scholarly journals Harnessing the functional diversity of plant cystatins to design inhibitor variants highly active against herbivorous arthropod digestive proteases

FEBS Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Tremblay ◽  
Marie‐Claire Goulet ◽  
Juan Vorster ◽  
Charles Goulet ◽  
Dominique Michaud
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Tremblay ◽  
Marie-Claire Goulet ◽  
Juan Vorster ◽  
Charles Goulet ◽  
Dominique Michaud

Protein engineering approaches have been proposed to improve the inhibitory properties of plant cystatins against herbivorous arthropod digestive proteases. These approaches typically involve the site-directed mutagenesis of functionally relevant amino acids, the production and selection of improved inhibitory variants by molecular phage display procedures, or the design of bi/multifunctional translational fusions integrating one or several cystatin inhibitory domains. Here, we propose a new approach where the function-related structural elements of a cystatin are substituted by the corresponding elements of an alternative cystatin. Cys protease inhibitory assays were first performed with 20 representative plant cystatins and model Cys proteases, including herbivorous arthropod digestive proteases, to appreciate the extent of functional variability among plant cystatin protein family members. The most, and less, potent of these cystatins were then used as donors of structural elements to create hybrids of tomato cystatin SlCYS8 used as a model recipient inhibitor. Our data confirm the wide variety of cystatin protease inhibitory profiles among plant taxa. They also demonstrate the usefulness of these proteins as a pool of discrete structural elements for the design of cystatin variants with improved potency against herbivorous pest digestive Cys proteases.


Author(s):  
Alicja Urbaniak ◽  
Anna Skarpańska-Stejnborn

Abstract. The aim of the study was to review recent findings on the use of POM supplements in athletes of various disciplines and physically active participants. Eleven articles published between 2010 and 2018 were included, where the total number of investigated subjects was 176. Male participants constituted the majority of the group (n = 155), as compared to females (n = 21). 45% of research described was conducted on athletes, whereas the remaining studies were based on highly active participants. Randomised, crossover, double-blind study designs constituted the majority of the experimental designs used. POM supplementation varied in terms of form (pills/juice), dosage (50 ml–500 ml) and time of intervention (7 days–2 months) between studies. Among the reviewed articles, POM supplementation had an effect on the improvement of the following: whole body strength; feeling of vitality; acute and delayed muscle fatigue and soreness; increase in vessel diameter; blood flow and serum level of TAC; reduction in the rate of increase for HR, SBP, CK and LDH; support in the recovery of post-training CK, LDH, CRP and ASAT to their baseline levels; reduction of MMP2, MMP9, hsCRP and MDA; and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase). In the majority of reviewed articles POM supplementation had a positive effect on a variety of parameters studied and the authors recommended it as a supplement for athletes and physically active bodies.


1963 ◽  
Vol 42 (2_Suppl) ◽  
pp. S17-S30
Author(s):  
Fred A. Kind ◽  
Ralph I. Dorfman

ABSTRACT Thirty-seven steroids have been studied as orally effective inhibitors of ovulation in the mated oestrus rabbit. Norethisterone served as the reference standard and a dose response curve was established between the 0.31 and 1.25 mg dose levels. Nine highly active anti-ovulatory compounds are described listed in a decreasing order of potency with norethisterone having the arbitrary value of one: 6-chloro-Δ6-dehydro-17α-acetoxyprogesterone (35), 6α-methyl-Δ1-dehydro-17α-acetoxyprogesterone (≥ 10), 6-fluoro-Δ6-dehydro-17α-acetoxyprogesterone(9), 6-methyl-Δ6-dehydro-17α-acetoxyprogesterone (5), Δ6-dehydro-17α-acetoxyprogesterone (≥ 3), 6α-methyl-17α-acetoxyprogesterone (2.6), 6-chloro-Δ1,6-bisdehydro-17α-acetoxyprogesterone (≥ 2), 2-hydroxymethyl-17α-methyl-17β-hydroxyandrostan-3-one (≥ 2), and 6α-fluoro-16α-methyl-17α-acetoxyprogesterone (≥ 1.25). The anti-ovulatory activity of a compound was not related necessarily to the progestational activity of a compound nor to the anti-gonadotrophic activity as measured in parabiotic rats. 6-Chloro-Δ60dehydro-17-acetoxyprogesterone was as effective by gavage as previously shown by subcutaneous injection. 2-Hydroxymethyl-17α-methyl-17β-hydroxyandrostan-3-one was at least 2.5 times more active by gavage than by injection. While 17α-acetoxyprogesterone was a very weak anti-ovulatory steroid, modifications of the structure by addition of methyl or halogen at the 6α position with or without unsaturation greatly increased the activity. 6-Chloro-Δ6-dehydro-27α-acetoxyprogesterone was the most active compound in this series showing a relative potency of 3500 times that of the parent compound 17α-acetoxyprogesterone.


1960 ◽  
Vol XXXV (II) ◽  
pp. 225-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Bourrillon ◽  
R. Got ◽  
R. Marcy

ABSTRACT A new method for preparation of Human Menopausal Gonadotrophin involves successively alcoholic precipitation, kaolin adsorption and chromatography on ion exchangers. A highly active material is obtained which corresponds to 1 mg per litre of urine and has an activity of 1 mouse uterus unit at a dose of 0.003 mg. This gonadotrophin possesses both follicle stimulating and luteinizing activities in hypophysectomized female rats, by histological study. It contains 13 % hexose, 10% hexosamine and 8.5 % sialic acid. A further purification, by zone electrophoresis on starch, gives a final product, biologically active at 0.001 mg, which behaves as an homogenous substance in free electrophoresis with mobility −4.76 × 10−5 at pH 8.6.


2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Pepe ◽  
Andrea M Isidori ◽  
Mario Falciano ◽  
Giancarlo Iaiani ◽  
Alessandra Salotti ◽  
...  
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