Graphene-Based Sensor for Detection of Bacterial Pathogens.

Microbial colonization to biomedical surfaces and biofilm formation is one of the key challenges in the medical field. Recalcitrant biofilms on such surfaces cause serious infections which are difficult to treat using antimicrobial agents, due to their complex structure. Early detection of microbial colonization and monitoring of biofilm growth could turn the tide by providing timely guidance for treatment or replacement of biomedical devices.

Graphene coated magnetic nanoparticles facilitate the release of biofuels and oleochemicals from yeast cell factories.

Engineering of microbial cells to produce high value chemicals is rapidly advancing. Yeast, bacteria and microalgae are being used to produce high value chemicals by utilizing widely available carbon sources. However, current extraction processes of many high value products from these cells are time- and labor-consuming and require toxic chemicals.

A Sustainable Approach for the Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles from sp. and Their Application in Biofilm Inhibition.

The use of bacteria as nanofactories for the green synthesis of nanoparticles is considered a sustainable approach, owing to the stability, biocompatibility, high yields and facile synthesis of nanoparticles. The green synthesis provides the coating or capping of biomolecules on nanoparticles surface, which confer their biological activity. In this study, we report green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by an environmental isolate; named as AgNPs1, which showed 100% 16S rRNA sequence similarity with UV/visible analysis (UV/Vis), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to characterize the synthesized nanoparticles.

Evolutionary Analysis of the Bacillus subtilis Genome Reveals New Genes Involved in Sporulation.

Bacilli can form dormant, highly resistant, and metabolically inactive spores to cope with extreme environmental challenges. In this study, we examined the evolutionary age of Bacillus subtilis sporulation genes using the approach known as genomic phylostratigraphy. We found that B.

Precontrolled Alignment of Graphite Nanoplatelets in Polymeric Composites Prevents Bacterial Attachment.

Graphene coatings composed of vertical spikes are shown to mitigate bacterial attachment. Such coatings present hydrophobic edges of graphene, which penetrate the lipid bilayers causing physical disruption of bacterial cells. However, manufacturing of such surfaces on a scale required for antibacterial applications is currently not feasible.