Comparison between the behavior of different hydrophobic peptides allowing membrane anchoring of proteins

Membrane binding of proteins such as short chain dehydrogenase reductases or tail-anchored proteins relies on their N- and/or C-terminal hydrophobic transmembrane segment. In this review, we propose guidelines to characterize such hydrophobic peptide segments using spectroscopic and biophysical measurements. The secondary structure content of the C-terminal peptides of retinol dehydrogenase 8, RGS9-1 anchor protein, lecithin retinol acyl transferase, and of the N-terminal peptide of retinol dehydrogenase 11 has been deduced by prediction tools from their primary sequence as well as by using infrared or circular dichroism analyses. Depending on the solvent and the solubilization method, significant structural differences were observed, often involving α-helices. The helical structure of these peptides was found to be consistent with their presumed membrane binding. Langmuir monolayers have been used as membrane models to study lipid–peptide interactions. The values of maximum insertion pressure obtained for all peptides using a monolayer of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-ethanolamine (DOPE) are larger than the estimated lateral pressure of membranes, thus suggesting that they bind membranes. Polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy has been used to determine the structure and orientation of these peptides in the absence and in the presence of a DOPE monolayer. This lipid induced an increase or a decrease in the organization of the peptide secondary structure. Further measurements are necessary using other lipids to better understand the membrane interactions of these peptides.     

New study of the essential oil,mineral composition and antibacterial activity of Pistacia lentiscus L. from Eastern Morocco

The present study describes the chemical composition of essential oils of Pistacia lentiscus L., collected from different regions of Eastern Morocco. The essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation of the areal parts and analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometry. The study was conducted to determine the phytochemistry and antibacterial activities of oil from P. lentiscus leaves against both bacteria using the disc diffusion method. For Gram-negative, Salmonella sp., Klebsiella, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas, and for Gram-positive, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus were used as test bacterial strains. In the end, we completed the previous study by determining the minor and major mineral contents of leaves of P. lentiscus. The yield of P. lentiscus oil ranged between 0.13 and 0.23 %, with the chemical composition changing from one region to another. The variations are important between plant populations. The major oil components of PLL oil from Taforalt and Saidia (humid climate) were limonene and α-pinene, while myrcene, β-caryophyllene were found to be the major components of Laayoune and Jerada oil (semi-arid climate). For the mineral composition of PLL, the results show that trace element profiles of leaves from different regions differed significantly; the highest levels of K, Mg, Fe, and Ca were found in leaves of all locations, while the leaves collected from the Jerada region had the highest content of mineral substrates. This work also attempts to contribute to the knowledge of the nutritional properties of this plant; the results will be investigated for the evaluation of dietary information.     

Mean‐field‐theory for polymers in mixed solvents. Thermodynamic and structural properties

Theoretical aspects of polymers in mixed solvents are considered using the Edwards Hamiltonian formalism. Thermodynamic and structural properties are investigated and some predictions are made when the mixed solvent approaches criticality. Both the single and the many chain problems are examined. When the mixed solvent is near criticality without solute, addition of a small amount of polymers shifts the criticality towards either enhanced compatibility or induced phase separation depending upon the value of the parameter describing the interaction asymmetry of the solvents with respect to the polymer. The polymer‐solvent effective interaction parameter increases strongly when the solvent mixture approaches criticality. Accordingly, the apparent excluded volume parameter decreases and may vanish or even become negative. Consequently, the polymer undergoes phase transition from a swollen state to an unperturbed state or even takes a collapsed configuration. The effective potential acting on a test chain in strong solutions is calculated and the concept of Edwards screening discussed. Structural properties of ternary mixtures of polymers in mixed solvents are investigated within the Edwards Hamiltonian model. It is shown that the effective potential on a test chain in strong solutions could be written as an infinite series expansion of terms describing interactions via one chain, two chains etc. This summation can be performed following a similar scheme as in the Ornstein‐Zernike series expansion.     

Preparation of fluorinated methacrylate/clay nanocomposite via in‐situ polymerization: Characterization,structure, and properties

Novel fluorinated coating containing well‐dispersed silicate nanolayers is successfully produced via in‐situ free radical polymerization of 2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl methacrylate in the presence of vinylbenzyl‐functionalized montmorillonite with different loading. The organic modification of sodium montmorillonite is achieved through an ion exchange reaction with triphenylvinylbenzylphosphonium chloride as surfactant prepared before use by reaction with vinylbenyl chloride and phosphine. The following in‐situ polymerization in the presence of organomodified clay leads to fluorinated nanocomposites with of partially exfoliated and intercalated morphologies, as determined via XRD and TEM analysis. The nanoscale dispersion of clay layers is also evidenced by thermal analysis; a moderate decrease of the glass transition temperature about 2–8 °C compared to their virgin PMATRIF and an improvement of their thermal stability as evidenced by TGA. The wettability of the nanocomposite films is also studied by contact angle measurements with water. The incorporation of organomodified clays not only increases the hydrophobicity of the fluorinated polymers but also improves the surface properties of obtained nanocomposites. Compared the virgin homopolymer, the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites are reduced by addition of organomodifed clay at temperature from 30 to 60 °C, whereas this trend is gradually decreased at higher temperature. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 411–418     

Current Status of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Type II Diabetes

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays a multifunctional role in lipid biosynthesis, calcium storage, protein folding, and processing. Thus, maintaining ER homeostasis is essential for cellular functions. Several pathophysiological conditions and pharmacological agents are known to disrupt ER homeostasis, thereby, causing ER stress. The cells react to ER stress by initiating an adaptive signaling process called the unfolded protein response (UPR). However, the ER initiates death signaling pathways when ER stress persists. ER stress is linked to several diseases, such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes. Thus, its regulation can provide possible therapeutic targets for these. Current evidence suggests that chronic hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia linked to type II diabetes disrupt ER homeostasis, thereby, resulting in irreversible UPR activation and cell death. Despite progress in understanding the pathophysiology of the UPR and ER stress, to date, the mechanisms of ER stress in relation to type II diabetes remain unclear. This review provides up-to-date information regarding the UPR, ER stress mechanisms, insulin dysfunction, oxidative stress, and the therapeutic potential of targeting specific ER stress pathways.     

Electro‐Optical Properties of Polymer‐Dispersed Liquid Crystals

This paper deals with the electro‐optic (EO) properties of polymer‐dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs). Several systems are considered to analyze the effects of preparation conditions and film characteristics on the EO response functions. Particular emphasis is put on systems based on mixtures of the commercial compound ASX‐95, the difunctional acrylate tripropylene diacrylate and the eutectic mixture of low‐molecular‐weight liquid crystals E7. Other systems are considered to assess the influence of monomer functionality on EO properties using for example the trifunctional glycerylpropoxytriacrylate. Various modes of preparing PDLCs are considered based on the mechanism of polymerization‐induced phase separation using either electron‐beam (EB) or UV radiation curing processes. The dose is changed in both techniques to improve film strength and determine which method leads to the best samples in terms of EO response functions. Other important parameters, such as film thickness, composition and applied voltage, are also considered to evaluate the impact on these functions. The article focuses on a comparison of EO performances of films elaborated by exposure to EB and UV radiations. Under similar conditions, one definitively finds a net superiority of the former technique. In addition this technique does not require any photoinitiator and leads to a higher conversion of the monomeric compounds, i.e. higher mechanical strength and less severe aging conditions.