online platform identified 24 residues(phenylalanine and leucine)as potential binding sites on the CagA oncoprotein.Molecular docking simulations were conducted with the three-dimensional model of the CagA oncoprotein.No complexes were observed in the simulations between the carboxy-terminus region of CagA and the phenolic compounds;however,all phenolic compounds interacted with the central region of the oncoprotein.Phenolic compounds and CagA exhibited significant affinity energy(-7.9 to-9.1 kcal/mol):CagA/kaempferol formed 28 chemical bonds,CagA/myricetin formed 18 chemical bonds,CagA/quercetin formed 16 chemical bonds,CagA/ponciretin formed 13 chemical bonds,and CagA/chlorogenic acid formed 17 chemical bonds.Although none of the phenolic compounds directly bound to the amino acid residues of the K-Xn-R-X-R membrane binding motif,all of them bound to residues,mostly positively or negatively charged,located near this region.CONCLUSION In silico,the tested phenolic compounds formed stable complexes with CagA.Therefore,they could be tested in vitro and/or in vivo to validate the findings,and to assess interference in CagA/cellular target interactions and in the oncogenic differentiation of gastric cells.

New Insights in the Biodegradability and the Ecotoxicological Effects of Solar Products Containing Mineral and Chemical UV-Filters on Marine Zoo- and Phytoplanktons: An in silico and in vitro Study

Background: Cosmetic formulations, and particularly solar products which contain mineral and chemical UV-filters, are often suspected of causing harmful effects on marine fauna and flora. After the publication of our work in 2019 concerning the ecotoxicological effects of such formulations on corals (Seriatopora hystrix), we here provide some new information about the biodegradability and the ecotoxicological effects of these products on marine zoo- and phytoplankton. Therefore, we choose to realize in silico and in vitro studies of the biodegradability of several solar products but also to evaluate the ecotoxicological effects of these products on one phytoplankton, i.e. Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and one zooplankton, i.e. Acartia tonsa, of a great importance for sea species survival (notably as sources of food). Materials and methods: Two different approaches were used to study the biodegradability of the tested products: One in silico method and an in vitro one. 2 solar products were involved in the in silico study which consisted in the determination of the degradation factor (DF) of each ingredient of the tested formulas in order to finally obtain their estimated biodegradability percentage. Already available data concerning each ingredient coupled to a computer model developed with one of our partners were used to achieve this study. The in vitro study involved 8 formulas containing UV-filters and was led by following the OECD 301 F guidelines. Ecotoxicological studies of 7 of the formulas containing UV-filters were for their part realized by following the ISO 10253 guidelines for the experiments led with Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and the ISO 14669 guidelines for the experiments led with Acartia tonsa. In these studies, the effect of each tested product on crustaceans’ mortality and algal growth inhibition was assessed. Results: The in silico study predicted that formulas containing chemical UV-filters display a high biodegradability (superior to the threshold value of 60% given by the OECD 301 F guidelines). In the in vitro part of our work, the 8 tested formulas showed a biodegradability slightly inferior to the one predicted in the in silico experiments. Therefore, in order to evaluate if these calculated biodegradability value could have significant harmful effects on zoo- or phytoplankton, we studied the effect of our products regarding the growth inhibition on Phaeodactylum tricornutum and the mortality on Acartia tonsa. In this last part of the study, all the tested products were classified as “non ecotoxic” following an internal classification based on Part 4 entitled “Environmental Hazards” of Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), 9th edition (2021). Conclusions: These results are notably in line with those published by our teams in 2019 on the effects of solar cosmetic products on corals and seem to confirm that formulas containing mineral and chemical UV-filters can be daily used without displaying significant noxious effects on marine fauna and flora. .

基于in silico技术探究益母草在化妆品中的应用前景

益母草具有行血养血,活血化瘀的作用,临床应用广泛,常用来主治妇科疾病,近年来益母草的美容应用逐渐受到关注。本研究利用in silico技术平台,通过文献计量学对益母草的研究现状和未来的发展态势进行了预测,同时结合网络药理学对益母草皮肤美容的功效及物质基础进行预测,结果表明益母草的活性成分萜类化合物及益母草碱可通过NADPH、PDPK1、MAOB、VEGF2、SIRT2等靶点有效促进血液流动,改善皮肤微循环,调节激素代谢,降低炎症反应,抵御氧化应激,具有延缓皮肤老化,滋养皮肤的功效。本研究为益母草作为化妆品植物功效原料的物质基础及功效机理提供了理论基础,同时证明了益母草作为化妆品功效原料的独特性,具备良好的发展前景。

Comparative studies on the binding site of anesthetics to GABA a receptors using in silico docking methods

Although the GABAA receptor(GABAAR)has been proposed as the main action site for sevoflurane,isoflurane,halothane,enflurane,propofol,and benzodiazepines(BZDs),binding of these anesthetics with high-resolution structures of the GABAAR have been rarely examined by comparative docking analyses.Moreover,various combinations of ligands on more GABAARs with various subtypes need to be analyzed to understand the elaborate action mechanism of GABAARs better because some GABAA ligands showed specificity toward the distinct subtypes of the GABAAR.Methods:We performed in silico docking analysis to compare the binding modes of sevoflurane,isoflurane,halothane,enflurane,propofol,and BZDs to the GABAAR based on one of the most recently provided 3D structures.We performed the docking analysis and the affinity-based ranking of the binding sites.Results:Our docking studies revealed that isoflurane,halothane,and enflurane docked in an extracellular domain(ECD)on GABAARs,in contrast to sevoflurane.Conclusion:Our results supported a multi-site mechanism for the allosteric modulation of propofol.Propofol was bound to the pore or favored various subsites in the transmembrane domain(TMD).Our result confirmed that different chemically related BZD ligands interact via distinct binding modes rather than by using a common binding mode,as previously suggested.

In vitro and in silico studies of salicylic acid on systemic induced resistance against bacterial leaf blight disease and enhancement of crop yield

Salicylic acid(SA)is an effective elicitor to promote plant defenses and growth.This study aimed to investigate rice(Oryza sativa L.)cv.Khao Dawk Mali 105 treated with salicylic acid(SA)-Ricemate as an enhanced plant protection mechanism against bacterial leaf blight(BLB)disease caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae(Xoo).Results indicated that the use of SA-Ricemate as a foliar spray at concentrations of more than 100 mg L^(-1)can reduce the severity of BLB disease by 71%.SA-Ricemate treatment also increased the hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))content of rice leaf tissues over untreated samples by 39–61%.Malondialdehyde(MDA)in rice leaves treated with SA-Ricemate also showed an increase of 50–65%when comparing to non-treated samples.The differential development of these defense compounds was faster and distinct when the SA-Ricemate-treated rice was infected with Xoo,indicating plant-induced resistance.Besides,SA-Ricemate elicitor at a concentration of 50–250 mg L^(-1)was correlated with a substantial increase in the accumulation of total chlorophyll content at 2.53–2.73 mg g^(-1)of fresh weight which suggests that plant growth is activated by SA-Ricemate.The catalase-and aldehyde dehydrogenase-binding sites were searched for using the CASTp server,and the findings were compared to the template.Chemsketch was used to design and optimize SA,which was then docked to the catalase and aldehyde dehydrogenase-binding domains of the enzymes using the GOLD 3.0.1 Software.SA is shown in several docked conformations with the enzymes catalase and aldehyde dehydrogenase.All three catalase amino acids(GLN7,VAL27,and GLU38)were discovered to be involved in the creation of a strong hydrogen bond with SA when SA was present.In this mechanism,the aldehyde dehydrogenase amino acids LYS5,HIS6,and ASP2 were all implicated,and these amino acids created strong hydrogen bonds with SA.In field conditions,SA-Ricemate significantly reduced disease severity by 78%and the total grain yield was significantly increased which was an increase of plant height,tiller per hill,and panicle in three field trials during Aug–Nov 2017 and 2018.Therefore,SA-Ricemate can be used as an alternative elicitor on replacing harmful pesticides to control BLB disease with a high potential of increasing rice defenses,growth,and yield components.

In Silico Evaluation of the Potential Interference of Boceprevir, Calpain Inhibitor II, Calpain Inhibitor XII, and GC376 in the Binding of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein to Human Nanobody Nb20

Virtual screening can be a helpful approach to propose treatments for COVID-19 by developing inhibitors for blocking the attachment of the virus to human cells. This study uses molecular docking, recovery time and dynamics to analyze if potential inhibitors of main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 can interfere in the attachment of nanobodies, specifically Nb20, in the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. The potential inhibitors are four compounds previously identified in a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based enzymatic assay for the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro: Boceprevir, Calpain Inhibitor II, Calpain Inhibitor XII, and GC376. The findings reveal that Boceprevir has the higher affinity with the RBD/Nb20 complex, followed by Calpain Inhibitor XII, GC376 and Calpain Inhibitor II. The recovery time indicates that the RBD/Nb20 complex needs a relatively short time to return to what it was before the presence of the ligands. For the RMSD the Boceprevir and Calpain Inhibitor II have the shortest interaction times, while Calpain Inhibitor XII shows slightly more interaction, but with significant pose fluctuations. On the other hand, GC376 remains stably bound for a longer duration compared to the other compounds, suggesting that they can potentially interfere with the neutralization process of Nb20.

Three-dimensional models of antigens with serodiagnostic potential for leprosy:An in silico study

BACKGROUND Leprosy is a disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae(M.leprae),an intracellular pathogen that has tropism and affects skin and nervous system cells.The disease has two forms of presentation:Paucibacillary and multibacillary,with different clinical and immunological manifestations.Unlike what occurs in the multibacillary form,the diagnostic tests for the paucibacillary form are nonspecific and not very sensitive,allowing the existence of infected individuals without treatment,which contributes to the spread of the pathogen in the population.To mitigate this contamination,more sensitive diagnostic tests capable of detecting paucibacillary patients are needed.AIM To predict the three-dimensional structure models of M.leprae antigens with serodiagnostic potential for leprosy.METHODS In this in silico study,satisfactory templates were selected in the Protein Data Bank(PDB)using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool to predict the structural templates of ML2038,ML0286,ML0050,and 85B antigens by comparative modeling.The templates were selected according to general criteria such as sequence identity,coverage,X-ray resolution,Global Model Quality Estimate value and phylogenetic relationship;Clustal X 2.1 software was used in this analysis.Molecular modeling was completed using the software Modeller 9v13.Visualization of the models was made using ViewerLite 4.2 and PyMol software,and analysis of the quality of the predicted models was performed using the QMEAN score and Z-score.Finally,the three-dimensional moels were validated using the MolProbity and Verify 3D platforms.RESULTS The three-dimensional structure models of ML2038,ML0286,ML0050,and 85B antigens of M.leprae were predicted using the templates PDB:3UOI(90.51%identity),PDB:3EKL(87.46%identity),PDB:3FAV(40.00%identity),and PDB:1F0N(85.21%identity),respectively.The QMEAN and Z-score values indicated the good quality of the structure models.These data refer to the monomeric units of antigens,since some of these antigens have quaternary structure.The validation of the models was performed with the final three-dimensional structure-monomer(ML0050 and 85B antigens)and quaternary structures(ML2038 and ML0286).The majority of amino acid residues were observed in favorable and allowed regions in the Ramachandran plot,indicating correct positioning of the side chain and absence of steric impediment.The MolProbity score value and Verify 3D results of all models indicated a satisfactory prediction.CONCLUSION The polarized immune response against M.leprae creates a problem in leprosy detection.The selection of immunodominant epitopes is essential for the development of more sensitive serodiagnostic tests,for this it is important to know the three-dimensional structure of the antigens,which can be predicted with bioinformatics tools.

辣椒果实发育相关基因的电子克隆及生物信息学分析

以cDNA-AFLP分析辣椒果实发育获得的长度为193 bp的TDF_(9-68-11)为研究对象,采用电子克隆、PCR验证和生物信息学分析等方法,研究了辣椒果实发育相关基因的电子克隆及生物信息学功能分析,以期为辣椒果实发育相关基因的研究提供参考依据。结果表明:经过电子克隆最终获得长为1 167 bp的拼接序列,设计引物PCR扩增和测序获得全长714 bp的序列,与拼接序列高度一致;该序列编码分子量为17.96 kD氨基酸链,其等电点为7.76偏中性;氨基酸链具有跨膜特性,可能存在5个磷酸化位点,该氨基酸链二级结构含有的α螺旋占42.3%、延伸链占19.6%、β转角占12.2%,以及26.4%的随机卷曲结构。氨基酸序列比对可以初步推断该氨基酸序列的功能与果实发育中醇脱氢相关生化反应有关。

甜杨抗冻转录因子ICE1基因的in silico克隆及其分析

ICE1基因编码类似MYC的bHLH转录因子,可特异地结合到CBF3启动子的MYC作用元件并诱导CBF/DREB1下游基因的转录表达。本文采用电子克隆的方法,以拟南芥ICE1蛋白序列为信息探针,利用杨树EST数据库和毛果杨基因组序列拼接的结果,设计引物并通过RT-PCR从甜杨克隆了杨树的第一个ICE1基因。其cDNA长1706bp,含有完整的开放阅读框,可编码543个氨基酸的MYC类蛋白。编码蛋白序列含有bHLH区,核定位信号(NLS)区,富S区和转膜区各1个。Blast分析表明,cDNA序列及其推导的氨基酸序列均与拟南芥和芥菜的ICE1存在着较高的同源性,说明所获得的cDNA可能是甜杨ICE1基因(PsICE1,DQ481236)。通过网络服务器平台进行PsICE1的功能预测,结果显示PsICE1含有bHLH保守功能域,具有多个磷酸化位点和跨膜区域。另外,ICE1的电子表达谱分析结果发现,ICE1几乎可在植物中整株表达,在多种组织和不同发育过程均表达,这也在一定程度上说明了ICE1是组成型表达,以及ICE1可能在植物的生长发育中也起着重要作用。

淡水鱼类环境DNA宏条形码引物的筛选及其在千岛湖的应用

基于环境DNA(eDNA)技术的鱼类多样性监测方法因具有灵敏度高、对目标生物无伤害以及成本低等特点,近年来在国内外得到了广泛应用。eDNA方法的有效性往往取决于宏条形码引物的选择,尽管目前已经有一些鱼类环境DNA宏条形码引物,但较少有研究综合评估这些引物的检出效果。本研究评估了来自COI、Cytb、12S rRNA和16S rRNA基因的29对鱼类e DNA宏条形码引物(包括本研究设计的2对和从国内外文献中引用的27对引物),首先基于计算机模拟PCR(in silico PCR)进行了初步分析,随后通过高通量测序对其中效果较好的17对引物开展了更进一步的验证,结果显示:计算机模拟PCR结果良好的引物在进行高通量测序时并非全部表现良好,表明引物的筛选不能仅仅依靠计算机模拟PCR;具有更长扩增片段长度的宏条形码引物并没有获得理想中更好的扩增效果,表现效果好的引物大多是扩增片段长度处于200~300 bp之间的引物;相对于COI和Cytb而言,12S rRNA引物与16S rRNA引物均具有良好的扩增效果,适宜作为鱼类环境DNA宏条形码而用于鱼类多样性研究;同时,鉴于当前的鱼类DNA条形码数据库尚不完备以及不同引物的特性不同,使用多对引物将大大增加物种的检出概率和e DNA研究的可信性。本研究展示了eDNA在评估生物多样性方面的潜力,有助于将来的鱼类eDNA研究,从而为鱼类多样性的保护提供参考。

RT-PCR克隆籼稻叶绿素a/b结合蛋白基因全长cDNA及序列的in silico分析

根据日本晴cab4基因序列(GenBank:AK104499.1)设计引物,用RT-PCR的方法从籼稻9311中克隆了叶绿素a/b结合蛋白基因的全长cDNA,命名为cab-9311(cab gene from 9311)。insilico分析表明:cab-9311与cab4基因同源性为99%,编码的蛋白含有244个氨基酸,与cab4基因编码的蛋白同源性为98%。蛋白分子质量为26.9kD,理论等电点为6.52。第54位～第216位氨基酸是一个典型的叶绿素a/b结合蛋白功能域(chlorophyll a/bbinding domain)。跨膜分析和蛋白质三级预测显示,该蛋白在C端有一个典型的跨膜区。亚细胞定位分析表明该蛋白定位于叶绿体,是一个叶绿体内囊体膜上的锚定蛋白。

十字花科黑腐病菌中GGDEF结构域蛋白差异的insilico分析

近年来,含有GGDEF结构域(含有甘氨酸(G)(2个),天冬氨酸(D),谷氨酸(E),苯丙氨酸(F)保守氨基酸)的蛋白受到重视,已证实含GGDEF结构域蛋白在细胞信号转导、生长和致病性等方面发挥了重要作用。十字花科黑腐菌8004菌株(Xanthomonas campestrispv.campestris str.8004,Xcc 8004)有32个基因编码含GGDEF结构域蛋白,实验证明其中部分蛋白与Xcc致病性、胞外酶产生、生物膜形成和泳动等生命活动相关。本文利用互联网提供的生物信息学资源,对Xcc8004不同功能含GGDEF结构域蛋白进行生物信息学分析,着重分析其结构域架构。对蛋白结构域架构整体比较显示,这些蛋白的整体结构域架构具有多样性,共有结构域架构仅有PAS_4-GGDEF-EAL(分布于参与致病的蛋白中);对结构域架构局部比较显示,在参与致病性的含GGDEF结构域蛋白中,PAS_4-GGDEF和GGDEF-EAL为共有结构域架构;在参与内切葡聚糖酶产生的蛋白中,PAS_4-PAS_4、PAS_4-GGDEF和GGDEF-EAL为共有结构域架构。本研究结果将为蛋白质功能预测提供线索。

水淬硅锰渣的机械粉磨特性

这是一篇矿物加工工程领域的论文。根据机械力化学原理,采用振动磨的方式对水淬硅锰渣进行粉磨,通过研究粉磨时间对水淬硅锰渣粉比表面积、粒度分布、活性评价等影响,并使用比表面积和激光粒度分析仪、XRD和SEM等表征方法对水淬硅锰渣粉的比表面积、粒径分布、难磨物相和颗粒形貌进行了探讨,同时也研究了不同粉磨时间的水淬硅锰渣粉作掺合料对地聚物抗压强度的影响。结果表明,随着粉磨时间延长,硅锰渣粒度分布逐渐左移,颗粒粒径逐步细化,石英相逐渐向无定形结构转变。从成本角度考虑,当粉磨时间为25 min、比表面积为1.8281 m^(2)/g时作粉煤灰地聚物掺合料时,28 d抗压强度可达26.79 MPa。并确定出难磨物相为直锰辉石晶体结构,以及不同的含锰物相。

灵芝LaeA基因的电子克隆、表达及生物信息学分析

为通过电子克隆得到灵芝LaeA基因序列,分析其基因序列信息,并初步探究其调控功能。采用电子克隆的方法,以已知桔青霉的LaeA蛋白序列为模板,在灵芝的EST数据库中进行序列相似性搜索比对(Blast),经序列拼接、序列验证和序列延伸等电子克隆方法获得灵芝LaeA基因的cDNA序列;采用生物信息学软件对LaeA基因编码蛋白质的基本理化性质、疏水性/亲水性、亚细胞定位、信号肽、二级结构、三级结构及进化关系等方面进行了预测和分析。结果表明,LaeA基因全长1 134 bp,编码378个氨基酸,蛋白分子质量为42.895 3 ku,存在于细胞质中,是亲水性蛋白;LaeA蛋白结构主要由47.88%无规则卷曲、33.33%α-螺旋和18.78%延伸链组成,有S-腺苷甲硫氨酸结合位点,属于AdoMet_MTases超家族蛋白;系统进化分析结果显示,LaeA蛋白与云芝、污叉丝孔菌等白腐担子菌类的亲缘关系较为亲近;qRT-PCR结果表明,LaeA基因在灵芝细胞液体静置培养过程中的表达量显著高于振荡培养方式。推测LaeA蛋白作为1种甲基转移酶蛋白,通过参与组蛋白的甲基化修饰,进而影响基因簇的表达水平。

狼毒化学成分基于Mpro靶点的虚拟筛选及抗SARS-CoV-2活性分析

目的 对瑞香狼毒和狼毒大戟中的化学成分进行基于新型冠状病毒(Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus-2,SARS-CoV-2)3CL水解酶(Mpro)的抑制剂虚拟筛选以及体外活性验证以为发现抗新型冠状病毒疾病(Corona Virus Disease 2019,COVID-19)治疗药物提供参考。方法 以瑞香狼毒和狼毒大戟中的天然产物为研究对象,以Mpro为靶点,以Mpro晶体结构(PDB ID:6LU7)中的配体小分子N3为阳性对照,采用AutoDock Vina进行分子对接,对结合亲和力和结合构象进行分析并进行基于SARS-CoV-2 Mpro蛋白的体外抑制活性测试。结果 与N3(亲和力为-7.7 kcal/Mol)相比,双黄酮类化合物狼毒素和异狼毒素呈现了最高的Mpro靶点亲和力(-9.7 kcal/Mol),且优于利托那韦、更昔洛韦、利巴韦林、氯喹、达芦那韦、阿巴卡韦等已知抗病毒药物以及其他天然产物的亲和力。对接构象分析发现二者均能有效占据Mpro蛋白结合位点并形成若干重要的氢键结合,其中以异狼毒素为最优,这对于二者与Mpro靶点的结合以及Mpro靶点抑制构象的稳定起着重要作用。异狼毒素在50μM浓度下显示出优于狼毒素的较好的Mpro体外抑制活性。结论 狼毒素和异狼毒素具有基于Mpro靶点抑制SARS-CoV-2病毒的潜在活性,可作为结构优化和抗SARS-CoV-2体内外活性研究的先导化合物。

一个新的葡萄抗逆转录因子VvERF2基因的In silico克隆及生物信息学分析

ERF是植物所特有的一类重要的转录因子,广泛参与植物生长、发育以及多种生理生化反应的信号传导。本研究利用In silico克隆方法获得葡萄VvERF2基因,并利用生物信息学方法对该基因编码产物从氨基酸组成、理化性质、进化关系、二级及三级结构、功能等方面进行预测和分析。结果表明,VvERF2为亲水性蛋白,与其他物种的ERF在序列组成、结构及活性位点等方面均具有高度的一致性。

Decoding Retinoblastoma: Differential Gene Expression

Background: Retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular pediatric cancer, presents complexities in its genetic landscape that necessitate a deeper understanding for improved therapeutic interventions. This study leverages computational tools to dissect the differential gene expression profiles in retinoblastoma. Methods: Employing an in silico approach, we analyzed gene expression data from public repositories by applying rigorous statistical models, including limma and de seq 2, for identifying differentially expressed genes DEGs. Our findings were validated through cross-referencing with independent datasets and existing literature. We further employed functional annotation and pathway analysis to elucidate the biological significance of these DEGs. Results: Our computational analysis confirmed the dysregulation of key retinoblastoma-associated genes. In comparison to normal retinal tissue, RB1 exhibited a 2.5-fold increase in expression (adjusted p Conclusions: Our analysis reinforces the critical genetic alterations known in retinoblastoma and unveils new avenues for research into the disease’s molecular basis. The discovery of chemoresistance markers and immune-related genes opens potential pathways for personalized treatment strategies. The study’s outcomes emphasize the power of in silico analyses in unraveling complex cancer genomics.