Salinity has a strong influence on microorganisms distribution patterns and consequently on the relevance of photoheterotrophic metabolism, which since the discovery of proteorhodopsins is considered the main contributor to solar energy capture on the surface of the oceans. Solar salterns constitute an exceptional system for the simultaneous study of several salt concentrations, ranging from seawater, the most abundant environment on Earth, to saturated brine, one of the most extreme, which has been scarcely studied. In this study, pigment composition across the salinity gradient has been analyzed by spectrophotometry and RP-HPLC, and the influence of salinity on microbial diversity of the three domains of life has been evaluated by a metataxonomic study targeting hypervariable regions of 16S and 18S rRNA genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To address the current practice of liberating patients from invasive mechanical ventilation in pediatric intensive care units, with a focus on the use of standardized protocols, criteria, parameters, and indications for noninvasive respiratory support postextubation.
Methods: Electronic research was carried out from November 2021 to May 2022 in Ibero-American pediatric intensive care units. Physicians and respiratory therapists participated, with a single representative for each pediatric intensive care unit included.
This study aimed at optimizing the accumulation of phytoene in Chlorella sorokiniana by using norflurazon and investigating the capacity of green and traditional solvents to extract carotenoids by ultrasound-assisted extraction with and without previous milling. Phytoene-rich first described C. sorokiniana biomass was used, both fresh, freeze-dried, and encapsulated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays an important role in the progression of many inflammatory diseases. The search for antioxidants with the ability for scavenging free radicals from the body cells that reduce oxidative damage is essential to prevent and treat these pathologies. Haloarchaea are extremely halophilic microorganisms that inhabit hypersaline environments, such as saltworks or salt lakes, where they have to tolerate high salinity, and elevated ultraviolet (UV) and infrared radiations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnergy transfer from light-harvesting ketocarotenoids to the light-driven proton pump xanthorhodopsins has been previously demonstrated in two unique cases: an extreme halophilic bacterium and a terrestrial cyanobacterium. Attempts to find carotenoids that bind and transfer energy to abundant rhodopsin proton pumps from marine photoheterotrophs have thus far failed. Here we detected light energy transfer from the widespread hydroxylated carotenoids zeaxanthin and lutein to the retinal moiety of xanthorhodopsins and proteorhodopsins using functional metagenomics combined with chromophore extraction from the environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe design and preparation of new vectors to transport genetic material and increase the transfection efficiency continue being an important research line. Here, a novel biocompatible sugar-based polymer derived from D-mannitol has been synthesized to be used as a gene material nanocarrier in human (gene transfection) and microalga cells (transformation process). Its low toxicity allows its use in processes with both medical and industrial applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn recent years, there has been an increasing concern related to the contamination of aqueous ecosystems by heavy metals, highlighting the need to improve the current techniques for remediation. This work intends to address the problem of removing heavy metals from waterbodies by combining two complementary methodologies: adsorption to a copolymer synthesized by inverse vulcanization of sulfur and vegetable oils and phytoremediation by the microalga Chlorella sorokiniana to enhance the metal adsorption. After studying the tolerance and growth of Chlorella sorokiniana in the presence of the copolymer, the adsorption of highly concentrated Cd (50 mg L) by the copolymer and microalgae on their own and the combined immobilized system (AlgaPol) was compared.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNordic microalgae are a group of photosynthetic organisms acclimated to growth at low temperature and in varying light conditions; the subarctic climate offers bright days with moderate temperatures during summer and cold and dark winter months. The robustness to these natural stress conditions makes the species interesting for large-scale cultivation in harsh environments and for the production of high-value compounds. The aim of this study was to explore the ability of nineteen species of Nordic microalgae to produce different bioactive compounds, such as carotenoids or polyphenols.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTerpenoids are a diverse class of naturally occurring compounds consisting of more than 50,000 structurally different molecules and are found in all living organisms. Many terpenoid compounds, in particular those isolated from plants, have applications in various commercial sectors including medicine, agriculture and cosmetics. However, these high value terpenoids are produced in relatively small quantities in their natural hosts and their chemical synthesis for large scale production is costly and complicated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReplacement of fossil fuels has to be accompanied by the incorporation of bio-based procedures for the production of fine chemicals. With this aim, the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was selected for its ability to accumulate starch, an environmentally-friendly alternative source of chemical building blocks, such as 5'-hydroxymethylfurfural or levulinic acid. The content of appreciated lipophilic coproducts was assessed in the selected microalga cultured at different nutritional conditions; and the parameters for the acidic hydrolysis of the algal biomass, obtained after pigments extraction, were optimized using a Central Composite Design.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAround 100 Mt of phosphogypsum (PG) of extreme acidity and with high concentrations of heavy metals and radionuclides have been deposited on the salt marshes of the Tinto River estuary in Huelva (SW Spain) for more than forty years. The microbial community able to thrive in these adverse conditions remains totally unknown, despite the fact that it can highly influence the biogeochemical cycle of the phosphogypsum components and include new species with biotechnological interest. High throughput sequencing of 16S/18S rRNA encoding genes is a potent tool to uncover the microbial diversity of extreme environments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAround 100 Mt of phosphogypsum (PG) have been deposited in large stacks on the salt marshes of the Tinto River estuary in Huelva (SW Spain), covering about 1000 ha. These stacks contain extremely acidic water (pH < 2) with high concentrations of pollutants which can cause emissions into their surroundings, generating important environmental concerns. Despite many chemical, geological or hydrological studies have been conducted to characterize the PG stacks of Huelva, the microbial community inhabiting this extreme environment remains unexplored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHalophilic archaea represent a promising natural source of carotenoids. However, little information is available about these archaeal metabolites and their biological effects. In the present work, carotenoids of strains Haloferax sp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe chlorophyte microalga Chlorella sorokiniana was tested for the bioremediation of heavy metals pollution. It was cultured with different concentrations of Cu, Cd, As (III) and As (V), showing a significant inhibition on its growth at concentrations of 500 µM Cu, 250 µM Cd, 750 µM AsO and 5 mM AsO or higher. Moreover, the consumption of ammonium was also studied, showing significant differences for concentrations higher than 1 mM of Cu and As (III), and 5 mM of As (V).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists decrease body weight and improve glycemic control in obesity and diabetes. Patient compliance and maximal efficacy of GLP-1 therapeutics are limited by adverse side effects, including nausea and emesis. In three different species (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPediatr Transplant
November 2021
Introduction: The only curative treatment for severe aplastic anemia in children is an allogeneic stem cell transplant; however, few patients have a matched related or unrelated donor. Haploidentical stem cell transplantation (haplo-SCT) using bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) has been recently described as effective and safe. In this study, we retrospectively report the outcome of twelve pediatric patients who underwent haplo-SCT using only PBSC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrobial peptides (AMP) comprise a wide range of small molecules with direct antibacterial activity and immunostimulatory role and are proposed as promising substitutes of the antibiotics. Additionally, they also exert a role against other pathogens such as viruses and fungi less evaluated. NK-lysin, a human granulysin orthologue, possess a double function, taking part in the innate immunity as AMP and also as direct effector in the cell-mediated cytotoxic (CMC) response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlpha-amylases are a large family of α,1-4-endo-glycosyl hydrolases distributed in all kingdoms of life. The need for poly-extremotolerant amylases encouraged their search in extreme environments, where archaea become ideal candidates to provide new enzymes that are able to work in the harsh conditions demanded in many industrial applications. In this study, a collection of haloarchaea isolated from Odiel saltern ponds in the southwest of Spain was screened for their amylase activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWithin the hindbrain, serotonin (5-HT) functions as a modulator of the central glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) system. This interaction between 5-HT and GLP-1 is achieved via 5-HT2C and 5-HT3 receptors and is relevant for GLP-1-mediated feeding behavior. The central GLP-1 system is activated by various stressors, activates the hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical (HPA) axis, and contributes to stress-related behaviors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCadmium is one of the most hazardous heavy metal for aquatic environments and one of the most toxic contaminants for phytoplankton. This work provides the dataset associated with the research publication "Effect of cadmium in the microalga : a proteomic study" [1]. This dataset describes a proteomic approach, based on the sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion spectra mass spectrometry (SWATH-MS), derived from exposure of to 250 µM Cd for 40 h, showing the proteins that are up- or downregulated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe need to survive in extreme environments has furnished haloarchaea with a series of components specially adapted to work in such conditions. The possible application of these molecules in the pharmaceutical and industrial fields has received increasing attention; however, many potential bioactivities of haloarchaea are still poorly explored. In this paper, we describe the isolation and identification of two new haloarchaeal strains from the saltern ponds located in the marshlands of the Odiel River, in the southwest of Spain, as well as the in vitro assessment of their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and bioactive properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcotoxicol Environ Saf
January 2021
Cadmium is one of the most common heavy metals in contaminated aquatic environments and one of the most toxic contaminants for phytoplankton. Nevertheless, there are not enough studies focused on the effect of this metal in algae. Through a proteomic approach, this work shows how Cd can alter the growth, cell morphology and metabolism of the microalga Chlorella sorokiniana.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA set of 110 extremely halophilic archaeal strains were isolated from seven distinct saline habitats located in different regions of Algeria. The physicochemical characterization of the samples showed that these habitats were thalassohaline. The carotenoid production from isolated strains varied from 0.
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