Protein and Peptide Letters - Volume 29, Issue 11, 2022

Background: Zika fever affects poor and vulnerable populations, presenting cycles observed in, at least 86 countries, with no vaccine prevention or treatment available. It is known that the genus Flavivirus causes Zika Virus (ZIKV), as Dengue and Yellow Fever, whose genetic material decodes, among other proteins, a series of non-structural (NS) proteins essential for viral replication, such as NS2B-NS3 protease. Additionally, ch Read More

Background: In recent years, cell pyroptosis has made it widely concerned. Pyroptosis is characterized by the activation of pathways leading to the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and its downstream effector, such as interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18, which has close relationship with inflammation. Recent evidence supports that CoenzymeQ10 (CoQ10) reduces related inflammatory factors (NLRP3, IL-1β and IL-18), whi Read More

Background: MicroRNA-490-3p (miR-490-3p) plays a role in the pathogeneses of a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Bioinformatic analysis showed that miR-490-3p was downregulated in the myocardial tissues of mice with myocardial infarction (MI). Nevertheless, the functions and mechanisms of miR-490-3p in MI remain unclear. Methods: This study used an in-vitro model to investigate the role of miR-490-3p in MI. Human cardi Read More

Background: An antigen is a small foreign substance, such as a microorganism structural protein, that may trigger an immune response once inside the body. Antigens are preferentially used rather than completely attenuated microorganisms to develop safe vaccines. Unfortunately, not all antigens are able to induce an immune response. Thus, new adjuvants to enhance the antigen’s ability to stimulate immunity must be d Read More

Background: Diabetes mellitus, a common metabolic disorder that causes high blood glucose, is due to impaired insulin secretion. Prolonged high blood sugar is associated with heart disease. Many proteins are involved in metabolic pathways and contractility of cardiac cells regulate cardiac hypertrophy, altering normal cardiac physiology and function. Moreover, microRNAs are essential regulators of these proteins. Thus, the Read More

Background: 3α-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3α-HSDH) reversibly catalyzes the oxidation of the C3-hydroxyl group of steroids, and has been used in clinical applications to detect serum total bile acid (TBA). In this study, A novel 3α-HSDH (called Sb 3α-HSDH) was expressed and characterized. Methods: Plasmid pGEX-6p-1 was used for the expression of Sb 3α-HSDH in Escherichia coli (BL21), and activities were de Read More

Background: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a defect of ovarian functions in women younger than 40 years old. Although a large number of studies have focused on investigating autoimmune POI, its detailed pathogenesis is still largely unknown. Several studies have indicated that Myrcene exerted a part in the biological processes of various diseases. Nonetheless, whether Myrcene could influence the development Read More

Background: Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is one of the major causes of acute kidney injury (AKI). Chemerin chemokine-like receptor 1 (CMKLR1) has been reported to be involved in the progression of IR injury. Here, we investigated the protective role of CMKLR1 antagonist, α-NETA, in IR mouse model, and dissected the underlying regulatory mechanism. Methods: IR injury mouse model was established to evaluate the pro Read More

Background: Hoatz is a vertebrate-specific gene, the defects of which result in hydrocephalus and oligo-astheno-teratozoospermia in mice. It encodes a 19-kDa protein lacking any domains of known function. Methods: To understand the protein activity, we purified the carboxyl-terminal fragment that is conserved among different species, and analyzed its structure and potential binding proteins. A soluble 9.9-kDa HOATZ Read More

Background: Worldwide, type 2 diabetes mellitus accounts for a considerable burden of disease, with an estimated global cost of >800 billion USD annually. For this reason, the search for more effective and efficient therapeutic anti-diabetic agents is continuing. Recent studies support the search for coumarins or related compounds with potential blood glucose-lowering properties. Aim: The study aims to design, synthesize Read More

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by the aggregation of Tau protein and Amyloid-β peptides (Aβ 1-40 and Aβ 1-42). A loss of ribosomal population is also observed in the neurons in affected regions of AD. Our studies demonstrated that in vitro aggregation of amyloid forming proteins, Aβ peptides and Tau protein variants (AFPs), in the vicinity of yeast 80S ribosome can induce co-aggregation of riboso Read More