Isolation and characterization of cellulose-mineralizing haloalkaliphilic bacteria from Siberian soda lakes.

Soda lakes are unique double-extreme habitats characterized by high salinity and soluble carbonate alkalinity, yet harboring rich prokaryotic life. Despite intensive microbiology studies, little is known about the identity of the soda lake hydrolytic bacteria responsible for the primary degradation of the biomass organic matter, in particular cellulose. In this study, aerobic and anaerobic enrichment cultures with three forms of native insoluble cellulose inoculated with sediments from five soda lakes in south-western Siberia resulted in the isolation of four cellulotrophic haloalkaliphilic bacteria and their four saccharolytic satellites.

Exploring the metabolic potential of to utilise the carbohydrate polymer chitin.

Members of the genus are commonly found in natural aquatic ecosystems. However, they are also frequently present in non-chlorinated drinking water distribution systems. High densities of these bacteria indicate favorable conditions for microbial regrowth, which is considered undesirable.

Photochemical Metal-Free synthesis and biological Assessment of isocryptolepine analogues targeting estrogen receptor Alpha in breast cancer cells.

The aim of this study was to develop a new series of isocryptolepines and evaluate their antiproliferative and antiestrogenic activities on cancer cells. A series of isocryptolepine derivatives were synthesized using developed one-pot photochemical, metal-free protocol, employing readily available 2-arylindoles as starting compounds. The resulting isocryptolepines demonstrated (sub)micromolar inhibitory activity against selected breast cancer cell lines.

Global nuclear reorganization during heterochromatin replication in the giant-genome plant Nigella damascena L.

Among flowering plants, genome size varies remarkably, by >2200-fold, and this variation depends on the loss and gain of noncoding DNA sequences that form distinct heterochromatin complexes during interphase. In plants with giant genomes, most chromatin remains condensed during interphase, forming a dense network of heterochromatin threads called interphase chromonemata. Using super-resolution light and electron microscopy, we studied the ultrastructure of chromonemata during and after replication in root meristem nuclei of Nigella damascena L.

Secosteroid diacylhydrazines as novel effective agents against hormone-dependent breast cancer cells.

This research aimed to develop novel selective secosteroids that are highly active against hormone-dependent breast cancer. A simple and convenient approach to N'-acylated 13,17-secoestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-oic acid hydrazides was disclosed and these novel types of secosteroids were screened for cytotoxicity against the hormone-dependent human breast cancer cell line MCF7. Most secosteroid N'-benzoyl hydrazides have demonstrated high cytotoxicity against MCF7 cells with IC values below 5 μM, which are superior to that of the reference drug cisplatin.

Design and synthesis of phosphoryl-substituted steroidal pyridazines (Pho-STPYRs) as potent estrogen receptor alpha inhibitors: targeted treatment of hormone-dependent breast cancer cells.

Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is an important target for the discovery of new therapeutic drugs against hormone-dependent breast cancer. A series of phosphoryl-substituted steroidal pyridazines (Pho-STPYRs) were synthesized and biologically evaluated as potent ERα inhibitors. Pho-STPYRs showed cytotoxicity against breast cancer cells with IC values of 5.

Natronospira bacteriovora sp. nov., and Natronospira elongata sp. nov., extremely salt-tolerant predatory proteolytic bacteria from soda lakes and proposal to classify the genus Natronospira into Natronospiraceae fam. nov., and Natronospirales ord. nov., within the class Gammaproteobacteria.

The genus Natronospira is represented by a single species of extremely salt-tolerant aerobic alkaliphilic proteolytic bacterium, isolated from hypersaline soda lakes. When cells of Gram-positive cocci were used as a substrate instead of proteins at extremely haloalkaline conditions, two new members of this genus were enriched and isolated in pure culture from the same sites. Strains AB-CW1 and AB-CW4 are obligate aerobic heterotrophic proteolytic bacteria able to feed on both live and dead cells of staphylococci and a range of proteins and peptides.

Natronosalvus hydrolyticus sp. nov., a beta-1,3-glucan utilizing natronoarchaeon from hypersaline soda lakes.

Use of curldlan, an insoluble β-1,3-glucan, as an enrichment substrate under aerobic conditions resulted in the selection from hypersaline soda lakes of a single natronarchaeon, strain AArc-curdl1. This organism is an obligately aerobic saccharolytic, possessing a poorly explored (in Archaea) potential to utilize beta-1-3 glucans, being only a second example of a haloarchaeon with this ability known in pure culture. The main phenotypic property of the isolate is the ability to grow with insoluble β-1,3-backboned glucans, i.

Exploration and biological evaluation of 20-vinyl pregnenes: A step forward toward selective modulators of the estrogen receptor α signaling for breast cancer treatment.

A series of D-ring modified steroids bearing a vinyl ketone pendant were synthesized and evaluated for antiproliferative activity against breast cancer cell line and cytochromes P450. The lead compound, 21-vinyl 20-keto-pregnene (2f) (IC = 2.4 µM), was shown to be a promising candidate for future anticancer drug design, particularly against estrogen receptor α (ERα)-positive breast cancer.

gen. nov., sp. nov., beta-1,4-mannan utilizing natronoarchaea from hypersaline soda lakes.

Beta-mannans are insoluble plant polysaccharides with beta-1,4-linked mannose as the backbone. We used three forms of this polysaccharide, namely, pure mannan, glucomannan, and galactomannan, to enrich haloarchaea, which have the ability to utilize mannans for growth. Four mannan-utilizing strains obtained in pure cultures were closely related to each other on the level of the same species.

Salinity-induced succession of phototrophic communities in a southwestern Siberian soda lake during the solar activity cycle.

A variety of lakes located in the dry steppe area of southwestern Siberia are exposed to rapid climatic changes, including intra-century cycles with alternating dry and wet phases driven by solar activity. As a result, the salt lakes of that region experience significant fluctuations in water level and salinity, which have an essential impact on the indigenous microbial communities. But there are few microbiological studies that have analyzed this impact, despite its importance for understanding the functioning of regional water ecosystems.

Irreversible inhibition of estrogen receptor α signaling and the emergence of hormonal resistance in MCF7 breast cancer cells induced by DNA damage agents.

Combining chemotherapy and hormone therapy is a prevalent approach in breast cancer treatment. While the cytotoxic impact of numerous chemotherapy drugs stems from DNA damage, the exact role of these DNA alterations in modulating estrogen receptor α (ERα) machinery remains elusive. The present study aimed to analyze the impact of DNA damage agents on ERα signaling in breast cancer cells and assess the signaling pathways mediating the influence of DNA damage drugs on the ERα machinery.

Dynamics of species in a co-culture under selective pressure of ampicillin.

Haloalkaliphilic chemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria belonging to the genus are highly abundant in microbial communities found in soda lakes and dominant in full-scale bioreactors removing sulfide from industrial waste gases. Despite certain soda lakes being remote and unaffected by anthropogenic activities, haloalkaliphilic microorganisms, including strains, possess various antibiotic resistance genes. In this study, we investigated the impact of the antibiotic ampicillin on a co-culture of two species ARh2 and AL2, both experimentally and through analysis of antibiotic resistance.

Towards the synthesis of spectral imaging and machine learning-based approaches for non-invasive phenotyping of plants.

High-throughput phenotyping is now central to the progress of plant sciences, accelerated breeding, and precision farming. The power of phenotyping comes from the automated, rapid, non-invasive collection of large datasets describing plant objects. In this context, the goal of extracting relevant information from different kinds of images is of paramount importance.

Phenotypic and genomic characterization of the first alkaliphilic aceticlastic methanogens and proposal of a novel genus gen.nov. within the family .

Highly purified cultures of alkaliphilic aceticlastic methanogens were collected for the first time using methanogenic enrichments with acetate from a soda lake and a terrestrial mud volcano. The cells of two strains were non-motile rods forming filaments. The mud volcano strain M04Ac was alkalitolerant, with the pH range for growth from 7.

Honokiol inhibits the growth of hormone-resistant breast cancer cells: its promising effect in combination with metformin.

Background And Purpose: Primary and metastatic breast cancers still represent an unmet clinical need for improved chemotherapy and hormone therapy. Considerable attention has been paid to natural anticancer compounds, especially lignans. The study aimed to evaluate the activity of several lignans against breast cancer cells and assess the effect of leading lignans on signaling pathways in combination with metformin.

Halapricum hydrolyticum sp. nov., a beta-1,3-glucan utilizing haloarchaeon from hypersaline lakes.

Two strains of neutrophilic haloaloarchaea were selectively enriched from hypersaline lakes in southwestern Siberia using β-1,3-glucans as a substrate. The strains were nearly identical in their phenotypes and according to phylogenomic analysis, and represent a distant novel species group in the genus Halapricum of the family Haloarculaceae. The main phenotypic property of the novel isolates is the ability to hydrolyze and grow with the polysaccharides curdlan and pachyman.

Secosteroid thiosemicarbazides and secosteroid-1,2,4-triazoles as antiproliferative agents targeting breast cancer cells: Synthesis and biological evaluation.

A convenient and selective approach to 13,17-secoestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-oic acid [N'-arylcarbothioamido]hydrazides and hybrid molecules containing secosteroid and 1,2,4-triazole fragments was disclosed and these novel types of secosteroids were screened for cytotoxicity against hormone-dependent human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Most of secosteroid-1,2,4-triazole hybrids showed significant cytotoxic effect comparable or superior to that of the reference drug cisplatin. Hit secosteroid-1,2,4-triazole hybrids 4b and 4h were characterized by high cytotoxicity and good selectivity towards MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

Exosomes are involved in the intercellular transfer of rapamycin resistance in the breast cancer cells.

Introduction: Resistance to chemotherapy and/or irradiation remains one of the key features of malignant tumors, which largely limits the efficiency of antitumor therapy. In this work, we studied the progression mechanism of breast cancer cell resistance to target drugs, including mTOR blockers, and in particular, we studied the exosome function in intercellular resistance transfer.

Methods: The cell viability was assessed by the MTT assay, exosomes were purified by successive centrifugations, immunoblotting was used to evaluate protein expression, AP-1 activity was analyzed using reporter assay.

Membrane proteome of the thermoalkaliphile TA2.A1.

Proteomics has greatly advanced the understanding of the cellular biochemistry of microorganisms. The thermoalkaliphile TA2.A1 is an organism of interest for studies into how alkaliphiles adapt to their extreme lifestyles, as it can grow from pH 7.

Trichlorobacter ammonificans, a dedicated acetate-dependent ammonifier with a novel module for dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia.

Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia (DNRA) is a common biochemical process in the nitrogen cycle in natural and man-made habitats, but its significance in wastewater treatment plants is not well understood. Several ammonifying Trichlorobacter strains (former Geobacter) were previously enriched from activated sludge in nitrate-limited chemostats with acetate as electron (e) donor, demonstrating their presence in these systems. Here, we isolated and characterized the new species Trichlorobacter ammonificans strain G1 using a combination of low redox potential and copper-depleted conditions.