Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lauren C. Liddell, Diana M. Gentry, Rachel Gilbert, Diana Marina, Sofia Massaro Tieze, Michael R. Padgen, Kylie Akiyama, Kyra Keenan, Sharmila Bhattacharya, Sergio R. Santa Maria
Summary: With the impending human exploration of deep space, it is crucial to understand the biological risks of deep space radiation. The BioSentinel mission, the first biological payload to study radiation effects beyond low Earth orbit in 50 years, uses yeast cells to investigate the long-term effects of low-dose deep space radiation. The study shows that space-like radiation leads to a dose-dependent decrease in yeast cell growth and metabolism, with a more pronounced effect in strains deficient in DNA damage repair.
Editorial Material
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sofia Massaro Tieze, Lauren C. Liddell, Sergio R. Santa Maria, Sharmila Bhattacharya
Summary: BioSentinel is the first CubeSat designed for deep space missions, aiming to assess the effects of deep space radiation on biological systems and gather data from model organisms. This collection of articles describes the extensive optimization of the biological payload system for this long-duration deep space mission, providing insights into the evolution of NASA's previous biological CubeSats.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gabriel Jose de Carli, Danyel Fernandes Contiliani, Silvana Giuliatti, Tiago Campos Pereira
Summary: Using a unique desiccation-rehydration process, the anhydrobiotic nematode Panagrolaimus superbus is able to tolerate and proliferate in high concentrations of deuterium oxide (D2O). Analysis of its water-channel protein (aquaporin; AQP) reveals that P. superbus' AQP is an aquaglyceroporin, explaining its ability to withstand high levels of D2O. This finding paves the way for further investigation into the effects of D2O on higher levels of biological organization.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Kazuharu Arakawa
Summary: Tardigrades are known for their exceptional extremotolerance to adverse environments, achieved through reversible halt of metabolism triggered by desiccation. Recent research has uncovered unique proteins in tardigrades, but there are still many questions remaining regarding the molecular machinery of this complex phenomenon.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANIMAL BIOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Michael R. Padgen, Lauren C. Liddell, Shilpa R. Bhardwaj, Diana Gentry, Diana Marina, Macarena Parra, Travis Boone, Ming Tan, Lance Ellingson, Abraham Rademacher, Joshua Benton, Aaron Schooley, Aliyeh Mousavi, Charles Friedericks, Robert P. Hanel, Antonio J. Ricco, Sharmila Bhattacharya, Sergio R. Santa Maria
Summary: Small satellite technologies, particularly CubeSats, are enabling breakthrough research in space. BioSentinel, the first deep space biological CubeSat, will assess repair of radiation-induced DNA damage in cells, studying the effects of the space environment on biology.
Article
Biophysics
Bojan Zunar, Christine Mosrin, Helene Benedetti, Beatrice Vallee
Summary: This study presents a promising next-generation eukaryotic whole-cell copper biosensor based on the native copper response of yeast S. cerevisiae. The engineered variant exhibits superior specificity, detection limit, and linear range compared to other reported biosensors. It also serves as a dual-sensing reporter for Cu2+ detection and cell viability, and is relatively independent of the cell's physiological status.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Fengguang Zhao, Yaping Zhang, Jian Hu, Ce Shi, Xiang Ao, Shengding Wang, Ying Lin, Zhongwei Sun, Shuangyan Han
Summary: A haploid gene-deletion library was screened to identify 22 vanillin-tolerant mutants and investigate the tolerance mechanisms. The deleted genes in these mutants were found to be involved in phosphate and inositol polyphosphate metabolism and intracellular sterol transport. Activation of the phosphate signaling pathway was unfavorable for yeast under vanillin pressure, while inositol polyphosphates played a role in altering vanillin tolerance by regulating phosphate metabolism. Additionally, reducing sterol transport from the plasma membrane enhanced tolerance to vanillin. Two representative yeast deletions, pho84 Delta and lam3 Delta, showed good growth performance and rapid ethanol production in the presence of vanillin.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Shifan He, Zhanwei Zhang, Chuanbo Zhang, Wenyu Lu
Summary: In this study, five promoters from Saccharomyces cerevisiae were used to construct Malonyl-CoA sensors. By combining different strategies, a series of sensors with different characteristics were obtained. These sensors can be used for high-throughput screening and fine regulation of metabolism, demonstrating the feasibility of combined application of different promoter engineering strategies.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stanislaw Knutelski, Hubert Haranczyk, Piotr Nowak, Andrzej Wrobel, Bartosz Leszczynski, Takashi Okuda, Kazimierz Strzalka, Ewelina Baran
Summary: The Polypedilum vanderplanki larva loses a significant amount of body water during desiccation, causing a halt in metabolic and physiological processes. However, the larva is able to return to active life upon rehydration. Research on the rehydration mechanisms showed that the larva's head volume remains relatively constant while the rest of the body expands. The H-1-NMR spectrum analysis revealed the absence of solid state matter in the active larvae, with the spectrum being a combination of tightly and loosely bound water fractions as well as lipids. The increase in volume during larva rehydration follows a linear pattern. The initial phase of hydration is independent of the water's chemical composition, but the presence of ions affects the further process and the rate of larva's return to active life. Diffusion and ion channels play a significant role in the permeability of water through the larva's body integument.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Shifan He, Zhanwei Zhang, Wenyu Lu
Summary: Sharomyces cerevisiae is an important foreign gene expression system, particularly for high-value metabolite production. Promoters, as basic elements of gene transcription, play a crucial role in regulating gene expression. This article reviews current research on promoter engineering techniques and natural promoters in S. cerevisiae, including the discovery of new promoters and the modification of existing promoters.
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Olena P. Ishchuk, August T. Frost, Facundo Muniz-Paredes, Saki Matsumoto, Nathalie Laforge, Nelida Leiva Eriksson, Jose L. Martinez, Dina Petranovic
Summary: By modifying the genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, researchers were able to reduce the degradation of human hemoglobin and increase its production to record levels during glucose fermentation. This increased production was accompanied by higher oxygen consumption rate and glycerol yield, indicating the yeast's response to rebalance its NADH levels under conditions of oxygen limitation and increased protein production.
METABOLIC ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Biology
Ilaria Giovannini, Paola Antonia Corsetto, Tiziana Altiero, Gigliola Montorfano, Roberto Guidetti, Angela Maria Rizzo, Lorena Rebecchi
Summary: Anhydrobiosis is an adaptive strategy allowing organisms to tolerate severe water loss. In the anhydrobiotic state, metabolism is absent and the organism lacks dynamic features. Water depletion in this state leads to increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing oxidative stress. Organisms employ efficient antioxidant machinery to counteract the effects of oxidative stress.
Article
Biology
Sabina A. Kondratyeva, Taisiya A. Voronina, Alexander A. Nesmelov, Yugo Miyata, Shoko Tokumoto, Richard Cornette, Maria V. Vorontsova, Takahiro Kikawada, Oleg A. Gusev, Elena Shagimardanova
Summary: Polypedilum vanderplanki, a sleeping chironomid, can withstand complete desiccation through anhydrobiosis. This study investigated the functional specialization and localization of PvLEA proteins in different cell cultures. The majority of PvLea genes were found to be expressed in Pv11 cells and upregulated during trehalose treatment inducing anhydrobiosis. The localization of PvLEA proteins varied between different fusion types, highlighting the need for caution when using PvLEA in engineering anhydrobiotic cell lines.
Article
Ecology
M. Vecchi, D. Stec, L. Rebecchi, L. Michalczyk, S. Calhim
Summary: Desiccation stress is lethal to most animals, but some microinvertebrates, like tardigrades, have the ability to survive without water. The molecular mechanisms of anhydrobiosis in tardigrades have been studied, but little is known about its variability within and between species. This study developed a new index, ARI, to evaluate anhydrobiotic performance in tardigrades and found that it is influenced by microhabitat humidity, rainfall, and phylogenetic history. The study highlights the importance of studying anhydrobiosis and provides a new methodology for future research.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jianping Kang, Jieyi Li, Zhou Guo, Sijie Zhou, Shuxin Su, Wenhai Xiao, Yi Wu, Yingjin Yuan
Summary: This study demonstrates the use of SCRaMbLE to accelerate phenotypic evolution under different environmental stresses and to explore the relationship between structural variations and evolved phenotypes. Whole genome sequencing revealed that deleting gene YFR009W improves salt tolerance and deleting gene YER056C enhances 5-flucytosine tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
SYNTHETIC AND SYSTEMS BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sofia Massaro Tieze, Lauren C. Liddell, Sergio R. Santa Maria, Sharmila Bhattacharya
Summary: BioSentinel is the first CubeSat designed for deep space missions, aiming to assess the effects of deep space radiation on biological systems and gather data from model organisms. This collection of articles describes the extensive optimization of the biological payload system for this long-duration deep space mission, providing insights into the evolution of NASA's previous biological CubeSats.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Erica L. Gorenberg, Sofia Massaro Tieze, Betul Yucel, Helen R. Zhao, Vicky Chou, Gregory S. Wirak, Susumu Tomita, TuKiet T. Lam, Sreeganga S. Chandra
Summary: This study identified over 100 novel PPT1 substrates, revealing the role of PPT1 in mediating synaptic functions, implicating molecular pathways in the etiology of NCL and other neurodegenerative diseases, and advancing our basic understanding of depalmitoylation.