This article reports the clinical features and gene mutation types of a large family with Nascimento form of syndromic X-linked intellectual developmental disorder (MRXSN), involving 9 individuals across 3 generations, and a literature review was conducted. In this family, 9 individuals had similar manifestations including mental retardation and unusual facies, and 4 of them had passed away. Genetic testing showed that the proband had the deletion of exons 2-3 of the UBE2A gene, which was inherited from the mother. Fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that the proband and his uncle had the deletion of exons 2-3 of the UBE2A gene; the proband's mother, grandmother, and great-aunt had a heterozygous deletion of exons 2-3 of the UBE2A gene; the proband's father, sister, and aunt had a normal copy number of exons 2-3 of the UBE2A gene. The 34 patients reported in the literature had diverse clinical phenotypes, and UBE2A gene mutations (22/34, 65%) and large fragment deletions (12/34, 35%) were the main mutation types. Moderate to severe mental retardation (34/34, 100%), speech and language impairment (33/34, 97%), and unusual facies (32/34, 94%) were the main clinical manifestations of MRXSN patients. The disease has obvious phenotypic heterogeneity, and early diagnosis facilitates optimal prenatal and postnatal management to improve reproductive outcomes.
Humans ; Male ; Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes/genetics* ; Female ; X-Linked Intellectual Disability/genetics* ; Gene Deletion ; Child ; Pedigree ; Child, Preschool ; Adult

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role of nucleolar pre-rRNA processing protein NIP7 (NIP7) in maintaining the malignant phenotype of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) and its molecular mechanisms. METHODS: NIP7 expression in ATC tissues and its gene knock-out effects in ATC cells were analyzed using gene expression microarray (GSE33630), proteome database (IPX0008941000) and the Dependency Map database, respectively. Expression and localization of NIP7 in normal thyroid cells, papillary thyroid cancer cells, and ATC cells were detected by Western blotting. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was transfected into ATC cells, and the knockdown efficiency of NIP7 was detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. Cell proliferation was assessed by CCK-8 assay, colony formation was evaluated by colony formation assay, and tumor growth was assessed by xenograft tumor model in nude mice. SUnSET (surface sensing of translation) assay combined with co-immunoprecipitation were employed to evaluate the effect of NIP7 silencing on ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 C (UBE2C) translation. Finally, gene set enrichment analysis was used to identify shared pathways of NIP7 and UBE2C, which were validated by qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Compared with normal tissues and papillary thyroid cancer, NIP7 was significantly upregulated in ATC tissues, and had a gene knock-out fitness effect on different ATC cell lines. The relative protein levels of NIP7 in ATC cells were significantly higher than those in normal thyroid follicular cells, and the protein was mainly expressed in the nucleus. NIP7 silencing significantly inhibited cell proliferation and reduced colony formation. Xenograft tumor model showed that NIP7 knockdown significantly slowed down the growth of ATC xenograft, and the tumor volume and weight were significantly lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05). NIP7 silencing downregulated the protein level of UBE2C, but did not affect the expression of UBE2C mRNA. Compared to the control group, UBE2C silencing significantly inhibited ATC cells proliferation (P<0.01) and colony formation (P<0.05). UBE2C overexpression reversed the proliferation-inhibitory effect induced by NIP7 silencing (P<0.01). Gene set enrichment analysis indicated that NIP7 and UBE2C were both involved in DNA replication. NIP7 or UBE2C silencing could significantly downregulate the expression levels of DNA polymerase epsilon, catalytic subunit 2 and replication factor C4 in DNA replication pathway. CONCLUSIONS NIP7 promotes ATC tumor growth by upregulating UBE2C to mediate DNA replication.
Humans ; Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes/genetics* ; Thyroid Neoplasms/genetics* ; Thyroid Carcinoma, Anaplastic/genetics* ; Animals ; Mice, Nude ; Mice ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Up-Regulation ; RNA, Small Interfering/genetics* ; Nuclear Proteins/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic

As the chip of synthetic biology, enzymes play a vital role in the bio-manufacturing industry. The development of diverse functional enzymes can provide a rich toolbox for the development of synthetic biology. This article reports the construction of an artificial enzyme with the introduction of a non-natural cofactor. By introducing the 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) cofactor into the optimal protein skeleton via covalent bonds based on a click-chemistry strategy, we successfully constructed a novel artificial enzyme with the DMAP cofactor as the catalytic center. The artificial enzyme successfully catalyzed an unnatural asymmetric Morita-Baylis- Hillman (MBH) reaction between cycloketenone and p-nitrobenzaldehyde, with a conversion rate of 90% and enantioselectivity (e.e.) of 38%. This study not only provides an effective strategy for the design of new artificial enzymes but also establishes a theoretical basis for the development of unnatural biocatalytic MBH reactions.
Biocatalysis ; 4-Aminopyridine/chemistry* ; Enzymes/metabolism* ; Coenzymes/chemistry* ; Benzaldehydes/chemistry* ; Protein Engineering/methods* ; Click Chemistry

Protein Engineering and Enzyme Engineering is a professional core course for life science-related majors in higher education, aiming to help students apply theoretical knowledge to engineering practice. The rapid development of biomanufacturing has placed new demands on the training of protein and enzyme engineers. However, due to the complexity and strong interdisciplinary nature of the course contents, traditional offline teaching modes have poor teaching performance and are unable to meet the era's demand for high-tech innovative talents in the field of biomanufacturing. To solve the above problems, we carried out the exploration and practice of blended teaching in Protein Engineering and Enzyme Engineering. We designed the teaching philosophy characterized by collaboration of online and offline learning, integration of pre-class preparation, in-class learning, and post-class review, linkage of online platforms, learning resources, teachers, and students, and enhancement via scientific research, scientific contests, course experiments, production practice, and lesson learning. We developed a three-phase (pre-class, in-class, and post-class) teaching program and established a two-level (online-offline) teaching evaluation mechanism. This teaching mode upholds the student-oriented concept, strengthens the deep integration of theory and practice, and focuses on cultivating students' innovative thinking and practical ability. The practical results show that this teaching mode can improve the teaching quality of Protein Engineering and Enzyme Engineering, enhance students' scientific and technological innovation ability, and meet the national demand for biomanufacturing talents.
Protein Engineering ; Teaching ; Enzymes/genetics* ; Humans

Penicillin G acylases (PGAs) are industrially important enzymes primarily used for the synthesis of first- and second-generation cephalosporins or penicillins. This study aims to establish a high-efficiency biosynthetic system for cefradine on the purpose of significantly enhancing its catalytic efficiency in cefradine synthesis and developing its potentials for industrial application. In this study, we identified and engineered penicillin G acylase and obtained a highly active mutant KsPGA M7(M168F/F313G) for the synthesis of cefradine. The mutant achieved a conversion rate over 95% in the scaled-up reaction. To validate its industrial applicability, we immobilized both the wild-type and mutant enzymes and applied them in continuous flow reactions, which achieved a space-time yield of 2 800 g/(L·d). This study lays a foundation for the future applications of penicillin G acylases in the industrial synthesis of cefradine.
Penicillin Amidase/biosynthesis* ; Protein Engineering/methods* ; Cephradine/metabolism* ; Escherichia coli/metabolism* ; Enzymes, Immobilized/metabolism* ; Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis*

The structures and activities of enzymes are influenced by pH of the environment. Understanding and distinguishing the adaptation mechanisms of enzymes to extreme pH values is of great significance for elucidating the molecular mechanisms and promoting the industrial applications of enzymes. In this study, the ESM-2 protein language model was used to encode the secreted microbial proteins with the optimal performance above pH 9 and below pH 5, which yielded 47 725 high-pH protein sequences and 66 079 low-pH protein sequences, respectively. A deep learning model was constructed to identify protein acid-base tolerance based on amino acid sequences. The model showcased significantly higher accuracy than other methods, with the overall accuracy of 94.8%, precision of 91.8%, and a recall rate of 93.4% on the test set. Furthermore, we built a website (https://enzymepred.biodesign.ac.cn), which enabled users to predict the acid-base tolerance by submitting the protein sequences of enzymes. This study has accelerated the application of enzymes in various fields, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. It provides a powerful tool for the rapid screening and optimization of industrial enzymes.
Deep Learning ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Enzymes/metabolism* ; Sequence Analysis, Protein ; Proteins/metabolism* ; Bacterial Proteins/metabolism*

BACKGROUND: Juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (JALS) is an uncommon form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis whose age at onset (AAO) is defined as prior to 25 years. FUS mutations are the most common cause of JALS. SPTLC1 was recently identified as a disease-causative gene for JALS, which has rarely been reported in Asian populations. Little is known regarding the difference in clinical features between JALS patients carrying FUS and SPTLC1 mutations. This study aimed to screen mutations in JALS patients and to compare the clinical features between JALS patients with FUS and SPTLC1 mutations. METHODS: Sixteen JALS patients were enrolled, including three newly recruited patients between July 2015 and August 2018 from the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Mutations were screened by whole-exome sequencing. In addition, clinical features such as AAO, onset site and disease duration were extracted and compared between JALS patients carrying FUS and SPTLC1 mutations through a literature review. RESULTS: A novel and de novo SPTLC1 mutation (c.58G>A, p.A20T) was identified in a sporadic patient. Among 16 JALS patients, 7/16 carried FUS mutations and 5/16 carried respective SPTLC1 , SETX , NEFH , DCTN1 , and TARDBP mutations. Compared with FUS mutation patients, those with SPTLC1 mutations had an earlier AAO (7.9 ± 4.6 years vs. 18.1 ± 3.9 years, P  < 0.01), much longer disease duration (512.0 [416.7-607.3] months vs. 33.4 [21.6-45.1] months, P  < 0.01), and no onset of bulbar. CONCLUSION Our findings expand the genetic and phenotypic spectrum of JALS and help to better understand the genotype-phenotype correlation of JALS.
Humans ; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/genetics* ; DNA Helicases/genetics* ; Genetic Association Studies ; Multifunctional Enzymes/genetics* ; Mutation/genetics* ; RNA Helicases/genetics* ; RNA-Binding Protein FUS/genetics* ; Serine C-Palmitoyltransferase/genetics* ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Adolescent ; Young Adult

As an excellent hosting matrices for enzyme immobilization, metal-organic framework (MOFs) provides superior physical and chemical protection for biocatalytic reactions. In recent years, the hierarchical porous metal-organic frameworks (HP-MOFs) have shown great potential in enzyme immobilization due to their flexible structural advantages. To date, a variety of HP-MOFs with intrinsic or defective porous have been developed for the immobilization of enzymes. The catalytic activity, stability and reusability of enzyme@HP-MOFs composites are significantly enhanced. This review systematically summarized the strategies for developing enzyme@HP-MOFs composites. In addition, the latest applications of enzyme@HP-MOFs composites in catalytic synthesis, biosensing and biomedicine were described. Moreover, the challenges and opportunities in this field were discussed and envisioned.
Metal-Organic Frameworks/chemistry* ; Porosity ; Enzymes, Immobilized/chemistry* ; Biocatalysis ; Catalysis

Aims: The present study was aimed to determine the diversity of the halophilic and halotolerant bacteria with hydrolase activities from salterns of the protected ecosystem Khnifiss lagoon (Morocco). Methodology and results: Bacteria were isolated from sediment samples collected at five hypersaline sites on three different growth media supplemented with various concentrations of NaCl. Thirty bacterial isolates were identified using the 16S rDNA sequencing method. Physiological characterization was examined on Columbia agar with different concentrations of NaCl and pH values and incubated at different temperatures. Enzymatic activities were tested in submerged cultures with appropriate substrates. A total of 246 halophilic bacterial isolates from the salines of the protected ecosystem of Khnifiss lagoon in the south of Morocco were able to produce different hydrolases (cellulases, amylases, DNases, lipases and proteases). Furthermore, the majority of the isolates were classified as moderately halophilic bacteria that grew optimally between 5% and 15% of NaCl, and they adapted to other extreme conditions than salt: some cases tolerated a pH range of 4.5 to 9.4, as well as a temperature range of 10 to 50 °C. The 16S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis results indicated that most of the bacteria isolated from the salt marshes studied belong to the genus Bacillus. Conclusion, significance and impact of study Phenotypic and phylogenetic characterization of halophilic and halotolerant bacteria isolated from the salines of the protected ecosystem of Khnifiss lagoon has shown great diversity. Screening of hydrolytic enzymes produced by these bacteria suggests that the salines of the Khnifiss lagoon are a rich source of technologically interesting bacteria.
Halophilic bacteria ; extracellular hydrolytic enzymes ; screening ; hypersaline environments ; Khnifiss lagoon

Enzyme-catalyzed CO₂ reduction to value-added commodities is important for alleviating the global environmental issues and energy crises due to high selectivity and mild conditions. Owing to high energy density, formic acid or methanol produced from CO₂ using formate dehydrogenase (FDH) or multi-enzyme cascades are promising target chemicals for CO₂ utilization. However, the low activity, poor stability and low reusability of key enzymes involved in such process hampered its large-scale application. Enzyme immobilization provides an effective solution to these problems and significant progress have been made in immobilization carriers. Moreover, integration of enzyme immobilization with other catalysis techniques have been explored extensively. This review summarized the recent advances in the immobilization of enzymes using membranes, inorganic materials, metal-organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks and other carriers, and illustrated the characteristics and advantages of different immobilization materials and immobilization methods. The synergistic effects and applications of immobilized enzymes and electrocatalytic or photocatalytic coupling reaction systems for CO₂ reduction were further summarized. Finally, the current challenges of enzyme immobilization technology and coupling reaction systems were pointed out and their development prospects were presented.
Enzymes, Immobilized ; Carbon Dioxide ; Catalysis ; Formate Dehydrogenases ; Metal-Organic Frameworks