姜黄素及其衍生物对醛糖还原酶的抑制作用

高血糖条件下,多元醇代谢通路（图1）被激活是糖尿病并发症发生与发展的重要原因之一。     

Xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase activities of Candida guilliermondii as a function of different treatments of sugarcane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolysate employing experimental design

The sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate, which is rich in xylose, can be used as culture medium for Candida guilliermondii in xylitol production. However, the hydrolysate obtained from bagasse by acid hydrolysis at 120°C for 20 min has by-products (acetic acid and furfural, among others), which are toxic to the yeast over certain concentrations. So, the hydrolysate must be pretreated before using in fermentation. The pretreatment variables considered were: adsorption time (15,37.5, and 60 min), type of acid used (H2So4 and H3Po4), hydrolysate concentration (original, twofold, and fourfold. concentrated), and active charcoal (0.5, 1.75 and 3.0%). The suitability of the pretreatment was followed by measuring the xylose reductase (XR) and xylitol dehydrogenase (XD) activity of yeast grown in each treated hydrolysate. The response surface methodology (2⁴ full factorial design with a centered face) indicated that the hydrolysate might be concentrated fourfold and the pH adjusted to 7.0 with CaO, followed by reduction to 5.5 with H₃PO₄. After that it was treated with active charcoal (3.0%) by 60 min. This pretreated hydrolysate attained the high XR/XD ratio of 4.5.     

光合细菌羰基还原酶不对称还原苯乙酮的研究

从本实验室筛选得到的类球红杆菌(Rhodobacter sphaeroides)中,通过超声破碎、硫胺沉淀、DEAE-Sepha-dexA-25阴离子交换层析分离得到一种较纯的依赖NADPH的羰基还原酶.对其进行SDS-PAGE电泳分析,显示一条带,测得其相对分子量约为37kD.建立了羰基还原酶催化苯乙酮反应体系并对其进行优化,得出该酶催化苯乙酮的最适反应pH值为8,最适温度为37℃,在pH值为7～9之间比较稳定,其热稳定性较低.该酶对苯乙酮的米氏常数Km和最大反应速率Vmax分别为0.26mmol·L-1和2.4μmol·min-1·mg-1,最佳反应时间为24h·催化苯乙酮的主要产物为(S)-苯乙醇,其产率为58.5%,ee值可达到99%以上,是很有前景的生物催化剂之一.对酶催化与辅酶再生体系相结合进行了初步的研究,提出了氢化酶再生辅酶与菌绿素再生辅酶体系,为今后的酶催化工业生产奠定了基础.     

机器学习方法用于二氢叶酸还原酶抑制剂的活性预测

分别采用支持向量学习机、人工神经网络、调节性逻辑回归和K-最临近等机器学习方法对761个二氢叶酸还原酶抑制剂建立了其活性分类预测模型. 采用组成描述符和拓扑描述符表征抑制剂的分子结构及物理化学性质, 使用Kennard-Stone方法进行训练集的设计, 并用Metropolis Monte Carlo模拟退火方法作变量选择. 结果表明, 支持向量学习机优于其它机器学习方法, 所得到的最优模型具有较好的预测结果, 其预测正确率为91.62%. 说明通过合适的训练集设计及变量选择, 支持向量学习机方法可以很好地用于二氢叶酸还原酶抑制剂的活性分类预测.     

Preliminary kinetic characterization of xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase extracted from Candida guilliermondii FTI 20037 cultivated in sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate for xylitol production

Candida guilliermondii FTI 20037 was cultured in sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate supplemented with 2.0 g/L of (NH₄)₂SO₄, 0.1 g/L of CaCl₂·2H₂O, and 20.0 g/L of rice bran at 35°C; pH 4.0; agitation of 300 rpm; and aeration of 0.4, 0.6, or 0.8 vvm. The high xylitol production (20.0 g/L) and xylose reductase (XR) activity (658.8 U/mg of protein) occurred at an aeration of 0.4 vvm. Under this condition, the xylitol dehydrogenase (XD) activity was low. The apparent K _M for XR and XD against substrates and cofactors were as follows: for XR, 6.4×10⁻² M (xylose) and 9.5×10⁻³ mM (NADPH); for XD, 1.6×10⁻¹ M (xylitol) and 9.9×10⁻² mM (NAD+). Because XR requires about 10-fold less xylose and cofactor than XD for the condition in which the reaction rate is half of the V _max, some interference on the overall xylitol production by the yeast could be expected.     

Solid phase extraction for the speciation and preconcentration of inorganic selenium in water samples: A review

Selenium is an essential element for the normal cellular function of living organisms. However, selenium is toxic at concentrations of only three to five times higher than the essential concentration. The inorganic forms (mainly selenite and selenate) present in environmental water generally exhibit higher toxicity (up to 40 times) than organic forms. Therefore, the determination of low levels of different inorganic selenium species in water is an analytical challenge. Solid-phase extraction has been used as a separation and/or preconcentration technique prior to the determination of selenium species due to the need for accurate measurements for Se species in water at extremely low levels. The present paper provides a critical review of the published methods for inorganic selenium speciation in water samples using solid phase extraction as a preconcentration procedure. On the basis of more than 75 references, the different speciation strategies used for this task have been highlighted and classified. The solid-phase extraction sorbents and the performance and analytical characteristics of the developed methods for Se speciation are also discussed.     

Studies on the nuclease activity and interactions of the mixed‐polypyridyl [Ni2(1,3‐tpbd)(diimine)2(H2O)2]4+ complexes with thioredoxin reductase

Three new nickel(II) complexes formulated as [Ni₂(1,3‐tpbd)(diimine)₂(H₂O)₂]⁴⁺ [1,3‐tpbd = N,N,N′,N′‐tetrakis(2‐pyridylmethyl)benzene‐1,3‐diamine, where diimine is an N,N‐donor heterocyclic base like 1,10‐phenanthroline (phen),2,2′‐bipyridine (bpy), 4,5‐diazafluoren‐9‐one (dafo)], have been synthesized and structurally characterized by X‐ray crystallography: [Ni₂(1,3‐tpbd)(phen)₂(H₂O)₂]⁴⁺ (1), [Ni₂(1,3‐tpbd)(bpy)₂(H₂O)₂]⁴⁺(2) and [Ni₂(1,3‐tpbd)(dafo)₂(H₂O)₂]⁴⁺ (3). Single‐crystal diffraction reveals that the metal atoms in the complexes are all in a distorted octahedral geometry and in a trans arrangement around 1,3‐tpbd ligand. The interactions of the three complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT‐DNA) have been investigated by UV absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism and viscosity. The apparent binding constant (K_app) values are calculated to be 1.91 × 10⁵ m ^?1 for 1, 1.18 × 10⁵ m ^?1 for 2, and 1.35 × 10⁵ m ^?1 for 3, following the order 1 > 3 > 2. The higher DNA binding affinity of 1 is due to the involvement in partial insertion of the phen ring between the DNA base pairs. A decrease in relative viscosities of DNA upon binding to 1–3 is consistent with the DNA binding affinities. These complexes efficiently display oxidative cleavage of supercoiled DNA in the presence of H₂O₂ (250 µ m ), with 3 exhibiting the highest nuclease activity. The rate constants for the conversion of supercoiled to nicked DNA are 5.28 × 10^?5 s^?1 (for 1), 6.67 × 10^?5 s^?1 (for 2) and 1.39 × 10^?4 s^?1 (for 3), also indicating that complex 3 shows higher catalytic activity than 1 and 2. Here the nuclease activity is not readily correlated to binding affinity. The inhibitory effect of complexes 1–3 on thioredoxin reductase has also been examined. The IC₅₀ values are calculated to be 26.54 ± 0.57, 31.03 ± 3.33 and 8.69 ± 2.54 µ m , respectively, showing a more marked inhibitory effect on thioredoxin reductase by complex 3 than the other two complexes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Functional Genome Mining Reveals a Class V Lanthipeptide Containing a d-Amino Acid Introduced by an F420H2-Dependent Reductase

Lantibiotics are a type of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (termed lanthipeptides) with often potent antimicrobial activity. Herein, we report the discovery of a new lantibiotic, lexapeptide, using the library expression analysis system (LEXAS) approach. Lexapeptide has rare structural modifications, including N-terminal (N,N)-dimethyl phenylalanine, C-terminal (2-aminovinyl)-3-methyl-cysteine, and d -Ala. The characteristic lanthionine moiety in lexapeptide is formed by three proteins (LxmK, LxmX, and LxmY), which are distinct from enzymes known to be involved in lanthipeptide biosynthesis. Furthermore, a novel F₄₂₀H₂-dependent reductase (LxmJ) from the lexapeptide biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) is identified to catalyze the reduction of dehydroalanine to install d -Ala. Our findings suggest that lexapeptide is the founding member of a new class of lanthipeptides that we designate as class V. We also identified further class V lanthipeptide BGCs in actinomycetes and cyanobacteria genomes, implying that other class V lantibiotics await discovery.