Unraveling dynamics and interactions of core microorganisms in the biodegradation of keratin-based feather wastes.

Waste feathers, abundant byproducts of the poultry industry, pose significant environmental challenges. Although microbial degradation has been investigated, the core microorganisms and their interactions remain underexplored. This study examined microbial community dynamics during feather degradation, using diverse feather sources and under varying temperatures.

Bioinformatics-aided function exploration of GH29 fucosidases from human gut Parabacteroides.

Gut microbes produce α-l-fucosidases critical for utilizing human milk oligosaccharides, mucosal and dietary glycans. Although gut Parabacteroides have garnered attention for their impact on host health and disease, their CAZymes remain poorly studied. CAZome analysis of eleven gut Parabacteroides type strains revealed their capacity to degrade mucin O-glycans.

Characterization of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens PM415 as a potential bio-preserving probiotic.

Animal feed is vulnerable to fungal infections, and the use of bio-preserving probiotics has received increasing attention. In contrast to Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria spp., fewer Bacillus spp.

Efficient removal of purine compounds from solutions via biomass carbons derived from pomelo peel.

The high purine diet could result in the increase of the level of blood uric acid, causing serious health problems such as hyperuricemia, gout, nephropathy and cardiovascular diseases. To find out a safe, cheap and super adsorption material for removing purines in stomach or pretreating high-purine beverages, we used different tissues of pomelo peel to prepare biomass carbon by drying, chemical modification and carbonization and then applied it to remove purine compounds in strong acidic solution, beer and soybean milk. The characteristic analysis of pomelo-peel-derived carbons (PPCs) indicated that the preparation methods significantly affected the structures and adsorption capacities of PPCs.

Pantoea sp. P37 as a novel nonpathogenic host for the heterologous production of rhamnolipids.

Microbially derived surfactants, so-called biosurfactants, have attracted significant attention as an environmentally friendly alternative to their chemically synthesized counterparts. Particularly, rhamnolipids offer a large potential with their outstanding surfactant properties such as complete biodegradability, low toxicity, and stability. Rhamnolipids are naturally synthesized by the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa under the tight regulation of a highly complex quorum-sensing system.

Microbial production of bacteriocins: Latest research development and applications.

Bacteriocins are low molecular weight peptides secreted by the predator bacterial cells to kill sensitive cells present in the same ecosystem competing for food and other nutrients. Exceptionally few bacteriocins along with their native antibacterial property also exhibit additional anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. Bacteriocins are generally produced by Gm+, Gm- and archaea bacteria.

Heterologous Protein Expression in Pichia pastoris: Latest Research Progress and Applications.

Pichia pastoris is a well-known platform strain for heterologous protein expression. Over the past five years, different strategies to improve the efficiency of recombinant protein expression by this yeast strain have been developed; these include a patent-free protein expression kit, construction of the P. pastoris CBS7435Ku70 platform strain with its high efficiency in site-specific recombination of plasmid DNA into the genomic DNA, the design of synthetic promoters and their variants by combining different core promoters with multiple putative transcription factors, the generation of mutant GAP promoter variants with various promoter strengths, codon optimization, engineering the α-factor signal sequence by replacing the native glutamic acid at the Kex2 cleavage site with the other 19 natural amino acids and the addition of mammalian signal sequence to the yeast signal sequence, and the co-expression of single chaperones, multiple chaperones or helper proteins that aid in recombinant protein folding.

Construction of a cellulose-metabolizing Komagataella phaffii (Pichia pastoris) by co-expressing glucanases and β-glucosidase.

Cellulose is a highly available and renewable carbon source in nature. However, it cannot be directly metabolized by most microbes including Komagataella phaffii (formerly Pichia pastoris), which is a frequently employed host for heterologous protein expression and production of high-value compounds. A K.

Production of high concentration of l-lactic acid from oil palm empty fruit bunch by thermophilic Bacillus coagulans JI12.

Thermophilic Bacillus coagulans JI12 was used to ferment hemicellulose hydrolysate obtained by acid hydrolysis of oil palm empty fruit bunch at 50 °C and pH 6, producing 105.4 g/L of l-lactic acid with a productivity of 9.3 g/L/H by fed-batch fermentation under unsterilized conditions.

Production of high concentration of L-lactic acid from cellobiose by thermophilic Bacillus coagulans WCP10-4.

Thermophilic Bacillus coagulans WCP10-4 is found to be able to convert cellobiose to optically pure L-lactic acid. Its β-glucosidase activity is detected in whole cells (7.3 U/g dry cells) but not in culture medium, indicating the intracellular location of the enzyme.

Production of Optically Pure D-Lactic Acid by the Combined use of Weissella sp. S26 and Bacillus sp. ADS3.

Optically pure D-lactic acid was produced from glucose, xylose, or starch by the combined use of Weissella sp. S26 and Bacillus sp. ADS3, two native bacterial strains isolated from Singapore environment.

Microbial production of lactic acid: the latest development.

Lactic acid is an important platform chemical for producing polylactic acid (PLA) and other value-added products. It is naturally produced by a wide spectrum of microbes including bacteria, yeast and filamentous fungi. In general, bacteria ferment C5 and C6 sugars to lactic acid by either homo- or hetero-fermentative mode.

Microbial production of lactic acid: the latest development.

Lactic acid is an important platform chemical for producing polylactic acid (PLA) and other value-added products. It is naturally produced by a wide spectrum of microbes including bacteria, yeast and filamentous fungi. In general, bacteria ferment C5 and C6 sugars to lactic acid by either homo- or hetero-fermentative mode.

Isolation of filamentous fungi exhibiting high endoxylanase activity in lignocellulose hydrolysate.

For complete degradation of hemicellulose into its monomers from lignocellulose biomass, the synergistic action of a broad range of hydrolytic enzymes is needed. Therefore, production of enzymes from their natural producer is desirable. To obtain a powerful β-1,4-endoxylanase producing fungus, 304 environmental samples were collected from various locations in Singapore, leading to 603 isolates.

Isolation, characterization and application of a cellulose-degrading strain Neurospora crassa S1 from oil palm empty fruit bunch.

Background: Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) is a lignocellulosic waste produced in palm oil industry. EFB mainly consists of cellulose, hemicellulose (mainly xylan) and lignin and has a great potential to be reused. Converting EFB to fermentable sugars and value-added chemicals is a much better choice than treating EFB as waste.

Expression of Aeromonas punctata ME-1 exo-xylanase X in E. coli for efficient hydrolysis of xylan to xylose.

exo-Xylanase X from Aeromonas punctata ME-1 was functionally expressed in Escherichia coli with a carboxy terminal His tag (6×) and a molecular mass of 39.42 kDa, which is in agreement with the prediction from its amino acid composition. The recombinant exo-xylanase reached 186 mg l(-1) after induction by isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside.

Microbial exo-xylanases: a mini review.

Exo-xylanases are a class of glycosyl hydrolases and play an important role in hydrolysis of xylan to xylose. They belong to glycosyl hydrolase (GH) family 8 with a characteristic (α/α)6 barrel fold in their molecular structures. These enzymes are generally produced by bacteria.

Hemicellulase production by Aspergillus niger DSM 26641 in hydrothermal palm oil empty fruit bunch hydrolysate and transcriptome analysis.

Palm oil empty fruit bunches (EFB) is an abundant and cheap lignocellulose material in Southeast Asia. Its use as the sole medium for producing lignocellulose-hydrolyzing enzymes would increase its commercial value. A newly isolated Aspergillus niger DSM 26641 was investigated for its capability of producing hemicellulases in EFB hydrolysate obtained by treatment with pressurized hot water (1-20%, w/v) at 120-180°C in a 1 L Parr reactor for 10-60 min.

Efficient production of fermentable sugars from oil palm empty fruit bunch by combined use of acid and whole cell culture-catalyzed hydrolyses.

Empty fruit bunch (EFB) of oil palm trees was converted to fermentable sugars by the combined use of dilute acids and whole fungal cell culture-catalyzed hydrolyses. EFB (5%, w/v) was hydrolyzed in the presence of 0.5% H2 SO4 and 0.

Conversion of acid hydrolysate of oil palm empty fruit bunch to L-lactic acid by newly isolated Bacillus coagulans JI12.

Cost-effective conversion of lignocellulose hydrolysate to optically pure lactic acid is commercially attractive but very challenging. Bacillus coagulans JI12 was isolated from natural environment and used to produce L-lactic acid (optical purity > 99.5 %) from lignocellulose sugars and acid hydrolysate of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) at 50 °C and pH 6.

Highly efficient production of L-lactic acid from xylose by newly isolated Bacillus coagulans C106.

Cost-effective production of optically pure lactic acid from lignocellulose sugars is commercially attractive but challenging. Bacillus coagulans C106 was isolated from environment and used to produce l-lactic acid from xylose at 50°C and pH 6.0 in mineral salts medium containing 1-2% (w/v) of yeast extract without sterilizing the medium before fermentation.

Efficient production of L-lactic acid by newly isolated thermophilic Bacillus coagulans WCP10-4 with high glucose tolerance.

A thermophilic Bacillus coagulans WCP10-4 with tolerance to high concentration of glucose was isolated from soil and used to produce optically pure L-lactic acid from glucose and starch. In batch fermentation at pH 6.0, 240 g/L of glucose was completely consumed giving 210 g/L of L-lactic acid with a yield of 95 % and a productivity of 3.

Improved acid tolerance of Lactobacillus pentosus by error-prone whole genome amplification.

Acid tolerance of Lactobacillus pentosus ATCC 8041 was improved by error-prone amplification of its genomic DNA using random primers and Taq DNA polymerase. The resulting amplification products were transferred into wild-type L. pentosus by electroporation and the transformants were screened for growth on low-pH agar plates.

Heterologous expression and biochemical characterization of acetyl xylan esterase from Coprinopsis cinerea.

Acetyl xylan esterase (AXE) from basidiomycete Coprinopsis cinerea Okayama 7 (#130) was functionally expressed in Pichia pastoris with a C-terminal tag under the alcohol oxidase 1 (AOX1) promoter and secreted into the medium at 1.5 mg l(-1). Its molecular mass was estimated to be 65.

Heterologous expression of β-xylosidase gene from Paecilomyces thermophila in Pichia pastoris.

β-xylosidase from thermophilic fungi Paecilomyces thermophila was functionally expressed in Pichia pastoris with a his tag in the C-terminal under the alcohol oxidase 1 (AOX1) promoter and secreted into the medium at 0.22 mg l(-1). Its molecular mass was estimated to be 52.