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Topic Review
Diatom–Bacteria Interactions in the Marine Environment
Diatom–bacteria interactions evolved during more than 200 million years of coexistence in the same environment. In this time frame, they established complex and heterogeneous cohorts and consortia, creating networks of multiple cell-to-cell mutualistic or antagonistic interactions for nutrient exchanges, communication, and defence. The most diffused type of interaction between diatoms and bacteria is based on a win-win relationship in which bacteria benefit from the organic matter and nutrients released by diatoms, while these last rely on bacteria for the supply of nutrients they are not able to produce, such as vitamins and nitrogen. Despite the importance of diatom–bacteria interactions in the evolutionary history of diatoms, especially in structuring the marine food web and controlling algal blooms, the molecular mechanisms underlying them remain poorly studied.
  • 1.4K
  • 25 Dec 2023
Topic Review
DprE1 and MmpL3
DprE1 is an enzyme that works in concert with DprE2 to synthesize the unique arabinose precursor for lipoarabinomannan and arabinogalactan, essential building blocks of the mycobacterial cell-wall [1]. To date, more than 15 pharmacophores were found to inhibit DprE1 activity. MmpL3 is the only Mtb transporter of trehalose monomycolate, required for the formation of the mycolic acid layer of the cell wall [2], and has been found to be affected by several molecules. Recently, direct inhibition of MmpL3 by BM212, the first compound found to hit MmpL3, was shown using spheroplasts [2], while the dissipation of proton motive force is the proposed mechanism for the other molecules [3].
  • 1.4K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Seaweed Diversity and Bioactive Compounds
Seaweed, a miscellaneous group of marine algae, has long been recognized for its rich nutritional composition and bioactive compounds, being considered nutraceutical ingredient. Seaweeds are abundant sources of essential vitamins, minerals, polysaccharides, polyphenols, and unique secondary metabolites, which reveal a wide range of biological activities. These bioactive compounds possess potential therapeutic properties, making them intriguing candidates for drug leads in various medical applications and pharmaceutical drug development.
  • 1.4K
  • 18 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Affibody- and DARPin-Conjugated Nanomaterials in Cancer Therapy
Affibodies and designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins) are synthetic proteins originally derived from the Staphylococcus aureus virulence factor protein A and the human ankyrin repeat proteins, respectively. The use of these molecules in healthcare has been recently proposed as they are endowed with biochemical and biophysical features heavily demanded to target and fight diseases, as they have a strong binding affinity, solubility, small size, multiple functionalization sites, biocompatibility, and are easy to produce; furthermore, impressive chemical and thermal stability can be achieved, especially when using affibodies. In this sense, several examples reporting on affibodies and DARPins conjugated to nanomaterials have been published, demonstrating their suitability and feasibility in nanomedicine for cancer therapy.
  • 1.3K
  • 22 May 2023
Topic Review
CRISPR/Cas-Based Gene Editing
There is a growing need for a molecular vehicle that can successfully load and deliver CRISPR/Cas ribonucleoprotein complexes (and other gene editing systems) into target tissues. Synthetic delivery vehicles are being developed but so far have been only moderately successful. Extracellular vesicles are ideal candidates for a universal biological platform to produce ready-to-use, programmable, and highly biocompatible CRISPR therapeutics. Using extracellular vesicles in the CRISPR/Cas research and, ultimately, in the clinic, demands novel, advanced techniques for protein/RNA loading, surface engineering, and manufacturing. Safety of CRISPR/Cas systems and EVs also need to be tested extensively for every particular application.
  • 1.3K
  • 03 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Ascorbic Acid Applications
Ascorbic acid (AA), or vitamin C, is one of the most important vitamins consumed through the diet due to its critical role in many biological processes. Although the human body cannot synthesize it, AA is essential in maintaining healthy bodily structure, acting as a cofactor of many enzymes involved in collagen synthesis and an efficient immune system. At the same time, AA is used in the cosmetic field for its antioxidant and antipigmentary properties, in the food industry as additive, and in chemical synthesis as reducing agent. AA can be chemically synthesized, produced by the oxidative fermentation of bacteria, or extracted from natural sources.
  • 1.3K
  • 17 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Powdery Mildew and Rust Fungi
Powdery mildew and rust fungi are major agricultural problems affecting many economically important crops and causing significant yield losses. These fungi are obligate biotrophic parasites that are completely dependent on their hosts for growth and reproduction. 
  • 1.3K
  • 19 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Applications of Mineral-Enriched Postbiotics
Postbiotics are non-viable probiotic preparations that confer a health benefit on the host. Scientific literature has proved that postbiotics have health-promoting features and technological advantages compared to probiotics, augmenting their full potential application in the food and pharmaceutical industries. 
  • 1.3K
  • 21 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Bacterial Bioprotectants
Plant growth and nutrition are adversely affected by various factors such as water stress, high temperature, and plant pathogens. Plant-associated microbes play a vital role in the growth and development of their hosts under biotic and abiotic stresses. The use of a rhizosphere microbiome for plant growth stimulation and the biological control of fungal disease can lead to improved crop productivity. Mechanisms used by plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to protect plants from soilborne pathogens include antibiosis, the production of lytic enzymes, indole-3 acetic acid production, decreasing ethylene levels by secreting 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase, competition for nutrients and niches, parasitism and induced systemic resistance. 
  • 1.3K
  • 09 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Smart Porous Multi-Stimulus Polysaccharide-Based Biomaterials
Recently, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine studies have evaluated smart biomaterials as implantable scaffolds and their interaction with cells for biomedical applications. Porous materials have been used in tissue engineering as synthetic extracellular matrices, promoting the attachment and migration of host cells to induce the in vitro regeneration of different tissues. Biomimetic 3D scaffold systems allow control over biophysical and biochemical cues, modulating the extracellular environment through mechanical, electrical, and biochemical stimulation of cells, driving their molecular reprogramming. In this review, first we outline the main advantages of using polysaccharides as raw materials for porous scaffolds, as well as the most common processing pathways to obtain the adequate textural properties, allowing the integration and attachment of cells. The second approach focuses on the tunable characteristics of the synthetic matrix, emphasizing the effect of their mechanical properties and the modification with conducting polymers in the cell response. The use and influence of polysaccharide-based porous materials as drug delivery systems for biochemical stimulation of cells is also described. Overall, engineered biomaterials are proposed as an effective strategy to improve in vitro tissue regeneration and future research directions of modified polysaccharide-based materials in the biomedical field are suggested.
  • 1.3K
  • 24 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Agro-Industrial Waste Composting Process Enhancement via Microbial Inoculation
Composting is an important technology used to treat and convert organic waste into value-added products. Recently, several studies have been done to investigate the effects of microbial supplementation on the composting of agro-industrial waste. According to these studies, microbial inoculation is considered to be one of the suitable methods for enhancing the biotransformation of organic materials during the composting process.
  • 1.3K
  • 19 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Liquid Biopsy, ctDNA Diagnosis through NGS
Liquid biopsy with circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) profiling by next-generation sequencing holds great promise to revolutionize clinical oncology. It relies on the basis that ctDNA represents the real-time status of the tumor genome which contains information of genetic alterations. Compared to tissue biopsy, liquid biopsy possesses great advantages such as a less demanding procedure, minimal invasion, ease of frequent sampling, and less sampling bias. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods have come to a point that both the cost and performance are suitable for clinical diagnosis. Thus, profiling ctDNA by NGS technologies is becoming more and more popular since it can be applied in the whole process of cancer diagnosis and management. 
  • 1.3K
  • 22 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Diversity of Antimicrobial Peptides in Silkworm
Antimicrobial resistance is a phenomenon that the world is witnessing that poses a serious threat to global health. The decline in the development of novel therapeutics over the past has exacerbated the situation further. In this scenario, the pursuit of new alternative therapeutics to commonly used antibiotics has gained predominance amongst researchers across the world. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from natural sources have drawn significant interest as promising pharmacological substitutes over the conventional antibiotics. The most notable advantage of AMPs is that microorganisms cannot develop resistance to them. Insects represent one of the potential sources of AMPs, which are synthesized as part of an innate immune defence against invading pathogens. AMPs from different insects have been extensively studied, and silkworm is one of them. Diverse classes of AMPs (including attacins, cecropins, defensins, enbocins, gloverins, lebocins and moricins) were identified from silkworm that exhibit antimicrobial property against bacteria, fungi and viruses, indicating their potential therapeutic benefits. 
  • 1.3K
  • 17 May 2023
Topic Review
Applications of Bioinformatics and Chemoinformatics
Chemoinformatics involves integrating the principles of physical chemistry with computer-based and information science methodologies, commonly referred to as “in silico techniques”, in order to address a wide range of descriptive and prescriptive chemistry issues, including applications to biology, drug discovery, and related molecular areas. On the other hand, the incorporation of machine learning has been considered of high importance in the field of drug design, enabling the extraction of chemical data from enormous compound databases to develop drugs endowed with significant biological features.
  • 1.3K
  • 08 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Parkinson's Disease Therapeutics and Gut-microbiota
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder that currently affects 1% of the population over the age of 60 years, and for which no disease-modifying treatments exist. Neurodegeneration and neuropathology in different brain areas are manifested as both motor and non-motor symptoms in patients. Recent interest in the gut–brain axis has led to increasing research into the gut microbiota changes in PD patients and their impact on disease pathophysiology. As evidence is piling up on the effects of gut microbiota in disease development and progression, another front of action has opened up in relation to the potential usage of microbiota-based therapeutic strategies in treating gastrointestinal alterations and possibly also motor symptoms in PD. This entry provides status on the different strategies that are in the front line (i.e., antibiotics; probiotics; prebiotics; synbiotics; dietary interventions; fecal microbiota transplantation, live biotherapeutic products), and discusses the opportunities and challenges the field of microbiome research in PD is facing.
  • 1.3K
  • 12 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Genistein
Genistein is an isoflavonoid present in high quantities in soy beans. Possessing a wide range of bioactives, it is being studied extensively for its tumoricidal effects. Investigations into mechanisms of the anti-cancer activity have revealed many pathways including induction of cell proliferation, suppression of tyrosine kinases, regulation of Hedgehog-Gli1 signaling, modulation of epigenetic activities, seizing of cell cycle and Akt and MEK signaling pathways, among others via which the cancer cell proliferation can be controlled. Notwithstanding, the observed activities have been time and dose-dependent. In addition, genistein has also shown varying results in women depending on the physiological parameters, such as the early or post-menopausal states.
  • 1.3K
  • 20 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Challenges in Lignin Valorization
The aromatic hetero-polymer lignin is industrially processed in the paper/pulp and lignocellulose biorefinery, acting as a major energy source. It has been proven to be a natural resource for useful bioproducts; its depolymerization and conversion into high-value-added chemicals is the major challenge due to the complicated structure and heterogeneity.
  • 1.3K
  • 27 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Applications of Peptides in Health Management and Agriculture
Numerous bioactive peptides have been identified from edible insect species, including peptides that were enzymatically liberated from insect proteins and endogenous peptides that occur naturally in insects. The peptides exhibited diverse bioactivities, encompassing antioxidant, anti-angiotensin-converting enzyme, anti-dipeptidyl peptidase-IV, anti-glucosidase, anti-lipase, anti-lipoxygenase, anti-cyclooxygenase, anti-obesity, and hepatoprotective activities. Such findings point to their potential contribution to solving human health problems related to inflammation, free radical damage, diabetes, hypertension, and liver damage, among others. Bioactive peptides may have a positive impact on body functions and thus benefit human health. New information reporting their beneficial effects on the health of livestock and plants is also emerging. Bioactive peptides may be produced endogenously in humans, animals, and plants.
  • 1.3K
  • 12 May 2023
Topic Review
Epigenetics for Crop Improvement
Heritable epigenetic changes can arise independently of DNA sequence alterations and have been associated with altered gene expression and transmitted phenotypic variation. By modulating plant development and physiological responses to environmental conditions, epigenetic diversity—naturally, genetically, chemically, or environmentally induced—can help optimise crop traits in an era challenged by global climate change. Beyond DNA sequence variation, the epigenetic modifications may contribute to breeding by providing useful markers and allowing the use of epigenome diversity to predict plant performance and increase final crop production
  • 1.3K
  • 17 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Dietary Interventions for Complementing Celiac Disease and Beyond
Celiac Disease (CeD) is a chronic small intestinal immune-mediated enteropathy caused by ingesting dietary gluten proteins in genetically susceptible individuals. CeD is one of the most common autoimmune diseases, affecting around 1.4% of the population globally. The only acceptable treatment for CeD is strict, lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD). However, in some cases, GFD does not alter gluten-induced symptoms. In addition, strict adherence to a GFD reduces patients’ quality of life and is often a socio-economic burden. Therefore, dietary and non-dietary interventions are investigated. This entry concentrates on the recent research on the degradation of gluten through enzymes, the modulation of the microbiome, and the different types of “biotics” strategies, from probiotics to the less explored “viromebiotics” as possible beneficial complementary interventions for CeD management and other less understood gluten-related disorders beyond the GFD.
  • 1.3K
  • 03 Jan 2023
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