Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of fifty strains of Beauveria spp. (Ascomycota, Cordycipitaceae) fungal entomopathogens from diverse geographic origins against the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae).

Background: The diamondback moth (DBM) (Plutella xylostella) causes large losses to global crop production. Conventional insecticides are losing effectiveness due to resistance. Consequently, there is a growing interest in sustainable control methods like entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) in Integrated Pest Management.

Targeted mutagenesis and high-throughput screening of diversified gene and promoter libraries for isolating gain-of-function mutations.

Targeted mutagenesis of a promoter or gene is essential for attaining new functions in microbial and protein engineering efforts. In the burgeoning field of synthetic biology, heterologous genes are expressed in new host organisms. Similarly, natural or designed proteins are mutagenized at targeted positions and screened for gain-of-function mutations.

Functional genomic analysis of bacterial lignin degraders: diversity in mechanisms of lignin oxidation and metabolism.

Although several bacterial lignin-oxidising enzymes have been discovered in recent years, it is not yet clear whether different lignin-degrading bacteria use similar mechanisms for lignin oxidation and degradation of lignin fragments. Genome sequences of 13 bacterial lignin-oxidising bacteria, including new genome sequences for Microbacterium phyllosphaerae and Agrobacterium sp., were analysed for the presence of lignin-oxidising enzymes and aromatic degradation gene clusters that could be used to metabolise the products of lignin degradation.

Characterization of multicopper oxidase CopA from Pseudomonas putida KT2440 and Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf-5: Involvement in bacterial lignin oxidation.

CopA is a protein formed as part of a copper resistance operon in Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato, but CopA has also been identified from gene library screening as a potential lignin-oxidising enzyme. Few bacterial homologues for bacterial multi-copper laccases have been identified that can assist in lignin degradation. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that copA and copC genes were found in the genomes of bacterial strains capable of lignin oxidation.

Structural and functional characterisation of multi-copper oxidase CueO from lignin-degrading bacterium Ochrobactrum sp. reveal its activity towards lignin model compounds and lignosulfonate.

Unlabelled: The identification of enzymes responsible for oxidation of lignin in lignin-degrading bacteria is of interest for biotechnological valorization of lignin to renewable chemical products. The genome sequences of two lignin-degrading bacteria, Ochrobactrum sp., and Paenibacillus sp.