Objectives Recent studies have revealed that circular RNA (circRNA) plays a pivotal role in cancer development. The study aimed to investigate the role of circ_0081146 in gastric cancer (GC). Results Circ_0081146 was upregulated in GC tissues and cells. Patients with high expression of circ_0081146 had a significantly reduced 5-year overall survival rate. Circ_0081146 knockdown restrained the growth

Objective Heterotrophic manganese (Mn)-oxidizing microorganisms responsible for biogenic manganese oxide (Bio-MnOx) production are fastidious. Their enrichment is not easily accomplished by merely adding a soluble organic substrate to non-sterile mixed cultures. The objective of this study was to evaluate polycaprolactone (PCL), an aliphatic polyester, as an effective solid organic substrate for the

Objectives Single-chamber air cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were applied as biosensors for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) measurement of real wastewaters with considerable suspended and/or slowly biodegradable organic content. Results The measurement method consists of batch sample injection, continuous measurement of cell voltage and calculation of total charge (Q) gained during the biodegradation

Dark fermentative hydrogen production from glucose by Enterobacter aerogenes was studied. The kinetic models of modified Gompertz and Logistic were employed to investigate the progress of hydrogen production. The predicted maximum hydrogen production (Hmax) by modified Gompertz and Logistic was 11.92 and 11.28 mL, respectively. The kinetic models of modified Gompertz, Logistic, and Richards were used

Objectives To establish an automated high-throughput mimic perfusion scale-down model (SDM) in ambr® 15 system. Results An optimized SDM for mimic perfusion was developed in ambr® 15 system. Cell retention in ambr® 15 was realized by sedimentation and supernatant removal with a retention rate > 95%. Although the SDM couldn’t reach the viable cell density (VCD) at a bench scale bioreactor (BR), it maintained

Objective Changes in the partitioning of dissolved inorganic (DIC) and glucose were elucidated by utilising 13C labelled DIC or glucose, and quantifying the biochemical profile of mixotrophic, heterotrophic and photoautotrophic cultures of the microalga Tetraselmis suecica. Results Mixotrophic cultivation increases microalgal productivity and changes their biochemical profile, due to an alteration

Objectives To reveal the potential mechanism and key determinants that contributed to the improved pectinase activity in Aspergillus niger mutant EIMU2, which was previously obtained by UV-mutagenesis from the wild-type A. niger EIM-6. Results Proteomic analysis for Aspergillus niger EIMU2 by two-dimensional electrophoresis demonstrated that mutant EIMU2 harbored a multiple enzyme system for the degradation

Objective The effects of a brief (3 days) and prolonged (6 days) period of incubation in darkness and light on the biomass content, lipid content and fatty acid profile in Chlorella vulgaris UMT-M1 were determined. Results Three days of incubation in darkness increased saturated fatty acid (SFA) content from 34.0 to 41.4% but decreased monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content from 36.7 to 29.8%. Palmitic

Objective To compare the effects of human Trypsin-1 signal peptide and pro-peptide on the expression and secretion efficiency of human Interleukin-25 from mammalian cells. Results The signal peptide and combined signal peptide-pro-peptide sequence of human Trypsin-1 improved the secretion of human IL-25 from 1.7 to 3.2 µg/ml and 1.7 to 8.2 µg/ml, respectively. Deletion analysis identified the minimal

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disease, which occurs in the elderly. The regulatory mechanisms of circRNAs were involved in the occurrence and development of various diseases. However, the potential regulatory network of circRNA in OA remains further research and clarification. The expression of circ_0114876 was increased in OA tissues and inhibition of circ_0114876 could induce cell viability

Objective To develop a new DNA assembly method based on FnCas12a and T5 exonuclease. Results We developed a method named as FnCas12a and T5 exonuclease (CT5) cloning system. FnCas12a performs site-directed cleavage to the target DNA fragments, and T5 exonuclease generates 20–30 nt single-stranded region at each end of the DNA fragments for homologous recombination-mediated DNA assembly. CT5 was applied

Objective To evaluate the role of the biocontrol agent Bacillus subtilis CtpxS2-1 in inducing lupin systemic resistance against anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum acutatum by lipopeptide production. Results First, growth inhibition and thin layer chromatography-bioautography analysis confirmed that CtpxS2-1 cultures and their lipopeptide extracts, specifically fengycin, have strong antifungal activity

Objective Optimisation of the green novel nanobio-based reagent (NBR) for rapid visualisation of groomed fingerprints on wet non-porous substrates using response surface methodology and assessment of its stability and sensitivity were attempted for forensic applications. Results Scanning electron microscopy images demonstrated successful attachments of NBR onto the constituents of fingerprints on the

Objectives The mechanical forces on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) should not be ignored in blood and it is more essential that CTCs can overcome and utilize the mechanical interaction to acquire the ability of distant metastasis. At present there are few studies on how suspension mechanics regulates the behavior of tumor cells. The aim of the study was to explore the effects of suspension state on

The aim of this study was to characterize the growth of the fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus LEU18496, isolated from the fungus garden of the nest of leaf cutter ants Atta mexicana. The fungus garden was cultivated in an artificial laboratory nest and the fungus further grown in submerged (SmC) and solid state (SSC) cultures with sugarcane bagasse, grass or model substrates containing CM-cellulose

Objective Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry were performed to compare the proteomic alterations of lycorine-treated and control cells to further investigate the anti-multiple myeloma (MM) mechanisms of lycorine. Results Mass spectrometry results showed that after lycorine treatment of MM cells, 42% of the differentially expressed proteins had subcellular localization

Objectives Probiotics (Bacillus subtilis 04178) were entrapped in alginate-chitosan microcapsules by high-voltage electrostatic process. The encapsulation pattern was established as entrapped low density cells with culture (ELDCwc). The performance of ELDCwc cells was investigated against stress environments of simulated digestive fluids. Results After incubation in simulated gastric (pH 2.5) and intestinal

Objectives The co-encapsulation of bioactive peptides obtained from degradation of chicken feathers and flexirubin-type pigment produced by Chryseobacterium sp. kr6 into phosphatidylcholine liposomes was investigated. Results Control empty liposomes showed mean diameter of 168.5 nm, varying to 185.4, 102.0 and 98.5 nm after the encapsulation of peptides, pigment and their co-encapsulation, respectively

Objectives A potent HIV vaccine should overcome some limitations such as polymorphism of human HLA, the diversity of HIV-1 virus, and the lack of an effective delivery system. In this study, a DNA construct encoding Nef60–84, Nef126–144, Vpr34–47, Vpr60–75, Gp16030–53, Gp160308–323, and P248–151 epitopes was designed using bioinformatics tools. The pcDNA3.1-nef-vpr-gp160-p24 and pcDNA3.1-nef constructs

Objectives To select a microbial consortium from intertidal sludge and evaluate its ability to convert crude glycerol from biodisel to high value-added products such as 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) and lactic acid (LA). Results A microbial consortium named CJD-S was selected from intertidal sludge and exhibited excellent performance for the conversion of crude glycerol to 1,3-PDO and LA. The composition

Objectives To search for new alkaliphilic cellulases and to improve their efficiency on crystalline cellulose through molecular engineering Results Two novel cellulases, BpGH9 and BpGH48, from a Bacillus pumilus strain were identified, cloned and biochemically characterized. BpGH9 is a modular endocellulase belonging to the glycoside hydrolase 9 family (GH9), which contains a catalytic module (GH)

Background There is increasing evidence that circular RNA (circRNA) disorders have an impact on the progression of various malignancies. The expression characteristics, function and underlying mechanism of circ_0001247 in cervical cancer (CC) have not been confirmed. Methods GSE147483 datasets of circRNAs expression in CC cell line and normal cervical cell line were retrieved from GEO database, and

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the effects of different fermentation conditions (culture medium, temperature, incubation time, pH value and additive) on citrinin production by four fungi. Results Among the culture media, potato dextrose medium had lowest citrinin production, followed by yeast sucrose medium and monosodium glutamate medium. The lowest citrinin contents were produced by Monascus

The comparative transcriptome analysis of the fungus Gibberella zeae which could efficiently catalyze the 7β-hydroxylation of LCA to produce UDCA was performed with LCA induction. This is the first time to report the comparative transcriptome of fungus under LCA treatment. Totally, 1364 differentially expressed genes including 770 up-regulated and 594 down-regulated genes were identified. In the 770

Objective Myocardial infarction (MI) is a prevalent cardiovascular puzzle and a mainspring of disease-induced mortality. We performed this investigation to detect the role of putative important miRNAs or genes in MI. Results CCL20 may be a potential therapeutic target, which was directly targeted and negatively regulated by miR-19a. CCL20 expression was significantly increased in MI tissue samples

Objective In this study, we aimed to maximize glutathione (GSH) production by a metabolically engineered Yarrowia lipolytica strain using a small-scale optimization approach. Results A three levels four factorial Box–Behnken Design was used to assess the effect of pH, inulin extract, yeast extract and ammonium sulfate concentrations on cell growth and to generate a mathematical model which predict

Objective Currently, there are two categories of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antagonists, small molecule antagonists and anti-EGFR antibodies. In the current study, we developed a new EGFR antagonist employing the anti-idiotypic antibodies strategy. Results First, using EGF as an antigen, through a series of immunological protocols and hybridoma technology, we obtained an anti-idiotypic

Glioma is one of the most aggressive and highly fatal diseases with an extremely poor prognosis. Considering the poor clinical response to therapy in glioma, it is urgent to establish an in vitro model to facilitate the screening and assessment of anti-brain-tumor drugs. The blood–brain barrier (BBB), as well as liver metabolism plays an important role in determining the pharmacological activity of

Objectives Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) function directly in plant development and stress responses. We used whole genome sequences and mRNA expression data to analyze the phylogenetic relationships, gene structure, collinearity, and differential expression of CDPKs in two differentially drought-tolerant potato varieties. Results In total, we identified 25 CDPK proteins belonging to four

In the original publication of the article, the affiliation of two co-authors Prajeesh Kooloth-Valappil and Meera Christopher was published incompletely. The correct affiliation of the authors should read " Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad-201002, India".

Objectives Esophageal cancer is one of the malignant tumor with poor survival. The 5-year survival rate of esophageal cancer patients remains poor due to limited therapeutic options and the development of drug-resistance. Recent evidence suggests that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in occurrence and development of tumor, however, the molecular mechanisms of lncRNA taurine-upregulated gene

Alginate oligosaccharide (AOS) was reported to possess antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities, but the specific effects and mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated the effects of AOS on H2O2-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and the associated mechanisms. HUVECs were treated with 100–800 µM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for various periods

Objectives To establish a technique for efficient fatty acid production through enhancement of coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis and malonyl-CoA supply by introducing exogenous pantothenate kinase (coaA) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (acc) in Escherichia coli. Results The expression of acc, obtained from Corynebacterium glutamicum, accumulated 2.2-fold more fatty acids in E. coli. The addition of coaA from

Objective Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are prebiotic substances that have been extensively incorporated in different products of food industry mostly for their bifidogenic properties and economic value. The main commercial FOS production comes from the biotransformation of sucrose and intracellular and extracellular microbial enzymes–fructosyltransferases (FTase). Aspergillus oryzae IPT-301 produces

miRNAs have been pointed to play critical role in the development of congenital heart disease (CHD). miRNA-375-3p (miR-375-3p) was involved in cardiac dysfunction and cardiogenesis. However, no prior study had established a therapeutic role of miR-375-3p in CHD. We intended to investigate the effect and mechanism of miR-375-3p on apoptosis in hypoxic cardiomyocytes in vitro. Expression of miR-375-3p

Objectives Chemoresistance is one of the major obstacles for gastric cancer (GC) treatment. Exosome-mediated transfer of circular RNAs (circRNAs) is associated with the drug-resistance in GC. Circ_0032821 has been reported as an oncogene in GC. This study is designed to explore the function and mechanism of Exosomal circ_0032821 in oxaliplatin (OXA) resistance of GC. Results Circ_0032821 was highly

Objective Jatropha curcashas been used in traditional medicine in Africa to treat cancer for thousands of years. This study aimed to examine the anti-endometrial cancer effect of Curcusone C, a naturally occurring rhamnofolane diterpene, isolated from J. curcas and reveal its molecular mechanism of action. Results Curcusone C treatment caused significant anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects in

Objective O-acetylhomoserine (OAH) is an important platform chemical to produce high-valuable chemicals. To improve the production of O-acetylhomoserine from glycerol, the glycerol-oxidative pathway was investigated and the optimization of fermentation with crude glycerol was carried out. Results The glycerol-uptake system and glycerol-oxidative pathway were modified and O-acetyltransferase from Corynebacterium

Objectives A redox potential-driven fermentation, maintaining dissolved oxygen at a prescribed level while simultaneously monitoring the changes of fermentation redox potential, was developed to guide the cultivation progress of recombinant protein expression. Results A recombinant E. coli harboring prolinase-expressing plasmid (pKK-PepR2) was cultivated using the developed process. Two distinct ORP

Objective To construct convenient CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing systems in industrial enzyme-producing fungi Penicillium oxalicum and Trichoderma reesei. Results Employing the 5S rRNA promoter from Aspergillus niger for guide RNA expression, the β-glucosidase gene bgl2 in P. oxalicum was deleted using a donor DNA carrying 40-bp homology arms or a donor containing no selectable marker gene. Using

Objective Lipases are often used in immobilized form, but commercial immobilized lipases are costly. An alternative is to produce lipases in solid-state fermentation, dry the solids and then use the “dry fermented solids” (DFS) directly. We produced DFS by growing Burkholderia contaminans on a mixture of sugarcane bagasse and sunflower seed meal and used the DFS to esterify oleic acid with ethanol

Here we report heterologous expression, enzymatic characterization and structure homology modeling of a subtilisin-like alkaline serine protease (ASP) from Bacillus halodurans C-125. Encoding gene was successfully obtained by PCR and cloned into pMA0911 shuttle vector under the control of strong HpaII promoter and expressed extracellularly. ASP enzyme was successfully expressed in B. subtilis WB800

Objective The present report describes the enzymatic acylation of umbelliferone with different vinyl esters as acyl donors biocatalyzed by the commercial lipase Novozym® 435, and the investigation for their antibacterial activity against ATCC and clinical strains isolated from hospital infection sites. Results The umbelliferone esters (1–5) were synthesized through the acylation reaction of 7-hydr

Objectives To screen for a variety of marine bacteria with anti-quorum sensing and anti-biofilm activities. Results Among 188 bacterial isolates from water, sediment, and corals in the Red Sea region, approximately 35% (65 isolates) of the isolates displayed a significant degradation in the purple pigment of the bioreporter strain without affecting cell growth. The quorum quenching bacteria obtained

Three-dimensional cell culture technology is a novel cell culture technology, which can simulate the growth state of cells in vivo by scaffolds or special devices. Cells can form tissues or organs in vitro. It combines some advantages of traditional cell experiments and animal model experiments. Because of its advantages, it is widely used in clinical medical research, including research on stem cell

Objective To enhance Pi absorption and utilization efficiency of soybean, a member of PHT1 gene family was isolated and characterized from E. salsugineum, which was a homologous gene of AtPHT1;4 and consequently designated as EsPHT1;4. Results Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that the transcript level of EsPHT1;4 significantly increased both in roots and leaves of E. salsugineum

Objective To enhance the glucaric acid (GA) production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the Vitreoscilla hemoglobin was employed to reinforce cellular oxygen supplement. Additionally, the pH-free fermentation strategy was engaged to lower the cost brought by base feeding during the acid-accumulated and long-period glucaric acid production. Results Recombinant yeast Bga-4 was constructed harboring Vitreoscilla

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the article is to establish a quick enrichment and detection method using immunomagnetic beads and flow cytometry to analyze circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood. RESULTS After incubation with CD326-PE and CD45-APC antibodies, more than 60% MCF7 cells in M-Buffer could be detected while less than 10% of the same cells could be detected by flow cytometry (FCM)

The considerable demand for dyes worldwide has triggered a surge in their production globally. The extensive application of dyes and inefficient dyeing processes has elevated the risk of environmental pollution. The effluents from dying industries contain toxic compounds that are dreadful to both the environment and living beings. Besides, conventional effluent treatment processes have proved ineffective

Abstract Objectives Chiral 2-hydroxycarboxylic acids and 2-hydroxycarboxamides are valuable synthons for the chemical industry. Results The biocatalytic syntheses of (R)-mandelic acid and (R)-mandelic acid amide by recombinant Escherichia coli clones were studied. Strains were constructed which simultaneously expressed a (R)-specific oxynitrilase (hydroxynitrile lyase) from the plant Arabidopsis thaliana

OBJECTIVE To explore the RecET-Cre/loxP system for chromosomal replacement of promoter and its application on enhancement L-leucine production in Corynebacterium glutamicum (C. glutamicum) ATCC14067. RESULTS The RecET-Cre/loxP system was used to achieve the chromosomal replacement of promoter in C. glutamicum ATCC14067 to adjust the metabolic flux involving the L-leucine synthetic pathway. First, leuAr_13032

OBJECTIVES To elucidate the role of FSH1 (family of serine hydrolase) in lipid homeostasis. RESULTS Proteins in various species containing alpha/beta hydrolase domain are known to be involved in lipid metabolism. In silico analysis of the FSH1 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae revealed the presence of alpha/beta hydrolase domain (ABHD) and a lipase motif (GXSXG), however its function in lipid metabolism

OBJECTIVES Establish a complete and efficient method for the preparation of cis-5-hydroxy-L-pipecolic acids (cis-5HPA), including biotransformation and isomers separation and purification. RESULTS For non-heme Fe(II)/α-KG-dependent dioxygenases, α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) has great influence on the stability of Fe(II) ions, which is also the basic of the hydroxylation reaction to the substrate. L-pipecolic

To produce high-, medium- and low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid (HA) at different temperatures using engineered Bacillus subtilis expressing hyaluronidase (HAase) from leech. By overexpressing the HAase gene hya in the HA-producing strain WmB using temperature-sensitive plasmid pKSV7, the engineered strain WmB-PYh produced HA with different molecular weights (8.61 kDa at 32 °C, 0.615 MDa at 42 °C

OBJECTIVE To characterize a recombinant isomerase that can catalyze the isomerization of sucrose into isomaltulose and investigate its application for the enzymatic production of isomaltulose. RESULTS A sucrose isomerase gene from Erwinia sp. Ejp617 was synthesized and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The enzymatic characterization revealed that the optimal pH and temperature of the purified