Comparative effects of dietary herbal mixture or guanidinoacetic acid supplementation on growth performance, cecal microbiota, blood profile, excreta gas emission, and meat quality in Hanhyup-3-ho chicken.

Phytogenic feed additives are renowned for their growth promotion, gut health enhancement, and disease prevention properties, which is important factors for sustaining prolonged poultry rearing. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of herbal mixture (mixture of ginseng and artichoke) or guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) on growth performance, cecal microbiota, excretal gas emission, blood profile, and meat quality in Hanhyup-3-ho chicken. A total of 360 one-day-old chickens (half males and half females) were allocated into one of 3 dietary treatments (12 replicate cages/treatment; 10 broilers/replicate cage) for 100 d of age.

Correction: Suprafenacine, an Indazole-Hydrazide Agent, Targets Cancer Cells Through Microtubule Destabilization.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Nuclear receptor Nurr1 agonists enhance its dual functions and improve behavioral deficits in an animal model of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD), primarily caused by selective degeneration of midbrain dopamine (mDA) neurons, is the most prevalent movement disorder, affecting 1-2% of the global population over the age of 65. Currently available pharmacological treatments are largely symptomatic and lose their efficacy over time with accompanying severe side effects such as dyskinesia. Thus, there is an unmet clinical need to develop mechanism-based and/or disease-modifying treatments.

Structural transition in Bcl-xL and its potential association with mitochondrial calcium ion transport.

Bcl-2 family proteins are key regulators for cellular homeostasis in response to apoptotic stimuli. Bcl-xL, an antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family member, undergoes conformational transitions, which leads to two conformational states: the cytoplasmic and membrane-bound. Here we present the crystal and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) structures of Bcl-xL treated with the mild detergent n-Octyl β-D-Maltoside (OM).

Biodegradable nanoparticle-mediated K-ras down regulation for pancreatic cancer gene therapy.

RNA interference (RNAi) targeting the K-ras oncogene mutation in pancreatic cancer mediated by small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection is a very promising treatment. However, the rapid degradation and negative charge of naked siRNAs restrict their direct delivery into cells. In this contribution, we propose a safe and effective transmembrane transport nanocarrier formulation based on a newly developed biodegradable charged polyester-based vector (BCPV) for K-ras siRNA delivery into pancreatic cancer cells.

Suprafenacine, an indazole-hydrazide agent, targets cancer cells through microtubule destabilization.

Microtubules are a highly validated target in cancer therapy. However, the clinical development of tubulin binding agents (TBA) has been hampered by toxicity and chemoresistance issues and has necessitated the search for new TBAs. Here, we report the identification of a novel cell permeable, tubulin-destabilizing molecule--4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-indazole-3-carboxylic acid [1p-tolyl-meth-(E)-ylidene]-hydrazide (termed as Suprafenacine, SRF).

Interleukin-8 gene silencing on pancreatic cancer cells using biodegradable polymer nanoplexes.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers throughout the world with rarely efficient therapies currently available. Gene therapy on pancreatic cancer through small interfering RNA (siRNA)-based RNA interference (RNAi) has shown great potential and attracted much attention. However, due to the fragile nature of nucleic acid, the application of RNAi as a safe and efficient carrier faces great challenges.

Crystal structure of Plasmodium vivax FK506-binding protein 25 reveals conformational changes responsible for its noncanonical activity.

The malarial parasites currently remain one of the most dreadful parasites, which show increasing trend of drug resistance to the currently available antimalarial drugs. Thus, the need to identify and characterize new protein targets in these parasites can aid to design novel therapeutic strategies to combat malaria. Recently, the conserved FK506-binding protein family members with molecular weight of 35 kDa from Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax (referred to as PfFKBP35 and PvFKBP35, respectively) were identified for drug targeting.

Biodegradable nanocapsules as siRNA carriers for mutant K-Ras gene silencing of human pancreatic carcinoma cells.

The application of small interfering RNA (siRNA)-based RNA interference (RNAi) for cancer gene therapy has attracted great attention. Gene therapy is a promising strategy for cancer treatment because it is relatively non-invasive and has a higher therapeutic specificity than chemotherapy. However, without the use of safe and efficient carriers, siRNAs cannot effectively penetrate the cell membranes and RNAi is impeded.

Solution structure of FK506-binding protein 12 from Aedes aegypti.

Dengue remains one of the major public concerns as the virus eludes the immune response. Currently, no vaccines or antiviral therapeutics are available for dengue prevention or treatment. Immunosuppressive drug FK506 shows an antimalarial activity, and its molecular target, FK506-binding protein (FKBP), was identified in human Plasmodium parasites.

High-resolution crystal structure of FKBP12 from Aedes aegypti.

Dengue is one of the most infectious viral diseases prevalent mainly in tropical countries. The virus is transmitted by Aedes species of mosquito, primarily Aedes aegypti. Dengue remains a challenging drug target for years as the virus eludes the immune responses.