Background: Phosphoinositides are involved in regulating TLR4 signaling. Results: PIP5K␣ knockdown in BV2 microglial cells inhibits LPS-induced inflammatory responses, PIP 2 increase, and TIRAP translocation to the plasma membrane. Conclusion: PIP5K␣-derived PIP 2 facilitates TLR4-mediated microglial inflammatory responses through recruitment of TIRAP to the plasma membrane. Significance: Regulation of PIP5K␣-dependent PIP 2 pool may modulate TLR4-associated immune function in microglia.

Intracellular mobilization of fatty acids from triacylglycerols in mammalian adipose tissues proceeds through a series of lipolytic reactions. Among the enzymes involved, hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is noteworthy for its central role in energy homeostasis and the pathogenic role played by its dysregulation. By virtue of its broad substrate specificity, HSL may also serve as an industrial biocatalyst. In a previous report, Est25, a bacterial homologue of HSL, was identified from a metagenomic library by functional screening. Here, the crystal structure of Est25 is reported at 1.49 Å resolution; it exhibits an α/β-hydrolase fold consisting of a central β-sheet enclosed by α-helices on both sides. The structural features of the cap domain, the substrate-binding pocket and the dimeric interface of Est25, together with biochemical and biophysical studies including native PAGE, mass spectrometry, dynamic light scattering, gel filtration and enzyme assays, could provide a basis for understanding the properties and regulation of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL). The increased stability of cross-linked Est25 aggregates (CLEA-Est25) and their potential for extensive reuse support the application of this preparation as a biocatalyst in biotransformation processes.

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Template-driven strategy has been widely used to synthesize inorganic nano/micro materials. Here, we used a bottom-up controlled synthesis route to develop a powerful solution-based method of fabricating three-dimensional (3D), hierarchical, porous-Co3O4 superstructures that exhibit the morphology of flower-like microspheres (hereafter, RT-Co3O4). The gram-scale RT-Co3O4 was facilely prepared using one-pot synthesis with bacterial templating at room temperature. Large-surface-area RT-Co3O4 also has a noticeable pseudocapacitive performance because of its high mass loading per area (~10 mg cm−2), indicating a high capacitance of 214 F g−1 (2.04 F cm−2) at 2 A g−1 (19.02 mA cm−2), a Coulombic efficiency averaging over 95%, and an excellent cycling stability that shows a capacitance retention of about 95% after 4,000 cycles.

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