Microbial Biotechnology最新文献

{"title":"Gas-Phase Integration of Trophically Distinct Microbial Cultures for Net-Reduced CO2 and Enhanced Metabolite Production","authors":"Jaeyoung Yu,&nbsp;Danbee Kim,&nbsp;Jiye Lee,&nbsp;Hui Su Kim,&nbsp;Hwi Jong Jung,&nbsp;Yuri Kim,&nbsp;Sahng Hyuck Woo,&nbsp;Eunsung Kan,&nbsp;Jeong Hyeon Kim,&nbsp;Soo Youn Lee","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70282","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70282","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The continued increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentrations has intensified global efforts to develop sustainable biotechnologies that capture and reutilise carbon rather than releasing it. While photosynthetic microorganisms provide a renewable route for CO₂ fixation into organic products, heterotrophic fermentation remains the industrial standard due to its high productivity, controllability and scalability. Consequently, integrating the carbon efficiency of autotrophic processes with the productivity of heterotrophic systems may represent a promising strategy toward circular biomanufacturing. Here, we developed a gas-linked co-culture system designed to spatially separate heterotrophic and autotrophic metabolisms while enabling gas-phase CO₂ exchange between them. This configuration allowed CO₂ released during heterotrophic metabolism to be reutilised in autotrophic metabolism, supporting cooperative carbon cycling. Compared to non-linked controls, the gas-linked system enhanced biomass accumulation and nearly doubled the production of value-added metabolites—namely polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and carotenoids—while reducing net CO₂ emissions by 20.62%. Although further optimisation is necessary to approach a fully net-zero process, this study demonstrates that gas-phase integration of trophically distinct cultures offers a promising platform for circular carbon biorefineries.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"18 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12717513/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145792692","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":"Detection of Spoilage-Associated Acetic Acid Levels Using a Transcription-Based Whole-Cell Biosensor","authors":"Yulia Melnik Kesler,&nbsp;Igor Kviatkovski,&nbsp;Neta Rotem,&nbsp;Alex Brandis,&nbsp;Oded Shoseyov,&nbsp;Tali Yarnitzky,&nbsp;Yael Helman","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70267","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70267","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Monitoring acetic acid (AC) in fermentation processes is essential as excessive AC accumulation, particularly during alcoholic fermentation, can disrupt fermentation and lead to spoilage. However, conventional detection methods such as steam distillation, GC–MS, and HPLC are costly, time-consuming, and require liquid-phase samples, limiting their use for real-time monitoring and early identification of AC buildup. Here, we present an alternative tool for AC detection using a whole-cell bacterial biosensor, which utilises the YwbIR transcriptional regulator from <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> . The designed biosensor exhibits high sensitivity, manifesting a linear response with (<i>R</i>² = 0.97) from 0 to 1.0 g/L and a 5–8 fold induction at wine spoilage-relevant concentrations. It retains functionality in ethanol-rich matrices (up to 14.5% v/v) and enables headspace detection. Specificity assays and molecular docking analyses confirm high affinity for AC over other volatile fatty acids. This biosensor offers a low-cost solution for real-time AC monitoring, allowing timely intervention before spoilage occurs and supporting improved quality assurance in fermentation-driven food and beverage production.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"18 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12716437/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145792643","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":"Subcellular Mechanisms of Se(IV) Reduction in Stenotrophomonas bentonitica: Linking Environmental Detoxification and Antimicrobial Activity of Se Nanostructures Within a Circular Economy Framework","authors":"Guillermo Lazúen-López,&nbsp;Eduardo Pérez-Muelas,&nbsp;Miguel Angel Ruiz-Fresneda,&nbsp;Aurélien Van Lithaut,&nbsp;Jaime Lazúen-Alcon,&nbsp;Mohamed Larbi Merroun","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70275","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70275","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element whose toxicity depends on its oxidation state. Microorganisms detoxify Se(VI) and Se(IV) by reducing them to elemental selenium [Se(0)], forming selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) with antimicrobial activity. <i>Stenotrophomonas bentonitica</i> BII-R7 exhibits remarkable tolerance and reduction capacity toward toxic Se oxyanions, making it a promising candidate for bioremediation and green nanotechnology. In this study, cells exposed to Se(IV) were fractionated into cytoplasmic and membrane components and analysed at 24, 168 and 720 h. Spherical SeNPs were observed in the cytoplasm, while irregular aggregates formed in the membrane fraction, suggesting compartment-specific reduction pathways. The delayed formation of SeNPs in membranes supports a time-dependent, multimodal mechanism. Homogeneous biogenic SeNPs (160–180 nm) produced by intact <i>S. bentonitica</i> cells exhibited antimicrobial activity against <i>Escherichia coli</i> CET101 and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> ATCC 25923. Flow cytometry revealed strong, time-dependent cytotoxicity. In <i>E. coli</i>, SeNPs induced 21.1% membrane depolarization, 62.8% ROS accumulation and DNA damage at 48 h, indicating a ROS-mediated mechanism. In contrast, <i>S. aureus</i> showed early membrane depolarization at 12 h, with only 4.37% active cells and minimal ROS levels, and a significant drop in viability at 24 h (31.3%), suggesting a ROS-independent mechanism driven by membrane disruption. These findings highlight the strain-specific toxicity of SeNPs and their potential as eco-friendly, broad-spectrum antimicrobials.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"18 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12712869/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145772993","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":"Subsurface Life on Earth as a Key to Unlock Extraterrestrial Mysteries","authors":"Emeline Vidal,&nbsp;Melody R. Lindsay,&nbsp;James A. Bradley,&nbsp;Magdalena R. Osburn,&nbsp;S. Emil Ruff","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70286","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70286","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The first forms of life on Earth were microbial, preceding the evolution of multicellular life by more than two billion years. Based on our current understanding of the origin of life, it is likely that the first life forms on any extraterrestrial world would also be microbial. Due to the extreme temperatures, radiation or aridity on most planetary surfaces, such extraterrestrial microbes would most likely dwell in subsurface environments. Earth's subsurface features a wide range of environments, including deep marine sediments, crustal aquifers, rock fracture fluids, hydrocarbon reservoirs, caves and permafrost soils. These environments are known to host an immense diversity of life forms, predominantly microbes that survive or even thrive under extreme conditions and energy scarcity. Life's ability to endure and possibly evolve in Earth's subsurface lends credence to the possible existence of life beyond our planet and provides a blueprint for the extraterrestrial life forms and biosignatures we might expect. The exploration of space via extraterrestrial samples analysed on Earth, in situ extraterrestrial analyses, and remote sensing continue to advance our search for and understanding of potential biosignatures on other planetary bodies. But by investigating Earth's deep, dark and isolated ecosystems, we not only broaden our understanding of life's adaptability but also refine our strategies and technologies for detecting life on other planets and moons. Subsurface exploration is not just a frontier of Earth science—it is a cornerstone of astrobiology and in the pursuit of understanding the multitude of processes that could create and sustain life anywhere. In this opinion article, we discuss the latest highlights in subsurface research and technology, how Earth's subsurface environments serve as models for potential environments on other planetary bodies, why insights into subsurface microbiomes inform the search for life elsewhere, and which technologies and developments will advance the field in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"18 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12712870/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145772965","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":"On the Choice of the Right Plasmid Vector(s) in the Times of Synthetic Biology","authors":"Víctor de Lorenzo,&nbsp;Esteban Martínez-García","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70273","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70273","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Plasmid vectors are to this day the fundamental tools in molecular biology, but their selection is often guided by convenience rather than informed choice. This article revisits the architectural and functional features that determine plasmid performance i.e., origins of replication, copy number, cargo capacity, selection markers, and stability systems. We outline how these elements shape host range, expression dynamics, and metabolic burden, particularly as synthetic biology increasingly targets non-model bacteria. The growing need for reliable, portable vectors has driven the development of broad-host-range backbones, streamlined modular architectures such as SEVA, and alternatives to antibiotic-based selection. We also examine strategies to enhance long-term stability, including toxin–antitoxin systems and chromosomal integration via mini-transposons, recombinase-assisted platforms, and CRISPR-associated transposases. The convergence of standardization and customization, enabled by advances in DNA synthesis and emerging AI-assisted plasmid design tools is discussed also. These innovations promise flexible vector engineering tailored to diverse microbial chassis. Yet, a deeper, systems-level understanding of plasmid–host interactions will be necessary to ensure robust deployment of engineered functions in laboratory, industrial, and environmental settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"18 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12703808/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145754842","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":"Targeted Therapy for Gut Microbiota: Candidates for a Novel Strategy to Ameliorate Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus","authors":"Jiangyan Wang,&nbsp;Yaofei Wei,&nbsp;Dongmian Chen,&nbsp;Xia Li,&nbsp;Hao Zhang,&nbsp;Shuo Feng,&nbsp;Shenghua Lu,&nbsp;Juan Yang,&nbsp;Qi Zeng,&nbsp;Xingxiang He,&nbsp;Lei Wu","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70283","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70283","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) poses a significant threat to public health and is associated with the gut microbiota. Gut microbiota modulators, including probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics, together with faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), can restore the gut microbiota in patients and are recognised as powerful modulators of this ecosystem. Consequently, gut microbiota modulators are promising in the prevention and treatment of T2DM. The roles and mechanisms by which these therapeutic approaches target the gut microbiota in patients with T2DM warrant further investigation and elucidation. Key potential mechanisms associated with gut microbiota regulation include the modulation of gut microbiota composition alteration of gut microbiota metabolites, enhancement of intestinal barrier function, and suppression of inflammation. This study provides a comprehensive review of the relationship between the gut microbiota and T2DM, presents promising research findings and controversial issues, emphasises the potential roles and mechanisms of the gut microbiota in T2DM, and investigates the factors influencing the therapeutic efficacy of FMT. This review serves as a valuable reference for future studies on FMT.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"18 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12703821/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145754790","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":"Scientists' Warning to Humanity: The Need to Begin Teaching Critical and Systems Thinking Early in Life","authors":"Kenneth Timmis,&nbsp;Fernando Baquero,&nbsp;Rup Lal,&nbsp;Lara Raquel Pinto Amorim,&nbsp;Pablo Ivan Nikel,&nbsp;Jasvinder Kaur,&nbsp;Utkarsh Sood,&nbsp;Pushp Lata,&nbsp;Shalini Singh,&nbsp;Jake M. Robinson,&nbsp;Max Chavarria,&nbsp;Willy Verstraete,&nbsp;Patricia Bernal,&nbsp;Horia Banciu,&nbsp;Karen Steward,&nbsp;Joachim Frey,&nbsp;Antoine Danchin,&nbsp;Anna Karnkowska,&nbsp;Oleg Kotsyurbenko,&nbsp;Cristina Silva Pereira,&nbsp;Eric S. Boyd,&nbsp;John E. Hallsworth,&nbsp;Olga Nunes,&nbsp;Zulema Udaondo,&nbsp;Wei Huang,&nbsp;Yun Wang,&nbsp;Zeynep Ceren Karahan,&nbsp;Pilar Junier,&nbsp;Eliora Ron,&nbsp;Juan Luis Ramos","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70270","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70270","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;We live in a time of global crises: a deteriorating environment that is struggling to provide all the resources and services we demand of it, changing climate and its consequences for the biosphere, its habitats, inhabitants and biodiversity, conflicts-divisive ideologies-competition for resources, increasing societal inequalities and human deprivations, and a youth mental health pandemic, to name but just a few. Most of these crises are self-made, the result of human decisions, and their acceptance/toleration by society. Policies and practices at all levels of society that created, exacerbate and launch new crises are, at worst, self-serving and, at best, faulted through a lack of understanding. In democracies, citizens can hold decision-makers to account but, to do this, they must understand the issues and be able to imagine better policies. We also live in a digital world in which a flood of mostly inconsequential information and misinformation pollutes our brains, enhancing pre-existing biases and creating new ones, and numbing our mental ability to think clearly and reach sensible decisions. But sensible decisions are urgently needed at all levels to fix problems and reduce future self-harm. Sensible decisions require sourcing the best available relevant information, and a process to convert information into understanding, understanding into clear decision options, and the choice of a decision option that leads to an action that represents best practice. Critical thinking is the enabling cognitive process of this decision pathway, because it selects the best available information through demanding evidence-basing, seeks critical discourse between experts and stakeholders that agnostically explores solution space to find plausible options, and whittles down options inter alia through plausibility, due diligence, bottleneck analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and benchmarking filtering. Crucially, it rejects biases, influencing factors, and other constraints on options, and is an effective barrier to the information flood. The problem is that critical thinking capacity is not widely available among either decision makers or stakeholders. There is an urgent need to rapidly roll out effective education programmes in which critical thinking teaching is solidly embedded. Since biases accumulate with age, the teaching of critical thinking must begin with the very young. However, the very young are not able to comprehend the complex abstract issues underpinning critical thinking. Embedding the teaching of critical thinking in a suitable educational context, and integrating it into curricula, is another challenge. To address these two challenges, the International Microbiology Literacy Initiative is developing a storytelling programme for children, called the Critical Thinking MicroChats Gallery, within the curriculum of societally relevant microbiology it is creating. MicroChats illustrate the principal practical elements of critical thinking, like ","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"18 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12704398/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145754831","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":"BSocial Tool Deciphers Highly Functional Plant Growth-Promoting Bacterial Consortia","authors":"María García-Toledo,&nbsp;Antonio Castellano-Hinojosa,&nbsp;Andrea Ortiz-Úbeda,&nbsp;Belén Rodelas,&nbsp;Belén Juárez-Jiménez,&nbsp;Clementina Pozo,&nbsp;Jessica Purswani","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70277","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70277","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The application of microbial consortia in biotechnological areas has proven to be much more efficient than that of single microorganisms; however, the main difficulty lies in the large number of communities to be tested. The use of models to predict functional efficiency on a high-throughput scale is key to incorporating greater diversity. The BSocial tool (http://m4m.ugr.es/BSocial.html) assigns a social behaviour to each strain based on its contribution to the overall growth of the consortium through a statistical analysis, defining a ‘social consortium’. To determine the effectiveness of the BSocial tool for designing a biofertilizer, the social behaviour of 8 plant growth-promoting microorganisms belonging to <i>Azospirillum</i>, <i>Bacillus</i>, <i>Bradyrhizobium</i>, <i>Ensifer</i> and <i>Pseudomonas</i>, as well as 3 plant growth-promoting traits (siderophore production, phosphate solubilisation and indole acetic acid production) of the complete combinatorial (255 communities) were analysed. We selected 3 social consortia (X22, X93 and X149) with a diversity of 2–4 species, two of which presented high performance for more than one plant growth-promoting trait evaluated. Functional stability, following the increase in diversity, was observed in all functions except for siderophore production. Overall, the results show the effectiveness of the BSocial tool in selecting plant growth-promoting consortia to formulate efficient biofertilizers.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"18 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1751-7915.70277","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145720198","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":"‘Science Fun Days’: Opportunities for Connecting Primary School Pupils With Nature and Microbiology","authors":"Elizabeth J. Archer,&nbsp;Corinne B. Whitby,&nbsp;Robert M. W. Ferguson,&nbsp;Dave R. Clark,&nbsp;Benjamin M. Skinner,&nbsp;Drew K. Henderson,&nbsp;Olivia S. Solanke,&nbsp;Anna M. Sturrock,&nbsp;Rebekah Boreham,&nbsp;Terry J. McGenity","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70279","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70279","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Microbes are essential for the functioning of life on earth, yet a lack of awareness of their positive activities persists in society. In the UK, microbiology is scarcely taught before secondary education. Therefore, we organised ‘Science Fun Days’ for primary school pupils (aged 9–11 years) in 2024 and 2025, with the aims of increasing their microbiological awareness and, more generally, promoting positive attitudes towards science and nature. Over 450 pupils attended a Science Fun Day hosted at the University of Essex, which involved hands-on activities in the laboratory and outdoors. Pre-event and post-event surveys were completed by 307 and 305 of these pupils, respectively, from across seven schools. The surveys revealed that, after participating in a Science Fun Day, the proportion of pupils who would like a job in science increased from 29.6% to 41.9% in 2024 and 21.8% to 32.9% in 2025. Pupils from schools located in areas of high deprivation rated their desire for a science career significantly higher overall than pupils from schools located in low deprivation areas. Surveys also captured a post-event increase in the percentage of pupils that know what microbes are from 68.7% to 88.0% in 2024 and 49.3% to 79.1% in 2025. Gender differences were minimal and included higher overall perceived confidence in science lessons by male-identifying students; however, female-identifying students reported similar levels of confidence as their male-identifying peers in the post-event survey. Our results support the value of extra-curricular excursions to boost children's understanding of microbiology, enable positive attitudes towards science, and encourage science-related career aspirations.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"18 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1751-7915.70279","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145720255","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":"Precision Antimicrobial Therapy Against Fusobacterium nucleatum Using Bioengineered Probiotics Expressing Guided Antimicrobial Peptides (gAMPs)","authors":"Ankan Choudhury,&nbsp;Colin Scano,&nbsp;Allison Barton,&nbsp;Christopher M. Kearney,&nbsp;K. Leigh Greathouse","doi":"10.1111/1751-7915.70241","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1751-7915.70241","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with <i>Fusobacterium nucleatum</i> (<i>F. nucleatum</i>) identified as a key contributor to its progression. This study explores a novel therapy that targets this pathogen by using a bioengineered probiotic that expresses guided antimicrobial peptides (gAMPs) to selectively inhibit <i>F. nucleatum</i>. <i>Lactococcus lactis</i> MG1363 was engineered to express gAMPs derived from Ovispirin and Cathelin-related peptide SCF, linked to a Statherin-derived guide peptide that binds specifically to the <i>F. nucleatum</i> membrane porin FomA. The bacteria expressed the AMP/gAMP under the induction of the PNisA promoter by nisin and secreted it via the extracellular secretion signal usp45. The resultant synthetic peptides and probiotics were assayed for antimicrobial activity against the targeted <i>F. nucleatum</i> and other non-target bacteria. Biofilm inhibition and growth kinetic assays were performed with synthetic peptides in vitro or the probiotic in co-culture with a polymicrobial community. Statherin-derived guide peptide enhanced the binding affinity to <i>F. nucleatum</i>, significantly increasing attachment compared to control peptides. In vitro assays revealed that both unguided and guided AMPs effectively inhibited biofilm formation in <i>F. nucleatum</i>, with gAMPs showing reduced toxicity against non-target bacteria. The gAMPs were more effective in modulating growth kinetics, exhibiting selective toxicity towards <i>F. nucleatum</i> at lower concentrations. Co-culture experiments in a simulated human gut microbiome showed the gAMP probiotic maintained microbial diversity while effectively reducing <i>F. nucleatum</i> abundance. Quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA sequencing confirmed that gAMP treatment preserved the richness of the microbiota, contrasting with significant dysbiosis observed in control samples. These findings support the potential of engineered probiotics as a therapeutic approach that targets CRC-associated <i>F. nucleatum</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":209,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Biotechnology","volume":"18 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1751-7915.70241","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145712868","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}