Abstract The novel influenza A virus (IAV) defective interfering particle “OP7” inhibits IAV replication in a co-infection and was previously suggested as a promising antiviral agent. Here, we report a batch-mode cell culture-based production process for OP7. In the present study, a seed virus containing standard virus (STV) and OP7 was used. The yield of OP7 strongly depended on the production multiplicity

Abstract Echinocandins are a clinically important class of non-ribosomal antifungal lipopeptides produced by filamentous fungi. Due to their complex structure, which is characterized by numerous hydroxylated non-proteinogenic amino acids, echinocandin antifungal agents are manufactured semisynthetically. The development of optimized echinocandin structures is therefore closely connected to their biosynthesis

Abstract Pseudomonads are among the most common bacteria in soils, limnic ecosystems, and human, animal, or plant host environments, including intensively studied species such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. putida, or P. fluorescens. Various gene expression systems are established for some species, but there is still a need for a simple system that is suitable for a wide range of pseudomonads and that

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-020-11037-5

Abstract Bioremediation systems represent an environmentally sustainable approach to degrading industrially generated thiocyanate (SCN−), with low energy demand and operational costs and high efficiency and substrate specificity. However, heavy metals present in mine tailings effluent may hamper process efficiency by poisoning thiocyanate-degrading microbial consortia. Here, we experimentally tested

Abstract Ganoderma lucidum, which contains numerous biologically active compounds, is known worldwide as a medicinal basidiomycete. Because of its application for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, most of artificially cultivated G. lucidum is output to many countries as food, tea, and dietary supplements for further processing. Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) has been reported as a compound

Abstract Nylon 5 and nylon 6,5 are recently explored as new commercial polyamides, of which the monomer includes δ-valerolactam. In this study, a novel catalytic activity of lysine 2-monooxygenase (DavB) was explored to produce δ-valerolactam from l-pipecolic acid (L-PA), functioning as oxidative decarboxylase on a cyclic compound. Recombinant Escherichia coli BS01 strain expressing DavB from Pseudomonas

Abstract Δ6 fatty acid desaturases (FADS6) have different substrate specificities that impact the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are involved in regulating multiple signalling pathways associated with various diseases. For decades, FADS6 with different substrate specificities have been characterized and the functions of these crucial enzymes have been investigated, while

Abstract Pseudomonas chlororaphis is a plant-associated bacterium with reported antagonistic activity against different organisms and plant growth–promoting properties. P. chlororaphis possesses exciting biotechnological features shared with another Pseudomonas with a nonpathogenic phenotype. Part of the antagonistic role of P. chlororaphis is due to its production of a wide variety of phenazines.

Abstract The genus Paenibacillus was originally recognized based on the 16S rRNA gene phylogeny. Recently, a standardized bacterial taxonomy approach based on a genome phylogeny has substantially revised the classification of Paenibacillus, dividing it into 23 genera. However, the metabolic differences among these groups remain undescribed. Here, genomes of 41 Paenibacillus strains comprising 25 species

Abstract Human connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a secreted cysteine-rich peptide that stimulates cell proliferation, migration, and extracellular matrix production during tissue development, differentiation, angiogenesis, implantation, wound healing, and fibrosis processes, with broad application in the medical and cosmetic medical fields. However, the production of CTGF is currently limited

l-Tyrosine is an aromatic, polar, non-essential amino acid that contains a highly reactive α-amino, α-carboxyl, and phenolic hydroxyl group. Derivatization of these functional groups can produce chemicals, such as l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, tyramine, 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid, and benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, which are widely employed in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics industries. In

Abstract The genus Metarhizium is comprised of a diverse group of common soil fungi that exhibit multifunctional lifestyles with varying degrees of saprotrophic, endophytic, and insect pathogenic modes of nutrient acquisition. The transcriptome of these species is modulated to reflect immediate needs of the fungus and availability of resources—a form of transcriptional plasticity that allows for physiological

Abstract Renewable energy can boost the growing population’s need and rapid budgetary development. To reduce fossil fuel consumption is the initial purpose of renewable and sustainable energy, producing valuable bio-based products. The fermenters, using for pretreatment of swine manure, and involvement of swine carcasses are reported to enhance organic loading rate followed by improved biogas yield

Abstract In vitro gut models, such as the mucosal artificial colon (M-ARCOL), provide timely and cost-efficient alternatives to in vivo assays allowing mechanistic studies to better understand the role of human microbiome in health and disease. Using such models inoculated with human fecal samples may require a critical step of stool storage. The effects of preservation methods on microbial structure

Data-driven models in a combination of optimization algorithms could be beneficial methods for predicting and optimizing in vitro culture processes. This study was aimed at modeling and optimizing a new embryogenesis medium for chrysanthemum. Three individual data-driven models, including multi-layer perceptron (MLP), adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and support vector regression (SVR)

Abstract Mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs) are glycolipid biosurfactants produced by various yeasts. Mmf1, a putative transporter of MELs, is conserved in the MEL biosynthesis gene clusters of diverse MEL producers, including the genera Ustilago, Pseudozyma, Moesziomyces, and Sporisorium. To clarify the function of Mmf1, we generated the gene-deleted strain of P. tsukubaensis ΔPtMMF1 and evaluated its

Abstract Dietary fiber has beneficial effects on obesity-related diseases and gut microbiota, contributing a key role in the interaction between dietary metabolism and host metabolism. Our objective was to investigate the cause of the improvement in multiple types of physiological states with seaweed Undaria pinnatifida treatment on high-fat diet-fed mice and to evaluate whether its consequent anti-adiposity

The detection and identification of microbial pathogens in meat and fresh produce play an essential role in food safety for reducing foodborne illnesses every year. A new approach based on targeting a specific sequence of the 16S rRNA region for each bacterium is proposed and validated. The probe complex consists of a C60, a conjugated RNA detector which targets a specific 16S rRNA sequence, and a

Abstract Infections caused by bacterial species from the genus Campylobacter are one of the four main causes of strong diarrheal enteritis worldwide. Campylobacteriosis, a typical food-borne disease, can range from mild symptoms to fatal illness. About 550 million people worldwide suffer from campylobacteriosis and lethality is about 33 million p.a. This review summarizes the state of the current knowledge

Abstract Smokeless tobacco products (STP) contain bacteria, mold, and fungi due to exposure from surrounding environments and tobacco processing. This has been a cause for concern since the presence of microorganisms has been linked to the formation of highly carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines. These communities have also been reported to produce toxins and other pro-inflammatory molecules

Abstract Microbial cell factories offer an economic approach for synthesizing “natural’” aromatic flavor compounds. During their fermentation process, the inefficient synthesis pathway and product cytotoxicity are the major barriers to the high-level production. This study combined metabolic engineering and tolerance engineering strategies to maximize the valuable rose-smell 2-phenylethanol (2-PE)

Abstract The removal of antibiotics from the feeds used in the livestock industry has resulted in the use of a wide range of alternative antimicrobial products that aim to deliver the productivity and health benefits that have traditionally been associated with antibiotics. Amongst the most popular alternatives are phytogenic product-based extracts from herbs and spices with known antimicrobial properties

Abstract In pharmaceutical industry, the prodrug approaches and drug-drug conjugates are being now vastly used to optimize the efficacy of the drugs for multipurpose. The combination or conjugation of antimicrobials agents with natural antimicrobials may lead to better synergistic antimicrobial activity. Currently, many publications show the potential of ionic liquids (ILs) as novel antimicrobials

Abstract Sulfonamides are the oldest class of synthetic antibiotics still in use in clinical and veterinary settings. The intensive utilization of sulfonamides has been leading to the widespread contamination of the environment with these xenobiotic compounds. Consequently, in addition to pathogens and commensals, also bacteria inhabiting a wide diversity of environmental compartments have been in

Abstract In this study, we isolated an endophytic Streptomyces sp. strain, WP-1, from surface-sterilized barks of Pinus dabeshanensis, an endangered Chinese plant. WP-1 showed strong antifungal activity against diverse pathogenic fungi, such as Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani, Phytophthora infestan, and Candida albicans. Based on phylogenetic analyses, preliminary identification suggested that

Abstract The effects of several surfactants on the biosynthesis of β-1,3-D-glucan (β-glucan) and pullulan by Aureobasidium pullulans CCTCC M 2012259 were investigated, and Triton X-100 was found to decrease biomass formation but increase β-glucan and pullulan production. The addition of 5 g/L Triton X-100 to the fermentation medium and bioconversion broth significantly increased β-glucan production

Abstract Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are recognized as promising safe alternatives to antibiotics for its low drug-resistance. Brevilaterin B, a newly discovered antimicrobial lipopeptide produced by Brevibacillus laterosporus S62-9, exhibits efficient antibacterial activity on Listeria monocytogenes with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 1 μg mL−1. The present research aimed to investigate the

Abstract Increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant untreatable infections has prompted researchers to trial alternative treatments such as a substitute for traditional antibiotics. This study endeavored to elucidate the antibacterial mechanism(s) of this isoflavone, via analysis of relationship between genistein and Escherichia coli. Furthermore, this investigation analyzed whether genistein generates

Glutathione peroxidase (GPX) is one of the most important antioxidant enzymes for maintaining reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis. Although studies on fungi have suggested many important physiological functions of GPX, few studies have examined the role of this enzyme in Basidiomycetes, particularly its functions in fruiting body developmental processes. In the present study, GPX-silenced (GPxi)

Abstract Canine distemper virus (CDV) infection causes mass mortality in diverse carnivore species. For effective virus surveillance, rapid and sensitive assays are needed to detect CDV in field samples. In this study, after BABL/c mice were immunized with recombinant CDV-fusion (F) protein, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against recombinant CDV-F protein (designated 1A5, 1A6, and 7D5) were produced

Abstract Akkermansia muciniphila is a prominent member of the gut microbiota and the organism gets exposed to bile acids within this niche. Several gut bacteria have bile response genes to metabolize bile acids or an ability to change their membrane structure to prevent membrane damage from bile acids. To understand the response to bile acids and how A. muciniphila can persist in the gut, we studied

Acetic acid accumulation is a universal limiting factor to the vinegar manufacture because of the toxic effect of acetic acid on the acid producing strain, such as Acetobacter pasteurianus. In this study, we aimed to investigate the genome-wide transcriptional response of A. pasteurianus Ab3 to high acid stress during vinegar production. By comparing the transcriptional landscape of cells harvested

Abstract Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major opportunistic human pathogen that causes nosocomial infections, and the proportion of carbapenem resistance has recently dramatically increased in P. aeruginosa due to the overuse of them. In this study, strains G10 and G20, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of imipenem of 16 μg/ml and more than 32 μg/ml, were isolated during continuous subculture

Abstract In this work, deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolase (Ec DERA, EC 4.1.2.4) from Escherichia coli was chosen as the protein engineering target for improving the substrate preference towards smaller, non-phosphorylated aldehyde donor substrates, in particular towards acetaldehyde. The initial broad set of mutations was directed to 24 amino acid positions in the active site or in the close vicinity

Abstract This study evaluated the reliability of MALDI-TOF MS coupled with statistical tools for the identification of Streptococcus mutans in comparison with PCR-based techniques. Bacterial isolates were identified and serotyped by conventional PCR, using S. mutans species and serotype-specific primers. For bacterial identification, mass spectra data from S. mutans and other streptococci were compared

Abstract Cell membranes are a great obstacle for entrance of gene therapeutic agents. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have been proven as a promising gene delivery tool. However, the early TAT peptide derived from the HIV transcription activator protein has been proven that the sequence contains Furin protease cleaved motifs which limited the TAT application in delivery of exogenous active molecules

The published online version contains mistake for the author the authors correction to change the name from Clara Uriz to Clara Urzì was missed.

Abstract Modification of C4-dicarboxylate transport processes is an important strategy for the development of efficient malic acid producing cell factory in Aspergillus niger. However, there is a lack of identification and functional research of malic acid transport proteins, which seriously hinders the construction of high-yield malic acid metabolic engineering strains. A C4-dicarboxylate transport

Abstract Amplicon sequence fingerprinting of communities in activated sludge systems have provided data revealing the true level of their microbial biodiversity and led to suggestions of which intrinsic and extrinsic parameters might affect the dynamics of community assemblage. Most studies have been performed in China and Denmark, and comparatively little information is available for plants in other

Abstract Microbial production of antibodies offers the promise of cheap, fast, and efficient production of antibodies at an industrial scale. Limiting this capacity in prokaryotes is the absence of the post-translational machinery, present in dedicated antibody producing eukaryotic cell lines, such as B cells. There has been few and limited success in producing full-length, correctly folded, and assembled

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) models and optimization algorithms (OA) are broadly employed in different fields of technology and science and have recently been applied to improve different stages of plant tissue culture. The usefulness of the application of AI-OA has been demonstrated in the prediction and optimization of length and number of microshoots or roots, biomass in plant cell cultures

Abstract Much research has been carried out on the bacterial bioremediation of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and toxic metals but much less is known about the potential of fungi in sites that are co-contaminated with both classes of pollutants. This article documents the roles of fungi in soil polluted with both petroleum hydrocarbons and toxic metals as well as the mechanisms involved

Abstract Reactive Black 5 (RB5) is a typical refractory azo dye. Widespread utilization of RB5 has caused a variety of environmental and health problems. The enzymatic degradation of RB5 can be a promising solution due to its superiority as an eco-friendly and cost-competitive process. Bacterial CotA-laccase shows great application prospect to eliminate hazardous dyes from wastewater. However, efficient

Abstract Phyllosticta citricarpa, Elsinoë fawcettii, Elsinoë australis, and Pseudocercospora angolensis are major pathogens of citrus crops worldwide and can cause non-characteristic symptoms that may lead to confusion regarding the causative agent. These fungi are subject to international phytosanitary regulations, and testing on fruits or leaves requires accurate and easy-to-use tools. New multiplex

Adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) has been used to study and solve pressing questions about evolution, especially for the study of the development of mutations that confer increased fitness during evolutionary processes. In this contribution, we investigated how the evolutionary process conducted with the PTS− mutant of Escherichia coli PB11 in three parallel batch cultures allowed the restoration

Abstract Bacteriophage-based methods for the rapid detection of viable Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) in veterinary specimens are a recent addition to the Johne’s disease diagnostic toolbox. Here, we report the use of D29 mycobacteriophage-coated tosylactivated paramagnetic beads to capture and concentrate MAP cells from samples (termed phagomagnetic separation, PhMS) and then naturally

The gut microbiota, including both bacterial and fungal communities, plays vital roles in the gut homeostasis of animals, and antibiotics can lead to disorders of these microbial communities. The use of anthelmintic treatment to control parasitic infection has long been a standard practice, although its impact on the gut microbiota of healthy sika deer is relatively unknown. This study used next-generation

Abstract Actinoplanes sp. SE50/110 is the industrially relevant producer of acarbose, which is used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Recent studies elucidated the expression dynamics in Actinoplanes sp. SE50/110 during growth. From these data, we obtained a large genomic region (ACSP50_3900 to ACSP50_3950) containing 51 genes, of which 39 are transcribed in the same manner. These co-regulated

Abstract Lovastatin, and its semisynthetic derivative simvastatine, has great medical and economic importance, besides great potential for other uses. In the last years, a deeper and more complex view of secondary metabolism regulation has emerged, with the incorporation of cluster-specific and global transcription factors, and their relation to signaling cascades, as well as the new level of epigenetic