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1. Kinetic modeling of anaerobic degradation of plant-derived aromatic mixtures by Rhodopseudomonas palustris

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-021-09932-3  

   Ma, Yanjun; Donohue, Timothy J.; Noguera, Daniel R. (April 2021, Biodegradation)

   null (Ed.)

   Abstract Rhodopseudomonas palustris is a model microorganism for studying the anaerobic metabolism of aromatic compounds. While it is well documented which aromatics can serve as sole organic carbon sources, co-metabolism of other aromatics is poorly understood. This study used kinetic modeling to analyze the simultaneous degradation of aromatic compounds present in corn stover hydrolysates and model the co-metabolism of aromatics not known to support growth of R. palustris as sole organic substrates. The simulation predicted that p -coumaroyl amide and feruloyl amide were hydrolyzed to p -coumaric acid and ferulic acid, respectively, and further transformed via p -coumaroyl-CoA and feruloyl-CoA. The modeling also suggested that metabolism of p -hydroxyphenyl aromatics was slowed by substrate inhibition, whereas the transformation of guaiacyl aromatics was inhibited by their p -hydroxyphenyl counterparts. It also predicted that substrate channeling may occur during degradation of p -coumaroyl-CoA and feruloyl-CoA, resulting in no detectable accumulation of p -hydroxybenzaldehyde and vanillin, during the transformation of these CoA ligated compounds to p- hydroxybenzoic acid and vanillic acid, respectively. While the simulation correctly represented the known transformation of p -hydroxybenzoic acid via the benzoyl-CoA pathway, it also suggested co-metabolism of vanillic acid and syringic acid, which are known not to serve as photoheterotrophic growth substrate for R. palustris . 

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2. The Effect of Dicarboxylic Acid Catalyst Structure on Hydrolysis of CelluloseModel Compound D-Cellobiose in Water

   https://doi.org/10.2174/2213337208666211129090444  

   Fernando, Harshica; Amarasekara, Ananda S. (June 2022, Current Organocatalysis)

   Background:Polycarboxylic acids are of interest as simple mimics for cellulase enzyme catalyzed depolymerization of cellulose. In this study, DFT calculations were used to investigate the effect of structure on dicarboxylic acid organo-catalyzed hydrolysis of cellulose model compound D-cellobiose to D-glucose. Methods:Binding energy of the complex formed between D-cellobiose and acid (Ebind), as well as glycosidic oxygen to dicarboxylic acid closest acidic H distance were studied as key parameters affecting the turn over frequency of hydrolysis in water. Result:α-D-cellobiose - dicarboxylic acid catalyst down face approach showed high Ebind values for five of the six acids studied; indicating the favorability of down face approach. Maleic, cis-1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic, and phthalic acids with the highest catalytic activities showed glycosidic oxygen to dicarboxylic acid acidic H distances 3.5-3.6 Å in the preferred configuration. Conclusion:The high catalytic activities of these acids may be due to the rigid structure, where acid groups are held in a fixed geometry. 

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3. Enantiopure molecules form apparently racemic monolayers of chiral cyclic pentamers

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d4cp02094d  

   Heiner, Benjamin R; Handy, Kaitlyn M; Devlin, Angela M; Soucek, Jewel L; Pittsford, Alexander M; Turner, David A; Petersen, Jacob P; Oliver, Allen G; Corcelli, Steven A; Kandel, S Alex (October 2024, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   Ultra-high vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (UHV-STM) was used to investigate two related molecules pulse-deposited onto Au(111) surfaces: indoline-2-carboxylic acid and proline (pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid). 

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4. Influence of binders and matrices on zeolite-containing catalysts

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d4cy00737a  

   Zhang, Ke; Jiang, Xiao; Forte, Michael J; Sun, Miao; AlAbdullah, Mohammad; AlAmer, Mohammed; Aljishi, Mohammad; AlSayed, Essam; AlSadat, Wajdi; Gates, Bruce C; et al (August 2024, Catalysis Science & Technology)

   This perspective summarizes the role of binders in zeolitic catalytic systems and provides insights into how binders affect acid density, porosity, and the control of the proximity between metal and acid sites within shaped zeolite catalysts. 

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5. PSVII-11 Effect of exogenous fatty acids on bovine fibro-adipogenic progenitor cell proliferation and adipogenic differentiation.

   https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf300.584  

   Gish, Perri; Tsonov, Maykal; Stewart, Madison; Smith, Lucas; Vahmani, Payam (October 2025, Journal of Animal Science)

   Abstract Fibro-adipogenic progenitor cells (FAPs) are muscle resident stem cells that contribute to marbling- a key determinant of beef quality grade. FAPs retain their stemness into the pre-weaning period in cattle, creating opportunities for early-life interventions to promote marbling. Lipids are a critical dietary component for calves, yet there is limited information on how different dietary fatty acids influence FAPs. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of fatty acids on FAP proliferation and adipogenic differentiation in vitro. An immortalized FAP cell line was used for the initial fatty acid screen and primary bovine FAPs (N=2 cattle) for subsequent experiments. Fatty acids were supplemented as BSA conjugates in culture media between 25-200µM. Control treatments included a vehicle control (BSA) in both experiments, and a no treatment control (growth media) and metabolic control (elaidic acid) in primary cell experiments. To assess proliferation, 10µM EdU was added into the media after cell pre-treatment with fatty acids and incubated for 24 hours (immortalized cells) or 6 hours (primary cells). To assess adipogenesis, FAPs were cultured with treatments in differentiation media for 3 days then maturation media for 7 days. Lipid droplets were assessed via Oil Red O in brightfield and fluorescent microscopy; EdU, nuclei, and PPARγ intensity were assessed via immunofluorescence. Image analysis was conducted in ImageJ, and data analysis was conducted in RStudio. An immortalized FAP line was used for an initial screen of oleic, palmitic, stearic, lauric, and linoleic acid at 25, 62.5, 100, 150, and 200µM. We found significant interaction effects between fatty acid and concentration for proliferation rates (p=0.0021) and the number of lipid droplets per cell (p=0.0016), while the median lipid droplet size was only impacted by fatty acid treatment (p< 0.0001). Notably, increasing stearic acid decreased proliferation, oleic and linoleic increased lipid droplet size, and oleic, palmitic, and stearic increased lipid droplets per cell. From these results, 150µM linoleic and oleic acid were selected for further testing using primary bovine FAPs. Treatments had no significant impact on bovine FAP proliferation or PPARγ expression. In adipogenic differentiation, the addition of any fatty acid supported over 190% more lipid droplets per cell (p< 0.05) and a 225% larger median lipid droplet size (p< 0.01) compared to the vehicle control. Oleic acid increased median lipid droplet size compared to linoleic acid (p=0.0429). Overall, this preliminary work presents evidence that FAP lipid accumulation and proliferation can be differentially impacted by supplemental fatty acids. For calf nutrition, this work highlights the potential importance of dietary fat to target marbling development. For this application, further work should assess the cellular metabolism and mechanisms related to fatty acid supplementation on adipogenic differentiation of FAPs, and assess additional fatty acids. 

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