Page 20 - Abacoa Community News - December '21

Page 20, Abacoa

The Scripps Research Institute News from page 18 would do harm, in the mitochondria or on the sulfur sites of enzyme whose job is to repair oxidative damage to cellular
vulnerable proteins. The compounds activate bioresponsively, proteins. These enzymes appear to become silenced when
oxygen molecules that zip about looking for a place to rest. only after ROS output overwhelms the cells’ usual systems ROS reach pathological levels.
Antioxidant vitamins like vitamins C, E and beta-carotene for managing them, Carroll says. The difference between healthy and dangerous levels
soak up such free radicals. However, it has recently become Carroll describes creating the sensors, called WYne, with of antioxidants in the brain isn’t yet well understood.
clear that free radicals like ROS aren’t just troublemakers. the help of a substance called a Wittig reagent. Bound with Malfunctioning mitochondria can lead directly to devastating
They also play important signaling roles in the body, such fluorescent or other tags, the tools can illuminate where free inherited childhood disorders like Leigh syndrome. In other
as activating the immune system. They may play other roles radicals react in mitochondria and cells, typically, the sulfur disease processes, such as those that drive Alzheimer’s,
as well, but scientists have lacked the chemical toolbox to sites of cysteine amino acids. mitochondria become collateral damage to cells under
readily study them until now. Carroll anticipates the tool will be used in multiple ways: stress. The stress leads neurons’ mitochondria to churn out
Free radicals’ complex, good/bad roles in the body may to facilitate the growing field of reactive oxygen and nitrogen pathologic amounts of free radicals, and it’s believed that
explain why antioxidant studies for treating Alzheimer’s, species research, to empower studies of mitochondria, and the ensuing damage accelerates neuron death.
cancer and other conditions have shown inconsistent results, potentially to enable development of the first mitochondria- “There’s a whole host of diseases associated with
and in some cases, shown harm. There’s likely a Goldilocks directed therapeutics. inflammation that in theory would benefit from this compound
“just right” level, neither too much nor too little, which makes “There is no FDA-approved drug to cure or even as a drug,” Carroll says. “I think with this publication we are
dosing antioxidants problematic. significantly prevent progression of mitochondrial-based going to stimulate a new field of people thinking about how
“There’s a need for a sensor that we could incorporate diseases,” Carroll says. “We implemented an antioxidant- they can use redox tools (reduction-oxidation) to activate
into a drug to make it active when there’s a pathological based mitochondrial delivery system that is bioresponsive.” drugs. We have shown it is chemically possible and now
level of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, or a normal A bioresponsive antioxidant therapy could alleviate people can apply this concept to any number of systems or
level,” Carroll says. “We have developed such a sensor. It inflammation in diseases such as irritable bowel diseases and compounds.”
only becomes functional in the face of pathological levels chronic intestinal inflammation. It could also be engineered The study, “Wittig reagents for chemoselective sulfenic
of reactive oxygen species.” to deliver more selective therapies to target cancer, aging acid ligation enables global site stoichiometry analysis and
Carroll’s sensor has an affinity for the same molecular or other degenerative diseases associated with elevated redox-controlled mitochondrial targeting,” appears in the
addresses favored by free radicals, meaning they could oxidative stress, she adds. Sept. 16, 2021 issue of Nature Chemistry. In addition to
serve as a pro-drug to drive therapeutic compounds such “This chemical switch we have designed responds to corresponding author Carroll, the first author is Yunlong
as antioxidants directly to the places where free radicals elevated levels of reactive oxygen species, and then it Shi of Scripps Research, and Ling Fu and Jing Yang of the
undergoes a transformation to become the active form of the National Center for Protein Sciences in Beijing, China.

drug or molecule,” Carroll explains. “It unmasks the active
This work was supported by the National Institutes of
Jupiter Senior part of the drug.” Health R01 GM102187 and R01 CA174864 to Carroll,
and the National Natural Science Foundation of China
Creation of the bioresponsive molecule has grown out of

Softball News years of research from the Carroll lab into the biochemistry (21922702), the National Key R and D Program of China
(2016YFA0501303) and the State Key Laboratory of
of reactive oxygen species and their impact on the sulfur-rich
Proteomics (SKLP-K201703 and SKLP-K201804).
amino acid cysteine. She previously found that cells make an
Members of the Jupiter Senior Softball Association “Service is our number one priority”
(JSSA) paid tribute to those who served in our nation’s
armed forces in a Veterans Day ceremony. Attended by 561-743-0070
more than 60 persons, including a number of veterans.
Players gathered around the American flag at a www.palmspoolservices.com
Jupiter Community Park ball diamond and heard
speaker Everett Barber who said Veterans Day is a
time to honor all those who served their nation. “Today,
we give special thanks and lift up the veterans of our
American armed services who have defended our
beautiful country,” he said. He also recited a prayer
honoring those who served.
The Veterans Day ceremony is a tradition for the
senior softball players and was held the day before
the Nov. 11 national holiday because no games were
scheduled that day. Ron Nolan, a combat veteran of
the Vietnam War, urged veterans to take advantage of
the many services available at the VA Medical Center
in West Palm Beach.
The ceremony ended with Jay Stollman leading Expires 12/31/21.
players in singing of the National Anthem. Then it was
“play ball” as slow-pitch softball games got underway State Licensed & Insured
on three fields. The senior softball program is open to Serving Palm Beach County CPC # 1457468 • LPG#30099
persons 55 and over and is sponsored in cooperation
with the Town of Jupiter. Games are every Monday,
Wednesday and Friday morning beginning at 8:30 a.m.
with batting practice. Window Screens • Screen Doors
New players are welcome, and are needed to fill
team rosters for pickup games and the 2022 Winter
League that begins Jan. 10. To register online or for
more information go to www.leaguelneup.com/jssa.
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Batter Jeff Baron makes contact in a senior softball game
Nov. 10.
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