Publications by authors named "N Minton"
Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) rank among the most potent toxins and many of them are produced by bacteria carrying the orfX gene cluster that also encodes four nontoxic proteins (OrfX1, OrfX2, OrfX3 and P47). The orfX gene cluster is also found in the genomes of many non-BoNT-producing bacteria, often alongside genes encoding oral insecticidal toxins. However, the functions of these OrfXs and P47 remain elusive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStable Platform for Mevalonate Bioproduction from CO.
ACS Sustain Chem Eng
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- The stability of plasmids in microbial cells is crucial for efficient industrial biocatalysis, as these multicopy systems offer better product outcomes compared to genomic integrations.
- The study focuses on H16, a bacterium capable of converting inorganic carbon from CO fixation into valuable products, which has struggled with plasmid stability.
- Researchers developed a plasmid addiction system that stabilized a multicopy plasmid, allowing H16 to successfully produce approximately 10 g/L of mevalonate with carbon yields around 25%, marking a record for C6 compounds from C1 feedstocks.
Biofuel production by Clostridium acetobutylicum is compromised by strain degeneration due to loss of its pSOL1 megaplasmid. Here we used engineering biology to stably integrate pSOL1 into the chromosome together with a synthetic isopropanol pathway. In a membrane bioreactor continuously fed with glucose mineral medium, the final strain produced advanced biofuels, n-butanol and isopropanol, at high yield (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The rising levels of greenhouse gases from fossil fuel use necessitate sustainable chemical and fuel production methods, particularly those employing biological fermentation processes.
- Using thermophilic microorganisms for these processes could be beneficial, but requires improved genome editing tools, like CRISPR/Cas9, which currently face issues with effectiveness and potential unwanted mutations due to the promoters used.
- The introduction of a synthetic riboswitch that relies on theophylline allows for better control over Cas9 expression, resulting in higher transformation success, complete mutant generation, and reduced toxicity, leading to a new efficient system called RiboCas93 for producing mutants.
Article Synopsis
- Research on Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) focuses on its dangerous toxins, Toxin A (TcdA) and Toxin B (TcdB), and their contribution to severe diseases like antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis.
- * Hypervirulent strains of C. difficile may produce an additional toxin, binary toxin CDT, which further complicates treatment and poses a health threat.
- * Recent studies aim to understand how these toxins work at a molecular level and how they enter cells, with significant research efforts taking place mainly in Europe.