New insight into the molecular mechanism of the trehalose effect on urate oxidase stability

Exploring the impact of taurine on the biochemical properties of urate oxidase: response surface methodology and molecular dynamics simulation

This paper investigates the impact of taurine as an additive on the structural and functional stability of urate oxidase. First, the effect of the processing parameters for the stabilization of Urate Oxidase (UOX) using taurine was examined using the response surface methodology (RSM) and the central composite design (CCD) model. Also, the study examines thermodynamic and kinetic parameters as well as structural changes of urate oxidase with and without taurine. Fluorescence intensity changes indicated static quenching during taurine binding. The obtained result indicates that taurine has the ability to preserve the native structural conformation of UOX. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulation is conducted in order to get insights into the alterations in the structure of urate oxidase in the absence and presence of taurine under optimal conditions. The molecular dynamics simulation section investigated the formation of hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) between different components as well as analysis of root mean square deviation (RMSD), root mean square fluctuations (RMSF) and secondary structure. Lower Cα-RMSD and RMSF values indicate greater stabilization of the taurine-treated UOX structure compared to the free enzyme. The results of molecular docking indicate that the binding of taurine to the UOX enzyme through hydrophobic interactions is associated with a negative value for the Gibbs free energy.

In vitro assembly of the trehalose bi-enzyme complex with artificial scaffold protein

Introduction: Trehalose is a significant rare sugar known for its stable properties and ability to protect biomolecules from environmental factors. Methods: In this study, we present a novel approach utilizing a scaffold protein-mediated assembly method for the formation of a trehalose bi-enzyme complex. This complex consists of maltooligosyltrehalose synthase (MTSase) and maltooligosyltrehalose trehalohydrolase (MTHase), which work in tandem to catalyze the substrate and enhance the overall catalytic efficiency. Utilizing the specific interaction between cohesin and dockerin, this study presents the implementation of an assembly, an analysis of its efficiency, and an exploration of strategies to enhance enzyme utilization through the construction of a bi-enzyme complex under optimal conditions in vitro. Results and Discussion: The bi-enzyme complex demonstrated a trehalose production level 1.5 times higher than that of the free enzyme mixture at 40 h, with a sustained upward trend. Compared to free enzyme mixtures, the adoption of a scaffold protein-mediated bi-enzyme complex may improve cascade reactions and catalytic effects, thus presenting promising prospects.

Efficacy of Green Extracting Solvents on Antioxidant, Xanthine Oxidase, and Plant Inhibitory Potentials of Solid-Based Residues (SBRs) of Cordyceps militaris

Solid-based residues (SBRs) of Cordyceps militaris are often considered as waste after the cultivation of the fruiting body. To demonstrate the value of this by-product, different ratios of two favorable green solvents (EtOH and water) were employed to optimize the yields of cordycepin (Cor) and adenosine (Ado) and investigate relevant activities of plant growth inhibition (allelopathy), antioxidants, and xanthine oxidase. The SBR extracts of 60% EtOH-40% water (W4) and 40% EtOH-60% water (W6) exhibited the highest antioxidant activity as well as yielded the optimum content of Cor and Ado. The W4 and Wt (hot water) exhibited maximum inhibitory effects on the growth of Raphanus sativus (radish), Lactuca sativa (lettuce) and two noxious weeds, Echinochloa crus-galli (barnyard grass) and Bidens pilosa (beggarticks). Furthermore, GC-MS scan analysis revealed the presence of 14 major compounds in the SBRs. W4 is the best solvent to optimize yields of Cor and Ado, as well as having the strongest levels of antioxidant activity, xanthine oxidase, and growth-inhibitory activity. This study reveals that SBRs are a potential source of medicinal and agricultural utilization.

Electrochemical enzyme-based blood uric acid biosensor: new insight into the enzyme immobilization on the surface of electrode via poly-histidine tag

In a new approach, we considered the special affinity between Ni and poly-histidine tags of recombinant urate oxidase to utilize Ni-MOF for immobilizing the enzyme. In this study, a carbon paste electrode (CPE) was modified by histidine-tailed urate oxidase (H-UOX) and nickel-metal-organic framework (Ni-MOF) to construct H-UOX/Ni-MOF/CPE, which is a rapid, sensitive, and simple electrochemical biosensor for UA detection. The use of carboxy-terminal histidine-tailed urate oxidase in the construction of the electrode allows the urate oxidase enzyme to be positioned correctly in the electrode. This, in turn, enhances the efficiency of the biosensor. Characterization was carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). At optimum conditions, the biosensor provided a short response time, linear response within 0.3-10 µM and 10-140 µM for UA with a detection limit of 0.084 µM, repeatability of 3.06%, and reproducibility of 4.9%. Furthermore, the biosensor revealed acceptable stability and selectivity of UA detection in the presence of the commonly coexisted ascorbic acid, dopamine, L-cysteine, urea, and glucose. The detection potential was at 0.4 V vs. Ag/AgCl.

Nanotechnology-based approaches for targeting and delivery of drugs via Hexakis (m-PE) macrocycles

Hexakis (m-phenylene ethynylene) (m-PE) macrocycles, with aromatic backbones and multiple hydrogen-bonding side chains, had a very high propensity to self-assemble via H-bond and π-π stacking interactions to form nanotubular structures with defined inner pores. Such stacking of rigid macrocycles is leading to novel applications that enable the researchers to explored mass transport in the sub-nanometer scale. Herein, we performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations to examine the drug delivery performance of the hexakis dimer as a novel carrier for doxorubicin (DOX) agent in the chloroform and water solvents. Based on the DFT results, it is found that the adsorption of DOX on the carrier surface is typically physisorption with the adsorption strength values of - 115.14 and - 83.37 kJ/mol in outside and inside complexes, respectively, and so that the essence of the drug remains intact. The negative values of the binding energies for all complexes indicate the stability of the drug molecule inside and outside the carrier's cavities. The energy decomposition analysis (EDA) has also been performed and shown that the dispersion interaction has an essential role in stabilizing the drug-hexakis dimer complexes. To further explore the electronic properties of dox, the partial density of states (PDOS and TDOS) are calculated. The atom in molecules (AIM) and Becke surface (BS) methods are also analyzed to provide an inside view of the nature and strength of the H-bonding interactions in complexes. The obtained results indicate that in all studied complexes, H-bond formation is the driving force in the stabilization of these structures, and also chloroform solvent is more favorable than the water solution. Overall, our findings offer insightful information on the efficient utilization of hexakis dimer as drug delivery systems to deliver anti-cancer drugs.