Potential molecular mechanisms of myrtenal against colon cancer: A systematic review.

Colon cancer is a serious health problem across the globe with various dietary lifestyle modifications. It arises as an inflammation mediated crypts in the colon epithelial cells and undergoes uncontrolled cell division and proliferation. Bacterial enzymes contribute to a major outbreak in colon cancer development upon the release of toxic metabolites from the gut microflora. Pathogen associated molecular patterns and damage associated molecular patterns triggers the NLPR3 inflammasome pathways that releases pro-inflammatory cytokines to induce cancer of the colon. Contributing to this, specific chemokines and receptor complexes attribute to cellular proliferation and metastasis. Bacterial enzymes synergistically attack the colon mucosa and degenerate the cellular integrity causing lysosomal discharge. These factors further instigate the Tol like receptors (TLRs) and Nod like receptors (NLRs) to promote angiogenesis and supply nutrients for the cancer cells. Myrtenal, a monoterpene, is gaining more importance in recent times and it is being widely utilized against many diseases such as cancers, neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes. Based on the research data's, the reviews focus on the anticancer property of myrtenal by emphasizing its therapeutic properties which downregulate the inflammasome pathways and other signalling pathways. Combination therapy is gaining more importance as they can target every variant in the cellular stress condition. Clinical studies with compounds like myrtenal of the monoterpenes family is provided with positive results which might open an effective anticancer drug therapy. This review highlights myrtenal and its biological potency as a cost effective drug for prevention and treatment of colon cancer.

Investigation of novel alkyl/benzyl (4-sulphamoylphenyl)carbamimidothioates as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.

A library of novel alkyl/benzyl (4-sulphamoylphenyl)carbamimidothioates was synthesised by selective S-alkylation of the easily accessible 4-thioureidobenzenesulphonamide. The compounds were assayed as inhibitors of four human (h) carbonic anhydrase isoforms hCA I, II, VII, and XIII, as well as three bacterial enzymes belonging to the ß-CA class, MscCA from Mammaliicoccus (Staphylococcus) sciuri and StCA1 and StCA2, from Salmonella enterica (serovar Typhimurium). Most compounds investigated here exhibited moderate to low nanomolar inhibition constants against hCA I, II, and VII. The cytosolic hCA XIII was also inhibited by these compounds, but not as effective as hCA I, II, and VII. Several compounds were very effective against MscCA and StCA1. StCA2 was less inhibited compared to MscCA and StCA1. Some compounds showed considerable selectivity for inhibiting some CA isoforms. They may thus be considered as interesting starting points for the discovery and development of novel therapeutic agents belonging to this class of enzyme inhibitors.

Inhibition Studies on Human and Mycobacterial Carbonic Anhydrases with N-((4-Sulfamoylphenyl)carbamothioyl) Amides.

A library of structurally diverse N-((4-sulfamoylphenyl)carbamothioyl) amides was synthesized by selective acylation of easily accessible 4-thioureidobenzenesulfonamide with various aliphatic, benzylic, vinylic and aromatic acyl chlorides under mild conditions. Inhibition of three α-class cytosolic human (h) carbonic anhydrases (CAs) (EC 4.2.1.1); that is, hCA I, hCA II and hCA VII and three bacterial ß-CAs from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MtCA1-MtCA3) with these sulfonamides was thereafter investigated in vitro and in silico. Many of the evaluated compounds displayed better inhibition against hCA I (KI = 13.3-87.6 nM), hCA II (KI = 5.3-384.3 nM), and hCA VII (KI = 1.1-13.5 nM) compared with acetazolamide (AAZ) as the control drug (KI values of 250, 12.5 and 2.5 nM, respectively, against hCA I, hCA II and hCA VII). The mycobacterial enzymes MtCA1 and MtCA2 were also effectively inhibited by these compounds. MtCA3 was, on the other hand, poorly inhibited by the sulfonamides reported here. The most sensitive mycobacterial enzyme to these inhibitors was MtCA2 in which 10 of the 12 evaluated compounds showed KIs (KI, the inhibitor constant) in the low nanomolar range.

Bioremedial approach of Pseudomonas stutzeri SPM-1 for textile azo dye degradation.

The optimization of the bacterium Pseudomonas stutzeri SPM-1, obtained from textile wastewater dumping sites of Surat, Gujarat was studied for the degradation of the textile azo dye Procion Red-H3B. The strain showed significant activities of azoreductase (95%), laccase (76%) and NADH-DCIP reductase (88%) at 12, 10 and 8 h of growth, respectively, indicating the evidence for reductive cleavage of the dye. The optimization was carried on phenanthrene enrichment medium followed by exposing it to variable environmental factors and nutritional sources. The complete decolourization of dye (50 mg/L) happened within 20 h of incubation at pH 8 and temperature 32 ± 0.2 °C under microaerophilic condition. Decolourization was monitored with the shifting of absorbance peak in UV-Vis spectrophotometry and HPLC analysis. The changes in the functional groups were confirmed by the presence of new peaks in FT-IR data. GC-MS analysis helped in recognizing the degraded dye compounds thus elucidating the proposed pathway for Procion Red-H3B. The potential of bioremediation process was completed by phytotoxicity test using two plants Vigna radiata and Cicer arietinum. Our study concludes that the strain Pseudomonas stutzeri SPM-1, with its rapid decolourization efficiency holds noteworthy prospective in industrial application for textile wastewater treatment.

Inhibition of bacterial α-, ß- and γ-class carbonic anhydrases with selenazoles incorporating benzenesulfonamide moieties.

A series of benzenesulfonamides incorporating selenazoles with diverse substitution patterns were investigated as inhibitors of six bacterial carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1) from bacterial pathogens, such as Helicobacter pylori (hpCAα was the investigated enzyme), Vibrio cholerae (all the three CAs from this pathogen were considered, VchCAα, VchCAß and VchCAγ) and Burkholderia pseudomallei (with its two CAs, BpsCAß and BpsCAγ). All these sulfonamides were effective CA inhibitors, with potencies in the low micromolar or submicromolar range, making them attractive as lead compounds for designing antibacterials with a novel mechanism of action, which could counteract the extensive resistance problem observed with many clinically used antibiotics.

Hyaluronic Acid-Modified Porous Silicon Films for the Electrochemical Sensing of Bacterial Hyaluronidase.

The development of enzyme-responsive hyaluronic acid methacrylate (HYAMA)-coated porous silicon (pSi) films and their application in electrochemical diagnostic devices for the in situ detection of the enzyme hyaluronidase (hyal), which is secreted by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria, are reported. The approach relies on a HYAMA-pSi electrode made of thermally hydrocarbonized pSi (pSi-THC) that is impregnated with crosslinked HYAMA/polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels. The enzymatic degradation of HYAMA by bacterial hyal is monitored by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) utilizing pSi-THC as a working electrode and ferro/ferricyanide (FF) as external redox probe. The degradation of HYAMA results in reduced diffusion of the redox probe through the partially charged film, thereby enabling the detection of hyal by DPV. In addition to the determination of the concentration-dependent response in NaOAc buffer (pH 5.2), the detection of hyal as indicator for the presence of S. aureus bacteria above a threshold level in bacterial supernatants and artificial wound fluid is highlighted.

Screening of potential bioremediation enzymes from hot spring bacteria using conventional plate assays and liquid chromatography - Tandem mass spectrometry (Lc-Ms/Ms).

The search for an eco-friendly, non-toxic, economical and efficient means of cleaning water through bioremediation is not only more favourable but critical to maintaining water quality globally especially in water-scarce countries. Thermophilic bacteria including Bacillus species are an important source of novel enzymes for biotechnology applications. In this study, 56 bacterial isolates which were cultured from five hot springs in South Africa were identified predominantly as Bacillus sp. or Bacillus-related spp by 16S rDNA gene sequencing. These isolates were screened for potentially useful enzymes for water bioremediation. Using conventional agar plate assays, 56% (n = 43), 68% (n = 38) and 16% (n = 31) were positive for amylase, protease and bromothymol blue decolorisation respectively. In liquid starch culture, three amylase-positive isolates differentially degraded starch by 34% (isolate 20S) to 98% (isolate 9T). Phenol degradation revealed that five out of thirty reduced phenol up to 42% by colorimetric assay. A thermophilic strain of Anoxybacillus rupiensis 19S (optimal growth temperature of 50 °C), which degraded starch, protein and phenol, was selected for further analysis by tandem LC-MS/MS. This newer technique identified potential enzymes for water bioremediation relating to pollutants from the food industry (amylase, proteases), polyaromatic hydrocarbons and dye pollutants (catalase peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, azoreductase, quinone oxidoreductase), antibiotic residues (ribonucleases), solubilisation of phosphates (inorganic pyrophosphatase) and reduction of chromate and lead. In addition, potential enzymes for biomonitoring of environmental pollutants were also identified. Specifically, dehydrogenases were found to decrease as the level of inorganic heavy metals and petroleum increased in soil samples. This study concludes that bacteria found in South African hot springs are a potential source of novel enzymes with tandem LC-MS/MS revealing substantially more information compared with conventional assays, which can be used for various applications of water bioremediation.

Molecules that Inhibit Bacterial Resistance Enzymes.

Antibiotic resistance mediated by bacterial enzymes constitutes an unmet clinical challenge for public health, particularly for those currently used antibiotics that are recognized as "last-resort" defense against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Inhibitors of resistance enzymes offer an alternative strategy to counter this threat. The combination of inhibitors and antibiotics could effectively prolong the lifespan of clinically relevant antibiotics and minimize the impact and emergence of resistance. In this review, we first provide a brief overview of antibiotic resistance mechanism by bacterial secreted enzymes. Furthermore, we summarize the potential inhibitors that sabotage these resistance pathways and restore the bactericidal activity of inactive antibiotics. Finally, the faced challenges and an outlook for the development of more effective and safer resistance enzyme inhibitors are discussed.

Enzymatic laundry for old clothes: immobilized alpha-amylase from Bacillus sp. for the biocleaning of an ancient Coptic tunic.

The classification and conservation of ancient artworks (belonging to collections) is of important cultural, historical, and economic concern. However, ancient textiles often display structural damage that renders them fragile and unsuitable for exhibition. One of the most common types of damage is linked to erroneous restoration treatments, among which the application of glues to consolidate cuts. Harsh strategies, such as mechanical or chemical treatments, are not suitable since they can cause further impairment of the fabric, whereas mild approaches, like wet cleaning, are often ineffective, as also demonstrated by the present study. Here, we have explored the possibility of using gellan-immobilized enzymes of bacterial origin (Bacillus alpha-amylase) to obtain a satisfactory starch removal from a damaged archaeological tunic-shroud from the Turin Egyptian Museum (Italy), without altering the original yarns or textile fibers. This method, already applied to clean casein-damaged wall paintings, as well as cotton, silk, and linen fabrics, has proved to be optimal for the treatment of a wool burial shroud and to be able to definitively solve fragile textile restoration problems. Moreover, efforts have been made to obtain insights into the artwork: a multidisciplinary approach has allowed to obtain a correct chronological attribution (radiocarbon dating) and fabric fiber characterization (SEM-EDX) as well as shed light on the colored parts and dark stains (FORS+IRFC and XRF). Finally, the evaluation of the type of glue, by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, has suggested the best enzyme for glue removal. These results have demonstrated that a mild bio-based approach is a successful tool for the treatment of archaeological textiles in critical conditions.

Impact of Novel Prebiotic Galacto-Oligosaccharides on Various Biomarkers of Colorectal Cancer in Wister Rats.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths around the globe. Bioactive food ingredients such as prebiotics have protective potential in colon cancer. Data on galacto-oligosaccharides (GalOS) against CRC are very limited and GalOS used in this study have ß-1,6 and ß-1,3 as major glycosidic linkages and, to our best knowledge, were never used before against any cancer treatment. This study aims to investigate the protective role of novel GalOS against various biomarkers of CRC including aberrant crypt foci (ACF), bacterial enzymes and short chain fatty acids (SCFA) in a rodent model induced with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride (DMH). Inulin group was taken as positive control in present study to compare novel GalOS protective effects. GalOS doses of 76-151 mg and inulin doses of 114 mg were given to different groups treated with DMH. Results showed that ACF formation was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) less in high dose GalOS group (27.3%). GalOS also had protective effects against DMH-induced body weight loss and showed higher level of cecal and fecal SCFA (acetate, propionate and butyrate). High doses of GalOS also resulted in significant (p ≤ 0.05) reduction of bacterial enzymatic activities. Increased populations of beneficial bacteria (bifidobacteria and lactobacilli) and decreased concentrations of harmful bacteria were observed in all prebiotics treatment groups. It can be concluded that novel GalOS exhibit robust protective activity against ACF formation in vivo.

Dual Enzyme-Responsive Capsules of Hyaluronic Acid-block-Poly(Lactic Acid) for Sensing Bacterial Enzymes.

The synthesis of novel amphiphilic hyaluronic acid (HYA) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) block copolymers is reported as the key element of a strategy to detect the presence of pathogenic bacterial enzymes. In addition to the formation of defined HYA-block-PLA assemblies, the encapsulation of fluorescent reporter dyes and the selective enzymatic degradation of the capsules by hyaluronidase and proteinase K are studied. The synthesis of the dual enzyme-responsive HYA-b-PLA is carried out by copper-catalyzed Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. The resulting copolymers are assembled in water to form vesicular structures, which are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). DLS measurements show that both enzymes cause a rapid decrease in the hydrodynamic diameter of the nanocapsules. Fluorescence spectroscopy data confirm the liberation of encapsulated dye, which indicates the disintegration of the capsules and validates the concept of enzymatically triggered payload release. Finally, cytotoxicity assays confirm that the HYA-b-PLA nanocapsules are biocompatible with primary human dermal microvascular endothelial cells.

Effect of sinapic acid on 1,2 dimethylhydrazine induced aberrant crypt foci, biotransforming bacterial enzymes and circulatory oxidative stress status in experimental rat colon carcinogenesis.

AIM: This study was aimed to investigate the effect of sinapic acid (SA) on 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) induced experimental rat colon carcinogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were assorted into six groups, group 1 served as control, group 2 received SA (80 mg/kg b.w.) post orally every day until the end of the experimental period of 16 weeks, groups 3-6 rats were injected DMH (20 mg/kg b.w.) subcutaneously once a week for first four weeks. In addition, groups 4-6 rats received different doses of SA (20, 40 and 80 mg/kg b.w.). RESULTS: Our results showed that DMH induced rats revealed significantly increased ACF development and multiplicity, which were significantly inhibited on supplementation with SA. Moreover, elevated levels/activities of circulatory oxidative stress markers, faecal and colonic mucosal bacterial enzymes were observed in DMH exposed rats, which were diminished on supplementation with SA. CONCLUSION: Overall, our findings revealed that supplementation with SA offers significant protection against DMH induced rat colon carcinogenesis and the effect of SA at the dose of 40 mg/kg b.w. was more pronounced as compared to the other two doses. (Tab.5, Fig. 3, Ref. 46)

Modulatory effect of troxerutin on biotransforming enzymes and preneoplasic lesions induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine in rat colon carcinogenesis.

Colon cancer is the third most global oncologic problem faced by medical fraternity. Troxerutin, a flavonoid present in tea, coffee, cereal grains, and a variety of fruits and vegetables, exhibits various pharmacological and biological activities. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of troxerutin on xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, colonic bacterial enzymes and the development of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) during 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) induced experimental rat colon carcinogenesis. Male albino Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups. Group 1 served as control. Group 2 received troxerutin (50 mg/kg b.w., p.o. every day) for 16 weeks. Groups 3-6 received subcutaneous injections of DMH (20 mg/kg b.w.) once a week, for the first four weeks. In addition, groups 4-6 received different doses of troxerutin (12.5, 25, 50 mg/kg b.w., p.o. every day respectively) along with DMH injections. Our results reveal that DMH treated rats exhibited elevated activities of phase I enzymes such as cytochrome P450, cytochrome b5, cytochrome P4502E1, NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase and NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase and reduced activities of phase II enzymes such as glutathione-S-transferase (GST), DT-diaphorase (DTD) and uridine diphospho glucuronyl transferase (UDPGT) in the liver and colonic mucosa of control and experimental rats. Furthermore, the activities of fecal and colonic mucosal bacterial enzymes, such as ß-glucronidase, ß-glucosidase, ß-galactosidase and mucinase were found to be significantly higher in DMH alone treated rats than those of the control rats. On supplementation with troxerutin to DMH treated rats, the alterations in the activities of the biotransforming enzymes, bacterial enzymes and the pathological changes were significantly reversed, the effect being more pronounced when troxerutin was supplemented at the dose of 25 mg/kg b.w. Thus troxerutin could be considered as a good chemopreventive agent against the formation of preneoplastic lesions in a rat model of colon carcinogenesis.

Evaluation of the effect of blackcurrant products on gut microbiota and on markers of risk for colon cancer in humans.

The purpose of this study was to determine in healthy humans whether First Leaf (FL; composed of blackcurrant extract powder, lactoferrin and lutein) and Cassis Anthomix 30 (CAM30; blackcurrant extract powder) can positively modify the colonic microbiota by enhancing the growth of the beneficial bacteria and inactivating the toxic bacterial enzymes which are known to be involved in colonic carcinogenesis. Thirty healthy adult male and female volunteers were recruited for this study. Fluorescent in situ hybridization was carried out to analyse the populations of fecal microbiota. Consumption of FL and CAM30 led to significant increases (P < 0.0001) in the population sizes of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria whereas the population sizes of Clostridium spp. and Bacteroides spp were decreased significantly (P < 0.0001). In addition, feeding of FL and CAM30 decreases the activity of ß-glucuronidase (bacterial enzyme which is considered to be one of the enzymes that increases risk for colorectal cancer) and significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the fecal pH. In conclusion, the results of this study open up the possibility that consumption of FL and CAM30 can offer various benefits to human health through acting as novel prebiotic agents via increasing the numbers of beneficial bacteria (lactobacilli and bifidobacteria) in the gut.

Prebiotic effects of almonds and almond skins on intestinal microbiota in healthy adult humans.

Almonds and almond skins are rich in fiber and other components that have potential prebiotic properties. In this study we investigated the prebiotic effects of almond and almond skin intake in healthy humans. A total of 48 healthy adult volunteers consumed a daily dose of roasted almonds (56 g), almond skins (10 g), or commercial fructooligosaccharides (8 g) (as positive control) for 6 weeks. Fecal samples were collected at defined time points and analyzed for microbiota composition and selected indicators of microbial activity. Different strains of intestinal bacteria had varying degrees of growth sensitivity to almonds or almond skins. Significant increases in the populations of Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. were observed in fecal samples as a consequence of almond or almond skin supplementation. However, the populations of Escherichia coli did not change significantly, while the growth of the pathogen Clostridum perfringens was significantly repressed. Modification of the intestinal microbiota composition induced changes in bacterial enzyme activities, specifically a significant increase in fecal ß-galactosidase activity and decreases in fecal ß-glucuronidase, nitroreductase and azoreductase activities. Our observations suggest that almond and almond skin ingestion may lead to an improvement in the intestinal microbiota profile and a modification of the intestinal bacterial activities, which would induce the promotion of health beneficial factors and the inhibition of harmful factors. Thus we believe that almonds and almond skins possess potential prebiotic properties.

Application of MALDI-MS for characterization of fucoidan hydrolysates and screening of endo-fucoidanase activity.

Brown macroalgae synthesize large amounts of fucoidans, sulfated fucose-containing polysaccharides, in the ocean. Fucoidans are of importance for their recently discovered contribution to marine carbon dioxide sequestration and due to their potential applications in biotechnology and biomedicine. However, fucoidans have high intra- and intermolecular diversity that challenges assignment of structure to biological function and the development of applications. Fucoidan-active enzymes may be used to simplify this diversity by producing defined oligosaccharides more applicable for structural refinement, characterization, and structure to function assignment for example via bioassays. In this study, we combined MALDI mass spectrometry with biocatalysis to show that the endo-fucoidanases P5AFcnA and Wv323 can produce defined oligosaccharide structures directly from unrefined macroalgal biomass. P5AFcnA released oligosaccharides from seven commercial fucoidan extracts in addition to unrefined biomass of three macroalgae species indicating a broadly applicable approach reproducible across 10 species. Both MALDI-TOF/TOF and AP-MALDI-Orbitrap systems were used, demonstrating that the approach is not instrument-specific and exploiting their combined high-throughput and high-resolution capabilities. Overall, the combination of MALDI-MS and endo-fucoidanase assays offers high-throughput evaluation of fucoidan samples and also enables extraction of defined oligosaccharides of known structure from unrefined seaweed biomass.

Impact of a Fruit-Vegetable Preparation Fortified with Potato Starch Resistant Dextrin on Selected Health Indicators in Overweight Children.

Developing modified dietary fibers that maintain prebiotic benefits without significantly affecting meal taste is of high importance in the midst of the obesity pandemic. These benefits include regulating the composition of gut microbiota, increasing feelings of fullness, and improving human metabolic parameters. This study investigated the use of a resistant dextrin (RD) derived from potato starch, which possesses prebiotic properties, as a potential additive in vegetable-fruit preparations that aid weight loss and improve health markers in overweight children. HPLC was employed to examine metabolites like lactic acid, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs; formic, acetic, propionic, butyric, and valeric acids), and branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs; isobutyric and isovaleric acids). The activities of α-glucosidase, ß-glucosidase, α-galactosidase, ß-galactosidase, and ß-glucuronidase enzymes in fecal samples were measured using spectrophotometric analysis at a wavelength of 400 nm. Incorporating the RD into vegetable-fruit preparations yielded favorable outcomes in terms of increased concentrations of the tested metabolites (SCFAs and BCFAs) and enhanced fecal enzyme activities after 6 months of consuming the preparations. Furthermore, these effects were found to last for an extended period of 3 months even after discontinuing the treatment. The study has shown that including RD into vegetable-fruit preparations enhances the metabolic parameters of obese and overweight children, hence providing a strong rationale for the widespread usage of these preparations in the industry.

Computational analysis to comprehend the structure-function properties of fibrinolytic enzymes from Bacillus spp for their efficient integration into industrial applications.

Background: The fibrinolytic enzymes from Bacillus sp. are proposed as therapeutics in preventing thrombosis. Computational-based analyses of these enzymes' amino acid composition, basic physiological properties, presence of functional domain and motifs, and secondary and tertiary structure analyses can lead to developing a specific enzyme with improved catalytic activity and other properties that may increase their therapeutic potential. Methods: The nucleotide sequences of fibrinolytic enzymes produced by the genus Bacillus and its corresponding protein sequences were retrieved from the NCBI database and aligned using the PRALINE programme. The varied physiochemical parameters and structural and functional analysis of the enzyme sequences were carried out with the ExPASy-ProtParam tool, MEME server, SOPMA, PDBsum tool, CYS-REC tool, SWISS-MODEL, SAVES servers, TMHMM program, GlobPlot, and peptide cutter software. The assessed in-silico data were compared with the published experimental results for validation. Results: The alignment of sixty fibrinolytic serine protease enzymes (molecular mass 12-86 kDa) sequences showed 49 enzymes possess a conserved domain with a catalytic triad of Asp196, His242, and Ser569. The predicted instability and aliphatic indexes were 1.94-37.77, and 68.9-93.41, respectively, indicating high thermostability. The random coil means value suggested the predominance of this secondary structure in these proteases. A set of 50 amino acid residues representing motif 3 signifies the Peptidase S8/S53 domain that was invariably observed in 56 sequences. Additionally, 28 sequences have transmembrane helices, with two having the most disordered areas, and they pose 25 enzyme cleavage sites. A comparative analysis of the experimental work with the results of in-silico study put forward the characteristics of the enzyme sequences JF739176.1 and MF677779.1 to be considered when creating a potential mutant enzyme as these sequences are stable at high pH with thermostability and to exhibit αß-fibrinogenase activity in both experimental and in-silico studies.

Functional characterization of helminth-associated Clostridiales reveals covariates of Treg differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Parasitic helminths influence the composition of the gut microbiome. However, the microbiomes of individuals living in helminth-endemic regions are understudied. The Orang Asli, an indigenous population in Malaysia with high burdens of the helminth Trichuris trichiura, display microbiotas enriched in Clostridiales, an order of spore-forming obligate anaerobes with immunogenic properties. We previously isolated novel Clostridiales that were enriched in these individuals and found that a subset promoted the Trichuris life cycle. In this study, we aimed to further characterize the functional properties of these bacteria. RESULTS: Clostridiales isolates were profiled for their ability to perform 57 enzymatic reactions and produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and hydrogen sulfide, revealing that these bacteria were capable of a range of activities associated with metabolism and host response. Consistent with this finding, monocolonization of mice with individual isolates identified bacteria that were potent inducers of regulatory T-cell (Treg) differentiation in the colon. Comparisons between variables revealed by these studies identified enzymatic properties correlated with Treg induction and Trichuris egg hatching. CONCLUSION: We identified Clostridiales species that are sufficient to induce high levels of Tregs. We also identified a set of metabolic activities linked with Treg differentiation and Trichuris egg hatching mediated by these newly isolated bacteria. Altogether, this study provides functional insights into the microbiotas of individuals residing in a helminth-endemic region. Video Abstract.

Bacterial valorization of lignin for the sustainable production of value-added bioproducts.

As the most abundant aromatic biopolymer in the biosphere, lignin represents a promising alternative feedstock for the industrial production of various value-added bioproducts with enhanced economical value. However, the large-scale implementation of lignin valorization remains challenging because of the heterogeneity and irregular structure of lignin. General fragmentation and depolymerization processes often yield various products, but these approaches necessitate tedious purification steps to isolate target products. Moreover, microbial biocatalytic processes, especially bacterial-based systems with high metabolic activity, can depolymerize and further utilize lignin in an eco-friendly way. Considering that wild bacterial strains have evolved several metabolic pathways and enzymatic systems for lignin degradation, substantial efforts have been made to exploit their potential for lignin valorization. This review summarizes recent advances in lignin valorization for the production of value-added bioproducts based on bacterial systems. Additionally, the remaining challenges and available strategies for lignin biodegradation processes and future trends of bacterial lignin valorization are discussed.