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25th Anniversary of IJMS: Updates and Advances in Macromolecules

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Macromolecules".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 778

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Interests: polymer chemistry; polymer synthesis; catalytic olefin polymerization; organometallic catalysts; metal-catalyzed polymerization; polyolefins
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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: structural biology; cancers; epigenetics; demethylation; transcription regulation; viral polymerase; drug discovery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

IJMS is celebrating its 25th anniversary, becoming an established and trusted journal that publishes scientific molecular research on chemistry, biochemistry, molecular cell biology, and medicine. On this occasion, the Macromolecules Section of the IJMS invites scholars active in research on the chemical, biological, and medicinal aspects of natural and synthetic macromolecules to contribute to the “25th Anniversary of IJMS: Updates and Advances in Macromolecules” Special Issue.

This Special Issue of the IJMS will cover the latest developments, advances, and applications of macromolecules in the fields of chemistry, biology, and medicine over recent decades. Contributions to this Special Issue are expected to address and decipher the key roles that biological macromolecules such as proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids play in processes essential to life, such as structural support, genetic information transfer, and energy storage. Due to their large and complex structures, both synthetically and naturally occurring macromolecules are frequently applied in healthcare chemistry as carriers in drug delivery and biomaterial engineering; contributions that address these topics are welcomed. Finally, macromolecules are seeing increasing interest as sustainable materials in circular chemistry. Research contributions that report on the design and development of biodegradable and eco-friendly macromolecular materials are encouraged to be submitted to this 25th anniversary Special Issue of the IJMS.

Prof. Dr. Haiyang Gao
Prof. Dr. Salah-Eddine Stiriba
Prof. Dr. Zhongzhou Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • macromolecules
  • monomers
  • lipids
  • peptides
  • proteins
  • carbohydrates
  • polysaccharides
  • nucleic acids
  • modification
  • functionalization
  • structure–property relationship

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1600 KiB  
Article
LIMK2-1 Is a Phosphorylation-Dependent Inhibitor of Protein Phosphatase-1 Catalytic Subunit and Myosin Phosphatase Holoenzyme
by Andrea Kiss, Emese Tóth, Zsófia Bodogán, Mohamad Mahfood, Zoltán Kónya and Ferenc Erdődi
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(15), 7347; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157347 - 30 Jul 2025
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Abstract
The C-kinase-activated protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) inhibitor of 17 kDa (CPI-17) is a specific inhibitor of the PP1 catalytic subunit (PP1c) and the myosin phosphatase (MP) holoenzyme. CPI-17 requires the phosphorylation of Thr38 in the peptide segment 35ARV(P)TVKYDRREL46 for inhibitory activity. CPI-17 [...] Read more.
The C-kinase-activated protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) inhibitor of 17 kDa (CPI-17) is a specific inhibitor of the PP1 catalytic subunit (PP1c) and the myosin phosphatase (MP) holoenzyme. CPI-17 requires the phosphorylation of Thr38 in the peptide segment 35ARV(P)TVKYDRREL46 for inhibitory activity. CPI-17 regulates myosin phosphorylation in smooth muscle contraction and the tumorigenic transformation of several cell lines via the inhibition of MP. A phosphospecific antibody (anti-CPI-17pThr38) against the phosphorylation peptide was used to determine the phosphorylation levels in cells. We found that phospho-CPI-17 and its closely related proteins are not present in HeLa and MCF7 cells after inducing phosphorylation by inhibiting phosphatases with calyculin A. In contrast, cross-reactions of proteins in the 40–220 kDa range with anti-CPI-17pThr38 were apparent. Searching the protein database for similarities to the CPI-17 phosphorylation sequence revealed several proteins with 42–75% sequence identities. The LIMK2-1 isoform emerged as a possible PP1 inhibitor. Experiments with Flag-LIMK2-1 overexpressed in tsA201 cells proved that LIMK2-1 interacts with PP1c isoforms and is phosphorylated predominantly by protein kinase C. Phosphorylated LIMK2-1 inhibits PP1c and the MP holoenzyme with similar potencies (IC50 ~28–47 nM). In conclusion, our results suggest that LIMK2-1 is a novel phosphorylation-dependent inhibitor of PP1c and MP and may function as a CPI-17-like phosphatase inhibitor in cells where CPI-17 is present but not phosphorylated upon phosphatase inhibition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 25th Anniversary of IJMS: Updates and Advances in Macromolecules)
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Review

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25 pages, 3583 KiB  
Review
Hyaluronic Acid and Its Synthases—Current Knowledge
by Klaudia Palenčárová, Romana Köszagová and Jozef Nahálka
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(15), 7028; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157028 - 22 Jul 2025
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Abstract
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a linear heteropolysaccharide that naturally occurs in vertebrates. Thanks to its unique physico-chemical properties, it is involved in many key processes in living organisms. These biological activities provide the basis for its broad applications in cosmetics, medicine, and the [...] Read more.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a linear heteropolysaccharide that naturally occurs in vertebrates. Thanks to its unique physico-chemical properties, it is involved in many key processes in living organisms. These biological activities provide the basis for its broad applications in cosmetics, medicine, and the food industry. The molecular weight of HA might vary significantly, as it can be less than 10 kDa or reach more than 6000 kDa. There is a strong correlation between variations in its molecular weight and bioactivities, as well as with various pathological processes. Consequently, monodispersity is a crucial requirement for HA production, together with purity and safety. Common industrial approaches, such as extraction from animal sources and microbial fermentation, have limits in fulfilling these requests. Research and protein engineering with hyaluronic acid synthases can provide a strong tool for the production of monodisperse HA. One-pot multi-enzyme reactions that include in situ nucleotide phosphate regeneration systems might represent the future of HA production. In this review, we explore the current knowledge about HA, its production, hyaluronic synthases, the most recent stage of in vitro enzymatic synthesis research, and one-pot approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 25th Anniversary of IJMS: Updates and Advances in Macromolecules)
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