39 results match your criteria: "Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ GmbH[Affiliation]"

Hydrogenases are key enzymes forming or consuming hydrogen. The inactivation of these transition metal biocatalysts with oxygen limits their biotechnological applications. Oxygen-sensitive hydrogenases are distinguished from oxygen-insensitive (tolerant) ones by their initial hydrogen turnover rates influenced by oxygen.

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Article Synopsis
  • - This text discusses the strain LABIM41 (CMRP6330) as a biological solution for crop disease management.
  • - The strain's genome consists of nearly 4 million base pairs and features a complex metabolic system.
  • - It produces various molecules that play important roles in its beneficial interactions with plants.
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Micropollutants, such as heavy metals and pesticides, inhibit microbial growth, threatening ecosystems. Yet, the mechanism behind mycoremediation of the pesticide lindane and multiple metals (Cd, Total Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) remains poorly understood. In our study, we investigated cellular responses in Aspergillus fumigatus PD-18 using LC-MS/MS, identifying 2190 proteins, 1147 of which were consistently present under both stress conditions.

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Contrasting fertilization and phenological stages shape microbial-mediated phosphorus cycling in a maize agroecosystem.

Sci Total Environ

November 2024

Department of Soil and Water Conservation and Organic Waste Management, Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CEBAS-CSIC, 30100 Murcia, Spain. Electronic address:

Phosphorus (P) is essential for plants but often limited in soils, with microbes playing a key role in its cycling. P deficiency in crops can be mitigated by applying by-products like sludge and struvite to enhance yield and sustainability. Here, we evaluated the contribution of four different types of fertilizers: i) conventional NPK; ii) sludge; iii) struvite; and iv) struvite+sludge in a semiarid maize plantation to the availability of P and the responses of the soil microbiome.

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Machine Learning (ML) algorithms have been important tools for the extraction of useful knowledge from biological sequences, particularly in healthcare, agriculture, and the environment. However, the categorical and unstructured nature of these sequences requiring usually additional feature engineering steps, before an ML algorithm can be efficiently applied. The addition of these steps to the ML algorithm creates a processing pipeline, known as end-to-end ML.

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The microbial community present in our intestines is pivotal for converting indigestible substances into vital nutrients and signaling molecules such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These compounds have considerable influence over our immune system and the development of diverse human diseases. However, ingested environmental contaminants, known as xenobiotics, can upset the delicate balance of the microbial gut community and enzymatic processes, consequently affecting the host organism.

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The accurate classification of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) sequences is pivotal for advanced non-coding genome annotation and analysis, a fundamental aspect of genomics that facilitates understanding of ncRNA functions and regulatory mechanisms in various biological processes. While traditional machine learning approaches have been employed for distinguishing ncRNA, these often necessitate extensive feature engineering. Recently, deep learning algorithms have provided advancements in ncRNA classification.

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Deadwood provides habitat for fungi and serves diverse ecological functions in forests. We already have profound knowledge of fungal assembly processes, physiological and enzymatic activities, and resulting physico-chemical changes during deadwood decay. However, in situ detection and identification methods, fungal origins, and a mechanistic understanding of the main lignocellulolytic enzymes are lacking.

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Single and combined exposures to bisphenol A and benzophenone-3 during early mouse pregnancy have differential effects on fetal and placental development.

Sci Total Environ

April 2024

Department of Environmental Immunology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ GmbH, Leipzig, Germany; Saxon Incubator for Clinical Translation, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany. Electronic address:

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) possess the capability to interfere with the endocrine system by binding to hormone receptors, for example on immune cells. Specific effects have already been described for individual substances, but the impact of exposure to chemical mixtures during pregnancy on maternal immune regulation, placentation and fetal development is not known. In this study, we aimed to investigate the combined effects of two widespread EDCs, bisphenol A (BPA) and benzophenone-3 (BP-3), at allowed concentrations on crucial pregnancy processes such as implantation, placentation, uterine immune cell populations and fetal growth.

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Microbiomes: A New Open Section in .

Microorganisms

November 2023

Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ GmbH, Department of Molecular Systems Biology, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.

As the Editor-in-Chief of , it is my pleasure to introduce a new Section of this journal [...

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Background: Metagenomic data can shed light on animal-microbiome relationships and the functional potential of these communities. Over the past years, the generation of metagenomics data has increased exponentially, and so has the availability and reusability of data present in public repositories. However, identifying which datasets and associated metadata are available is not straightforward.

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Article Synopsis
  • Recent advancements in sequencing technology have led to an explosion of biological data, creating new challenges for analysis that necessitate the use of machine learning (ML) algorithms.
  • This study introduces a novel feature extractor based on Tsallis entropy to enhance the classification of biological sequences and evaluates its effectiveness through five case studies.
  • Results indicate that the Tsallis entropy method outperforms traditional Shannon entropy, demonstrating robust generalization and efficiency in dimensionality reduction compared to other techniques.
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  • Most eukaryotic genomes are still unsequenced, limiting our understanding of their roles in ecosystems, while efforts to recover prokaryotic genomes are more common.* -
  • This study utilized the EukRep pipeline to analyze 6000 metagenomes, successfully obtaining 447 eukaryotic bins, predominantly from streptophytes and fungi, with many coming from diverse environments.* -
  • The research highlights gaps in existing genome completeness assessments and suggests improvements through long-read sequencing and better reference databases to enhance eukaryotic genome recovery.*
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  • Metagenomics is a rapidly growing field focused on studying microbial communities, but challenges arise from poorly classified data in existing databases like SRA and MG-RAST.
  • The Marine Metagenome Metadata Database (MarineMetagenomeDB) was created to provide a better way for researchers to find and analyze marine metagenomes, featuring curated metadata for thousands of samples.
  • The database includes detailed information on 11,449 marine metagenomes, allowing users to filter samples using a web app with search functionalities and a map to visualize sample locations, plus a tool for downloading raw sequence data easily.
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biological effects are attributed to several bioactive metabolites. However, these actions could be altered in vivo by biotransformation reactions mainly via gut microbiota. This study assessed gut microbiota effect on the biotransformation of metabolites both in vitro and ex vivo.

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Genome Mining Reveals High Biosynthetic Potential of Biocontrol Agent B.BV10.

Genes (Basel)

October 2022

Department of Microbiology, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina 86057-970, PR, Brazil.

Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the biocontrol potential of a bacterial strain, B.BV10, through three methods: testing its antifungal properties in the lab, evaluating its effectiveness on strawberry plants in a greenhouse, and analyzing its genome for relevant genetic features regarding its activity.
  • - Results showed that B.BV10 effectively inhibited the growth of various harmful fungi and significantly reduced gray mold on strawberry plants while increasing fruit biomass.
  • - Genome analysis of B.BV10 revealed it has nearly 3.9 million base pairs, with genes linked to antifungal compounds, biofilm formation, and root colonization, providing insights that could help in developing this strain for agricultural applications in the future.
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Bacterial Dehydrogenases Facilitate Oxidative Inactivation and Bioremediation of Chloramphenicol.

Chembiochem

January 2023

Pharmaceutical Biology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, 4056, Basel, Switzerland.

Antimicrobial resistance represents a major threat to human health and knowledge of the underlying mechanisms is therefore vital. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of oxidoreductases that inactivate the broad-spectrum antibiotic chloramphenicol via dual oxidation of the C3-hydroxyl group. Accordingly, chloramphenicol oxidation either depends on standalone glucose-methanol-choline (GMC)-type flavoenzymes, or on additional aldehyde dehydrogenases that boost overall turnover.

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Bile acids are crucial for the uptake of dietary lipids and can shape the gut-microbiome composition. This latter function is associated with the toxicity of bile acids and can be modulated by bile acid modifying bacteria such as , but the molecular details of the interaction of bacteria depending on bile acid modifications are not well understood. In order to unravel the molecular response to bile acids and their metabolites, we cultivated eight strains from a human intestinal microbiome model alone and in co-culture with in the presence of cholic acid (CA) and deoxycholic acid (DCA).

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Bisphenols are used in the process of polymerization of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Bisphenols can easily migrate out of plastic products and enter the gastrointestinal system. By increasing colonic inflammation in mice, disrupting the intestinal bacterial community structure and altering the microbial membrane transport system in zebrafish, bisphenols seem to interfere with the gut microbiome.

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The interactions of microalgae and their associated microbiomes have come to the fore of applied phycological research in recent years. However, the functional mechanisms of microalgal interactions remain largely unknown. Here, we examine functional protein patterns of the microalgae Scenedesmus vacuolatus and its associated bacterial community during algal infection by the endoparasite Amoeboaphelidium protococcarum.

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Recent technological advances have led to an exponential expansion of biological sequence data and extraction of meaningful information through Machine Learning (ML) algorithms. This knowledge has improved the understanding of mechanisms related to several fatal diseases, e.g.

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Microbial life in soil is fueled by dissolved organic matter (DOM) that leaches from the litter layer. It is well known that decomposer communities adapt to the available litter source, but it remains unclear if they functionally compete or synergistically address different litter types. Therefore, we decomposed beech, oak, pine and grass litter from two geologically distinct sites in a lab-scale decomposition experiment.

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This review comprehensively covers and analyzes scientific information on plants used in Tanzanian traditional medicine against respiratory diseases. It covers ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological information extracted from SciFinder, Google Scholar, and Reaxys as well as the literature collected at the Institute of Traditional Medicine in Dar-es-Salaam. Crude extracts and fractions of 133 plant species have literature reports on antimicrobial bioassays.

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Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are one of the most abundant groups of microbes in the world’s oceans and are key players in the nitrogen cycle. Their energy metabolism—the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite—requires oxygen. Nevertheless, AOA are abundant in environments where oxygen is undetectable.

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Article Synopsis
  • Metaproteomics is an advanced method used to examine functional interactions in microbial communities, but the influence of different methods on results wasn't well understood before this study.* -
  • The study, called CAMPI, compares various metaproteomic workflows across multiple laboratories using two specific samples: a lab-made human intestinal model and a human fecal sample.* -
  • Findings indicate that most variability in results comes from sample processing methods rather than bioinformatics, and while there are some differences in predicted community composition, overall functional profiles remain consistent, showcasing the reliability of current metaproteomics research.*
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