Distinguish good from evil by selective endosomal escape. The nuanced endo/lysosomal activity of cathepsin B across cell types can act as a stimulus for cell‐specific endosomal escape of proteins ...before degradation. In their Research Article (e202317817), Kazunori Kataoka, Horacio Cabral, et al. report nanocarriers leveraging on this differentiated cathepsin B activity to achieve cancer cell‐specific delivery of antibodies. This innovative approach offers a new means for targeted intracellular delivery.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Pesticides are chemical substances that have become essential for global food production. However, their extensive use has resulted in significant environmental and health costs. Among the most ...widely used are diazinon and methamidophos, an insecticide and acaricide, respectively. These chemicals are classified as highly hazardous with high toxicity upon contact, ingestion, and inhalation. They are known to cause mutagenic effects, cancer, damage to the endocrine and nervous systems of humans, and their high solubility makes them likely to be found in soil, water, air, and certain foods. In this research, we evaluated the use of the microalga Chlorella vulgaris for phycoremediation of these two pesticides. The first step was to establish and optimize the growth parameters of C. vulgaris to maintain the microalgae in a state of reproduction. Favorable results were obtained at pH 7.0, a dilution ratio of 1:2 for the culture medium, and a photoperiod of 12 h of light and 12 h of darkness. Subsequently, the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and the Half-Maximal Effective Concentration (EC50) of the pesticides diazinon and methamidophos were evaluated. The microalga exhibited a high tolerance rate, with concentrations exceeding those naturally found in the environment. Based on these results, the conditions for assessing the biodegradation of both pesticides by the microalga were established. The outcome showed degradation percentages of 96 % for diazinon (25 mg L−1) and 100 % for methamidophos (500 mg L−1). In addition, the analysis of intermediate metabolites during the biodegradation process of both pesticides revealed the formation of less toxic compounds compared to the precursors and possibly complete mineralization as well; this given the positive response in terms of inorganic phosphate generation during the degradation. Finally, we propose biodegradation pathways for methamidophos and diazinon based on the detected metabolites and available information on biodegradation by certain bacteria.
•Chlorella vulgaris tolerates high concentrations of diazinon and methamidophos•C. vulgaris effectively degrades diazinon and methamidophos, transforming them into less toxic compounds.•The phosphatase enzyme plays a fundamental role in the degradation of both pesticides.•Most of the metabolites detected are the same as those produced during degradation by bacteria.•The use of C vulgaris in the treatment of diazinon or methamidophos is a highly efficient and sustainable alternative.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Introduction
Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at a high risk of cognitive impairment, with insulin resistance playing a pivotal role. β‐site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme ...1 (BACE1) is considered a predictor of Alzheimer's disease. However, the potential roles of BACE1 in insulin resistance and the risk of cognitive impairment in T2DM remain unclear.
Methods
We measured plasma BACE1 levels, BACE1 cleavage activities for Swedish mutant amyloid precursor protein (APPsw) and insulin receptor β subunit (INSR‐β), and soluble INSR (sINSR) levels in a clinical cohort study.
Results
T2DM patients with or without cognitive impairment exhibited elevated plasma BACE1 levels and BACE1 enzymatic activities for APPsw and INSR‐β, and sINSR levels. Moreover, the glycemic status correlated with elevated BACE1 levels and BACE1‐mediated INSR cleavage, which was associated with insulin resistance.
Discussion
The elevated BACE1 levels in T2DM may contribute to increasing the cognitive impairment risk through both amyloidogenesis and insulin resistance.
Full text
Available for:
FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Maintaining the high activity of an enzyme is a fundamental requirement to widen the application of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) in the biotechnology, biosensor, and biomedicine fields. However, ...it is still challenging to monitor and understand an MOF environment-related activity for an enzyme. Here, we developed a MOFs-in-nanochannels configuration for broadening the biocatalytic activity of an enzyme in MOFs on demand. ZIF-8 Zn(mim)2, Hmim = 2-methylimidazolated grown in TiO2 nanochannels is used as the platform, and cytochrome C (CytC) is used as a model enzyme encapsulated in ZIF-8. The enzymatic catalytic process converts 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) to a positively charged product (ABTS+). On the basis of current–voltage properties, the change of ion transport characteristics in nanochannels can be monitored with time. The ZIF-8 encapsulating CytC molecules not only exhibit a significantly enhanced enzymatic activity in a wide temperature region (37–80 °C) but also have remarkably long storage stability at room temperature. The results of quantum mechanical calculation indicate that the Fe–S bond of CytC is inclined to break in the environment of ZIF-8 owing to the confinement effect of the MOF structure, favorable for enzymatic catalysis. The MOFs-in-nanochannel configuration provides an innovative and label-free design for the onsite monitoring of catalytic activity of an enzyme in MOFs, which holds great potential in constructing biosensing platforms with remarkable performance and stability.
Full text
Available for:
IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
The abundance of microplastics (MPs) in soil environments has attracted significant attentions, due to their impact on soil physico-chemical properties. However, limited information is available on ...the influences of MPs on soil carbon composition and microbial utilization characteristics. Therefore, a two-month incubation experiment was conducted to add polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) with different levels (1%, 10%) and sizes (150–300 μm and 75–150 μm) into different soils. After that, soil chemical properties including the dissolved organic carbon (DOC), spectral characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and soil microbial characteristics were analyzed. Results revealed that PE-MPs addition caused significant differences in soil chemical properties between farmland and woodland soils, particularly in soil pH, DOM composition, and soil phosphatase activity. Woodland soil always exhibited higher levels of DOC content, microbial diversity, and soil carbon source utilization compared to farmland soil, leading to increased humification in the DOM of woodland soil. PE-MPs with a larger particle size significantly increased both the soil DOC content and enzyme activity. Addition of PE-MPs altered the soil DOM composition, and the fluorescence parameters like the biological index (BIX) and humification degree. Moreover, the carbon source utilization intensity of microorganisms on PE MPs-contaminated soils is higher in woodland soils. Various analyses confirmed that compared to other soil properties, characteristics of soil DOM had a more significant impact on soil microbial community composition. Thus, PE-MPs in conjunction with soil DOM spectral characteristics regulated soil microbial diversity, which is crucial for understanding soil carbon sequestration.
Display omitted
•Significant differences in DOM composition between woodland and farmland soils.•PE addition increased the carbon utilization intensity of soil microorganisms.•PE size coupled with DOM spectral characteristic regulated the soil microbial diversity.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
PDF
