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Polymers
Special Issues
Characterization, Bioactivities and Biotechnological Applications of Proteins and Peptides
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Characterization, Bioactivities and Biotechnological Applications of Proteins and Peptides

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 June 2023) | Viewed by 15216

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Thiago Henrique Napoleão

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco 50670-901, Brazil
Interests: bioactive compounds; crop protection; antimicrobial activity; insecticidal activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Emmanuel Viana Pontual

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco 52171-100, Brazil
Interests: bioactive compounds; crop protection; antimicrobial activity; insecticidal activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lidiane Pereira de Albuquerque

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Bioquímica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina, Piauí, Brazil
Interests: proteins; bioactive proteins; lectins; protease inhibitors; biochemistry; peptides; antimicrobial activity; antitumor activity; immunomodulatory activity; insecticidal activity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The study of bioactive compounds from plants, animals and microorganisms has deserved the attention of researchers due to their relevance to Medicine, Agriculture and Biotechnology. Many molecules with potential application in pharmaceutical, agricultural and other industries have been reported in the last few decades. Proteins have been the target of many studies due to their diversity of structures, physico-chemical properties and biological effects. Thus, there are many applications of proteins in, for example, Agriculture and Medicine. In addition, peptides obtained by proteolysis of food materials have been reported to display a lot of biological activities. In this sense, we invite investigators to contribute original research articles, as well as review articles, on the biological/biotechnological properties of proteins and peptides derived from natural sources. The topics covered by this issue include (but are not limited to):

  • Antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activities;
  • Antinutritional factors (of proteinaceous nature);
  • Antioxidant activity;
  • Anti-parasitic activity;
  • Antineoplastic/antitumor activity;
  • Biotechnologically relevant enzymes;
  • Cellular effects;
  • Extraction, purification and characterization of proteins;
  • Insecticidal activity;
  • Methodologies for obtaining bioactive peptides;
  • Pharmacological properties;
  • Recovering of bioactive proteins and peptides from wastes and co-products;
  • Toxicity assessments;
  • Other biotechnological applications.

Dr. Thiago Henrique Napoleão
Dr. Emmanuel Viana Pontual
Dr. Lidiane Pereira de Albuquerque
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • protein
  • biological activity
  • biotechnology
  • biomedicine
  • chemistry of macromolecules

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3301 KiB  
Article
Structural and Functional Insights into the Roles of Potential Metal-Binding Sites in Apostichopus japonicus Ferritin
by Yan Wu, Chunheng Huo, Tinghong Ming, Yan Liu, Chang Su, Xiaoting Qiu, Chenyang Lu, Jun Zhou, Ye Li, Zhen Zhang, Jiaojiao Han, Ying Feng and Xiurong Su
Polymers 2022, 14(24), 5378; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14245378 - 08 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 948
Abstract
Ferritin is widely acknowledged as a conservative iron storage protein found in almost all living kingdoms. Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka) is among the oldest echinoderm fauna and has unique regenerative potential, but the catalytic mechanism of iron oxidation in A. japonicus ferritin (AjFER) remains [...] Read more.
Ferritin is widely acknowledged as a conservative iron storage protein found in almost all living kingdoms. Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka) is among the oldest echinoderm fauna and has unique regenerative potential, but the catalytic mechanism of iron oxidation in A. japonicus ferritin (AjFER) remains elusive. We previously identified several potential metal-binding sites at the ferroxidase center, the three- and four-fold channels in AjFER. Herein, we prepared AjFER, AjFER-E25A/E60A/E105A, AjFER-D129A/E132A, and AjFER-E168A mutants, investigated their structures, and functionally characterized these ferritins with respect to Fe2+ uptake using X-ray techniques together with biochemical analytical methods. A crystallographic model of the AjFER-D129A/E132A mutant, which was solved to a resolution of 1.98 Å, suggested that the substitutions had a significant influence on the quaternary structure of the three-fold channel compared to that of AjFER. The structures of these ferritins in solution were determined based on the molecular envelopes of AjFER and its variants by small-angle X-ray scattering, and the structures were almost consistent with the characteristics of well-folded and globular-shaped proteins. Comparative biochemical analyses indicated that site-directed mutagenesis of metal-binding sites in AjFER presented relatively low rates of iron oxidation and thermostability, as well as weak iron-binding affinity, suggesting that these potential metal-binding sites play critical roles in the catalytic activity of ferritin. These findings provide profound insight into the structure–function relationships related to marine invertebrate ferritins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization, Bioactivities and Biotechnological Applications of Proteins and Peptides)
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12 pages, 1447 KiB  
Article
Inhibition of Carrageenan-Induced Acute Inflammation in Mice by the Microgramma vacciniifolia Frond Lectin (MvFL)
by Leydianne Leite de Siqueira Patriota, Dalila de Brito Marques Ramos, Mariana Gama e Silva, Angela Caroline Lima Amorim dos Santos, Yasmym Araújo Silva, Patrícia Maria Guedes Paiva, Emmanuel Viana Pontual, Lidiane Pereira de Albuquerque, Rosemairy Luciane Mendes and Thiago Henrique Napoleão
Polymers 2022, 14(8), 1609; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14081609 - 15 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2384
Abstract
Most anti-inflammatory drugs used nowadays have an excessive cost and their prolonged use has been connected with several injurious effects. Thus, the search for new anti-inflammatory agents is increasing. Lectins are carbohydrate-interacting proteins that can modulate immune response and the release of inflammation [...] Read more.
Most anti-inflammatory drugs used nowadays have an excessive cost and their prolonged use has been connected with several injurious effects. Thus, the search for new anti-inflammatory agents is increasing. Lectins are carbohydrate-interacting proteins that can modulate immune response and the release of inflammation mediators. The Microgramma vacciniifolia frond lectin (MvFL) was previously reported to be an immunomodulatory agent in vitro. This work aimed to evaluate the effects of MvFL on the in vivo inflammatory status in the carrageenan-induced peritonitis and paw edema, using female Swiss mice. The animals were pretreated intraperitoneally with MvFL (5 and 10 mg/kg). In the peritonitis assay, the total and differential migration of white blood cells was evaluated, as well as the levels of cytokines, nitric oxide (NO), and total proteins in the peritoneal fluid. In the paw edema evaluation, the paw volume was measured in the early (from 30 min–2 h) and late (3–4 h) phases of edema formation. MvFL (5 and 10 mg/kg) was efficient in reducing neutrophil infiltration, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-17, and TNF-α), NO, and protein content in the peritoneal fluid. It also repressed the edema formation in the late phase of the assay. In conclusion, MvFL showed inhibitory effects in in vivo acute inflammation, which encouraged future studies exploiting its immunomodulatory ability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization, Bioactivities and Biotechnological Applications of Proteins and Peptides)
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Review

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16 pages, 2106 KiB  
Review
Influence of Ultra-Heat Treatment on Properties of Milk Proteins
by Thummalacharla Chaitanya Krishna, Agnieszka Najda, Aarti Bains, Mansuri M. Tosif, Rafał Papliński, Magdalena Kapłan and Prince Chawla
Polymers 2021, 13(18), 3164; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13183164 - 18 Sep 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 6100
Abstract
Milk can be considered one of the primary sources of nutrients for the mammalian neonate. Therefore, milk and milk-based products, such as infant formula, whey protein isolate, different varieties of cheese, and others are prepared to meet the nutritional requirements of the consumer. [...] Read more.
Milk can be considered one of the primary sources of nutrients for the mammalian neonate. Therefore, milk and milk-based products, such as infant formula, whey protein isolate, different varieties of cheese, and others are prepared to meet the nutritional requirements of the consumer. Due to its significant nutritional components and perishable nature, a variety of pathogenic microorganisms can grow and multiply quickly in milk. Therefore, various heat treatments can be employed for the improvement of the shelf life of milk. In comparison to pasteurized milk, due to excessive and severe heating, UHT milk has a more cooked flavor. During storage, changes in the physicochemical properties of milk can lead to off-flavors, undesirable browning, separation of fat, sediment formation, or gelation during the subsequent storage. Several important factors such as processing parameters, time-temperature abuse (storage condition), and packaging type also influence the quality characteristics and consumer acceptance of the milk; however, the influence of heat treatments on milk protein is inconstant. The major protein modifications that occur during UHT treatment are denaturation and aggregation of the protein, and chemical modifications of its amino acids. These UHT-induced protein alterations can change digestibility and the overall biological influence of the intake of these proteins. Therefore, this review is focused on the influence of UHT on the physicochemical and structural attributes of milk proteins during storage. There are many indications of milk proteins present in the UHT milk, and milk products are altered during processing and storage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization, Bioactivities and Biotechnological Applications of Proteins and Peptides)
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21 pages, 2130 KiB  
Review
Proteins in Food Systems—Bionanomaterials, Conventional and Unconventional Sources, Functional Properties, and Development Opportunities
by Jan Małecki, Siemowit Muszyński and Bartosz G. Sołowiej
Polymers 2021, 13(15), 2506; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13152506 - 29 Jul 2021
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 5056
Abstract
Recently, food companies from various European countries have observed increased interest in high-protein food and other products with specific functional properties. This review article intends to present proteins as an increasingly popular ingredient in various food products that frequently draw contemporary consumers’ attention. [...] Read more.
Recently, food companies from various European countries have observed increased interest in high-protein food and other products with specific functional properties. This review article intends to present proteins as an increasingly popular ingredient in various food products that frequently draw contemporary consumers’ attention. The study describes the role of conventional, unconventional, and alternative sources of protein in the human body. Furthermore, the study explores proteins’ nutritional value and functional properties, their use in the food industry, and the application of proteins in bionanomaterials. Due to the expected increase in demand for high-protein products, the paper also examines the health benefits and risks of consuming these products, current market trends, and consumer preferences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization, Bioactivities and Biotechnological Applications of Proteins and Peptides)
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