Electron transport chain

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10 ) is an essential, lipid-soluble vitamin involved in electron transport in the oxidoreductive reactions of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Structurally, the quinone ring is connected to an isoprenoid moiety, which has a high molecular weight. Over the years, coenzyme Q10 has become relevant in the treatment of several diseases, like neurodegenerative disorders, coronary diseases, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, cancer, and others. According to studies, CoQ10 supplementation might be beneficial in the treatment of CoQ10 deficiencies and disorders associated with oxidative stress...

Chelex-based DNA extractions are well suited for student DNA barcoding research because they are simple, safe, and inexpensive and can be performed without specialized laboratory equipment, allowing them to be performed in classrooms or at home. Extracted DNA is stable in Chelex solution for at least a week at ambient temperature, allowing collection of DNA samples from remote students. These extractions provide quality DNA for many taxa and are optimal for barcoding invertebrates, especially in combination with novel cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) primer cocktails and PCR cycling conditions...

Polythiophene (PT) is an important conducting polymer for its outstanding optoelectronic properties. Here, we delineate the self-assembly-driven optoelectronic properties of PT-peptide and PT-polymer conjugates, taking examples from recent literature reports. PT-peptide conjugates made by both covalent and noncovalent approaches are discussed. Poly(3-thiophene acetic acid) (P3TAA) covalently coupled with Gly-Gly-His tripeptide, C-protected and deprotected tripeptide H2 N-F-F-V-OMe, etc. exhibits self-assembly-driven absorbance, fluorescence, photocurrent, and electronic properties...

VBIT-4 is a new inhibitor of the oligomerization of VDAC proteins of the outer mitochondrial membrane preventing the development of oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cell death in various pathologies. However, as a VDAC inhibitor, VBIT-4 may itself cause mitochondrial dysfunction in healthy cells. The article examines the effect of VBIT-4 on the functional activity of rat liver mitochondria and cell cultures. We have demonstrated that high concentrations of VBIT-4 (15-30 μM) suppressed mitochondrial respiration in state 3 and 3UDNP driven by substrates of complex I and II...

BACKGROUND: Euphorbia helioscopia L (EHL), a widely used medicinal plant in traditional Chinese medicine, has shown promising effects on certain cancers. However, previous studies on EHL did not elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Herein, for the first time, we present the strong therapeutic potential of EHL extracts on malignant hemangioendothelioma, a rare type of vascular tumor. PURPOSE: To investigate the potential anti-tumor mechanism of extracts of EHL on hemangioendothelioma and melanoma...

Maize plastid terminal oxidase1 (ZmPTOX1) plays a pivotal role in seed development by upholding redox balance within seed plastids. This study focuses on characterizing the white kernel mutant 3735 (wk3735) mutant, which yields pale-yellow seeds characterized by heightened protein but reduced carotenoid levels, along with delayed germination compared to wild-type (WT) seeds. We successfully cloned and identified the target gene ZmPTOX1, responsible for encoding maize PTOX-a versatile plastoquinol oxidase and redox sensor located in plastid membranes...

Two-dimensional (2D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have a multilayer skeleton with a periodic π-conjugated molecular array, which can facilitate charge carrier transport within a COF layer. However, the lack of an effective charge carrier transmission pathway between 2D COF layers greatly limits their applications in electrocatalysis. Herein, by employing a side-chain polymerization strategy to form polythiophene along the nanochannels, a conjugated bridge is constructed between the COF layers. The as-synthesized fully conjugated COF (PTh-COF) exhibits high oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity with narrowed energy band gaps...

INTRODUCTION: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by loss of immune tolerance to luminal antigens and progressive intestinal tissue injury. Thus, the re-establishment of immune tolerance is crucial for suppressing aberrant immune responses and UC progression. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the action of CDD-2103 and its bioactive compounds in mediating immune regulation in mouse models of colitis...

Oxidative phosphorylation involves a complex multi-enzymatic mitochondrial machinery critical for proper functioning of the cell, and defects herein cause a wide range of diseases called "primary mitochondrial disorders" (PMDs). Mutations in about 400 nuclear and 37 mitochondrial genes have been documented to cause PMDs, which have an estimated birth prevalence of 1:5000. Here, we describe a 4-year-old female presenting from early childhood with psychomotor delay and white matter signal changes affecting several brain regions, including the brainstem, in addition to lactic and phytanic acidosis, compatible with Leigh syndrome, a genetically heterogeneous subgroup of PMDs...

Platinum-containing chemotherapeutic drugs are efficacious in many forms of cancer but are dose-restricted by serious side effects, of which peripheral neuropathy induced by oxidative-nitrosative-stress-mediated chain reactions is most disturbing. Recently, hope has been raised regarding the catalytic antioxidants mangafodipir (MnDPDP) and calmangafodipir [Ca4 Mn(DPDP)5 ; PledOx® ], which by mimicking mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) may be expected to overcome oxaliplatin-associated chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN)...

The etiology underlying most sporadic Parkinson's' disease (PD) cases is unknown. Environmental exposures have been suggested as putative causes of the disease. In cell models and in animal studies, certain chemicals can destroy dopaminergic neurons. However, the mechanisms of how these chemicals cause the death of neurons is not understood. Several of these agents are mitochondrial toxins that inhibit the mitochondrial complex I of the electron transport chain. Familial PD genes also encode proteins with important functions in mitochondria...

Unlike bulky and rigid traditional power systems, 1D fiber batteries possess appealing features such as flexibility and adaptability, which are promising for use in wearable electronic devices. However, the performance and energy density fiber batteries are limited by the contradiction between ionic transfer and robust structure of fiber electrodes. Herein, these problems are addressed via polymer engineering to regulate the microenvironment in electrodes, realizing high-linear-capacity thick fiber electrodes with excellent cycling performance...

Sessile benthic organisms like oysters inhabit the intertidal zone, subject to alternating hypoxia and reoxygenation (H/R) episodes during tidal movements, impacting respiratory chain activities and metabolome compositions. We investigated the effects of constant severe hypoxia (90 min at ~ 0% O2 ) followed by 10 min reoxygenation, and cyclic hypoxia (5 cycles of 15 min at ~ 0% O2 and 10 min reoxygenation) on isolated mitochondria from the gill and the digestive gland of Crassostrea gigas respiring on pyruvate, palmitate, or succinate...

Ammonia is a major water quality factor influencing the survival and health of shrimp, among which the gill is the main effector organ for ammonia toxicity. In this study, we chose two types of Litopenaeus vannamei that were cultured in 30‱ seawater and domesticated in 3‱ low salinity, respectively, and then separately subjected to ammonia stress for 14 days under seawater and low-salinity conditions, of which the 3‱ low salinity-cultured shrimp were domesticated from the shrimp cultured in 30‱ seawater after 27 days of gradual salinity desalination...

Nanoplastics (NPs) have raised concerns about the combined toxicity to living organisms due to their ability to adsorb heavy metals. There is still uncertainty, however, whether NPs combined with heavy metals exert adverse effects on intestinal microenvironment, especially the intestinal cells and microbiota. Herein, the combined effects of 500 nm spherical-shaped polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) and copper ions (Cu2+ ) on intestinal cells and gut microbiota were assessed using HCT-116 cells and zebrafish models...

Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) is an integral component of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) and respiratory electron transport chain (ETC), targeted by succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs). Fusarium asiaticum is a prominent phytopathogen causing Fusarium head blight (FHB) on wheat. Here, we characterized the functions of the FaSdhA, FaSdhB, FaSdhC1 , FaSdhC2 , and FaSdhD subunits. Deletion of FaSdhA , FaSdhB , or FaSdhD resulted in significant growth defects in F. asiaticum . The FaSdhC 1 or FaSdhC 2 deletion mutants exhibited substantial reductions in fungal growth, conidiation, virulence, and reactive oxygen species (ROS)...

BACKGROUND: Dysregulated metabolism of bioactive sphingolipids, including ceramides and sphingosine-1-phosphate, has been implicated in cardiovascular disease, although the specific species, disease contexts, and cellular roles are not completely understood. Sphingolipids are produced by the serine palmitoyltransferase enzyme, canonically composed of 2 subunits, SPTLC1 (serine palmitoyltransferase long chain base subunit 1) and SPTLC2 (serine palmitoyltransferase long chain base subunit 2)...

The intermediate filament vimentin is present in immune cells and is implicated in proinflammatory immune responses. Whether and how it supports antimicrobial activities of neutrophils is not well established. Here, we developed an immortalized neutrophil model to examine the requirement of vimentin. We demonstrate that vimentin restricts the production of proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS), but enhances phagocytosis and swarming. We observe that vimentin is dispensable for neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, degranulation, and inflammasome activation...

The interplay between ribosomal protein composition and mitochondrial function is essential for sustaining energy homeostasis. Precise stoichiometric production of ribosomal proteins is crucial to maximize protein synthesis efficiency while reducing the energy costs to the cell. However, the impact of this balance on mitochondrial ATP generation, morphology and function remains unclear. Particularly, the loss of a single copy ribosomal protein gene is observed in Mendelian disorders like Diamond Blackfan Anemia and is common in somatic tumors, yet the implications of this imbalance on mitochondrial function and energy dynamics are still unclear...

T cell immunity is critical for human defensive immune response. Exploring the key molecules during the process provides new targets for T cell-based immunotherapies. CMC1 is a mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) complex IV chaperon protein. By establishing in-vitro cell culture system and Cmc1 gene knock out mice, we evaluated the role of CMC1 in T cell activation and differentiation. The B16-OVA tumor model was used to test the possibility of targeting CMC1 for improving T cell anti-tumor immunity...