Suqing Chen , Guocui Zhu , Zhijie Wang , Bowen Fu , Mengjuan Sun , Jie Liu , Chengjia Xie , Xian Xu
{"title":"Construction and optimization of a cell-free metabolic engineering system for lycopene synthesis","authors":"Suqing Chen , Guocui Zhu , Zhijie Wang , Bowen Fu , Mengjuan Sun , Jie Liu , Chengjia Xie , Xian Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109849","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109849","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, a cell-free metabolic engineering system was designed for the synthesis of lycopene in vitro. Initially, comprehensive bioinformatic analysis was performed on three key enzymes from <em>Deinococcus wulumuqiensis</em> R12, geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase, phytoene synthase and phytoene desaturase to assess their phylogenetic relationships and characterize functional domains. Subsequently, heterologous expression systems were constructed to enable soluble overexpression of these enzymes in recombinant <em>Escherichia coli</em>. The cell-free metabolic engineering synthesis system was constructed and optimized, based on the purified enzymes and crude extracts from recombinant <em>Escherichia coli</em> for lycopene synthesis. After comparing the two different platforms and optimizing various key parameters, including enzyme concentration, substrate concentration, enzyme ratio, cofactors, and metal ions, a lycopene titer of 14.06 mg/L was achieved in the cell-free system after 24 h. Finally, the synthetic system was employed to validate a rapid enzyme screen and to validate lycopene synthesis in vivo. This construction strategy demonstrates three major applications of CFME in rapid optimization of cell-free systems based on purified enzymes, the optimization of cell-free systems based on crude cell extracts and the rapid enzyme screening and provides a referable research strategy and synthesis platform for the design and optimization of multienzyme pathways for the synthesis of complex compounds such as carotenoids.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8766,"journal":{"name":"Biochemical Engineering Journal","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 109849"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144562798","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhancing thermophilic composting through key thermophilic fungi: A microbial succession study","authors":"Yan Li , Likun Wang , Xiaofang Li","doi":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109848","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109848","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Thermophilic microorganisms offer a favorable solution to accelerate thermophilic composting; however, the details of the microbial community responsible for compost production have only emerged recently. In this study, we reported a detailed study of fungal succession during thermophilic composting and identified key thermophilic fungi capable of enhancing the biological process of compost humification. Through high-throughput sequencing, a total of 238 fungal species were identified with β-diversity of the fungal community significantly changing during the thermophilic phase and then maintained a relatively stable composition. The Class of Eurotiomycetes played an important role in the Thermophilic and Maturation process and became the center of fungal community network. Functional prediction revealed that fungal groups with cellulose/xylan-degrading activities were significantly more abundant during the thermophilic phase compared to the initial stage. Subsequently, a total of 16 fungi were isolated <em>in situ</em>, and their phylogeny and degradation capabilities were determined. Two fungal strains were reintroduced into the compost, resulting in a shortened composting time from 5 days to 3 days, an improved germination index, and enhanced compost quality, particularly promoting wheat growth. The findings of this study contribute to the development of fungal inocula for accelerating composting and providing new strategies for the efficient utilization of agricultural waste. This research holds significant importance for the increasing utilization of agricultural waste.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8766,"journal":{"name":"Biochemical Engineering Journal","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 109848"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144562797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A cheap real-time optimal control setup for microalgae cultures: Simulation and experimental results","authors":"Jesús Miguel Zamudio Lara , Laurent Dewasme , Alain Vande Wouwer","doi":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109833","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109833","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Model-free extremum seeking (ES) has become a popular dynamic optimization strategy as it avoids the time- and resource-consuming task of developing a process model and identifying its parameters. This study explores the possibility of developing an ES control strategy for continuous cultures of micro-algae using minimum investment and, in particular, exploiting a simple “in-house” RGB sensor for biomass concentration. Besides the action on the dilution rate, variation in the incident light is also considered, and the lower sensitivity of the productivity with respect to this input is tackled by a Newton approach where the second-order information is inferred from an adaptive Hammerstein model included in the ES scheme. The setup is validated in simulation and experimental studies, demonstrating the strategy’s good performance. Initialization is a critical factor to ensure fast convergence, and, to ensure robustness, bounds on the Hessian estimates have to be imposed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8766,"journal":{"name":"Biochemical Engineering Journal","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 109833"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144535881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Targeted expression and purification of elastin-like polypeptide-fused abrin: A potential strategy for cancer therapy","authors":"Fariba Rafiei , Ali-Akbar Shahnejat-Bushehri , Fariba Abooie Mehrizi , Seyed Amirreza Sabzian , Houshang Alizadeh","doi":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109850","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109850","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Abrin is a potent plant-derived toxin that targets 28S rRNA in eukaryotic ribosomes through its N-glycosidase activity. Its ability to induce apoptosis makes it a promising candidate for cancer-targeted immunotoxin therapy. To enhance the expression of Abrin in <em>E. coli</em>, its coding sequence was optimized by replacing native codons with synonymous codons that match codon usage preferences of <em>E. coli</em>, applying both codon usage frequency and codon harmonization strategies. The optimized sequence was generated using a two-step PCR process and cloned into expression vectors to produce both native and optimized unfused Abrin, as well as Elastin-Like Polypeptide fused forms. These included the constructs pET. native Abrin and pET. optimized Abrin (with His-tags), as well as pET. native Abrin-ELP and pET. optimized Abrin-ELP (with ELP tags). All constructs were successfully expressed in <em>E. coli</em>. Codon optimization led to approximately a two-fold increase in Abrin accumulation, resulting in stable expression levels comprising 70.72 % of total soluble protein. MTT assays demonstrated a concentration-dependent antiproliferative effect of Abrin on LS180 and MCF-7 cancer cells. It is noteworthy that the ELP-fused proteins significantly increased cytotoxic activity in LS180 cells, with IC<sub>50</sub> values of 5.329 µg/mL for native Abrin-ELP and 4.828 µg/mL for the optimized Abrin-ELP. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of ELP-fused Abrin as a targeted cancer treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8766,"journal":{"name":"Biochemical Engineering Journal","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 109850"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144570772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dan Xu , Yanpeng Ci , Ying Hou , Le Yu , Jun Tian , Haozhe Ruan , Yina Shen , Jingjing Zhang , Huifen Yu , Hanyi Wang , Ming Zhang , Guangyao Hu , Muchen Li , Tianli Zhang , Yongsheng Xiao , Vadim Tsvetnitsky , Jun Luo , Sherry Gu , Weichang Zhou
{"title":"Developing a scalable framework for mitigating GEV and dissolved CO2 stresses in high-density CHO cell cultures","authors":"Dan Xu , Yanpeng Ci , Ying Hou , Le Yu , Jun Tian , Haozhe Ruan , Yina Shen , Jingjing Zhang , Huifen Yu , Hanyi Wang , Ming Zhang , Guangyao Hu , Muchen Li , Tianli Zhang , Yongsheng Xiao , Vadim Tsvetnitsky , Jun Luo , Sherry Gu , Weichang Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109851","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109851","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intensified fed-batch featuring high-cell-density cultures highlights challenges in bioreactor scale-up and underscores the needs for tailored mitigation, particularly on the reconciliation of the hydrodynamic stress from sparger gas entrance velocity (GEV) and accumulated CO₂ partial pressure (pCO₂). In this study, elevated GEV and pCO₂ were identified as the causes of titer reduction during the scale-up to a 2000 L single-use bioreactor (SUB). To verify this hypothesis, a scaled-down model was established in bench-scale bioreactors equipped with a customized sparger to simulate the high GEV and pCO₂ conditions. The model reproduced the impaired titer performance, showing that both factors inhibited production through an independent mechanism and a culture phase-dependent manner. Proteomic analysis of the two stresses further revealed differentially protein expressions associated with cell proliferation, energy generation and reactive oxygen species induced cellular responses. Lastly, an optimized scale-up strategy balancing effective pCO<sub>2</sub> stripping with controlled GEV stress was implemented through a modified 2000 L SUB with an upgraded sparger design. This work elucidated the interplay between elevated pCO<sub>2</sub> and GEV stresses and culture performance, establishing a systematic framework for modulating GEV and pCO₂ as a universal scale-up tool. The findings advanced scale-up strategies for all mammalian cell cultures, especially for shear stress- and/or pCO₂-sensitive cell lines, while reinforcing mechanistic insights into bioprocess scalability for industrial applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8766,"journal":{"name":"Biochemical Engineering Journal","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 109851"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144549251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xinyue Nian , Feifei Zhang , Jie Liu , Jianan Song
{"title":"Waste valorization strategy: Fabrication of high-efficiency magnetic ultrafine cattle hair powder and its adsorption performance on acid dye","authors":"Xinyue Nian , Feifei Zhang , Jie Liu , Jianan Song","doi":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109847","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109847","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To address the environmental issues caused by the accumulation of large amounts of animal hair generated during the leather production process, this study mechanically milled cattle hair waste (CHW) into ultrafine cattle hair powder (UCP), and a magnetic cattle hair powder adsorbent material (MUCP) was synthesized through an in-situ generation method using FeSO<sub>4</sub>·7 H<sub>2</sub>O and FeCl<sub>3</sub>·6 H<sub>2</sub>O as sources. Adsorption experiments were conducted under various conditions to investigate the adsorption performance of MUCP for acid dye. The results showed that lower pH levels led to higher dye removal rates. When the pH was 2, the dye removal rate reached 93.1 %. The adsorption process was consistent with the pseudo-second-order kinetics model and the Langmuir isotherm model. When 0.1 g of MUCP-8 was used to adsorb the dye solution with an initial concentration of 500 mg·L<sup>−1</sup>, pH 3, 45 ℃, and a duration time of 48 h, the maximum adsorption capacity was 699.30 mg·g<sup>−1</sup>. The adsorption mechanism of MUCP for acid dye mainly involved void filling, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic attraction between protonated amino groups and negatively charged dye ions. MUCP has superparamagnetic properties, allowing easy and quick separation and recovery from the mixed solution under an external magnetic field after dye adsorption. This provides a new solution for bio-based adsorbent materials with magnetic properties in dye wastewater treatment and waste-to-resource methods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8766,"journal":{"name":"Biochemical Engineering Journal","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 109847"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144549871","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Caroline Ribeiro Corrêa, Sabrina Carra, Vanderson Antônio de Lima, Camila Klein, João Vitor Faccin Barbosa, Eloane Malvessi
{"title":"Xylonic acid: A novel approach to bioproduction by sustainable strategies","authors":"Caroline Ribeiro Corrêa, Sabrina Carra, Vanderson Antônio de Lima, Camila Klein, João Vitor Faccin Barbosa, Eloane Malvessi","doi":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109846","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109846","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite its recognized potential use in polyamides, cosmetic formulations, hydrogels, and as an antimicrobial, the sustainable bioproduction of xylonic acid remains underestimated in the field of industrial biotechnology. In parallel, sorbitol, a high added-value polyol widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries, can also be obtained through biotechnological routes. Both compounds can be synthesized from xylose and fructose through the coordinated enzymatic action of glucose-fructose oxidoreductase (GFOR) and glucono-δ-lactonase (GL), periplasmic enzymes produced by <em>Zymomonas mobilis</em> cells. In this study, the activity of the GFOR/GL complex was evaluated under different pH (5.8–7.6) and temperature (34–53 °C) conditions, using 700 mmol/L of xylose/fructose as substrates and 4 g/L of biocatalyst. The optimum activity conditions were identified between pH 6.8–7.2 and 47–50 °C. Subsequent bioconversion trials demonstrated impressive xylonic acid yields of 90 % at 39 °C and pH 6.4 using free enzymes, and 89 % at 43 °C and pH 6.4 when enzymes were immobilized in calcium alginate. Reusability tests revealed the immobilized biocatalyst's stable performance over five cycles, exhibiting no significant loss of efficiency in xylonic acid production. These findings underscore the potential of the GFOR/GL system as an efficient and sustainable alternative for valorizing renewable sugars into high-value industrial products.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8766,"journal":{"name":"Biochemical Engineering Journal","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 109846"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144535883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rui Cai , Qi Xu , Xi Luo , Guangcheng Xiong , Chu Wang , Wenbo Yu , Chuncheng Xu
{"title":"Influence of turning frequency on removal of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes from full-size sheep manure composting on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau","authors":"Rui Cai , Qi Xu , Xi Luo , Guangcheng Xiong , Chu Wang , Wenbo Yu , Chuncheng Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109845","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109845","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Effectively removing pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in livestock and poultry manure is essential for the safe utilization of these wastes. The aim of this study was to analyze the impacts of turning frequency on the pathogens, antibiotics, and ARGs during sheep manure composting at a practical scale on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). This study set up three treatments for turning once every 2 d (T1), 4 d (T2), and 6 d (T3). Results showed that compared with T2 and T3, T1 increased the germination index and humus content by 3.0 %-13.5 % and 1.91 %-7.45 %, respectively. T1 effectively reduced the counts of <em>Coliforms</em> and <em>Salmonella</em>, as well as the abundance of pathogenic bacteria such as <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>, <em>Acinetobacter baumannii</em>, and <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae</em>. It also decreased viral diversity and abundance. Notably, the removal rates of oxytetracycline, penicillin, cephalosporin C, and tylosin in T1 were increased by 9.14 %, 9.38 %, 12.6 %, and 12.5 %, respectively, compared to T3, and diminished the abundance of ARGs conferring resistance to macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin, multidrug, bacitracin, tetracycline, and beta-lactam. <em>Jeotgalicoccus</em>, <em>Corynebacterium</em>, <em>Herbinix</em>, and <em>Clostridium</em> were the main hosts of ARGs in raw materials, while <em>Pseudoxanthomonas</em>, <em>Luteimonas</em>, <em>Microbacterium</em>, <em>Alcanivorax</em>, <em>Devosia</em>, <em>and Pusillimonas</em> were the main hosts in compost products. These findings provide a theoretical foundation and technical guidance for the harmless treatment and resourceful utilization of sheep manure on the QTP.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8766,"journal":{"name":"Biochemical Engineering Journal","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 109845"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144535884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Improved toluene vapor removal in a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR): Performance, microbial dynamics, and kinetic study","authors":"Saber Hooshmand, Seyed Morteza Zamir","doi":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109844","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109844","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Toluene, a toxic volatile organic compound (VOC), poses significant environmental and health risks. This study evaluates the performance of moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) and bubble column reactor (BCR) systems for toluene biodegradation under varying operational conditions. Using returned activated sludge (RAS) as inoculum, the MBBR demonstrated superior performance, achieving a maximum elimination capacity (EC<sub>max</sub>) of 347 g.m⁻³.h⁻¹ and removal efficiency (RE) of 73 %, compared to the BCR with EC<sub>max</sub> of 370 g.m⁻³.h⁻¹ at a higher inlet loading rate (ILR), but with a lower RE of 44 %. Biofilm microbial analysis revealed enrichment of aromatic-degrading genera, especially <em>Castellaniella</em> (35 %) and <em>Pseudomonas</em> (7.2 %) in the MBBR, along with reduced microbial diversity. The Shannon index declined from 6.6 to 5.8, Chao1 richness from 871 to 584, and the Simpson index from 0.95 to 0.82. Kinetic modeling using the Haldane equation indicated substrate inhibition at higher toluene concentrations, with EC<sub>max</sub> = 5000 g·m⁻³·h⁻¹, Kₘ = 18 g·m⁻³, and Kᵢ = 0.25 g·m⁻³. Stoichiometric analysis showed 20 % mineralization of toluene to CO₂. Overall, the MBBR demonstrated higher operational flexibility, microbial adaptability, and stability under variable loading, positioning it as a robust and scalable option for treating VOC-laden air streams, particularly those containing hydrophobic compounds like toluene.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8766,"journal":{"name":"Biochemical Engineering Journal","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 109844"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144535882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}