Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology

Article Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology

Lactic acid bacteria naturally associated with ready-to-eat rocket salad can survive the human gastrointestinal transit

Giacomo Mantegazza, Robin Duncan, Nicolo Telesca, Giorgio Gargari, Susanna Perotti, Patrizia Riso, Simone Guglielmetti

Summary: This study investigates whether salad-associated LAB can survive the gastrointestinal transit (GIT) and contribute to the gut microbiota. The results suggest that salad-associated LAB can survive in the gastrointestinal tract, but their quantity does not significantly alter the composition of the gut microbiota.

FOOD MICROBIOLOGY (2024)

Article Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology

Whole genome enrichment approach for genomic surveillance of Toxoplasma gondii

Balaji Sundararaman, Karen Shapiro, Andrea Packham, Lauren E. Camp, Rachel S. Meyer, Beth Shapiro, Richard E. Green

Summary: Pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa can cause food and waterborne diseases, and surveillance methods are needed. In this study, CNER method was used to prepare enrichment baits for difficult-to-grow pathogens. This method allows direct sequencing of pathogens from samples.

FOOD MICROBIOLOGY (2024)

Article Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology

Growth kinetics of Bacillus cytotoxicus in liquid Egg yolk during treatment with phospholipase A2 - A one-step global dynamic analysis

Lihan Huang, Nurul Hawa Ahmad, Vijay Juneja, Erika Stapp-Kamotani, Jose Gabiola, Udit Minocha, Robert Phillips, Marie Hooker, Isabel Walls, Kim Cook, James Lindsay

Summary: This study investigated the growth kinetics of foodborne pathogen B. cereus during the commercial production of liquid egg yolk using PLA(2) treatment. The results showed that B. cytotoxicus NVH391-98 can grow prolifically at 50 degrees C, with estimated minimum, optimum, and maximum temperatures of 16.7-18.5, 47.8-48.1, and 52.1-52.4 degrees C, respectively. The dynamic model was validated with isothermal curves and it was found that holding the temperature below 15 degrees C or above 55 degrees C can effectively prevent the growth of B. cytotoxicus in egg yolk.

FOOD MICROBIOLOGY (2024)

Article Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology

Foodborne and waterborne Arcobacter species exhibit a high virulent activity in Caco-2

Itsaso Baztarrika, Adrian Salazar-Sanchez, Lorena Laorden, Ilargi Martinez-Ballesteros, Rodrigo Alonso, Irati Martinez-Malaxetxebarria

Summary: The infection mechanisms of Arcobacter are still uncertain. This study found that Arcobacter isolates from food and water sources were able to adhere and invade Caco-2 cells, and carried at least two virulence markers. A. butzleri showed higher virulent activity compared to A. cryaerophilus, while A. lanthieri, A. skirrowii, and A. vitoriensis exhibited even higher adhesion and invasion values. Sewage isolates were more adherent and invasive, and had a higher gene content. The association between cadF and hecA with high adhesion capability was identified for the first time.

FOOD MICROBIOLOGY (2024)

Article Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology

Economic feasibility of developing alternative water supplies for agricultural irrigation*

Edirisooriya Mudiyanselage Nimanthi Thiloka Edirisooriya, Huiyao Wang, Sankha Banerjee, Karl Longley, William Wright, Walter Mizuno, Pei Xu

Summary: This study evaluates the economic feasibility of using alternative water sources for agriculture and identifies strategies to address the challenges. In the Southwest United States, the reuse of filtered disinfected municipal wastewater is the most cost-effective option. Using alternative water for irrigation faces challenges such as high costs, energy demand, concentrate disposal, and soil salinity management. Economic feasibility can be improved by implementing renewable energy-powered decentralized desalination systems.

CURRENT OPINION IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING (2024)

Article Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology

Metrics and methods for resilience-aware design of process systems: advances and challenges

Natasha J. Chrisandina, Shivam Vedant, Eleftherios Iakovou, Efstratios N. Pistikopoulos, Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi

Summary: This paper provides a brief review of recent progress in conceptual frameworks and quantitative metrics for analyzing and designing resilience-aware process systems, as well as discussing key research opportunities in the field of process system resilience, specifically the challenges in integrating resilience throughout the life cycle and across the spatiotemporal scales.

CURRENT OPINION IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING (2024)

Article Biochemical Research Methods

A transmembrane scaffold from CD20 helps recombinant expression of a chimeric claudin 18.2 in an in vitro coupled transcription and translation system

Yao Wang, Shaoting Weng, Yajie Tang, Sen Lin, Xiayue Liu, Wenhui Zhang, Gang Liu, Boomi Pandi, Yinrong Wu, Lei Ma, Lin Wang

Summary: In this study, a high yield of recombinant CD20 and claudin 18.2 proteins was achieved using an in vitro coupled transcription-translation system. The results showed that rituximab has a high affinity with CD20 protein. This study provides a novel concept for promoting the expression of multi-pass transmembrane proteins and lays the foundation for large-scale industrial production of membrane-associated drug targets.

PROTEIN EXPRESSION AND PURIFICATION (2024)

Article Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology

The promise of PFAS remediation by the fourth state of matter

Manoj Kolel-Veetil

Summary: Recent advances in nonthermal plasma technology have led to remarkable progress in the remediation of PFAS, occurring at the water-bubble/air interface and increasingly in the bubble interiors, with simultaneous presence of multiple oxidative and reductive species.

CURRENT OPINION IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING (2024)

Review Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology

Multiphase flow in PEM water electrolyzers: a mini-review

Xiaoping Guan, Jinhao Bai, Jingchang Zhang, Ning Yang

Summary: This paper presents an overview of multiphase flow characteristics and modeling methods in polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE), emphasizing the significance of regulating the microstructure of the transport layer and distinguishing the effects of multiphase flow in the flow channel from those in the transport layer.

CURRENT OPINION IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING (2024)

Article Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology

Runaway criteria for predicting the thermal behavior of chemical reactors

Ya-Nan Yang, Jie Jin, Li-Tao Zhu, Yin-Ning Zhou, Zheng-Hong Luo

Summary: This article reviews the application of thermal runaway criteria, with emphasis on the significance of the divergence criterion. The general application procedures of the divergence criterion are illustrated through examples in process safety assessment, process parameter optimization, and process monitoring and control.

CURRENT OPINION IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING (2024)

Article Biochemical Research Methods

α-Conotoxin recombinant protein ImI-AFP3 efficiently inhibits the growth and migration of lung cancer cells

Xiaobing Chen, Zijuan Zou, Wei Li, Xu Dong, Yi Chen, Yan Lu, Mingyue Zhu, Mengsen Li, Bo Lin

Summary: In this study, the fusion protein ImI-AFP3, composed of alpha-Conotoxin ImI and human alpha fetoprotein domain 3 (AFP3), was found to inhibit the growth and migration of lung cancer cells and showed synergistic effects with the drug gefitinib. These findings suggest that ImI-AFP3 is a promising candidate for the development of anticancer drugs.

PROTEIN EXPRESSION AND PURIFICATION (2024)

Article Biochemical Research Methods

Cytoplasmic production of Fabs in chemically defined media in fed-batch fermentation

Angel Castillo-Corujo, Mirva J. Saaranen, Lloyd W. Ruddock

Summary: This study successfully expressed two Fabs antibodies in the cytoplasm of E. coli using the CyDisCo system, achieving high yields and biological activity under industrially relevant fermentation conditions.

PROTEIN EXPRESSION AND PURIFICATION (2024)

Article Biophysics

A wearable and flexible lactic-acid/O2 biofuel cell with an enhanced air-breathing biocathode

Zepeng Kang, Yuanming Wang, Haiyan Song, Xueli Wang, Job Zhang, Zhiguang Zhu

Summary: By designing a wearable and flexible lactic-acid/O2 EBFC with an air-breathing biocathode, the limitations of biocathode are effectively solved. The optimal performance conditions are determined through experiments, and the EBFC is successfully applied to power a low-power device.

BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS (2024)

Article Biophysics

The use of biological fluids in microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs): Recent advances, challenges and future perspectives

Lais Canniatti Brazaca, Amanda Hikari Imamura, Rodrigo Vieira Blasques, Jessica Rocha Camargo, Bruno Campos Janegitz, Emanuel Carrilho

Summary: The use of microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (muPADs) for medical diagnosis is a growing trend due to their low cost, easy use, simple manufacturing, and potential for application in low-resource settings. This review focuses on the advances in muPADs for medical diagnostics, discussing their use in detecting various biomarkers in common human biofluids. The challenges of biomarker detection in each sample are examined, along with innovative techniques to overcome these limitations. The commercialization difficulties of muPADs are also considered, along with future trends such as wearable devices and integrated platforms.

BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS (2024)

Article Biophysics

Controllable self-assembled DNA nanomachine enable homogeneous rapid electrochemical one-pot assay of lung cancer circulating tumor cells

Chengxin Liu, Xu Shen, Li Yan, Runlian Qu, Yue Wang, Yaqin He, Zixuan Zhan, Piaopiao Chen, Feng Lin

Summary: In this study, a homogeneous rapid electrochemical aptasensor was developed to quantitatively detect CTCs in lung cancer patients. The aptasensor utilized a DNA nanosphere structure and a complementary aptamer to specifically detect mucin 1 as a marker for CTCs. The assay exhibited high specificity and sensitivity, and the results were consistent with other detection methods.

BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS (2024)

Article Biophysics

Facile synthesis of dual-ligand europium-metal organic gels for ratiometric electrochemiluminescence detecting I27L gene

Wenjie Dai, Gaoxu Chen, Xiaoyan Wang, Shujun Zhen, Chengzhi Huang, Lei Zhan, Yuanfang Li

Summary: In this study, a novel metal organic gel (MOG) with dual electrochemiluminescence (ECL) properties was prepared by simple mixing. The MOG exhibited strong and stable anodic and cathodic ECL signals. By utilizing this MOG, an ECL resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET) biosensor was constructed for ultrasensitive detection of a specific gene. The study developed a straightforward technique for obtaining a single luminescent material with dual signals and expanded the analytical application of MOGs in the realm of ECL.

BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS (2024)

Article Biophysics

Development of a peptide microarray-based metal-enhanced fluorescence assay for ultrasensitive detection of multiple matrix metalloproteinase activities by using a gold nanorod-polymer substrate

Minghong Jian, Xudong Sun, Hua Zhang, Xiaotong Li, Shasha Li, Zhenxin Wang

Summary: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are attractive biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and treatment, but their low abundance in biological samples, especially in the early stages of tumors, makes it challenging to precisely analyze MMP activities. In this study, a peptide microarray-based metal-enhanced fluorescence assay (PMMEFA) is proposed as a sensitive and specific method to simultaneously detect MMP-1, -2, -3, -7, -9, and -13 activities. The PMMEFA showed excellent sensitivity and was capable of detecting MMP activities in various matrices.

BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS (2024)

Article Biophysics

Plasmonic digital PCR for discriminative detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants

Kyung Ho Kim, Eunsu Ryu, Zinah Hilal Khaleel, Sung Eun Seo, Lina Kim, Yong Ho Kim, Hyun Gyu Park, Oh Seok Kwon

Summary: We have developed a novel strategy for discriminative detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants using the plasmonic photothermal effect of gold nanofilms and digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) technology. With this method, we were able to detect the delta and omicron variants with high sensitivity within 25 minutes from COVID-19 patients' clinical samples, making it a rapid and accurate point-of-care testing tool.

BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS (2024)

Article Biophysics

Therapeutic drug monitoring mediated by the cooperative chemical and electromagnetic effects of Ti3C2TX modified with Ag nanocubes

Danni Xue, Xing Dai, Jialong Zhao, Jiayao Zhang, Huan Liu, Kui Liu, Tao Xu, Chenjie Gu, Xingfei Zhou, Tao Jiang

Summary: In this study, a dual-enhancement SERS substrate based on Ti3C2TX and Ag nanocubes was fabricated for precise quantification of ritonavir and ibrutinib in serum. The formation of numerous electromagnetic hotspots between Ag nanocubes facilitated effective photo-induced charge transfer. The composite substrate showed excellent sensitivity, achieving low detection limits and high recoveries, making it promising for monitoring and identification of clinical blood drug concentration.

BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS (2024)

Article Biophysics

HOF-101-based dual-mode biosensor for photoelectrochemical/ electrochemiluminescence detection and imaging of oxytetracycline

Hongkun Li, Qianqian Cai, Yali Xue, Guifen Jie

Summary: A unique dual-mode biosensor based on hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOF-101) was constructed for ultrasensitive detection and imaging of oxytetracycline (OXY), using polydopamine nanoparticles (PDAs) as quencher. PDAs, with good biocompatibility and light absorption ability, were introduced onto the surface of HOF-101 to quench its electro-chemiluminescence (ECL) and photoelectrochemical (PEC) signals, achieving ultrasensitive detection of OXY.

BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS (2024)