Shelf-life extension of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) using sodium alginate/chitosan incorporated with cell-free supernatant of Streptococcus thermophilus FUA 329 during cold storage.

Seafood is highly perishable and has a short shelf-life. This study investigated the effect of chitosan and alginate (CH-SA) coating combined with the cell-free supernatant of Streptococcus thermophilus FUA329 (CFS) as a preservative on the quailty of white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) refrigerated at 4° for 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 days. Freshly shrimps were randomly divided into four groups: the CFS group (400 mL); the CH-SA group (1% chitosan/1% alginate); the CFS-CH-SA group (1% chitosan/1% alginate with 400 mL CFS) are treatment groups, and the control group (400 mL sterile water).

In vitro conversion of ellagic acid to urolithin A by different gut microbiota of urolithin metabotype A.

The metabolite urolithin A, a metabolite of the dietary polyphenol ellagic acid (EA), has significant health benefits for humans. However, studies on the gut microbiota involved in ellagic acid metabolism are limited. In this study, we conducted in vitro fermentation of EA using human intestinal microbiome combined with antibiotics (vancomycin, polymyxin B sulfate, and amphotericin B).

Improvement of Urolithin A Yield by In Vitro Cofermentation of FUA329 with Human Gut Microbiota from Different Urolithin Metabotypes.

FUA329 converts ellagic acid (EA) to urolithin A (Uro-A), which is not autonomously converted by the gut microbiota to produce highly bioavailable and multibiologically active Uro-A in urolithin metabotype 0 (UM-0) populations. We consider that FUA329 has the potential to be developed as a probiotic. Therefore, we utilized FUA329 for in vitro cofermentation with gut microbiota.

The Clinical and Pathological Effects of Serum C3 Level and Mesangial C3 Intensity in Patients with IgA Nephropathy.

Objective: To investigate the clinical and pathological effects of serum C3 level, mesangial C3 deposition intensity and blood lipid on IgA nephropathy.

Methods: According to the deposition intensity of immunofluorescence (IF) complement C3 in mesangial region, a total of 151 patients were divided into: (1) negative group (65 cases), (2) weak positive group (51 cases), and (3) strong positive group (35 cases). According to the level of serum C3, the patients were divided into two groups: (1) 33 patients with decreased serum C3 (<85 mg/dL); (2) 118 patients with normal serum C3.

Edible Insects: A New Sustainable Nutritional Resource Worth Promoting.

Edible insects are a highly nutritious source of protein and are enjoyed by people all over the world. Insects contain various other nutrients and beneficial compounds, such as lipids, vitamins and minerals, chitin, phenolic compounds, and antimicrobial peptides, which contribute to good health. The practice of insect farming is far more resource-efficient compared to traditional agriculture and animal husbandry, requiring less land, energy, and water, and resulting in a significantly lower carbon footprint.

Genomic and phenotypic-based safety assessment and probiotic properties of Streptococcus thermophilus FUA329, a urolithin A-producing bacterium of human milk origin.

Streptococcus thermophilus FUA329, a urolithin A-producing bacterium, is isolated from human breast milk. The complete genome sequence of FUA329 did not contain any plasmids and at least 20 proteins were related to extreme environment resistance. Phenotypic assay results demonstrated that FUA329 was susceptible to 12 kinds of antibiotics and did not exhibit any hemolytic or nitrate reductase activity.

Production, Characterization and Application of a Novel Chitosanase from Marine Bacterium BP-N07.

Chitooligosaccharides (COS), a high-value chitosan derivative, have many applications in food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and agriculture owing to their unique biological activities. Chitosanase, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of chitosan, can cleave β-1,4 linkages to produce COS. In this study, a chitosanase-producing BP-N07 was isolated from marine mud samples.

Engineering chitin deacetylase AsCDA for improving the catalytic efficiency towards crystalline chitin.

Chitin deacetylase (CDA) catalyzing the deacetylation of crystal chitin is a crucial step in the biosynthesis of chitosan, and also a scientific problem to be solved, which restricts the high-value utilization of chitin resources. This study aims to improve the catalytic efficiency of AsCDA from Acinetobacter schindleri MCDA01 by a semi-rational design using alanine scanning mutagenesis and saturation mutagenesis. The quadruple mutant M11 displayed a 2.

A Novel FUA329 Isolated from Human Breast Milk Capable of Producing Urolithin A from Ellagic Acid.

Urolithin A, a metabolite of ellagic acid, has many beneficial biological activities for people. Strains capable of producing urolithin A from ellagic acid have the hope of becoming the next-generation probiotics. However, only a few species of these strains have been reported.

A high-frequency mobility big-data reveals how COVID-19 spread across professions, locations and age groups.

As infected and vaccinated population increases, some countries decided not to impose non-pharmaceutical intervention measures anymore and to coexist with COVID-19. However, we do not have a comprehensive understanding of its consequence, especially for China where most population has not been infected and most Omicron transmissions are silent. This paper aims to reveal the complete silent transmission dynamics of COVID-19 by agent-based simulations overlaying a big data of more than 0.

Genetic and Probiotic Characteristics of Urolithin A Producing FUA027.

FUA027 transforms ellagic acid (EA) to urolithin A (UA), which makes it a potential application in the preparation of UA by industrial fermentation. Here, the genetic and probiotic characteristics of FUA027 were evaluated through whole-genome sequence analysis and phenotypic assays. The chromosome size of this strain was 2,718,096 bp, with a GC content of 38.

Isolation and characterization of a novel human intestinal FUA027 capable of producing urolithin A from ellagic acid.

Urolithin A (UA) has received considerable research attention because of its health benefits. However, only a few strains have been reported to produce UA from ellagic acid (EA), and the molecular mechanisms underlying the gut microbiota-mediated transformation of ellagic acid into urolithin A is limited. In the present study, a single strain FUA027 capable of converting ellagic acid into UA was isolated from the fecal samples.

Transcription Factors in spp.: Classification, Regulation and a Newly Built Database.

Transcription factors (TFs) can regulate the synthesis of secondary metabolites through different metabolic pathways in spp. In this study, a set of 16 superfamilies, 45 PFAM families of TFs with the DNA-binding domains, seven zinc finger families and eight categories of the C2H2 TFs have been identified in spp. Among all the identified TFs, four superfamilies and six PFAM families are the fungal-specific types in this lineage.

Characterization of a Novel Myrosinase with High Activity from Marine Bacterium Myr-37.

Myrosinase can hydrolyze glucosinolates to generate isothiocyanates, which have cancer prevention and anti-cancer properties. The main sources of myrosinase are cruciferous plants. To further improve the efficiency of isothiocyanates preparation, it is necessary to explore novel sources of myrosinases.

FUA009, a Novel Intestinal Bacterium Capable of Producing the Bioactive Metabolite Urolithin A from Ellagic Acid.

Dietary polyphenol ellagic acid has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities, and these biological activities require the conversion of ellagic acid to urolithins by intestinal microbes. However, few gut microbes are capable of metabolizing ellagic acid to produce urolithins, limiting the beneficial effects of ellagic acid on health. Here, we describe an intestinal bacterium Lactococcus garvieae FUA009 isolated from the feces of a healthy volunteer.

A Novel Potent Crystalline Chitin Decomposer: Chitin Deacetylase from MCDA01.

Chitosan is a functional ingredient that is widely used in food chemistry as an emulsifier, flocculant, antioxidant, or preservative. Chitin deacetylases (CDAs) can catalyze the hydrolysis of acetyl groups, making them useful in the clean production of chitosan. However, the high inactivity of crystalline chitin catalyzed by CDAs has been regarded as the technical bottleneck of crystalline chitin deacetylation.

Purification and characterization of a chitinase from Aeromonas media CZW001 as a biocatalyst for producing chitinpentaose and chitinhexaose.

Developing chitinase suitable for the bioconversion of chitin to chitin oligosaccharides has attracted significant attention due to its benefits in environmental protection. In this study, chitinase from Aeromonas media CZW001 (AmChi) was purified and characterized. The molecular weight of AmChi was approximately 40 kDa.

PHB2 affects the virulence of Vip3Aa to Sf9 cells through internalization and mitochondrial stability.

The vegetative insecticidal proteins (Vip3A) secreted by some (Bt) strains during vegetative growth are regarded as a new generation of insecticidal toxins. Like insecticidal crystal proteins, they are also used in transgenic crops to control pests. However, their insecticidal mechanisms are far less defined than those of insecticidal crystal protein.

Discovery of Chitin Deacetylase Inhibitors through Structure-Based Virtual Screening and Biological Assays.

Chitin deacetylase (CDA) inhibitors were developed as novel antifungal agents because CDA participates in critical fungal physiological and metabolic processes and increases virulence in soilborne fungal pathogens. However, few CDA inhibitors have been reported. In this study, 150 candidate CDA inhibitors were selected from the commercial Chemdiv compound library through structure-based virtual screening.

Enzymatic modification of native chitin and chitin oligosaccharides by an alkaline chitin deacetylase from Microbacterium esteraromaticum MCDA02.

In this study, chitin deacetylase from Microbacterium esteraromaticum MCDA02 (MeCDA) was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, anion exchange chromatography, and superdex column chromatography. The molecular weight of purified MeCDA was approximately 26 kDa. The optimum pH and temperature of purified MeCDA were 8.

Rationally engineered chitin deacetylase from Arthrobacter sp. AW19M34-1 with improved catalytic activity toward crystalline chitin.

Chitin and its derivatives have anticoagulant, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties, but the poor solubility of chitin limits its application in different fields. In this study, site-directed mutagenesis was performed to enhance the deacetylation activity of chitin deacetylases CDA from Arthrobacter (ArCE4). The mutant Mut-2-8 with Y172E/E200S/Y201W showed a 2.

Autophagy induced by Vip3Aa has a pro-survival role in Sf9 cells.

Vip3Aa is an insecticidal protein that can effectively control certain lepidopteran pests and has been used widely in biological control. However, the mechanism of action of Vip3Aa is unclear. In the present study, we showed that Vip3Aa could cause autophagy in Sf9 cells, which was confirmed by the increased numbers of GFP-Atg8 puncta, the appearance of autophagic vacuoles, and an elevated Atg8-II protein level.

Mitochondria and Lysosomes Participate in Vip3Aa-Induced Sf9 Cell Apoptosis.

Vip3Aa, a soluble protein produced by certain strains, is capable of inducing apoptosis in Sf9 cells. However, the apoptosis mechanism triggered by Vip3Aa is unclear. In this study, we found that Vip3Aa induces mitochondrial dysfunction, as evidenced by signs of collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential, accumulation of reactive oxygen species, release of cytochrome c, and caspase-9 and -3 activation.