Advanced biotechnology最新文献

Coral reefs are highly productive ecosystems that provide valuable services to coastal communities worldwide. However, both local and global anthropogenic stressors, threaten the coral-algal symbiosis that enables reef formation. This breakdown of the symbiotic relationship, known as bleaching, is often triggered by cumulative cell damage. UV and heat stress are commonly implicated in bleaching, but other anthropogenic factors may also play a role. To address coral loss, active restoration is already underway in many critical regions. Additionally, coral researchers are exploring assisted evolution methods for greater coral resilience to projected climate change. This review provides an overview of the symbiotic relationship, the mechanisms underlying coral bleaching in response to stressors, and the strategies being pursued to address coral loss. Despite the necessity of ongoing research in all aspects of this field, action on global climate change remains crucial for the long-term survival of coral reefs.

The H9N2 subtype of avian influenza virus (AIV) causes severe immunosuppression and high mortality in view of its frequent co-infection with other pathogens, resulting in significant economic losses in the poultry industry. Current vaccines provide suboptimal immune protection against H9N2 AIV owing to antigenic variations, highlighting the urgent need for safe and effective antiviral drugs for the prevention and treatment of this virus. This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effects of Hypericum japonicum extract on H9N2 AIV. Our findings revealed that the extract obtained through resin column separation using 60% ethanol (S06-60%) inhibited H9N2 AIV replication in Madin-Daby canine kidney cells in a dose-dependent manner. The maximum safe concentration of the water-soluble S06-60% extract was determined to be 0.05 mg/mL. Time-course experiments indicated that S06-60% primarily exerted its antiviral effects during the viral pretreatment and adsorption stages. Furthermore, in vivo experiments conducted on specific pathogen-free chickens confirmed the effectiveness of S06-60% in inhibiting H9N2 AIV infection and mitigating associated damage to tracheal and lung tissues. Overall, our study highlights the therapeutic potential of Hypericum japonicum extract S06-60% as a viable antiviral candidate against H9N2 AIV, offering promising implications for its application in poultry health management to reduce the economic impact on the poultry industry.

Biotechnology is the key driving force behind the sustainable development of aquaculture, as biological innovation would significantly improve the capabilities of aquatic breeding and achieve independent and controllable seeding sources to ensure food safety. In this article, we have analyzed the current status and existing problems of marine aquaculture in China. Based on these data, we have summarized the recent (especially the last 10 years) biotechnological innovation and breeding progress of marine aquaculture in China, including whole genome sequencing, sex-related marker screening, genomic selection, and genome editing, as well as progress of improved marine fish varieties in China. Finally, the perspectives in this field have been discussed, and three future countermeasures have been proposed.

Microalgae offer a promising alternative for sustainable nutritional supplements and functional food ingredients and hold potential to meet the growing demand for nutritious and eco-friendly food alternatives. With the escalating impacts of global climate change and increasing human activities, microalgal production must be enhanced by reducing freshwater and land use and minimizing carbon emissions. The advent of 3D printing offers novel opportunities for optimizing microalgae production, though it faces challenges such as high production costs and scalability concerns. This work aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in 3D-printed bioreactors for microalgal production, focusing on 3D printing techniques, bio-ink types, and their applications across environmental, food, and medical fields. This review highlights the benefits of 3D-printed bioreactors, including improved mass transfer, optimized light exposure, enhanced biomass yield, and augmented photosynthesis. Current challenges and future directions of 3D printing in microalgal production are also discussed to offer new insights into boosting microalgal cultivation efficiency for expanded applications.

The principle of the "growth-defense trade-off" governs how plants adjust their growth and defensive strategies in response to external factors, impacting interactions among plants, herbivorous insects, and their natural enemies. Mineral nutrients are crucial in modulating plant growth and development through their bottom-up effects. Emerging evidence has revealed complex regulatory networks that link mineral nutrients to plant defense responses, influencing the delicate balance between growth and defense against herbivores. This review aims to summarize recent advances that elucidate the impact of nutrient availability on plant defense responses. Particularly, we focus on how nutrient status shapes plant resistance to herbivores, delving into the molecular mechanisms underlying this physiological process. Moreover, the interplay between mineral nutrients and various herbivore defense mechanisms, including physical protection, plant hormone signaling, defensive metabolite production, and volatile organic compound emissions that deter herbivores or attract their natural enemies, are discussed. This comprehensive review sets the stage for future investigations into the intricate crosstalk between nutrient signaling and plant defense responses, which serves as a central mechanism to guide sustainable pest management approaches, thereby promoting balanced agroecosystem health and enhancing plant ecosystem productivity and resilience.

Proteins are indispensable for maintaining a healthy diet and performing crucial functions in a multitude of physiological processes. The growth of the global population and the emergence of environmental concerns have significantly increased the demand for protein-rich foods such as meat and dairy products, exerting considerable pressure on global food supplies. Single-cell proteins (SCP) have emerged as a promising alternative source, characterized by their high protein content and essential amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, inorganic salts, vitamins, and trace elements. SCP offers several advantages over the traditional animal and plant proteins. These include shorter production cycles, the use of diverse raw material sources, high energy efficiency, and minimal environmental impact. This review is primarily concerned with the microbial species employed in SCP production, utilization of non-food renewable materials as a source of feedstock, and application of rational and non-rational metabolic engineering strategies to increase SCP biomass and protein content. Moreover, the current applications, production shortages, and safety concerns associated with SCP are discussed.

Plant genetic transformation is a pivotal and essential step in modifying important agronomic traits using biotechnological tools, which primarily depend on the efficacy of transgene delivery and the plant regeneration system. Over the years, advancements in the development of delivery methods and regeneration systems have contributed to plant engineering and molecular breeding. Recent studies have demonstrated that the efficiency of plant transformation can be improved by simultaneously delivering meristem-developmental regulators, utilizing virus-mediated gene editing, and executing non-sterile in planta manipulations. Efficient genetic delivery and non-tissue culture regeneration systems are gradually being developed. This review summarizes diverse delivery strategies and in planta regeneration techniques aimed at improving the efficiency of plant genetic transformation. We also emphasize the integration and utilization of these emerging transgenic approaches for expediting future crop engineering.

Autophagy is a conserved catabolic recycling pathway that can eliminate cytosolic materials to maintain homeostasis and organelle functions. Many studies over the past few decades have demonstrated that abnormal autophagy is associated with a variety of diseases. Protein lipidation plays an important role in the regulation of autophagy by affecting protein trafficking, localization, stability, interactions and signal transduction. Here, we review recent advances in the understanding of the role of lipidation in autophagy, including S-palmitoylation, N-myristoylation, S-prenylation, glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor modification and cholesterylation. We comprehensively review the enzymes and catalytic mechanisms of lipidation and discuss the relationship between lipidation and autophagy, aiming to deepen the understanding of lipidation and promote the discovery of drug targets for the treatment of autophagy-related diseases.