{"title":"Fortification of Chlorella vulgaris with citrus peel amino acid for improvement biomass and protein quality","authors":"Zhila Heydari Koochi , Kourosh Ghodrat Jahromi , Gholamreza Kavoosi , Asghar Ramezanian","doi":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00806","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00806","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The amino acid extract (protein hydrolysate) from various citrus peels was employed as an organic nutrition source for the culture of <em>Chlorella</em> to investigate their effects on the biomass and protein quality of the microalgae. The major amino acids in citrus peels included proline, asparagine, aspartate, alanine, serine, and arginine. The most plentiful amino acids in the <em>Chlorella</em> were alanine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glycine, serine, threonine, leucine, proline, lysine, and arginine. Adding the citrus peel amino acid extracts to the <em>Chlorella</em> medium enhanced overall microalgal biomass (more than two folds <em>p</em> < 0.05) and protein content (more than 1.25 fold, <em>p</em> < 0.05). Citrus peel amino acids increase essential amino acids and decrease the non-protein amino acid of <em>Chlorella</em> (<em>p</em> > 0.05). The present research shows that citrus peels have good nutritional quality and could be used for the inexpensive cultivation of <em>Chlorella</em> biomass with potential utility for food application.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38117,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Reports","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article e00806"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50181592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Toka Mahmoud Farhat , Zulfa Ali Al Disi , Mohammad Yousaf Ashfaq , Nabil Zouari
{"title":"Study of diversity of mineral-forming bacteria in sabkha mats and sediments of mangrove forest in Qatar","authors":"Toka Mahmoud Farhat , Zulfa Ali Al Disi , Mohammad Yousaf Ashfaq , Nabil Zouari","doi":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00811","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00811","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The involvement of microorganisms in carbonate minerals and modern dolomite formation in evaporitic environments occupied with microbial mats (i.e., sabkha) and in mangrove forests is evidenced, while its potential diversity requires further elucidation. Microorganisms can create supersaturated microenvironments facilitating the formation of various carbonate minerals through specific metabolic pathways. This is particularly important in arid environments, where deposition and sedimentary structures can occur. This study investigated the biodiversity of halophilic, heterotrophic, and aerobic mineral-forming bacteria in mangrove forests and living and decaying mats of Qatari sabkha. The diversity study was performed at the protein level using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry protein profiles combined with principal component analysis (PCA), which revealed a high diversity of isolated strains at the taxonomy and protein profile levels. The diversity of the minerals formed in pure cultures was evidenced by SEM/EDS and XRD analysis. Different types of carbonate minerals (calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonates, and high-magnesium calcites) were formed in pure cultures of the studied strains, which might explain their occurrence in the bulk composition of the sediments from where the strains were isolated. These results illuminate the diversity of biological mineral-formation processes in the extreme environments of Qatari sabkhas and mangroves, explaining the high diversity of minerals in these environments.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38117,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Reports","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article e00811"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10470404/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10506043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emmanuel Tobechukwu Ugwuoji , Tochukwu Nwamaka T. Nwagu , Lewis Iheanacho Ezeogu
{"title":"Detergent-stable amylase production by Paenibacillus lactis strain OPSA3 isolated from soil; optimization by response surface methodology","authors":"Emmanuel Tobechukwu Ugwuoji , Tochukwu Nwamaka T. Nwagu , Lewis Iheanacho Ezeogu","doi":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00808","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00808","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study aimed to isolate thermostable, alkaliphilic, and detergent-tolerant amylase-producing bacteria. Pure isolates from environmental samples were screened on a starch-based medium (pH 11), and selected isolates were identified using cultural and molecular techniques. Product optimization studies were conducted, and secreted amylase was partially purified using 40% (w/v) saturation ammonium sulfate at 4 °C. The wash performance of concentrated amylase was analyzed. A novel isolate, Paenibacillus lactis OPSA3, was selected for further studies. The isolate produced amylase optimally when grown on banana peels and soybean extracts, which are agro-wastes. Optimization by Response surface Methodology resulted in a 2.1-fold increase in alkaliphilic amylase production. A 2.46-fold purification was achieved, with an enzyme activity yield of 79.53% and specific activity of 26.19 Umg<sup>−1</sup>. Wash performance analysis using the amylase supplemented with boiled commercial detergent (kiln®) showed good cleaning efficiency. The amylase has the potential for application as a component of green detergent.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38117,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Reports","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article e00808"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50181187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Florence Chioma Mgbodile , Tochukwu Nwamaka T. Nwagu
{"title":"Probiotic therapy, African fermented foods and food-derived bioactive peptides in the management of SARS-CoV-2 cases and other viral infections","authors":"Florence Chioma Mgbodile , Tochukwu Nwamaka T. Nwagu","doi":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00795","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00795","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The current paper focuses on the impact of probiotics, African fermented foods and bioactive peptides on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection severity and related viral infections. Using probiotics or bioactive peptides as therapeutic adjuncts appears superior to standard care alone. Probiotics play critical roles in innate and adaptive immune modulation by balancing the gut microbiota to combat viral infections, secondary bacterial infections and microbial dysbiosis. African fermented foods contain abundant potential probiotic microorganisms such as the lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Saccharomyces, and Bacillus. More so, fermented food-derived bioactive peptides play vital roles in preventing cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, lung injury, diabetes, and other COVID-19 comorbidities. Regularly incorporating potential probiotics and bioactive peptides into diets should enable a build-up of the benefits in the body system that may result in a better prognosis, especially in COVID-19 patients with underlying complexities. Despite the reported therapeutic potentials of probiotics and fermented foods, numerous setbacks exist regarding their application in disease management. These shortfalls underscore an evident need for more studies to evaluate the specific potentials of probiotics and traditional fermented foods in ameliorating SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infections.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38117,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Reports","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article e00795"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10066861/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9308931","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Seyed Esmaeil Ahmadi, Rima Manafi Shabestari, Amir Asri kojabad, Majid Safa
{"title":"A straightforward microfluidic-based approach toward optimizing transduction efficiency of HIV-1-derived lentiviral vectors in BCP-ALL cells","authors":"Seyed Esmaeil Ahmadi, Rima Manafi Shabestari, Amir Asri kojabad, Majid Safa","doi":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00792","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00792","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>HIV-1-derived lentiviral vectors (LVs) are capable of transducing human cells by integrating the transgene into the host genome. In order to do that, LVs should have enough time and space to interact with the surface of the target cells. Herein, we used a microfluidic system to facilitate the transduction of BCP-ALL cells.</p></div><div><h3>Methods and Results</h3><p>We used a SU-8 mold to fabricate a PDMS microfluidic chip containing three channels with a 50 μm height and a surface matching 96-well plates. In order to produce LVs, we used HEK293T cells to package the second generation of LVs. First, we evaluated the cell recovery from the microfluidic chip. Cell recovery assessment showcased that 3 h and 6 h of incubation in microfluidic channels containing 100,000 NALM-6 (BCP-ALL) cells with 2μL of culture media yielded 87±7.2% and 80.6 ± 10% of cell recovery, respectively. Afterward, the effects of LV-induced toxicity were evaluated using 10–30% LV concentrations in time frames ranging from 3 h to 24 h. In 96-well plates, it took 12–24 h for the viruses with 20% and 30% concentrations to affect the cell survival significantly. These effects were intensified in the microfluidic system implying that microfluidic is capable of enhancing LV transduction. Based on the evidence of cell recovery and cell survival we chose 6 h of incubation with 20% LV.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>The results from EGFP expression showcased that a microfluidic system could increase the LV transduction in BCP-ALL cells by almost 9-folds. All in all, the microfluidic system seems to be a great armamentarium in optimizing LV-based transduction.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38117,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Reports","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article e00792"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10025989/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9518652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Development of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody detection assay by using recombinant plant-produced proteins","authors":"Perawat Jirarojwattana , Balamurugan Shanmugaraj , Kaewta Rattanapisit , Waranyoo Phoolcharoen","doi":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00796","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00796","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Detecting immunity against SARS-CoV-2 is vital for evaluating vaccine response and natural infection, but conventional virus neutralization test (cVNT) requires BSL3 and live viruses, and pseudo-virus neutralization test (pVNT) needs specialized equipment and trained professionals. The surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) was developed to overcome these limitations. This study explored the use of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) produced from <em>Nicotiana benthamiana</em> for the development of an affordable neutralizing antibodies detection assay. The results showed that the plant-produced ACE2 can bind to the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2, and was used to develop sVNT with plant-produced RBD protein. The sVNT developed using plant-produced proteins showed high sensitivity and specificity when validated with a group of 30 RBD vaccinated mice sera and the results were correlated with cVNT titer. This preliminary finding suggests that the plants could offer a cost-effective platform for producing diagnostic reagents.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38117,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Reports","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article e00796"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/9e/af/main.PMC10077816.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9679520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Deciphering the antimicrobial, antibiofilm and membrane stabilizing synergism of Mikania scandens (L.) Willd. leaves and stems substantiation through in vitro and in silico studies","authors":"Nadia Islam Tumpa , Md. Helal Uddin Chowdhury , Ankhy Alamgir Asma","doi":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00797","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00797","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Considering the traditional application of <em>Mikania scandens</em> (L.) Willd. against wounds and itching. Leaves (MSL) and stems (MSS) were sequentially extracted using solvents petroleum-ether, carbon-tetrachloride, chloroform, ethyl-acetate and ethanol. Disk-diffusion assay revealed the ethyl acetate MSL and MSS extracts were the prominent against ten bacteria, five carbapenem-resistant bacteria and one fungal strains. Subsequent quantitative antimicrobial analysis specified MSL extractives more potent over MSS with lower 1500 and 3500µg/ml MIC and MBC value in both gram-negative and positive bacteria. These sturdiest ethyl-acetate MSL extractives antimicrobial efficiency also fostered fungicidal activity having lower 100µg/ml MFC. Whereat, almost homologous 160–180 min timing noted liken to standard ciprofloxacin susceptibility in both strains, 75% biofilm inhibition at 2×MIC concentration along with 92±0.2% membrane stabilizing activities over synthetic counterparts prospected in preceding standard extractives. Computational molecular docking of MSL compounds supported this findings therefore forego this valuable synergistic insight as antimicrobial agents to efficiently eradicate human infections.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38117,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Reports","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article e00797"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50176512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Heejung Jung, Yuta Inaba, Alan C. West, Scott Banta
{"title":"Overexpression of quorum sensing genes in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans enhances cell attachment and covellite bioleaching","authors":"Heejung Jung, Yuta Inaba, Alan C. West, Scott Banta","doi":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00789","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00789","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Cell adhesion is generally a prerequisite to the microbial bioleaching of sulfide minerals, and surface biofilm formation is modulated via quorum sensing (QS) communication. We explored the impact of the overexpression of endogenous QS machinery on the covellite bioleaching capabilities of <em>Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans</em>, a representative acidophilic chemolithoautotrophic bacterium. Cells were engineered to overexpress the endogenous qs-I operon or just the <em>afeI</em> gene under control of the <em>tac</em> promoter. Both strains exhibited increased transcriptional gene expression of <em>afeI</em> and improved cell adhesion to covellite, including increased production of extracellular polymeric substances and increased biofilm formation. Under low iron conditions, the improved bioleaching of covellite was more evident when <em>afeI</em> was overexpressed alone as compared to the native operon. These observations demonstrate the potential for the genetic modulation of QS as a mechanism for increasing the bioleaching efficiency of covellite, and potentially other copper sulfide minerals.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38117,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Reports","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article e00789"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50176572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gregory M. Jacobson , Kirsty Kraakman , Olivia Wallace , Jolyn Pan , Alex Hennebry , Grant Smolenski , Ray Cursons , Steve Hodgkinson , Adele Williamson , William Kelton
{"title":"Immunogenic fusion proteins induce neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the serum and milk of sheep","authors":"Gregory M. Jacobson , Kirsty Kraakman , Olivia Wallace , Jolyn Pan , Alex Hennebry , Grant Smolenski , Ray Cursons , Steve Hodgkinson , Adele Williamson , William Kelton","doi":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00791","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00791","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Antigen-specific polyclonal immunoglobulins derived from the serum, colostrum, or milk of immunized ruminant animals have potential as scalable therapeutics for the control of viral diseases including COVID-19. Here we show that the immunization of sheep with fusions of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) to ovine IgG2a Fc domains promotes significantly higher levels of antigen-specific antibodies compared to native RBD or full-length spike antigens. This antibody population contained elevated levels of neutralizing antibodies that suppressed binding between the RBD and hACE2 receptors in vitro. A second immune-stimulating fusion candidate, Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), induced high neutralizing responses in select animals but narrowly missed achieving significance. We further demonstrated that the antibodies induced by these fusion antigens were transferred into colostrum/milk and possessed cross-neutralizing activity against diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants. Our findings highlight a new pathway for recombinant antigen design in ruminant animals with applications in immune milk production and animal health.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38117,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Reports","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article e00791"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/bc/8f/main.PMC9995299.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9239184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christine Joy I. Bulaon , Hongyan Sun , Ashwini Malla , Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
{"title":"Therapeutic efficacy of plant-produced Nivolumab in transgenic C57BL/6-hPD-1 mouse implanted with MC38 colon cancer","authors":"Christine Joy I. Bulaon , Hongyan Sun , Ashwini Malla , Waranyoo Phoolcharoen","doi":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00794","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00794","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The therapeutic blockade of inhibitory PD-1 signaling has emerged as an effective approach for cancer immunotherapy. Nivolumab (Opdivo®), a monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting the PD-1 immune checkpoint, is approved for treatment of several cancer indications. It functions by blocking the PD-1-mediated T-cell inhibition thus reinstating anticancer immune responses. Tremendous advances in plant biotechnology offer an alternative and economical strategy to produce therapeutic mAbs for immune-based therapies. In this study, recombinant anti-PD-1 Nivolumab was produced in <em>Nicotiana benthamiana</em> and the plant-produced anti-PD-1 mAb was exploited for cancer treatment in syngeneic mice model C57BL/6 mice that were used to test the antitumor efficacy of plant produced Nivolumab, along with commercial Opdivo®. C57BL/6 syngeneic mice treated with plant produced anti-PD-1 mAb exhibited reduction in the growth of established MC38 tumors. The plant produced Nivolumab treatment showed 82.9% antitumor effect in decreasing the tumor volume along with 50% tumor-free mice, whereas Opdivo® showed 90.26% reduction in volume without any tumor-free mice. Finally, plant-derived anti-PD-1 therapy was also well tolerated in tumor-bearing mice that correlated with no significant body weight changes. Overall, our plant-produced Nivolumab elicits significant inhibition of tumor growth <em>in vivo</em> and provides a proof-of-concept for the production of immunotherapy targeting PD-1.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38117,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Reports","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article e00794"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10090705/pdf/main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9317900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}