Article
Environmental Sciences
Neha Arora, George P. Philippidis
Summary: The study reveals that Chlorella vulgaris exhibits better nutrient stress tolerance and redox balancing under mixotrophic conditions, leading to higher biomass and lipid production.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Xun Xu, Bao-Sheng Wang, Hui Yu
Summary: By using population genomics approaches, this study investigates the intraspecies differentiation of a fig wasp species and reveals genetic differences between the Hainan Island population and the continental populations. The research suggests that both geographic barriers and adaptation play a role in the genetic divergence of the population-level, providing insights into the potential speciation of non-model organisms.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Nardiah Rizwana Jaafar, Nor Muhammad Mahadi, Mukram Mohamed Mackeen, Rosli Md Illias, Abdul Munir Abdul Murad, Farah Diba Abu Bakar
Summary: The study describes a type II 3-dehydroquinate dehydratase from the cold-adapted yeast Glaciozyma antarctica PI12, which is active at low temperatures with maximal activity at 40 degrees C, displaying stability and high thermo-tolerance, denaturing only at approximately 84 degrees C. The enzyme possesses psychrophilic features compared to its mesophilic and thermophilic counterparts, contributing towards its ability to function at both low and high temperatures.
JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xinya Li, Jin-Fen Pan, Zhiying Lu, Ming Wei, Zhongsheng Gao, Zhenguang Yan
Summary: The research found that arsenic toxicity to marine microalgae was enhanced under phosphorus-limited conditions. Phosphorus supply significantly altered the effect of arsenic on the light-harvesting efficiency of photosystem. Additionally, insufficient phosphorus supply resulted in an enhanced level of membrane integrity loss, facilitating arsenic entering cells and leading to stronger toxicity to the algae.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Hui Liu, Mo Xian, Yujin Cao, Jing Guo, Lijun Kan, Xin Xu
Summary: A co-culture system of Chlorella vulgaris and Escherichia coli was established for the biosynthesis of isoprene, resulting in improved production and prolonged fermentation. The study revealed that C. vulgaris protected E. coli against oxidative stress and facilitated E. coli growth through inter-species cross-feeding, with the biosynthesis of cysteine playing a significant role.
ALGAL RESEARCH-BIOMASS BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Ragaa A. Hamouda, Ahmed I. Abd El Maksoud, Madonna Wageed, Amenah S. Alotaibi, Dalia Elebeedy, Hany Khalil, Amr Hassan, Asmaa Abdella
Summary: Therapeutic selectivity is crucial in cancer therapy and the Au/cellulose nanocomposite shows potential in addressing this challenge. The study successfully prepared a nanocomposite with enhanced anticancer activity by regulating the MAPK pathway, using nanocellulose and nanogold biosynthesized from microgreen alga Chlorella vulgaris.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marco Mangiagalli, Michela Lapi, Serena Maione, Marco Orlando, Stefania Brocca, Alessandra Pesce, Alberto Barbiroli, Carlo Camilloni, Sandra Pucciarelli, Marina Lotti, Marco Nardini
Summary: Psychrophilic organisms produce enzymes with high specific activity at low temperatures to adapt to cold environments. The GH42 beta-galactosidase from Marinomonas ef1 exhibits cold activity and robustness, possibly evolving from a thermostable scaffold. Its unique hexameric arrangement and large central cavity contribute to substrate accessibility, with a peculiar cooperative behavior likely related to internal cavity permeability increase triggered by heating. These findings challenge the traditional view of cold activity coupled with intrinsic thermolability.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Sindy Gutschker, Jose Maria Corral, Alfred Schmiedl, Frank Ludewig, Wolfgang Koch, Karin Fiedler-Wiechers, Olaf Czarnecki, Karsten Harms, Isabel Keller, Cristina Martins Rodrigues, Benjamin Pommerrenig, H. Ekkehard Neuhaus, Wolfgang Zierer, Uwe Sonnewald, Christina Muedsam
Summary: In this study, cold treatment led to a significant reduction in DNA methylation levels, particularly affecting methylation in the CHH context, accompanied by downregulation of the chromomethyltransferase CMT2 and upregulation of genes involved in active DNA demethylation. The integration of methylomic and transcriptomic data revealed that epigenetic modifications correlated with changes in the expression of genes involved in DNA methylation and demethylation, suggesting that transcriptional responses precede global DNA hypomethylation in response to cold stress.
Article
Biology
Catherine D. Stark, Teanna Bautista-Leung, Joanna Siegfried, Daniel Herschlag
Summary: The study aimed to test whether rate enhancement is a major adaptive trait of enzymes to cold temperature. The results showed that temperature has a weaker influence on enzyme rate constants compared to stability, indicating that other evolutionary forces are responsible for the majority of enzymatic rate constant variation.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Liu Gao, Yuanyuan Su, Honjie Fan, Yang Xie, Tariq Mehmood, Siyu Liu, Ruiqi Bao, Licheng Peng
Summary: This study investigated the single and combined toxicity of microplastics and petroleum on the growth and nutrient utilization of microalgae. The results showed that both microplastics and petroleum posed toxic risks to the microalgae and increased oxidative stress. In addition to affecting the cellular utilization of elements, Fe and Mn directly influenced the absorption of NO3--N by the microalgae, indirectly affecting their dry cell weight. This study provides a novel analysis of the effects of microplastics on the growth of microalgae from the perspective of nutrient elements.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lucien Koenekoop, Johan aqvist
Summary: Computer simulations are used to study the cold adaptation of lactate dehydrogenases from Antarctic and sub-Antarctic fish species. The results show that these enzymes have lower activation enthalpy and more negative entropy, which is a common feature of psychrophilic enzymes. The simulations also explain the differences in thermal stability and substrate binding affinity between the two cold-adapted enzymes.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alessandro Marchetti, Marco Orlando, Marco Mangiagalli, Marina Lotti
Summary: The binding of manganese ion (Mn2+) improves the thermal stability and catalytic efficiency of cold-active enzymes, which are key for adaptation to cold environments.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiang Liu, Xueting Wang, Fengwen Zhang, Xiangfeng Yao, Zhihua Qiao, Jiahui Deng, Qin Jiao, Luo Gong, Xingyin Jiang
Summary: The study investigated the toxic effects of fludioxonil on Chlorella vulgaris, finding that it inhibited growth, reduced photosynthetic pigments, induced oxidative damage, and disrupted cell integrity. This highlights the importance of proper management of this fungicide to protect aquatic ecosystems.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Renganathan Rajkumar, Ganesan Ezhumalai, Murugesan Gnanadesigan
Summary: In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were biosynthesized using a freshwater green alga, Chlorella vulgaris. The experiments led to the determination of optimal synthesis conditions, and spectroscopic and microscopic techniques were employed for characterization of the synthesized AgNPs.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Theint Theint Win, Sikandar Khan, Bo Bo, Shah Zada, PengCheng Fu
Summary: This research aimed to assess the efficacy of iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized with microalgal products as plant growth stimulants and antifungal agents. The Fe3O4-NPs significantly improved germination and vigor index of various plants and exhibited antifungal activity against several fungal species. Various characterization techniques were used to study the green fabricated magnetite nanoparticles, revealing a synergistic effect of microalgal proteins, carbohydrates, and polyphenols in the biofabrication of iron nanoparticles. A spherical dispersion of biosynthesized Fe3O4-NPs with an average diameter of 76.5 nm was produced in the synthetic process.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Qintao Wang, Yanbin Feng, Yandu Lu, Yi Xin, Chen Shen, Li Wei, Yuxue Liu, Nana Lv, Xuefeng Du, Wenqiang Zhu, Byeong-ryool Jeong, Song Xue, Jian Xu
Summary: This study identified methods to customize the chain length of fatty acids in Nannochloropsis, enabling the production of designer lipids with tailored properties. A mechanistic model was proposed to manipulate carbon distribution among fatty acids, laying the foundation for scalable production of designer lipids via industrial oleaginous microalgae.
METABOLIC ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Teng Xu, Xiao Han, Pengfei Zhu, Jing Dai, Min Liu, Yang Liu, Jian Xu, Bo Ma
Summary: This study introduces a centrifugation-based microfluidic concentrator for rapid and real-time pathogen detection and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. By transferring pathogen cells from the loading chamber to the picoliter-level enrichment channel, high enrichment efficiency is achieved without traditional pre-culture steps.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chunyu Li, Yanhai Gong, Xixian Wang, Jian Xu, Bo Ma
Summary: An addressable dynamic droplet array (aDDA) integrates the advantages of static droplet arrays and continuous-flow droplet platforms, allowing all sample preparation steps to be performed within a sub-nanoliter droplet. Validation studies show that aDDA reduces amplification bias and increases genome recovery efficiency, making it a valuable tool for high-genome-coverage sequencing of single microbial cells.
Article
Microbiology
Yuehui He, Shi Huang, Peng Zhang, Yuetong Ji, Jian Xu
Summary: The study introduces intra-ramanome correlation analysis (IRCA) to reveal interphenotype correlations in cellular systems using metabolic heterogeneity among individual cells. By reconstructing a network of potential metabolite conversions, IRCA allows for functional profiling of cellular systems from just one snapshot of an isogenic population, showcasing new opportunities in the field.
Article
Microbiology
Yogendra Bhaskar, Xiaoquan Su, Chenggang Xu, Jian Xu
Summary: The computational approach SLOFE can identify SRPS operons and predict their stoichiometry at a genome-wide scale using only DNA sequence, achieving an 80% accuracy in identifying SRPS operons in Clostridium cellulolyticum. SLOFE predicts transcript- and protein-level stoichiometry in operons encoding cellulosome complexes, ATP synthases, ABC transporter family proteins, and ribosomal proteins, surpassing existing in silico approaches in several bacteria species.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Gongchao Jing, Yufeng Zhang, Lu Liu, Zengbin Wang, Zheng Sun, Rob Knight, Xiaoquan Su, Jian Xu
Summary: By constructing a search-based microbiome transition network, it was found that microbiomes exhibit inherent homology at the global scale, and a global roadmap of microbiome dispersal was derived to track the potential paths of forming and propagating microbiome diversity.
Article
Spectroscopy
Yuhan Liu, Yuying Ma, Lijuan Zhang, Xi Sun, Jiazhen Yang, Xiuzhen Li, Fan Li, Rongze Chen, Pengfei Zhu, Jian Xu, Fang Yang
Summary: For Enterococcus faecalis, sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, and chlorhexidine gluconate have different minimum inhibitory concentrations, but at their respective minimum inhibitory concentrations, the bacteria may still be in a non-growing but metabolically active state, which can lead to recurring infections. In contrast, at their respective minimum inhibitory concentration based on metabolic activity, all three disinfectants completely inhibit the metabolic activity of the bacteria. The combination of these disinfectants at lower concentrations can achieve an equivalent metabolism-inhibiting effect as using each disinfectant alone at the minimum inhibitory concentration, thereby controlling the infection of E. faecalis and reducing side effects.
JOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Fan Li, Lihui Ren, Rongze Chen, Xi Sun, Jian Xu, Pengfei Zhu, Fang Yang
Summary: Disinfectants are crucial for preventing refractory infections in root canal therapy. This study found that using disinfectants alone reduced the metabolic activity of bacteria but did not completely halt it, while the combination of sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide was more effective in inhibiting bacterial metabolism, showing better disinfection efficacy.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Anle Ge, Fengyi Liu, Xindong Teng, Chaojie Cui, Fei Wu, Wenjing Liu, Yang Liu, Xiaoguang Chen, Jian Xu, Bo Ma
Summary: The study developed a device called PaGeR for rapid and simple detection of COVID-19. The device uses four simple steps to achieve rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2, and can detect the virus selectively with naked-eye. It supports multiple detection methods including colorimetric, fluorometric and lateral dipstick readout. Experimental results with clinical RNA samples showed that the instrument can effectively diagnose COVID-19 patients.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Peng Zhang, Yi Xin, Yuehui He, Xianfeng Tang, Chen Shen, Qintao Wang, Nana Lv, Yun Li, Qiang Hu, Jian Xu
Summary: The protein NobZIP77 regulates oil synthesis by sensing blue light, and these findings can be utilized to enhance oil productivity through genetic and process engineering in microalgae.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yi Xin, Qintao Wang, Chen Shen, Chunxiu Hu, Xianzhe Shi, Nana Lv, Xuefeng Du, Guowang Xu, Jian Xu
Summary: Depending on their chain length, triacylglycerols (TAGs) have different applications, so it is desirable to have a genetically designed feedstock with specific chain length for maximizing process efficiency and product versatility. In the microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica, two enzymes were found to assemble medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) into TAGs, with one being a generalist and the other a specialist. By manipulating these enzymes, the production of medium-chain triacylglycerols (MCTs) in TAGs can be significantly increased in microalgae, allowing for the production of designer oils.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Fengyi Liu, Anle Ge, Chunyu Li, Wei Gao, Fei Wu, Lingyan Kan, Jian Xu, Bo Ma
Summary: Droplet microfluidics is a powerful tool for biochemical applications, but precise fluid control is a hindrance in droplet-based point-of-care testing. This paper presents a droplet reinjection method that allows for droplet alignment and detection without precise fluid control or external pumps. By integrating a surface-wetting-based droplet generation chip, an integrated Portable Droplet system (iPODs) is developed, which can generate monodisperse droplets with a narrow size distribution and high stability. The iPODs also demonstrates good linearity in the digital loop-mediated isothermal amplification process, highlighting its potential as a portable, low-cost, and easy-to-deploy toolbox for droplet-based applications.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Meijia Zhu, Teng Xu, Yongqiang Cheng, Bo Ma, Jian Xu, Zhidian Diao, Fei Wu, Jing Dai, Xiao Han, Pengfei Zhu, Chao Pang, Jing Li, Hongwei Wang, Ranran Xu, Xiaotong Li
Summary: This study introduced a bacteria separation integrated AST chip that can extract bacteria from positive blood cultures and provide susceptibility information quickly. The chip has the potential to be a fast and reliable tool for pathogen characterization in clinical diagnosis.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Zheng Sun, Shi Huang, Pengfei Zhu, Lam Tzehau, Helen Zhao, Jia Lv, Rongchao Zhang, Lisha Zhou, Qianya Niu, Xiuping Wang, Meng Zhang, Gongchao Jing, Zhenmin Bao, Jiquan Liu, Shi Wang, Jian Xu
Summary: 2bRAD-M is a highly reduced and cost-effective strategy that can accurately generate species-level taxonomic profiles even in samples with low microbial biomass or severe DNA degradation.
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Tao He, Shi Huang, Feng Yue, Lijiang Wang, Jiquan Liu, Jian Xu
Summary: The study found that both a stannous-containing fluoride dentifrice and a positive control dentifrice were effective in improving gingival health and microbiome composition over a 2-week period, with no significant difference between the two in reducing gingival bleeding and improving oral ecosystem.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF DENTISTRY
(2021)