A new high-performance chelation ion chromatographic system for the direct determination of trace transition metals in fuel ethanol

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)A new chelation ion chromatographic system for the determination of transition metals was developed. The isocratic separation of Fe(2+), Fe(3+) and Cu(2+) simultaneously with Mn(2+), Pb(2+), Cd(2+), Zn(2+) and Ni(2+) was obtained on an iminodiacetic acid (IDA) functionalized silica column 150 x 4.0 mm id. with an optimized eluent composed of 2.5 mmol L(-1) dipicolinic acid, 10 mmol L(-1) HCl and 60% v/v of methanol at flow rate of 0.5 mL min(-1). Post-column reaction with 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol (PAR) was used for sensitive spectrophotometric detection at 510 nm of the separated metals at low ppb level. The applicability of the developed method to the analysis of fuel ethanol was demonstrated.21015651570University of TasmaniaFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)FAPESP [2006/03960-1]CNPq [573672/2008-3

Protective effect of wild Corni fructus methanolic extract against acute alcoholic liver injury in mice

Background: In Chinese folk medicine, Corni fructus (C. fructus) has traditionally been used to improve liver function, although the mechanism underlying its activity remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effects of wild C. fructus methanolic extract against acute alcoholic liver injury.Methods: Alcohol was administered to mice for three consecutive days, either alone or in combination with C. fructus methanolic extract (50, 100, or 200mg/kg body weight/d). Serum and liver tissue were collected from the animals and subjected to biochemical and histopathological analyses.Results:C. fructus significantly alleviated alcohol-induced liver injury by reducing serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and thiobarbituric acid reactive species, inhibiting hydroxyl radicals (center dot OH), and increasing total superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione in the liver (P<0.05). In addition, the C. fructus treatment inhibited the expression and activity of cytochrome P450 2E1 (P<0.05)Conclusions:C. fructus could be a promising natural substance for ameliorating acute alcohol-induced oxidative stress and hepatic injury.- This work was supported by the Construction Project of Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center (2015, Shaanxi Sci-tech University); High-End Foreign Experts Recruitment Program [Grant GDW20146100228]; and Key Construction Program of International Cooperation Base in S&T Shaanxi Province, China [Grant 2015SD0018].info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PuLSE:Quality control and quantification of peptide sequences explored by phage display libraries

The design of highly diverse phage display libraries is based on assumption that DNA bases are incorporated at similar rates within the randomized sequence. As library complexity increases and expected copy numbers of unique sequences decrease, the exploration of library space becomes sparser and the presence of truly random sequences becomes critical. We present the program PuLSE (Phage Library Sequence Evaluation) as a tool for assessing randomness and therefore diversity of phage display libraries. PuLSE runs on a collection of sequence reads in the fastq file format and generates tables profiling the library in terms of unique DNA sequence counts and positions, translated peptide sequences, and normalized 'expected' occurrences from base to residue codon frequencies. The output allows at-a-glance quantitative quality control of a phage library in terms of sequence coverage both at the DNA base and translated protein residue level, which has been missing from toolsets and literature. The open source program PuLSE is available in two formats, a C++ source code package for compilation and integration into existing bioinformatics pipelines and precompiled binaries for ease of use

Memory and synaptic plasticity are impaired by dysregulated hippocampal O-GlcNAcylation

O-GlcNAcylated proteins are abundant in the brain and are associated with neuronal functions and neurodegenerative diseases. Although several studies have reported the effects of aberrant regulation of O-GlcNAcylation on brain function, the roles of O-GlcNAcylation in synaptic function remain unclear. To understand the effect of aberrant O-GlcNAcylation on the brain, we used Oga+/- mice which have an increased level of O-GlcNAcylation, and found that Oga+/- mice exhibited impaired spatial learning and memory. Consistent with this result, Oga+/- mice showed a defect in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Oga heterozygosity causes impairment of both long-term potentiation and long-term depression due to dysregulation of AMPA receptor phosphorylation. These results demonstrate a role for hyper-O-GlcNAcylation in learning and memory.ope

Identification of a PA-Binding Peptide with Inhibitory Activity against Influenza A and B Virus Replication

There is an urgent need for new drugs against influenza type A and B viruses due to incomplete protection by vaccines and the emergence of resistance to current antivirals. The influenza virus polymerase complex, consisting of the PB1, PB2 and PA subunits, represents a promising target for the development of new drugs. We have previously demonstrated the feasibility of targeting the protein-protein interaction domain between the PB1 and PA subunits of the polymerase complex of influenza A virus using a small peptide derived from the PA-binding domain of PB1. However, this influenza A virus-derived peptide did not affect influenza B virus polymerase activity. Here we report that the PA-binding domain of the polymerase subunit PB1 of influenza A and B viruses is highly conserved and that mutual amino acid exchange shows that they cannot be functionally exchanged with each other. Based on phylogenetic analysis and a novel biochemical ELISA-based screening approach, we were able to identify an influenza A-derived peptide with a single influenza B-specific amino acid substitution which efficiently binds to PA of both virus types. This dual-binding peptide blocked the viral polymerase activity and growth of both virus types. Our findings provide proof of principle that protein-protein interaction inhibitors can be generated against influenza A and B viruses. Furthermore, this dual-binding peptide, combined with our novel screening method, is a promising platform to identify new antiviral lead compounds