Microbial Biotechnology最新文献

{"title":"Toward Sustainable Crop Production in a Changing Climate: Microbiomes, Pathogens, Biostimulants and Biocontrol Innovations","authors":"Ashleigh Holmes,&nbsp;Miguel A. Matilla","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70442","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70442","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Climate change is recognised as one of the most pressing global challenges, with profound consequences for plant health, agricultural productivity, and food security worldwide. In this opinion article, we discuss recent advances in how climate change affects plant–microbe interactions, soil antibiotic resistance, and plant-associated microbiomes, including shifts in the distribution of plant pathogens. We also examine the influence of land-use practices, including integrated agricultural management, on the physicochemical and microbiological properties of soils under changing climatic conditions. In addition, we critically discuss emerging biological and biotechnological strategies aimed at enhancing plant health and resilience under climate change. These approaches include the rational design of synthetic microbial communities (SynComs), bacteriophage therapy, mycovirus-based biocontrol, antibiotic-producing microbial biocontrol agents, (nano-enabled) microbiome engineering, and extracellular vesicle-mediated RNA delivery systems. Challenges involved in translating laboratory-based discoveries into effective field applications are also discussed. Collectively, current advances highlight the growing potential of microbial biotechnology to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides and fertilisers, while supporting sustainable and integrated crop management under climate-change scenarios.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13591108/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149011868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploration of Alkaliphilic Bacteria Alkalitalea saponilacus Identifies Glycoside Hydrolases With Biotechnological Potential","authors":"A. Stephen,&nbsp;N. L. Brown,&nbsp;R. Rostron,&nbsp;R. J. Wigham,&nbsp;A. K. Malekpour,&nbsp;G. W. Black,&nbsp;A. L. Morales Garcia,&nbsp;H. C. L. Yau,&nbsp;N. J. Lant,&nbsp;J. Munoz-Munoz","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70448","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70448","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Soap Lake, a small meromictic lake in Washington State, USA, harbours a diverse microbial community adapted to high carbonate, sulfate and sulfide concentrations and a pH of approximately 9.8. <i>Alkalitalea saponilacus</i>, an anaerobic obligate bacterium from the lowest layer of Soap Lake, encodes multiple secreted enzymes, bioinformatically annotated as active on a range of carbohydrates. The ability of these enzymes to function under their extreme native conditions offers considerable industrial potential, most notably in the production of granular laundry and automatic dishwashing detergents that require robust performance under highly ionic conditions. Whilst some alkaline-stable enzyme classes exist within current detergent formulations, there is a significant underrepresentation of non-starch polysaccharide-targeting candidates, positioning <i>A. saponilacus</i> as an untapped reservoir for this application. This study investigates <i>A. saponilacus</i> beta-glucan degradation and confirms, using RT-qPCR, the involvement of polysaccharide utilisation loci (PUL) 10 in this process. A representative glycoside hydrolase 16 from this PUL has been heterologously expressed and evaluated as a beta-glucan-targeting candidate, stable under harsh alkaline conditions. To demonstrate the industrial potential of <i>A. saponilacus</i> across both genomic location and functional enzyme families, a mannan-targeting glycoside hydrolase 26 and a cellulose-targeting glycoside hydrolase 9 were also evaluated for substrate deconstruction under high pH conditions. All three model GHs were tested for complex stain removal within a commercial detergent formula, where they exhibited considerable potential as additives. These results reinforce the prospects of the respective molecules, and ultimately the <i>A. saponilacus</i> proteome, for biotechnological applications where performance under alkaline or strongly ionic conditions is required.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13591233/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149011882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthetic Chromosomes in Yeast: A Platform for Understanding and Programming Eukaryotic Life","authors":"Daniel T. Lusk,&nbsp;Ian M. Ehrenreich","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70444","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70444","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A central goal of biology is to understand how genome sequence, content and organization give rise to living systems with specific traits. Achieving this goal requires understanding which genes are collectively required for life and for particular traits, how their products work together and how the organization of these genes in the genome affects cellular function. At a broader scale, it also means determining the mechanisms that generate inherited phenotypic diversity and enable adaptation and speciation. Synthetic chromosome assembly in the budding yeast <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> provides a tractable platform for probing these relationships in a model eukaryote by allowing chromosomes to be designed, built and tested directly in living cells. By making chromosome-scale genome architecture an experimental variable, chromosome synthesis differs from approaches that describe organisms as they occur in nature or test the effects of one or a few genes at a time. This review traces the emergence of yeast synthetic chromosomes as tools for genome biology and identifies advances needed to make chromosome-scale design more predictive.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13591232/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149011938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of Cellulose Particles on Streptomyces spp. Growth, Morphology, and Metabolite Spectrum","authors":"Dorothea M. Schütterle,&nbsp;Bashar Al-Smadi,&nbsp;Jethro L. Hemmann,&nbsp;Gesa Brauneck,&nbsp;Ana M. Palacio-Barrera,&nbsp;Ivan Schlembach,&nbsp;Sascha Schäuble,&nbsp;Jorgen Barsett Magnus,&nbsp;Gianni Panagiotou,&nbsp;Miriam A. Rosenbaum","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70445","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70445","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Filamentous soil bacteria of the genus <i>Streptomyces</i> are a major source of bioactive natural products, including antibiotics. However, their industrial cultivation is complicated by complex morphologies ranging from dispersed mycelia to dense pellets, which are closely linked to productivity. Microparticles, such as talc or aluminium oxide, are commonly added to modulate macromorphology, yet their effects across diverse <i>Streptomyces</i> species remain insufficiently characterized. Here, we systematically evaluated the impact of cellulose particles on growth, morphology, and metabolite production in 13 <i>Streptomyces</i> species (<i>Streptomyces</i> spp.). Cellulose addition significantly reduced pellet size and altered metabolite profiles in a species-dependent manner, resulting predominantly in a decrease of natural product abundance. Without cellulose addition, metabolite profiles correlated with biosynthetic potential encoded in the genomes, whereas this relationship did not hold in the presence of cellulose. With the addition of cellulose, a decrease in peptide signals present across species was observed. Cellulose-associated mechanical stress led to species-specific metabolomic shifts characterized by increased amino acids, lipids, and other degradation products, consistent with enhanced mechanical cellular disruption, which might have decreased proteolytic turnover during the stationary phase in some species that were more prone to mechanical stress. Although pellet size reduction is often associated with increased abundance of natural products, these findings demonstrate that the influence of solid particles on <i>Streptomyces</i> natural products and metabolism is species-dependent. This work provides a foundation for future studies using dynamic systems, such as co-cultivation with cellulolytic organisms, to improve natural product discovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1751-7915.70445","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148981728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Endogenous CRISPR-Based Removal of Tetracycline Resistance in Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Through a Safe-by-Design Approach","authors":"Marianna Bozzetti,&nbsp;Matteo Raneri,&nbsp;Claudia Cortimiglia,&nbsp;Giovanni Milani,&nbsp;Federica Volontè,&nbsp;Franco Lucchini,&nbsp;Daniela Bassi,&nbsp;Pier Sandro Cocconcelli","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70443","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70443","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Bifidobacterium animalis</i> subsp. <i>lactis</i> is widely used as a probiotic; however, the presence of the tetracycline resistance gene <i>tetW</i> raises safety and regulatory concerns due to its potential mobility within the gut microbiome. Here, we applied a Safe-by-Design strategy using the endogenous CRISPR-Cas system of <i>B. animalis</i> subsp. <i>lactis</i> BLC01 to inactivate <i>tetW</i> through the introduction of premature stop codons. Whole-genome sequencing confirmed the intended editing and excluded relevant off-target effects. <i>tetW</i> inactivation markedly reduced the tetracycline minimum inhibitory concentration, restoring susceptibility below the tetracycline cut-off value for bifidobacteria (8 μg/mL). Comparative phenotypic analyses demonstrated that the edited strain (BLC01-2F3G10) retained key probiotic traits, including tolerance to acid, bile, and osmotic stress, exopolysaccharide production, aggregation capacity, survival during simulated gastrointestinal digestion and adhesion to intestinal epithelial cells. Importantly, no reversion to tetracycline resistance was observed after prolonged exposure to sub-inhibitory minimal selective antimicrobial concentration, indicating genetic stability of the edited phenotype. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that endogenous CRISPR-based genome editing can be leveraged to selectively remove antimicrobial resistance determinants from probiotic strains while preserving functionality, supporting the development of next-generation probiotics with an improved safety profile and reduced potential for antimicrobial resistance dissemination in the human gut.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13575638/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148965735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Expanding the Genetic Toolkit of Pichia kudriavzevii E1 for Enhanced Mycoprotein Production","authors":"Yupeng Wang,&nbsp;Shenghan Gao,&nbsp;Chenchen Wu,&nbsp;Liangchen Guo,&nbsp;Peijie Han,&nbsp;Limin Wang,&nbsp;Justyna Ruchała,&nbsp;Bo Yu","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70447","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70447","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Pichia kudriavzevii</i> is gaining attention as a non-conventional yeast with significant industrial potential, owing to its robust tolerance to low pH and diverse process-related stresses. However, the lack of a reliable episomal expression system and the scarcity of well-characterized promoters currently impede predictable gene expression and modular metabolic engineering in this workhorse. Here, we report development of the stable episomal expression vector for <i>P. kudriavzevii</i> E1. This was achieved through identification of a functional autonomously replicating sequence from the endogenous genome, guided by the established host-vector GC compatibility workflow. Leveraging this episomal platform, we then constructed an endogenous promoter library for <i>P. kudriavzevii</i> E1 via transcriptomic sequencing data analysis. Among the characterized promoters, the endogenous PkTDH3 promoter exhibited the highest activity. Notably, PkTDH3 demonstrated more stable and sustained expression compared to the strong promoter ScTDH3 from <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>, underscoring the value of establishing native promoter resources for <i>P. kudriavzevii</i>. Furthermore, we expanded the strength range of the promoter library by engineering the upstream activating sequence of PkTDH3 through random mutagenesis. As a proof of concept, the developed promoter library was employed to construct <i>P. kudriavzevii</i> mutants with elevated protein content, demonstrating the utility of this integrated genetic toolkit for strain engineering in <i>P. kudriavzevii</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13578925/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148975154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bacteriophages Control Epiphytic Pseudomonas syringae Populations in Highbush Blueberry Leaves","authors":"Cassidy Ball,&nbsp;Philip Lauman,&nbsp;Tongzhou Xu,&nbsp;Thomas Guy,&nbsp;Kasia Dadej,&nbsp;Robin Richter,&nbsp;Mark Lubberts,&nbsp;Keiran Cross,&nbsp;Meilin Ren,&nbsp;Someshwar Ravnit Latchman,&nbsp;Rishi Burlakoti,&nbsp;Xiangyu Deng,&nbsp;Karen Fong,&nbsp;Siyun Wang","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70438","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70438","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The <i>Pseudomonas syringae</i> complex (Psc) is a group of globally distributed phytopathogens responsible for substantial agricultural losses. Although bacteriophage-based biocontrol has shown promise against Psc, no studies have examined phages targeting blueberry-tropic Psc lineages. Here, we isolated phages infecting Psc strains from diseased highbush blueberry (<i>Vaccinium corymbosum</i>), and evaluated their suitability for biocontrol using a multi-stage screening pipeline incorporating host-range analysis, comparative genomics, environmental stability testing, in vitro antibacterial efficacy assays and ex planta validation. Twelve of the isolated phages exhibited favourable host-range characteristics. Genomic analyses revealed substantial phylogenetic diversity among these candidates but simultaneously identified multiple clonal groups, reducing the collection to eight non-redundant phages spanning five distinct genera. Candidate phages generally retained infectivity under environmentally relevant conditions and exhibited heterogeneous but largely favourable stability profiles. Planktonic killing assays uncovered considerable variation in antibacterial efficacy, but phage performance appeared to be driven by infection compatibility and host-specific factors rather than properties intrinsic to individual phages. Notably, the jumbo phage <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mi>φ</mi>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation>$$ varphi $$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math>CB10 emerged as a particularly promising candidate due to its strong antibacterial activity (median GRC = 0.943), favourable environmental stability and unique genomic features. Cocktails containing the most effective candidates produced substantial and longitudinally sustained reductions in epiphytic colonization of detached blueberry leaves by Psc, exceeding five orders of magnitude at peak efficacy and demonstrating robust activity in a biologically relevant ex planta system. Importantly, in vitro antibacterial efficacy was predictive of performance in our ex planta model (<i>r</i> = 0.67; <i>p</i> = 0.0003), supporting the utility of tiered screening approaches for candidate selection. Taken together, these findings establish a framework for the systematic identification and evaluation of phages targeting Psc, and support the development of phage-based interventions for managing plant diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1751-7915.70438","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148910291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microbial Biotechnology at the Frontiers of Innovation: Engineering Solutions for Health, Industry and Sustainability","authors":"Patricia Bernal,&nbsp;Juan Luis Ramos","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70440","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70440","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;The most visited posts on the &lt;i&gt;Microbial Biotechnology&lt;/i&gt; journal's social networks during the second trimester of 2026 illustrate the remarkable diversity of contemporary research in this field. Microorganisms are no longer investigated solely to understand their biology or exploit their biotechnological properties; they are increasingly engineered as versatile platforms to address challenges in medicine, agriculture, industrial manufacturing, and environmental sustainability. &lt;i&gt;Microbial Biotechnology&lt;/i&gt; followers are interested in advances in molecular microbiology, synthetic biology, systems biology, protein engineering and bioprocess engineering, and how these fields converge to transform fundamental microbial discoveries into practical applications. This editorial illustrates how the choices of &lt;i&gt;Microbial Biotechnology&lt;/i&gt; followers exemplify the emerging trends that are shaping the future of biotechnology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One important topic is the development of innovative antimicrobial strategies that target microbial virulence rather than survival (Abbas et al. &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;). Wang et al. described in &lt;i&gt;Microbial Biotechnology&lt;/i&gt; (https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.70321) the identification of alcohol dehydrogenase 1 (Adh1) as a previously unrecognized regulator of &lt;i&gt;Candida albicans&lt;/i&gt; morphogenesis through modulation of SNF1 phosphorylation. The authors demonstrated that 2-hydroxyanthraquinone inhibits hyphal formation and biofilm development by targeting this pathway, providing a promising anti-virulence approach that may reduce the selective pressure associated with conventional antifungal therapies. This work aligns with current trends in addressing fungal signalling networks to develop next-generation therapeutics aimed at controlling pathogenicity instead of simply eliminating pathogens.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Conventional and non-conventional cell factories are attracting continuous interest as efficient production platforms for high-value biomolecules (Nandan and Datta &lt;span&gt;2026&lt;/span&gt;). Yan et al. in &lt;i&gt;Microbial Biotechnology&lt;/i&gt; (https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.70318) showed that &lt;i&gt;Trichoderma reesei&lt;/i&gt;, traditionally exploited for industrial enzyme production, can be successfully engineered for extracellular production of insulin glargine. By optimizing secretion signals, fusion partners, and endoplasmic reticulum stress responses, the authors substantially improved recombinant protein secretion, thereby expanding the potential of filamentous fungi as hosts for therapeutic protein manufacturing. Another study by Li et al. in &lt;i&gt;Microbial Biotechnology&lt;/i&gt; (https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.70338) redesigned membrane trafficking pathways in &lt;i&gt;Saccharomyces cerevisiae&lt;/i&gt; to enhance extracellular vesicle production. This process introduces new generic approaches for the manufacture of extracellular vesicles that may serve as future therapeutic delivery systems. These studies are in line with current trends that advance host engin","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13550761/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environmental Release of Genetically Intervened Microorganisms: Towards a New Narrative","authors":"Victor de Lorenzo","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70441","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70441","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The deliberate release of genetically engineered microorganisms for environmental applications has remained largely blocked since the early days of recombinant DNA technology, when limited ecological knowledge, lack of success stories and public apprehension shaped a culture of caution and restrictive regulation. Despite profound advances in microbial ecology, synthetic biology and genetic design, current frameworks still rely on outdated assumptions and legacy regulations that equate engineered microbes with inherent danger and demand unrealistic forms of absolute containment. This review examines how laboratory-trained microorganisms exist on a continuum with naturally evolved life, and that their risks are neither categorically different nor greater. Rather than pursuing unachievable containment, governance should shift towards traceability, stewardship and long-term monitoring through genomic barcodes, digital twins and transparent oversight. The vision moves from domination and control to care and partnership recognizing engineered microbes as live amendments capable of restoring degraded ecosystems. Achieving this transformation requires new terminology, phased field-trial frameworks, improved scaling methods, and the integration of epistemological perspectives that emphasize reciprocity and coexistence with nature. Reframing biotechnology in this way could finally unlock the capacity of engineered microorganisms to contribute responsibly and effectively to planetary repair in an era of escalating environmental crises.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13547846/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148899949","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genomic Insights Into the Multimetal Resilience and Biofilm-Templated Nanorod Biosynthesis of Stenotrophomonas bentonitica BII-R7: Bioremediation and Green Nanotechnology Implications","authors":"Eduardo Perez-Muelas,&nbsp;Miguel Angel Ruiz-Fresneda,&nbsp;Guillermo Lazuen-Lopez,&nbsp;Tatiana Lopez-Perez,&nbsp;Fouad Eddaoudi-Lakraichi,&nbsp;Mohammed Bakkali,&nbsp;Mohamed Larbi Merroun","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70422","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70422","url":null,"abstract":"<p>While microbial metal reduction is widely documented, the genomic determinants that govern the morphological transition from disordered phases to structured nanocrystals remain elusive. Here, we present an integrative study of <i>Stenotrophomonas bentonitica</i> BII-R7, a strain exhibiting exceptional metal resistance and the unique capacity to synthesize crystalline trigonal selenium (t-Se) nanorods. Comparative pangenomic analysis of 38 <i>Stenotrophomonas</i> strains revealed that BII-R7 possesses a notably large accessory genome of 2311 exclusive singletons. We identify a specialized genomic toolkit, absent in all related strains, comprising key metal resistance determinants (e.g., <i>copB, copF,</i> and <i>czcA</i>) alongside extracellular remodelling enzymes (Wzyligase and GH92-glycosyl hydrolase). This unique repertoire confers BII-R7 with significantly higher Cu and Ni tolerance compared to related <i>Stenotrophomonas</i> species, which we hypothesize is fundamental for maintaining metabolic activity in polymetallic environments. RT-qPCR and functional assays confirm that these singletons are not only upregulated under metal stress (e.g., <i>czcA</i>: 42.2-fold) but are also consistent with a critical role in maintaining biofilm resilience. Crucially, we propose a mechanistic model where this unique genetic repertoire governs the assembly of a compositionally distinctive Extracellular Polymeric Substance (EPS). Using a three-state (biofilm, planktonic, EPS-depleted) experiment, we provide direct phenotypic evidence that an intact EPS matrix is required for the efficient transition from amorphous nanospheres to highly ordered crystalline nanorods, and we propose that it acts as a molecular template directing the anisotropic growth of selenium. By bridging genomics and bionanotechnology, this work positions BII-R7 as a promising candidate for sustainable green synthesis and bioremediation, while defining the targeted gene-knockout and complementation experiments now required to establish direct causal roles for the candidate determinants.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13547831/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148899990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}