Junhui Yan¹, Yawen Wang¹, Qiong Li¹, Yu Zhou², Xu Wang^2,*, Li Luo^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.93, No.6, pp. 1237-1248, 2024, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2024.051517 - 27 June 2024

Abstract Rhizobia induces nitrogen-fixing nodules in legumes used in agricultural production, providing a direct source of combined nitrogen to leguminous crops. Small peptides, such as CLAVATA3/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION peptides (CLE), are known to regulate the formation and development of nitrogen-fixing nodules in legumes. Root meristem growth factor (RGF) peptides from Medicago truncatula not only regulate root development but also modulate nodulation symbiosis with Sinorhizobium meliloti. However, the impact of RGF peptides from one leguminous species on the others remains unclear. In this study, we investigate the effects of the RGF family peptide MtRGF6p from M. truncatula on nodulation symbiosis… More >

CARLOS ALBERTO-SILVA^*, BRENDA RUFINO DA SILVA

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.6, pp. 897-904, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.050443 - 10 June 2024

Abstract Venom snake-derived peptides have multiple biochemical, pharmacological, and toxicological profiles, allowing for the discovery of new medicinal products and therapeutic applications. This review specifically examines the fundamental elements of neuroprotection offered by different oligopeptides derived from snake venom. It also includes a brief evaluation of short peptides that are being considered as potential therapeutic agents. Proline-rich peptides and tryptophyllin family peptides isolated from the crude venom of Viperidae family snakes, specifically Bothrops atrox, Bothrops jararaca, and Bothrops moojeni, have been shown to have pro-survival properties, the ability to reduce oxidative stress, and the ability to promote cell viability More >

HYUNHO KIM¹, UIJU CHO², SOOK HEE HONG³, HYUNG SOON PARK¹, IN-HO KIM³, HO JUNG AN¹, BYOUNG YONG SHIM¹, JIN HYOUNG KANG^3,*

Oncology Research, Vol.32, No.6, pp. 1021-1030, 2024, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.048919 - 23 May 2024

Abstract Background: Apolipoprotein B mRNA editing catalytic polypeptide (APOBEC), an endogenous mutator, induces DNA damage and activates the ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR)-checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) pathway. Although cisplatin-based therapy is the mainstay for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), it has a poor survival rate. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an ATR inhibitor combined with cisplatin in the treatment of APOBEC catalytic subunit 3B (APOBEC3B) expressing MIBC. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining was performed to analyze an association between APOBEC3B and ATR in patients with MIBC. The APOBEC3B expression in MIBC cell lines was assessed… More >

MOHAMAD ZULKEFLEE SABRI¹, JOANNA BOJARSKA², FAI-CHU WONG^3,4, TSUN-THAI CHAI^3,4,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.8, pp. 1727-1742, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.029272 - 28 August 2023

Abstract Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is a computational technique that analyzes the movement of a system of particles over a given period. MD can provide detailed information about the fluctuations and conformational changes of biomolecules at the atomic level over time. In recent years, MD has been widely applied to the discovery of peptides and peptide-like molecules that may serve as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) inhibitors. This review summarizes recent advances in such explorations, focusing on four protein targets: angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), spike protein (S protein), main protease (M^pro), and papain-like protease (PL^pro).… More > Graphic Abstract

LI TIAN^1,#, YONGYI HUANG^1,#, BAOZHEN ZHANG^2,#, YI SONG^1,#, LIN YANG³, QIANQIAN CHEN¹, ZHENG WANG³, YILING WANG¹, QIHAN HE¹, WENHAN YANG¹, SHUYONG YU⁴, TIANYU LU⁵, ZICHEN LIU¹, KAIPING GAO^1,*, XIUJUN FAN^2,*, JIAN SONG^4,*, RIHONG ZHAI^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.4, pp. 463-479, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.028791 - 25 June 2023

Abstract Accumulating evidence has indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in the development and progression of cancers, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the mechanisms of lncRNAs in ESCC are still incompletely understood and therapeutic attempts for in vivo targeting cancer-associated lncRNA remain a challenge. By RNA-sequencing analysis, we identified that LLNLR-299G3.1 was a novel ESCC-associated lncRNA. LLNLR-299G3.1 was up-regulated in ESCC tissues and cells and promoted ESCC cell proliferation and invasion. Silencing of LLNLR-299G3.1 with ASO (antisense oligonucleotide) resulted in opposite effects. Mechanistically, LLNLR-299G3.1 bound to cancer-associated RNA binding proteins and regulated the expression… More >

YINGHUA LUO^1,#, YU ZHANG^2,#, TONG ZHANG^2,#, YANNAN LI², HUI XUE², JINGLONG CAO², WENSHUANG HOU², JIAN LIU², YUHE CUI², TING XU², CHENGHAO JIN^2,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.5, pp. 965-975, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.027729 - 10 April 2023

Abstract Marine collagen peptides (MCPs) are natural products prepared by hydrolyzing marine collagen protein through a variety of chemical methods or enzymes. MCPs have a range of structures and biological activities and are widely present in marine species. MCPs also have a small molecular weight, are easily modified, and absorbed by the body. These properties have attracted great interest from researchers studying antioxidant, anti-tumor, and anti-aging activities. MCPs of specific molecular weights have significant anti-tumor activity and no toxic side effects. Thus, MCPs have the potential use as anti-cancer adjuvant drugs. Free radicals produced by oxidation More >

Touseef Hussain^1,*, Abrar A. Khan¹, Heba I. Mohamed^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.3, pp. 783-799, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.026045 - 29 November 2022

Abstract Fusarium dry rot is considered to be the most critical soilborne and postharvest disease that damages potato tubers worldwide when they are stored for a long time. This study was performed to demonstrate the effect of crude extract, culture filtrate, and cell suspension obtained from the bacterium Bacillus subtilis HussainT-AMU, on the net house and field. From oil-contaminated soil, through the serial dilution method, biosurfactant bacteria were isolated on nutrient agar medium. To isolate and screen the prospective biosurfactant strain, various biosurfactant screening methods were used. Standard protocols were carried out for morphological, molecular, and chemical… More >

CARLOS ALBERTO-SILVA^1,*, ANA CAROLINA DE ARAUJO¹, RODRIGO SIMãO BONFIM¹, JOYCE MEIRE GILIO²

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.2, pp. 289-295, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.023787 - 18 November 2022

Abstract Bothrops envenomation is complex and provokes prominent local tissue damage and systemic disturbances, but little is known about their effects on the male reproductive system. After intratesticular injection, the bioactive peptide fraction (Bj-PF) obtained from Bothrops jararaca snake venom changes the structure of different stages of the seminiferous epithelium cycle in adult mice. For the first time, we investigated whether local envenomation of Bj-PF induces toxicological effects on the male reproductive system, particularly on the seminiferous epithelium and Sertoli cells. Male adult mice were treated with 0.24 mg.kg⁻¹ by intramuscular (i.m.) injection for 24 h. The testes… More >

Sunil Kumar Suryawanshi¹, Usha Chouhan², Jyoti Kant Choudhari^2,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.19, No.4, pp. 191-208, 2022, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2022.023911 - 27 December 2022

Abstract Cancer is the second biggest cause of death globally, and the use of therapeutic peptides to specifically target and destroy cancer cells has gotten much interest. Cancer peptides or vaccinations are utilized to treat cancer nowadays, apart from chemotherapy, which has significant discomfort, side effects and costly. It is time demanding to identify and predict potential anticancer peptides using computational biology approaches. Thus, 3-D molecular modeling is being used to find possible ACP candidates. In this research, Curcuma longa has predicted peptide sequences were docked on breast cancer receptors and used a molecular docking technique to… More >

Xinyue Wang^1,#, Jing Xu^1,#, Qihong Gu¹, Dingxuan Tang¹, Huoyan Ji², Shaoqing Ju², Feng Wang^2,*, Lin Chen³, Ruoyu Yuan^2,*

Oncologie, Vol.24, No.3, pp. 513-526, 2022, DOI:10.32604/oncologie.2022.024373 - 19 September 2022

Abstract Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as promising novel biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis, especially for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nowadays, the expression level of miR-21 in serum samples is a diagnostic indicator for HCC diagnosis. Thus, the quantitative determination of miRNA concentration is of significance in clinical practice. It is particularly important to establish an analytical detection method for miR-21 in patient serum. Methods: The signal readout for miR-21 was based on the mass response of a reporter peptide using an isotope dilution mass spectrometry (MS) method in this work. To be more specific, miR-21… More >