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The chemical compositions, in vitro and in silico anti-dengue activity of the essential oils of the rhizomes of Curcuma longa Linn., C. aeruginosa Roxb., and C. xanthorrhiza Roxb. had been investigated. The C. longa oil was mainly composed of ar-turmerone (54.0%) and curlone (17.7%), while the C. aeruginosa oil was rich in curzerenone (23.4%), 1,8-cineole (21.2%), and camphor (7.1%). Xanthorrhizol (21.6%), β-curcumene (19.5%), ar-curcumene (14.2%), and camphor (9.2%) were the major compounds in the C. xanthorrhiza oil. Among the oils, the C. longa oil was found to be the most active NSB-NS3 protease inhibitor (IC50 1.98 μg/mL). PLS biplot disclosed that the essential oils were classified into three separated clusters based on their characteristic chemical compositions, with C. longa positioned closest to the in vitro anti-dengue activity. Four compounds from the C. longa oil have both hydrogen and hydrophobic bonds that could be responsible for the DENV-2 NS2B-NS3 inhibitory effect.

An oligonucleotide DNA probe has been developed for the application in the DNA electrochemical biosensor for the early diagnosis of coronavirus disease (COVID‐19). Here, the virus microRNA from the N‐gene of severe acute respiratory syndrome‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) was used for the first time as a specific target for detecting the virus and became a framework for developing the complementary DNA probe. The sequence analysis of the virus microRNA was carried out using bioinformatics tools including basic local alignment search tools, multiple sequence alignment from CLUSTLW, microRNA database (miRbase), microRNA target database, and gene analysis. Cross‐validation of distinct strains of coronavirus and human microRNA sequences was completed to validate the percentage of identical and consent regions. The percent identity parameter from the bioinformatics tools revealed the virus microRNAs’ sequence has a 100% match with the genome of SARS‐CoV‐2 compared with other coronavirus strains, hence improving the selectivity of the complementary DNA probe. The 30 mer with 53.0% GC content of complementary DNA probe 5′ GCC TGA GTT GAG TCA GCA CTG CTC ATG GAT 3′ was designed and could be used as a bioreceptor for the biosensor development in the clinical and environmental diagnosis of COVID‐19., An oligonucleotide DNA probe has been developed for the application in the DNA electrochemical biosensor for the early diagnosis of coronavirus disease (COVID‐19). Here, the virus microRNA from the N‐gene of severe acute respiratory syndrome‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) was used for the first time as a specific target for detecting the virus and became a framework for developing the complementary DNA probe.

Microaerobacter geothermalis Nad S1 T is a rare Bacillaceae thermophile that grows optimally at 55°C and circumneutral pH. Although strain Nad S1 T was discovered >10 years ago, its genome is yet to be described. The release of the Nad S1 T genome sequence serves as reference genetic information for subsequent use.

Microaerobacter geothermalis Nad S1

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as of week 23 of 2022, there were more than 1,311 cases of dengue in Malaysia, with 13 deaths reported. Furthermore, there was an increase of 65.7% during the same period in 2021. Despite the increase in cumulative dengue incidence, there is no effective antiviral drug available for dengue treatment. This work aimed to evaluate several nitro-benzylidene phenazine compounds, especially those that contain 4-hydroxy-3,5-bis((2-(4-nitrophenyl)hydrazinylidene)-methyl)benzoate through pharmacophore queries selection method as potential dengue virus 2 (DENV2) NS2B-NS3 protease inhibitors. Herein, molecular docking was employed to correlate the energies of selected hits’ free binding and their binding affinities. Pan assay interference compounds (PAINS) filter was also adopted to identify and assess the drug-likeness, toxicity, mutagenicity potentials, and pharmacokinetic profiles to select hit compounds that can be considered as lead DENV2 NS2B-NS3 protease inhibitors. Molecular dynamics assessment of two nitro-benzylidene phenazine derivatives bearing dinitro and hydroxy groups at the benzylidene ring showed their stability at the main binding pocket of DENV2 protease, where their MM-PBSA binding energies were between -22.53 and -17.01 kcal/mol. This work reports those two nitro-benzylidene phenazine derivatives as hits with 52–55% efficiency as antiviral candidates. Therefore, further optimisation is required to minimise the lead compounds’ toxicity and mutagenicity.

A halophilic marine bacterial strain, PS-C1, was isolated from Sekinchan beach in Selangor, Malaysia. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain PS-C1 was associated with the genus

Cellulomonas sp. strain PS-H5 was isolated from Sekinchan Beach in Selangor, Malaysia, using an ex situ cultivation method. The present work reports a high-quality draft annotated genome sequence of this strain and suggests its potential glycoside hydrolase enzymes for cellulose, hemicellulose, and starch degradations.

The E6 region has higher protuberant probability annealing than consensus probe focusing on another region in the human papillomavirus (HPV) genome in terms of detection and screening method. Here, we designed the first multiple virus single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA) for multiple detections in an early phase of screening for cervical cancer in the E6 region and became a fundamental evolution of detection electrochemical HPV biosensor. Gene profiling of the virus ssDNA sequences has been carried by high-end bioinformatics tools such as GenBank, Basic Local Alignment Searching Tools (BLAST), and Clustal OMEGA in a row. The output from bioinformatics tools resulted in 100% of similarities between our virus ssDNA probe and HPV complete genome in the databases. The cross-validation between HPV genome and our designed virus ssDNA provided high specificity and selectivity during screening methods compared with Pap smear. The DNA probe for HPV 18, 5' COOH-GAT CCA GAA GGT ACA GAC GGG GAG GGC ACG 3', while 5'COOH-GGG CGC TGT GCA GTG TGT TGG AGA CCC CGA3' as DNA probe for HPV 58 designed with 66.77% guanine (G) and cytosine (C) content for both. Our virus ssDNA probe for the HPV biosensor promises high sensitivity, specificity, selectivity, repeatability, low fluid consumption, and will be useful in mini-size diagnostic devices for cervical cancer detection.

As yet, the full potential of raw oil palm frond leaves (OPFL) is not fully explored. This study therefore, evaluated OPFL as cheap and sustainable growth substrate for two novel fungi species to produce cellulase and xylanase under solid-state fermentation (SSF). 18S rRNA, phylogeny and BIOLOG® analyses identified the cellulase and xylanase-producing fungal strains as Trichoderma asperellum UC1 and Rhizopus oryzae UC2. In addition to being more robust and fast-growing, strain UC2 demonstrated rapid spore production and exhibited sustained production of cellulase and xylanase as compared to the fungal strain UC1. Maximum endoglucanase, exoglucanase, β-glucosidase and xylanase activity for strain UC1 were recorded as 59.64 U/g, 9.58 U/g, 118.1 U/g and 175.91 U/g, respectively, while UC2 gave the corresponding enzyme activity of 41.62 U/g, 7.65 U/g, 113.07 U/g and 162.68 U/g. It was apparent that strains UC1 and UC2 grew well under SSF of raw OPFL, envisaging the feasibility of this form of oil palm biomass as growth substrate for fungi, yielding satisfactorily high titers of cellulase and xylanase. Noteworthily, the approach adopted by this study offers an alternative avenue to valorizing agriculture biomass, in conjunction to sustainably produce cellulose-acting enzymes to catalyse biofuel and platform chemical productions.

International audience; This research focuses on the in-silico study of ten synthesised indanone derivatives as dengue virus type-2 (DENV-2) NS2B/NS3 protease inhibitor using Wilchapong et al. 's homology protein crystal structure. The effort to prevent the infection and cure the disease were escalating as the dengue virus transmission has been classified as an emerging infectious disease. The Lamarckian genetic algorithm was employed in Autodock 4.2 to determine the binding modes and synthesised compounds conformation towards DENV-2 NS2B/NS3 protease homology protein crystal structure. The in-silico study reveals that the compound, 3g and 3h have the highest binding affinity and fit into the allosteric pocket of DENV-2 NS2B/NS3 serine protease with hydrogen bonding, the π-π stacking interaction and hydrophobic interaction.

Toxoplasma gondiiis the etiologic agent of toxoplasmosis, a disease which can lead to morbidity and mortality of the fetus and immunocompromised individuals. Due to the limited effectiveness or side effects of existing drugs, the search for better drug can didates is still ongoing. In this study, we performed structure-based screening of potential dual-targets inhibitors of active sites ofT. gondiidrug targets such as uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRTase) and adenosine kinase (AK). First screening of virtual compounds from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) was performedviamolecular docking. Subsequently, the hit compounds were testedin-vitrofor anti-T. gondiieffect using cell viability assay with Vero cells as host to determine cytotoxicity effects and drug selectivities. Clindamycin, as positive control, showed a selectivity index (SI) of 10.9, thus compounds with SI > 10.9 specifically targetT. gondiiproliferation with no significant effect on the host cells. Good anti-T. gondiieffects were observed with NSC77468 (7-ethoxy-4-methyl-6,7-dihydro-5H-thiopyrano[2,3-d] pyrimidin-2-amine) which showed SI values of 25. This study showed thatin-silicoselection can serve as an effective way to discover potentially potent and selective compounds againstT. gondii.

During the monsoon season, a wild-termite mushroom Termitomyces heimii RFES 230662 (THR2) was successfully isolated from Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The mushroom was morphologically labelled based on its stipe, pileus, and the budding mycelia from the termites nest. Genetic component of THR2 (300 bp) was sequenced and found to be 99% identical to Termitomyces sp. strain. The evolutionary distance (Knuc) of the isolate justified THR2 as T. heimii species. Two THR2 extracts were prepared from fruiting body (FB) and mycelial biomass (MB) for antimicrobial responses. THR2 was cultivated in a submerged-fermentation (SF) producing 8.55 g/L of MB, 0.80 g/L of endopolysaccharide (ENS) and 1.44 g/L of exopolysaccharide (EPS), respectively. For THR2-FB, two ENS extracts were obtained using hot (3.20 g/L) and cold-water (1.36 g/L) treatments. FTIR spectra analysis verified all polysaccharide as β-glucan when compared to laminarin standard. Those β-glucan possess antibacterial properties with highest response shown by s-glucan-FB compared to s-glucan-MB extracts. These findings serve as the blueprint for the production of β-glucan from a rare termite mushroom.

Production of cellulases and xylanase by a novel Trichoderma asperellum UC1 (GenBank accession no. MF774876 ) under solid state fermentation (SSF) of raw oil palm frond leaves (OPFL) was optimized. Under optimum fermentation parameters (30 °C, 60–80% moisture content, 2.5 × 106 spores/g inoculum size) maximum CMCase, FPase, β-glucosidase and xylanase activity were recorded at 136.16 IU/g, 26.03 U/g, 130.09 IU/g and 255.01 U/g, respectively. Cellulases and xylanase were produced between a broad pH range of pH 6.0–12.0. The enzyme complex that comprised of four endo-β-1,4-xylanases and endoglucanases, alongside exoglucanase and β-glucosidase showed thermophilic and acidophilic characteristics at 50–60 °C and pH 3.0–4.0, respectively. Glucose (16.87 mg/g) and fructose (18.09 mg/g) were among the dominant sugar products from the in situ hydrolysis of OPFL, aside from cellobiose (105.92 mg/g) and xylose (1.08 mg/g). Thermal and pH stability tests revealed that enzymes CMCase, FPase, β-glucosidase and xylanase retained 50% residual activities for up to 15.18, 4.06, 17.47 and 15.16 h of incubation at 60 °C, as well as 64.59, 25.14, 68.59 and 19.20 h at pH 4.0, respectively. Based on the findings, it appeared that the unique polymeric structure of raw OPFL favored cellulases and xylanase productions.

The chemical route of producing geranyl propionate involves the use of toxic chemicals, liberation of unwanted by-products as well as problematic separation process. In view of such problems, the use of Rhizomucor miehei lipase (RML) covalently bound onto activated chitosan-graphene oxide (RML-CS/GO) support is suggested. Following analyses using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetry, properties of the RML-CS/GO were characterized. A response surface methodological approach using a 3-level-four-factor (incubation time, temperature, substrate molar ratio, and stirring rate) Box-Behnken design was used to optimize the experimental conditions to maximize the yield of geranyl propionate. Results revealed that 76 ± 0.02% of recovered protein had yielded 7.2 ± 0.04 mg g-1 and 211 ± 0.3% U g-1 of the maximum protein loading and esterification activity, respectively. The actual yield of geranyl propionate (49.46%) closely agreed with the predicted value (49.97%) under optimum reaction conditions (temperature: 37.67°C, incubation time: 10.20 hr, molar ratio (propionic acid:geraniol): 1:3.28, and stirring rate: 100.70 rpm) and hence, verifying the suitability of this approach. Since the method is performed under mild conditions, the RML-CS/GO biocatalyst may prove to be an environmentally benign alternative for producing satisfactory yield of geranyl propionate.

Flavonoids are secondary metabolites synthesized by plants shown to exhibit health benefits such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-tumor effects. Thus, due to the importance of this compound, several enzymes involved in the flavonoid pathway have been cloned and characterized in Escherichia coli. However, the formation of inclusion bodies has become a major disadvantage of this approach. As an alternative, chalcone synthase from Physcomitrella patens was secreted into the medium using a bacteriocin release protein expression vector. Secretion of P. patens chalcone synthase into the culture media was achieved by co-expression with a psW1 plasmid encoding bacteriocin release protein in E. coli Tuner (DE3) plysS. The optimized conditions, which include the incubation of cells for 20 h with 40 ng/ml mitomycin C at OD(600) induction time of 0.5 was found to be the best condition for chalcone synthase secretion.