Electronic Journal of Biotechnology最新文献

Background

Ultrasonication was used to stimulate the growth and selenium (Se) biotransformation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. An optimization study for maximal Se accumulation in S. cerevisiae was conducted using the Plackett–Burman screening method and response surface methodology (RSM) for optimization of conditions. The variables influencing Se biotransformation by yeast, including duration and power of ultrasound, inoculum treatment with ultrasound, duty cycle, growth phase, time, shaking rate, inorganic salt concentration (Se, Zn, Mg, and K), and nitrogen and carbon sources as well as their concentrations were screened using the Plackett–Burman design.

Results

The main variables were carbon and Se concentration as well as ultrasound power and duty cycle. The lack of fit was insignificant (P > 0.01). The optimum condition for Se accumulation was obtained at Se concentration of 60 µg/ml, carbon source brix of 15, ultrasound of 90 W/L, and duty cycle of 40%.

Conclusions

The results showed that optimization of parameters and application of ultrasonication lead to a successful enhancement (2.78-fold) in the accumulation of selenium by S. cerevisiae. Such enriched yeast can be utilized in bread for increasing consumption of Se in the diet of patients with Se deficiency.

How to cite: Alijan S, Hosseini M, Esmaeili S, et al. Impact of ultrasound and medium condition on production of selenium-enriched yeast. Electron J Biotechnol 2022;60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.09.004.

Background

Hong Jiang (HC), a grafted chimera of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck), is prone to variations in fruit shape, taste, and pulp mastication. We studied the transcriptomes and metabolomes pf pulps of HC and its two variants (CB: fruits with changed pulp mastication, taste, and color and JB: fruits with changed pulp color and taste) to explore the related pathways.

Results

JB accumulated higher organic acids as compared to HC and CB. Flavonoid content was highest in HC followed by JB and CB. The soluble sugar content was lower, while cellulose content was higher in both JB and CB as compared to HC. We found 5,156 and 1,673 DEGs and 283 and 94 DAMs in HC vs JB and HC vs CB, respectively. The differential regulation of starch and sucrose metabolism, galactose metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, fructose and mannose metabolism, and citrate cycle pathways could be associated with changes in sugar contents and tastes in JB and CB. Cell-wall polymer-related DEGs/DAMs were associated with the inferior mastication quality of JB and CB. Carotenoid biosynthesis possibly imparts yellowish and reddish pulp color in HC. Additional to this pathway, the anthocyanin biosynthesis led to the changes in JB and CB pulp color.

Conclusions

This combined methodological approach proved to be useful in delineating the large-scale changes in the transcripts and metabolites of variant fruits in a chimeric citrus variety. This study provides advanced and large-scale data on citrus taste, mastication, and pulp color.

How to cite: Yang Z, Cao X, Zheng X, et al. Biochemical, transcriptome and metabolome analysis of the pulp of Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck ‘Hong Jiang’ and its two variants reveal pathways regulating pulp taste, mastication, and color. Electron J Biotechnol 2022;60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.09.001.

Background

Geoffroea decorticans is a vulnerable native species inhabiting the Atacama Desert. Here, we describe the structure, gene composition and phylogeny of the complete chloroplast genome of this legume species.

Results

The chloroplast genome consisted of 158,399 bp, with typical quadripartite structures: a large single copy (88,081 bp), a small single copy (18,976 bp), and two inverted repeats (25,671 bp). Geoffroea decorticans chloroplast genome was similar in size and gene number to that of G. spinosa, but it was slightly different in structure. Complete chloroplast analysis of G. decorticans revealed 129 genes, including 83 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes and 1 pseudogene (rpl22). In G. decorticans, the rps16 gene showed a deletion, which led to a premature stop codon, probably causing loss of functionality. Phylogenetic analysis of 20 complete chloroplast genomes confirmed the placement to G. decorticans within the Pterocarpus clade.

Conclusions

In this study, we report the complete chloroplast genome of Geoffroea decorticans for the first time, which can be used for phylogenetic studies and reconstruction of the biogeography history of the genus Geoffroea in South America.

How to cite: Contreras-Díaz R, Carevic FS, Huanca-Mamani W, et al. Chloroplast genome structure and phylogeny of Geoffroea decorticans, a native tree from Atacama Desert. Electron J Biotechnol 2022;60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.09.005.

Background

Integrin subunit α -v (ITGAV) has been demonstrated to be dysregulated and involved in cancer promotion processes in a variety of cancers, but studies on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) have been limited. Our study aimed to comprehensively assess the expression level and potential mechanisms of ITGAV in NPC.

Results

A total of 13 mRNA expression datasets and internal tissue microarrays were included. ITGAV protein and mRNA were overexpressed in NPC. The pathways of upregulated genes positively related to ITGAV in NPC were analyzed, and the PI3K−Akt signaling pathway, cell cycle, and human papillomavirus infections were most significantly enriched. The protein–protein interaction network was constructed for the genes enriched in these pathways, and the corresponding hub genes were obtained. Among them, breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) was predicted to be a transcription factor of ITGAV via the Cistrome DB Toolkit, which was also confirmed by ChIP-seq information and correlation calculations.

Conclusions

ITGAV is overexpressed in NPC and can regulate BRCA1 to participate in the cancer process. ITGAV serves as a potential therapeutic target in NPC patients.

How to cite: Huang S-W, Luo J-Y, Qin L-T, et al. Upregulation of ITGAV and the underlying mechanisms in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Electron J Biotechnol 2022;60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.09.002.

Background

Fungal nanofactories have been utilized to synthesize silver and gold nanoparticles. This study was designed to mycosynthesize and characterize silver and gold nanoparticles (AgNPs and AuNPs) and to study their effect on aflatoxin B₁ production by Aspergillus flavus.

Results

Silver and gold nanoparticles were synthesized by endophytic Aspergillus versicolor and then analyzed by UV–vis spectroscopy. The results revealed surface plasmon resonance peaks at 432 and 536 nm for Ag and Au nanoparticles, respectively. The obtained transmission electron microscopy results revealed the fashioning of spherical AgNPs and spherical and hexagonal AuNPs with a mean particle magnitude of 5–37 and 37–62 nm, respectively. X-ray diffraction showed the typical face-centered cubic structure of the mycosynthesized Ag and Au nanoparticles. An in vitro investigation showed that AgNPs, AuNPs, and their mixture at different concentrations (10000, 5000, 3000, 1000, 750, 500, 250, and 125 µg/mL) could inhibit or reduce the outgrowth and production of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) by A. flavus. The concentration that showed no AFB₁ production was less than those for the inhibition of fungal growth. AgNPs, AuNPs, and their mixture also exhibited promising antiradical scavenging activity.

Conclusions

The use of fungi in the metallic nanoparticle’s fabrication and the utilization of mycosynthesized nanoparticles is promising as a substitute of chemicals to control antiaflatoxigenic fungi.

How to cite: Sheikh H, Awad MF. Biogenesis of nanoparticles with inhibitory effects on aflatoxin B1 production by Aspergillus flavus. Electron J Biotechnol 2022;60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.09.003.

Background

Cadmium (Cd²⁺) is one of the highly toxic heavy metals and is considered as a carcinogenic agent. Our aim was to confirm the ability of Frankia alni ACN14a to resist Cd²⁺ and to determine the genes involved in the resistance mechanism.

Results

F. alni ACN14a and Frankia casuarinae CcI3 hyphae showed up to 10 and 22 times Cd²⁺ accumulation when exposed to 1 mM Cd²⁺, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) exhibited a stable Cd²⁺ precipitate on the cell surface, and the increase in Cd²⁺ weight level reached 16.45% when evaluated with SEM-EDAX analysis. The following two potential Cd²⁺ operons were identified: 1. cadCA operon, which encodes a copper-transporting P-type ATPase A (cadA, FRAAL0989) and an ArsR family regulator (cadC, FRAAL0988), with 37- and 70-fold increase in their expression by qRT-PCR, respectively and 2. cadB/DX, which encodes a putative cobalt-zinc-cadmium resistance protein (cadD, FRAAL3628) and heavy metal-associated domain protein (cadX, FRAAL3626), with 22- and 16-fold upregulation when exposed to Cd²⁺ stress.

Conclusions

Cd²⁺ tolerance by F. alni ACN14a involved efflux of Cd²⁺ outside the cells and binding it to the membrane surface. Our results indicate the existence of two cadmium-resistance mechanisms in Frankia strains, which support the idea of using them as a bioremediation agent.

How to cite: Rehan M, Alhusays A, Serag AM, et al. The cadCA and cadB/DX operons are possibly induced in cadmium resistance mechanism by Frankia alni ACN14a. Electron J Biotechnol 2022;60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.09.006.

Background

Leucine zipper protein 2 (LUZP2) is a vital gene encoding leucine zipper protein. It is of great importance in the incidence and progress of several human cancers. However, little is known about the role and clinical effects of LUZP2 in prostate cancer (PCa). Therefore, it is crucial to unravel the clinicopathological value of LUZP2 in PCa. In all, 1467 PCa and 549 non-prostate cancer (non-PCa) prostate samples were collected from mRNA chip and RNA-sequencing datasets. The protein levels of LUZP2 were verified in 91 prostate gland tissues by in-house immunohistochemistry (IHC). The standardized mean difference (SMD) was calculated to analyze LUZP2 expression. Survival analysis was also conducted to explore the prognostic significance of LUZP2 in PCa. R software was employed to identify the upregulated differently expressed genes (up-DEGs) and coexpressed genes (CEGs) of LUZP2. Additionally, we explored the prospective molecular mechanism of CEGs of LUZP2 through GO and KEGG pathway analyses.

Results

Compared with non-PCa, LUZP2 showed predominantly higher expression in PCa (SMD = 1.05, AUC = 0.88). IHC indicated the protein expression level of LUZP2 was consistently upregulated in PCa tissues (SMD = 2.23, 95%CI: 1.67–2.79). LUZP2 upregulation had an AUC of 0.88 (95%CI: 0.85–0.90) to distinguish PCa from non-PCa tissues. KEGG pathway analysis showed that the pathways of amino sugar and nucleoside sugar metabolism were chiefly enriched with the LUZP2 CEGs in PCa.

Conclusion:

LUZP2 upregulation might play a promoting function in the occurrence of PCa.

How to cite: Li S-H, Yang Y-P, He R-Q, et al. Comprehensive expression analysis reveals upregulated LUZP2 in prostate cancer tissues. Electron J Biotechnol 2022;59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.06.001

Background

Camels are known for their survival under harsh and nutrient-deficient climates. Camel rumen ecosystem presents a unique opportunity to study the ruminal microbes helping the camel in this task. The genus Aspergillus is the extensively studied filamentous fungus due to its ability to secret industrially important enzymes. The present study was aimed to isolate and characterize microbes with lignocellulolytic capacity from camel rumen.

Results

The fungal isolate Aspergillus sydowii C6d, isolated from camel rumen, was sequenced and analysed for its CAZyme content responsible for lignocellulose degradation. The C6d isolate was evaluated for its capacity to produce cellulase, pectinase, xylanase, and amylase with their respective assays and further evaluated for their optimum pH. The genome sequencing and assembly resulted in 32.27 Mb of genome size with a GC % of 50.59. The CAZyme analysis revealed that the C6d produced 543 polysaccharide-degrading CAZymes amongst which, 148 CAZymes were potentially involved in lignocellulose degradation. The genomic comparison of the C6d with 30 commonly used lignocellulolytic fungi (white rot, brown rot, and soft rot fungus) showed the enrichment of cellulolytic and pectinolytic CAZymes in C6d genome as compared to others. The saccharification of lignocellulosic substrate wheat straw resulted in the release of 50.85% of reducing sugars.

Conclusions

The study provides important insights into the CAZymes responsible for lignocellulolytic ability in the novel fungus Aspergillus sydowii C6d isolated from camel rumen and presents a valuable source of CAZymes to be further evaluated for potential biotechnological applications.

How to cite: Tulsani NJ, Jakhesara SJ, Hinsu AT, et al. Genome analysis and CAZy repertoire of a novel fungus Aspergillus sydowii C6d with lignocellulolytic ability isolated from camel rumen. Electron J Biotechnol 2022;59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.06.004.

Background

Diverse plants respond differently to similar saline conditions. The aim of the current study was to determine the variation in the foliar contents of phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and proline, and the variation of the activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) of the edible and medicinal Physalis ixocarpa throughout three different times of exposure (24, 42, and 57 d) to three salinity levels (0, 90, and 120 mM NaCl). The specific effects of salt concentration and time of exposure were also assessed.

Results

Proline increase was the only clearly salt-related response, evidencing its significant protective role in salinized P. ixocarpa under either short, medium, or chronic exposure. One phenolic acid, which increased up to 26.26 times its concentration (compared to control, under high salinity at the longest treatment) out of the eight compounds forming the phenolic profile of the species, and CAT and SOD, under 90 and 120 mM NaCl, respectively, and short and medium exposure, also made important contributions. Salt concentration mainly affected total phenolics, tannins, phenolic acids (PA), proline, and SOD, whereas exposure time mainly affected flavonoids, carotenoids, and CAT.

Conclusions

The participation of the different protection mechanisms of P. ixocarpa against salinity is dynamic and complementary, and it is differentially modulated by the salt concentration and the time of exposure. Proline is the main mechanism for the species. The accurate chronic registration of the responses is needed to determine its adaptation potential to salt stress. The results have agronomic and food quality implications.

How to cite: Hernández-Pacheco CE, Almaraz-Abarca N, Marlon Rojas-López M, et al. Salinity generates varying chemical and biochemical responses in Physalis ixocarpa (Solanaceae) during different times of exposure. Electron J Biotechnol 2022;59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.06.002

Background

Protected agriculture (PA) is an alternative allowing the control of environmental variables to produce healthy vegetables. Biofertilizers and biofungicides can reduce the chemical load of pesticides. There is abundant literature documenting individual aspects, such as control of environmental variables, irrigation, biological control, and cost assessments. However, there are no reports documenting integral approaches in which variables are considered altogether in a successful case study of mid-tech technology, suitable in middle-income countries like México. We tested if mid-tech greenhouses using biocontrol and biofertilization can increase profits, using tomato as a model system. This work provides considerations about middle-income countries’ agriculture and the need for a multidisciplinary approach to offer cost-effective, sustainable alternatives to producers.

Results

This technology yielded up to 254 tons/ha·year of tomato, achieving reductions of 44–60% in water consumption, 25% in chemical nitrogen-fertilization, and 28% in the cost unit of production, increasing the profits by ∼45% in relation to Mexican conventional greenhouses management.

Conclusions

This case study has shown that it is possible to significantly increase profits in mid-tech greenhouse tomato production by increasing productivity and crop quality and decreasing the use of water and agrochemicals through greenhouse automatization, crop management, and beneficial bacteria applied to crops. This manuscript includes a video, supplementary to the main contributions of the project. Please visit this URL: https://youtu.be/uRBGgJqfkLE.

How to cite: Serrano-Carreón L, Aranda-Ocampo S, Balderas-Ruíz KA, et al. A case study of a profitable mid-tech greenhouse for the sustainable production of tomato, using a biofertilizer and a biofungicide. Electron J Biotechnol 2022;59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.06.003.