Three anti-inflammatory polysaccharides from Lonicera japonica Thunb.:insights into the structure-function relationships

This study demonstrates the feasibility of producing three polysaccharides(neutral LJP-1,acidic LJP-2 and acidic LJP-3)with significant in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory activities from the flowers of Lonicera japonica.The three polysaccharides differed in chemical composition,molecular weight(Mw)distribution,glycosidic linkage pattern,functional groups and morphology.They exhibited excellent protective effects(in a dose-dependent manner)in lipopolysaccharide-injured RAW264.7 macrophages and Cu SO4-damaged zebrafish via reducing NO production and inhibiting the overexpressions of inflammation-related transcription factors,inflammatory proteins and cytokines in the NF-κB/MAPK signaling pathways.Their antiinflammatory effects varied owing to their different molecular characteristics and chemical compositions.Overall,LJP-2 at 400μg/m L was the most effective.LJP-2 consisted mainly of→5)-α-L-Araf(1→,→4)-α-LGalp A(1→and→2)-α-L-Rhap(1→residues with terminal T-β-D-Glcp.Thus,honeysuckle flowers are good sources of anti-inflammatory polysaccharides,and precise fractionation enables the production of potent antiinflammatory agents for the development of functional foods and healthcare products.

Structure-function integrated magnesium alloys and their composites

Magnesium-based materials not only exhibit desirable characteristics such as low density and high specific strength, but also possess exceptional functional properties, including high damping capacity, high thermal conductivity, high electromagnetic interference shielding capacity, flame retardancy, and dissolvability. However, achieving a balance between strength and functional properties remains a significant challenge in Mg alloys community. Typically, strength depends on the pinning effect of defects, such as solute atoms and second phases,which hinder dislocation motion. On the other hand, optimal functional properties usually necessitate relative perfect crystal structures, as the presence of solute atoms and second phases can have adverse effects on damping capacity and thermal conductivity. Balancing these conflicting requirements is difficult. The trade-off between strength and functional properties of the Mg alloys should be broken to meet the urgent need in aerospace, automotive, 3C(computers, communications, and consumer electronics) and energy industries for high performance structural-functional integrated Mg-based materials. This review summarizes recent progress in understanding the mechanisms and influencing factors for the functional properties of Mg alloys. The mechanisms underlying the trade-off between strength and functional properties of Mg alloys is discussed. The latest developed structural-functional integrated Mg alloys and their composites are summarized, including high strength Mg-based materials with high damping capacity/high thermal conductivity/strong electromagnetic shielding capability/excellent flame-resistance/high dissolution rate. The future works of developing structure-function integrated Mg-based materials are proposed.

Structure-function Relationships in Human Hypoxanthine-guanine Phosphoribosyltransferase(HGPRT) by Random Mutagenesis

Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase （ HGPRT, EC 2.4.2.8） is a key enzyme of the purine salvage pathway, which allows recycling of purine bases into DNA and RNA. It is widely distributed in nature and has been studied both in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In humans, a complete lack of HGPRT activity causes the Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, which is characterized by hyperuricaemia and neural disorders,

Structure-function relationship of antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin Pc-CATH1

Cathelicidin Pc-CATH1 is a cathelicidin-derived myeloid antimicrobial peptide identified from Phasianus colchicus with strong antimicrobial activity against most of bacteria and fungi tested,including the clinically isolated(IS)drug-resistant strains.Considering the uniform distribution of net positive charge in both C-and N-terminus sequence of cathelicidin Pc-CATH1 and most of hydrophobic amino acid(aa)residues positioned in middle of the sequence,the antimicrobial peptide was used to investigate the structure-function relationship by truncating gradually N-or C-terminus amino acid residue.More than 10 modified peptide homo-logues(20-26 aa length)of cathelicidin Pc-CATH1 were found to keep strong antimicrobial abilities.The possible relationships between bioactivities including antimicrobial and hemolytic abilities,components of secondary structure,hydrophobicity,amphipathicity,net charge,and sequence length were investigated.The current work provided suggestions for structural and functional modification of linear,α-helical antimicrobial peptides containing no disulfided bridges.

Thoughts of a travelling ecologist 14. Structure-function conflation in environmental risk assessment and monitoring

Recently,I attended a conference organised by the European Food Safety Authority in the beautiful and prosperous Italian city of Parma.The overall topic of the conference was risk assessment,and the program included a section on aspects of environmental risk assessment.In various areas,including the evalution of the effects of pesticide applications,invasive organisms or genetically modified plants(Arpaia et al.,2014)preparing an environmental risk assessment is an obviously relevant exercise.

Extending the solid solution range of sodium ferric pyrophosphate:Off‐stoichiometric Na_(3)Fe(2.5)(P_(2)O_(7))_(2)as a novel cathode for sodium‐ion batteries

Iron‐based pyrophosphates are attractive cathodes for sodium‐ion batteries due to their large framework,cost‐effectiveness,and high energy density.However,the understanding of the crystal structure is scarce and only a limited candidates have been reported so far.In this work,we found for the first time that a continuous solid solution,Na_(4−α)Fe_(2+α)_(2)(P_(2)O_(7))_(2)(0≤α≤1,could be obtained by mutual substitution of cations at center‐symmetric Na3 and Na4 sites while keeping the crystal building blocks of anionic P_(2)O_(7) unchanged.In particular,a novel off‐stoichiometric Na_(3)Fe(2.5)(P_(2)O_(7))_(2)is thus proposed,and its structure,energy storage mechanism,and electrochemical performance are extensively investigated to unveil the structure–function relationship.The as‐prepared off‐stoichiometric electrode delivers appealing performance with a reversible discharge capacity of 83 mAh g^(−1),a working voltage of 2.9 V(vs.Na^(+)/Na),the retention of 89.2%of the initial capacity after 500 cycles,and enhanced rate capability of 51 mAh g^(−1)at a current density of 1600 mA g^(−1).This research shows that sodium ferric pyrophosphate could form extended solid solution composition and promising phase is concealed in the range of Na_(4−α)Fe_(2+α)_(2)(P_(2)O_(7))_(2),offering more chances for exploration of new cathode materials for the construction of high‐performance SIBs.

Virtual Plant Modeling Based on Mutual Feedback of Function-structure

[Objective] To study virtual plant modeling based on mutual feedback of function-structure.[Method] With the analysis of the shortcomings of current virtual plant modeling method,the modeling with the idea of function-structure mutual feedback was put forward,and the steps of this modeling were elaborated,including the determination of morphological structure model,biomass production model,biomass allocation model,organ reconstruction model,and the integration method of function model and morphological structure model.[Results] The breakthrough of function-structure mutual feedback based mechanism from the boundaries of physiological ecology model and morphological structure model can solve the difficulty of data transmission between the two models and build an integrated model from the two,which can effectively reflect the incidence relation between plant morphology and function,and more suitable for the growth mechanisms of plants.This modeling approach has significant advantages in the dynamic simulation of plant growth.[Conclusion] The virtual plant modeling based on function-structure mutual feedback provides basis for the simulation of plant growth status in the next stage,and has important significance for the accurate simulation of the dynamic growth process of plant.

Cytochrome P450 Directed Prodrug Activation Therapy in Research of Cancer Enzymology

Cancer enzymology is a promising filiation of bio-medical sciences. In thepast decades, enzymes, such as GST(glutathione S-transferase) , PKC(protein kinase C) , Topo(DNAtopoisomerases), TK(tyrosine kinase), CD (bacterial cytosine deaminase), CPG2(carboxypeptidase G2) ,and PNP (purine nucleoside phosphorylase), have been known to bear close relations to cancer. Theirspecific expression and influence on the process of tumor initiation, promotion and progressionattract scientists to apply them as a biochemical marker of certain malignant tumor, a predictor ofresponse in cancer chemotherapy; to apply them to drug design, tumor prevention and as adjuvant toradiotherapy or surgery.

GO/HTPB composite liner for anti-migration of small molecules

Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene/toluene diisocyanate(HTPB/TDI)system is widely used in composite solid propellants.The migrations of plasticizers and water molecules from solid propellants and surrounding environment to the inhibitor have always been the important issues.This study focuses on the preparation,characterization and anti-migration behavior of graphene oxide(GO)/HTPB nanocomposite liner.The GO/HTPB(GH)composite liners affect the migration of small molecules through a tighter cross-linked structure and weakening function of small molecule adsorption.The anti-migration performance of the liner at different temperatures was analyzed,and the influence of the added amount of GO on the anti-migration performance and adhesion performance was also systematically studied.The overall performance of the liner is optimized when the amount of GO filler is 0.3 wt%.After adding 0.3 wt%GO,the concentration of dioctyl sebacate(DOS)migrated into the liner is decreased by 23.28%,and the concentration of water molecules is decreased by 51.89%,indicating that the introduction of GO can significantly improve the anti-migration performance of the liner.In addition,the bond strength is greatly increased from 0.25 MPa to 0.95 MPa,which meets the application requirements of the current propellant system.This research provides an important way for the preparation of structure-function synergistic anti-migration composite liners.

Hybrid enzyme catalysts synthesized by a de novo approach for expanding biocatalysis

The two major challenges in industrial enzymatic catalysis are the limited number of chemical reaction types that are catalyzed by enzymes and the instability of enzymes under harsh conditions in industrial catalysis.Expanding enzyme catalysis to a larger substrate scope and greater variety of chemical reactions and tuning the microenvironment surrounding enzyme molecules to achieve high enzyme performance are urgently needed.In this account,we focus on our efforts using the de novo approach to synthesis hybrid enzyme catalysts that can address these two challenges and the structure-function relationship is discussed to reveal the principles of designing hybrid enzyme catalysts.We hope that this account will promote further efforts toward fundamental research and wide applications of designed enzyme hybrid catalysts for expanding biocatalysis.

Predicting Resting-state Functional Connectivity With Efficient Structural Connectivity

The complex relationship between structural connectivity(SC) and functional connectivity(FC) of human brain networks is still a critical problem in neuroscience. In order to investigate the role of SC in shaping resting-state FC, numerous models have been proposed. Here, we use a simple dynamic model based on the susceptible-infected-susceptible(SIS) model along the shortest paths to predict FC from SC. Unlike the previous dynamic model based on SIS theory, we focus on the shortest paths as the principal routes to transmit signals rather than the empirical structural brain network. We first simplify the structurally connected network into an efficient propagation network according to the shortest paths and then combine SIS infection theory with the efficient network to simulate the dynamic process of human brain activity. Finally, we perform an extensive comparison study between the dynamic models embedded in the efficient network, the dynamic model embedded in the structurally connected network and dynamic mean field(DMF) model predicting FC from SC. Extensive experiments on two different resolution datasets indicate that i) the dynamic model simulated on the shortest paths can predict FC among both structurally connected and unconnected node pairs; ii) though there are fewer links in the efficient propagation network, the predictive power of FC derived from the efficient propagation network is better than the dynamic model simulated on a structural brain network; iii) in comparison with the DMF model,the dynamic model embedded in the shortest paths is found to perform better to predict FC.

Subspecific variation in sperm morphology and performance in the Long-tailed Finch (Poephila acuticauda)

Background: Evolutionary biology endeavours to explain biological diversity,and as such it is critical to develop an understanding of the adaptive and functional significance of trait variation.Spermatozoa exhibit remarkable levels of morphological diversification.However,our understanding of the evolutionary causes and functional significance of this variation is limited,especially at the intraspecific level.Methods: We quantified variation in sperm morphology and performance between two subspecies of Long-tailed Finch(Poephila acuticauda acuticauda and P.a.hecki),a small grassfinch found in tropical northern Australia.Despite a zone of secondary contact,these subspecies are maintained as two distinct forms: P.a.acuticauda occurs in the western part of the species' range and has a yellow bill,while P.a.hecki exhibits a red bill and is found in the eastern part of the range.Results: We found small,but significant differences in sperm size between these subspecies(P.a.acuticauda had longer and narrower sperm than P.a.hecki),which was surprising given the recent evolutionary origins of these two taxa(i.e.0.3 million years ago).Additionally,both subspecies exhibited high values of between- and within-male variation in sperm morphology,though in the case of sperm midpiece length this variation was significantly lower in P.a.acuticauda relative to P.a.hecki.Conclusions: We suggest these observed differences in sperm morphology are the result of genetic drift and reflect historical processes associated with divergence between the eastern and western populations of these two subspecies.Finally,we discuss the potential implications of our findings for the process of population divergence and reproductive isolation.

Mechano-Chemical Regulation of VWF-A Activity in Flow

Von Willebrand Factor(VWF),a multimeric plasma glycoprotein,is synthesized in endothelial cells and megakaryocytes.In adhesion and aggregation of circulating platelets towards to the sites of vascular injury,VWF captures and activates the circulating platelets through interaction with platelet GPlba.As a triplet complex of A1A2A3,the VWF-A domain is a closed conformation with a low affinity to GPlba,but mutations or pathological hemodynamic environment of high fluid shear stress can induce the closed A domain to become an extended one.However,the key events in the force-and/or mutation-induced activation of VWF-A under flows remains unclear.Therefore,with techniques of AFM and PPFC,we here examined transformation of conformation and function of VWF-A under various wall shear stresses,for understanding regulation of force on VWF-A activation.Interesting,AFM scanning imaging data showed that VWF-A molecules on substrate pretreated by perfusing distilled water at various wall shear stresses shortened first and then lengthened as increasing of the pre-loaded wall shear stress,and the threshold of the wall shear stress is about 100 dyn/cm2,demonstrating that increasing pre-loaded wall shear stress would make the treated-A1A2A3 conformation gradually transform from a loose spherical structure to a compact one first and then become an open or extended one.The adhesion frequency of GPlba-coated Polystyrene microspheres(3-μm radius)on the VWF-A-coated substrates decreased first and then increased with the preloaded wall shear stress,which has a same threshold mentioned above.These results suggested that,force-induced activation of VWF-A occurs just at high wall shear stresses(>100 dyn/cm2).The mechanical stability of the closed A1A2A3 conformation would be weakened by the gain of function(GOF)mutant R1 308 L of A1 and enhanced by the loss of function(LOF)mutant G1324S,as it should be.To further reveal the molecular mechanism of the force-induced enhancing or weakening of VWF-A activation,we performed AFM experiment to investigate interaction of A1(WT A1 and its two mutants,the GOF mutant R1 308 L and the LOF mutant G1324S)with A2 and A3,respectively.The adhesive frequency of A1 with A2was larger than that of A1 with A3,showing that A1 was in favor of A2 rather than A3.And,the lifetimes of A1-A2 and A1-A3bond were biphasic force-dependent,showing a'Catch-slip bond'transform in binding of A1 to A2 or A3.It suggested that under the low wall shear stresses,force could inhibit VWF activity through a catch bond mechanism,which enhanced the stability of the closed A1A2A3 conformation,but under high wall shear stresses,the force would enhance VWF activity through a slip bond mechanism,which promoted conformational transform of VWF-A from closed to extended one through reducing the stability of the closed A1A2A3 structure.Our results showed that the GOF mutant R1 308 L would down-regulate the binding affinity of A1 to A2,leading to a low barrier in opening of the closed VWF-A structure.In contrast,the LOF mutant G1324S would enhance the stability of the closed VWF-A conformation by up-regulating the binding affinity of A1 to A2,leading to inhibition of VWF activity.

Molecular Dynamic Simulation of Kindlin F3 Domain with Integrin β3-tail

Integrin activation,the transition from a low to a high affinity state,regulates the numerous cellular responses consequent to integrin engagement by extracellular matrix proteins.Kindlin proteins,play crucial roles in the integrin-signaling pathway by directly interacting with and activating integrins,which mediate the cell-extracellular matrix adhesion and signaling.As a widely distributed PTB domain protein and a major member of the kindlin family,kindlin2 interacts withβ3-tail,bridges talin-activated integrins to promote integrin aggregation,and enhances talin-induced integrin activation.Thus,kindlin2 is identified as a coactivator of integrins.Unlike talins,kindlin2 cannot directly alter the conformation of the integrin transmembrane helix and fail to activate integrin alone.Nevertheless,although it is widely accepted that kindlins and talins synergistically promote integrin activation,the underlying mechanism is unclear.Thus,the study of the force dissociation of the kindlin2/β3-tail complex and the conformation stabilization under different mechanical micro-environments should be of great significance for the further understanding of the structural basis of its synergistically activation of integrin.To reveal the molecular dynamics mechanism of interaction between kindlin2 andβ3-tail,we perform molecular dynamics(MD)simulations for this complex with different computing strategies interaction.In MD simulations,the available crystal structures of Kindlin-2/β3-tail complex(Protein Data Bank code 5XQ1)was downloaded from the PDB database.Two software packages,VMD for visualization and modeling and NAMD 2.13 for energy minimizations and MD simulations,were used here.The steadystate conformation of the complex was obtained from the equilibrium simulation.The dissociation event was observed by the constant velocity simulation,and the mechanical stability of the complex was observed by the constant force simulation.Our results showed that,during the equilibrium of the kindlin2-F3/β34ail complex,the residue MET612,LYS613 and TRP615 on the F3 domain of kindlin2 contributed to hydrogen-bonding with the corresponding residues onβ3 integrin.These bonds exhibit moderate or strong stability through steered molecular dynamics(SMD)simulation.During the constant velocity simulation,the complex exhibits a variety of unfolding pathways against tension applications,which are mainly distinguished by the disruption of hydrogen-bonds between the F3 domain a1/a2 helixes andβ1/β2 sheets.During the constant force simulation,the different phases of the composite force dissociation have different dissociation probabilities,which shows the biphasic force-dependent characteristics.And,the key residues in the pulling were recognized according not only to the number of interacting residue pairs,but also to their bond strength.Using molecular dynamics simulation,we showed the steady state of the kindlin2-F3/β3-tail complex under different tensile forces,and observe the dynamic process of molecular interaction.A possible underlying biophysical mechanism is that,the dissociation of Kindlin2-F3/β3-tail complex is biphasic force-dependent,and the conformations under different stretching states have different binding affinities.This study not only provides insights into the structural basis and mechanical regulation mechanisms of the kindlin/integrin interaction,in understanding in kindlin/integrin-related signaling in different cellular biological processes,but also provides new ideas for novel drug design and the treatment of related diseases.

Surface-enhanced vibrational spectroscopies in electrocatalysis:Fundamentals,challenges,and perspectives

Electrocatalysis offers a promising approach towards chemical synthesis driven by renewable energy.Molecular level understanding of the electrochemical interface remains challenging due to its compositional and structural complexity.In situ interfacial specific characterization techniques could help uncover structure-function relationships and reaction mechanism.To this end,electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS)and surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy(SEIRAS)thrive as powerful techniques to provide fingerprint information of interfacial species at reaction conditions.In this review,we first introduce the fundamentals of SERS and SEIRAS,followed by discussion regarding the technical challenges and potential solutions.Finally,we highlight future directions for further development of surface-enhanced spectroscopic techniques for electrocatalytic studies.

Emanuel Strehler’s work on calcium pumps and calcium signaling

Cells are equipped with mechanisms to control tightly the influx, efflux and resting level of free calcium (Ca 2+ ). Inappropriate Ca 2+ signaling and abnormal Ca 2+ levels are involved in many clinical disorders including heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and stroke. Ca 2+ also plays a major role in cell growth, differentiation and motility; disturbances in these processes underlie cell transformation and the progression of cancer. Accordingly, research in the Strehler laboratory is focused on a better understanding of the molecular "toolkit" needed to ensure proper Ca 2+ homeostasis in the cell, as well as on the mechanisms of localized Ca 2+ signaling. A longterm focus has been on the plasma membrane calcium pumps (PMCAs), which are linked to multiple disorders including hearing loss, neurodegeneration, and heart disease. Our work over the past 20 years or more has revealed a surprising complexity of PMCA isoforms with different functional characteristics, regulation, and cellular localization. Emerging evidence shows how specific PMCAs contribute not only to setting basal intracellular Ca 2+ levels, but also to local Ca 2+ signaling and vectorial Ca 2+ transport. A second major research arearevolves around the calcium sensor protein calmodulin and an enigmatic calmodulin-like protein (CALML3) that is linked to epithelial differentiation. One of the cellular targets of CALML3 is the unconventional motor protein myosin-10, which raises new questions about the role of CALML3 and myosin-10 in cell adhesion and migration in normal cell differentiation and cancer.

Study of structure function correlation of chemokine receptor CXCR4

Objective: To explore the correlation between structure domains and functions of chemokine receptor CXCR4. Methods: After the establishment of wild type chemokine.receptor CXCR4 and CXCR2 expressing cell lines, 5 CXCR4/CXCR2 chimeras, 2 CXCR4 mutants were stably expressed on CHO cell line. Binding activities of all variants with the ligand, recombinant human SDF-1β, signal transduction ability after stimulation and their function as coreceptor for HIV-1 were studied with ligand-binding assay, Cytosensor/ microphysiometry and cell-cell reporter gene fusion assay. Results: Among all 7 changed CXCR4 receptors, 3 chimeras (2444a, 4442, 4122), and 1 mutant (CXCR4-Tr) bond with SDF-1β in varying degrees, of which only 2444a totally and CXCR4-Tr partially maintain signaling. All changed receptors except for 4222 could act as coreceptors for HIV-1 (LAI) in varying degrees. Conclusion: Several structure domains of CXCR4 are involved in the binding with SDF-1β, among which, N-terminal extracellular domain has high affinity of binding with SDF-1β, and the 3rd extracellular loop contributes to the binding, too. Although the C-terminal in-tracellular domain has no association with the maintenance of the overall structure of the receptor and ligand binding capability, the signaling is decreased when this domain is truncated. For CXCR4 signaling, not only is the conserved motif DRY box needed, but also the characterized conformation of the whole molecule must be formed when activation is required. There are some overlaps between SDF-1β binding domains and coreceptor function domains in molecular structure of CXCR4.

Structure-activity correlationship and folding of recombinant Escherichia coli dihydro folate reductase (DHFR) enzyme through biochemical and biophysical approaches

The design of any antagonist or inhibitor for any enzyme requires the knowledge of structure- function relationship of the protein and the optimum conformational states for maximum and minimum activities. Furthermore, designing of the inhibitors or drugs against an enzyme becomes easier if there is information available about various well characterized intermediate conformation of the molecule. In vivo folding pathway of any recombinant protein is an important parameter for understanding its ability to fold by itself inside the cell, which always dictates the downstream processing for the purification. In the present manuscript we have discussed about the in vivo and in vitro folding, and structure-function relationship of Dihydrofolate reductase enzyme. This is an important enzyme involved in the cell growth and hence inhibition or inactivation of the enzyme may reduce the cell growth. It was observed that the equilibrium unfolding transition of DHFR proceeds through the formation of intermediates having higher exposed surface hydrophobicity, unchanged enzymatic activity and minimum changes in the secondary structural elements. Because of enhanced surface hydrophobicity, and unchanged enzymatic activity, these intermediates could be a nice target for designing drugs against DHFR.

Recent Advances in Mn,Fe,Co,and Ni-Catalyzed Organic Reactions

This paper reviewed the recent research progress of organic reactions catalyzed by four typical earthabundant and 3d metal catalysts:Mn,Fe,Co,and Ni complexes and mainly focused on the reactions in which these 3d metal catalysts exhibited obvious advantages over other catalysts.The mechanism that makes these 3d metal catalysts show unusual properties is another focus of this paper.An outlook on 3d metal complexes-catalyzed organic reactions was also considered.

Structural and functional design of geopolymer adsorbents:a review

The water pollution derived from the discharge of heavy metals,antibiotics,dyes and surfactants wastewater,etc.has seriously affected human survival and ecological security.As an efficient and low-cost physical wastewater treatment process,the adsorption is a continuous hot spot in related scientific research and applications.Geopolymers are non-crystal or semi-crystalline materials with high-efficiency adsorption performance due to the alkali metal ions that balance the electronegative aluminosilicate skeleton can be efficiently replaced by other cations in the aqueous environment.The related studies of different application conditions,service objects and morphological differences of geopolymer adsorbents based on structure-function design have been in-depth exploration and investigation.This review aims to summarize the research progres s of the structure-function design based on the geopolymerization mechanism and kinetics and service requirements.An overview of service characteristics and progress of geopolymers in the wastewater treatment field(e.g.,dyes,heavy metals,radionuclides,surfactants,antibiotics,ammonium,phosphorus,nitrogen and CO_(2),etc.)are systematically discussed.And the evolution and development of morphological differences and the relationship of structure-function design of geopolymer adsorbents were compared and reviewed.Finally,the challenge worth overcoming,the trends worth considering and perspectives worth developing are highlighted.