A tunable and reversible thermo-inducible bio-switch for streptomycetes.

Programmable control of bacterial gene expression holds great significance for both applied and academic research. This is particularly true for Streptomyces, a genus of Gram-positive bacteria and major producers of prodigious natural products. Despite that a few inducible regulatory systems have been developed for use in Streptomyces, there is an increasing pursuit to augment the toolkit of high-performance induction systems.

Adhesive and Self-Healing Polyurethanes with Tunable Multifunctionality.

Many polyurethanes (PUs) are blood-contacting materials due to their good mechanical properties, fatigue resistance, cytocompatibility, biosafety, and relatively good hemocompatibility. Further functionalization of the PUs using chemical synthetic methods is especially attractive for expanding their applications. Herein, a series of catechol functionalized PU (C-PU-PTMEG) elastomers containing variable molecular weight of polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMEG) soft segment are reported by stepwise polymerization and further introduction of catechol.

Synthetic Cellobiose-Inducible Regulatory Systems Allow Tight and Dynamic Controls of Gene Expression in .

Precise control of microbial gene expression is crucial for synthetic biotechnological applications. This is particularly true for the bacterial genus , major producers of diverse natural products including many antibiotics. Although a plethora of genetic tools have been developed for , there is still an urgent need for effective gene induction systems.

Application of a Reactive Oxygen Species-Responsive Drug-Eluting Coating for Surface Modification of Vascular Stents.

Stent implantation is the primary method used to treat coronary heart disease. However, it is associated with complications such as restenosis and late thrombosis. Despite surface modification being an effective way to improve the biocompatibility of stents, the current research studies are not focused on changes in the vascular microenvironment at the implantation site.

Engineered biosynthesis of thaxtomin phytotoxins.

Herbicide-resistant weeds are a growing problem worldwide. Thaxtomin phytotoxins are a group of nitrated diketopiperazines produced by the potato common scab-causing pathogen and other actinobacterial plant pathogens. They represent a unique class of microbial natural products with distinctive structural features and promising herbicidal activity.