Publications by authors named "Mohammad Ali Amoozegar"

The seepage of gaseous compounds from underground reservoirs towards the surface causes abnormalities in the population of microbial communities that consume light hydrocarbons on the surface of the reservoir. This microbial population can serve as indicators for determining the location of gas reservoirs prior to drilling operations. In this study, the simulation of methane gas leakage in the sediments of the Persian Gulf was conducted using a laboratory model.

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  • This research focused on producing biogenic selenium nanoparticles using the fungus Yarrowia lipolytica and investigated their biological activity for the first time.
  • Electron microscopy and various analytical techniques confirmed that the nanoparticles were spherical, around 110 nm in size, with a negative Zeta potential, and contained lipid and protein signatures.
  • The study found these nanoparticles exhibited significant antimicrobial properties against various bacteria and Candida albicans, while showing low cytotoxicity to human cell lines, indicating their potential as effective antimicrobial agents.
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Unlabelled: Hypersaline ecosystems display taxonomically similar assemblages with low diversities and highly dense accompanying viromes. The ecological implications of viral infection on natural microbial populations remain poorly understood, especially at finer scales of diversity. Here, we sought to investigate the influence of changes in environmental physicochemical conditions and viral predation pressure by autochthonous and allochthonous viruses on host dynamics.

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Background: Uricase or urate oxidase, as a therapeutic enzyme, is extensively applied to oxidize accumulated uric acid in the body to soluble form to treat related illnesses.

Objectives: This study was conducted with the aim of searching for potential sources of uricase-producing from Eshtehard salt desert in Alborz province, Iran and heterologous expression, purification and functional assay of the enzyme.

Materials And Methods: Main screening was conducted by cultivation of the strains on a medium enriched with 0.

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  • - The bacterium Halomonas elongata strain SEK2, isolated from highly saline soil in Iran, shows remarkable tolerance to arsenate and arsenite, handling concentrations as high as 800 mM and 40 mM, respectively, along with other toxic metals like cadmium and lead.
  • - This strain can effectively remove 60% of arsenite from contaminated growth medium within 48 hours without converting it into arsenate, showcasing its potential for bioremediation.
  • - Genomic analysis confirmed the presence of arsenite and heavy metal resistance genes, reinforcing that Halomonas elongata strain SEK2 is a promising candidate for cleaning up arsenite in saline environments.
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Executive Summary: Microbes are all pervasive in their distribution and influence on the functioning and well-being of humans, life in general and the planet. Microbially-based technologies contribute hugely to the supply of important goods and services we depend upon, such as the provision of food, medicines and clean water. They also offer mechanisms and strategies to mitigate and solve a wide range of problems and crises facing humanity at all levels, including those encapsulated in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) formulated by the United Nations.

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A novel moderately halophilic, Gram-stain-negative and facultatively anaerobic bacterium, designated as strain TBZ242, was isolated from water of Urmia Lake in the Azerbaijan region of Iran. The cells were found to be rod-shaped and motile by a single polar flagellum, producing circular and yellowish colonies. The strain could grow in the presence of 0.

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Halophilic archaea of the class are the most salt-requiring prokaryotes within the domain . In 1997, minimal standards for the description of new taxa in the order were proposed. From then on, the taxonomy of the class provides an excellent example of how changing concepts on prokaryote taxonomy and the development of new methods were implemented.

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A novel halophilic bacterium, strain 71-i, was isolated from Inche-Broun hypersaline lake in Golestan province, in the north of Iran. It was a Gram-stain-negative, non-endospore forming, rod-shaped bacterium. It grew at 4-40 °C (optimum 30 °C), pH 6.

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  • The study focuses on using nonpathogenic, extremophile bacteria, specifically Halomonas elongata and Salinicoccus iranensis, to safely synthesize selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs).
  • Optimization for SeNP biosynthesis was achieved under specific conditions, yielding spherical nanoparticles sized between 30-100 nm, confirmed through various analytical techniques like UV-Vis and TEM.
  • The research concludes that these halophilic bacteria are ideal for nanoparticle production due to their resilience and the biological method’s advantages of effectiveness, flexibility, and low cost.
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In recent years, the anticancer properties of metabolites from halophilic microorganisms have received a lot of attention. Twenty-nine halophilic bacterial strains were selected from a culture collection to test the effects of their supernatant metabolites on stem cell-like properties of six human cancer cell lines. Human fibroblasts were used as normal control.

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Selenium oxyanions are released into environments by natural and anthropogenic activities and are present in agricultural and glass manufacturing wastewater in several locations worldwide. Excessive amounts of this metalloid have adverse effects on the health of living organisms. Halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms were selected for selenium oxyanions remediation due to presence of significant amount of salt in selenium-containing wastewater.

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Metalloids are released into the environment due to the erosion of the rocks or anthropogenic activities, causing problems for human health in different world regions. Meanwhile, microorganisms with different mechanisms to tolerate and detoxify metalloid contaminants have an essential role in reducing risks. In this review, we first define metalloids and bioremediation methods and examine the ecology and biodiversity of microorganisms in areas contaminated with these metalloids.

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  • * This study explored the effectiveness of Small Bioreactor Chambers and CaO nanoparticles for phenol removal in sand-packed columns, revealing that combining biostimulation and bioaugmentation eliminated phenol in just 42 days.
  • * The microbial diversity was impacted by CaO, leading to shifts in the community composition, with certain groups increasing in abundance that are better at degrading phenol and other hydrocarbons after 6 months.
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Toxic heavy metal/oxyanion contamination has increased severely through the last decades. In this study, 169 native haloarchaeal strains were isolated from different saline and hypersaline econiches of Iran. After providing pure culture and performing morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests, haloarchaea resistance toward arsenate, selenite, chromate, cadmium, zinc, lead, copper, and mercury were surveyed using an agar dilution method.

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The halophilic microorganisms living in extreme environments contain high concentrations of carotenoids with notable medical abilities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anticancer effect of carotenoids extracted from native Iranian halophilic microorganisms with the ability to inhibit breast cancer cell line. To begin the study, 40 halophilic strains were cultured, and 8 strains capable of producing pigmented colonies were chosen from those cultured strains.

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Lake Urmia located in Iran is a hypersaline environment with a salinity of about 27% (w/v). Metagenomic analyses of water samples collected from six locations in the lake exhibited a microbial community dominated by representatives of the family Haloferacaceae (69.8%), mainly those affiliated to only two genera, Haloquadratum (59.

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Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a multifunctional pro-inflammatory cytokine, responsible for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. In COVID-19 patients, increased TNF-α concentration may provoke inflammatory cascade and induce the initiation of cytokine storm that may result in fatal pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ADRS). Hence, TNFα is assumed to be a promising drug target against cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients.

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  • Hydrocarbons, primarily found in oil reservoirs, contribute to significant global oil pollution, prompting the need for better understanding of their biotic degradation pathways and the enzymes involved.
  • A study utilized Annotree to analyze 23,446 genomes, revealing that various bacterial and archaeal phyla possess the genetic potential for hydrocarbon degradation, with notable contribution from Proteobacteria and Actinobacteriota.
  • Despite a limited role of archaea in complete degradation pathways, their genomes were found to support peripheral degradation routes, indicating a complex interplay between bacterial and archaeal contributions to hydrocarbon breakdown.
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The field of microbial pigments is an emerging area in natural products science. Carotenoids form a major class of such pigments and are found to be diversely synthesized by microorganisms that reside in hypersaline ecosystems to provide resistance against oxidative stress. Human cells can benefit from compounds such as carotenoids as antioxidant agents through either their capability to quench free radicals or their effect on promoting the antioxidant defense pathway.

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In this study, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and PCR-amplified fragments of the 16SrDNA gene were used to determine prokaryotes diversity in Urmia Salt Lake. Prokaryote cell population in Urmia lake range from 3.1 ± 0.

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The Persian Gulf, hosting ca. 48% of the world's oil reserves, has been chronically exposed to natural oil seepage. Oil spill studies show a shift in microbial community composition in response to oil pollution; however, the influence of chronic oil exposure on the microbial community remains unknown.

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