Recombinant protein production is a milestone of modern biotechnology, drug development and scientific research. When obtaining recombinant protein producers, differences in expression levels among clones necessitate screening. Traditional widely used methods include protein electrophoresis and western blot hybridization. This protocol provides high-throughput advantages by eliminating time-consuming steps inherent to traditional methods, such as cell lysis, protein extraction, purification, antibody-based detection, and gel-based analysis. MALDI-TOF MS represents a simple, rapid and cost-effective method for bacterial species identification through protein fingerprint signature in clinical diagnostics, but not practically integrated into biotechnological workflow. This study proposes a fast and easy method for screening E. coli clones producing recombinant proteins with MALDI-TOF MS. The proposed method demonstrated efficiency in screening of E. coli producing several recombinant proteins with different properties: sfGFP; bacterial DNA binding proteins IHFα, IHFβ, HU; bacteriophage protein GP46 and camelid VHH antibody fragments.
{"title":"Straightforward MALDI-TOF MS based screening approach for selection of recombinant protein-expressing E. coli","authors":"I.N. Kravtsov , A.I. Solovyev , E.A. Potemkina , A.V. Kartashova , M.A. Dmitrieva , K.V. Danilova , I.L. Tutykhina , N.B. Polyakov , V.D. Desinov , D.A. Egorova , A.L. Gintsburg","doi":"10.1016/j.biotno.2025.02.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biotno.2025.02.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recombinant protein production is a milestone of modern biotechnology, drug development and scientific research. When obtaining recombinant protein producers, differences in expression levels among clones necessitate screening. Traditional widely used methods include protein electrophoresis and western blot hybridization. This protocol provides high-throughput advantages by eliminating time-consuming steps inherent to traditional methods, such as cell lysis, protein extraction, purification, antibody-based detection, and gel-based analysis. MALDI-TOF MS represents a simple, rapid and cost-effective method for bacterial species identification through protein fingerprint signature in clinical diagnostics, but not practically integrated into biotechnological workflow. This study proposes a fast and easy method for screening <em>E. coli</em> clones producing recombinant proteins with MALDI-TOF MS. The proposed method demonstrated efficiency in screening of <em>E. coli</em> producing several recombinant proteins with different properties: sfGFP; bacterial DNA binding proteins IHF<em>α</em>, IHF<em>β</em>, HU; bacteriophage protein GP46 and camelid VHH antibody fragments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100186,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Notes","volume":"6 ","pages":"Pages 100-105"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143551780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biotno.2025.07.002
Mohamed Shawky, Mohamed H. Kalaba, Gamal M. El-Sherbiny
Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is an extremely hazardous microorganism due to its high level of resistance to a wide array of antibiotics, making it a significant public health concern. Herein, this study aimed to biofabricate silver nanoparticles using a cell-free filter derived from Streptomyces sp., with a focus on characterizing their physicochemical properties, and use them to combat CRAB and their virulence factors. The biofabricated Ag-NPs were predominantly spherical with an average size 50 nm, confirmed through TEM analyses, while DLS measurements showed an average hydrodynamic diameter of approximately 36.78 nm. UV–Vis spectroscopy displayed a characteristic surface plasmon resonance peak in the range of 420 nm, indicative of nanoparticle formation. XRD confirmed the crystalline structure, presenting peaks corresponding to face-centered cubic silver. FTIR spectroscopy revealed active participation of metabolite compounds derived from the Streptomyces cell-free filter in both reduction and stabilization processes. Eight clinical bacterial isolates were identified as CRAB using the Vitek-2 system, and biofilm formation with 100 % was assessed through Congo red and microplate assays. The MIC for Ag-NPs and imipenem (IMP) were found to be between 4 and 5 μg/mL and 13 and 15 μg/mL, respectively. Additionally, the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) for the synergistic combinations of Ag-NPs and IMP ranged from 0.5 to 0.375, indicating a notable decrease in the MIC values for both IMP and Ag-NPs from 14 and 5 μg/mL to 1.75 and 1.25 μg/mL, respectively. The qRT-PCR demonstrated a significant reduction in the expression levels of the Bap and ompA genes by up to 4.0-fold (p ≤ 0.001). The time-killing assay confirmed that the bacterial strain was effectively eliminated through the synergistic action of Ag-NPs and IMP. Moreover, the cytotoxicity assessment of Ag-NPs and their combination with IMP revealed low toxicity of the combination of Ag-NPs and IMP, with an IC50 of 26.13 ± 0.24 and 45.33 ± 0.21 μg/mL, respectively (p < 0.0019), indicating good biosafety, while the hemolysis rates were recorded at 0.4 and 0.7 at 12 and 24 h, respectively. We concluded that the combination of Ag-NPs with IMP could serve as a promising alternative strategy for treating CRAB.
{"title":"Tackling carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) and their virulence factors using biosynthesized silver nanoparticles combined with imipenem","authors":"Mohamed Shawky, Mohamed H. Kalaba, Gamal M. El-Sherbiny","doi":"10.1016/j.biotno.2025.07.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biotno.2025.07.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carbapenem-resistant <em>Acinetobacter baumannii</em> is an extremely hazardous microorganism due to its high level of resistance to a wide array of antibiotics, making it a significant public health concern. Herein, this study aimed to biofabricate silver nanoparticles using a cell-free filter derived from <em>Streptomyces</em> sp., with a focus on characterizing their physicochemical properties, and use them to combat CRAB and their virulence factors. The biofabricated Ag-NPs were predominantly spherical with an average size 50 nm, confirmed through TEM analyses, while DLS measurements showed an average hydrodynamic diameter of approximately 36.78 nm. UV–Vis spectroscopy displayed a characteristic surface plasmon resonance peak in the range of 420 nm, indicative of nanoparticle formation. XRD confirmed the crystalline structure, presenting peaks corresponding to face-centered cubic silver. FTIR spectroscopy revealed active participation of metabolite compounds derived from the <em>Streptom</em>yces cell-free filter in both reduction and stabilization processes. Eight clinical bacterial isolates were identified as CRAB using the Vitek-2 system, and biofilm formation with 100 % was assessed through Congo red and microplate assays. The MIC for Ag-NPs and imipenem (IMP) were found to be between 4 and 5 μg/mL and 13 and 15 μg/mL, respectively. Additionally, the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) for the synergistic combinations of Ag-NPs and IMP ranged from 0.5 to 0.375, indicating a notable decrease in the MIC values for both IMP and Ag-NPs from 14 and 5 μg/mL to 1.75 and 1.25 μg/mL, respectively. The qRT-PCR demonstrated a significant reduction in the expression levels of the <em>Bap</em> and <em>ompA</em> genes by up to 4.0-fold (p ≤ 0.001). The time-killing assay confirmed that the bacterial strain was effectively eliminated through the synergistic action of Ag-NPs and IMP. Moreover, the cytotoxicity assessment of Ag-NPs and their combination with IMP revealed low toxicity of the combination of Ag-NPs and IMP, with an IC<sub>50</sub> of 26.13 ± 0.24 and 45.33 ± 0.21 μg/mL, respectively (p < 0.0019), indicating good biosafety, while the hemolysis rates were recorded at 0.4 and 0.7 at 12 and 24 h, respectively. We concluded that the combination of Ag-NPs with IMP could serve as a promising alternative strategy for treating CRAB.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100186,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Notes","volume":"6 ","pages":"Pages 183-195"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144780811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biotno.2025.05.002
Eman R.A. Soliman , Ayman Nada , Hiroyuki Ishii , Ahmed M.R. Fathelbeb
The paper presents a novel design for a soft bio-mimetic finger and soft thumb structure for bionic hand applications. It introduces an anthropomorphic pneumatic flexible finger system using a PneuNets framework to enhance flexibility and maneuverability. The research investigates the influence of geometric variations (wall thickness, chamber number, and spacing) on finger deformation, demonstrating that reduced wall thickness and augmented chambers substantially improve flexibility. A key innovation is the soft thumb design that accurately replicates the complex movements of the Carpometacarpal (CMC) joint, enabling natural opposition and dexterity. Eight models were developed for four fingers and two models for the thumb. Simulation results indicate that models with thinner walls (2 mm) achieve bending angles exceeding 80° at 120 KPa, whereas 3 mm models remain below 50°. Moreover, increasing the number of chambers enhances deformation, with each added chamber contributing approximately 41 % more flexibility. For the thumb models, we successfully mapped the motion ranges and accurately mimicked the base joint, enabling natural opposition and dexterity. Furthermore, the paper also integrates Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to model forward kinematics, improving the estimation of bending angles and end-tip positions, which enhances the overall adaptability and control of the system.
{"title":"Modeling and simulation of soft bio-mimetic fingers with a novel soft thumb design for bionic hand applications using ANN","authors":"Eman R.A. Soliman , Ayman Nada , Hiroyuki Ishii , Ahmed M.R. Fathelbeb","doi":"10.1016/j.biotno.2025.05.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biotno.2025.05.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The paper presents a novel design for a soft bio-mimetic finger and soft thumb structure for bionic hand applications. It introduces an anthropomorphic pneumatic flexible finger system using a PneuNets framework to enhance flexibility and maneuverability. The research investigates the influence of geometric variations (wall thickness, chamber number, and spacing) on finger deformation, demonstrating that reduced wall thickness and augmented chambers substantially improve flexibility. A key innovation is the soft thumb design that accurately replicates the complex movements of the Carpometacarpal (CMC) joint, enabling natural opposition and dexterity. Eight models were developed for four fingers and two models for the thumb. Simulation results indicate that models with thinner walls (2 mm) achieve bending angles exceeding 80° at 120 KPa, whereas 3 mm models remain below 50°. Moreover, increasing the number of chambers enhances deformation, with each added chamber contributing approximately 41 % more flexibility. For the thumb models, we successfully mapped the motion ranges and accurately mimicked the base joint, enabling natural opposition and dexterity. Furthermore, the paper also integrates Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to model forward kinematics, improving the estimation of bending angles and end-tip positions, which enhances the overall adaptability and control of the system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100186,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Notes","volume":"6 ","pages":"Pages 164-176"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144166709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}