Salinity-driven canthaxanthin enhancement in Chlorosarcinopsis PY02: a practical spot test for microalgal bioprocess optimization

SOUR CHERRY (PRUNUS CERASUS L.) PRODUCTION TOWARDS THE UTILIZATION FOR A NEW CENTURY

Effect of certain chemical compounds on secondary metabolites of Penicillium janthinellum and P. duclauxii

An economical, high-throughput protein-protein interaction modulator drug screening technique based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering

شوری و آلودگی ناشی از فلزات سمی به‌عنوان دو تنش زیست‌محیطی می‌توانند به‌صورت هم‌زمان رشد و فعالیت کرم‌های خاکی را تحت تأثیر قرار دهند. اثر مشترک این دو تنش غیرزیستی بر کرم‌های خاکی، به‌ویژه در نواحی خشک و نیمه‌خشک، کمتر مورد بررسی قرار گرفته است. با توجه به اهمیت کرم‌های خاکی در زیست‌بوم، بررسی اثرمتقابل عوامل تنش‌زا بر رشد و فعالیت این جانداران ضروری است. در این پژوهش اثر مشترک شوری ناشی از نمک کلرید سدیم و آلودگی سرب بر جمعیت و فعالیت کرم‌های خاکی Eisenia fetida در شرایط گلخانه‌ مطالعه شد. این آزمایش با 3 فاکتور شامل آلودگی (شاهد و 30 میلی‌گرم سرب بر کیلوگرم خاک)، شوری (شاهد، 4 و 8 دسی‌زیمنس بر متر) و کود گاوی (شاهد و 4 درصد وزنی)، به‌صورت فاکتوریل در قالب طرح پایه‌ی کاملا تصادفی با 4 تکرار اجرا گردید. نتایج نشان داد که افزایش سطوح شوری خاک قابلیت دسترسی سرب را افزایش می‌دهد و سمیت این فلز را برای کرم‌های خاکی تشدید می‌کند. در مقابل افزودن کود گاوی در همه‌ی سطوح شوری، قابلیت دسترسی این فلز را کاهش می‌دهد. جمعیت، وزن مرطوب و خشک کرم و وزن مرطوب و خشک فضولات تولید شده توسط کرم‌های خاکی به‌صورت معنی‌دار (05/0p

High-throughput screening (HTS) techniques have been applied to many research fields nowadays. Robot microarray printing technique and automation microtiter handling technique allows HTS performing in both heterogeneous and homogeneous formats, with minimal sample required for each assay element. In this dissertation, new HTS techniques for enzyme activity analysis were developed. First, patterns of immobilized enzyme on nylon screen were detected by multiplexed capillary system. The imaging resolution is limited by the outer diameter of the capillaries. In order to get finer images, capillaries with smaller outer diameters can be used to form the imaging probe. Application of capillary electrophoresis allows separation of the product from the substrate in the reaction mixture, so that the product doesn't have to have different optical properties with the substrate. UV absorption detection allows almost universal detection for organic molecules. Thus, no modifications of either the substrate or the product molecules are necessary. This technique has the potential to be used in screening of local distribution variations of specific bio-molecules in a tissue or in screening of multiple immobilized catalysts. Another high-throughput screening technique is developed by directly monitoring the light intensity of the immobilized-catalyst surface using a scientific charge-coupled device (CCD). Briefly, the surface of enzyme microarray is focused onto a scientific CCD using an objective lens. By carefully choosing the detection wavelength, generation of product on an enzyme spot can be seen by the CCD. Analyzing the light intensity change over time on an enzyme spot can give information of reaction rate. The same microarray can be used for many times. Thus, high-throughput kinetic studies of hundreds of catalytic reactions are made possible. At last, we studied the fluorescence emission spectra of ADP and obtained the detection limits for ADP under three different detection modes. The detection limits are 22, 15, and 3.6 {micro}M ADP for using fluorometer, ICCD and PMT respectively. The Michealis constant K{sub m}(ATP) for protein kinases ranges from 5 to 100 {micro}M. For inhibitor screening, in order to get the most accurate result, ATP concentration should be closed to K{sub m}. In this case, further lower the detection limit of ADP is needed before the direct detection of ADP can be actually used in kinase inhibitor screening.

biogenic stimulants are substances produced under certain conditioner animal and plant tissue (4–8 °C in darkness for several days) and possessing biological activity. Similar processes of the formation of biologically active substances (bAS) — biostimulators, may occur in natural conditions, especially in the regions where plants experience long-term low temperature stress (cryolithic zone). The aim of our work was to study seasonal profiles of bAS accumulation of plant pigments (carotenoids, chlorophyll) and fatty acids (fA) of the plants of Central and North-Eastern yakutia. The following species were investigated: Pinus sylvestris, Picea obovata, Larix cajanderi, Betula platyphylla, Duschekia fruticosa, Equisetum variegatum, E. scirpoides, Psathyrostachys juncea, Elymus sibiricus, Elytrigia repens, Bromopsis inermis, Avena sativa, Hordium vulgare, Eriophorum vaginatum. Pigment identification was performed by thin-layer chromatography, fA of lipids — using column chromatography. it was found that under long cold hardening the plants of cryolithic zone, particularly evergreen species and permanent grasses, significantly accumulate bAS, compared to summer period: carotenoids (β-carotene, lutein, and other xanthophylls) and essential fA. in the conditions of sharply continental climate and permafrost, where there are no winter thawing, the aboveground organs of woody plants, first of all buds, needles, as well as grassy plants having gone under the snow in green state, durably preserve these substances. The plants of cryolithic zone may become a perspective source of bAS.

Species of the genus Ulva are used for human consumption due to their nutritional qualities and we assess a new filamentous species, Ulva tepida. A critical step is to quantify the yield and quality of biomass over multiple harvests to ensure consistency throughout the production cycle. To do this, ropes were seeded with U. tepida and harvested fortnightly over 6 weeks of outdoor cultivation with biomass yield and quality quantified for each harvest. This cycle was repeated a further two times. The yield of biomass was not significantly different between harvests (13.6–23.0 g dry weight (dw) m-1 rope), however, the final harvest was highly variable. Consequently, we recommend a production cycle of two harvests. The quality of biomass, as determined by the key biochemical parameters for these two sequential harvests, was consistent. Carbohydrates were the major component (45 % dw) and were primarily dietary fibre (27 % dw) consisting of insoluble (18 % dw) and soluble (9 % dw, equates to ulvan) fibre, with consistent values between harvests. Protein, as the sum of amino acids (17 % dw), was also consistent between harvests. Similarly, the content of ash (31 % dw) and lipids (3 % dw), as well as the composition of minerals and fatty acids was consistent. These results quantify, for the first time, no negative effects of multiple harvests on the yield and quality of biomass and support this technique to optimise productivity and quality.

Improvements in maximum growth rate and productivity in biomass production using orange peel as promoter were observed in batch aerobic fermentation. Daily biomass productivity and biomass yield up to 14.9 g (dry weight) L−1 and 0.22 g (dry weight) g−1 utilized sugar respectively in batch aerobic fermentation by the presence of orange peel as promoter were reported. A novel bioreactor for continuous aerobic fermentation of molasses is described and its suitability for baker's yeast production using orange peel as promoter is investigated. The continuous bioreactor was operated for 12 days, stored for 20 days at 10 °C and operated again for another 13 days without any diminution of biomass productivity. Daily biomass productivity, yield and conversion up to 11.2 g (dry weight) L−1, 0.16 g (dry weight) produced g−1 utilized sugar and 90.4% respectively were recorded. The possibility of using such a system for industrial continuous baker's yeast production is discussed. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry

Simple SummaryIncreasing numbers of cancer patients are turning to complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) to facilitate or replace their cancer treatments, or they are obtaining natural products in their diet. This is concerning, as there is evidence of molecular interactions between these bioactive compounds and cancer drugs that can impede or reverse their efficacy and prevent cancer regression. High-throughput drug screening and deep learning techniques have successfully been applied in the past to evaluate synergistic cancer drug and natural product combinations. However, these techniques should be applied more commonly in the context of drug antagonism to uncover potentially harmful interactions and drive safer recommendations for cancer patients. In this review, we evaluate the antagonistic interactions between natural products and chemotherapeutics and highlight how the application of high-throughput screening and deep learning techniques can strengthen this area of research. Natural products have been used for centuries to treat various human ailments. In recent decades, multi-drug combinations that utilize natural products to synergistically enhance the therapeutic effects of cancer drugs have been identified and have shown success in improving treatment outcomes. While drug synergy research is a burgeoning field, there are disagreements on the definitions and mathematical parameters that prevent the standardization and proper usage of the terms synergy, antagonism, and additivity. This contributes to the relatively small amount of data on the antagonistic effects of natural products on cancer drugs that can diminish their therapeutic efficacy and prevent cancer regression. The ability of natural products to potentially degrade or reverse the molecular activity of cancer therapeutics represents an important but highly under-emphasized area of research that is often overlooked in both pre-clinical and clinical studies. This review aims to evaluate the body of work surrounding the antagonistic interactions between natural products and cancer therapeutics and highlight applications for high-throughput screening (HTS) and deep learning techniques for the identification of natural products that antagonize cancer drug efficacy.

The COVID-19 outbreak caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to have high incidence and mortality rate globally. To meet the increasingly growing demand for new therapeutic drugs and vaccines, researchers are developing different diagnostic techniques focused on screening new drugs in clinical use, developing an antibody targeting a SARS-CoV-2 receptor, or interrupting infection/replication mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2. Although many prestigious research publications are addressing this subject, there is no open access platform where all experimental techniques for COVID-19 research can be seen as a whole. Many researchers have accelerated the development of in silico methods, high-throughput screening techniques, and in vitro assays. This development has played an important role in the emergence of improved, innovative strategies, including different antiviral drug development, new drug discovery protocols, combinations of approved drugs, and setting up new drug classes during the COVID-19 outbreak. Hence, the present review discusses the current literature on these modalities, including virtual in silico methods for instant ligand- and target-driven based techniques, nucleic acid amplification tests, and in vitro models based on sensitive cell cultures, tissue equivalents, organoids, and SARS-CoV-2 neutralization systems (lentiviral pseudotype, viral isolates, etc.). This pack of complementary tests informs researchers about the accurate, most relevant emerging techniques available and in vitro assays allow them to understand their strengths and limitations. This review could be a pioneer reference guide for the development of logical algorithmic approaches for new drugs and vaccine strategies against COVID-19.

Porphyridium spp. is a red micro alga and is gaining importance as a source of valuable products viz., phycobiliproteins (PB), sulfated exopolysaccharides, and polyunsaturated fatty acids with potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In the present study, the effects of the major media constituents of Porphyridium species were studied using response surface methodology (RSM) on biomass yield, total PB and the production of phycoerythrin (PE). A second order polynomial can be used to predict the PB and PE production in terms of the independent variables. The independent variables such as the concentrations of sodium chloride, magnesium sulfate, sodium nitrate, and dipotassium hydrogen phosphate influenced the total PB and PE production. The optimum conditions showed that total PB was 4.8% at the concentration of sodium chloride 26.1 g/L, magnesium sulfate 5.23 g/L, sodium nitrate 1.56 g/L, and dipotassium hydrogen phosphate 0.034 g/L. In case of optimum PE production (3.3%), the corresponding values are 29.62, 6.11, 1.59, and 0.076 g/L, respectively. PE production depends greatly on the concentrations of chloride, nitrate, and sulfate as well as phosphate of which the former possess the maximum effect.

Future challenges to the role of durum and bread wheat in global food security will be shaped by their potential to produce larger yields and better nutritional quality, while increasingly adapting to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses in the view of global climate change. There is a dearth of information on comparative assessment of phenotypic plasticity in both wheat species under long-term multiple abiotic stresses. Phenotypic plasticities of two durum and bread wheat genotypes were assessed under increasing abiotic and edaphic stresses for six years. Combinations of normal and reduced length of growing season and population density, with or without rotation, generated increasing levels of competition for resources and impacted phenotypic plasticity of several plant and yield attributes, including protein and micronutrients contents. All the phenotypic plasticity (PPs) estimates, except for the C:N ratio in both genotypes and grain protein content in T. aestivum genotype, were impacted by abiotic stresses during the second stress phase (PS II) compared with the first (PS I); whereas, covariate effects were limited to a few PPs (e.g., biomass, population density, fertile tillers, grain yield, and grain protein content). Discrimination between factor levels decreased from abiotic phases > growth stages > stress treatments and provided selection criteria of trait combinations that can be positively resilient under abiotic stress (e.g., spike harvest and fertility indices combined with biomass and grain yield in both genotypes). Validation and confirmatory factor models and multiway cluster analyses revealed major differences in phenotypic plasticities between wheat genotypes that can be attributed to differences in ploidy level, length of domestication history, or constitutive differences in resources allocation. Discriminant analyses helped to identify genotypic differences or similarities in the level of trait decoupling in relation to the strength of their correlation and heritability estimates. This information is useful in targeted improvement of traits directly contributing to micronutrient densities, yield components, and yield. New wheat ideotype(s) can be designed for larger grain yield potential under abiotic stress by manipulating yield components that affect kernels m−2 (e.g., number of tillers, number of florets per spikelet, and eventually spike fertility and harvest indices) without impacting nutrient densities and kernel weight, thus raising harvest index beyond its current maximum.

The potential of an inorganic fertilizer as an alternative nutrient source for the cultivation of Scenedesmus sp. IMMTCC-6 was investigated. With a preliminary study at a shake-flask scale, the microalgae cultivation was scaled up in a photobioreactor containing an inorganic fertilizer medium. Microalgae cultured in a shake flask containing 0.1 g L(-1) of urea and 1.0 g L(-1) of NPK (Nitrogen: Phosphorus: Potassium) fertilizers showed a promising result in biomass productivity. During the scale-up study in a photobioreactor the specific growth rate (μ d(-1)), biomass yield (g L(-1)), and total biomass productivity (mg L(-1) d(-1)), was found to be 0.265, 1.19 and 66.1, respectively. The lipid yield (%) as per dry cell weight (DCW) and lipid productivity (mg L(-1) d(-1)) was found to be a maximum of 28.55 and 18.87, respectively, in a stationary phase of the microalgae growth. The fatty acids methyl ester profile was proven to be desirable for biodiesel production.

Potato growth, yield and water productivity response to different irrigation and fertilization regimes

Botryococcus braunii is a green microalga capable of producing large amounts of external long-chain hydrocarbons suitable as a source of biofuel. There have been several studies indicating that cultures of B. braunii can reduce the energy and water requirement for mass biofuel production, especially if non-destructive extraction methods for milking hydrocarbons are used. Growing microalgae as a raw material for biofuel using conventional liquid-based cultivation (i.e., raceway ponds) has yet to be shown to be economically successful. An alternative solid growth (biofilm) cultivation method can markedly reduce the energy requirements and costs associated with the harvesting and dewatering processes. We evaluated the growth of biofilms of several strains of B. braunii (from races A, B, L and S) and found that three of the four tested races successfully grew to stationary phase in 10 weeks with no contamination. Among all races, B. braunii BOT22 (race B) reached the highest biomass and lipid yields (3.80 mg dry weight cm−2 day−1 and 1.11 mg dry weight cm−2). Irrespective of the race, almost all photosynthetic parameters (FV/F0, PIABS and the OJIP curve) showed that the biofilm cultures were more stressed during lag and stationary phases than in logarithmic phase. We also studied the Botryococcus biofilm profiles using confocal microscopy and found that this method is suitable for estimating the overall biomass yield when compared with gravimetric measurement. In conclusion, the growth characteristics (biomass and lipid) and photosynthetic performance of all races indicated that B. braunii BOT22 is the most promising strain for biofilm cultivation.