Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Nardilysin in vascular smooth muscle cells controls blood pressure via the regulation of calcium dynamics
In this study, we aimed to clarify the role of NRDC in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) by generating VSMC-specific Nrdc knockout (VSMC-KO) mice. Our findings reveal that VSMC-KO mice also exhibit hypotension. Aortas isolated from VSMC-KO mice exhibited a weakened contractile response to phenylephrine, accompanied by reduced phosphorylation of myosin light chain 2 and decreased rhoA expression. VSMC isolated from VSMC-KO aortas showed a reduced increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration induced by α-stimulants. These findings suggest that NRDC in VSMC regulates vascular contraction and blood pressure by modulating Ca2...
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 22, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Mend Amar Batbaatar Takeshi Kinoshita Shinya Ikeda Kiyoto Nishi Hirotaka Iwasaki Narangerel Ganbaatar Mikiko Ohno Eiichiro Nishi Source Type: research

Apolipoprotein A-IV polymorphisms Q360H and T347S attenuate its endogenous inhibition of thrombosis
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2024 Apr 16;712-713:149946. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149946. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTPlatelets are small anucleate cells that play a key role in thrombosis and hemostasis. Our group previously identified apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV) as an endogenous inhibitor of thrombosis by competitive blockade of the αIIbβ3 integrin on platelets. ApoA-IV inhibition of platelets was dependent on the N-terminal D5/D13 residues, and enhanced with absence of the C-terminus, suggesting it sterically hinders its N-terminal platelet binding site. The C-terminus is also the site of common apoA-IV polymorphis...
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 21, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Daniel T MacKeigan Si-Yang Yu Noa Chazot Dachuan Zhang Christopher J Khoury Xi Lei Preeti Bhoria Chuanbin Shen Pingguo Chen Guangheng Zhu Margaret L Rand Scott Heximer Heyu Ni Source Type: research

Diosgenin improves post-myocardial infarction cardiac function via HAND2-induced angiogenesis
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2024 Apr 17;712-713:149941. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149941. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTWhile diosgenin has been demonstrated effective in various cardiovascular diseases, its specific impact on treating heart attacks remains unclear. Our research revealed that diosgenin significantly improved cardiac function in a myocardial infarction (MI) mouse model, reducing cardiac fibrosis and cell apoptosis while promoting angiogenesis. Mechanistically, diosgenin upregulated the Hand2 expression, promoting the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells under hypoxic conditions. Acting as a trans...
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 21, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Xuehua Liu Dehong Shen Longfei Liu Yuzhu Peng Qiulun Lu Source Type: research

Development of a gene-coded biosensor to establish a high-throughput screening platform for salidroside production
This study developed a gene-encoded whole-cell biosensor that is specifically responsive to salidroside. The biosensor was created by screening a site-saturated mutagenic library of uric acid response regulatory protein binding bags. This work demonstrates the feasibility of monitoring metabolic flux with whole-cell biosensors for critical metabolites. It provides a promising tool for building salidroside high-yielding strains for high-throughput screening and metabolic regulation to meet industrial needs.PMID:38642492 | DOI:10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149942 (Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications)
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 20, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Jing Yang Yuanyuan Xia Wei Shen Haiquan Yang Xianzhong Chen Source Type: research

Vitamin D triggers hCAP18/LL-37 production: Implications for LL-37-induced human osteoblast cytotoxicity
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2024 Apr 18;712-713:149962. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149962. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe human cathelicidin LL-37 shows activity against microorganisms, but it is also cytotoxic to host cells. The CAMP gene codes for the LL-37 precursor hCAP18 which is processed extracellularly to active LL-37. It has previously been shown that vitamin D stimulates CAMP gene activity, but less information is available demonstrating that vitamin D also can increase hCAP18/LL-37 protein production. Here, we show with RT-qPCR that a physiological concentration of vitamin D (50 nM) enhances CAMP mRNA levels by...
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 20, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Alexandra Aidoukovitch Elisabeth Bankell Daniel Svensson Bengt-Olof Nilsson Source Type: research

Preparation and brain targeting effects study of recombinant human ferritin nanoparticles
This study aims to utilize a prokaryotic expression system to produce recombinant human heavy-chain ferritin nanoparticles and investigate their targeting ability in brain tissue. The human heavy-chain ferritin gene was cloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pET28a and transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) competent cells to explore optimal expression conditions. The recombinant protein was then purified to evaluate its immunoreactivity and characteristics. Additionally, the distribution of the administered protein in normal mice and its permeability in an in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) model were measure...
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 19, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Zhixian Wang Xiaoling Xu Yunhuan Zhu Yuncheng Qian Yilu Feng Hongyu Li Guoheng Hu Source Type: research

Structural homology-based identification of BEN domain proteins in Poxviruses
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2024 Apr 16;712-713:149933. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149933. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTBEND family transcription factors directly interact with DNA through BEN domains and have been found across metazoan species. Interestingly, certain insect and mammalian viruses have also hijacked Bend genes into their genome. However, the phylogenetic classification and evolution of these viral BEN domains remain unclear. Building on our previous finding that in silico method accurately determine the 3D model of BEN domains, we used AlphaFold2 to predict the tertiary structures of poxviral BEN domains for...
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 19, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Fuchuan Jia Yixing Shi Yang Yu Source Type: research

PFKFB3-mediated glycolysis in hepatic stellate cells promotes liver regeneration
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2024 Apr 16;712-713:149958. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149958. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTHepatic stellate cells (HSCs) perform a significant function in liver regeneration (LR) by becoming active. We propose to investigate if activated HSCs enhance glycolysis via PFKFB3, an essential glycolytic regulator, and whether targeting this pathway could be beneficial for LR. The liver and isolated HSCs of mice subjected to 2/3 partial hepatectomy (PHx) exhibited a significant rise in PFKFB3 expression, as indicated by quantitative RT-PCR analyses and Western blotting. Also, the primary HSCs of mice su...
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 19, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Yapeng Cao Siyu Wang Min Zhang Baochang Lai Yanni Liang Source Type: research

Computational investigation of the inhibitory interaction of IRF3 and SARS-CoV-2 accessory protein ORF3b
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2024 Apr 16;712-713:149945. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149945. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTORF3b is one of the SARS-CoV-2 accessory proteins. Previous experimental study suggested that ORF3b prevents IRF3 translocating to nucleus. However, the biophysical mechanism of ORF3b-IRF3 interaction is elusive. Here, we explored the conformation ensemble of ORF3b using all-atom replica exchange molecular dynamics simulation. Disordered ORF3b has mixed α-helix, β-turn and loop conformers. The potential ORF3b-IRF3 binding modes were searched by docking representative ORF3b conformers with IRF3, and 50 OR...
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 19, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Ganggang Bai Xincheng Zeng Linghao Zhang Yanjing Wang Buyong Ma Source Type: research

Moesin deficiency leads to lupus-like nephritis with accumulation of CXCL13-producing patrolling monocytes
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2024 Apr 16;712-713:149943. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149943. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTMoesin is a member of the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) family of proteins that link plasma membrane proteins to the cortical cytoskeleton and thus regulate diverse cellular processes. Mutations in the human moesin gene cause a primary immunodeficiency called X-linked moesin-associated immunodeficiency (X-MAID), which may be complicated by an autoimmune phenotype with kidney involvement. We previously reported that moesin-deficient mice exhibit lymphopenia similar to that of X-MAID and develop a lupus-like au...
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 19, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Satoko Ichioka Hiroki Satooka Yoshihiro Maruo Takako Hirata Source Type: research

Protein acylations induced by a ketogenic diet demonstrate diverse patterns depending on organs and differ between histones and global proteins
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2024 Apr 16;712-713:149960. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149960. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTAn essential ketone body, β-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB), plays various roles in physiological regulations via protein acylations such as lysine acetylation and β-hydroxybutyrylation. Here, to understand how BOHB systemically regulates acylations from an overarching perspective, we administered a ketogenic diet to mice to increase BOHB concentration and examined acylations. We found that global acetylation and β-hydroxybutyrylation dramatically increase in various organs except for the brains, where the incre...
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 19, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Minami Ito Yuya Nishida Tatsuya Iwamoto Akiko Kanai Shuhei Aoyama Kyosei Ueki Hirotsugu Uzawa Hitoshi Iida Hirotaka Watada Source Type: research

Stasimon/Tmem41b is required for cell proliferation and adult mouse survival
This study provides new insights into the essential requirement of Stasimon/Tmem41b for cellular and organismal fitness and expands the experimental toolkit to investigate its functions in the mammalian system.PMID:38640735 | DOI:10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149923 (Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications)
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 19, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Maria J Carlini Meaghan Van Alstyne Hua Yang Shubhi Yadav Neil A Shneider Livio Pellizzoni Source Type: research

Acidic solvent improves cisplatin action in in-vitro
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2024 Apr 12;712-713:149936. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149936. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTAs cisplatin is one of the most broadly used chemotherapeutics, it is widely tested in vitro & in vivo assays, involving attempts to better understand its mechanism of action, develop strategies to mitigate its toxicity, or develop new drug combinations. Presently, for in vitro assays, dissolving cisplatin in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is discouraged due to its significant reduction in drug activity, Alternatively, inorganic solvents like normal saline (NS) are recommended. However, this approach is sti...
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 19, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Yuna Kim Hyeong-Min Lee Source Type: research

Modulation of lipid profile by secretory phospholipase A2 group IIA: Verification with a transgenic mouse model
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2024 Apr 16;712-713:149955. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149955. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTWe previously demonstrated a positive relation of secretory phospholipase A2 group IIA (sPLA2-IIA) with circulating high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in patients with coronary artery disease, and sPLA2-IIA increased cholesterol efflux in THP-1 cells through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ)/liver X receptor α/ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) signaling pathway. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of sPLA2-IIA over-expression on lipid profile in a...
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 19, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Ling Liang Jing Song Shisheng Miao Qiang Xie Weihua Li Honglang Huang Dongyan Shen Wei Zhang Source Type: research

First vertebrate BRICHOS antimicrobial peptides: β-hairpin host defense peptides in limbless amphibia lung resemble those of marine worms
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2024 Apr 10;712-713:149913. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149913. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTInnate immunity of invertebrates offers potent antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) against drug-resistant infections. To identify new worm β-hairpin AMPs, we explored the sequence diversity of proteins with a BRICHOS domain, which comprises worm AMP precursors. Strikingly, we discovered new BRICHOS AMPs not in worms, but in caecilians, the least studied clade of vertebrates. Two precursor proteins from Microcaecilia unicolor and Rhinatrema bivittatum resemble SP-C lung surfactants and bear worm AMP-like peptide...
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - April 19, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Ruslan V Smetanin Maria S Sukhareva Elizaveta V Vladimirova Maria S Zharkova Anna D Mikushina Aleksey S Komlev Maria M Khaydukova Tatiana A Filatenkova Anastasia I Kalganova Sofiya O Pipiya Stanislav S Terekhov Dmitriy S Orlov Olga V Shamova Igor E Elisee Source Type: research