Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Bryan H. H. Ferlez, Henning Kirst, Basil J. J. Greber, Eva Nogales, Markus Sutter, Cheryl A. A. Kerfeld
Summary: Many bacteria use bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) to organize enzymatic reactions. Shell proteins derived from BMCs can self-assemble into various structures and are used in biotechnology. This study shows that empty synthetic shells with different end-cap structures can be derived from a specific microcompartment, demonstrating the plasticity of BMC-based biomaterials. It also discovers new nanotube and nanocone morphologies that share architectural principles with other structures.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Hehe He, Qianqian Yu, Zhongyang Ding, Liang Zhang, Guiyang Shi, Youran Li
Summary: Bacillus licheniformis, a Gram-positive bacterium, has important biologic applications in the food industry, such as biosynthesis of high value-added bioproducts, probiotic functions, and biological treatment of food production wastes. This review summarizes recent advances and presents synthetic biology strategies for the wider and more efficient application of this strain. It also discusses current challenges and provides a unique perspective on future research directions. Overall, this review provides an illuminating and comprehensive perspective on B. licheniformis, promoting its effective development in the food industry.
SYNTHETIC AND SYSTEMS BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Daniel S. S. Trettel, Wade C. C. Winkler
Summary: Microcompartments are large structures in bacteria that help metabolize targeted substances and protect the cytosol. Using high-resolution confocal microscopy, researchers have studied fluorescently tagged microcompartments and their shell protein superstructures in vitro. The imaging technique captured previously observed nanotubes and sheets and showed evidence of intermixing between these structures. The study also suggests that fluorescently modified encapsulation peptides may have preferences in binding with certain shell proteins. These findings demonstrate the power of confocal microscopy for investigating microcompartment-related structures and support the idea of protein intermixing in bacterial microcompartments.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eugenijus Simoliunas, Monika Simoliuniene, Gintare Laskeviciute, Kotryna Kvederaviciute, Martynas Skapas, Algirdas Kaupinis, Mindaugas Valius, Rolandas Meskys, Nomeda Kuisiene
Summary: This study isolated and identified a high temperature-adapted bacteriophage NIIg3.2, and investigated its morphological features, genome, and functional genes. The results not only extended the knowledge of thermophilic bacteriophages, but also provided new insights for further investigation of phage evolution in Bacillus-group bacteria.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Songul Yasar Yildiz, Ilaria Finore, Luigi Leone, Ida Romano, Licia Lama, Ceyda Kasavi, Barbara Nicolaus, Ebru Toksoy Oner, Annarita Poli
Summary: Genomic analysis of Parageobacillus thermantarcticus M1 revealed its significant potential in biotechnological and industrial applications, including the production of exopolysaccharides (EPSs), ethanol, and thermostable enzymes. The study also highlighted its use in lignocellulosic transformation and microbial astrobiology research.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuval Elani
Summary: The construction of artificial cells is a major challenge today, with potential applications in clinical and industrial settings. Artificial cells currently cannot match the complexity of biological cells, leading researchers to explore hybrid living/synthetic systems that combine the advantages of both.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Kangsan Kim, Minjeong Kang, Byung-Kwan Cho
Summary: In recent years, there has been increasing interest in gut commensal engineering for therapeutic applications. Recent advancements in synthetic biology and systems biology have enabled effective utilization of gut commensals for therapy and diagnosis, including the rational design of synthetic microbial consortia and the construction of synthetic cells that can detect specific signals in the intestine and deliver therapeutic drugs in real-time.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ruben Mateos Fernandez, Marko Petek, Iryna Gerasymenko, Mojca Jutersek, Spela Baebler, Kalyani Kallam, Elena Moreno Gimenez, Janine Gondolf, Alfred Nordmann, Kristina Gruden, Diego Orzaez, Nicola J. Patron
Summary: Arthropod crop pests account for 20% of global annual crop losses, a figure expected to rise with climate change. Humans have historically used chemical formulations to control pests, but concerns about biodiversity impacts are growing. Biotechnology is providing new options for pest control, including engineering resistant crops and insect populations.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Zhe Zeng, Alexander Dank, Eddy J. Smid, Richard A. Notebaart, Tjakko Abee
Summary: Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) are protein-based organelles that play a crucial role in bacterial metabolic functions. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of BMCs in bacterial adaptation from foods to gut and reported their roles in foodborne pathogens and beneficial bacteria.
CURRENT OPINION IN FOOD SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hehe He, Youran Li, Liang Zhang, Zhongyang Ding, Guiyang Shi
Summary: This article aims to provide a systematic introduction to nitrogen metabolism in Bacillus, an important industrial microorganism, and apply its regulatory logic to synthetic biology to improve biosynthesis competitiveness. Understanding the meticulous regulation process of nitrogen metabolism not only facilitates metabolic engineering research but also provides constructive insights and inspiration for studies of other microorganisms.
JOURNAL OF ADVANCED RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Michael B. Prentice
Summary: Catabolic bacterial microcompartments provide a specialised environment for separating reactive or toxic intermediates from the cytoplasm, allowing bacteria to gain a competitive advantage in metabolism of specific substrates in the intestine. These substrates are constantly produced by bacterial metabolism in the human gut and can influence host immune responses.
CURRENT OPINION IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Nolan W. Kennedy, Carolyn E. Mills, Taylor M. Nichols, Charlotte H. Abrahamson, Danielle Tullman-Ercek
Summary: Organization of metabolic processes within a cell is crucial for the survival of many organisms. Bacterial microcompartments are proteinaceous organelles that play a key role in spatial organization within bacteria, encapsulating enzymes and other components to facilitate efficient metabolism. Recent advancements in understanding microcompartment structure and assembly have opened doors for engineering these compartments for new functions in bacterial cell factories.
CURRENT OPINION IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Chemical
Xueying Zhu, Zhaoyang Zhang, Bin Jia, Yingjin Yuan
Summary: Synthetic biotechnology has been widely applied in biochemistry, bioenergy, and therapy, but the uncontrolled spread of GMOs poses unpredictable biosafety risks. Effective biocontainment methods have been developed to address these challenges. This article summarizes recent advances in biocontainment strategies in DNA replication, transcriptional regulation, and protein translation, and introduces the efforts in the biocontainment convention, such as the Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines.
CHINESE JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jaeyoung K. Jung, Blake J. Rasor, Grant A. Rybnicky, Adam D. Silverman, Janet Standeven, Robert Kuhn, Teresa Granito, Holly M. Ekas, Brenda M. Wang, Ashty S. Karim, Julius B. Lucks, Michael C. Jewett
Summary: As the field of synthetic biology expands, the need to grow and train STEM practitioners is essential. However, the lack of access to hands-on demonstrations has led to inequalities of opportunity and practice. To address this, shelf-stable cell-free biosensing educational modules were developed, allowing students to create their own bioengineered systems by adding water and DNA to freeze-dried crude extracts of non-pathogenic Escherichia coli. This work promises to increase access to interactive synthetic biology education opportunities.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Vincenzo Zammuto, Antonio Spano, Eleonora Agostino, Angela Macri, Claudia De Pasquale, Guido Ferlazzo, Maria Giovanna Rizzo, Marco Sebastiano Nicolo, Salvatore Guglielmino, Concetta Gugliandolo
Summary: This study evaluated the ability of the exopolysaccharide B3-15 to prevent the adhesion and biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The EPS was effective in preventing bacterial adhesion during the initial attachment phase but had no effect on mature biofilms. Additionally, it downregulated the expression of adhesion-related genes and reduced bacterial adhesion on human epithelial cells.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jad Sassine, Meizhu Xu, Karzan R. Sidiq, Robyn Emmins, Jeff Errington, Richard A. Daniel
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Microbiology
Diana Wolf, Patricia Dominguez-Cuevas, Richard A. Daniel, Thorsten Mascher
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2012)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yoshikazu Kawai, Jon Marles-Wright, Robert M. Cleverley, Robyn Emmins, Shu Ishikawa, Masayoshi Kuwano, Nadja Heinz, Nhat Khai Bui, Christopher N. Hoyland, Naotake Ogasawara, Richard J. Lewis, Waldemar Vollmer, Richard A. Daniel, Jeff Errington
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marie Deghorain, Laetitia Fontaine, Blandine David, Jean-Luc Mainardi, Pascal Courtin, Richard Daniel, Jeff Errington, Alexei Sorokin, Alexander Bolotin, Marie-Pierre Chapot-Chartier, Bernard Hallet, Pascal Hols
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2010)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tatsuya Fukushima, Isako Furihata, Robyn Emmins, Richard A. Daniel, James A. Hoch, Hendrik Szurmant
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2011)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sven Halbedel, Birgit Hahn, Richard A. Daniel, Antje Flieger
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2012)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Patricia Dominguez-Cuevas, Ida Porcelli, Richard A. Daniel, Jeff Errington
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2013)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Christopher N. Hoyland, Christine Aldridge, Robert M. Cleverley, Marie-Clemence Duchene, George Minasov, Olena Onopriyenko, Karzan Sidiq, Peter J. Stogios, Wayne F. Anderson, Richard A. Daniel, Alexei Savchenko, Waldemar Vollmer, Richard J. Lewis
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Robert M. Cleverley, Jeffrey R. Barrett, Arnaud Basle, Nhat Khai Bui, Lorraine Hewitt, Alexandra Solovyova, Zhi-Qiang Xu, Richard A. Daniel, Nicholas E. Dixon, Elizabeth J. Harry, Aaron J. Oakley, Waldemar Vollmer, Richard J. Lewis
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2014)
Article
Microbiology
David M. Bulmer, Lubna Kharraz, Andrew J. Grant, Paul Dean, Fiona J. E. Morgan, Michail H. Karavolos, Anne C. Doble, Emma J. McGhie, Vassilis Koronakis, Richard A. Daniel, Pietro Mastroeni, C. M. Anjam Khan
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Robert M. Cleverley, Zoe J. Rutter, Jeanine Rismondo, Federico Corona, Ho-Ching Tiffany Tsui, Fuad A. Alatawi, Richard A. Daniel, Sven Halbedel, Orietta Massidda, Malcolm E. Winkler, Richard J. Lewis
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Karzan R. Sidiq, Man W. Chow, Zhao Zhao, Richard A. Daniel
Summary: Both isomeric forms of alanine play important roles in bacterial growth; B. subtilis alanine biosynthesis involves different genes and enzymes compared to E. coli; AlaP enzyme is crucial for D-alanine assimilation in B. subtilis, and the relative abundance of D- and L-alanine might be linked with cytosolic pool of D and L-glutamate to couple protein and cell envelope synthesis with the cell's metabolic status.
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Aurelie Guyet, Amirah Alofi, Richard A. A. Daniel
Summary: Gram-positive bacterial cells are protected by a cell envelope comprised of peptidoglycan and teichoic acid polymers. The loss of peptidoglycan synthesis proteins leads to cell death and alters the lipoteichoic acids and autolysin LytE. The enzyme MprF is found to have a role in modulating LTA biosynthesis.
Article
Microbiology
Pamela Gamba, Eva Rietkoetter, Richard A. Daniel, Leendert W. Hamoen
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2015)