Nitric oxide synthase expression in Pseudomonas koreensis MME3 improves plant growth promotion traits
In this study, the plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria Pseudomonas koreensis MME3 was genetically modified to express a nitric oxide synthase of Synechococcus SyNOS, an atypical enzyme with a globin domain that converts nitric oxide to nitrate. A cassette for constitutive expression of synos was introduced as a single insertion into the genome of P. koreensis MME3 using a miniTn7 system. The resulting recombinant strain MME3:SyNOS showed improved growth, motility, and biofilm formation. The impact of MME3:SyNOS inoculation on Brachypodium distachyon growth and N uptake and use efficiencies under different N availability s...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 15, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Mar ía M Labarthe Guillermo A Maroniche Lorenzo Lamattina Cecilia M Creus Source Type: research

Applied microbiology of the phyllosphere
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024 Feb 15;108(1):211. doi: 10.1007/s00253-024-13042-4.ABSTRACTThe phyllosphere, or plant leaf surface, represents a microbial ecosystem of considerable size, holding extraordinary biodiversity and enormous potential for the discovery of new products, tools, and applications in biotechnology, agriculture, medicine, and elsewhere. This mini-review highlights the applied microbiology of the phyllosphere as an original field of study concerning itself with the genes, gene products, natural compounds, and traits that underlie phyllosphere-specific adaptations and services that have commercial and ec...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 15, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Lorena I Rangel Johan H J Leveau Source Type: research

A study on the association between gut microbiota, inflammation, and type 2 diabetes
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024 Feb 15;108(1):213. doi: 10.1007/s00253-024-13041-5.ABSTRACTType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was reported to be associated with impaired immune response and alterations in microbial composition and function. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. To investigate the association among retinoic acid-inducible gene-I-like receptors (RLRs) signaling pathway, intestinal bacterial microbiome, microbial tryptophan metabolites, inflammation, and a longer course of T2DM, 14 patients with T2DM and 7 healthy controls were enrolled. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and untargeted metabolomics were ...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 15, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Nannan Liu Xuehua Yan Bohan Lv Yanxiang Wu Xuehong Hu Chunyan Zheng Siyu Tao Ruxue Deng Jinfang Dou Binfang Zeng Guangjian Jiang Source Type: research

Engineering Cas9: next generation of genomic editors
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024 Feb 14;108(1):209. doi: 10.1007/s00253-024-13056-y.ABSTRACTThe Cas9 endonuclease of the CRISPR/Cas type IIA system from Streptococcus pyogenes is the heart of genome editing technology that can be used to treat human genetic and viral diseases. Despite its large size and other drawbacks, S. pyogenes Cas9 remains the most widely used genome editor. A vast amount of research is aimed at improving Cas9 as a promising genetic therapy. Strategies include directed evolution of the Cas9 protein, rational design, and domain swapping. The first generation of Cas9 editors comes directly from the wild-...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 14, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Maxim A Kovalev Artem I Davletshin Dmitry S Karpov Source Type: research

High-yield BMP2 expression in rice cells via CRISPR and endogenous αAmy3 promoter
This study explored the efficacy of utilizing an endogenous αAmy3 promoter for the expression of a bioactive pharmaceutical protein, specifically the mature region of human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (hBMP2m). Utilizing a refined CRISPR/Cas9-mediated intron-targeting insertion technique, which incorporates an artificial 3' splicing site upstream of the target gene, we achieved a transformation efficiency of 13.5% in rice calli that carried the rice-codon optimized mature region of hBMP2 cDNA (rhBMP2m) in the αAmy3 intron 1. Both homozygous and heterozygous rhBMP2m knock-in rice suspension cell lines were generated. The...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 14, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Thi Mai Nguyen Pei-Yi Wu Chih-Hung Chang Li-Fen Huang Source Type: research

Enzymatic upcycling of wild-simulated ginseng leaves for enhancing biological activities and compound K
In this study, CK production in WGSL reached 25.9 ± 1.0 mg/g extract following treatment with Viscozyme, Celluclast 1.5 L, Pectinex Ultra SP-L, and their combination. The antioxidant activities indicated by oxygen radical absorbance capacity, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and ABTS- and DPPH radical scavenging activity of enzyme-treated WSGL were enhanced 1.69-, 2.51-, 2.88-, and 1.80-fold, respectively, compared to non-treated WSGL. Furthermore, the CK-enriched WSGL demonstrated a 1.94-fold decrease in SA-β-galactosidase expression in human dermal fibroblasts and a 3.8-fold enhancement of inhibition of nitric oxide ...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 14, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Juho Lim Hayeong Kim Gha-Hyun J Kim Taeyoon Kim Choon Gil Kang Seung Wook Kim Doman Kim Source Type: research

A short guide on blue fluorescent proteins: limits and perspectives
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024 Feb 14;108(1):208. doi: 10.1007/s00253-024-13012-w.ABSTRACTThe advent of the so-called colorful biology era is in line with the discovery of fluorescent proteins (FPs), which can be widely used to detect the intracellular locations of macromolecules or to determine the abundance of metabolites in organelles. The application of multiple FPs that emit different spectra and colors could be implemented to precisely evaluate cellular events. FPs were initially established with the emergence of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from jellyfish. Red fluorescent proteins (RFPs) from marine anemones...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 14, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Pil-Won Seo Geun-Joong Kim Jeong-Sun Kim Source Type: research

Squalene production under oxygen limitation by Schizochytrium sp. S31 in different cultivation systems
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024 Feb 13;108(1):201. doi: 10.1007/s00253-024-13051-3.ABSTRACTThe triterpene squalene is widely used in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries due to its antioxidant, antistatic and anti-carcinogenic properties. It is usually obtained from the liver of deep sea sharks, which are facing extinction. Alternative production organisms are marine protists from the family Thraustochytriaceae, which produce and store large quantities of various lipids. Squalene accumulation in thraustochytrids is complex, as it is an intermediate in sterol biosynthesis. Its conversion to squalene 2,3-epoxide...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 13, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Lina Sch ütte Patrick G Hanisch Nina Scheler Katharina C Hab öck Robert Huber Franziska Ersoy Ralf G Berger Source Type: research

Antimicrobial resistance in aeromonads and new therapies targeting quorum sensing
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024 Feb 13;108(1):205. doi: 10.1007/s00253-024-13055-z.ABSTRACTAeromonas species (spp.) are well-known fish pathogens, several of which have been recognized as emerging human pathogens. The organism is capable of causing a wide spectrum of diseases in humans, ranging from gastroenteritis, wound infections, and septicemia to devastating necrotizing fasciitis. The systemic form of infection is often fatal, particularly in patients with underlying chronic diseases. Indeed, recent trends demonstrate rising numbers of hospital-acquired Aeromonas infections, especially in immuno-compromised individual...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 13, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Blake Neil Gabrielle L Cheney Jason A Rosenzweig Jian Sha Ashok K Chopra Source Type: research

Oxidative stress resistance prompts pyrroloquinoline quinone biosynthesis in Hyphomicrobium denitrificans H4-45
In this study, a combined strategy of random mutagenesis and adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) with fermentation optimization was applied to improve PQQ production in Hyphomicrobium denitrificans H4-45. A mutant strain AE-9 was obtained after nearly 400 generations of UV-LiCl mutagenesis, followed by an ALE process, which was conducted with a consecutive increase of oxidative stress generated by kanamycin, sodium sulfide, and potassium tellurite. In the flask culture condition, the PQQ production in mutant strain AE-9 had an 80.4% increase, and the cell density increased by 14.9% when compared with that of the initial st...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 13, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Jiale Liang Mingjie Tang Lang Chen Wenjie Wang Xinle Liang Source Type: research

Use of Aureobasidium in a sustainable economy
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024 Feb 13;108(1):202. doi: 10.1007/s00253-024-13025-5.ABSTRACTAureobasidium is omnipresent and can be isolated from air, water bodies, soil, wood, and other plant materials, as well as inorganic materials such as rocks and marble. A total of 32 species of this fungal genus have been identified at the level of DNA, of which Aureobasidium pullulans is best known. Aureobasidium is of interest for a sustainable economy because it can be used to produce a wide variety of compounds, including enzymes, polysaccharides, and biosurfactants. Moreover, it can be used to promote plant growth and protect wo...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 13, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Stephanie Rensink Elke J van Nieuwenhuijzen Michael F Sailer Christian Struck Han A B W östen Source Type: research

Antibiofilm and antivirulence activities of laminarin-gold nanoparticles in standard and host-mimicking media
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024 Feb 13;108(1):203. doi: 10.1007/s00253-024-13050-4.ABSTRACTThe rapidly rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in pathogenic bacteria has become one of the most serious public health challenges, with a high death rate. Most pathogenic bacteria have been recognized as a source of AMR and a primary barrier to antimicrobial treatment failure due to the development of biofilms and the production of virulence factors. In this work, nanotechnology was employed as a substitute method to control the formation of biofilms and attenuate virulence features in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aur...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 13, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Nazia Tabassum Fazlurrahman Khan Geum-Jae Jeong Dokyung Oh Young-Mog Kim Source Type: research

Bifidobacterial GH146 β-L-arabinofuranosidase for the removal of β1,3-L-arabinofuranosides on plant glycans
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024 Feb 7;108(1):199. doi: 10.1007/s00253-024-13014-8.ABSTRACTL-Arabinofuranosides with β-linkages are present in several plant molecules, such as arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs), extensin, arabinan, and rhamnogalacturonan-II. We previously characterized a β-L-arabinofuranosidase from Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum JCM 1217, Bll1HypBA1, which was found to belong to the glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 127. This strain encodes two GH127 genes and two GH146 genes. In the present study, we characterized a GH146 β-L-arabinofuranosidase, Bll3HypBA1 (BLLJ_1848), which was found to constitute a...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 7, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Kiyotaka Fujita Hanako Tsunomachi Pan Lixia Shun Maruyama Masayuki Miyake Aimi Dakeshita Kanefumi Kitahara Katsunori Tanaka Yukishige Ito Akihiro Ishiwata Shinya Fushinobu Source Type: research

Antibacterial and antifungal activities of natural deep eutectic solvents
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024 Feb 7;108(1):198. doi: 10.1007/s00253-024-13044-2.ABSTRACTThe increasing antibiotic resistance towards a panel of microorganisms is one of the public health concerns. For this reason, the search for alternatives to the widely used antibiotic has been undertaken. In the era of sustainable chemistry, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have emerged as promising antimicrobial agents. These solvents possess several advantages such as low volatility, low flammability, ease of preparation, and typically low cost of production. These properties make DES suitable for various applications, including extrac...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 7, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Hadeer M Bedair Tamer M Samir Fotouh R Mansour Source Type: research

CRISPR/Cas9-based toolkit for rapid marker recycling and combinatorial libraries in Komagataella phaffii
In this study, a redesigned gRNA plasmid carrying red and green fluorescent proteins facilitated plasmid construction and marker recycling, respectively, making marker recycling more convenient and reliable. Subsequently, based on the knockdown of Ku70 and DNA ligase IV, we experimented with integrating multiple DNA fragments at a single locus. A 26.5-kb-long DNA fragment divided into 11 expression cassettes for lycopene synthesis could be successfully integrated into a single locus at one time with a success rate of 57%. A 27-kb-long DNA fragment could also be precisely knocked out with a 50% positive rate in K. phaffii b...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - February 7, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Wei Zhou Yuanyi Li Guosong Liu Weichuang Qin Dongzhi Wei Fengqing Wang Bei Gao Source Type: research