Current Research in Biotechnology最新文献

{"title":"Peel waste of citrus fruits: A valuable and renewable source of polyphenols for the treatment of diabesity","authors":"Muhammad Ajmal Shah ,&nbsp;Savaira Tariq ,&nbsp;Syed Muhammad Abuzar ,&nbsp;Kainat Ilyas ,&nbsp;Irtaza Qadees ,&nbsp;Ifat Alsharif ,&nbsp;Khairul Anam ,&nbsp;Reem T. Almutairi ,&nbsp;Khalid A. Al-Regaiey ,&nbsp;Ahmad O. Babalghith ,&nbsp;Uzma Saleem ,&nbsp;Abd. Malik ,&nbsp;Mohannad A. Almikhlaf ,&nbsp;Yasmene F. Alanazi ,&nbsp;Mody Albalawi ,&nbsp;Ana Sanches Silva","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100204","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100204","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Diabesity is the concurrence of both diabetes and obesity, and it has become a modern epidemic. It is linked by numerous common pathophysiological mechanisms which can be targeted to combat its harms. The available treatments for diabesity include the medications that are also causing several adverse side effects. The increasing healthcare costs, both direct and indirect, for diabesity management continue to rise, underscoring the urgency to find efficient and cost-effective treatment methods. These circumstances have prompted a shift in research towards exploring natural dietary alternatives for treatment. Among these dietary substitutes, citrus fruits rich in polyphenols have caught the attention of researchers. This review narrates the major interconnection of diabesity and brings out the various mechanisms in which citrus polyphenols can be used for its management. Citrus polyphenols fight against diabesity by targeting adipokines, reactive oxygen species, leptin deficiency, metabolic endotoxemia, peroxisomes proliferator activating receptors, insulin signaling, starch hydrolyzing enzymes, and human islet amyloid polypeptide. The studies on the role of citrus polyphenols in the treatment of diabesity have shown clearly that addressing various physiological systems which can interact with citrus polyphenols can help to manage diabesity and related health concerns.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100204"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590262824000303/pdfft?md5=956c9e0a3d2e055f878894f50e099fb6&pid=1-s2.0-S2590262824000303-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140347076","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":"Impact of influent characteristics and operational parameters on nitrous oxide emissions in wastewater treatment: Strategies for mitigation and microbial insights","authors":"Yi-Wei Zhao ,&nbsp;Li-Li Du ,&nbsp;Bing Hu ,&nbsp;Hong-Yong Lin ,&nbsp;Bin Liang ,&nbsp;Yun-Peng Song ,&nbsp;Yu-Qi Wang ,&nbsp;Hong-Wu Wang ,&nbsp;Peng-Fei Li ,&nbsp;Ai-Jie Wang ,&nbsp;Hong-Cheng Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100207","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100207","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from the wastewater treatment sector are a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas levels. This investigation delves into the mechanisms of N₂O generation and uptake, correlating microbial processes with variables such as influent characteristics and operational parameters. The nature of carbon substrates in the influent profoundly influences microbial consortia and N₂O output. Elevating the carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio has been shown to curtail N₂O emissions by alleviating the competitive dynamics among denitrifying enzymes. Optimal activity of N₂O reductase is achieved by maintaining a neutral to mildly alkaline pH and stable ambient temperatures. It is imperative to circumvent extreme aeration rates and prolonged aeration periods to reduce N₂O release. The study underscores the importance of an effective carbon feed strategy and advocates for prolonged hydraulic retention times (HRT) and sludge retention times (SRT) in activated sludge suspension systems to inhibit N₂O escape. Notably, excessive internal recycling, coupled with heightened dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in aerobic zones, intensifies N₂O emission risks. Moreover, the presence of hazardous contaminants, such as heavy metals and antibiotics, interferes with nitrogen elimination processes, warranting a comprehensive assessment of consequent N₂O emission hazards. This research provides a scientific basis as well as practical management approaches to diminish N₂O emissions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100207"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590262824000339/pdfft?md5=49edcb2a99b41772b18b4f21073db132&pid=1-s2.0-S2590262824000339-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140347077","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":"Favipiravir vs. Deferiprone: Tautomeric, photophysical, in vitro biological studies, and binding interactions with SARS-Cov-2-MPro/ACE2","authors":"Nikolay T. Tzvetkov ,&nbsp;Martina I. Peeva ,&nbsp;Maya G. Georgieva ,&nbsp;Vera Deneva ,&nbsp;Aneliya A. Balacheva ,&nbsp;Ivan P. Bogdanov ,&nbsp;Maria Ponticelli ,&nbsp;Luigi Milella ,&nbsp;Kiril Kirilov ,&nbsp;Maima Matin ,&nbsp;Hans-Georg Stammler ,&nbsp;Atanas G. Atanasov ,&nbsp;Liudmil Antonov","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100176","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100176","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) still remains the most disastrous infection continuously affecting millions of people worldwide. Herein, we performed a comparative study between the anti-influenza drug favipiravir (FAV) and the anti-thalassemia drug deferiprone (DFP) in order to examine their potential as basic scaffolds for the generation of most effective and structurally novel antivirals. To conduct the initial molecular modelling and virtual screening steps, our recently proposed single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD)/HYdrogen DEssolvation (HYDE) technology platform has been used. This platform allows molecular design, interactive prioritization and virtual evaluation of newly designed molecules, simultaneously affecting two COVID-related targets, including angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a host-cellular receptor (<em>host-based approach</em>) and the main protease (M^pro) enzyme of the spike glycoprotein of SARS-Cov-2 (<em>virus-based approach</em>). Based on the molecular docking results, DFP has shown higher binding affinity (<em>K</em>_{i HYDE} values) over FAV towards both biological targets. The tautomeric, physicochemical, and biological properties of FAV and DFP have been studied both experimentally and theoretically using molecular spectroscopy (UV–VIS absorption), parallel artificial membrane permeability assay, and cell biology (PAMPA and MTT assay), as well as DFT quantum chemical calculations. According to the obtained results, the enol tautomers of both compounds are considerably more stable in different organic solvents. However, the keto tautomer of FAV was estimated to be most preferable under physiological conditions, which is in good agreement with the molecular docking studies. The isolated crystal structure of DFP is in an excellent agreement with the computation in respect of the most stable tautomer. Combined single X-ray/molecular modeling studies including HYDE analyses provided not only insights into the protein–ligand interactions within the binding site of SARS-Cov-2-ACE2 and SARS-Cov-2-M^pro, but also a valuable information regarding the most stable enol tautomeric form of DFP that contributes to its estimated higher potency against these targets.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100176"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590262824000029/pdfft?md5=a17204b49a75bb8e5de9f739f6f9c889&pid=1-s2.0-S2590262824000029-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139454524","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":"Transcriptome profiling of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) identifies candidate genes in response to riverine pollution","authors":"Bijay Kumar Behera ,&nbsp;Chirasmita Nayak ,&nbsp;Ajaya Kumar Rout ,&nbsp;Smruti Priyambada Pradhan ,&nbsp;Pranaya Kumar Parida ,&nbsp;Dhruba Jyoti Sarkar ,&nbsp;Basanta Kumar Das ,&nbsp;Anil Rai","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100180","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100180","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>To delineate the response mechanism of Nile tilapia (<em>Oreochromis niloticus)</em> to the riverine pollution of river Ganga, a comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed utilizing fresh liver through RNA-Seq technology. A total of 51.39 million and 32.8 million reads were obtained after excluding low quality sequences from non-polluted (Barrackpore) and polluted (Kanpur) sites of Nile tilapia. About 81.4 % and 95.3% reads were perfectly mapped with the reference sequence of <em>O. niloticus</em>. Transcriptional analysis generated 363 differential expressed genes (DEGs) including 131 up-regulated and 232 down-regulated genes. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that significant DEGs were associated with ribosome biogenesis, alpha-amino acid metabolic process, translational initiation etc. as biological process (BP); unfolded protein binding, vitamin binding, carboxylic acid binding and etc. as molecular function (MF); ribosome, and ribosomal subunit as cellular component (CC). The KEGG analysis indicated that these DEGs were highly involved in ribosome, Lysine degradation and RNA transport pathways. Additionally, ten hub genes participated in Translation, Ribonucleoprotein complex biogenesis as BP, Ribosome, Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 complex as CC and Structural constituent of ribosome, RNA binding as MF were affected in riverine pollution. Overall, this transcriptome investigation provided an extensive overview of pollution triggered transcriptional mechanisms in Tilapia liver and would be highly significant for further exploration of the molecular processes in response to pollution.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100180"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590262824000066/pdfft?md5=689b20de1240ba1b9995efb53b720f4d&pid=1-s2.0-S2590262824000066-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139549107","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":"Proteomics characterization of biofilm formation by salt-tolerant Schwannyomyces etchellsii in seawater-based growth medium","authors":"Cecilia Andreu ,&nbsp;Marcel⋅lí del Olmo","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100242","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100242","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Microbial biofilms are complex communities with cells embedded in an extracellular matrix. We previously discovered that salt-tolerant yeasts <em>Debaryomyces fabryi</em>, <em>Schwanniomyces etchellsii</em>, <em>Schwanniomyces polymorphus</em> and <em>Kluyveromyces marxianus</em> were able to form biofilms when grown in seawater- but not in freshwater-based media. The extracellular matrices of these biofilms were composed mainly of carbohydrates and proteins involved in metabolic processes and the response to stimuli. We herein focus on one of these yeasts, <em>S. etchellsii</em>, to explore its molecular determinants for biofilm formation in depth. We describe new analyses in which the proteome of cells in the biofilm network formed in seawater-based media is compared to that of the planktonic cells co-existing with them and with cells suspended in freshwater-based growth media. According to our data, in both cases biofilms cells contain overexpressed proteins involved in protein biosynthesis, in membrane structures and in transport mediated by vesicles. The great number of proteins with higher expression in these cells participating in translation and located in ribosomes indicate that they are more engaged in protein biosynthesis than their counterparts. Analyses carried out with the STRING database reinforced these results. Cell viability was also wider in biofilm cells. Our analyses have also allowed us to detect in <em>S. etchellsii</em> a homolog of the <em>Candida albicans</em> Spf1p. This protein is an ion transporter P-type ATPase in this microorganism, which participates in several processes, including cellular adhesion and cell wall organization and biogenesis. Our work provides a dataset with a large number of unknown proteins of <em>S. etchellsii</em> that show sequence similarity to proteins from other yeasts; this knowledge will help to better understand the proteome of this yeast and to look for future biotechnological applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100242"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590262824000686/pdfft?md5=c33138ba88f1dcf784c9d4c370759807&pid=1-s2.0-S2590262824000686-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141964041","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":"In silico analysis of the expression profile of AA9 Lytic Polysaccharide Monooxygenases (LPMOs) and the CDH Cellobiose Dehydrogenase enzyme in wood-degrader Agaricomycetes. The Pleurotus ostreatus case","authors":"Idoia Jiménez ,&nbsp;Gabriel Roscales ,&nbsp;Edurne Garde ,&nbsp;Emilia Chuina Tomazeli ,&nbsp;Yoichi Honda ,&nbsp;Anna Lipzen ,&nbsp;Kathleen Lail ,&nbsp;Diane Bauer ,&nbsp;Kerrie Barry ,&nbsp;Igor V. Grigoriev ,&nbsp;Lucía Ramírez","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100244","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100244","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Lignocellulose, the Earth’s most abundant biopolymer, is degraded by wood-decaying fungi, specifically white rot fungi (WRF) and brown rot fungi (BRF), which use different strategies. This study examines the expression profiles of the AA9 and CDH enzymes of three WRF species (<em>Heterobasidion annosum</em>, <em>Phanerochaete chrysosporium</em>, and <em>Pleurotus ostreatus</em>) and two BRF species (<em>Fomitopsis pinicola</em> and <em>Rhodonia placenta</em>) from the Agaricomycetes class, grown on poplar wood or glucose as the sole carbon source. Mycelia were collected between days 10 and 12, revealing distinct lignocellulose degradation strategies between WRF and BRF, evidenced by the upregulation of AA9 LPMO (lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases) and AA3_1 (Cellobiose Dehydrogenase) genes, with the co-occurrence of both types of transcripts at the time of mycelial collection. The genome analysis showed variability in the number of AA9LPMO genes between WRF and BRF, which were differentially regulated depending on the carbon source. WRF exhibited a significant upregulation of AA9 LPMO genes,. In <em>Phanerochaete chrysosporium</em>, only one AA9LPMO gene was homologous to <em>Pleurotus ostreatus</em>, which had the highest number of AA9LPMO genes among the WRF studied. Some AA9 LPMO genes in <em>Pleurotus ostreatus</em> were associated to transposable elements (TEs, mainly footprints of LTRs) and grouped in clustered. LTRs were found either in the flanking or within the gene coding regions with no effect on gene transcription. <em>In silico</em> analysis of the AA9LPMO proteins in WRF uncovered distinct features at their C-terminal ends. Most of them lacked an appended module, but those with a CBM1 were highly induced in poplar wood media. The proportion of AA9 proteins with a CBM1 module was similar in <em>Phanerochaete chrysosporium</em> and <em>Heterobasidion irregulare</em>, but lower in <em>Pleurotus ostreatus</em>, which contained more AA9LPMO genes overall. In <em>Pleurotus ostreatus</em>, AA9LPMO proteins were grouped into three clades based on their C oxidizing type, with each clade containing proteins with specific features. The abundance (redundancy) of AA9LPMO genes in WRF especially associated to footprints LTRs in <em>Pleurotus ostreatus</em> suggests these genes may have other roles beyond lignocellulose degradation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100244"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590262824000704/pdfft?md5=9c60b3b48559411071a11bad52c7abc8&pid=1-s2.0-S2590262824000704-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142040970","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":"Optimizing synbiotic formulations with Ligilactobacillus salivarius BF17 for enhanced gut health in Murrah buffalo calves","authors":"Antony Johnson Thanippilly ,&nbsp;Sachin Kumar ,&nbsp;Vinay Venkatesh Varada,&nbsp;Sravani Balaga,&nbsp;Goutam Mondal,&nbsp;Nitin Tyagi,&nbsp;Ashis Kumar Samanta","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100250","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100250","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study was performed to optimize synbiotic formulations with <em>Ligilactobacillus salivarius</em> BF17 for augmenting gut health in <em>Murrah</em> buffalo calves. Prebiotic utilization, acidification profiles, prebiotic indices (PIs) and prebiotic activity scores (PAS) were performed to screen various prebiotics. The findings revealed significant differences (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) in prebiotic utilization by probiotic bacteria. The fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin performed better in terms of acidification and growth than did mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS), corn dextrin (CD) and wheat dextrin (WD). Furthermore, PI and PAS were highest for inulin. Hence, inulin was selected for the synbiotic formulation. Twenty-three neonatal <em>Murrah</em> buffalo calves (90 days experimental period) were randomly divided into four dietary groups; control (CON): basal diet alone; prebiotic (PRE): basal diet with chicory root powder (natural source of inulin, @ 8 g/d • calf); probiotic (PRO): basal diet with milk fermented with <em>Lg. salivarius</em> BF17 @10⁸ colony forming units (CFU)/g/d • calf and synbiotic (SYN): basal diet with both prebiotic and probiotic. The final BW (kg) of the buffalo calves was higher (<em>P</em>&lt;0.05) in the SYN group (74.93 ± 0.56), followed by PRE (71.26 ± 0.97), and PRO (72.25 ± 0.53) groups compared to control (68.04 ± 0.77). Feed conversion efficiency was significantly (<em>P</em>&lt;0.05) increased in all the supplemented groups (0.423 ± 0.008 in PRE; 0.428 ± 0.007 in PRO and 0.438 ± 0.010 in SYN) compared to CON (0.396 ± 0.003). Structural growth measurements also revealed a significant increase (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) among the calves in the supplemented groups compared to control group. Nevertheless, in the SYN and PRO groups, there was a simultaneous increase (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) in <em>Lactobacillus</em> and <em>Bifidobacterium</em> populations, coupled with a decrease in the coliform population. The average faecal score was decreased (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) in all the treatment groups (1.72 ± 0.22 in PRE; 1.71 ± 0.20 in PRO and 1.62 ± 0.21 in SYN) as compared to CON group (1.97 ± 0.25). Compared with those in the control group, the fecal biomarkers in all supplemented groups were favorable. Overall, inulin was more effective in optimized synbiotic formulation with <em>Lg. salivarius</em> BF17. Moreover, supplementation with prebiotic, probiotic, and synbiotic improved growth and gut health in <em>Murrah</em> buffalo calves, with the SYN group yielding superior effects.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100250"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590262824000765/pdfft?md5=288ae5602d5e42362a725be6ed79a10b&pid=1-s2.0-S2590262824000765-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142228832","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":"Unveiling the plastic degrading potential of the beneficial microbiome through plastisphere community diversity and predictive functionality analysis in waste disposal sites in the adjoining areas of Kolkata, West Bengal, India","authors":"Sujata Dey ,&nbsp;Ajaya Kumar Rout ,&nbsp;Koushik Ghosh ,&nbsp;Sangita Dixit ,&nbsp;Vikash Kumar ,&nbsp;Basanta Kumar Das ,&nbsp;Bijay Kumar Behera","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100237","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100237","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Plastic waste has become a significant global ecological concern due to its substantial harmful impacts. They are eventually colonized and transformed by diverse microbial communities known as the ‘‘plastisphere”. Only a limited group of microbes have been identified so far due to the prevalence of non-culturable strains that inhabit polymer substrates. We investigated the community diversity and predictive functionality of the plastisphere microbiota using a high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach to unveil their plastic degrading potential. Samples were collected from four different plastic-enriched disposal sites adjacent to Kolkata, West Bengal, India, followed by processing, gDNA extraction, library preparation, and sequencing. The most prevalent phyla were Proteobacteria, followed by Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, and Verrucomicrobia. The functional profiling revealed that genes associated with metabolism, cellular processes, and signalling were most prevalent, followed by poorly characterized information storage and processing. In this study, we predicted the existence of a beneficial microbiome associated with bioremediation and plastic degradation, which suggests the potential utilization of plastics as primary carbon sources. Our findings also highlighted the existence of promising microbial enzymes associated with the biodegradation of several plastic substrates.</p><p>Furthermore, our research unveiled the enriched distribution of beneficial microbiome in the studied metagenome, which offers a diverse prospect. This investigation establishes a connection between the structure of microbial communities and diverse genes actively engaged in the biodegradation of plastic waste within plastic disposal sites. These beneficial degraders can be investigated further for broad-spectrum applications in plastic bioremediation. Subsequent explorations of their plastic degrading enzymes will provide profound contributions to plastic pollution mitigation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100237"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590262824000637/pdfft?md5=812596ef7c490dc4c0a7453b46ae05cf&pid=1-s2.0-S2590262824000637-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141636834","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":"AVPI analogs and conjugates: Molecular docking studies and in vitro biological evaluation","authors":"Maya G. Georgieva ,&nbsp;Silvia G. Mihaylova ,&nbsp;Aneliya A. Balacheva ,&nbsp;Antoaneta Z. Tsvetkova ,&nbsp;Tamara I. Pajpanova ,&nbsp;Nikolay T. Tzvetkov","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100246","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100246","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In recent years, small peptide and non-peptide AVPI-/Smac-mimetics have been developed as IAP antagonists and are in clinical trials to overcome resistance to apoptosis in various cancer types. In this study, we present molecular modeling studies and <em>in vitro</em> biological evaluation of a set of AVPI-mimetics, including parent AVPI, tetrapeptide AVPI-mimetics and AVPI-conjugates.</p><p>Combined molecular modeling studies and HYDE analyses provided valuable information regarding the protein–ligand interactions within the binding site of cIAP1-BIR3 and XIAP-BIR3 domains, showing that the binding part of both domains (cIAP1- and XIAP-BIR3) are formed from 22 amino acid residues, and their active part of 11 AAs. Moreover, 5 amino acids are defined common for both targets, namely Lys299, Gly306, Leu307, Trp310, and Trp323. Based on the observed docking models, six amino acid residues for cIAP1-BIR3 and five amino acids for XIAP-BIR3 are recognized actively involved in the formation of H-bonds with the respective ligand. The amino acid sequence 308 (Arg308 in cIAP1-BIR3, Thr308 in XIAP-BIR3), simultaneously forming two H-hydrogen bonds, seems to plays a key role in improvement of binding affinity.</p><p>Apart from docking results the synthesized set of AVPI-mimetics was tested <em>in vitro</em> using cell biology (MTT assay) and parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA). The results showed that the double modification of AVPI <em>via</em> substitution of Pro³ with Hyp³, as well as elongation of AVPI’s C-terminus by its conjugation with RGD-analogs, significantly increase the antiproliferative effects of AVPI-conjugates on all tested cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, HepG2 and HT-29 cells) compared to the parent AVPI peptide. SARs analysis defined this modification beneficial for the overall biological activity of the AVPI-mimetics and pointed out AVHypI-AgbGD as the most active conjugate with an IC₅₀ of 348 µM for MDA-MB-231, 457 µM for MCF-7, 399 µM for HepG2, and 578 µM for HT-29 cells. Though the calculated IC₅₀ values were still high, we consider AVHypI-AgbGD peptide as a good basis for further modifications. In addition, PAMPA results showed that substitution of Pro with Hyp improved the BBB permeability of AVHypI peptide compared to its parent molecule.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100246"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590262824000728/pdfft?md5=4e153c7f5b30b9819d64079e3e92313a&pid=1-s2.0-S2590262824000728-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142152049","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":"Efficient phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils by Tagetes patula L.: Greenhouse experiment, field study and meta-analysis","authors":"Lizhu Yuan ,&nbsp;Xuemei Zhong ,&nbsp;Jianbo Liao ,&nbsp;Ling Zheng ,&nbsp;Xiaowu Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100212","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100212","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Applying (hyper)accumulators to remediate Cd-contaminated agricultural soils is vital to safeguard food safety and human health. <em>Tagetes patula</em> L. (Marigold) − an omnipresent hyperaccumulator − has been extensively explored with artificially Cd-contaminated soils. Little is known about its feasibility and potential for remediating naturally Cd-contaminated soils and field applications. In this study, the Cd remediation potential of Marigold was assessed with greenhouse and field studies, with the control groups of <em>Solanum nigrum</em> L. (Black nightshade), <em>Amaranthus Hypochondriacus</em> L. (Amaranth) and <em>Pennisetum purpureum</em> K. Schumach. × <em>P. thyphoideum</em> Rich. (King grass). The results of greenhouse experiment showed that Marigold obtained the highest shoot Cd (4.69 mg·kg⁻¹), Cd uptake amount (93.47 μg·pot⁻¹), translocation factor (TF, 2.80) and bioconcentration factor (BCF, 2.67) while remediating naturally Cd-contaminated soils. Moreover, the field study validated its superior phytoremediation potential of Cd – Marigold achieved 150.80 g·ha⁻¹ while treating a Cd-contaminated farmland (1.72 mg·kg⁻¹). Further, the <em>meta</em>-analysis corroborated Marigold’s strength over other control plants in remediating Cd-contaminated soils, holding the mean effect size of BCF and TF of 1.54 and 0.61, respectively. Taken together, Marigold is promising for the remediation of Cd-contaminated fields. Knowledge gleaned from this study provides an effective approach for the practical phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":52676,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Biotechnology","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100212"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590262824000388/pdfft?md5=864e198780209cfa564ee1b891c5735c&pid=1-s2.0-S2590262824000388-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140644560","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}