Article
Plant Sciences
Erna Karalija, Sabina Dahija, Arnela Demir, Renata Besta-Gajevic, Sanja Cavar Zeljkovic, Petr Tarkowski
Summary: This study presents the phenolic composition and bioactivity of three plant species from the western Balkan mountains. The results suggest that these plants may serve as a potential source of bioactive compounds, particularly the leaf extracts of Valeriana montana and Campanula hercegovina which demonstrated strong antimicrobial activity.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Assunta Saide, Kevin A. Martinez, Adrianna Ianora, Chiara Lauritano
Summary: Microalgae can produce compounds with allelopathic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and other beneficial biological activities, which have potential for human health applications in pharmaceutical and other industrial fields. Further research is needed to fully exploit their potential.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Natalia Slawinska, Joanna Zajac, Beata Olas
Summary: Paulownia spp. is a genus of trees native to southeastern Asia, particularly China, with a history of cultivation for over 2000 years. It is planted worldwide for commercial, medical, and decorative purposes. Various hybrids have been developed, including Paulownia Clone in vitro 112, which shows promising biological activities. This review summarizes the phytochemical characteristics, biological properties, and economic significance of different organs from various Paulownia species and hybrids.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lei Luo, Peter Muiruri Kamau, Ren Lai
Summary: The venom of wasps contains various bioactive components, including peptides and proteins, which possess antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and anticoagulant activities. These bioactive peptides and proteins may be potential sources of pharmaceutically active molecules. However, the venom can also cause allergic reactions and tissue damage.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Maria Gavrilescu
Summary: Research on the use of microbes in recovering critical metals from secondary sources is still in the early stages and requires further efficiency improvements. Future developments in microbial processes for critical metal recovery should focus on utilizing novel microorganisms and high-performance strategies.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Weihong Song, Qinglian Du, Xiancheng Li, Shuizhong Wang, Guoyong Song
Summary: Catechyl lignin (C-lignin) is a promising biopolymer for the synthesis of bioactive molecules. Diversified transformations of propenylcatechol, a depolymerized product of C-lignin, were reported, resulting in the preparation of functional molecular skeletons for pharmaceuticals and bioactive molecules. The study demonstrated the low carbon footprint and high-quality production of bioactive molecules from C-lignin.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Sara Alexandra Cunha, Manuela Estevez Pintado
Summary: Bioactive peptides derived from marine sources have valuable potential in pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries due to their various biological activities and functional properties. Enzymatic hydrolysis is the most commonly used method for peptide production. Encapsulation is an interesting approach to enhance peptide protection and their effectiveness in pharmaceuticals, food, or cosmetics.
TRENDS IN FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ann Maria James, Nemo McIntosh, Felix Devaux, Patrick Brocorens, Jerome Cornil, Alessandro Greco, Lucia Maini, Priya Pandey, Lorenzo Pandolfi, Birgit Kunert, Elisabetta Venuti, Yves Henri Geerts, Roland Resel
Summary: The discovery of new polymorphs allows for unique applications of molecular materials due to the influence of crystal structure on their physical properties. By depositing molecules on surfaces, it is possible to vary the crystallization conditions and access unknown polymorphs. In this study, a surface crystallization approach was used to find four new phases of an oligoethylene glycol-benzothienobenzothiophene molecule, which were not identified through conventional polymorph screening. The crystal lattices of three of these new phases were determined using X-ray diffraction. Through volumetric analysis, X-ray fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy, these phases were identified as solvates containing varying numbers of solvent molecules per molecule. The interaction between dichloromethane and the oligoethylene glycol side chains of the molecules is believed to be responsible for the formation of these solvates. Temperature-dependent XRD revealed that these new phases have low thermal stability compared to the thermodynamically stable bulk form. However, the solvates remained stable under ambient conditions for at least two years. This work demonstrates how precise and controlled variations in crystallization kinetics at surfaces can enable the formation of multiple solvates for a given material.
MATERIALS HORIZONS
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Nifei Wang, Zhengxin Shan, Xing Jia, Yue Wang, Shuang Song, Dongguang Xiao, Changlu Wang, Qingbin Guo
Summary: This review summarizes the structural characteristics, bioactivities, and potential applications of polysaccharides from medical molds in both food and pharmaceutical areas.
TRENDS IN FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hao-Bing Yu, Hai-Yan Chen, Song Duan, Yu-Ping Zhu, Bo Hu, Ying He, Si-Tong Cheng, Bing-Hua Jiao, Xiao-Yu Liu
Summary: This review comprehensively discusses the marine-derived natural sources of scalarane-type sesterterpenoids and their anticancer activity, providing detailed information on their chemical structures and biological properties.
CHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ling Kong, Ye Sun, Hui Sun, Ai-hua Zhang, Bo Zhang, Nan Ge, Xi-jun Wang
Summary: This study applied the chinmedomics strategy to discover the effective constituents of KLX in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy (DR), and revealed some of the mechanisms involved.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Zhenjiao Du, Jeffrey Comer, Yonghui Li
Summary: Food-derived bioactive peptides (FBPs) have great potential in agricultural byproduct valorization and high-activity peptide screening, and the introduction of bioinformatics into FBP studies enhances the prospects of this field. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advances in bioinformatics-driven FBPs studies, including the roles of databases, proteolysis simulation, QSAR models, molecular docking, and more. The employment of bioinformatics accelerates the process from identifying FBPs to product development and enhances the long-term development of various industries.
TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Haixia Yang, Xingxia Tuo, Lingbo Wang, Rosa Tundis, Maria P. Portillo, Jesus Simal-Gandara, Yan Yu, Liang Zou, Jianbo Xiao, Jianjun Deng
Summary: Procyanidins, commonly found in plants, are beneficial compounds with various health effects. The relationship between their structure and activity has been reviewed, highlighting challenges in understanding their complexity and isolating them for research.
TRENDS IN FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mohamed Addi, Amine Elbouzidi, Malika Abid, Duangjai Tungmunnithum, Ahmed Elamrani, Christophe Hano
Summary: Citrus species are popular fruit crops with economic and nutritional values. They are rich in antioxidant molecules and have various health-promoting properties, making them valuable in the agri-food and pharmaceutical industries.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Thomas Eng, Deepanwita Banerjee, Javier Menasalvas, Yan Chen, Jennifer Gin, Hemant Choudhary, Edward Baidoo, Jian Hua Chen, Axel Ekman, Ramu Kakumanu, Yuzhong Liu Diercks, Alex Codik, Carolyn Larabell, John Gladden, Blake A. Simmons, Jay D. Keasling, Christopher J. Petzold, Aindrila Mukhopadhyay
Summary: Maximizing the production of heterologous biomolecules can be achieved through a systems-level understanding of cellular metabolism and regulation. Growth-coupling approaches can enhance product titers, yields, and production rates. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of iterative use of growth-coupling designs and functional genomics in different systems, regardless of specific hosts, carbon streams, and final products.
Article
Plant Sciences
Mitja M. Zdouc, Marianna Iorio, Sonia Maffioli, Max Cruesemann, Stefano Donadio, Margherita Sosio
Summary: Despite a strong track record, microbial drug discovery faces challenges with high rates of rediscovery and the lack of systematic characterization of less explored strains. A metabolomic study of Planomonospora isolates revealed a correlation between chemical diversity and strain phylogeny, identifying previously reported metabolites and gene clusters connected to biosynthetic capabilities. This study highlights the value of metabolomic studies in exploring poorly understood taxa and provides insights into the biosynthetic potential of the genus Planomonospora.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2021)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Mitja M. Zdouc, Marianna Iorio, Kristiina Vind, Matteo Simone, Stefania Serina, Cristina Brunati, Paolo Monciardini, Arianna Tocchetti, Guadalupe S. Zarazua, Max Cruesemann, Sonia Maffioli, Margherita Sosio, Stefano Donadio
Summary: Natural products have contributed to the treatment and prevention of diseases, but much of the microbial diversity remains unexplored. The main challenge in screening microbial metabolites is to avoid rediscovering known compounds. Research shows that with appropriate selection criteria, it is possible to discover novel chemistry through limited screening efforts.
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michelle A. Schorn, Stefan Verhoeven, Lars Ridder, Florian Huber, Deepa D. Acharya, Alexander A. Aksenov, Gajender Aleti, Jamshid Amiri Moghaddam, Allegra T. Aron, Saefuddin Aziz, Anelize Bauermeister, Katherine D. Bauman, Martin Baunach, Christine Beemelmanns, J. Michael Beman, Maria Victoria Berlanga-Clavero, Alex A. Blacutt, Helge B. Bode, Anne Boullie, Asker Brejnrod, Tim S. Bugni, Alexandra Calteau, Liu Cao, Victor J. Carrion, Raquel Castelo-Branco, Shaurya Chanana, Alexander B. Chase, Marc G. Chevrette, Leticia V. Costa-Lotufo, Jason M. Crawford, Cameron R. Currie, Bart Cuypers, Tam Dang, Tristan de Rond, Alyssa M. Demko, Elke Dittmann, Chao Du, Christopher Drozd, Jean-Claude Dujardin, Rachel J. Dutton, Anna Edlund, David P. Fewer, Neha Garg, Julia M. Gauglitz, Emily C. Gentry, Lena Gerwick, Evgenia Glukhov, Harald Gross, Muriel Gugger, Dulce G. Guillen Matus, Eric J. N. Helfrich, Benjamin-Florian Hempel, Jae-Seoun Hur, Marianna Iorio, Paul R. Jensen, Kyo Bin Kang, Leonard Kaysser, Neil L. Kelleher, Chung Sub Kim, Ki Hyun Kim, Irina Koester, Gabriele M. Koenig, Tiago Leao, Seoung Rak Lee, Yi-Yuan Lee, Xuanji Li, Jessica C. Little, Katherine N. Maloney, Daniel Maennle, Christian Martin H., Andrew C. McAvoy, Willam W. Metcalf, Hosein Mohimani, Carlos Molina-Santiago, Bradley S. Moore, Michael W. Mullowney, Mitchell Muskat, Louis-Felix Nothias, Ellis C. O'Neill, Elizabeth I. Parkinson, Daniel Petras, Jorn Piel, Emily C. Pierce, Karine Pires, Raphael Reher, Diego Romero, M. Caroline Roper, Michael Rust, Hamada Saad, Carmen Saenz, Laura M. Sanchez, Soren Johannes Sorensen, Margherita Sosio, Roderich D. Sussmuth, Douglas Sweeney, Kapil Tahlan, Regan J. Thomson, Nicholas J. Tobias, Amaro E. Trindade-Silva, Gilles P. van Wezel, Mingxun Wang, Kelly C. Weldon, Fan Zhang, Nadine Ziemert, Katherine R. Duncan, Max Cruesemann, Simon Rogers, Pieter C. Dorrestein, Marnix H. Medema, Justin J. J. van der Hooft
Summary: Genomics and metabolomics are commonly used to explore the diversity of specialized metabolites. The Paired Omics Data Platform aims to systematically document the connections between metabolome and (meta)genome data to aid in the identification of natural product biosynthetic origins and metabolite structures.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marianna Iorio, Sahar Davatgarbenam, Stefania Serina, Paolo Criscenzo, Mitja M. Zdouc, Matteo Simone, Sonia Maffioli, Richard H. Ebright, Stefano Donadio, Margherita Sosio
Summary: The metabolomic analysis of Streptomyces sp. ID38640 and its mutant strains reveals diverse metabolites crucial for pseudouridimycin biosynthesis. Additionally, multiple Streptomyces strains are capable of producing pseudouridimycin, showing distinct genetic and metabolic profiles from ID38640.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Francesco Del Carratore, Marianna Iorio, Mercedes Perez-Bonilla, Kamila Schmidt, Rosario Perez-Redondo, Margherita Sosio, Sandy J. Macdonald, Ivan S. Gyulev, Areti Tsigkinopoulou, Gavin H. Thomas, Olga Genilloud, Antonio Rodriguez-Garcia, Stefano Donadio, Rainer Breitling, Eriko Takano
Summary: The study presents the first systematic multi-omics investigation of Planobispora rosea during the production of GE2270A, providing valuable insights into its metabolism dynamics and biology. The data reveals details of protein biosynthesis shutdown, respiratory chain closure, and the phosphate regulon in P. rosea. Additionally, a new biosynthetic gene cluster related to siderophores production was identified and validated.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Meng Zhang, Liyuan Kong, Rong Gong, Marianna Iorio, Stefano Donadio, Zixin Deng, Margherita Sosio, Wenqing Chen
Summary: This review summarizes recent advances in the biosynthesis of C-nucleoside antibiotics and tentatively discusses future developments in accessing C-nucleoside diversities through synthetic biology strategies.
MICROBIAL CELL FACTORIES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Arianna Tocchetti, Marianna Iorio, Zeeshan Hamid, Andrea Armirotti, Angelo Reggiani, Stefano Donadio
Summary: The research suggests that NAI-112 may exert analgesic and antibacterial activities by influencing changes in the spinal cord lipidome, possibly by binding to phosphate-containing lipids and blocking pain sensation in the TRPV1 pathway by reducing levels of lysophosphatidic acid.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kristiina Vind, Cristina Brunati, Matteo Simone, Margherita Sosio, Stefano Donadio, Marianna Iorio
Summary: In this study, the genome and metabolome of a talented strain, Streptomyces ID71268, were described. The strain exhibited the potential to produce a variety of metabolites, including known compounds and potentially novel compounds. One of the identified metabolites, megalochelin, is the largest siderophore known to date. It was found to possess antibacterial activity against Acinetobacter baumannii in an iron-dependent manner.
ACS CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marianna Iorio, Andrea Gentile, Cristina Brunati, Arianna Tocchetti, Paolo Landini, Sonia Ilaria Maffioli, Stefano Donadio, Margherita Sosio
Summary: This study reports on the use of metabolomic tools to discover novel compounds with antibacterial activity from the poorly explored Actinoallomurus genus. The researchers identified a family of cyclodepsipeptides called allopeptimicins with unique structural features. These compounds exist as a complex of active and inactive congeners and possess a biosynthetic gene cluster with mosaic structure.
Review
Microbiology
Rainer Breitling, Martina Avbelj, Oksana Bilyk, Francesco Del Carratore, Alessandro Filisetti, Erik K. R. Hanko, Marianna Iorio, Rosario Perez Redondo, Fernando Reyes, Michelle Rudden, Emmanuele Severi, Lucija Slemc, Kamila Schmidt, Dominic R. Whittall, Stefano Donadio, Antonio Rodriguez Garcia, Olga Genilloud, Gregor Kosec, Davide De Lucrezia, Hrvoje Petkovic, Gavin Thomas, Eriko Takano
Summary: Actinomycete bacteria are attractive targets for genetic engineering using synthetic biology tools due to their biochemical versatility and biotechnological importance. However, their complex biology presents unique challenges. This mini review highlights recent advances in synthetic biology approaches from an actinomycete perspective and showcases examples of their application in the rational improvement of industrially relevant strains.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mitja M. Zdouc, Mohammad M. Alanjary, Guadalupe S. Zarazua, Sonia Maffioli, Max Cruesemann, Marnix H. Medema, Stefano Donadio, Margherita Sosio
Summary: Microbial natural products are known for their bioactivity, structural diversity, and ingenious biosynthesis. In this study, two cyclopeptides featuring an unusual Tyr-His biaryl bridging were discovered from the less exploited actinobacterial genus Planomonospora. The genomes of Planomonospora pointed towards a ribosomal synthesis mechanism for the cyclopeptide, involving the smallest coding gene ever reported and a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase likely responsible for biaryl installment.
CELL CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)