The Biosynthesis and Metabolism of the N-Acylated Aromatic Amino Acids: N-Acylphenylalanine, N-Acyltyrosine, N-Acyltryptophan, and N-Acylhistidine

The fatty acid amides are a family of lipids composed of two chemical moieties, a fatty acid and a biogenic amine linked together in an amide bond. This lipid family is structurally related to the endocannabinoid anandamide (N-arachidonoylethanolamine) and, thus, is frequently referred to as a family of endocannabinoid-related lipids. The fatty acid amide family is divided into different classes based on the conjugate amine; anandamide being a member of the N-acylethanolamine class (NAE). Another class within the fatty acid amide family is the N-acyl amino acids (NA-AAs). The focus of this review is a sub-class of the NA-AAs, the N-acyl aromatic amino acids (NA-ArAAs). The NA-ArAAs are not broadly recognized, even by those interested in the endocannabinoids and endocannabinoid-related lipids. Herein, the NA-ArAAs that have been identified from a biological source will be highlighted and pathways for their biosynthesis, degradation, enzymatic modification, and transport will be presented. Also, information about the cellular functions of the NA-ArAAs will be placed in context with the data regarding the identification and metabolism of these N-acylated amino acids. A review of the current state-of-knowledge about the NA-ArAAs is to stimulate future research about this underappreciated sub-class of the fatty acid amide family.

Kinetic Analysis of the Adsorption of Cibacron Blue onto Bean Peel

Biosorption is a kind of sorption technology in which the sorbent is derived from a biological source. At the moment, biosorption is seen as a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly process that might be employed as a viable alternative to conventional techniques of pollution removal. When it comes to improper textile waste disposal, it falls under one of the branches of bioremediation that is used to reduce contamination in the setting of improper textile waste disposal. The sorption isotherm of Cibacron Blue onto bean peel were analyzed using three models—pseudo-1st, pseudo-2nd and Elovich, and fitted using non-linear regression. The Elovich model was the poorest in fitting the curve based on visual observation and the best was pseudo-2nd order based on statistical analysis such as root-mean-square error (RMSE), adjusted coefficient of determination (adjR2), bias factor (BF), accuracy factor (AF), corrected AICc (Akaike Information Criterion), Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) and Hannan–Quinn information criterion (HQC). Nonlinear regression analysis using the pseudo-2nd order model gave values of equilibrium sorption capacity qe of 6.164 mg/g (95% confidence interval from 5.918 to 6.410 ) and a value of the pseudo-2nd-order rate constant, k2 of 0.034 (95% confidence interval from 0.024 to 0.045). Further analysis is needed to provide proof for the chemisorption mechanism usually tied to this kinetic.

Comparative Analysis and Data Provenance for 1,113 Bacterial Genome Assemblies

The quality and traceability of microbial genomics data in public databases is deteriorating as they rapidly expand and struggle to cope with data curation challenges. While the availability of public genomic data has become essential for modern life sciences research, the curation of the data is a growing area of concern that has significant real-world impacts on public health epidemiology, drug discovery, and environmental biosurveillance research. While public microbial genome databases such as NCBI's RefSeq database leverage the scalability of crowd sourcing for growth, they do not require data provenance to the original biological source materials or accurate descriptions of how the data was produced. Here, we describe the de novo assembly of 1,113 bacterial genome references produced from authenticated materials sourced from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), each with full data provenance. Over 98% of these ATCC Standard Reference Genomes (ASRGs) are superior to assemblies for comparable strains found in NCBI's RefSeq database. Comparative genomics analysis revealed significant issues in RefSeq bacterial genome assemblies related to genome completeness, mutations, structural differences, metadata errors, and gaps in traceability to the original biological source materials. For example, nearly half of RefSeq assemblies lack details on sample source information, sequencing technology, or bioinformatics methods. We suggest there is an intrinsic connection between the quality of genomic metadata, the traceability of the data, and the methods used to produce them with the quality of the resulting genome assemblies themselves. Our results highlight common problems with "reference genomes" and underscore the importance of data provenance for precision science and reproducibility. These gaps in metadata accuracy and data provenance represent an "elephant in the room" for microbial genomics research, but addressing these issues would require raising the level of accountability for data depositors and our own expectations of data quality.

Biopolymers advances in Medical Sciences: An Editorial Review

Biomaterials a term is used to describe the materials which are typically derived from any biological source. In generally it is said that these are the materials which are used within the human body to perform certain functions such as therapies1. The applications of polymers in the field of medicine have already gave birth to polymer science as a field. As we can see today, almost every polymer have been reported for use in any kind of clinical intervention, they are inseparable part of us now. Polymers are key players in clinical medicine as they are fundamental components of permanent prosthetic devices such as diameter vascular grafts, artificial lenses, catheters, hip implants etc., and the research is continued to perfect the performance and stability of polymers in vitro and in vivo2. However, the use of polymers in surgery is somewhat confined to connective tissue replacements. Interestingly, polymers have opened new horizons for drug delivery and gene therapy treatments such as nucleic-acid based drugs and protein-based drugs which cannot be taken up as typical pills, are providing impulsion for contemporary implantable polymers. The applications of polymers in tissue engineering are also gaining spotlight as these materials helps in the regeneration of 3D- (three-dimensional) organ and tissue structures.

Prediction of Genes That Function in Methanogenesis and CO2 Pathways in Extremophiles

Gaet’ale (GAL) and Mud’ara (MUP) are two hypersaline ponds located in the Danakil Depression recharged by underground water from the surrounding highlands. These two ponds have different pH, salinity, and show variation in the concentration of many ionic components. Metagenomic analysis concludes that GAL is dominated by bacteria as in the case of the other hypersaline and acidic ponds in the Danakil Depression. However, Archaea dominated the ponds of MUP. In the current study, the application of SEED and KEGG helped to map the ordered steps of specific enzyme catalyzed reaction in converting CO2 into cell products. We predict that highly efficient and light-independent carbon fixation involving phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase takes place in MUP. On the contrary, genes encoding enzymes involved in hydrogenotrophic and acetoclastic methanogenesis appeared solely in ponds of GAL, implying the biological source of the hazardous methane gas in that environment. Based on the investigation of the sources of the genes of interest, it is clear that cooperative interactions between members of the two communities and syntrophic metabolism is the main strategy adapted to utilize inorganic carbon as a carbon source in both MUP and GAL. This insight can be used to design biotechnological applications of microbial communities in production of methane biogas or to minimize CO2 emissions.

Critical Assessment of In Vitro Screening of α-Glucosidase Inhibitors from Plants with Acarbose as a Reference Standard

Postprandial hyperglycemia is treated with the oral antidiabetic drug acarbose, an intestinal α-glucosidase inhibitor. Side effects of acarbose motivated a growing number of screening studies to identify novel α-glucosidase inhibitors derived from plant extracts and other natural sources. As “gold standard”, acarbose is frequently included as the reference standard to assess the potency of these candidate α-glucosidase inhibitors, with many outperforming acarbose by several orders of magnitude. The results are subsequently used to identify suitable compounds/products with strong potential for in vivo efficacy. However, most α-glucosidase inhibitor screening studies use enzyme preparations obtained from nonmammalian sources (typically Saccharomyces cerevisiae), despite strong evidence that inhibition data obtained using nonmammalian α-glucosidase may hold limited value in terms of identifying α-glucosidase inhibitors with actual in vivo hypoglycemic potential. The aim was to critically discuss the screening of novel α-glucosidase inhibitors from plant sources, emphasizing inconsistencies and pitfalls, specifically where acarbose was included as the reference standard. An assessment of the available literature emphasized the cruciality of stating the biological source of α-glucosidase in such screening studies to allow for unambiguous and rational interpretation of the data. The review also highlights the lack of a universally adopted screening assay for novel α-glucosidase inhibitors and the commercial availability of a standardized preparation of mammalian α-glucosidase.

Source Level Attribution: DNA Profiling from the ABAcard® HemaTrace® Kit

ABAcard® HemaTrace® kits have been used for crime scene stains for confirmation of human blood for many years. However, when the stain is too small to allow for separate testing, confirmatory testing may be forgone to preference DNA analysis. This can lead to court challenges as to the biological source and therefore probative value of the DNA profile. This research aimed to develop a protocol for DNA analysis of a minute blood stain subsequent to HemaTrace® testing. Stains were collected and subjected to HemaTrace® testing. Swabs were then removed from the HemaTrace® buffer solution and processed. DNA yields and STR DNA profiles were analysed for both quantity and quality. Full profiles were reliably obtained from stains with diameters of 0.6 mm–0.7 mm, reflecting DNA concentrations between 0.0036 ng/μL and 0.007 ng/μL, varying according to substrate characteristics. However, stains below a diameter of 0.6 mm should proceed directly for DNA profiling. This protocol was also successfully performed on blood stains which had undergone UV irradiation, although use of the reporting peak height threshold (lower than the routine analytical threshold) was required to obtain useable profiles. We have been able to demonstrate a protocol which, with minor adjustments to crime scene procedures, allows for both the confirmation of the presence of human blood, together with the generation of useful DNA profiles.

Computational Analysis of Naturally Occurring Aristolochic Acid Analogues and Their Biological Sources

Aristolochic acids are known for nephrotoxicity, and implicated in multiple cancer types such as hepatocellular carcinomas demonstrated by recent studies. Natural products that are analogues to aristolochic acids have been constantly isolated from organisms; a larger chemical space of these compounds and a wider coverage of biological sources should be determined in consideration of the potential hazard of aristolochic acid analogues and the wide distribution of their biological sources in the nature. Therefore, we carried out an in silico research of naturally occurring aristolochic acid analogues and their biological sources, as a supplement to existing studies. The result shows a chemical space of 238 naturally occurring aristolochic acid analogues that are present in 175 species of biological sources including 44 traditional medicines. With the computational estimation for toxicity and the implication in hazard assessment of a biological source with the presence of aristolochic acid analogues, we propose that additional awareness should be raised to the public for avoidance of toxic species, especially those that are used as herbal medicines and easily accessible.

Neutrophil-specific gain-of-function mutations in Nlrp3 promote development of cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome

Gain-of-function mutations in NLRP3 are responsible for a spectrum of autoinflammatory diseases collectively referred to as “cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes” (CAPS). Treatment of CAPS patients with IL-1–targeted therapies is effective, confirming a central pathogenic role for IL-1β. However, the specific myeloid cell population(s) exhibiting inflammasome activity and sustained IL-1β production in CAPS remains elusive. Previous reports suggested an important role for mast cells (MCs) in this process. Here, we report that, in mice, gain-of-function mutations in Nlrp3 restricted to neutrophils, and to a lesser extent macrophages/dendritic cells, but not MCs, are sufficient to trigger severe CAPS. Furthermore, in patients with clinically established CAPS, we show that skin-infiltrating neutrophils represent a substantial biological source of IL-1β. Together, our data indicate that neutrophils, rather than MCs, can represent the main cellular drivers of CAPS pathology.