Allosteric communication among domains in modular proteins consisting of flexibly linked domains with complimentary roles remains poorly understood. To understand how complementary domains ...communicate, we have studied human Pin1, a representative modular protein with two domains mutually tethered by a flexible linker: a WW domain for substrate recognition and a peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) domain. Previous studies of Pin1 showed that physical contact between the domains causes dynamic allostery by reducing conformation dynamics in the catalytic domain, which compensates for the entropy costs of substrate binding to the catalytic site and thus increases catalytic activity. In this study, the S138A mutant PPIase domain, a mutation that mimics the structural impact of the interdomain contact, was demonstrated to display dynamic allostery by rigidification of the α2-α3 loop that harbors the key catalytic residue C113. The reduced dynamics of the α2-α3 loop stabilizes the C113-H59 hydrogen bond in the hydrogen-bonding network of the catalytic site. The stabilized hydrogen bond between C113 and H59 retards initiation of isomerization, which explains the reduced isomerization rate by ~20% caused by the S138A mutation. These results provide new insight into the interdomain allosteric communication of Pin1.
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•Tea polyphenols-loaded pullulan/trehalose film was developed.•Ultrasound improved the physicochemical properties of the composite films.•Ultrasound improved the structural ...characteristics of the composite films.•Ultrasound improved the films’ preservation effect on fresh-cut apples and pears.
A novel food packaging film was developed by incorporating a tea polyphenols-loaded pullulan/trehalose (TP@Pul/Tre) into a composite film with ultrasound-assisted treatment of dual-frequency (20/35 kHz, 40 W/L) for 15 min to assess the physicochemical and mechanical properties of a composite film. The optimized ultrasound-assisted significantly increases elongation at break, tensile strength, and improves the composite film's UV/water/oxygen barrier properties. Structure analysis using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction and thermal stability revealed that these improvements were achieved through ultrasound-enhanced H-bonds, more ordered molecular arrangements, and good intermolecular compatibility. Besides, the ultrasound-assisted TP@Pul/Tre film has proven to have good antibacterial performance against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, with approximately 100 % lethality at 4 h and 8 h, respectively. Moreover, the ultrasound-assisted TP@Pul/Tre film effectively delayed moisture loss, oxidative browning, decay, and deterioration in fresh-cut apples and pears, thereby extending their shelf life. Thus, ultrasound has proved to be an effective tool for improving the quality of food packaging films, with a wide range of applications.
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•The research progress of UAE for bioactive components was overviewed.•The application of ultrasonic in extracting bioactive components had great potential.•Ultrasonic enhances ...extraction speed and the extracts with better quality and yield.•Ultrasonic ruptures cell walls, aiding content release and improving mass transfer.
The increasing focus on health and well-being has sparked a rising interest in bioactive components in the food, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries. These components are gaining popularity due to their potential benefits for overall health. The growing interest has resulted in a continuous rise in demand for bioactive components, leading to the exploration of both edible and non-edible sources to obtain these valuable substances. Traditional extraction methods like solvent extraction, distillation, and pressing have certain drawbacks, including lower extraction efficiency, reduced yield, and the use of significant amounts of solvents or resources. Furthermore, certain extraction methods necessitate high temperatures, which can adversely affect certain bioactive components. Consequently, researchers are exploring non-thermal technologies to develop environmentally friendly and efficient extraction methods.
Ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) is recognized as an environmentally friendly and highly efficient extraction technology. The UAE has the potential to minimize or eliminate the need for organic solvents, thereby reducing its impact on the environment. Additionally, UAE has been found to significantly enhance the production of target bioactive components, making it an attractive method in the industry. The emergence of ultrasonic assisted extraction equipment (UAEE) has presented novel opportunities for research in chemistry, biology, pharmaceuticals, food, and other related fields. However, there is still a need for further investigation into the main components and working modes of UAEE, as current understanding in this area remains limited. Therefore, additional research and exploration are necessary to enhance our knowledge and optimize the application of UAEE. The core aim of this review is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the principles, benefits and impact on bioactive components of UAE, explore the different types of equipment used in this technique, examine the various working modes and control parameters employed in UAE, and provide a detailed overview of the blending of UAE with other emerging extraction technologies. In conclusion, the future development of UAEE is envisioned to focus on achieving increased efficiency, reduced costs, enhanced safety, and improved reliability. These key areas of advancement aim to optimize the performance and practicality of UAEE, making it a more efficient, cost-effective, and reliable extraction technology.
Sugar is an important carbon source and contributes significantly to the improvement of plant growth and fruit flavor quality. Sugar transport through the tonoplast is important for intracellular ...homeostasis and metabolic balance in plant cells. There are four tonoplast sugar transporters (
in strawberry genome. The qRT-PCR results indicated that
has a differential expression pattern in different tissues and developmental stages, and exhibited highest expression level in mature fruits. The yeast complementation assay showed that
can mediate the uptake of different sugars, such as fructose, glucose, sucrose, and mannose. Subcellular localization analyses revealed that
was mainly targeted to the tonoplast. Transient expression of
in strawberry fruits enhanced both fruit ripening and sugar accumulation. Furthermore,
-transformed tomato plants exhibited higher sucrose and auxin content, enhanced seed germination and vegetative growth, higher photosynthetic rate, early flowering, and bore fruit; fructose and glucose levels were higher in transgenic fruits than those in the control. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that the auxin signaling pathway was highly enriched pathway in up-regulated Gene-ontology terms. In transgenic plants, genes encoding transcription factors, such as phytochrome-interacting factors
, and
, as well as their potential target genes, were also induced. Collectively, the results show that
enhances plant growth and fruit ripening by modulating endogenous sugars, and highlight the biological significance of this gene for future breeding purposes.
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•The ultrasonic technology progress in meat processing was overviewed.•Ultrasound reduced nutrient loss, maintain texture and speed meat curation.•Ultrasound maintain flavor and water ...during curation of the meat products.•Ultrasound technology and their applications in meat processing were discussed.
Curation meat products involves multiple stages, including pre-curing processing (thawing, cleaning, and cutting), curing itself, and post-curing processing (freezing, and packaging). Ultrasound are nonthermal processing technology widely used in food industry. This technology is preferred because it reduces the damages caused by traditional processing techniques on food, while simultaneously improving the nutritional properties and processing characteristics of food. The utilization of ultrasonic-assisted curing technology has attracted significant attention within the realm of meat product curing, encouraging extensive research efforts. In terms of curing meat products, ultrasonic-assisted curing technology has been widely studied due to its advantages of accelerating the curing speed, reducing nutrient loss, and improving the tenderness of cured meats. Therefore, this article aims to comprehensively review the application and mechanism of ultrasound technology in various stages of meat product curing. Furthermore, it also elaborates the effects of ultrasonic-assisted curing on the tenderness, water retention, and flavor substances of the meat products during the curing process. Besides, the implication of the ultrasound in the processing of meat curation plays a potent role together with other technologies or methods. The use of ultrasound technology in the process of meat curation was analyzed, which might be a theoretical insight for the industrialization prospects of the meat product.
The assessment and management of facial trauma in an acute setting is one of the core services provided by oral and maxillofacial units in the United Kingdom. Imaging is a pre-requisite for ...appropriate diagnosis and treatment planning, with a combination of plain radiographs and medical-grade CT being the mainstay. However, the emergence of cone beam CT in recent years has led to its wider applications, including facial trauma assessment. It can offer multi-planar reformats and three-dimensional reconstruction at a much lower radiation dose and financial cost than conventional CT. The purpose of this review is to appraise its potential indications in all anatomical areas of maxillofacial trauma and provide our experience at a level 1 trauma centre.
Reirradiation has been proposed as an effective modality for recurrent central nervous system (CNS) malignancies in adults. We evaluated the toxicity and outcomes of CNS reirradiation in pediatric ...patients.
The data from pediatric patients <21 years of age at the initial diagnosis who developed a recurrent CNS malignancy that received repeat radiation therapy (RT) across 5 facilities in an international pediatric research consortium were retrospectively reviewed.
Sixty-seven pediatric patients underwent CNS reirradiation. The primary diagnoses included medulloblastoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (n=20; 30%), ependymoma (n=19; 28%), germ cell tumor (n=8; 12%), high-grade glioma (n=9; 13%), low-grade glioma (n=5; 7%), and other (n=6; 9%). The median age at the first course of RT was 8.5 years (range 0.5-19.5) and was 12.3 years (range 3.3-30.2) at reirradiation. The median interval between RT courses was 2.0 years (range 0.3-16.5). The median radiation dose and fractionation in equivalent 2-Gy fractions was 63.7 Gy (range 27.6-74.8) for initial RT and 53.1 Gy (range 18.6-70.1) for repeat RT. The relapse location was infield in 52 patients (78%) and surrounding the initial RT field in 15 patients (22%). Thirty-seven patients (58%) underwent gross or subtotal resection at recurrence. The techniques used for reirradiation were intensity modulated RT (n=46), 3-dimensional conformal RT (n=9), stereotactic radiosurgery (n=4; 12-13 Gy × 1 or 5 Gy × 5), protons (n=4), combined modality (n=3), 2-dimensional RT (n=1), and brachytherapy (n=1). Radiation necrosis was detected in 2 patients after the first RT course and 1 additional patient after reirradiation. Six patients (9%) developed secondary neoplasms after initial RT (1 hematologic, 5 intracranial). One patient developed a secondary neoplasm identified shortly after repeat RT. The median overall survival after completion of repeat RT was 12.8 months for the entire cohort and 20.5 and 8.4 months for patients with recurrent ependymoma and medulloblastoma after reirradiation, respectively.
CNS reirradiation in pediatric patients could be a reasonable treatment option, with moderate survival noted after repeat RT. However, prospective data characterizing the rates of local control and toxicity are needed.
Plant roots show morphological plasticity and play a substantial role in tolerance to various edaphic stresses. The aim of this study was to explore salinity-induced morphogenic responses of root ...traits and root hairs of two rapeseed varieties, BARI Sarisha-8 and Binasarisha-5, at the reproductive stage and perceive the effects on their reproductive growth. The experiment was conducted in a hydroponic culture. Two treatments, 0 mM NaCl as control and 100 mM NaCl, were imposed 55 d after germination. Plants exposed to 100 mM NaCl for seven days displayed greater damage in the leaves, flowers, and siliquae compared to control. Length of root hairs on first-order and third-order lateral roots, density of root hairs on first-order lateral roots, and length of third-order lateral roots were significantly greater by 91%, 22%, 29%, and 48%, respectively, in the treated condition compared to the control. An increase in estimated root surface area by 20% under salt stress conditions indicated that the spontaneous responses of plants to uptake more water and nutrients allowed a plant to cope with stressful conditions. The results of this study suggest that any future stress breeding programs should consider plasticity of root traits intensively.
Several billion microorganisms reside in the gastrointestinal lumen, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and yeast. Among them, probiotics were primarily used to cure digestive disorders such as ...intestinal infections and diarrhea; however, with a paradigm shift towards alleviating health through food, their importance is large. Moreover, recent studies have changed the perspective that probiotics prevent numerous ailments in the major organs. Probiotics primarily produce biologically active compounds targeting discommodious pathogens. This review demonstrates the implications of using probiotics from different genres to prevent and alleviate ailments in the primary human organs. The findings reveal that probiotics immediately activate anti-inflammatory mechanisms by producing anti-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, IL-11, and IL-13, and hindering pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α by involving regulatory T cells (Tregs) and T helper cells (Th cells). Several strains of
,
,
,
,
, and
have been listed among the probiotics that are excellent in alleviating various simple to complex ailments. Therefore, the importance of probiotics necessitates robust research to unveil the implications of probiotics, including the potency of strains, the optimal dosages, the combination of probiotics, their habitat in the host, the host response, and other pertinent factors.
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an important enzyme that serves as the first line of defense in the plant antioxidant system and removes reactive oxygen species (ROS) under adverse conditions. The SOD ...protein family is widely distributed in the plant kingdom and plays a significant role in plant growth and development. However, the comprehensive analysis of the
gene family has not been conducted in Cucurbitaceae. Subsequently, 43
genes were identified from Cucurbitaceae species
(watermelon),
(zucchini),
(cucumber),
(bottle gourd),
(melon). According to evolutionary analysis,
genes were divided into eight subfamilies (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII). The gene structure analysis exhibited that the
gene family had comparatively preserved exon/intron assembly and motif as well. Phylogenetic and structural analysis revealed the functional divergence of Cucurbitaceae
gene family. Furthermore, microRNAs 6 miRNAs were predicted targeting 3
genes. Gene ontology annotation outcomes confirm the role of
under different stress stimuli, cellular oxidant detoxification processes, metal ion binding activities, SOD activity, and different cellular components. Promoter regions of the
family revealed that most
-elements were involved in plant development, stress response, and plant hormones. Evaluation of the gene expression showed that most
genes were expressed in different tissues (root, flower, fruit, stem, and leaf). Finally, the expression profiles of eight
genes analyzed by qRT-PCR suggested that these genetic reserves responded to drought, saline, heat, and cold stress. These findings laid the foundation for further study of the role of the
gene family in Cucurbitaceae. Also, they provided the potential for its use in the genetic improvement of Cucurbitaceae.
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