Silk Foams with Metallic Nanoparticles as Scaffolds for Soft Tissue Regeneration.

Tissue regeneration can be achieved by providing endogenous cells with a biomaterial scaffold that supports their adhesion and proliferation, as well as the synthesis and deposition of an extracellular matrix (ECM). In this work, silk fibroin protein foams were formed by lyophilization to generate tissue engineering scaffolds. Three types of medically relevant nanoparticles (NPs) (iron oxide, gold and silver) were added to this biomaterial to assess the ability of silk foams to be functionalized with these NPs.

Fractioned-pattern radiation mapping, Part II: assessment.

In Part I, the authors proposed a theoretical background for predicting the radiation distribution in any optical system based on decomposing the emitting source power. Here, we describe the validity of this decomposition through a practical example that uses a radiating source and a single surface optical system. This source is calibrated in a metrology testbed that guarantees its traceability to the candela (cd), the International System (SI) base unit for luminous intensity .

Combining Fusion of Cells with CRISPR-Cas9 Editing for the Cloning of Large DNA Fragments or Complete Bacterial Genomes in Yeast.

The genetic engineering of genome fragments larger than 100 kbp is challenging and requires both specific methods and cloning hosts. The yeast is considered as a host of choice for cloning and engineering whole or partial genomes from viruses, bacteria, and algae. Several methods are now available to perform these manipulations, each with its own limitations.

Comparative genomics of , a fast-growing pathogen of wild .

is a fast-growing species isolated from wild and first described in 2013. isolates have been associated with arthritis, kerato conjunctivitis, pneumonia and septicemia, but were also recovered from apparently healthy animals. To better understand what defines this species, we performed a genomic survey on 14 strains collected from free-ranging or zoo-housed animals between 1987 and 2017, mostly in Europe.

Improved transformation efficiency in enables disruption of the MIB-MIP system targeting human immunoglobulins.

The pathogenicity of is poorly understood, mainly due to the absence of efficient genetic tools. A polyethylene glycol-mediated transformation protocol was recently developed for the reference strain M132 using the pMT85-Tet plasmid. The transformation efficiency remained low, hampering generation of a large mutant library.

Cytoskeletal components can turn wall-less spherical bacteria into kinking helices.

Bacterial cell shape is generally determined through an interplay between the peptidoglycan cell wall and cytoplasmic filaments made of polymerized MreB. Indeed, some bacteria (e.g.

Genome Editing of Veterinary Relevant Mycoplasmas Using a CRISPR-Cas Base Editor System.

Mycoplasmas are minimal bacteria that infect humans, wildlife, and most economically relevant livestock species. Mycoplasma infections cause a large range of chronic inflammatory diseases, eventually leading to death in some animals. Due to the lack of efficient recombination and genome engineering tools for most species, the production of mutant strains for the identification of virulence factors and the development of improved vaccine strains is limited.

Beware of Mycoplasma Anti-immunoglobulin Strategies.

Mycoplasmas are small, genome-reduced bacteria. They are obligate parasites that can be found in a wide range of host species, including the majority of livestock animals and humans. Colonization of the host can result in a wide spectrum of outcomes.

A RAGE Based Strategy for the Genome Engineering of the Human Respiratory Pathogen .

Genome engineering of microorganisms has become a standard in microbial biotechnologies. Several efficient tools are available for the genetic manipulation of model bacteria such as and , or the yeast . Difficulties arise when transferring these tools to nonmodel organisms.

Budding yeast as a factory to engineer partial and complete microbial genomes.

Yeast cells have long been used as hosts to propagate exogenous DNA Recent progress in genome editing opens new avenues in synthetic biology. These developments allow the efficient engineering of microbial genomes in that can then be rescued to yield modified bacteria/viruses. Recent examples show that the ability to quickly synthesize, assemble, and/or modify viral and bacterial genomes may be a critical factor to respond to emerging pathogens.

Preclinical characterization of alginate-poly-L-lysine encapsulated HepaRG for extracorporeal liver supply.

We recently demonstrated that HepaRG cells encapsulated into 1.5% alginate beads are capable of self-assembling into spheroids. They adequately differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells, with hepatic features observed at Day 14 post-encapsulation required for external bioartificial liver applications.

HepaRG Self-Assembled Spheroids in Alginate Beads Meet the Clinical Needs for Bioartificial Liver.

In liver tissue engineering, cell culture in spheroids is now well recognized to promote the maintenance of hepatic functions. However, the process leading to spheroids formation is time consuming, costly, and not easy to scale-up for further use in human bioartificial liver (BAL) applications. In this study, we encapsulated HepaRG cells (precursors of hepatocyte-like cells) in 1.

CReasPy-Cloning: A Method for Simultaneous Cloning and Engineering of Megabase-Sized Genomes in Yeast Using the CRISPR-Cas9 System.

Over the past decade, a new strategy was developed to bypass the difficulties to genetically engineer some microbial species by transferring (or "cloning") their genome into another organism that is amenable to efficient genetic modifications and therefore acts as a living workbench. As such, the yeast has been used to clone and engineer genomes from viruses, bacteria, and algae. The cloning step requires the insertion of yeast genetic elements in the genome of interest, in order to drive its replication and maintenance as an artificial chromosome in the host cell.

[Whole genome transplantation: bringing natural or synthetic bacterial genomes back to life].

The development of synthetic genomics (SG) allowed the emergence of several groundbreaking techniques including the synthesis, assembly and engineering of whole bacterial genomes. The successful implantation of those methods, which culminated in the creation of JCVI-syn3.0 the first nearly minimal bacterium with a synthetic genome, mainly results from the use of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a transient host for bacterial genome replication and modification.

[Synthetic chromosomes: rewriting the code of life].

The past decade has seen vast improvements in DNA synthesis and assembly methods. The creation of synthetic DNA molecules is becoming easier and more affordable, such that entire chromosomes can now be synthesized. These advances mark the beginning of synthetic genomics, a new discipline interested in the construction of complete genomes tailored for the study and application of biological systems.

Random transposon insertion in the Mycoplasma hominis minimal genome.

Mycoplasma hominis is an opportunistic human pathogen associated with genital and neonatal infections. Until this study, the lack of a reliable transformation method for the genetic manipulation of M. hominis hindered the investigation of the pathogenicity and the peculiar arginine-based metabolism of this bacterium.

Perceptions of Antibiotic Therapy Among Nursing Home Residents: Perspectives of Caregivers and Residents in a Mixed Exploratory Study.

Antimicrobial resistance is a major public health threat worldwide. Some authors have suggested that end-users of nursing homes have an influence on antibiotic prescribing. The objective of this study is to describe the views of end-users and professionals on residents' behavior towards antibiotic therapy in terms of knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards this drug class and its prescribing process.

Attenuation of a Pathogenic Strain by Modification of the Gene by Using Synthetic Biology Approaches.

species are responsible for several economically significant livestock diseases for which there is a need for new and improved vaccines. Most of the existing mycoplasma vaccines are attenuated strains that have been empirically obtained by serial passages or by chemical mutagenesis. The recent development of synthetic biology approaches has opened the way for the engineering of live mycoplasma vaccines.

Removal of a Subset of Non-essential Genes Fully Attenuates a Highly Virulent Strain.

Mycoplasmas are the smallest free-living organisms and cause a number of economically important diseases affecting humans, animals, insects, and plants. Here, we demonstrate that highly virulent subspecies () can be fully attenuated targeted deletion of non-essential genes encoding, among others, potential virulence traits. Five genomic regions, representing approximately 10% of the original genome, were successively deleted using as an engineering platform.

In vivo role of capsular polysaccharide in Mycoplasma mycoides.

Capsular polysaccharides have been confirmed to be an important virulence trait in many gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Similarly, they are proposed to be virulence traits in minimal Mycoplasma that cause disease in humans and animals. In the current study, goats were infected with the caprine pathogen Mycoplasma mycoides subsp.