Sustainable Production of Pigments from Cyanobacteria.

Pigments are intensely coloured compounds used in many industries to colour other materials. The demand for naturally synthesised pigments is increasing and their production can be incorporated into circular bioeconomy approaches. Natural pigments are produced by bacteria, cyanobacteria, microalgae, macroalgae, plants and animals.

Algae biofertilisers promote sustainable food production and a circular nutrient economy - An integrated empirical-modelling study.

Agriculture has radically changed the global nitrogen (N) cycle and is heavily dependent on synthetic N-fertiliser. However, the N-use efficiency of synthetic fertilisers is often only 50% with N-losses from crop systems polluting the biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. To address the large carbon and energy footprint of N-fertiliser synthesis and curb N-pollution, new technologies are required to deliver enhanced energy efficiency, decarbonisation and a circular nutrient economy.

High-throughput optimisation of light-driven microalgae biotechnologies.

Microalgae biotechnologies are rapidly developing into new commercial settings. Several high value products already exist on the market, and systems development is focused on cost reduction to open up future economic opportunities for food, fuel and freshwater production. Light is a key environmental driver for photosynthesis and optimising light capture is therefore critical for low cost, high efficiency systems.

Automated nutrient screening system enables high-throughput optimisation of microalgae production conditions.

Background: Microalgae provide an excellent platform for the production of high-value-products and are increasingly being recognised as a promising production system for biomass, animal feeds and renewable fuels.

Results: Here, we describe an automated screen, to enable high-throughput optimisation of 12 nutrients for microalgae production. Its miniaturised 1,728 multiwell format allows multiple microalgae strains to be simultaneously screened using a two-step process.

RNAi knock-down of LHCBM1, 2 and 3 increases photosynthetic H2 production efficiency of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Single cell green algae (microalgae) are rapidly emerging as a platform for the production of sustainable fuels. Solar-driven H2 production from H2O theoretically provides the highest-efficiency route to fuel production in microalgae. This is because the H2-producing hydrogenase (HYDA) is directly coupled to the photosynthetic electron transport chain, thereby eliminating downstream energetic losses associated with the synthesis of carbohydrate and oils (feedstocks for methane, ethanol and oil-based fuels).

Genome and low-iron response of an oceanic diatom adapted to chronic iron limitation.

Background: Biogeochemical elemental cycling is driven by primary production of biomass via phototrophic phytoplankton growth, with 40% of marine productivity being assigned to diatoms. Phytoplankton growth is widely limited by the availability of iron, an essential component of the photosynthetic apparatus. The oceanic diatom Thalassiosira oceanica shows a remarkable tolerance to low-iron conditions and was chosen as a model for deciphering the cellular response upon shortage of this essential micronutrient.

The effect of chronological age on the inflammatory response of human fibroblasts.

The immune system undergoes profound age-related changes, including a gradual increase in the production and circulation of proinflammatory cytokines. Despite the known capacity of fibroblasts to produce cytokines, little is known so far about the inflammatory response of fibroblasts to cellular stress such as viral and/or bacterial infection in the context of aging. Therefore the aim of this study was to analyze the levels of IL6 and IL8 secretion in supernatants of human skin fibroblasts from young and elderly persons.

The immunoregulatory effects of CMV-infection in human fibroblasts and the impact on cellular senescence.

Background: As a chronic antigenic stressor human Cytomegalovirus (CMV) contributes substantially to age-related alterations of the immune system. Even though monocytes have the greatest propensity for CMV-infection and seem to be an important host for the virus during latency, fibroblasts are also discussed to be target cells of CMV in vivo. However, little is known so far about general immunoregulatory properties of CMV in fibroblasts.

Gain and loss of T cell subsets in old age--age-related reshaping of the T cell repertoire.

The immune system is affected by the aging process and undergoes significant age-related changes, termed immunosenescence. Different T cell subsets are affected by this process. Alterations within the bone marrow and thymus lead to a shift in the composition of the T cell repertoire from naïve to antigen-experienced T cells, thereby compromising the diversity of the T cell pool.