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Topic Review
Fungal Endophytes and Their Benefits for Plants
Plant pathogens are responsible for causing economic and production losses in several crops worldwide, thus reducing the quality and quantity of agricultural supplies. To reduce the usage of chemically synthesized pesticides, strategies and approaches using endophytic microorganisms are being used in plant disease management. Although the term “endophyte” was originally introduced by de Bary in 1866, the most used definition of endophytes was proposed by Petrini in 1991. It refers to a group of organisms “inhabiting plant organs that at some time in their life can colonize internal plant tissues without causing apparent harm to the host”. These endophytes are usually fungi or bacteria that are present in the phyllosphere, endosphere or rhizosphere. These microorganisms live in the tissues of plants without causing any symptoms of disease, leading to beneficial effects for the hosts.
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Autophagy during Herpesvirus Infections
Human herpesviruses are a ubiquitous family of viruses that infect individuals of all ages and are present at a high prevalence worldwide. Herpesviruses are responsible for a broad spectrum of diseases, ranging from skin and mucosal lesions to blindness and life-threatening encephalitis, and some of them, such as Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), are known to be oncogenic. Furthermore, recent studies suggest that some herpesviruses may be associated with developing neurodegenerative diseases. These viruses can establish lifelong infections in the host and remain in a latent state with periodic reactivations. To achieve infection and yield new infectious viral particles, these viruses require and interact with molecular host determinants for supporting their replication and spread. Important sets of cellular factors involved in the lifecycle of herpesviruses are those participating in intracellular membrane trafficking pathways, as well as autophagic-based organelle recycling processes.
  • 1.2K
  • 24 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Nematode Identification Techniques
Nematodes are among the most diverse but least studied organisms. Classic morphology-based identification is often insufficient for nematode identification, mainly due to the lack of sufficient variations among closely related species. Various molecular methods are used to supplement and/or circumvent these problems. These methods range from DNA fingerprinting to sequence analyses of DNA- and/or protein-based information. Computational image analyses have also contributed towards improved nematode identification and classification. Each of these methods have unique benefits, and potential issues, usually depending on the goal and circumstance of identification. However, together, these methods have aided nematode identification and increase our understanding of nematode diversity and phylogeny. 
  • 1.2K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are promising biodegradable and biocompatible polymers that can be obtained through microbial fermentation of agro-industrial byproducts, e.g., milk and cheese whey by using both microbial consortia and pure bacterial cultures.
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Aspergillus oryzae
Aspergillus oryzae is a powerful heterologous expression host for the production of polyketides and terpenoids.
  • 1.2K
  • 25 Jun 2021
Topic Review
BCR-ABL1 Tyrosine Kinase Complex Signaling Transduction
The constitutively active BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase, found in t(9;22)(q34;q11) chromosomal translocation-derived leukemia, initiates an extremely complex signaling transduction cascade that induces a strong state of resistance to chemotherapy. Targeted therapies based on tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), such as imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib, bosutinib, and ponatinib, have revolutionized the treatment of BCR-ABL1-driven leukemia, particularly chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, TKIs do not cure CML patients, as some develop TKI resistance and the majority relapse upon withdrawal from treatment. Importantly, although BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase is necessary to initiate and establish the malignant phenotype of Ph-related leukemia, in the later advanced phase of the disease, BCR-ABL1-independent mechanisms are also in place. 
  • 1.2K
  • 09 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Zika Virus
Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emergent arthropod-borne virus whose outbreak in Brazil has brought major public health problems. Infected individuals have different symptoms, including rash and pruritus, which can be relieved by the administration of antiallergics. In the case of pregnant women, ZIKV can cross the placenta and infect the fetus leading to congenital defects. We have identified that mast cells in the placentae of patients who had Zika during pregnancy can be infected. This led to our investigation on the possible role of mast cells during a ZIKV infection, using the HMC-1 cell line. We analyzed their permissiveness to infection, release of mediators and ultrastructural changes. Flow cytometry detection of ZIKV-NS1 expression 24h post infection in 45.3% of cells showed that HMC-1 cells are permissive to ZIKV infection. Following infection, β-hexosaminidase was measured in the supernatant of the cells with a notable release at 30 min. In addition, an increase in TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10 and VEGF levels were measured at 6h and 24h post infection. Lastly, different intracellular changes were observed in an ultrastructural analysis of infected cells. Our findings suggest that mast cells may represent an important source of mediators that can activate other immune cell types during a ZIKV infection, which has the potential to being a major contributor in the spread of the virus in cases of vertical transmission.
  • 1.1K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Biological Detoxification of Mycotoxins
The continuous occurrence of food contaminants worldwide poses a critical threat to the health of human and livestock. One of the major contaminants in food and feed products are mycotoxins, the secondary metabolites synthesized by toxigenic fungi strains, mainly those belonging to Penicillium, Aspergillus, Alternaria and Fusarium genera. Both acute and chronic exposure to mycotoxin-contaminated food may cause deleterious health effects including retarded growth, suppression of the immune response, vomiting, infertility and gastrointestinal and carcinogenic diseases. These mycotoxins occur in various products, from raw agricultural products such as corn, barley, oats, fruits and herbs, to commercial commodities including aquafeeds, beverages, fruit and vegetable-derived products. The contamination of mycotoxins can occur during any part of the complex food chain, including harvest, industry processing, transportation and/or storage, imposing social burdens on the food industry due to the waste created by contaminated products. This creates an urgent demand for mycotoxin removal methods to minimize economic loss and hazards to consumers.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Probiotics for Freshwater Fish Farming
Probiotics for freshwater fish farming can be administered as single or multiple mixtures. The expected benefits of probiotics include disease prophylaxis, improved growth, and feed conversion parameters, such as the feed conversion rate (FCR) and specific growth rate (SGR).
  • 1.1K
  • 20 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Styela clava
Tunicates occupy the evolutionary position at the boundary of invertebrates and vertebrates. It exhibits adaptation to broad environmental conditions and is distributed globally. Despite hundreds of years of embryogenesis studies, the genetic basis of the invasive habits of ascidians remains largely unknown. The leathery sea squirt, Styela clava, is an important invasive species. We used the chromosomal‐level genome and transcriptome of S. clava to explore its genomic‐ and molecular‐network‐based mechanisms of adaptation to environments. Compared with Ciona intestinalis type A (C. robusta), the size of the S. clava genome was expanded by 2‐fold, although the gene number was comparable. An increase in transposon number and variation in dominant types were identified as potential expansion mechanisms. In the S. clava genome, the number of genes encoding the heat‐shock protein 70 family and members of the complement system was expanded significantly, and cold‐shock protein genes were transferred horizontally into the S. clava genome from bacteria. The expanded gene families potentially play roles in the adaptation of S. clava to its environments. The loss of key genes in the galactan synthesis pathway might explain the distinct tunic structure and hardness compared with the ascidian Ciona species. And to explore the role of transcription factors (TFs)  in embryonic development and environmental adaptation, we systematically identified and analyzed TFs in S. clava genome. We reported 553 TFs categorized into 60 families from S. clava, based on the whole genome data. Comparison of TFs analysis among the tunicate species revealed that the gene number in the zinc finger superfamily displayed the most significant discrepancy, indicating this family was under the highly evolutionary selection and might be related to species differentiation and environmental adaptation. The greatest number of TFs was discovered in the Cys2His2-type zinc finger protein (zf-C2H2) family in S. clava. From the point of temporal view, more than half the TFs were expressed at the early embryonic stage. The expression correlation analysis revealed the existence of a transition for TFs expression from early embryogenesis to the later larval development in S. clava. Eight Hox genes were identified to be located on one chromosome, exhibiting different arrangement and expression patterns, compared to Ciona robusta. 
  • 1.1K
  • 13 May 2021
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