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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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Seaweed-derived fucoidans and rhamnan sulfates serve as potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents with potential for prophylaxis

Seaweeds represent a rich source of sulfated polysaccharides with similarity to heparan sulfate, a facilitator of myriad virus host cell attachment. For this reason, attention has been drawn to their antiviral activity, including the potential for anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. We have identified and structurally characterized several fucoidan extracts, including those from different species of brown macroalga, and a rhamnan sulfate from a green macroalga species. A high molecular weight fucoidan extracted from Saccharina japonica (FSjRPI-27), and a rhamnan sulfate extracted from Monostroma nitidum (RSMn), showed potent competitive inhibition of spike glycoprotein receptor binding to a heparin-coated SPR chip. This inhibition was also observed in cell-based assays using hACE2 HEK-293 T cells infected by pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 virus with IC50 values <1 μg/mL. Effectiveness was demonstrated in vivo using hACE2–transgenic mice. Intranasal administration of FSjRPI-27 showed protection when dosed 6 h prior to and at infection, and then every 2 days post-infection, with 100 % survival and no toxicity at 104 plaque-forming units per mouse vs. buffer control. At 5-fold higher virus dose, FSjRPI-27 reduced mortality and yielded reduced viral titers in bronchioalveolar fluid and lung homogenates vs. buffer control. Furthermore, these findings suggest the potential application of seaweed-based sulfated polysaccharides as promising anti-SARS-CoV-2 prophylactics.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Biotechnological advances in algae-based foods: applications in nutrition and microbiome health

Algae are a sustainable, nutrient-rich resource with growing potential in food biotechnology. Their ability to thrive in diverse environments makes them a promising alternative to conventional crops. Rich in proteins, essential fatty acids, and bioactive compounds, algae support the development of functional foods, including plant-based meat and seafood alternatives. Advances in synthetic biology and fermentation have enhanced algal nutrient profiles and enabled novel applications. Algae-derived polysaccharides, such as alginate, fucoidan, laminarin, and porphyran, exhibit prebiotic effects by modulating the gut microbiota and promoting SCFA production. Enzymatic hydrolysis efficiently produces bioactive oligosaccharides, while engineered microbial systems support scalable production. Algae also enable synbiotic food development by serving as both prebiotic substrates and probiotic carriers.

Yu, Sora↗

Involvement of multiple scavenger receptors in advanced glycation end product-induced vessel tube formation in endothelial cells

Highlights: • Multiple scavenger receptors contribute to AGE-induced angiogenesis. • RAGE contributes to AGE-induced angiogenesis by upregulation of scavenger receptors. • AGE activates mTOR signaling. Toxic advanced glycation end products (toxic AGEs) derived from glycolaldehyde (AGE3) have been implicated in the development of diabetic vascular complications such as retinopathy characterised by excessive angiogenesis. Different receptor types, such as receptor for AGEs (RAGE), Toll like receptor-4 and scavenger receptors, are expressed in endothelial cells and contribute to AGE-elicited alteration of cell function. In the present study, we examined the involvement of AGE-related receptors on AGE-induced angiogenesis in endothelial cells. The effects of pharmacological inhibitors or receptor neutralizing antibodies on AGE3-induced tube formation were investigated using the in vitro Matrigel tube formation assay in b.End5 cells (mouse endothelial cells). AGE3-induced signalling pathways and receptor expression changes were analysed by Western blot analysis and flow cytometry, respectively. Both FPS-ZM1, a RAGE inhibitor, and fucoidan, a ligand for scavenger receptors, suppressed AGE3-induced tube formation. Cocktails of neutralizing antibodies against the scavenger receptors CD36, CD163 and LOX-1 prevented AGE3-induced tube formation. AGE3 activated mTOR signalling, resulting in facilitation of tube formation. Activation of the AGE-RAGE pathway also led to the upregulation of scavenger receptors. Taken together, our findings suggest that the scavenger receptors CD36, CD163 and LOX-1 in conjunction with the RAGE receptor work together to mediate toxic AGE-induced facilitation of angiogenesis.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Structural Basis of Ligand Selectivity by a Bacterial Adhesin Lectin Involved in Multispecies Biofilm Formation

Carbohydrate recognition by lectins governs critical host-microbe interactions. MpPA14 (Marinomonas primoryensis PA14 domain) lectin is a domain of a 1.5-MDa adhesin responsible for a symbiotic bacterium-diatom interaction in Antarctica. Here, we show that MpPA14 binds various monosaccharides, with l-fucose and N-acetylglucosamine being the strongest ligands (dissociation constant [K d ], ~150 μM). High-resolution structures of MpPA14 with 15 different sugars bound elucidated the molecular basis for the lectin’s apparent binding promiscuity but underlying selectivity. MpPA14 mediates strong Ca 2+ -dependent interactions with the 3,4-diols of l-fucopyranose and glucopyranoses, and it binds other sugars via their specific minor isomers. Thus, MpPA14 only binds polysaccharides like branched glucans and fucoidans with these free end groups. Consistent with our findings, adhesion of MpPA14 to diatom cells was selectively blocked by l-fucose, but not by N-acetyl galactosamine. The MpPA14 lectin homolog present in a Vibrio cholerae adhesin was produced and was shown to have the same sugar binding preferences as MpPA14. The pathogen’s lectin was unable to effectively bind the diatom in the presence of fucose, thus demonstrating the antiadhesion strategy of blocking infection via ligand-based antagonists.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗