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Summary: Maize grain is deficient in lysine. While the opaque2 mutation increases grain lysine, o2 is a transcription factor that regulates a wide network of genes beyond zeins, which leads to pleiotropic and often negative effects. Additionally, the drastic reduction in 19 kDa and 22 kDa alpha‐zeins causes a floury kernel, unsuitable for agricultural use. Quality protein maize (QPM) overcame the undesirable kernel texture through the introgression of modifying alleles. However, QPM still lacks a functional o2 transcription factor, which has a penalty on non‐lysine amino acids due to the o2 mutation. CRISPR/cas9 gives researchers the ability to directly target genes of interest. In this paper, gene editing was used to specifically target the 19 kDa alpha zein gene family. This allows for proteome rebalancing to occur without an o2 mutation and without a total alpha‐zein knockout. The results showed that editing some, but not all, of the 19 kDa zeins resulted in up to 30% more lysine. An edited line displayed an increase of 30% over the wild type. While not quite the 55% lysine increase displayed by QPM, the line had little collateral impact on other amino acid levels compared to QPM. Additionally, the edited line containing a partially reduced 19 kDa showed an advantage in kernel texture that had a complete 19 kDa knockout. These results serve as proof of concept that editing the 19 kDa alpha‐zein family alone can enhance lysine while retaining vitreous endosperm and a functional O2 transcription factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LINKED CONTENT: This article is linked to Hey et al paper. To view this article, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17917 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein we provide a guide for adapting the tools developed for protein X-ray crystallography to study the structures and supramolecular assembly of peptides. Peptide crystallography involves selecting a suitable peptide, crystallizing the peptide, collecting X-ray diffraction data, processing the diffraction data, determining the crystallographic phases and generating an electron density map, building and refining models, and depositing the crystallographic structure in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Advances in technology make this process easy for a newcomer to adopt. This paper describes techniques for determining the X-ray crystallographic structures of peptides: incorporation of amino acids containing heavy atoms for crystallographic phase determination, commercially available kits to crystallize peptides, modern techniques for X-ray crystallographic data collection, and free user-friendly software for data processing and producing a crystallographic structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is an important and desirable capability to be able to control the quality and quantity of biological product by maintaining and adjusting bioreactor performance throughout its production duration. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Scientists will need to ensure sufficient supply of amino acids as the substrates in the bioreactors as well as to control the excess level of undesirable free amino acid byproducts to maintain an optimum growth environment for cell culture. We have developed a compact and robust sample preparation platform capable of interfacing with analytical instruments to achieve bioreactor amino acids monitoring. We demonstrated the feasibility of this concept by incorporating an automatic amino acid sample preparation protocol to a micro sequential injection (μSI) system connected to an ultra-performance liquid chromatography system for real-time, at-line amino acid separation, and quantitation. The μSI system was configured into a 'platform-like' sample preparation system that is able to accommodate future wet chemistry-type sample preparations. Its real-time amino acid results can be readily available to bioprocess scientists for quick decision making and design of their next experiment. Potential automatic feedback control mechanisms can be established through trigger events based on predetermined analytical signal thresholds so the system can communicate with facility infrastructure to control bioreactors in near real-time fashion. The proposed μSI system described in this paper can be widely used as an automatic sample preparation system connected to the front-end of analytical instruments to enable process analytical technology applications. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 31:607-613, 2015 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review summarizes the recent advances in the analysis of amino acids, peptides, and proteins using hydrophilic interaction chromatography. Various reports demonstrate the successful analysis of amino acids under such conditions. However, a baseline resolution of the 20 natural amino acids has not yet been published and for this reason, there is often a need to use mass spectrometry for detection to further improve selectivity. Hydrophilic interaction chromatography is also recognized as a powerful technique for peptide analysis, and there are a lot of papers showing its applicability for proteomic applications (peptide mapping). It is expected that its use for peptide mapping will continue to grow in the future, particularly because this analytical strategy can be combined with reversed-phase liquid chromatography, in a two-dimensional setup, to reach very high resolving power. Finally, the interest in hydrophilic interaction chromatography for intact proteins analysis is less evident due to possible solubility issues and a lack of suitable hydrophilic interaction chromatography stationary phases. To date, it has been successfully employed only for the characterization of membrane proteins, histones, and the separation of glycosylated isoforms of an intact glycoprotein. From our point of view, the number of hydrophilic interaction chromatography columns compatible with intact proteins (higher upper temperature limit, large pore size, etc.) is still too limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being low in crude protein, on a fresh weight basis, given their overall contribution to the North American diet, potatoes contribute approximately 2%–4% of the population's protein intake. However, the quality of the protein remains ill‐defined. To that end, Russet potatoes were secured and subjected to various cooking conditions (raw [control], boiled, baked, microwaved, and fried [3, 6, and 9 min]) to determine the impact of cooking method on protein quality, as determined by amino acid score (AAS) and indices of in vivo true fecal protein digestibility (TFPD%; rodent bioassay) and in vitro protein digestibility (pH‐drop, pH‐Stat, and simulated gastrointestinal digestion both static and dynamic). The AAS of raw Russet potatoes was 0.67 ± 0.01, with histidine being the limiting AA. Frying led to a significant reduction in the AAS, however, other cooking methods yielded similar results to the raw control. The TFPD% of raw potato was low (40.5% ± 3.9%) and was significantly enhanced to over 80% with all cooking methods. Similar patterns were observed with all in vitro measures, however, all methods yielded higher values for the raw control samples. Final protein digestibility‐corrected AAS (PDCAAS; product of AAS and TFPD%) values ranged from 0.27 (raw) to a high of 0.57 (boiled), with cooked values being comparable to other plant‐based protein sources, including grains, and some nuts and pulses. In vitro PDCAAS values followed similar trends. This study defined the protein quality of cooked Russet potatoes and provides data for use in defining the quality of total protein consumed in the North American diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the protein quality of defatted hemp hearts and protein‐enriched hemp fractions was determined. Protein quality was assessed using a rodent bioassay to evaluate growth and protein digestibility, while amino acid composition was determined via HPLC. A method for determining in vitro protein digestibility was compared to in vivo methodology and used to generate an in vitro protein quality score. The true protein digestibility of hemp protein 2, a hemp protein concentrate, was significantly lower than that of either defatted hemp hearts or hemp protein 1, a hemp protein concentrate (p <.05). While there was no relationship between the in vivo and in vitro measurements of protein digestibility (R2 =.293, p =.459), there was a significant correlation between the protein digestibility‐corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) determined in vivo and in vitro PDCAAS (R2 =.989, p =.005). The protein efficiency ratio of hemp protein 1 was significantly lower than that of either defatted hemp hearts or hemp protein 2 (p <.05). These data highlight the nutritional capacity of hemp protein sources while also demonstrating the relationship between in vivo and in vitro methods for determining protein quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goat milk proteins are unique in their nutritional and functional properties and have become increasingly popular in recent years. A variety of methods have been studied for extracting and isolating these proteins, with coprecipitation being a particularly effective approach. Compared to cow milk proteins, goat milk proteins contain higher levels of certain amino acids such as tryptophan and cysteine, while maintaining similar nutritional properties. Additionally, they have superior functional properties, including better emulsifying and foaming properties, which make them an attractive option for developing new food products. Research has shown that goat milk proteins have several health benefits, including immunomodulatory effects, allergy management, anti‐inflammatory, and antioxidant effects, as well as antimicrobial and anticancer properties. They have the potential to be used as a treatment for autoimmune diseases, allergies, and other immune system disorders due to their ability to modulate the production of cytokines and other immune system components. Furthermore, their antimicrobial properties can help prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and reduce the risk of infection. Future research will focus on the potential of goat milk proteins as a functional food ingredient, their effects on gut health and microbiota, and their therapeutic potential for various health conditions. This research may lead to the development of new functional foods that promote health and prevent disease, and potentially pave the way for the use of goat milk proteins as a therapeutic agent for various health conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofabrication based on biological templates has attracted considerable interest because of its applications in materials science and biomedicine. Herein, a facile method is reported for the synthesis of well‐defined TiO2 nanofibers by using a simple N‐(9‐fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)‐protected phenylalanine–phenylalanine–aspartic acid tripeptide (Fmoc‐Phe–Phe–Asp‐OH, Fmoc‐FFD) as the template. Compared with other synthetic methods of inorganic nanomaterials, these self‐assembling peptides could control the structure and the catalytic activity of the synthesized nanomaterials produced under mild synthetic conditions. The as‐synthesized peptide‐TiO2 hybrid nanofibers and the calcined TiO2 nanofibers were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that well‐defined TiO2 nanofibers could form when the pH of the peptide solution was 5–7, whereas nanoparticles formed when the pH was 8. Moreover, the peptide‐templated TiO2 nanofibers showed improved photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange (MO). Finally, the photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 could be controlled by adjusting the pH of the peptide solution during the synthetic process. Peptide template: TiO2 nanomaterials with tunable photocatalytic activity were prepared by using N‐(9‐fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)‐protected phenylalanine—aspartic acid tripeptide (Fmoc‐FFD) as the template. By incorporating titanium diisopropoxide bis(acetyl‐acetonate) into the peptide solutions, the TiO2 precursors could mineralize and condense with the peptide assemblages. After removing the peptide templates by calcination, a series of TiO2 nanostructures with enhanced photocatalytic activity were formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two feeding trials were performed to evaluate the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of dry matter, protein, and amino acids of three animal‐origin and four plant‐origin ingredients in Totoaba macdonaldi. In the first feeding trial, the animal‐origin ingredients were evaluated using totoaba juveniles with an initial weight of 529.7 ± 104.2 g, and for the second feeding trial 745.9 ± 210.6 g. Evaluated ingredients were: poultry by‐product meal, meat and bone meal, feather meal (FM), soy protein concentrate, soybean meal (SBM), corn gluten (CG), and wheat gluten (WG). Each experimental ingredient was evaluated in triplicate. ADCs of dry matter ranged from 35.9% for FM to 67.9% for poultry by‐product, while the protein ADCs values ranged from 41.7% for CG to 83.2% for poultry by‐product. Fish meal ADC (79.6%) was similar to poultry by‐product but significantly higher than WG and soy protein concentrate (72.5% and 72.6%, respectively). The ADCs for lysine were significantly higher for WG, sardine meal, poultry by‐product, and SMB (94.5%, 79.8%, 79.4%, and 79.4%, respectively). Based on the results from the present study, poultry by‐product, WG, and soy protein concentrate are the most promising alternative ingredients (i.e., to the fishmeal) for the formulation of totoaba grow‐out feeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional protein engineering methods for modifying protein nanopores are typically limited to 20 natural amino acids, which restrict the diversity of the nanopores in structure and function. To enrich the chemical environment inside the nanopore, we employed the genetic code expansion (GCE) technique to site‐specifically incorporate the unnatural amino acid (UAA) into the sensing region of aerolysin nanopores. This approach leveraged the efficient pyrrolysine‐based aminoacyl‐tRNA synthetase‐tRNA pair for a high yield of pore‐forming protein. Both molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and single‐molecule sensing experiments demonstrated that the conformation of UAA residues provided a favorable geometric orientation for the interactions of target molecules and the pore. This rationally designed chemical environment enabled the direct discrimination of multiple peptides containing hydrophobic amino acids. Our work provides a new framework for endowing nanopores with unique sensing properties that are difficult to achieve using classical protein engineering approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Molecular Fractionation with Conjugate Caps (MFCC) method is a popular fragmentation method for the quantum-chemical treatment of proteins. However, it does not account for interactions between the amino acid fragments, such as intramolecular hydrogen bonding. Here, we present a combination of the MFCC fragmentation scheme with a second-order many-body expansion (MBE) that consistently accounts for all fragment--fragment, fragment--cap, and cap--cap interactions, while retaining the overall simplicity of the MFCC scheme with its chemically meaningful fragments. We show that with the resulting MFCC-MBE(2) scheme, the errors in the total energies of selected polypeptides and proteins can be reduced by up to one order of magnitude and relative energies of different protein conformers can be predicted accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enhancement of the catalytic power of enzymes is a subject of enormous interest both for science and for industry. The latter, in particular, due to the vast applications enzymes can have in industrial processes, for instance in the desulfurization of crude oil, which is mandatory by law in many developed countries and is currently performed using costly chemical processes. In this work we sought to enhance the turnover rate of DszD from Rhodococcus erythropolis, a NADH-FMN oxidoreductase responsible for supplying FMNH2 to DszA and DszC in the biodesulfurization process of crude oil, the 4S pathway. For this purpose, we replaced the wild type spectator residue of the rate limiting step of the reduction of FMN to FMNH2, a process catalysed by DszD and known to play an important role in the reaction energy profile. As replacements, we used all the naturally occurring amino acids, one at a time, using computational methodologies, and repeated the above-mentioned reaction with each mutant. To calculate the different free energy profiles, one for each mutated model, we applied quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods within an ONIOM scheme. The free energy barriers obtained varied between 15.1 and 29.9 kcal mol−1. Multiple factors contributed to the different Δ G values. The most relevant were electrostatic interactions and the induction of a favourable alignment between substrate and cofactor. These results confirm the great potential that chirurgic mutations have for increasing the catalytic power of DszD in relation to the wild type ( wt) enzyme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proteinaceous matter (PrM) is a substantial constituent in bioaerosols. However, the sources and atmospheric processes of PrM remain large uncertainties. The characterizations, sources, and potential atmospheric processes of free amino acids (FAAs) and combined amino acids (CAAs) were investigated via a set of 1‐year fine particle (PM2.5) samples collected in suburban Guiyang (a hilly basin area in Southwest China). The annual average concentrations of FAAs and CAAs were 156.31 ± 41.52 and 315.36 ± 147.66 ng m−3, respectively. The dominant FAA and CAA species were proline, which was different from previous observations with glycine as a major species. The results indicated that the sources or atmospheric processes of aerosol PrM at this study site were different from previous observations in the urban and suburban areas. The analysis of AA‐nitrogen isotope compositions and air mass back trajectories suggested that the abundances of aerosol FAAs and CAAs were highly controlled by primary sources (particularly plants) with less impact from long‐range transport. Furthermore, the contributions of PrM degradation by ozone‐ and hydroxyl radical‐related processes to total FAAs were found to be minor. The overall results suggested that the long‐range transport and atmospheric degradation of PrM were insignificant factors affecting aerosol PrM abundance in this suburban area with the weak atmospheric oxidation capacity, high cloud cover rate, and frequent precipitation. Thus, the findings improve our understanding of the sources and atmospheric processes of aerosol PrM. Plain Language Summary: Aerosol proteinaceous matter (PrM) consists of free amino acids (FAAs) and combined amino acids (CAAs). It is well documented that FAAs and CAAs have a large variety of natural sources. Moreover, the atmospheric degradation of CAAs has been regarded as a new potential source of aerosol FAAs. However, the relative contribution of primary and secondary sources to FAAs remains poorly understood. Based on a 1‐year investigation of PrM in PM2.5 collected in suburban Guiyang (a hilly basin area in Southwest China), we found that proline was the dominant species in both FAAs and CAAs. This result was different from previous observations with glycine as a major species. Further, our analysis showed that aerosol PrM in this hilly basin area was mainly derived from local primary sources (particularly plants) with less influence from long‐range transport of PrM. Moreover, the contribution of oxidative degradation of PrM to total FAAs was found to be minor. In general, the long‐range transport and atmospheric degradation of PrM have an insignificant contribution to aerosol PrM abundance in this hilly basin area. Our findings provide new insights into the sources and atmospheric transformation of aerosol PrM. Key Points: Proline is the dominant species in both free amino acids and combined amino acidsAerosol Proteinaceous matter (PrM) was largely originated from local primary sources with less impact from long‐range transportThe oxidative degradation of aerosol PrM was insignificant in suburban Guiyang [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bank vole (BV) prion protein (PrP) can function as a universal acceptor of prions. However, the molecular details of BVPrP's promiscuity for replicating a diverse range of prion strains remain obscure. To develop a cultured cell paradigm capable of interrogating the unique properties of BVPrP, we generated monoclonal lines of CAD5 cells lacking endogenous PrP but stably expressing either hamster (Ha), mouse (Mo), or BVPrP (M109 or I109 polymorphic variants) and then challenged them with various strains of mouse or hamster prions. Cells expressing BVPrP were susceptible to both mouse and hamster prions, whereas cells expressing MoPrP or HaPrP could only be infected with species‐matched prions. Propagation of mouse and hamster prions in cells expressing BVPrP resulted in strain adaptation in several instances, as evidenced by alterations in conformational stability, glycosylation, susceptibility to anti‐prion small molecules, and the inability of BVPrP‐adapted mouse prion strains to infect cells expressing MoPrP. Interestingly, cells expressing BVPrP containing the G127V prion gene variant, identified in individuals resistant to kuru, were unable to become infected with prions. Moreover, the G127V polymorphic variant impeded the spontaneous aggregation of recombinant BVPrP. These results demonstrate that BVPrP can facilitate cross‐species prion replication in cultured cells and that a single amino acid change can override the prion‐permissive nature of BVPrP. This cellular paradigm will be useful for dissecting the molecular features of BVPrP that allow it to function as a universal prion acceptor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The present study aims to assess the seasonal and sex‐wise variations in proximate composition, amino acid profile and protein quality of Odonus niger, which will be the first report for this species. High‐protein (15.15%–20.05%) and low‐fat contents (0.46%–1.94%) were observed for the species studied. The highest protein was observed in September and December for male and female fishes respectively. The total essential amino acid (TEAA) content was 58.65–77.41 mg g−1 (males) and 60.25–77.38 mg g−1 (females) and leucine was the predominant EAA in both the sexes. The EAA index and biological value ranged between 17.50–22.56 and 7.38–12.89 for males and 18.02–22.48 and 7.94–12.80 for female fishes respectively. In male, TEAA followed Sept>Jan > Dec > Aug > Oct > Nov and in female it was Oct > Sept>Dec > Nov > Aug > Jan. The chemical score for histidine and threonine was more than the FAO recommended values. Overall, the nutritional quality of this unconventional species proved very good and comparable with other commercially important lean fishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the quest for eco‐friendly products with biostimulant properties, foliar application of wood distillate (WD) was tested on the growth and yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). WD (pyroligneous acid) is a by‐product of plant biomass pyrolysis and is rich in biologically active substances like polyphenols, alcohols, acids and esters. In this work, chickpea plants were sprayed weekly with 100 ml 0.25% (v/v) chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) WD during the whole growing period, and at the end physiological and nutritional analyses were performed both on the whole plant and on seeds. While plant height and weight did not change significantly, seeds showed an increase in diameter (+11.2%) and weight (+33.3%), and in the content of starch (+45.9%), total soluble protein (+12.9%), total polyphenol (+16.4%) and antioxidant power (+28.4%). Overall, the content of essential free amino acids increased, except for lysine (−3.4%), phenylalanine (−10.5%) and methionine (−13.7%). Among all the mineral elements analysed, only potassium and magnesium decreased in WD‐treated plants, although values were within the common range for chickpea seeds. These results are a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of the use of WD on increasing the nutritional qualities of the edible parts of crop species, thus representing a possible solution to counteract human malnutrition and famine as well as environmental concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Linoleic acid has been shown as a very important precursor for meat flavour and heating parameters may affect the reaction of linoleic acid with free amino acids (FAAs) or myofibrillar proteins (MPs) and the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study was aimed to identify the VOCs during heating of linoleic acid only or with FAAs and MPs for different times by gas chromatography‐ion mobility spectrometry (GC‐IMS). Reaction systems were set up to simulate meat, and the transformation pathway of VOCs was tracked by GC‐IMS. Finally, sixty‐two VOCs were identified, of which the content of aldehydes, which had the greatest impact on the aroma of meat, reached the peak (15.94%) when heated to 60 min and then decreased. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the effect of heating temperature on the flavour of the system was much greater than that of heating time, and heating at 90 °C for 60 min might be considered to obtain the best flavour. The results showed that FAAs played a critical role in the formation of VOCs that were derived from the oxidation and thermal degradation of linoleic acid, controlling the composition of FAAs may further optimise the flavour of processed meat products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self‐assembled peptides are an emerging family of biomaterials that show great promise for a range of biomedical and biotechnological applications. Introducing and tuning the pH‐responsiveness of the assembly is highly desirable for improving their biological activities. Inspired by proteins with internal ionizable residues, we report a simple but effective approach to constructing pH‐responsive peptide assembly containing unnatural ionic amino acids with an aliphatic tertiary amine side chain. Through a combined experimental and computational investigation, we demonstrate that these residues can be accommodated and stabilized within the internal hydrophobic compartment of the peptide assembly. The hydrophobic microenvironment shifts their pKa significantly from a basic pH typically found for free amines to a more biologically relevant pH in the weakly acidic range. The pH‐induced ionization and ionization‐dependent self‐assembly and disassembly are thoroughly investigated and correlated with the biological activity of the assembly. This new approach has unique advantages in tuning the pH‐responsiveness of self‐assembled peptides across a large pH range in a complex biological environment. We anticipate the ionizable amino acids developed here can be widely applicable to the synthesis and self‐assembly of many amphiphilic peptides with endowed pH‐responsive properties to enhance their biological activities toward applications ranging from targeted therapeutic delivery to proton transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transformation of aerosol proteinaceous matter (PrM) has potentially adverse environmental and health effects. The origins and atmospheric processes of PrM have obtained an increasing interest, but there are still large uncertainties. Although aerosol liquid water (ALW) has been found to be vital in numerous atmospheric processes, its impact on atmospheric degradation of PrM remains poorly understood. ALW, proteins, and low molecular weight PrM (LMW PrM, <10 kDa) were investigated in fine aerosols (PM2.5) collected in urban and suburban Nanchang (Eastern China) over a 1‐year period. The average concentrations of proteins and LMW PrM in the urban center were higher than those in the suburban area. Urban PrM tended to increase from cool season to warm season, which was opposite to the case of suburban PrM. These differences could be attributed to varied sources and atmospheric processes of PrM. Increase in ALW was prominent from the suburban site to the urban site, which was attributable to increased anthropogenic nitrate and sulfate. LMW PrM can be degraded from higher molecular weight PrM by ozone. Furthermore, correlation analysis between LMW PrM and ozone and ALW suggested that the enhanced ALW in the urban center facilitated the ozone‐induced LMW PrM release. The ALW‐related protein degradation was further supported by ozone exposure experiments with bovine serum albumin and PM2.5 samples under dry condition. Our findings suggest that ALW is a crucial promoter during PrM degradation by ozone, providing new insights into atmospheric transformation of proteins. Plain Language Summary: Recent observation‐based studies on interactions between aerosol proteins and ozone have suggested that free amino acids in fine aerosols (PM2.5) can be degraded from proteins under the influence of ozone. Here, proteins, low molecular weight (LMW) proteinaceous matter (PrM), and aerosol liquid water (ALW) were investigated in PM2.5 collected in urban and suburban Nanchang (Eastern China) over a 1‐year period. Interestingly, we found that alone ozone cannot explain the production of LMW PrM in this study. Specifically, LMW PrM was found to be largely degraded from higher molecular weight PrM by ozone in the urban center (high ALW), whereas this degradation process was insignificant in the suburban area (low ALW). Correlation analysis between LMW PrM and ozone and ALW suggested that increased ALW in the urban center may promote the production of LMW PrM from ozone‐related aqueous‐phase reactions. This consideration was also supported by ozone exposure experiments with bovine serum albumin and PM2.5 samples under dry condition. The overall results suggest that ALW plays an important role in PrM degradation by ozone. Therefore, this study provides new insights into the fate of proteins in the atmosphere. Key Points: The significant increase in aerosol liquid water (ALW) from the urban center to the suburban area is attributable to increased anthropogenic nitrates and sulfatesAtmospheric degradation of high molecular weight proteinaceous matter (PrM) by ozone is an important secondary source of low molecular weight (LMW) PrM, especially in the urban areaThe increased ALW in the urban area promotes the ozone‐related LMW PrM release [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We illustrate solving the protein alignment problem exactly using the algorithm VESPA (very efficient search for protein alignment). We have compared our result with the approximate solution obtained with BLAST (basic local alignment search tool) software, which is currently the most widely used for searching for protein alignment. We have selected human and mouse proteins having around 170 amino acids for comparison. The exact solution has found 78 pairs of amino acids, to which one should add 17 individual amino acid alignments giving a total of 95 aligned amino acids. BLAST has identified 64 aligned amino acids which involve pairs of more than two adjacent amino acids. However, the difference between the two outputs is not as large as it may appear, because a number of amino acids that are adjacent have been reported by BLAST as single amino acids. So if one counts all amino acids, whether isolated (single) or in a group of two and more amino acids, then the count for BLAST is 89 and for VESPA is 95, a difference of only six. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Vegetative storage proteins (VSPs) are known to serve as nitrogen reserves in many dicot plants but remain undiscovered in grasses, most widely grown group of crops globally. We identified and characterized a VSP in maize and demonstrated that its overexpression improved drought tolerance. Nitrogen supplementation selectively induced a mesophyll lipoxygenase (ZmLOX6), which was targeted to chloroplasts by a novel N‐terminal transit peptide of 62 amino acids. When ectopically expressed under the control of various tissue‐specific promoters, it accumulated to a fivefold higher level upon expression in the mesophyll cells than the wild‐type plants. Constitutive expression or targeted expression specifically to the bundle sheath cells increased its accumulation by less than twofold. The overexpressed ZmLOX6 was remobilized from the leaves like other major proteins during grain development. Evaluated in the field over locations and years, transgenic hybrids overexpressing ZmLOX6 in the mesophyll cells significantly outyielded nontransgenic sibs under managed drought stress imposed at flowering. Additional storage of nitrogen as a VSP in maize leaves ameliorated the effect of drought on grain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) are the main byproduct from bioethanol production and are commonly used as livestock feed. This work aims to provide an overview of animal feed value (protein and amino acid profiles and protein fractionation approaches) and potential non‐food uses of DDGS proteins, particularly those from corn, sorghum, and wheat. Crude protein and amino acids (essential and nonessential) composition vary among different DDGS due to the variation in chemical composition of parent feedstock and processing condition. Extraction or fractionation approaches such as physical/mechanical (sieving and winnowing), chemical (ethanol, acid, and alkaline), and enzymatic (protease) treatments have been explored to isolate specific proteins of corn (zein), sorghum (kafirin), and wheat (gluten protein) from respective DDGS. In addition, valorization of DDGS proteins for biomaterials (biodegradable films and bioadhesives) was evaluated. Due to the heterogeneous nature of DDGS, multi‐stream processes with economic and environmental benefits should be taken into consideration before the commercialization of DDGS proteins. This review will benefit future research and development activities on value‐added and more specific utilizations of DDGS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computation of the thermodynamic consequences of protein mutations holds great promise in protein biophysics and design. Alchemical free energy methods can give improved estimates of mutational free energies, and are already widely used in calculations of relative and absolute binding free energies in small molecule design problems. In principle, alchemical methods can address any amino acid mutation with an appropriate alchemical pathway, but identifying a strategy that produces such a path for proline and glycine mutations is an ongoing challenge. Most current strategies perturb only side chain atoms, while proline and glycine mutations also alter the backbone parameters and backbone ring topology. Some strategies also perturb backbone parameters and enable glycine mutations. This work presents a strategy that enables both proline and glycine mutations and comprises two key elements: a dual backbone with restraints and scaling of bonded terms, facilitating backbone parameter changes, and a soft bond in the proline ring, enabling ring topology changes in proline mutations. These elements also have utility for core hopping and macrocycle studies in computer‐aided drug design. This new strategy shows slight improvements over an alternative side chain perturbation strategy for a set T4 lysozyme mutations lacking proline and glycine, and yields good agreement with experiment for a set of T4 lysozyme proline and glycine mutations not previously studied. To our knowledge this is the first report comparing alchemical predictions of proline mutations with experiment. With this strategy in hand, alchemical methods now have access to the full palette of amino acid mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulation of specific protein function is of great importance for both research and therapeutic development. Many small or large molecules have been developed to control specific protein function, but there is a lack of a universal approach to regulate the function of any given protein. We report a general host–guest molecular recognition approach involving modification of the protein functional surfaces with genetically encoded unnatural amino acids bearing guest side chains that can be specifically recognized by cucurbit[7]uril. Using two enzymes and a cytokine as models, we showed that the activity of proteins bearing unnatural amino acid could be turned off by host molecule binding, which blocked its functional binding surface. Protein activity can be switched back by treatment with a competitive guest molecule. Our approach provides a general tool for reversibly regulating protein function through molecular recognition and can be expected to be valuable for studying protein functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary of main observation and conclusion: Collismycins (COLs) are antibiotics characterized by a 2,2′‐bipyridine (2,2′‐BP) core composed of a trisubstituted ring A and an unmodified ring B. The 2,2′‐BP core, which possesses metal‐chelating ability and plays key roles in various biological activities of COLs, is biosynthesized by a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS)‐polyketide synthase (PKS) hybrid machinery. The starter module of the NRPS‐PKS hybrid machinery consists of a type II peptidyl carrier protein (PCP) ColA1a and an adenylation protein ColA1b. We here report the functional characterization of ColA1a and ColA1b in vitro, confirming their functions in selection and loading of picolinic acid (PA), instead of normal amino acid substrates, as the origin of ring B in COLs. The 2.1 Å crystal structure of ColA1a was solved, revealing structural features including the additional helices α1a, α1b and missing helix α3, which may reflect unique interactions of ColA1a with other NRPS‐PKS proteins/domains or substrate. Primary and tertiary structural comparison of ColA1a with other PCPs revealed the structural basis for their typical α‐helical bundle, providing a better understanding of the structural flexibility of PCPs. These results facilitate the starter module engineering for the generation of COL derivatives with ring B modifications in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scsABCD (suppressor of copper sensitivity) locus of Salmonella encodes four proteins that resemble the disulfide folding machinery of other bacteria. Previous work has shown that Salmonella encounters toxic levels of copper during infection and the Scs system provides protection against this copper‐mediated toxicity. The current work reports that expression of the soluble periplasmic protein StScsC is induced by copper and that intramacrophage survival in the presence of copper is diminished by the loss of StScsC. Using a combination of genetic and proteomic approaches, the abundance of various cysteine‐containing periplasmic proteins was found to be elevated by StScsC in the Salmonella periplasm, implicating StScsC in the disulfide folding of superoxide dismutases and proteins involved in amino acid sensing and import. Co‐purification and mass spectrometry approaches confirmed that the arginine‐sensing periplasmic protein ArtI associates with StScsC via a disulfide interaction, and purified ArtI was shown to alter the thiol redox state of purified StScsC. This work reports the first demonstration of a redox partner for the Scs system of Salmonella and provides insights into how this bacterial pathogen responds to copper stress during infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chickpea is a widely produced pulse crop, but requires processing prior to human consumption. Protein bioavailability and amino acid quantity of chickpea flour can be altered by multiple factors including processing method. For this reason, the protein quality of processed chickpea flour was determined using in vivo and in vitro analyses for processed chickpeas. Processing differentially affected the protein digestibility‐corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) of chickpeas with extruded chickpea (83.8) having a higher PDCAAS score than both cooked (75.2) and baked (80.03). Interestingly, the digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) value of baked chickpea (0.84) was higher compared to both extruded (0.82) and cooked (0.78). The protein efficiency ratio, another measure of protein quality, was significantly higher for extruded chickpea than baked chickpea (p <.01). In vivo and in vitro analysis of protein quality were well correlated (R2 =.9339). These results demonstrated that under certain circumstances in vitro methods could replace the use of animals to determine protein quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The aim of this study was to develop a green ultrasound‐assisted enzymatic process to separate protein from brewer's spent grain (BSG) to produce protein hydrolysates and determine the physicochemical properties of produced protein hydrolysates. When the enzyme (Alcalase) loading increased from 1 to 20 μL g−1 BSG, the protein separation efficiency increased from 34.0% to 61.6%. The application of ultrasound pretreatment further increased protein separation efficiency to 69.8%. More promisingly, the ultrasound pretreatment was able to reduce enzyme loading by 73% and decrease enzyme incubation time by 56%. The produced protein hydrolysates had molecular weights lower than 15 kDa and high protein solubilities at the pH of 1.0–11.0. The ultrasound pretreatment improved the protein solubility to above 90%. Glutamic acid and proline were the most abundant amino acids in produced protein hydrolysates. This study demonstrated that enzymatic hydrolysis along with ultrasound pretreatment is an effective way to separate protein from BSG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

y+LAT1 (encoded by SLC7A7), together with y+LAT2 (encoded by SLC7A6), is the alternative light subunits composing the heterodimeric transport system y+L for cationic and neutral amino acids. SLC7A7 mutations cause lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI), an inherited multisystem disease characterized by low plasma levels of arginine and lysine, protein‐rich food intolerance, failure to thrive, hepatosplenomegaly, osteoporosis, lung involvement, kidney failure, haematologic and immunological disorders. The reason for the heterogeneity of LPI symptoms is thus far only poorly understood. Here, we aimed to quantitatively compare the expression of SLC7A7 and SLC7A6 among different human cell types and evaluate y+LAT1 and y+LAT2 contribution to arginine transport. We demonstrate that system y+L‐mediated arginine transport is mainly accounted for by y+LAT1 in monocyte‐derived macrophages (MDM) and y+LAT2 in fibroblasts. The kinetic analysis of arginine transport indicates that y+LAT1 and y+LAT2 share a comparable affinity for the substrate. Differences have been highlighted in the expression of SLC7A6 and SLC7A7 mRNA among different cell models: while SLC7A6 is almost equally expressed, SLC7A7 is particularly abundant in MDM, intestinal Caco‐2 cells and human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (HRPTEpC). The characterization of arginine uptake demonstrates that system y+L is operative in renal cells and in Caco‐2 where, at the basolateral side, it mediates arginine efflux in exchange with leucine plus sodium. These findings explain the defective absorption/reabsorption of arginine in LPI. Moreover, y+LAT1 is the prevailing transporter in MDM sustaining a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of immunological complications associated with the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a textbook knowledge that protein photoluminescence stems from the three aromatic amino acid residues of tryptophan(Trp), tyrosine (Tyr), and phenylalanine (Phe), with predominant contributions from Trp. Recently, inspired by the intrinsic emission of nonaromatic amino acids and poly(amino acids) in concentrated solutions and solids, we revisited protein light emission using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model. BSA is virtually nonemissive in dilute solutions (≤0.1 mg mL−1), but highly luminescent upon concentration or aggregation, showing unique concentration‐enhanced emission and aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) characteristics. Notably, apart from well‐documented UV luminescence, bright blue emission is clearly observed. Furthermore, persistent room‐temperature phosphorescence (p‐RTP) is achieved even in the amorphous solids under ambient conditions. This visible emission can be rationalized by the clustering‐triggered emission (CTE) mechanism. These findings not only provide an in‐depth understanding of the emissive properties of proteins, but also hold strong implications for further elucidating the basis of tissue autofluorescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almonds (Prunus dulcis), such as all nuts, are positioned within the protein foods grouping within the current U.S. Dietary Guidelines. The ability to make claims related to the protein content of almonds, within the United States, requires substantiation via the use of the Protein Digestibility‐Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). The present study was designed to provide current estimates of PDCAAS, using both in vivo and in vitro assays, of key almond varietals from the 2017 California harvest. Additionally, historical protein and amino acid composition data on 73 separate analyses, performed from 2000 to 2014, were analyzed. Amino acid analysis confirmed lysine as the first‐limiting amino acid, generating amino acid scores of 0.53, 0.52, 0.49, and 0.56 for Butte, Independence, Monterey, and Nonpareil varietals, respectively. True fecal protein digestibility coefficients ranged from 85.7% to 89.9% yielding PDCAAS values of 44.3–47.8, being highest for Nonpareil. Similar, albeit lower, results were obtained from the in vitro assessment protocol. Analysis of the historical data again positioned lysine as the limiting amino acid and yielded information on the natural variability present within the protein and amino acid profiles of almonds. Comparison of the 2017 AA profile, averaged across almond varietals, to the historical data provided strong evidence of persistence of amino acid composition and indices of protein quality over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Heightened somatic symptoms are reported by a wide range of patients with chronic pain and have been associated with emotional distress and physical dysfunction. Despite their clinical significance, molecular mechanisms leading to their manifestation are not understood.Methods: We used an association study design based on a curated list of 3,295 single nucleotide polymorphisms mapped to 358 genes to test somatic symptoms reporting using the Pennebaker Inventory of Limbic Languidness questionnaire from a case-control cohort of orofacial pain (n = 1,607). A replication meta-analysis of 3 independent cohorts (n = 3,189) was followed by functional validation, including in silico molecular dynamics, in vitro enzyme assays, and measures of serotonin (5-HT) plasma concentration.Results: An association with the T allele of rs11575542 coding for an arginine to glutamine substitution in the L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) enzyme was replicated in a meta-analysis of 3 independent cohorts. In a combined meta-analysis of all cohorts, this association reached p = 6.43 × 10-8 . In silico studies demonstrated that this substitution dramatically reduces the conformational dynamics of AADC, potentially lowering its binding capacity to a cofactor. in vitro enzymatic assays showed that this substitution reduces the maximum kinetic velocity of AADC, hence lowering 5-HT levels. Finally, plasma samples from 90 subjects showed correlation between low 5-HT levels and heightened somatic symptoms.Interpretation: Using functional genomics approaches, we identified a polymorphism in the AADC enzyme that contributes to somatic symptoms through reduced levels of 5-HT. Our findings suggest a molecular mechanism underlying the pathophysiology of somatic symptoms and opens up new treatment options targeting the serotonergic system. ANN NEUROL 2019;86:168-180. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple and efficient strategy for the selective modification of the peptide N terminus with an unnatural amino acid is described. A peptide having a SUMO‐HisTag‐TEV sequence (SUMO: small ubiquitin‐related modifier, TEV: tobacco etch virus) preceding the N terminus of the target peptide was designed. Recombinant expression in E. coli and subsequent SUMO protease cleavage yielded the HisTag‐TEV‐target peptide. Partial protection of the lysine side chains of this peptide with d‐glucopyranosyloxycarbonyl and removal of the HisTag‐TEV sequence by TEV protease yielded the partially protected peptide with a free N‐terminal amine. Coupling of selenocysteine selectively at the N terminus and subsequent acidic deprotection of the carbohydrate protecting groups yielded a modified peptide that can be used for native chemical ligation (NCL). As a proof of concept, the modification of a longer recombinant peptide with selenocysteinylserine (GalNAc) at the N terminus was demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the reflectance, transmittance and fluorescence spectra (λ=200–1200 nm) of four types of chicken eggshells (white, brown, light green, dark green) measured in situ without pretreatment and after ablation of 20–100 μm of the outer shell regions. The color pigment protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) is embedded in the protein phase of all four shell types as highly fluorescent monomers, in the white and light green shells additionally as non‐fluorescent dimers, and in the brown and dark green shells mainly as non‐fluorescent poly‐aggregates. The green shell colors are formed from an approximately equimolar mixture of PPIX and biliverdin. The axial distribution of protein and colorpigments were evaluated from the combined reflectances of both the outer and inner shell surfaces, as well as from the transmittances. For the data generation we used the radiative transfer model in the random walk and Kubelka‐Munk approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein‐rich biomass provides a valuable feedstock for the chemical industry. This Review describes every process step in the value chain from protein waste to chemicals. The first part deals with the physicochemical extraction of proteins from biomass, hydrolytic degradation to peptides and amino acids, and separation of amino acid mixtures. The second part provides an overview of physical and (bio)chemical technologies for the production of polymers, commodity chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and other fine chemicals. This can be achieved by incorporation of oligopeptides into polymers, or by modification and defunctionalization of amino acids, for example, their reduction to amino alcohols, decarboxylation to amines, (cyclic) amides and nitriles, deamination to (di)carboxylic acids, and synthesis of fine chemicals and ionic liquids. Bio‐ and chemocatalytic approaches are compared in terms of scope, efficiency, and sustainability. Finding value in waste: Protein‐rich biomass provides a valuable feedstock for the chemical industry. This Review describes every process step in the value chain from protein waste to chemicals. Chemistry and catalysis offer an excellent toolbox to produce valuable commodity and fine chemicals out of protein rest streams, with opportunities to close the carbon and nitrogen cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the 47th American Society of Hematology Meeting in 2005, the late John Goldman and Tariq Mughal commenced a conference, the 1st Post-ASH Workshop, which brought together clinicians and scientists, to accelerate the adoption of new therapies for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). The concept began with recognition of the CML success story following imatinib therapy, the discovery of JAK2V617F , and the demonstration that BCR-ABL1-negative MPNs are driven by abnormal JAK2 activation. This review is based on the presentations and deliberations at the XIIth Post-ASH Workshop on BCR-ABL1 positive and negative MPNs that took place on December 12 to 13, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia, immediately following the 59th American Society of Hematology Meeting. We have selected some of the translational research and clinical topics, rather than an account of the proceedings. We discuss the role of immunotherapy in MPNs and the impact of the mutational landscape on TKI treatment in CML. We also consider how we might reduce TKI cardiovascular side effects, the potential role of nutrition as adjunctive nonpharmacologic intervention to reduce chronic inflammation in MPNs, and novel investigational therapies for MPNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To counteract the lethal acid stress, bacteria explore such strategies as cytoplasmic decarboxylase‐catalyzed proton consumption and periplasmic chaperone‐assisted protein refolding. Here, we report a periplasmic protease‐mediated acid resistance mechanism in Escherichia coli. Deletion of the protease gene degP dramatically decreases the viability of late log or early stationary phase cells against the extreme acid stress (pH 2.3), which can only be minimally rescued by complementary expression of the protease‐deficient DegP(S210A) mutant protein. Similarly, DegQ, a homolog of DegP, also contributes to the bacterial acid resistance, but SurA as an important periplasmic chaperone hardly exhibits protection effect. In vitro studies reveal that DegP completely loses its protease activity under acidic condition but is able to partially reactivate upon neutralization. Importantly, we demonstrate the interaction of DegP with typical cellular substrate proteins in cells during acid stress and/or recovery stages by using unnatural amino acid‐mediated in vivo photo‐crosslinking, as well as the degradation of periplasmic proteins by DegP during recovery after acidic denaturation. These data illustrate the role of DegP in bacterial acid resistance conceivably via degrading those acid‐induced misfolded proteins. Our findings, together with earlier reports, suggest a comprehensive acid resistance strategy adopted by bacteria such that in the ATP‐deficient extra‐cytoplasm, the inevitable misfolded proteins induced by acid stress are refolded by a chaperone (e.g., HdeA/HdeB) and/or cleaved by a protease (e.g., DegP/DegQ) while in the cytoplasm excessive protons are directly consumed or exported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: BACKGROUND: As a result of shortages and the cost of the currently utilized conventional dietary protein sources in the Sub‐Saharan Africa feed industry, the chemical evaluation of available non‐conventional sources for feed is imperative. One such source is Marula nut meal (a by‐product of Marula oil extraction). The present study chemically characterized the nutritional composition of two differently processed Marula nut meals (MNMs) and compared them with that of solvent extracted soyabean meal (SBM). RESULTS: The MNMs had higher dry matter, ether extract and gross energy but lower crude protein and ash contents compared to SBM. The cold press produced Marula nut meal (MNM2) had higher arginine than the hydraulic filter press produced Marula nut meal (MNM1) and SBM. The meals had similar neutral and acid detergent fibre contents. The MNMs had higher phosphorus, magnesium and copper concentrations than SBM. Although the total saturated fatty acid proportion was similar across the meals, total monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid proportions were higher in MNMs and SBM, respectively. Oleic acid was higher in MNMs than in SBM. CONCLUSION: The low crude protein content in MNMs compared to SBM is comparable with other conventional dietary protein sources. Thus, the MNMs could be used as protein and energy feed ingredients. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Administration of high-dose parenteral amino acids (AAs) to premature infants within hours of delivery is currently recommended. This study compared the effect of lower and higher AA administration starting close to birth on short-term growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18-24 months corrected gestational age (CGA).Methods: Infants <1250 g birth weight (n = 168) were randomly assigned in a blinded fashion to receive parenteral nutrition providing 1-2 g/kg/d AA and advancing daily by 0.5 g/kg/d to a goal of 4 g/kg/d (standard AA) or 3-4 g/kg/d and advancing to 4 g/kg/d by day 1. The primary outcome was neurodevelopmental outcomes measured by the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition at 18-24 months CGA. Secondary outcomes were growth parameters at 36 weeks CGA among infants surviving to hospital discharge, serum bicarbonate, serum urea nitrogen, creatinine, AA profiles in the first week of life, and incidence of major morbidities and mortality.Results: No differences in neurodevelopmental outcome were detected between the high and low AA groups. Infants in the high AA group had significantly lower mean weight, length, and head circumference percentiles than those in the standard AA group at 36 weeks CGA and at hospital discharge. These differences did not persist after controlling for birth growth parameters, except for head circumference. Infants in the high AA group had higher mean serum urea nitrogen than the standard group on each day throughout the first week.Conclusion: Current recommendations for high-dose AA starting at birth are not associated with improved growth or neurodevelopmental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural decomposition of proteins yields peptides and amino acids, which are susceptible to further decay, resulting in formation of biogenic amines ( BAs) in proteinaceous foods such as bee pollen ( BP). However, excessive consumption of BAs will bring side effects, so it is vital to study the presence of BAs in BP. In this study, a sensitive and reliable ultra -high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method was used for the determination of 12 BAs in BP. Large variations in the distribution and levels of BAs were observed with its total concentrations ranging from 6837.4 to 25444.2 μg kg−1. In addition, the changes in the levels of BAs during storage and fermentation were preliminarily investigated. The results showed that fermentation significantly altered the quantities of BAs in rape BP, while changes during storage were modest. The results of this study could be applied for quality evaluation and risk assessment of BP in near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protein content and amino acid profile of Anchote ( Coccinia abyssinica) leaves and tubers were determined from ten different accessions taken from Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopia. Crude protein content was determined by Kjeldahl method and amino acid profile was analyzed using performic acid oxidation and acid hydrolysis by ninhydrin-derivatized analysis with amino acid analyzer. Crude protein content of Anchote tuber ranged from 10.70% ± 0.26% to 13.72% ± 0.10%, whereas the crude protein content in leaves were ranged between 30.38 ± 0.01% ('240407-1') and 35.42 ± 0.05% ('223109-1'). Total amino acid content ranged from 45.12 to 62.89 and 67.31 to 75.69 g/100 g protein for tuber and leaf samples, respectively. The mean values of essential, conditionally essential and nonessential amino acids were 37.22 & 36.79%; 28.62 & 24.10%; and 34.16 & 39.11% for tubers and leaves, respectively. Arginine in tubers and glutamic acid in leaves ranked the highest of all amino acids; while the least dominant essential amino acid was methionine in both parts. Among the essential amino acids, leucine was dominant in all accessions tested with values ranged from 3.12 to 5.32 g/100 g protein in tubers and from 5.15 to 5.65 g/100 g protein in leaves. In general, the average amino acid content was higher in the leaves (71.08 g/100 g protein) compared to the tubers (51.11 g/100 g protein). The nutritional quality of Coccinia abyssinica leaves and tubers range as follows: total essential amino acids ( TEAA)/ total amino acids ( TAA) (37.57 & 36.82%), TEAA/total non-essential amino acids (TNEAA) ratio (0.60 & 0.58), The predicted protein efficiency ratio (P-PER) (1.22 & 1.80), Essential amino acid index ( EAAI) (35.28 & 53.93%), Predicted biological value (P-BV) (26.76 & 47.09%), Nutritional index (4.11 & 17.71%), and Amino acid score (73 & 108) for tuber and leaf sample, respectively. A significant variability was observed in protein and amino acid profile among accessions and plant parts, and the leaf part were found to be richer in protein content and associated nutritional quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In(Lu) is characterized by a reduced expression of antigens in the Lutheran blood group system as well as other blood group antigens. Mutations of the erythroid transcription factor, KLF1, have been reported to cause the In(Lu) phenotype, and we investigated Japanese In(Lu) to estimate the prevalence of the phenotype and KLF1 polymorphism.Study Design and Methods: Blood samples were screened by monoclonal anti-CD44 and the In(Lu) phenotype was confirmed by tube tests including adsorption and elution tests using anti-Lua and anti-Lub . KLF1, LU, and A4GALT genes were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing.Results: We identified 100 of 481,322 blood donors (0.02%), and the previously characterized 20 donors, who had the In(Lu) phenotype with the LUB/LUB genotype. A total of 100 of the 120 In(Lu) individuals had mutant KLF1 alleles, and we identified 13 known and 21 novel alleles. The mutant KLF1 alleles with c.947G>A (p.Cys316Tyr), c.862A>G (p.Lys288Glu), or c.968C>G (p.Ser323Trp) were major in the In(Lu) individuals. The P1 antigen of 29 In(Lu) (two P1 /P1 , 27 P1 /P2 ) showed significantly weakened expression by hemagglutination.Conclusions: The prevalence of the In(Lu) phenotype in the Japanese population was 0.02%, and we identified 13 known and 21 novel KLF1 alleles. The KLF1 mutations cause the reduced expression of the P1 antigen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biosynthesis of novel therapeutic nano‐scale materials for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications has been enormously developed, since last decade. Herein, the authors report an ecological way of synthesising the platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) using Streptomyces sp. for the first time. The produced PtNPs exhibited the face centred cubic system. The fourier transform infrared spectrum revealed the existence of amino acids in proteins which serves as an essential reductant for the formation of PtNPs. The spherical morphology of the PtNPs with an average size of 20–50 nm was observed from topographical images of atomic force microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The X‐ray fluorescence spectrum confirms the presence of PtNPs with higher purity. The PtNPs size was further confirmed with transmission electron microscopy analysis and the particles were found to exist in the same size regime. Additionally, PtNPs showed the characteristic surface plasmon resonance peak at 262 nm. Dynamic light scattering studies report that 97.2% of particles were <100 nm, with an average particle diameter of about 45 nm. Furthermore, 3‐(4, 5‐dimethyl‐2‐thiazolyl)‐2, 5‐diphenyl‐tetrazolium assay based in vitro cytotoxicity analysis was conducted for the PtNPs, which showed the inhibitory concentration (IC50) at 31.2 µg/ml against Michigan Cancer Foundation‐7 breast cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting phosphorylation protein is a challenging problem, particularly when query proteins have multi-label features meaning that they may be phosphorylated at two or more different type amino acids. In fact, human protein usually be phosphorylated at serine, threonine and tyrosine. By introducing the 'multi-label learning' approach, a novel predictor has been developed that can be used to deal with the systems containing both single- and multi-label phosphorylation protein. Here we proposed a predictor called Multi-iPPseEvo by (1) incorporating the protein sequence evolutionary information into the general pseudo amino acid composition (PseAAC) via the grey system theory, (2) balancing out the skewed training datasets by the asymmetric bootstrap approach, and (3) constructing an ensemble predictor by fusing an array of individual random forest classifiers thru a voting system. Rigorous cross-validations via a set of multi-label metrics indicate that the multi-label phosphorylation predictor is very promising and encouraging. The current approach represents a new strategy to deal with the multi-label biological problems, and the software is freely available for academic use at http://www.jci-bioinfo.cn/Multi-iPPseEvo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the importance of stapled peptides for drug discovery, only few practical processes to prepare cross-linked peptides have been described; thus the structural diversity of available staple motifs is currently limited. At the same time, C−H activation has emerged as an efficient approach to functionalize complex molecules. Although there are many reports on the C−H functionalization of amino acids, examples of post-synthetic peptide C−H modification are rare and comprise almost only C(sp2)−H activation. Herein, we report the development of a palladium-catalyzed late-stage C(sp3)−H activation method for peptide stapling, affording an unprecedented hydrocarbon cross-link. This method was first employed to prepare a library of stapled peptides in solution. The compatibility with various amino acids as well as the influence of the size ( i, i+3 and i, i+4) and length of the staple were investigated. Finally, a simple solid-phase procedure was also established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the paper "Synthesis and Conformational Study of Novel Pyrazine-Based Pseudopeptides Bearing Amidoxime, Amidoxime Ester and 1,2,4-Oxadiazole Units" is presented.

An abstract of the paper " The N-Hydroxymethyl Group as a Traceless Activating Group for the CAL-B-Catalyzed Ring Cleavage of ß-Lactams: A Type of Two-Step Cascade Reaction" is presented.