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Golota NC, Michael B, Saliba EP, Linse S, Griffin RG. Structural characterization of E22G Aβ 1-42 fibrils via1H detected MAS NMR. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:14664-14674. [PMID: 38715538 PMCID: PMC11110645 DOI: 10.1039/d4cp00553h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Amyloid fibrils have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases, the most prevalent example being Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite the prevalence of AD, relatively little is known about the structure of the associated amyloid fibrils. This has motivated our studies of fibril structures, extended here to the familial Arctic mutant of Aβ1-42, E22G-Aβ1-42. We found E22G-AβM0,1-42 is toxic to Escherichia coli, thus we expressed E22G-Aβ1-42 fused to the self-cleavable tag NPro in the form of its EDDIE mutant. Since the high surface activity of E22G-Aβ1-42 makes it difficult to obtain more than sparse quantities of fibrils, we employed 1H detected magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments to characterize the protein. The 1H detected 13C-13C methods were first validated by application to fully protonated amyloidogenic nanocrystals of GNNQQNY, and then applied to fibrils of the Arctic mutant of Aβ, E22G-Aβ1-42. The MAS NMR spectra indicate that the biosynthetic samples of E22G-Aβ1-42 fibrils comprise a single conformation with 13C chemical shifts extracted from hCH, hNH, and hCCH spectra that are very similar to those of wild type Aβ1-42 fibrils. These results suggest that E22G-Aβ1-42 fibrils have a structure similar to that of wild type Aβ1-42.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie C Golota
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
- Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Brian Michael
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
- Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Edward P Saliba
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
- Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Sara Linse
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, Lund, SE 22100, Sweden
| | - Robert G Griffin
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
- Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
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2
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Varshavskaya KB, Mitkevich VA, Makarov AA, Barykin EP. Synthetic, Cell-Derived, Brain-Derived, and Recombinant β-Amyloid: Modelling Alzheimer's Disease for Research and Drug Development. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:15036. [PMID: 36499362 PMCID: PMC9738609 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, characterised by the accumulation of senile plaques and tau tangles, neurodegeneration, and neuroinflammation in the brain. The development of AD is a pathological cascade starting according to the amyloid hypothesis with the accumulation and aggregation of the β-amyloid peptide (Aβ), which induces hyperphosphorylation of tau and promotes the pro-inflammatory activation of microglia leading to synaptic loss and, ultimately, neuronal death. Modelling AD-related processes is important for both studying the molecular basis of the disease and the development of novel therapeutics. The replication of these processes is often achieved with the use of a purified Aβ peptide. However, Aβ preparations obtained from different sources can have strikingly different properties. This review aims to compare the structure and biological effects of Aβ oligomers and aggregates of a higher order: synthetic, recombinant, purified from cell culture, or extracted from brain tissue. The authors summarise the applicability of Aβ preparations for modelling Aβ aggregation, neurotoxicity, cytoskeleton damage, receptor toxicity in vitro and cerebral amyloidosis, synaptic plasticity disruption, and cognitive impairment in vivo and ex vivo. Further, the paper discusses the causes of the reported differences in the effect of Aβ obtained from the sources mentioned above. This review points to the importance of the source of Aβ for AD modelling and could help researchers to choose the optimal way to model the Aβ-induced abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alexander A. Makarov
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Vavilov St. 32, 119991 Moscow, Russia
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3
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Shobo A, Röntgen A, Hancock MA, Multhaup G. Biophysical characterization as a tool to predict amyloidogenic and toxic properties of amyloid-β42 peptides. FEBS Lett 2022; 596:1401-1411. [PMID: 35466397 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid-β42 (Aβ42) peptides are central to the amyloid pathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD). As biological mimetics, properties of synthetic Aβ peptides usually vary between vendors and batches, thus impacting the reproducibility of experimental studies. Here, we tested recombinantly expressed Aβ42 (Asp1 to Ala42) against synthetic Aβ42 from different suppliers using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, thioflavin T aggregation, surface plasmon resonance and MTT cell viability assays. Overall, our recombinant Aβ42 provided a reproducible mimetic of desired properties. Across experimental approaches, the combined detection of Aβ42 dimers and random coil to β-sheet transition only correlated with aggregation-prone and cytotoxic peptides. Conclusively, combining MALDI-MS with CD appears to provide a rapid, reliable means to predict the "bioactivity" of Aβ42.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adeola Shobo
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Alexander Röntgen
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Institute of Biochemistry, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Mark A Hancock
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,SPR-MS Facility, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Gerhard Multhaup
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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4
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Vosough F, Barth A. Characterization of Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Amyloid-β42 Oligomer Preparations with Biochemical Methods and Infrared Spectroscopy Reveals a Correlation between Infrared Spectrum and Oligomer Size. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:473-488. [PMID: 33455165 PMCID: PMC8023574 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
![]()
Soluble oligomers of the amyloid-β(1-42)
(Aβ42) peptide,
widely considered to be among the relevant neurotoxic species involved
in Alzheimer’s disease, were characterized with a combination
of biochemical and biophysical methods. Homogeneous and stable Aβ42
oligomers were prepared by treating monomeric solutions of the peptide
with detergents. The prepared oligomeric solutions were analyzed with
blue native and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis,
as well as with infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The IR spectra indicated
a well-defined β-sheet structure of the prepared oligomers.
We also found a relationship between the size/molecular weight of
the Aβ42 oligomers and their IR spectra: The position of the
main amide I′ band of the peptide backbone correlated with
oligomer size, with larger oligomers being associated with lower wavenumbers.
This relationship explained the time-dependent band shift observed
in time-resolved IR studies of Aβ42 aggregation in the absence
of detergents, during which the oligomer size increased. In addition,
the bandwidth of the main IR band in the amide I′ region was
found to become narrower with time in our time-resolved aggregation
experiments, indicating a more homogeneous absorption of the β-sheets
of the oligomers after several hours of aggregation. This is predominantly
due to the consumption of smaller oligomers in the aggregation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faraz Vosough
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-106 91, Sweden
| | - Andreas Barth
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-106 91, Sweden
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5
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Foley AR, Raskatov JA. Assessing Reproducibility in Amyloid β Research: Impact of Aβ Sources on Experimental Outcomes. Chembiochem 2020; 21:2425-2430. [PMID: 32249510 PMCID: PMC7647053 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The difficulty of synthesizing and purifying the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide, combined with its high aggregation propensity and low solubility under physiological conditions, leads to a wide variety of experimental results from kinetic assays to biological activity. Thus, it becomes challenging to reproduce outcomes, and this limits our ability to rely on reported results as the foundation for new research. This article examines variability of the Aβ peptide from different sources, comparing purity, and oligomer and fibril formation propensity side by side. The results highlight the importance of performing rigorous controls so that meaningful biophysical, biochemical, and neurobiological results can be obtained to improve our understanding on Aβ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro R Foley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Jevgenij A Raskatov
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
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Kuhn AJ, Raskatov JA. Using mirror-image peptides to enhance robustness and reproducibility in studying the amyloid β-protein. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2019; 168:57-67. [PMID: 31699327 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2019.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, is a devastating disease that affects over 44 million people worldwide. One etiological agent of Alzheimer's, the amyloid β-protein (Aβ), is an aggregation-prone, intrinsically disordered peptide that can form a wide variety of aggregates. The pathways by which Aβ aggregates in order to exert its toxicity, referred to as the Amyloid Cascade, remains largely elusive despite substantial deconvolution efforts. Preparing high-quality material that exhibits reproducible biophysical characteristics has proven challenging. Herein, we propose that mirror-image peptides can be used to rigorously control Aβ preparation quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel J Kuhn
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
| | - Jevgenij A Raskatov
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, United States.
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7
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Jia L, Wang W, Sang J, Wei W, Zhao W, Lu F, Liu F. Amyloidogenicity and Cytotoxicity of a Recombinant C-Terminal His 6-Tagged Aβ 1-42. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:1251-1262. [PMID: 30537813 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Aggregation of amyloid β peptide (Aβ) is closely associated with the occurrence and development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Reproducible and detailed studies on the aggregation kinetics and structure of various aggregates have been conducted using recombinant Aβ peptides. While the His6-tag is commonly used in the purification of recombinant proteins due to its great simplicity and affinity, there is little information on the aggregation of His6-tagged Aβ and its corresponding cytotoxicity. Moreover, it is also unclear whether there is an effect of the His6-tag on the amyloidogenicity and cytotoxicity of recombinant Aβ1-42. Herein, a method to express and purify a mutant C-terminally His6-tagged Aβ1-42 (named as Aβ1-42-His6) from Escherichia coli was described. Aβ1-42-His6 aggregated into β-sheet-rich fibrils as shown by thioflavin T fluorescence, atomic force microscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Moreover, the fibrillar recombinant Aβ1-42-His6 showed strong toxicity toward PC12 cells in vitro. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the His6-tag contributed little to the secondary structure and intermolecular interactions, including hydrophobic interactions, salt bridges, and hydrogen bonding of the fibrillar pentamer of Aβ1-42. This highlights the biological importance of modification on the molecular structure of Aβ. Thus, the easily purified high-quality Aβ1-42-His6 offers great advantages for screening aggregation inhibitors or in vitro confirmation of rationally designed drugs for the treatment of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longgang Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Wenjuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Jingcheng Sang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Wei Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Wenping Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Fuping Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Fufeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
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8
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An Aβ42 variant that inhibits intra- and extracellular amyloid aggregation and enhances cell viability. Biochem J 2018; 475:3087-3103. [DOI: 10.1042/bcj20180247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 09/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Aggregation and accumulation of the 42-residue amyloid β peptide (Aβ42) in the extracellular matrix and within neuronal cells is considered a major cause of neuronal cell cytotoxicity and death in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Therefore, molecules that bind to Aβ42 and prevent its aggregation are therapeutically promising as AD treatment. Here, we show that a non-self-aggregating Aβ42 variant carrying two surface mutations, F19S and L34P (Aβ42DM), inhibits wild-type Aβ42 aggregation and significantly reduces Aβ42-mediated cell cytotoxicity. In addition, Aβ42DM inhibits the uptake and internalization of extracellularly added pre-formed Aβ42 aggregates into cells. This was the case in both neuronal and non-neuronal cells co-expressing Aβ42 and Aβ42DM or following pre-treatment of cells with extracellular soluble forms of the two peptides, even at high Aβ42 to Aβ42DM molar ratios. In cells, Aβ42DM associates with Aβ42, while in vitro, the two soluble recombinant peptides exhibit nano-molar binding affinity. Importantly, Aβ42DM potently suppresses Aβ42 amyloid aggregation in vitro, as demonstrated by thioflavin T fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy for detecting amyloid fibrils. Overall, we present a new approach for inhibiting Aβ42 fibril formation both within and outside cells. Accordingly, Aβ42DM should be evaluated in vivo for potential use as a therapeutic lead for treating AD.
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9
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Jia L, Wang W, Shang J, Zhao W, Wei W, Wang Y, Li L, Lu F, Liu F. Highly efficient soluble expression, purification and characterization of recombinant Aβ42 fromEscherichia coli. RSC Adv 2018; 8:18434-18441. [PMID: 35546794 PMCID: PMC9087987 DOI: 10.1039/c8ra00042e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggregation of amyloid-β protein (Aβ) is hypothesized to be a seminal neuropathological event in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recombinant expression and purification of Aβ represents a common basis for investigating the molecular mechanisms of amyloid formation and toxicity. Herein, we report a novel high-yield expression and purification method for Aβ42 based on fusion with maltose binding protein (MBP) followed by the soluble polypeptide linker (NANP)3 and a modified tobacco etch virus (TEV) cleavage site before the Aβ42. We obtained a final yield of ∼18 mg L−1 of recombinant Aβ42 that was confirmed by SDS-PAGE, protein immunoblotting and MALDI-TOF. Finally, thioflavin T fluorescence and atomic force microscopy revealed that the recombinant Aβ42 aggregated into long, branched fibrils. Furthermore, the aggregates of the recombinant peptide had a strong cytotoxic effect on PC12 cells. The method described here can therefore be used to efficiently express the soluble fusion protein MBP-Aβ42 and obtain high-purity Aβ42 peptide, which can be used to understand the molecular mechanism of Aβ42 fibrillization and screen new candidate drugs for AD. A novel high-yield expression and purification method for Aβ42 based on a fusion with maltose binding protein followed by the soluble polypeptide linker (NANP)3 and a modified tobacco etch virus cleavage site before the Aβ42 was developed.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Longgang Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Tianjin
- P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Ministry of Education
| | - Wenjuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Tianjin
- P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Ministry of Education
| | - Jinzhao Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Tianjin
- P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Ministry of Education
| | - Wenping Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Tianjin
- P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Ministry of Education
| | - Wei Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Tianjin
- P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Ministry of Education
| | - Ying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Tianjin
- P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Ministry of Education
| | - Li Li
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences
- Tianjin University of Science & Technology
- Tianjin 300457
- P. R. China
| | - Fuping Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Tianjin
- P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Ministry of Education
| | - Fufeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Tianjin
- P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology (Tianjin University of Science & Technology)
- Ministry of Education
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