Biochemistry
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Recent Publications

​​Journal Articles (subsidised)

BRAGANÇA PHN, BELLSTEDT DU, VAN DER MERWE PDW, COTTERILL FPD, WATTERS BR, CHAKONA A. Nothobranchius balamaensis (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae), a new species of annual killifish from northern Mozambique. Zootaxa 2022; 5174(5):508-524.

CAILLET C, STOFBERG ML, MULEYA V, SHONHAI A, ZININGA T. Host cell stress response as a predictor of COVID-19 infectivity and disease progression. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences 2022; 9:938099, 24 pages.

CARTWRIGHT M, LOUW-DU TOIT R, AFRICANDER DJ. The transcriptional activity of progestins used in contraception and menopausal hormone therapy via progesterone receptor A is dependent on the density of the receptor. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 2022; 639:70-76.

CHAKAFANA G, MAKUMIRE S, ZININGA T, SHONHAI A. Exploring the application of ELISA and slot blot as utility protein–protein interaction analysis tools. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa 2022; 77(3):175-180.

CLEMENTS-DECKER T, RAUTENBACH M, KHAN S, KHAN W. Metabolomics and Genomics Approach for the Discovery of Serrawettin W2 Lipopeptides from Serratia marcescens NP2. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2022; 85:1256-1266.

KOMANE M, AVENANT C, LOUW-DU TOIT R, AFRICANDER DJ, HAPGOOD JP. Differential off-target glucocorticoid activity of progestins used in endocrine therapy. STEROIDS 2022; 182:108998, 9 pages.

KOTHMANN KH, JONS A, WILHELMI B, KASOZI N, GRAHAM L, GENT R, ATKIN SL, SWART AC, NEWELL-FUGATE AE. Non-invasive assessment of fecal glucocorticoid, progesterone, and androgen metabolites and microbiome in free-ranging southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) in South Africa. GENERAL AND COMPARATIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY 2022; 329:114099, 13 pages.

KUSCHMIERZ L, SHEN L, BRÄSEN C, SNOEP JL, SIEBERS B. Workflows for optimization of enzyme cascades and whole cell catalysis based on enzyme kinetic characterization and pathway modelling. CURRENT OPINION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY 2022; 74:55-60.

LAUBSCHER WE, RAUTENBACH M. Direct detection of antibacterial-producing soil isolates utilizing a novel high-throughput screening assay. Microorganisms 2022; 10:2235, 20 pages.

LEUSSA NA, RAUTENBACH M. Antiplasmodial cyclodecapeptides from tyrothricin share a target with chloroquine. Antibiotics 2022; 11:801, 22 pages.

LOMBARD N, STANDER MA, REDELINGHUYS H, LE ROUX MM, VAN WYK B-E. A study of phenolic compounds and their chemophenetic value in the genus Thesium (Santalaceae). Diversity 2022; 14:590, 28 pages.

LOOS B, DU TOIT A, HOFMEYR JS. Non-invasive monitoring of autophagy. Nature Biomedical Engineering 2022; 6:1015-1016.

MAGANGANA TP, MAKUNGA NP, FAWOLE OA, STANDER MA, OPARA UL. Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Metabolomic Characterization of Blanched Pomegranate Peel Extracts: Effect of Cultivar. Molecules 2022; 27:2979, 24pages.

MAKUNGA NP, SCHROEDER E, STANDER MA. Mesembrine alkaloid production in in vitro culture morphotypes of Sceletium tortuosum (L.) N.E. Br. Industrial Crops and Products 2022; 185:115051, 12pages.

MASIKE K, DE VILLIERS AJ, DE BEER D, JOUBERT E, STANDER MA. Application of direct injection-ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (DI-IMS-MS) for the analysis of phenolics in honeybush and rooibos tea samples. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 2022; 106:104308: 11.

MUTHELO T, MULAUDZI V, NETSHISHIVHE M, DONGOLA TH, KOK M, MAKUMIRE S, DE VILLIERS M, BURGER A, ZININGA T, SHONHAI A. Inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum Hsp70-Hop partnership by 2-phenylthynesulfonamide. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences 2022; 9:947203, 15 pages.

NGUBO M, REID JL, PATTERTON H. Distinct structural groups of histone H3 and H4 residues have divergent effects on chronological lifespan in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. PLoS One 2022; 17(5):e0268760; 23pp.

OLIVIER T, LOOTS L, KOK M, DE VILLIERS M, READER J, BIRKHOLTZ L, ARNOTT GE, DE VILLIERS K. Adsorption to the surface of hemozoin crystals: Structure-based design and synthesis of amino-phenoxazine β-hematin inhibitors. ChemMedChem 2022; 17(10):e202200139, 13 pages.

PERKINS MS, LOUW-DU TOIT R, JACKSON HC, SIMONS M, AFRICANDER DJ. Upregulation of an estrogen receptor-regulated gene by first generation progestins requires both the progesterone receptor and estrogen receptor alpha. Frontiers in Endocrinology 2022; 13:959396, 14 pages.

REDDY K, STANDER MA, STAFFORD GI, MAKUNGA NP. Mass Spectrometry Metabolomics and Feature-Based Molecular Networking Reveals Population-Specific Chemistry in Some Species of the Sceletium Genus. Frontiers in Nutrition 2022; 9:819753, 20 pages.

SCHIFFER L, SHAHEEN F, GILLIGAN L, STORBECK K, HAWLEY JS, KEEVIL BG, ARLT W, TAYLOR AE. Multi-steroid profiling by UHPLC-MS/MS with post-column infusion of ammonium fluoride. Journal of Chromatography B-Analytical Technologies in the Biomedical and Life Sciences 2022; 1209:123413, 11 pages.

SCHMERLING C, KOURIL T, SNOEP JL, BRÄSEN C, SIEBERS B. Enhanced underground metabolism challenges life at high temperature–metabolic thermoadaptation in hyperthermophilic Archaea. Current Opinion in Systems Biology 2022; 30:100423, 9 pages.

SHAIKH B, SMITH LP, VASILESCU D, MARUPILLA G, WILSON M, AGMON E, ROHWER JM, SNOEP JL, VAN NIEKERK DD, ET AL. BioSimulators: a central registry of simulation engines and services for recommending specific tools. Nucleic Acids Research 2022; 50:W108-W114.

SPEELMAN TS, DALE L, LOUW A, VERHOOG NJD. The association of acute phase proteins in stress and inflammation-induced T2D. Cells 2022; 11:2163, 20 pages.

SPIES LL, VERHOOG NJD, LOUW A. Relative contribution of molecular mechanisms to cumulative ligand-mediated downregulation of GRα. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 2022; 602:113-119.

STORBECK K. A commentary on the origins of 11-ketotestosterone. European Journal of Endocrinology 2022; 187(6):C5-C8.

TIMMERMANS S, VERHOOG NJD, VAN LOOVEREN K, DEWAELE S, HOCHEPIED T, EGGERMONT M, GILBERT B, BOEREMA-DE MUNCK A, LOUW A, ET AL. Point mutation I634A in the glucocorticoid receptor causes embryonic lethality by reduced ligand binding. JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY 2022; 298(2):101574, 15 pages.

VAN DYK L, VERHOOG NJD, LOUW A. Combinatorial treatments of tamoxifen and SM6Met, an extract from Cyclopia subternata Vogel, are superior to either treatment alone in MCF-7 cells. Frontiers in Pharmacology 2022; 13:1017690, 17 pages.

YU Y, VAN DER ZWAAG M, WEDMAN JJ, PERMENTIER H, PLOMP N, JIA X, KANON B, EGGENS-MEIJER E, STRAUSS E, ET AL. Coenzyme A precursors flow from mother to zygote and from microbiome to host. MOLECULAR CELL 2022; 82:2650-2665.

Chapters in Books

DU TOIT A, HOFMEYR JS, LOOS B. Measuring Autophagosome Flux. In: LOOS B, Wong E (eds.) Imaging and Quantifying Neuronal Autophagy, Springer, New York, USA, 2022: 67-78.

Doctorals completed

Click here for an up-to-date list.

JACKSON HC. An investigation into the role of adiposity and progestins used in menopausal hormone therapy in breast cancer. PhD, 2022. 200 pp. Promotor: AFRICANDER DJ. Medepromotor: Pheiffer C.

KOK M. Studies on the metabolism of N-substituted pantothenamides in blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum. PhD, 2022. 255 pp. Promotor: DE VILLIERS M. Medepromotor: STRAUSS E.

OLAYOKU FR. SM6Met, a Cyclopia subternata extract as a potential selective oestrogen receptor downregulator (SERD) for breast cancer. PhD, 2022. 386 pp. Promotor: LOUW A.​

Masters completed

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FRANTZ TC. The control of GAPDH on glycolytic flux in Lactococcus lactis and Plasmodium falciparum. MSc, 2022. 98 pp. Studieleier: VAN NIEKERK DD. Medestudieleier: SNOEP JL.

GIBSON H. An investigation into the circulating levels of 11-oxygenated androgens in South African women and their link to insulin resistance. MSc, 2022. 94 pp. Studieleier: STORBECK K. Medestudieleier: SNOEP JL.

MINNIE SL. An investigation into N-substituted pantoyltauramides as inhibitors of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Plasmodium falciparum. MSc, 2022. 109 pp. Studieleier: DE VILLIERS M. Medestudieleier: STRAUSS E.

MURRAY SM. An investigation into the effect of metabolism on the comparative androgenic activity of testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone. MSc, 2022. 90 pp. Studieleier: STORBECK K. Medestudieleier: AFRICANDER DJ.

PATEL VB. The influence of impaired CoA biosynthesis on prostate cancer cells. MSc, 2022. 120 pp. Studieleier: DE VILLIERS M. Medestudieleier: STORBECK K.

SHARP M. Investigating the effects of progestins used in contraception and menopausal hormone therapy on aromatase expression and activity. MSc, 2022. 86 pp. Studieleier: AFRICANDER DJ.

SIMONS M. Investigating the effects of progestins and adiposity on c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signalling in breast cancer. MSc, 2022. 90 pp. Studieleier: AFRICANDER DJ.

SITZER W. Investigation of protein complexes involved in coenzyme A biosynthesis. MSc, 2022. 72 pp. Studieleier: STRAUSS E. Medestudieleier: Woodward JD.