Protein corona-induced aggregation of differently sized nanoplastics: Impacts of protein type and concentration

Nanoplastics contamination is one of the pressing environmental concerns globally. Among many environmental factors in the aquatic system, ubiquitous proteins are expected to affect the physicochemical properties of nanoplastics, and...

Undervalued ubiquitous proteins

The role of ubiquitous proteins (UPs) and their corresponding enzymes have been underestimated in carcinogenesis as the focus of much research revolved around measuring mutations and/or other genetic epiphenomena as surrogate markers of cancer and cancer progression. Over the past three decades, the scientific community has come to realize that the concentration on microdissection of cancer cells without accounting for the neighborhood in which these cells reside, i.e., the stroma, fails to reflect the true nature of cancer biology. UPs are fundamental for cellular homeostasis and phylogenetic development as well as for the integrity of the cytoskeleton and for the stability of cells and tissues in regards to intercellular signaling, cell shape and mobility, apoptosis, wound healing, and cell polarity. Corresponding enzymes are used by microorganisms to gain entry into the host by degradation of UPs and play a role to cleave peptide bonds for killing disease-causing life forms along for the creation of the precancerous niche (PCN) during carcinogenesis, cancer invasion, and in metastasis. The language used by such proteins as well as their complementary enzymes with its influence on multiple pathways and the cross-linked extracellular matrix is incompletely understood. The role of UPs in the disruption of signaling homeostasis and resulting interference with crosstalk in carcinogenesis appears sufficiently delineated to warrant a much more refined examination of their qualitative and quantitative contribution to the development of cancer and cancer therapy.

Plant Lipases and Phospholipases and Their Diverse Functions and Applications

Lipases and phospholipases from plants have very interesting features for potential functions and applications in different fields. Plant lipases and phospholipases are ubiquitous proteins found either in basic or higher organs of plants. This chapter provides an overview of the diverse functions of these enzymes. The chapter addresses the issue of the importance regarding the functions of plant lipolytic enzymes (i.e., lipases and phospholipases) and their different forms not only for plants but also for external applications. The commercial exploitation of such plant proteins as industrial enzymes would be made as a potentially attractive alternative. The applications of plant lipases and phospholipases in biotechnology and industry such of food, detergents, effluent treatment, biodiesel production, as well as medicines and nutraceuticals are reviewed.

Proteins with RNA Chaperone Activity: A World of Diverse Proteins with a Common Task—Impediment of RNA Misfolding

Proteins with RNA chaperone activity are ubiquitous proteins that play important roles in cellular mechanisms. They prevent RNA from misfolding by loosening misfolded structures without ATP consumption. RNA chaperone activity is studiedin vitroandin vivousing oligonucleotide- or ribozyme-based assays. Due to their functional as well as structural diversity, a common chaperoning mechanism or universal motif has not yet been identified. A growing database of proteins with RNA chaperone activity has been established based on evaluation of chaperone activity via the described assays. Although the exact mechanism is not yet understood, it is more and more believed that disordered regions within proteins play an important role. This possible mechanism and which proteins were found to possess RNA chaperone activity are discussed here.

Micro-RNAs: viral genome and robustness of gene expression in the host

For comparing RNA rings or hairpins with reference or random ring sequences, circular versions of distances and distributions like those of Hamming and Gumbel are needed. We define these circular versions and we apply these new tools to the comparison of RNA relics (such as micro-RNAs and tRNAs) with viral genomes that have coevolved with them. Then we show how robust are the regulation networks incorporating in their boundary micro-RNAs as sources or new feedback loops involving ubiquitous proteins like p53 (which is a micro-RNA transcription factor) or oligopeptides regulating protein translation. Eventually, we propose a new coevolution game between viral and host genomes.