An Autonomous Chemically Fueled Artificial Protein Muscle

In photosynthetic complexes, tuning of chlorophyll light-absorption spectra by the protein environment is crucial to their efficiency and robustness. Water Soluble Chlorophyll-binding Proteins from <i>Brassicaceae</i> (WSCPs) are useful for studying spectral tuning mechanisms due to their symmetric homotetramer structure, the ability to rigorously modify the chlorophyll’s protein surroundings, and the availability of crystal structures. Here, we present a rigorous analysis based on hybrid Quantum Mechanics and Molecular Mechanics simulations with conformational sampling to quantify the relative contributions of steric and electrostatic factors to the absorption spectra of WSCP-chlorophyll complexes. We show that when considering conformational dynamics, chlorophyll ring deformation accounts for about one-third of the spectral shift, whereas protein electrostatics accounts for the remaining two-thirds. From a practical perspective, protein electrostatics is easier to manipulate than chlorophyll conformations, thus, it may be more readily implemented in designing artificial protein-chlorophyll complexes with desired spectral shift.

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Artificial protein assemblies with well-defined supramolecular protein nanostructures

Biochemical Society Transactions ◽

10.1042/bst20210808 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Suyeong Han ◽

Yongwon Jung

Keyword(s):

Vaccine Development ◽

De Novo ◽

Building Blocks ◽

Protein Assembly ◽

Protein Assemblies ◽

Cellular Processes ◽

Wide Range ◽

Array Structures ◽

Small Chemical ◽

Artificial Protein

Nature uses a wide range of well-defined biomolecular assemblies in diverse cellular processes, where proteins are major building blocks for these supramolecular assemblies. Inspired by their natural counterparts, artificial protein-based assemblies have attracted strong interest as new bio-nanostructures, and strategies to construct ordered protein assemblies have been rapidly expanding. In this review, we provide an overview of very recent studies in the field of artificial protein assemblies, with the particular aim of introducing major assembly methods and unique features of these assemblies. Computational de novo designs were used to build various assemblies with artificial protein building blocks, which are unrelated to natural proteins. Small chemical ligands and metal ions have also been extensively used for strong and bio-orthogonal protein linking. Here, in addition to protein assemblies with well-defined sizes, protein oligomeric and array structures with rather undefined sizes (but with definite repeat protein assembly units) also will be discussed in the context of well-defined protein nanostructures. Lastly, we will introduce multiple examples showing how protein assemblies can be effectively used in various fields such as therapeutics and vaccine development. We believe that structures and functions of artificial protein assemblies will be continuously evolved, particularly according to specific application goals.

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Computationally Selected Epitopes: Integrated Approaches Toward High‐Affinity Artificial Protein Binders Obtained via Computationally Simulated Epitopes for Protein Recognition (Adv. Funct. Mater. 15/2019)

Advanced Functional Materials ◽

10.1002/adfm.201970094 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (15) ◽

pp. 1970094

Author(s):

Zeynep Altintas ◽

Aref Takiden ◽

Tillmann Utesch ◽

Maria A. Mroginski ◽

Bianca Schmid ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protein Recognition ◽

High Affinity ◽

Protein Binders ◽

Integrated Approaches ◽

Artificial Protein

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PSV-42 Investigations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and strategies of their decrease in smoked meat products

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skz258.598 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽

pp. 296-296 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andrey Kulikovskii ◽

Ivan Gorlov ◽

Marina Slozhenkina ◽

Oksana Kuznetsova ◽

Dmitriy Utyanov

Keyword(s):

Meat Products ◽

Direct Proportion ◽

Russian Science ◽

Total Pahs ◽

Quantitative Content ◽

Smoke Generation ◽

Polycyclic Aromatic ◽

Carcinogenic Substances ◽

Phenolic Substances ◽

Artificial Protein

Abstract Analysis of PAHs was performed by HPLC Ultimate 3000 (Dionex) with fluorescent detector RF200. Analysis of esters and phenols was carried out using a GH-MS 7890A with 5975C VL MSD (Agilent Technologies). It was found that in the fume smoked meat products without casing the summary 15 PAHs content was 25% higher than in products produced in natural (gut) and artificial (protein and fibrouse) casings independent of the type of smoking. The least permeable for carcinogenic substances was the fibrouse casing. The fibrous casing is capable of reducing PAH in the product by up to 40% compared to natural. The duration of smoking also influenced the PAHs quantitative content. In raw smoked meat products in a natural casing the PAHs content was 30% higher than in semi-smoked sausages also produced in a natural casing. Analysis of the PAHs quantitative content in meat produce a showed that 8 PAHs namely benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[g,h,i]perylene, chrysene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene, indene[1,2,3-с,d]pyrene were most frequently detected. The summary percent content of 8 above listed PAHs was on the average more than 75% of total PAHs amount. It is possible to achieve the PAHs content reduction in several ways. One of them is the reduction of fat content in the formulation of smoked products. PAHs content reduction is not associated with the reduction of phenolic substances, which are responsible for taste and aroma of smoked products. An increase in temperature from 450°C to 700°C leads to an increase in the amount of PAHs by 200–300%. The PAHs quantitative content grew in direct proportion as the smoke generation temperature and the CO and CO2 concentrations were increasing and in inverse proportion to the oxygen concentration. The work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project no. 15-16-10000.

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The omics approach to bee nutritional landscape

Metabolomics ◽

10.1007/s11306-019-1590-6 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (10) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Priyadarshini Chakrabarti ◽

Jeffery T. Morré ◽

Hannah M. Lucas ◽

Claudia S. Maier ◽

Ramesh R. Sagili

Keyword(s):

Multiple Stressors ◽

Primary Source ◽

Colony Growth ◽

Nutritional Composition ◽

Colony Losses ◽

Protein Supplements ◽

Brood Rearing ◽

Bee Colony ◽

The Usa ◽

Artificial Protein

Abstract Background Significant annual honey bee colony losses have been reported in the USA and across the world over the past years. Malnutrition is one among several causative factors for such declines. Optimal nutrition serves as the first line of defense against multiple stressors such as parasites/pathogens and pesticides. Given the importance of nutrition, it is imperative to understand bee nutrition holistically, identifying dietary sources that may fulfill bee nutritional needs. Pollen is the primary source of protein for bees and is critical for brood rearing and colony growth. Currently, there is significant gap in knowledge regarding the chemical and nutritional composition of pollen. Methods Targeted sterol analysis and untargeted metabolomics were conducted on five commercially available crop pollens, three bee-collected crop pollens, three vegetable oils (often added to artificial protein supplements by beekeepers), and one commonly used artificial protein supplement. Results This study reports key phytosterols and metabolites present across a spectrum of bee diets, including some of the major bee-pollinated crop pollens in the western United States. Significant differences were observed in sterol concentrations among the dietary sources tested. Among all quantified sterols, the highest concentrations were observed for 24-methylenecholesterol and further, pollen samples exhibited the highest 24-methylenecholesterol among all diet sources that were tested. Also, 236 metabolites were identified across all dietary sources examined. Conclusion Information gleaned from this study is crucial in understanding the nutritional landscape available to all bee pollinators and may further assist in future efforts to develop comprehensive database of nutrients and metabolites present in all bee diets.

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