A novel engineered strain of Methylorubrum extorquens for methylotrophic production of glycolic acid.

The conversion of CO into methanol depicts one of the most promising emerging renewable routes for the chemical and biotech industry. Under this regard, native methylotrophs have a large potential for converting methanol into value-added products but require targeted engineering approaches to enhance their performances and to widen their product spectrum. Here we use a systems-based approach to analyze and engineer M.

A novel method for recombinant mammalian-expressed S-HBsAg virus-like particle production for assembly status analysis and improved anti-HBs serology.

The Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) as the only lipid-associated envelope protein of the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) acts as cellular attachment and entry mediator of HBV making it the main target of neutralizing antibodies to provide HBV immunity after infection or vaccination. Despite its central role in inducing protective immunity, there is however a surprising lack of comparative studies examining different HBsAgs and their ability to detect anti-HBs antibodies. On the contrary, various time-consuming complex HBsAg production protocols have been established, which result in structurally and functionally insufficiently characterized HBsAg.

Identification of CRTH2 as a New PPARγ-Target Gene in T Cells Suggested CRTH2 Dependent Conversion of T2 Cells as Therapeutic Concept in COVID-19 Infection.

Background: COVID-19 is a serious viral infection, which is often associated with a lethal outcome. Therefore, understanding mechanisms, which affect the immune response during SARS-CoV2 infection, are important.

Methods: To address this, we determined the number of T cells in peripheral blood derived from intensive care COVID-19 patients.

A novel approach for in vivo DNA footprinting using short double-stranded cell-free DNA from plasma.

Here, we present a method for enrichment of double-stranded cfDNA with an average length of ∼40 bp from cfDNA for high-throughput DNA sequencing. This class of cfDNA is enriched at gene promoters and binding sites of transcription factors or structural DNA-binding proteins, so that a genome-wide DNA footprint is directly captured from liquid biopsies. In short double-stranded cfDNA from healthy individuals, we find significant enrichment of 203 transcription factor motifs.

Evaluation of Chemical and Physical Triggers for Enhanced Photosynthetic Glycerol Production in Different Isolates.

The salt-tolerant marine microalgae is reported to generate significant amounts of intracellular glycerol as an osmoprotectant under high salt conditions. This study highlights the phylogenetic distribution and comparative glycerol biosynthesis of seven new isolates compared to a reference strain. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that all isolates are newly discovered and do not relate to the reference.

Automation of customizable library preparation for next-generation sequencing into an open microfluidic platform.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is becoming more relevant for medical diagnostics, especially for using cell-free DNA to monitor response to therapy in cancer management, as high sensitivity of NGS enables detection of rare events. Sequencing Library preparation is a time-consuming and complex process, and large-scale liquid handlers are often used for automation. However, for smaller labs and low-to-medium throughput samples, these liquid handlers are expensive and need experts for handling.

Current trends in medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates: Microbial production, purification, and characterization.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have gained interest recently due to their biodegradability and versatility. In particular, the chemical compositions of medium-chain-length (mcl)-PHAs are highly diverse, comprising different monomers containing 6-14 carbon atoms. This review summarizes different feedstocks and fermentation strategies to enhance mcl-PHA production and briefly discusses the downstream processing.

Suppression PCR-Based Selective Enrichment Sequencing for Pathogen and Antimicrobial Resistance Detection on Cell-Free DNA in Sepsis-A Targeted, Blood Culture-Independent Approach for Rapid Pathogen and Resistance Diagnostics in Septic Patients.

Sepsis is a life-threatening syndrome triggered by infection and accompanied by high mortality, with antimicrobial resistances (AMRs) further escalating clinical challenges. The rapid and reliable detection of causative pathogens and AMRs are key factors for fast and appropriate treatment, in order to improve outcomes in septic patients. However, current sepsis diagnostics based on blood culture is limited by low sensitivity and specificity while current molecular approaches fail to enter clinical routine.

Transmembrane Chemical Absorption Process for Recovering Ammonia as an Organic Fertilizer Using Citric Acid as the Trapping Solution.

Membrane contactors are among the available technologies that allow a reduction in the amount of ammoniacal nitrogen released into the environment through a process called transmembrane chemical absorption (TMCA). This process can be operated with different substances acting as trapping solutions; however, strong inorganic acids have been studied the most. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate, at laboratory scale, the performance of citric acid as a capturing solution in TMCA processes for recovering ammonia as an organic fertilizer from anaerobic digestor reject water using membrane contactors in a liquid-liquid configuration and to compare it with the most studied solution, sulfuric acid.

Homeostatic T helper 17 cell responses triggered by complex microbiota are maintained in ex vivo intestinal tissue slices.

Segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) are members of the commensal intestinal microbiome. They are known to contribute to the postnatal maturation of the gut immune system, but also to augment inflammatory conditions in chronic diseases such as Crohn's disease. Living primary tissue slices are ultrathin multicellular sections of the intestine and provide a unique opportunity to analyze tissue-specific immune responses ex vivo.

TheraVision: Engineering platform technology for the development of oncolytic viruses based on herpes simplex virus type 1.

Viruses are able to efficiently penetrate cells, multiply, and eventually kill infected cells, release tumor antigens, and activate the immune system. Therefore, viruses are highly attractive novel agents for cancer therapy. Clinical trials with first generations of oncolytic viruses (OVs) are very promising but show significant need for optimization.

Rich microbial and depolymerising diversity in Antarctic krill gut.

With almost a quadrillion individuals, the Antarctic krill processes five million tons of organic carbon every day during austral summer. This high carbon flux requires a broad range of hydrolytic enzymes to decompose the diverse food-derived biopolymers. While krill itself possesses numerous such enzymes, it is unclear, to what extent the endogenous microbiota contribute to the hydrolytic potential of the gut environment.

Life cycle assessment for early-stage process optimization of microbial biosurfactant production using kinetic models-a case study on mannosylerythritol lipids (MEL).

This study assesses the environmental impacts of mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs) production for process optimization using life cycle assessment (LCA). MELs are glycolipid-type microbial biosurfactants with many possible applications based on their surface-active properties. They are generally produced by fungi from the family of Ustilaginaceae via fermentation in aerated bioreactors.

is a source of α-tocomonoenol, and its concentration, in contrast to α-tocopherol, is not affected by nitrogen depletion.

α-Tomonoenols (αT1) are tocochromanols structurally related to tocopherols (T) and tocotrienols (T3), the bioactive members of the vitamin E family. However, limited evidence exists regarding the sources and biosynthesis of tocomonoenols. Nitrogen depletion increases the content of α-tocopherol (αT), the main vitamin E congener, in microalgae, but little is known regarding its effect on other tocochromanols, such as tocomonoenols and tocotrienols.

A novel three-dimensional Nrf2 reporter epidermis model for skin sensitization assessment.

Skin sensitization assessment has progressed from the use of animal models towards the application of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). Several skin sensitization NAMs are accepted for regulatory use, but a majority relies on submerged in vitro cell cultures that limit their applicability domain, posing challenges for testing hydrophobic chemicals and mixtures. A newly developed three-dimensional (3D) Nrf2 reporter epidermis model for skin sensitization assessment is reported.

Discrimination of pancreato-biliary cancer and pancreatitis patients by non-invasive liquid biopsy.

Background: Current diagnostics for the detection of pancreato-biliary cancers (PBCs) need to be optimized. We therefore propose that methylated cell-free DNA (cfDNA) derived from non-invasive liquid biopsies serves as a novel biomarker with the ability to discriminate pancreato-biliary cancers from non-cancer pancreatitis patients.

Methods: Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) from plasma cfDNA between PBCs, pancreatitis and clinical control samples conditions were identified by next-generation sequencing after enrichment using methyl-binding domains and database searches to generate a discriminatory panel for a hybridization and capture assay with subsequent targeted high throughput sequencing.

Draft genome sequence of furan-degrading strain FUR100.

FUR100 was isolated from a mixture of soil and activated sludge. It can use furan as a sole source of carbon and energy. Its draft genome sequence may provide insight into the genetics of furan catabolism.

Improving Determination of Pigment Contents in Microalgae Suspension with Absorption Spectroscopy: Light Scattering Effect and Bouguer-Lambert-Beer Law.

The Bouguer-Lambert-Beer (BLB) law serves as the fundamental basis for the spectrophotometric determination of pigment content in microalgae. Although it has been observed that the applicability of the BLB law is compromised by the light scattering effect in microalgae suspensions, in-depth research concerning the relationship between the light scattering effect and the accuracy of spectrophotometric pigment determination remains scarce. We hypothesized that (1) the precision of spectrophotometric pigment content determination using the BLB law would diminish with increasing nonlinearity of absorbance, and (2) employing the modified version of the BLB (mBLB) law would yield superior performance.

Drug repurposing for the treatment of COVID-19: Targeting nafamostat to the lungs by a liposomal delivery system.

Despite tremendous global efforts since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, still only a limited number of prophylactic and therapeutic options are available. Although vaccination is the most effective measure in preventing morbidity and mortality, there is a need for safe and effective post-infection treatment medication. In this study, we explored a pipeline of 21 potential candidates, examined in the Calu-3 cell line for their antiviral efficacy, for drug repurposing.

Soft Sub-Structured Multi-Material Biosensor Hydrogels with Enzymes Retained by Plant Viral Scaffolds.

An all-soft multi-material combination consisting of a hydrogel based on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) coated with spatially defined spots of gelatin methacryloyl (GM) containing selectively addressable viral nanorods is presented, and its basic application as a qualitative biosensor with reporter enzymes displayed on the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) bioscaffolds within the GM is demonstrated. Biologically inert PEG supports are equipped with GM spots serving as biological matrix for enzymes clustered on TMV particles preventing diffusion out of the gel. For this multi-material combination, i) the PEG-based hydrogel surface is modified to achieve a clear boundary between coated and non-coated regions by introducing either isothiouronium or thiol groups.

Proline catabolism is a key factor facilitating Candida albicans pathogenicity.

Candida albicans, the primary etiology of human mycoses, is well-adapted to catabolize proline to obtain energy to initiate morphological switching (yeast to hyphal) and for growth. We report that put1-/- and put2-/- strains, carrying defective Proline UTilization genes, display remarkable proline sensitivity with put2-/- mutants being hypersensitive due to the accumulation of the toxic intermediate pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C), which inhibits mitochondrial respiration. The put1-/- and put2-/- mutations attenuate virulence in Drosophila and murine candidemia models and decrease survival in human neutrophils and whole blood.

Improving microalgae growth modeling of outdoor cultivation with light history data using machine learning models: A comparative study.

Accurate prediction of microalgae growth is crucial for understanding the impacts of light dynamics and optimizing production. Although various mathematical models have been proposed, only a few of them have been validated in outdoor cultivation. This study aims to investigate the use of machine learning algorithms in microalgae growth modeling.

Influence of light conditions on the production of chrysolaminarin using Phaeodactylum tricornutum in artificially illuminated photobioreactors.

The light conditions are of utmost importance in any microalgae production process especially involving artificial illumination. This also applies to a chrysolaminarin (soluble 1,3-β-glucan) production process using the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Here we examine the influence of the amount of light per gram biomass (specific light availability) and the influence of two different biomass densities (at the same amount of light per gram biomass) on the accumulation of the storage product chrysolaminarin during nitrogen depletion in artificially illuminated flat-panel airlift photobioreactors.

On the reproducibility of extrusion-based bioprinting: round robin study on standardization in the field.

The outcome of three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting heavily depends, amongst others, on the interaction between the developed bioink, the printing process, and the printing equipment. However, if this interplay is ensured, bioprinting promises unmatched possibilities in the health care area. To pave the way for comparing newly developed biomaterials, clinical studies, and medical applications (i.

Preparation of multifunctional hydrogels with accessible isothiouronium groups via radical cross-linking copolymerization.

Hydrogels can be equipped with functional groups for specific purposes. Isothiouronium groups can enhance adsorptivity, or allow coupling of other functional groups through mild reactions after transformation to thiol groups. Here we present a method to prepare multifunctional hydrogels by introducing isothiouronium groups into poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels, and convert them into thiol-functionalized hydrogels by the reduction of the isothiouronium groups.