MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Biotechnology Advances' source. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:10:49 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5657876&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22297133%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sokolenko S, George S, Wagner A, Tuladhar A, Andrich JM, Aucoin MG Abstract The baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is a versatile and powerful platform for protein expression in insect cells. With the ability to approach similar post-translational modifications as in mammalian cells, the BEVS offers a number of advantages including high levels of expression as well as an inherent safety during manufacture and of the final product. Many BEVS products include proteins and protein complexes that require expression from more than one gene. This review examines the expression strategies that have been used to this end and focuses on the distinguishing features between those that make use of single polycistronic baculovirus (co-expression) and those that use multiple mo... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5657876 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5657876 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5657879&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22286072%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bratkovič T, Glavan G, Strukelj B, Zivin M, Rogelj B Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs) form a large class of non-coding RNAs that function in repression of gene expression in eukaryotes. By recognizing short stretches of nucleotides within the untranslated regions of mRNAs, miRNAs recruit partner proteins to individual transcripts, leading to mRNA cleavage or hindering of translation. Bioinformatic predictions and a wealth of data from wet laboratory studies indicate that miRNAs control expression of a large proportion of protein-coding genes, implying involvement of miRNAs in regulation of most biologic processes. In this review we discuss the biology of miRNAs and present examples of how manipulation of miRNA expression or activity can be exploited to attain the desired pheno... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5657879 Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5657879 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5657877&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22286074%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gübeli RJ, Burger K, Weber W Abstract The synthetic reconstruction of natural gene networks and the de novo design of artificial genetic circuits provide new insights into the cell's regulatory mechanisms and will open new opportunities for drug discovery and intelligent therapeutic schemes. We will present how modular synthetic biology tools like repressors, promoters and enzymes can be assembled into complex systems in order to discover small molecules to shut off antibiotic resistance in tubercle bacteria and to design self-sufficient therapeutic networks. The transfer of these synthetic biological modules to the material science field enables the construction of novel drug-inducible biohybrid materials for biomedical applications. PMID: 22286074 [PubMed - as suppl... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5657877 Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5657877 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5657878&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22286073%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhao X, Xu JH PMID: 22286073 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5657878 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5657878 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5638411&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22265845%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Vasanthan KS, Subramanian A, Krishnan UM, Sethuraman S Abstract Current liver transplantation strategies face severe shortcomings owing to scarcity of donors, immunogenicity, prohibitive costs and poor survival rates. Due to the lengthy list of patients requiring transplant, high mortality rates are observed during the endless waiting period. Tissue engineering could be an alternative strategy to regenerate the damaged liver and improve the survival and quality of life of the patient. The development of an ideal scaffold for liver tissue engineering depends on the nature of the scaffold, its architecture and the presence of growth factors and recognition motifs. Biomimetic scaffolds can simulate the native extracellular matrix for the culture of hepatocytes to enable them ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5638411 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5638411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5638410&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22266376%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Pechar M, Pola R Abstract The coiled coil is a superhelical structural protein motif that has been thoroughly investigated in recent years. Because of the relatively well-understood principles that determine the properties of coiled coil peptides and proteins, macromolecular systems containing the coiled coil motif have been suggested for various applications. This short review focuses on hybrid polymer coiled coil systems designed for drug delivery purposes. After a short introduction, the most important features of the coiled coils (stability, association number, oligomerization selectivity and orientation of helices) are described, and the factors influencing these characteristics are discussed. Several examples of the most interesting biomedical applications of the pol... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5638410 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5638410 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5620099&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22261014%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hulvová H, Galuszka P, Frébortová J, Frébort I Abstract Ergot alkaloids produced by the fungus Claviceps parasitizing on cereals, include three major groups: clavine alkaloids, d-lysergic acid and its derivatives and ergopeptines. These alkaloids are important substances for the pharmatech industry, where they are used for production of anti-migraine drugs, uterotonics, prolactin inhibitors, anti-Parkinson agents, etc. Production of ergot alkaloids is based either on traditional field cultivation of ergot-infected rye or on submerged cultures of the fungus in industrial fermentation plants. In 2010, the total production of these alkaloids in the world was about 20,000kg, of which field cultivation contributed about 50%. This review covers the recent advances in underst... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5620099 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5620099 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5620098&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22261015%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Abad S, Turon X Abstract The amount of glycerol derived from the biodiesel industry is exponentially increasing. The valorization of glycerol has acquired attention and resources with an obvious economic and environmental interest. Glycerol has the potential to improve the profitability of biodiesel in a biorefinery scenario. Added-value metabolites obtained from glycerol-based fermentations are the target of multiple research studies, primarily chemicals and biopolymers. Pigments and polyunsaturated fatty acids are exceptional examples as they have market presence as nutraceuticals. Most of the studies reviewed have been based on microalgae cultures. Depending on the strain and the engineering aspects of such cultures the final yield suffers notable variations. This is an... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5620098 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5620098 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5620100&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22244816%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Silva F, Queiroz JA, Domingues FC Abstract In the context of recombinant DNA technology, the development of feasible and high-yielding plasmid DNA production processes has regained attention as more evidence for its efficacy as vectors for gene therapy and DNA vaccination arise. When producing plasmid DNA in Escherichia coli, a number of biological restraints, triggered by plasmid maintenance and replication as well as culture conditions are responsible for limiting final biomass and product yields. This termed "metabolic burden" can also cause detrimental effects on plasmid stability and quality, since the cell machinery is no longer capable of maintaining an active metabolism towards plasmid synthesis and the stress responses elicited by plasmid maintenance can also caus... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5620100 Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5620100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577825&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22227398%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sanchez S, Demain A PMID: 22227398 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577825 Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5577825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5548145&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22198203%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zalabák D, Pospíšilová H, Smehilová M, Mrízová K, Frébort I, Galuszka P Abstract Cytokinins (CKs) are ubiquitous phytohormones that participate in development, morphogenesis and many physiological processes throughout plant kingdom. In higher plants, mutants and transgenic cells and tissues with altered activity of CK metabolic enzymes or perception machinery, have highlighted their crucial involvement in different agriculturally important traits, such as productivity, increased tolerance to various stresses and overall plant morphology. Furthermore, recent precise metabolomic analyses have elucidated the specific occurrence and distinct functions of different CK types in various plant species. Thus, smooth manipulation of active CK levels in a spatial and temporal... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5548145 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5548145 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5548147&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22193280%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chien CC, Kempson IM, Wang CL, Chen HH, Hwu Y, Chen NY, Lee TK, Petibois C, Tsai KK, Liu MS, Chang KY, Yang CS, Margaritondo G Abstract Complete profiling would substantially facilitate the fundamental understanding of tumor angiogenesis and of possible anti-angiogenesis cancer treatments. We developed an integrated synchrotron-based methodology with excellent performances: detection of very small vessels by high spatial resolution (~1μm) and nanoparticle contrast enhancement, in vivo dynamics investigations with high temporal resolution (~1ms), and three-dimensional quantitative morphology parametrization by computer tracing. The smallest (3-10μm) microvessels were found to constitute >80% of the tumor vasculature and exhibit many structural anomalies. Practical appl... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5548147 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5548147 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5548146&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22198202%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Samajová O, Plíhal O, Al-Yousif M, Hirt H, Samaj J Abstract Plant stress tolerance depends on many factors among which signaling by mitogen-activated protein-kinase (MAPK) modules plays a crucial role. Reversible phosphorylation of MAPKs, their upstream activators and downstream targets such as transcription factors can trigger a myriad of transcriptomic, cellular and physiological responses. Genetic manipulation of abundance and/or activity of some of these modular MAPK components can lead to better stress tolerance in Arabidopsis and crop plant species such as tobacco and cereals. The main focus of this review is devoted to the MAPK-related signaling components which show the most promising biotechnological potential. Additionally, recent studies identified MAPK compon... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5548146 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5548146 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5531691&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22178001%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cestelli-Guidi M, Yao S, Sali D, Sabine C, Marcelli A, Petibois C Abstract In this contribution we present the design of an original Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR)-based device designed for an IR microscope coupled to a FPA detector and optimized for in-vivo cell imaging. The optical element has been designed to perform real time experiments of cell biochemical processes. The device includes a manually removable Ge-crystal that guarantees an ease manipulation during the cell culture and a large flat surface to support the cell growth and the required change of the culture wells. This layout will allow performing sequential ATR IR imaging with the crystal immersed in the culture wells, minimizing contributions due to water vapors in the optical system. Using existing bri... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5531691 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5531691 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5531692&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22166620%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lam MK, Lee KT Abstract Culturing of microalgae as an alternative feedstock for biofuel production has received a lot of attention in recent years due to their fast growth rate and ability to accumulate high quantity of lipid and carbohydrate inside their cells for biodiesel and bioethanol production, respectively. In addition, this superior feedstock offers several environmental benefits, such as effective land utilization, CO(2) sequestration, self-purification if coupled with wastewater treatment and does not trigger food versus fuel feud. Despite having all these 'theoretical' advantages, review on problems and issues related to energy balance in microalgae biofuel are not clearly addressed until now. Base on the maturity of current technology, the true potential of mi... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5531692 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5531692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5492746&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22138411%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chen FM, Zhao YM, Jin Y, Shi S Abstract Translational medicine is an evolutional concept that encompasses the rapid translation of basic research for use in clinical disease diagnosis, prevention and treatment. It follows the idea "from bench to bedside and back", relying on cooperation between laboratory research and clinical care. In the past decade, translational medicine has received unprecedented attention from scientists and clinicians and its fundamental principles have penetrated throughout biomedicine, offering a sign post that guides modern medical research toward a patient-centered focus. Translational regenerative medicine is still in its infancy, and significant basic research investment has not yet achieved satisfactory clinical outcomes for patients. In part... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5492746 Sun, 27 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5492746 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5492747&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22137963%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Park SJ, Kim TW, Kim MK, Lee SY, Lim SC Abstract Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biopolyesters that generally consist of 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-hydroxycarboxylic acids, which are synthesized and accumulate as carbon and energy sources in numerous bacteria in unfavorable growth conditions in the presence of excess carbon sources. Due to the diverse substrate specificities of PHA synthases, which are key enzymes for PHA biosynthesis, PHAs with different material properties have been synthesized by incorporating different monomer components with differing compositions. Also, engineering PHA synthases using in vitro-directed evolution and site-directed mutagenesis facilitates the synthesis of PHA copolymers with novel material properties by broadening the spectrum of monomers avai... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5492747 Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5492747 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5492745&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22138412%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Juturu V, Wu JC Abstract Enzymatic depolymerization of hemicellulose to monomer sugars needs the synergistic action of multiple enzymes, among them endo-xylanases (EC 3.2.1.8) and β-xylosidases (EC 3.2.1.37) (collectively xylanases) play a vital role in depolymerizing xylan, the major component of hemicellulose. Recent developments in recombinant protein engineering have paved the way for engineering and expressing xylanases in both heterologous and homologous hosts. Functional expression of endo-xylanases has been successful in many hosts including bacteria, yeasts, fungi and plants with yeasts being the most promising expression systems. Functional expression of β-xylosidases is more challenging possibly due to their more complicated structures. The structures of endo-... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5492745 Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5492745 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5492748&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22123438%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Baque MA, Moh SH, Lee EJ, Zhong JJ, Paek KY Abstract The increasing global demand for biomass of medicinal plant resources reflects the issues and crisis created by diminishing renewable resources and increasing consumer populations. Moreover, diverse usage of plants and reduced land for cultivation in the world accelerated the deficiency of plant resources. In addition, the preparation of safety of plant based medicine whips up demand for biomass of valuable medicinal plants. As one of alternative approach to upswing the productivity of plant-based pharmaceutical compounds, automation of adventitious root culture system in air-lift bioreactor was adopted to produce cosmic amount of root biomass along with enriched diverse bioactive molecules. In this review, various physi... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5492748 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5492748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5492750&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22119239%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Han NS, Kim TJ, Park YC, Kim J, Seo JH Abstract Human milk contains a large variety of oligosaccharides (HMOs) that have the potential to modulate the gut flora, affect different gastrointestinal functions, and influence inflammatory processes. This review introduces the recent advances in the microbial and coupled enzymatic methods to produce HMOs with grouping them into trisaccharides (sialyllactose and fucosyllactose) and complex oligosaccharides (lacto-N-biose derivatives). The high purity and low cost of HMOs should make their use possible in new fields such as the food or pharmaceutical industries. PMID: 22119239 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5492750 Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5492750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5492749&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22120067%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Osman A, Wang CK, Winter A, Loukas A, Tribolet L, Gasser RB, Hofmann A Abstract SCP/TAPS proteins are a diverse family of molecules in eukaryotes, including parasites. Despite their abundant occurrence in parasite secretomes, very little is known about their functions in parasitic nematodes, including blood-feeding hookworms. Current information indicates that SCP/TAPS proteins (called Ancylostoma-secreted proteins, ASPs) of the canine hookworm, Ancylostoma caninum, represent at least three distinct groups of proteins. This information, combined with comparative modelling, indicates that all known ASPs have an equatorial groove that binds extended structures, such as peptides or glycans. To elucidate structure-function relationships, we explored the three-dimensional cryst... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5492749 Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5492749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5492751&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22094114%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Pandey MK, Monyo E, Ozias-Akins P, Liang X, Guimarães P, Nigam SN, Upadhyaya HD, Janila P, Zhang X, Guo B, Cook DR, Bertioli DJ, Michelmore R, Varshney RK Abstract Peanut genomics is very challenging due to its inherent problem of genetic architecture. Blockage of gene flow from diploid wild relatives to the tetraploid; cultivated peanut, recent polyploidization combined with self pollination, and the narrow genetic base of the primary genepool have resulted in low genetic diversity that has remained a major bottleneck for genetic improvement of peanut. Harnessing the rich source of wild relatives has been negligible due to differences in ploidy level as well as genetic drag and undesirable alleles for low yield. Lack of appropriate genomic resources has severely hampered... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5492751 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5492751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5418640&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22079893%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wuest DM, Harcum SW, Lee KH Abstract Explicitly identifying the genome of a host organism including sequencing, mapping, and annotating its genetic code has become a priority in the field of biotechnology with aims at improving the efficiency and understanding of cell culture bioprocessing. Recombinant protein therapeutics, primarily produced in mammalian cells, constitute a $108billion global market. The most common mammalian cell line used in biologic production processes is the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line, and although great improvements have been made in titer production over the past 25years, the underlying molecular and physiological factors are not well understood. Confident understanding of CHO bioprocessing elements (e.g. cell line selection, protein pro... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5418640 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5418640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5418639&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22079894%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Moraes AM, Jorge SA, Astray RM, Suazo CA, Riquelme CE, Augusto EF, Tonso A, Pamboukian MM, Piccoli RA, Barral MF, Pereira CA Abstract In the present review we discuss strategies that have been used for heterologous gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster Schneider 2 (S2) cells using plasmid vectors. Since the growth of S2 cells is not dependent on anchorage to solid substrates, these cells can be easily cultured in suspension in large volumes. The factors that most affect the growth and gene expression of S2 cells, namely cell line, cell passage, inoculum concentration, culture medium, temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, hydrodynamic forces and toxic metabolites, are discussed by comparison with other insect and mammalian cells. Gene expression, cell metabo... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5418639 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5418639 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5418638&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22085593%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hasunuma T, Kondo A Abstract To build an energy and material secure future, a next generation of renewable fuels produced from lignocellulosic biomass is required. Although lignocellulosic biomass, which represents an abundant, inexpensive and renewable source for bioethanol production, is of great interest as a feedstock, the complicated ethanol production processes involved make the cost of producing bioethanol from it higher compared to corn starch and cane juice. Therefore, consolidated bioprocessing (CBP), which combines enzyme production, saccharification and fermentation in a single step, has gained increased recognition as a potential bioethanol production system. CBP requires a highly engineered microorganism developed for several different process-specific charac... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5418638 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5418638 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5418641&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22079800%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wang B, Zhang Z, Yin Z, Feng C, Wang Q Abstract The world population now is 6.7billion and is predicted to reach 9billion by 2050. Such a rapid growing population has tremendously increased the challenge for food security. Obviously, it is impossible for traditional agriculture to ensure the food security, while plant biotechnology offers considerable potential to realize this goal. Over the last 15years, great benefits have been brought to sustainable agriculture by commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops. Further development of new GM crops will with no doubt contribute to meeting the requirements for food by the increasing population. The present article provides updated comprehensive information on novel and potential application of cryopreservation t... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5418641 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5418641 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296155&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21557996%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Miransari M Abstract Use of plants, with hyperaccumulating ability or in association with soil microbes including the symbiotic fungi, arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM), are among the most common biological methods of treating heavy metals in soil. Both hyperaccumulating plants and AM fungi have some unique abilities, which make them suitable to treat heavy metals. Hyperaccumulator plants have some genes, being expressed at the time of heavy metal pollution, and can accordingly localize high concentration of heavy metals to their tissues, without showing the toxicity symptoms. A key solution to the issue of heavy metal pollution may be the proper integration of hyperaccumulator plants and AM fungi. The interactions between the soil microbes and the host plant can also be importan... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296155 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:36:08 +0100 5296155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296154&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21601630%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hua D, Xu P Abstract 2-Phenylethanol (2-PE) is an important aromatic alcohol with a rose-like fragrance. It has been widely applied in the cosmetic, perfume, and food industries and is mainly produced by chemical synthesis. An alternative method for the production of natural flavors and fragrances is the microbial transformation process, which is attracting increasing attention because it is an environmentally friendly process and the products are considered "natural". The production of 2-PE from L-phenylalanine by biotransformation is possible through the Ehrlich pathway and considerable progress has been made in the development of this process. The present report reviews recent advances in biotechnological production of 2-PE, with emphasis on the strategies used to incre... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296154 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:35:58 +0100 5296154 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296153&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21605654%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Xu X, Yan H, Chen J, Zhang X Abstract Mushrooms have been used as food or medicine for thousands of years. Due to low-fat content and absence of cholesterol, many mushrooms are excellent sources of protein. There are various mushroom proteins with interesting biological activities, such as lectins, fungal immunomodulatory proteins (FIP), ribosome inactivating proteins (RIP), ribonucleases, laccases, and other proteins, which have become popular sources of natural antitumor, antiviral, antimicrobial, antioxidative, and immunomodulatory agents. The aim of this review is to update the present status of bioactive proteins in mushrooms, and to discuss their biomedical potential and future prospectives. PMID: 21605654 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296153 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:35:48 +0100 5296153 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296152&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21609758%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Timmins NE, Nielsen LK Abstract Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is an essential practice in modern medicine, one that is entirely dependent on the availability of donor blood. Constraints in donor supply have led to proposals that transfusible RBC could be manufactured from stem cells. While it is possible to generate small amounts of RBC in vitro, very large numbers of cells are required to be of clinical significance. We explore the challenges facing large scale manufacture of RBC and technological developments required for such a scenario to be realised. PMID: 21609758 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296152 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:35:38 +0100 5296152 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296151&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21624451%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Agbor VB, Cicek N, Sparling R, Berlin A, Levin DB Abstract Development of sustainable energy systems based on renewable biomass feedstocks is now a global effort. Lignocellulosic biomass contains polymers of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, bound together in a complex structure. Liquid biofuels, such as ethanol, can be made from biomass via fermentation of sugars derived from the cellulose and hemicellulose within lignocellulosic materials, but the biomass must be subjected to pretreatment processes to liberate the sugars needed for fermentation. Production of value-added co-products along-side biofuels through integrated biorefinery processes creates the need for selectivity during pretreatment. This paper presents a survey of biomass pretreatment technologies with e... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296151 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:35:28 +0100 5296151 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296150&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21664266%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Christenson L, Sims R Abstract The integration of microalgae-based biofuel and bioproducts production with wastewater treatment has major advantages for both industries. However, major challenges to the implementation of an integrated system include the large-scale production of algae and the harvesting of microalgae in a way that allows for downstream processing to produce biofuels and other bioproducts of value. Although the majority of algal production systems use suspended cultures in either open ponds or closed reactors, the use of attached cultures may offer several advantages. With regard to harvesting methods, better understanding and control of autoflocculation and bioflocculation could improve performance and reduce chemical addition requirements for conventional... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296150 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:35:18 +0100 5296150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296149&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21672618%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhang YH Abstract Substrate channeling is a process of transferring the product of one enzyme to an adjacent cascade enzyme or cell without complete mixing with the bulk phase. Such phenomena can occur in vivo, in vitro, or ex vivo. Enzyme-enzyme or enzyme-cell complexes may be static or transient. In addition to enhanced reaction rates through substrate channeling in complexes, numerous potential benefits of such complexes are protection of unstable substrates, circumvention of unfavorable equilibrium and kinetics imposed, forestallment of substrate competition among different pathways, regulation of metabolic fluxes, mitigation of toxic metabolite inhibition, and so on. Here we review numerous examples of natural and synthetic complexes featuring substrate channeling. Co... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296149 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:35:08 +0100 5296149 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296148&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21672619%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Manimaran P, Ramkumar G, Sakthivel K, Sundaram RM, Madhav MS, Balachandran SM Abstract Genetically modified crops are one of the prudent options for enhancing the production and productivity of crop plants by safeguarding from the losses due to biotic and abiotic stresses. Agrobacterium-mediated and biolistic transformation methods are used to develop transgenic crop plants in which selectable marker genes (SMG) are generally deployed to identify 'true' transformants. The commonly used SMG obtained from prokaryotic sources when employed in transgenic plants pose risks due to their lethal nature during selection process. In the recent past, some non-lethal SMGs have been identified and used for selection of transformants with increased precision and high selection efficienc... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296148 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:34:58 +0100 5296148 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296147&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21689739%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Moradpour Z, Ghasemian A Abstract Researchers increasingly believe that microbial, molecular and synthetic biology techniques along with genetic engineering will facilitate the treatment of persistent infectious diseases. However, such therapy has been plagued by the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, resulting in significant obstacles to treatment. Phage therapy is one promising alternative to antibiotics, especially now that recent modifications to ubiquitous phages have made them more controllable. Additionally, convincing in vitro and in vivo studies of genetically modified lytic phages and engineered non-lytic phages have confirmed the advantages of novel, specific bactericidal agents over antibiotics in some cases. There is still a need for a better understa... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296147 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:34:48 +0100 5296147 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296146&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21689741%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Singh RS, Bhari R, Kaur HP Abstract Lectins are ubiquitous proteins with the ability to induce cell agglutination and, mediate cellular and molecular recognition processes in a variety of biological interactions. Fungi display exquisite specificity for target tissues and attach to host glycoconjugates via these sugar-binding proteins. Although only few reports are available on lectin activity of yeasts, these sugar binding proteins have been embraced for their role in cell flocculation, a commercially beneficial property, that simplifies downstream recovery operations in yeast fermentations. The lectins bind to cell wall mannans of the neighboring cells via hydrogen bonds leading to the formation of cell aggregates which get interrupted in the presence of specific sugars. ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296146 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:34:39 +0100 5296146 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296145&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21723933%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kwiatkowska B, Bennett J, Akunna J, Walker GM, Bremner DH Abstract Ultrasound (US) has become a ubiquitous technological process in a large variety of scientific disciplines. However, little information exists on the use of ultrasound to enhance biological processes and/or processing and consequently this paper provides an overview of work reported to date on this topic. This review provides a brief introduction to ultrasound and the history of ultrasound as applied to bioprocesses. This is followed by a discussion of the influence of US on discrete enzyme systems, enzymes used in bioremediation, microbial fermentations and enzymatic hydrolysis of biopolymers. Augmentation of anaerobic digestion by US is then considered along with enhancement of enzymes in food science and... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296145 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:34:29 +0100 5296145 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296144&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21726623%26dopt%3DAbstract This article gives an overview of the stevioside structure, various analysis technique, new technologies required and the advances achieved in recent years. An enzymatic process is established, by which the maximum efficacy and benefit of the process can be achieved. The efficiency of the enzymatic process is quite comparable to that of other physical and chemical methods. Finally, we believe that in the future, the enzyme-based extraction will ensure more cost-effective availability of stevioside, thus assisting in the development of more food-based applications. PMID: 21726623 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296144 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:34:18 +0100 5296144 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296143&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21726624%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rodrigues CA, Fernandes TG, Diogo MM, da Silva CL, Cabral JM Abstract Cell-based therapies have generated great interest in the scientific and medical communities, and stem cells in particular are very appealing for regenerative medicine, drug screening and other biomedical applications. These unspecialized cells have unlimited self-renewal capacity and the remarkable ability to produce mature cells with specialized functions, such as blood cells, nerve cells or cardiac muscle. However, the actual number of cells that can be obtained from available donors is very low. One possible solution for the generation of relevant numbers of cells for several applications is to scale-up the culture of these cells in vitro. This review describes recent developments in the cultivation ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296143 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:34:09 +0100 5296143 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296142&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21729746%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ghormade V, Deshpande MV, Paknikar KM Abstract Indiscriminate use of pesticides and fertilizers causes environmental pollution, emergence of agricultural pests and pathogens, and loss of biodiversity. Nanotechnology, by virtue of nanomaterial related properties, has potential agro-biotechnological applications for alleviation of these problems. The literature pertaining to the role of nanotechnology in plant and soil systems demonstrates that nanomaterials may assist in a) the controlled release of agrochemicals for nutrition and protection against pests and pathogens, b) delivery of genetic material, c) sensitive detection of plant disease and pollutants and d) protection and formation of soil structure. For instance, porous silica (15nm) and biodegradable, polymeric chit... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296142 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:33:59 +0100 5296142 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296141&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21729747%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Pei L, Schmidt M, Wei W Abstract Synthetic biology is considered as an emerging research field that will bring new opportunities to biotechnology. There is an expectation that synthetic biology will not only enhance knowledge in basic science, but will also have great potential for practical applications. Synthetic biology is still in an early developmental stage in China. We provide here a review of current Chinese research activities in synthetic biology and its different subfields, such as research on genetic circuits, minimal genomes, chemical synthetic biology, protocells and DNA synthesis, using literature reviews and personal communications with Chinese researchers. To meet the increasing demand for a sustainable development, research on genetic circuits to harness ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296141 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:33:50 +0100 5296141 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296140&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21741465%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Park S, Zhang Y, Lin S, Wang TH, Yang S Abstract Global burdens from existing or emerging infectious diseases emphasize the need for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics to enhance timely recognition and intervention. Molecular approaches based on PCR methods have made significant inroads by improving detection time and accuracy but are still largely hampered by resource-intensive processing in centralized laboratories, thereby precluding their routine bedside- or field-use. Microfluidic technologies have enabled miniaturization of PCR processes onto a chip device with potential benefits including speed, cost, portability, throughput, and automation. In this review, we provide an overview of recent advances in microfluidic PCR technologies and discuss practical issues and persp... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296140 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:33:40 +0100 5296140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296139&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21777667%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bhatt I, Tripathi BN Abstract Peroxiredoxins (Prx) are a family of thiol dependent peroxidases found in almost all kingdoms. In plants, five major classes of Prx are known. They are known to catalyze the decomposition of peroxides and as they lack a prosthetic group, the catalytic cycle results in the generation of an inactive form of Prx. In order to regain the active form, Prx rely on external electron donors such as thioredoxins, glutaredoxins, cyclophilins, NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase C (NTRC) etc. In addition to their well established role in antioxidative defense, Prx are also reported to play an important role in growth and development, dessication tolerance in dormant seeds, protection of photosynthesis, defense against pathogens and redox signaling. Prx ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296139 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:33:21 +0100 5296139 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296138&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21968145%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chen R Abstract Escherichia coli expression system continues to dominate the bacterial expression systems and remain to be the preferred system for laboratory investigations and initial development in commercial activities or as a useful benchmark for comparison among various expression platforms. Some new developments in overcoming its shortcomings are reviewed in this paper, including antibiotics-free selection plasmids, extracellular production, and posttranslational modifications. The ability for E. coli to make mg glycosylated proteins promises even broader applications of the E. coli system in the future. Significant progresses have also been made over the past few years in alternative bacterial expression systems. Notably, the Lactoccocus lactis system has proven to... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296138 Sat, 24 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296137&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21968146%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhu J Abstract Mammalian cell expression has become the dominant recombinant protein production system for clinical applications because of its capacity for post-translational modification and human protein-like molecular structure assembly. While expression and production have been fully developed and Chinese hamster ovary cells are used for the majority of products both on the market and in clinical development, significant progresses in developing and engineering new cell lines, introducing novel genetic mechanisms in expression, gene silencing, and gene targeting, have been reported in the last several years. With the latest analytical methods development, more attention is being devoted towards product quality including glycol profiling, which leads to better understa... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296137 Sat, 24 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296137 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296136&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21968147%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ward OP Abstract The initial focus of recombinant protein production by filamentous fungi related to exploiting the extraordinary extracellular enzyme synthesis and secretion machinery of industrial strains, including Aspergillus, Trichoderma, Penicillium and Rhizopus species, is to produce single recombinant protein products. An early recognized disadvantage of filamentous fungi as hosts of recombinant proteins was their common ability to produce homologous proteases which could degrade the heterologous protein product and strategies to prevent proteolysis have met with some limited success. It was also recognized that the protein glycosylation patterns in filamentous fungi and in mammals were quite different, such that filamentous fungi are likely not to be the most suit... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296136 Sat, 24 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296136 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296158&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21963686%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sacco E, Hasan MM, Alberghina L, Vanoni M Abstract In eukaryotes DNA replication takes place in the S phase of the cell cycle. It initiates from hundreds to thousands of replication origins in a coordinated manner, in order to efficiently duplicate the genome. The sequence of events leading to the onset of DNA replication is conventionally divided in two interdependent processes: licensing-a process during which replication origins acquire replication competence but are kept inactive- and firing-a process during which licensed origins are activated but not re-licensed. In this review we investigate the evolutionary conservation of the molecular machinery orchestrating DNA replication initiation both in yeast and in mammalian cells, highlighting a remarkable conservation of... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296158 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296158 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296157&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21964262%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Celik E, Calık P Abstract Yeasts are widely used in production of recombinant proteins of medical or industrial interest. For each individual product, the most suitable expression system has to be identified and optimized, both on the genetic and fermentative level, by taking into account the properties of the product, the organism and the expression cassette. There is a wide range of important yeast expression hosts including the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia pastoris, Hansenula polymorpha, Kluyveromyces lactis, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Yarrowia lipolytica and Arxula adeninivorans, with various characteristics such as being thermo-tolerant or halo-tolerant, rapidly reaching high cell densities or utilizing unusual carbon sources. Several strains were also en... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296157 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296157 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296160&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21963684%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Alberghina L, Hoefer T, Vanoni M PMID: 21963684 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296160 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296160 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296159&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21963685%26dopt%3DAbstract This article reviews the advancements in protein engineering techniques for improving biocatalytic properties to optimize engineered pathways in host systems, which are instrumental to achieve high titer production of target molecules. We also discuss the specific means by which protein engineering has improved metabolic engineering efforts and provide our assessment on its potential to continue to advance biology engineering as a whole. PMID: 21963685 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296159 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296159 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296156&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21964263%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Busti S, Gotti L, Balestrieri C, Querin L, Drovandi G, Felici G, Mavelli G, Bertolazzi P, Alberghina L, Vanoni M Abstract The FAR1 gene encodes an 830 residue bifunctional protein, whose major function is inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase complexes involved in the G1/S transition. FAR1 transcription is maximal between mitosis and early G1 phase. Enhanced FAR1 transcription is necessary but not sufficient for the pheromone-induced G1 arrest, since FAR1 overexpression itself does not trigger cell cycle arrest. Besides its well established role in the response to pheromone, recent evidences suggest that Far1 may also regulate the mitotic cell cycle progression: in particular, it has been proposed that Far1, together with the G1 cyclin Cln3, may be part of a cell sizer mec... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296156 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296156 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296162&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21963604%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Barberis M, Linke C, Adrover MA, González-Novo A, Lehrach H, Krobitsch S, Posas F, Klipp E Abstract Budding yeast cell cycle oscillates between states of low and high cyclin-dependent kinase activity, driven by association of Cdk1 with B-type (Clb) cyclins. Various Cdk1-Clb complexes are activated and inactivated in a fixed, temporally regulated sequence, inducing the behaviour known as "waves of cyclins". The transition from low to high Clb activity is triggered by degradation of Sic1, the inhibitor of Cdk1-Clb complexes, at the entry to S phase. The G(1) phase is characterized by low Clb activity and high Sic1 levels. High Clb activity and Sic1 proteolysis are found from the beginning of the S phase until the end of mitosis. The mechanism regulating the appearance on sc... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296162 Sun, 18 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296162 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296161&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21963605%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ansari SA, Husain Q Abstract Several new types of carriers and technologies have been implemented in the recent past to improve traditional enzyme immobilization which aimed to enhance enzyme loading, activity and stability to decrease the enzyme biocatalyst cost in industrial biotechnology. These include cross-linked enzyme aggregates, microwave-assisted immobilization, click chemistry technology, mesoporous supports and most recently nanoparticle-based immobilization of enzymes. The union of the specific physical, chemical, optical and electrical properties of nanoparticles with the specific recognition or catalytic properties of biomolecules has led to their appearance in myriad novel biotechnological applications. They have been applied time and again for immobilizatio... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296161 Sat, 17 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296161 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5276397&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21951558%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sassolas A, Blum LJ, Leca-Bouvier BD Abstract Immobilization of enzymes on the transducer surface is a necessary and critical step in the design of biosensors. An overview of the different immobilization techniques reported in the literature is given, dealing with classical adsorption, covalent bonds, entrapment, cross-linking or affinity as well as combination of them and focusing on new original methods as well as the recent introduction of promising nanomaterials such as conducting polymer nanowires, carbon nanotubes or nanoparticles. As indicated in this review, various immobilization methods have been used to develop optical, electrochemical or gravimetric enzymatic biosensors. The choice of the immobilization method is shown to represent an important parameter that a... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5276397 Sat, 17 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5276397 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5276396&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21959304%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ahmad P, Ashraf M, Younis M, Hu X, Kumar A, Akram NA, Al-Qurainy F Abstract At present, environmental degradation and the consistently growing population are two main problems on the planet earth. Fulfilling the needs of this growing population is quite difficult from the limited arable land available on the globe. Although there are legal, social and political barriers to the utilization of biotechnology, advances in this field have substantially improved agriculture and human life to a great extent. One of the vital tools of biotechnology is genetic engineering (GE) which is used to modify plants, animals and microorganisms according to desired needs. In fact, genetic engineering facilitates the transfer of desired characteristics into other plants which is not possible ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5276396 Sat, 17 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5276396 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259481&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21930195%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Shahsavarani H, Sugiyama M, Kaneko Y, Chuenchit B, Harashima S Abstract The simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process requires thermo-tolerant yeast to facilitate the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose. In this paper, we describe an Htg(+) strain that exhibits confluent growth at high temperature (41°C) and resistance to heat shock, ethanol, osmotic and oxidative and DNA damage stresses. HTG6, one of the six genes responsible for the thermotolerant phenotype was identified to be the gene RSP5 encoding a ubiquitin ligase. The RSP5 allele of the Htg(+) strain, designated RSP5-C, possessed five, one and two base changes in the promoter, open reading frame and terminator region, respectively. The base changes in the promoter region of the RSP5-C allele were found ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259481 Sat, 10 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259480&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21930196%26dopt%3DAbstract This article reviews biosynthetic progress on 28 antibiotics, including polyketides, nonribosomal peptides, hybrid polyketide-nonribosomal peptides, peptidyl nucleoside, nucleoside, and others. Their biosynthetic mechanisms were disclosed, and their derivatives with new structures/activities were obtained by gene inactivation, mutasynthesis and combinatorial biosynthesis. PMID: 21930196 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259480 Sat, 10 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259480 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259482&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21924345%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Xu J, Dolan MC, Medrano G, Cramer CL, Weathers PJ Abstract Molecular farming, long considered a promising strategy to produce valuable recombinant proteins not only for human and veterinary medicine, but also for agriculture and industry, now has some commercially available products. Various plant-based production platforms including whole-plants, aquatic plants, plant cell suspensions, and plant tissues (hairy roots) have been compared in terms of their advantages and limits. Effective recombinant strategies are summarized along with descriptions of scalable culture systems and examples of commercial progress and success. PMID: 21924345 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259482 Thu, 08 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259482 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5228295&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21920429%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tannous BA, Teng J Abstract Secreted reporters detected in body fluids (blood, serum or urine) have shown to be simple and useful tools for ex vivo real-time monitoring of in vivo biological processes. Here we explore the most commonly used secreted blood reporters in experimental animals: secreted alkaline phosphatase, soluble marker peptides derived from human carcinoembryonic antigen and human chorionic gonadotropin, as well as Gaussia luciferase. We also comment on other recently discovered secreted luciferases and their potential use as blood reporters for multiplexing applications. PMID: 21920429 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5228295 Thu, 08 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5228295 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5218165&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21907272%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bruschi M, Boyes SJ, Sugiarto H, Nielsen LK, Vickers CE Abstract Sucrose has economic and environmental advantages over glucose as a feedstock for bioprocesses. E. coli is widely used in industry, but the majority of current industrial E. coli strains cannot utilize sucrose. Previous attempts to transfer sucrose catabolic capabilities into non-sucrose-utilizing strains have met with limited success due to low growth rates on sucrose and phenotypic instability of the engineered strains. To address these problems, we developed a transferrable sucrose utilization cassette which confers efficient sucrose catabolism when integrated onto the E. coli chromosome. The cassette was based on the csc genes from E. coli W, a strain which grows very quickly on sucrose. Both plasmid-born... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5218165 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5218165 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5218164&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21907273%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Turner RJ, Borghese R, Zannoni D Abstract Here, we overview the most recent advances in understanding the bacterial mechanisms that stay behind the reduction of tellurium metalloids in both isolated (planktonic) cells and biofilms. This is a topic of interest for basic and applied research because microorganisms are deeply involved in the transformation of metals and metalloids in the environment. In particular, the recent observation that toxic tellurite can be precipitated either inside or outside the cells being used as electron sink to support bacterial growth, opens new perspectives for both microbial physiologists and biotechnologists. As promising nanomaterials, tellurium based nanoparticles show unique electronic and optical properties due to quantum confinement ef... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5218164 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5218164 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5218166&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21889977%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: González-Rábade N, Badillo-Corona JA, Aranda-Barradas JS, Oliver-Salvador MD Abstract In the latest two decades, the interest received by plant proteases has increased significantly. Plant enzymes such as proteases are widely used in medicine and the food industry. Some proteases, like papain, bromelain and ficin are used in various processes such as brewing, meat softening, milk-clotting, cancer treatment, digestion and viral disorders. These enzymes can be obtained from their natural source or through in vitro cultures, in order to ensure a continuous source of plant enzymes. The focus of this review will be the production of plant proteases both in vivo and in vitro, with particular emphasis on the different types of commercially important plant proteases that have be... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5218166 Sat, 27 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5218166 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5218167&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21889976%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cantacessi C, Campbell BE, Gasser RB Abstract The advent and integration of high-throughput 'omic technologies (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics) are becoming instrumental to assist fundamental explorations of the systems biology of organisms. In particular, these technologies now provide unique opportunities for global, molecular investigations of parasites. For example, studies of the transcriptomes (all transcripts in an organism, tissue or cell) of different species and/or developmental stages of parasitic nematodes provide insights into aspects of gene expression, regulation and function, which is a major step to understanding their biology. The purpose of this article was to review salient aspects of the systematics and biology of selected... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5218167 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5218167 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5218168&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21889585%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jang YS, Park JM, Choi S, Choi YJ, Seung DY, Cho JH, Lee SY Abstract The increasing oil price and environmental concerns caused by the use of fossil fuel have renewed our interest in utilizing biomass as a sustainable resource for the production of biofuel. It is however essential to develop high performance microbes that are capable of producing biofuels with very high efficiency in order to compete with the fossil fuel. Recently, the strategies for developing microbial strains by systems metabolic engineering, which can be considered as metabolic engineering integrated with systems biology and synthetic biology, have been developed. Systems metabolic engineering allows successful development of microbes that are capable of producing several different biofuels including b... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5218168 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5218168 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5218170&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21888962%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ruberti I, Sessa G, Ciolfi A, Possenti M, Carabelli M, Morelli G Abstract The success of competitive interactions between plants determines the chance of survival of individuals and eventually of whole plant species. Shade-tolerant plants have adapted their photosynthesis to function optimally under low-light conditions. These plants are therefore capable of long-term survival under a canopy shade. In contrast, shade-avoiding plants adapt their growth to perceive maximum sunlight and therefore rapidly dominate gaps in a canopy. Daylight contains roughly equal proportions of red and far-red light, but within vegetation that ratio is lowered as a result of red absorption by photosynthetic pigments. This light quality change is perceived through the phytochrome system as an u... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5218170 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5218170 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5218169&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21888963%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jiang Y, Cai Z, Xie W, Long T, Yu H, Zhang Q Abstract Rice is a staple food crop and has become a reference of monocot plant for functional genomic research. With the availability of high quality rice genome sequence, there has been rapid accumulation of functional genomic resources, including: large mutant libraries by T-DNA insertion, transposon tagging, and chemical mutagenesis; global expression profiles of the genes in the entire life cycle of rice growth and development; full-length cDNAs for both indica and japonica rice; sequences from resequencing large numbers of diverse germplasm accessions. Such resource development has greatly accelerated gene cloning. By the end of 2010, over 600 genes had been cloned using various methods. Many of the genes control agricultu... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5218169 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5218169 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5192439&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21884782%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Li WW, Yu HQ Abstract Recovery of bioenergy and biochemicals from wastewater has attracted growing and widespread interests. In this respect, two-stage bioconversion process (TSBP) offers an appealing avenue to achieve stepwise and directional substrate conversion in separated stages. Such a biosystem not only enables enhanced degradation of organics, but also favors a high product yield and quality. Various TSBRs have been developed for the production of methane, hydrogen, electricity, bioplastics, bioflocculants, biopesticides, biosurfactants and other value-added products, demonstrating marked advantages over the conventional one-stage processes. It represents a promising, and likely the sole viable, paradigm for future application. However, there are also many remainin... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5192439 Sun, 21 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5192439 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5192440&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21872654%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Safarnejad MR, Jouzani GS, Tabatabaie M, Twyman RM, Schillberg S Abstract Plant diseases have a significant impact on the yield and quality of crops. Many strategies have been developed to combat plant diseases, including the transfer of resistance genes to crops by conventional breeding. However, resistance genes can only be introgressed from sexually-compatible species, so breeders need alternative measures to introduce resistance traits from more distant sources. In this context, genetic engineering provides an opportunity to exploit diverse and novel forms of resistance, e.g. the use of recombinant antibodies targeting plant pathogens. Native antibodies, as a part of the vertebrate adaptive immune system, can bind to foreign antigens and eliminate them from the body. T... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5192440 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5192440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5192442&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21871554%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Banerjee S, Singh S, Rahman LU Abstract Agrobacterium rhizogenes induced hairy root cultures are entering into a new juncture of functional research in generating pharmaceutical lead compounds by bringing about chemical transformations aided through its inherent enzyme resources. Rational utilization of hairy root cultures as highly effective biotransformation systems has come into existence in the last twenty years involving a wide range of plant systems as well as exogenous substrates and diverse chemical reactions. To date, hairy root cultures are preferred over plant cell/callus and suspension cultures as biocatalyst due to their genetic/biochemical stability, hormone-autotrophy, multi-enzyme biosynthetic potential mimicking that of the parent plants and relatively low... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5192442 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5192442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5192441&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21871555%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Vitale G, Zappavigna S, Marra M, Dicitore A, Meschini S, Condello M, Arancia G, Castiglioni S, Maroni P, Bendinelli P, Piccoletti R, van Koetsveld PM, Cavagnini F, Budillon A, Abbruzzese A, Hofland LJ, Caraglia M Abstract We have previously shown that cancer cells can protect themselves from apoptosis induced by type I interferons (IFNs) through a ras→MAPK-mediated pathway. In addition, since IFN-mediated signalling components STATs are controlled by PPAR gamma we studied the pharmacological interaction between recombinant IFN-β and the PPAR-γ agonist troglitazone (TGZ). This combination induced a synergistic effect on the growth inhibition of BxPC-3, a pancreatic cancer cell line, through the counteraction of the IFN-β-induced activation of STAT-3, MAPK and AKT and t... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5192441 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5192441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174910&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21856400%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ingham CJ, Ter Maat J, de Vos WM Abstract Porous aluminum oxide (PAO) is a ceramic formed by an anodization process of pure aluminum that enables the controllable assembly of exceptionally dense and regular nanopores in a planar membrane. As a consequence, PAO has a high porosity, nanopores with high aspect ratio, biocompatibility and the potential for high sensitivity imaging and diverse surface modifications. These properties have made this unusual material attractive to a disparate set of applications. This review examines how the structure and properties of PAO connect with its present and potential uses within research and biotechnology. The role of PAO is covered in areas including microbiology, mammalian cell culture, sensitive detection methods, microarrays and oth... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174910 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174910 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174909&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21856401%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mosca E, Barcella M, Alfieri R, Bevilacqua A, Canti G, Milanesi L Abstract Cancer has been proposed as an example of systems biology disease or network disease. Accordingly, tumor cells differ from their normal counterparts more in terms of intracellular network dynamics than single markers. Here we shall focus on a recently recognized hallmark of cancer, the deregulation of cellular energetics. The constitutive activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway has been confirmed as an essential step toward cell transformation. We will consider how the effects of Akt activation are connected with cell metabolism; more precisely, we will review existing metabolic models and discuss the current knowledge available to construct a kinetic model of the most rel... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174909 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174908&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21856402%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Panesar PS, Kumari S Abstract Lactulose a "bifidus factor" is composed of galactose and fructose, which can be produced by the isomerization of lactose. It is a prebiotic carbohydrate which stimulates the growth of health-promoting bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli and at the same time inhibits growth of pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella. It can also be used for the treatment of constipation, hepatic encephalopathy, tumour prevention, and to maintain blood glucose and insulin level. This review provides comprehensive information on the different techniques used for the production of lactulose, purification and analysis and besides this mechanism of action and its potential applications in food and pharmaceutical industries... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174908 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174907&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21856403%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Fischer R, Schillberg S, Hellwig S, Twyman RM, Drossard J Abstract Recombinant proteins can be produced in a diverse array of plant-based systems, ranging from whole plants growing in the soil to plant suspension cells growing in a fully-defined synthetic medium in a bioreactor. When the recombinant proteins are intended for medical use (plant-derived pharmaceutical proteins, PDPs) they fall under the same regulatory guidelines for manufacturing that cover drugs from all other sources, and when such proteins enter clinical development this includes the requirement for production according to good manufacturing practice (GMP). In principle, the well-characterized GMP regulations that apply to pharmaceutical proteins produced in bacteria and mammalian cells are directly tran... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174907 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174907 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174906&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21856404%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Joyce BL, Stewart CN Abstract Petroleum-derived liquid fuels and commodities play a part in nearly every aspect of modern daily life. However, dependence on this one natural resource to maintain modern amenities has caused negative environmental and geopolitical ramifications. In an effort to replace petroleum, technologies to synthesize liquid fuels and other commodities from renewable biomass are being developed. Current technologies, however, only use a portion of plant biomass feedstocks for fuel and useful products. Using the whole "feedstock buffalo" optimally using all portions and biochemicals present in renewable biomass will enhance the economic and environmental feasibility of biofuels and coproducts. To accomplish this optimization, greater understanding of the... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174906 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174905&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21856405%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Saini R, Kapoor R, Kumar R, Siddiqui TO, Kumar A Abstract CO(2) fixing microbes are the species primarily engaged in complexing the inorganic carbon dioxide to organic carbon compounds. There are many microorganisms from archaeal and bacterial domain that can fix carbon dioxide through six known CO(2) fixing pathways. These organisms are ubiquitous and can survive in wide range of aerobic and anaerobic habitats. This review focuses on the prior research, that has been conducted in this field and presents a summarized overview of all the mechanisms (along with their genes and enzymes) used by these microbes for CO(2) incorporation. In addition, this review provides a better understanding of diversity and taxonomy of CO(2) fixing microorganisms. The information presented her... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174905 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174904&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21856406%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Parenti MD, Rastelli G Abstract Nowadays, the improvement of R&D productivity is the primary commitment in pharmaceutical research, both in big pharma and smaller biotech companies. To reduce costs, to speed up the discovery process and to increase the chance of success, advanced methods of rational drug design are very helpful, as demonstrated by several successful applications. Among these, computational methods able to predict the binding affinity of small molecules to specific biological targets are of special interest because they can accelerate the discovery of new hit compounds. Here we provide an overview of the most widely used methods in the field of binding affinity prediction, as well as of our own work in developing BEAR, an innovative methodology specific... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174904 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174911&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21854841%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Walmsley AM, Doran PM PMID: 21854841 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174911 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140995&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21843627%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Pelosi A, Shepherd R, Walmsley AM Abstract As commercial approval of the first, purified, plant-based biopharmaceuticals for parenteral delivery to humans approaches, improved strategies for delivery of plant-made vaccines and therapeutics are required to ensure their further development and to fulfil the prospect of supplying a global solution for affordable medicines. To ensure that this occurs, research should investigate and characterise the host immune system in addition to the effects of adjuvants and carrier vehicles on consistency and efficacy of vaccination. In this review we explore the basic understandings of pharmaceutical delivery and its effect on immunogenicity in an effort to advance the plant-made pharmaceutical platform. PMID: 21843627 [PubMed - as su... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140995 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5140995 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097562&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21801972%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 21801972 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097562 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 04:07:39 +0100 5097562 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140997&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21843625%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wilken LR, Nikolov ZL Abstract Plants are becoming commercially acceptable for recombinant protein production for human therapeutics, vaccine antigens, industrial enzymes, and nutraceuticals. Recently, significant advances in expression, protein glycosylation, and gene-to-product development time have been achieved. Safety and regulatory concerns for open-field production systems have also been addressed by using contained systems to grow transgenic plants. However, using contained systems eliminates several advantages of open-field production, such as inexpensive upstream production and scale-up costs. Upstream technological achievements have not been matched by downstream processing advancements. In the past 10years, the most research progress was achieved in the areas o... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140997 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5140997 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140996&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21843626%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Scotti N, Rigano MM, Cardi T Abstract In the past decades, the progress made in plant biotechnology has made possible the use of plants as a novel production platform for a wide range of molecules. In this context, the transformation of the plastid genome has given a huge boost to prove that plants are a promising system to produce recombinant proteins. In this review, we provide a background on plastid genetics and on the principles of this technology in higher plants. Further, we discuss the most recent biotechnological applications of plastid transformation for the production of enzymes, therapeutic proteins, antibiotics, and proteins with immunological properties. We also discuss the potential of plastid biotechnology and the novel tools developed to overcome some limi... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140996 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5140996 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140994&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21846499%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Huang TK, McDonald KA Abstract Plant cells have been demonstrated to be an attractive heterologous expression host (using whole plants and in vitro plant cell cultures) for foreign protein production in the past 20years. In recent years in vitro liquid culture of plant cells in a fully contained bioreactor have become promising alternatives to traditional microbial fermentation and mammalian cell cultures as a foreign protein expression platform, due to the unique features of plant cells as a production host including product safety, cost-effective biomanufacturing, and the capacity for complex protein post-translational modifications. Heterologous proteins such as therapeutics, antibodies, vaccines and enzymes for pharmaceutical and industrial applications have been succe... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140994 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5140994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140993&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21846500%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gao C, Ma C, Xu P Abstract Lactic acid, the most important hydroxycarboxylic acid, is now commercially produced by the fermentation of sugars present in biomass. In addition to its use in the synthesis of biodegradable polymers, lactic acid can be regarded as a feedstock for the green chemistry of the future. Different potentially useful chemicals such as pyruvic acid, acrylic acid, 1,2-propanediol, and lactate ester can be produced from lactic acid via chemical and biotechnological routes. Here, we reviewed the current status of the production of potentially valuable chemicals from lactic acid via biotechnological routes. Although some of the reactions described in this review article are still not applicable at current stage, due to their "greener" properties, biotechnol... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140993 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5140993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140992&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21846501%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Osterlund T, Nookaew I, Nielsen J Abstract Since the first large-scale reconstruction of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolic network 15years ago the development of yeast metabolic models has progressed rapidly, resulting in no less than nine different yeast genome-scale metabolic models. Here we review the historical development of large-scale mathematical modeling of yeast metabolism and the growing scope and impact of applications of these models in four different areas: as guide for metabolic engineering and strain improvement, as a tool for biological interpretation and discovery, applications of novel computational framework and for evolutionary studies. PMID: 21846501 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140992 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5140992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140999&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21839159%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Webster DE, Thomas MC Abstract The complex and diverse nature of the post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins represents an efficient and cost-effective mechanism for the exponential diversification of the genome. PTMs have been shown to affect almost every aspect of protein activity, including function, localization, stability, and dynamic interactions with other molecules. Although many PTMs are evolutionarily conserved there are also important kingdom-specific modifications which should be considered when expressing recombinant proteins. Plants are gaining increasing acceptance as an expression system for recombinant proteins, particularly where eukaryotic-like PTMs are required. Glycosylation is the most extensively studied PTM of plant-made recombinant protei... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140999 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5140999 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140998&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21839824%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rybicki EP, Chikwamba R, Koch M, Rhodes JI, Groenewald JH Abstract The field of plant-made therapeutics in South Africa is well established in the form of exploitation of the country's considerable natural plant diversity, both in the use of native plants in traditional herbal medicines over many centuries, and in the more modern extraction of pharmacologically-active compounds from plants, including those known to traditional healers. In recent years, this has been added to by the use of plants for the stable or transient expression of pharmaceutically-important compounds, largely protein-based biologics and vaccines. South Africa has a well-developed plant biotechnology community, as well as a comprehensive legislative framework for the regulation of the exploitation of ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140998 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5140998 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5141001&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21824512%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhang L, Chou CP, Moo-Young M Abstract Therapeutic proteins require correct disulfide bond formation for biological activity and stability. This makes their manufacturing and storage inherently challenging since disulfide bonds can be aberrantly formed and/or undergo significant structural changes. In this paper the mechanisms of disulfide bond formation and scrambling are reviewed, with a focus on their impact on the biological activity and storage stability of recombinant proteins. After assessing the research progress in detecting disulfide bond scrambling, strategies for preventing this phenomenon are proposed. PMID: 21824512 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5141001 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5141001 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5141000&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21827846%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Salati S, Papa G, Adani F Abstract In the context of renewable vs. non-renewable sources of chemical compounds, the development of natural surfactants as a substitute for synthetic surfactants in technological applications is an important issue. In addition, as synthetic surfactants can persist in the environment causing toxic effects, the use of natural products presents a possibility to minimize impact on the environment. Nowadays, a promising new approach in surfactant-based technologies, consists of the use of humic acids (HAs) extracted directly from biomass that exhibit amphiphilic properties, and can be conveniently used as environmentally friendly surfactants. The raw material from which HAs are extracted and their macromolecular composition affect surfactant prope... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5141000 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5141000 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5141003&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21821113%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bacakova L, Filova E, Parizek M, Ruml T, Svorcik V Abstract The interaction of cells and tissues with artificial materials designed for applications in biotechnologies and in medicine is governed by the physical and chemical properties of the material surface. There is optimal cell adhesion to moderately hydrophilic and positively charged substrates, due to the adsorption of cell adhesion-mediating molecules (e.g. vitronectin, fibronectin) in an advantageous geometrical conformation, which makes specific sites on these molecules (e.g. specific amino acid sequences) accessible to cell adhesion receptors (e.g., integrins). Highly hydrophilic surfaces prevent the adsorption of proteins, or these molecules are bound very weakly. On highly hydrophobic materials, however, protei... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5141003 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5141003 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097483&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21813087%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bazuin S, Azadi H, Witlox F While the Green Revolution has been successful in some regions like South and East Asia, it could hardly address any achievement in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This paper tries to draw a picture on lessons learned from the failures of this revolution that should be taken into account before implementing the so-called Gene Revolution in the SSA region. After scrutinizing the failures and the pros and cons of GM crops in the region, the paper introduces some potentials for improving the malnutrition situation in SSA through launching a successful GM technology. However, it remains doubtful whether this technology can improve the situation of small-scale farmers as long as they receive no financial support from their national governments. Therefore, befo... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097483 Sat, 23 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5097483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5141004&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21820044%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Feng W, Ji P Abstract Enzyme immobilizations on carbon nanotubes for fabrication of biosensors and biofuel cells and for preparation of biocatalysts are rapidly emerging as new research areas. Various immobilization methods have been developed, and in particular, specific attachment of enzymes on carbon nanotubes has been an important focus of attention. The method of immobilization has an effect on the preservation of the enzyme structure and retention of the native biological function of the enzyme. In this review, we focus on recent advances in methodology for enzyme immobilization on carbon nanotubes. PMID: 21820044 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5141004 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5141004 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097588&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21801828%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we compared the biological effect of coatings deposited by this process and the industrial standard technique - plasma-spray. Physicochemical properties of these two coatings have been found to be significantly different in that CoBlast HA is less rough but more hydrophilic than the plasma-spray HA as evidenced by data obtained from profilometry and goniometry. Mesenchymal stem cell attachment and adhesion are enhanced on CoBlast HA. Analysis by a combination of EDX and ICP suggests that the higher crystallinity retained by the CoBlast HA result in slower coating dissolution. Detailed in vitro evaluation reveals that plasma-spray HA might induce slightly faster cell proliferation and earlier osteogenic differentiation, but CoBlast HA becomes equivalent to it by the late oste... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097588 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5097588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097566&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21801829%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Subashchandrabose SR, Ramakrishnan B, Megharaj M, Venkateswarlu K, Naidu R Microbial metabolites are of huge biotechnological potential and their production can be coupled with detoxification of environmental pollutants and wastewater treatment mediated by the versatile microorganisms. The consortia of cyanobacteria/microalgae and bacteria can be efficient in detoxification of organic and inorganic pollutants, and removal of nutrients from wastewaters, compared to the individual microorganisms. Cyanobacterial/algal photosynthesis provides oxygen, a key electron acceptor to the pollutant-degrading heterotrophic bacteria. In turn, bacteria support photoautotrophic growth of the partners by providing carbon dioxide and other stimulatory means. Competition for resources and cooper... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097566 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5097566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097522&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21802503%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chiaradonna F, Moresco RM, Airoldi C, Gaglio D, Palorini R, Nicotra F, Messa C, Alberghina L Great interest is presently given to the analysis of metabolic changes that take place specifically in cancer cells. In this review we summarize the alterations in glycolysis, glutamine utilization, fatty acid synthesis and mitochondrial dysfunction that have been reported to occur in cancer cells and in human tumors. We then propose considering cancer as a system-level disease and argue how two hallmarks of cancer, enhanced cell proliferation and evasion from apoptosis, may be evaluated as system-level properties, and how this perspective is going to modify drug discovery. Given the relevance of the analysis of metabolism both for studies on the molecular basis of cancer cell phenotyp... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097522 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5097522 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097494&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21802504%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bhatia V, Uniyal PL, Bhattacharya R Aphids, (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea) a nefarious insect pest of Brassicaceae members including major vegetable and oilseed crops have coevolved with their host plant and emerged as most economically important insect pest of crop Brassicas. Their atypical feeding mechanism and unusual reproductive biology made them intractable to control below economic threshold level of damage to the crops. To a large extent aphid infestation is controlled by spraying agrochemicals of systemic mode of action and rarely by biological control. Use of systemic insecticides is highly cost intensive as well poses bigger threat of their incorporation in dietary chain. Breeding for genetic resistance against aphids has not been possible owing to the non-availability of ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097494 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5097494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5141002&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21821114%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Alberghina L, Mavelli G, Drovandi G, Palumbo P, Pessina S, Tripodi F, Coccetti P, Vanoni M Abstract In this review we summarize the major connections between cell growth and cell cycle in the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In S. cerevisiae regulation of cell cycle progression is achieved predominantly during a narrow interval in the late G1 phase known as START (Pringle and Hartwell, 1981). At START a yeast cell integrates environmental and internal signals (such as nutrient availability, presence of pheromone, attainment of a critical size, status of the metabolic machinery) and decides whether to enter a new cell cycle or to undertake an alternative developmental program. Several signaling pathways, that act to connect the nutritional status to cellular action... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5141002 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5141002 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097638&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21784144%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Vicente T, Mota JP, Peixoto C, Alves PM, Carrondo MJ The advent of advanced therapies in the pharmaceutical industry has moved the spotlight into virus-like particles and viral vectors produced in cell culture holding great promise in a myriad of clinical targets, including cancer prophylaxis and treatment. Even though a couple of cases have reached the clinic, these products have yet to overcome a number of biological and technological challenges before broad utilization. Concerning the manufacturing processes, there is significant research focusing on the optimization of current cell culture systems and, more recently, on developing scalable downstream processes to generate material for pre-clinical and clinical trials. We review the current options for downstream processing... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097638 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5097638 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097618&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21787857%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Xu Y, Li X, Jin L, Zhen Y, Lu Y, Li S, You J, Wang L Oral administration of chicken egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) has attracted considerable attention as a means of controlling infectious diseases of bacterial and viral origin. Oral administration of IgY possesses many advantages compared with mammalian IgG including cost-effectiveness, convenience and high yield. This review presents an overview of the potential to use IgY immunotherapy for the prevention and treatment of terrestrial and aquatic animal diseases and speculates on the future of IgY technology. Included are a review of the potential application of IgY for the treatment of livestock diseases such as mastitis and diarrhea, poultry diseases such as Salmonella, Campylobacteriosis, infectious bursal disease and Newca... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097618 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5097618 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051415&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21762771%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gautam S, Loh KC Extensive research in the past two decades has led to the realization of Immunoglobulin-M (IgM) as a potential therapeutic and diagnostic agent. In order to fully exploit the potential of IgM, large quantities, in a highly pure and active form, must be available at low cost for performing clinical trials, characterization studies and quantitative-structure activity analyses. The complex physico-chemical properties, in particular its large size and labile nature renders downstream purification of IgM difficult. This review discusses the limitations and challenges associated with the current IgM purification strategies and proposes future directions for research. The uniqueness of affinity chromatography, specifically biomimetic affinity chromatography for prote... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051415 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5051415 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051416&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21756992%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lasprilla AJ, Martinez GA, Lunelli BH, Jardini AL, Filho RM Bioabsorbable polymers are considered a suitable alternative to the improvement and development of numerous applications in medicine. Poly-lactic acid (PLA,) is one of the most promising biopolymers due to the fact that the monomers may produced from non toxic renewable feedstock as well as is naturally occurring organic acid. Lactic acid can be made by fermentation of sugars obtained from renewable resources as such sugarcane. Therefore, PLA is an eco-friendly product with better features for use in the human body (nontoxicity). Lactic acid polymers can be synthesized by different processes so as to obtain products with an ample variety of chemical and mechanical properties. Due to their excellent biocompatibility an... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051416 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5051416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051417&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21756991%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Penloglou G, Chatzidoukas C, Kiparissides C The microbial production of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a complex process in which the final quantity and quality of the PHB depend on a large number of process operating variables. Consequently, the design and optimal dynamic operation of a microbial process for the efficient production of PHB with tailor-made molecular properties is an extremely interesting problem. The present study investigates how key process operating variables (i.e., nutritional and aeration conditions) affect the biomass production rate and the PHB accumulation in the cells and its associated molecular weight distribution. A combined metabolic/polymerization/macroscopic modelling approach, relating the process performance and product quality with the process... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051417 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5051417 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051414&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21763415%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Colangelo AM, Cirillo G, Lavitrano ML, Alberghina L, Papa M Neuroglial cells are fundamental for control of brain homeostasis and synaptic plasticity. Decades of pathological and physiological studies have focused on neurons in neurodegenerative disorders, but it is becoming increasingly evident that glial cells play an irreplaceable part in brain homeostasis and synaptic plasticity. Animal models of brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases have largely contributed to current understanding of astrocyte-specific mechanisms participating in brain function and neurodegeneration. Specifically, gliotransmission (presence of glial neurotransmitters, and their receptors and active transporters), trophic support (release, maturation and degradation of neurotrophins) and metabolism ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051414 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5051414 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051418&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21745560%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Iurescia S, Fioretti D, Fazio VM, Rinaldi M DNA vaccination has been widely explored to develop new, alternative and efficient vaccines for cancer immunotherapy. DNA vaccines offer several benefits such as specific targeting, use of multiple genes to enhance immunity and reduced risk compared to conventional vaccines. Rapid developments in molecular biology and immunoinformatics enable rational design approaches. These technologies allow construction of DNA vaccines encoding selected tumor antigens together with molecules to direct and amplify the desired effector pathways, as well as highly targeted vaccines aimed at specific epitopes. Reliable predictions of immunogenic T cell epitope peptides are crucial for rational vaccine design and represent a key problem in immunoinfor... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051418 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5051418 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804028&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21504787%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Torres S, Pandey A, Castro GR Organic-solvent-tolerant bacteria are considered extremophiles with different tolerance levels that change among species and strains, but also depend on the inherent toxicity of the solvent. Extensive studies to understand the mechanisms of organic solvent tolerance have been done in Gram-negative bacteria. On the contrary, the information on the solvent tolerance mechanisms in Gram-positive bacteria remains scarce. Possible shared mechanisms among Gram-(-) and Gram-(+) microorganisms include: energy-dependent active efflux pumps that export toxic organic solvents to the external medium; cis-to-trans isomerization of unsaturated membrane fatty acids and modifications in the membrane phospholipid headgroups; formation of vesicles loaded with toxic ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804028 Tue, 10 May 2011 20:00:46 +0100 4804028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804024&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21550393%26dopt%3DAbstract This article extensively reviews the recent understandings of the molecular mechanisms pertinent to baculovirus entry and cellular responses, and covers the latest advances in the vector improvements and applications, with special emphasis on antiviral therapy, cancer therapy, regenerative medicine and vaccine. PMID: 21550393 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804024 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804024 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804023&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21550394%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Fickers P, Marty A, Nicaud JM Lipases are serine hydrolases that catalyze in nature the hydrolysis of ester bonds of long chain triacylglycerol into fatty acid and glycerol. However, in favorable thermodynamic conditions, they are also able to catalyze reactions of synthesis such as esterification or amidation. The non-conventional yeast Yarrowia lipolytica possesses 16 paralogs of genes coding for lipase. However, little information on all those paralogs has been yet obtained and only three isoenzymes, namely Lip2p, Lip7p and Lip8p have been partly characterized so far. Microarray data suggest that only a few of them could be expressed and that lipase synthesis seems to be dependent on the fatty acid or oil used as carbon source confirming the high adaptation of Y. lipolytica... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804023 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804023 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804025&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21540103%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lencastre Fernandes R, Nierychlo M, Lundin L, Pedersen AE, Puentes Tellez PE, Dutta A, Carlquist M, Bolic A, Schäpper D, Brunetti AC, Helmark S, Heins AL, Jensen AD, Nopens I, Rottwitt K, Szita N, van Elsas JD, Nielsen PH, Martinussen J, Sørensen SJ, Lantz AE, Gernaey KV With the continuous development, in the last decades, of analytical techniques providing complex information at single cell level, the study of cell heterogeneity has been the focus of several research projects within analytical biotechnology. Nonetheless, the complex interplay between environmental changes and cellular responses is yet not fully understood, and the integration of this new knowledge into the strategies for design, operation and control of bioprocesses is far from being an established reality... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804025 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804026&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21527337%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Clarke SA, Walsh P, Maggs CA, Buchanan F Current strategies for bone repair have accepted limitations and the search for synthetic graft materials or for scaffolds that will support ex vivo bone tissue engineering continues. Biomimetic strategies have led to the investigation of naturally occurring porous structures as templates for bone growth. The marine environment is rich in mineralizing organisms with porous structures, some of which are currently being used as bone graft materials and others that are in early stages of development. This review describes the current evidence available for these organisms, considers the relative promise of each and suggests potential future directions. PMID: 21527337 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804026 Sat, 16 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804027&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21514372%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Oliveira C, Guimarães PM, Domingues L β-Galactosidases (EC 3.2.1.23) constitute a large family of proteins that are known to catalyze both hydrolytic and transgalactosylation reactions. The hydrolytic activity has been applied in the food industry for decades for reducing the lactose content in milk, while the transgalactosylation activity has been used to synthesize galacto-oligosaccharides and galactose containing chemicals in recent years. The main focus of this review is on the expression and production of Aspergillus niger, Kluyveromyces lactis and bacterial β-galactosidases in different microbial hosts. Furthermore, emphasis is given on the reported applications of the recombinant enzymes. Current developments on novel β-galactosidases, derived from newly identified ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804027 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804030&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21497650%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Li J, Zhu D, Niu J, Shen S, Wang G Although natural sources have long been exploited for astaxanthin production, it is still uncertain if natural astaxanthin can be produced at lower cost than that of synthetic astaxanthin or not. In order to give a comprehensive cost analysis of astaxanthin production from Haematococcus, a pilot plant with two large scale outdoor photobioreactors and a raceway pond was established and operated for 2years to develop processes for astaxanthin production from Haematococcus. The developed processes were scaled up to a hypothetical plant with a production capacity about 900kg astaxanthin per year, and the process economics was preliminarily assessed. Based on the analysis, the production cost of astaxanthin and microalgae biomass can be as low as ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804030 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804030 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804029&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21501680%26dopt%3DAbstract In this report, the economical and environmental sustainability of the aqueous two-phase extraction process is evaluated and compared to the currently established protein A affinity chromatography. Accordingly, the ATPE process was shown to be considerably advantageous in terms of process economics, especially when processing high titer cell culture supernatants. This alternative process is able to purify continuously the same amount of mAbs reducing the annual operating costs from 14.4 to 8.5 million (US$/kg) when cell culture supernatants with mAb titers higher than 2.5g/L are processed. PMID: 21501680 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804029 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4697442&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21447377%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Survase SA, Kagliwal LD, Annapure US, Singhal RS In present times, the immunosuppressants have gained considerable importance in the world market. Cyclosporin A (CyA) is a cyclic undecapeptide with a variety of biological activities including immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antiparasitic properties. CyA is produced by various types of fermentation techniques using Tolypocladium inflatum. In the present review, we discuss the biosynthetic pathway, fermentative production, downstream processing and pharmacological activities of CyA. PMID: 21447377 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4697442 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4697442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4697443&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21443940%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Szlachcic A, Zakrzewska M, Otlewski J An increasing number of proteins are currently available on the market as therapeutics and this branch of the pharmaceutical industry will expand substantially during the coming years. As many diseases result from dysfunction of proteins forming multicomponent complexes, protein drugs with their inherent high specificity and affinity seem to be optimal medical agents. On the other hand, proteins are often highly instable and sensitive to degradation, which questions their applicability as effective therapeutics. Therefore, redesign and engineering of proteins is usually a required step in the present day drug development. Several approaches have been applied to optimize the protein properties central to their pharmaceutical use. This revie... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4697443 Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4697443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4638035&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21435387%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Guo J, Bourre L, Soden DM, O'Sullivan GC, O'Driscoll C Cancer is one of the most wide-spread diseases of modern times, with an estimated increase in the number of patients diagnosed worldwide, from 11.3 million in 2007 to 15.5 million in 2030 (www.who.int). In many cases, due to the delay in diagnosis and high increase of relapse, survival rates are low. Current therapies, including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, have made significant progress, but they have many limitations and are far from ideal. Although immunotherapy has recently offered great promise as a new approach in cancer treatment, it is still very much in its infancy and more information on this approach is required before it can be widely applied. For these reasons effective, safe and patient-acceptable can... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4638035 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4638035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4638037&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21419836%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Imhoff JF, Labes A, Wiese J The biological resources of the oceans have been exploited since ancient human history, mainly by catching fish and harvesting algae. Research on natural products with special emphasis on marine animals and also algae during the last decades of the 20th century has revealed the importance of marine organisms as producers of substances useful for the treatment of human diseases. Though a large number of bioactive substances have been identified, some many years ago, only recently the first drugs from the oceans were approved. Quite astonishingly, the immense diversity of microbes in the marine environments and their almost untouched capacity to produce natural products and therefore the importance of microbes for marine biotechnology was realized on ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4638037 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4638037 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4638036&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21419837%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Justice C, Brix A, Freimark D, Kraume M, Pfromm P, Eichenmueller B, Czermak P In the biopharmaceutical industry, mammalian and insect cells as well as plant cell cultures are gaining worldwide importance to produce biopharmaceuticals and as products themselves, for example in stem cell therapy. These highly sophisticated cell-based production processes need to be monitored and controlled to guarantee product quality and to satisfy GMP requirements. With the process analytical technology (PAT) initiative, requirements regarding process monitoring and control have changed and real-time in-line monitoring tools are now recommended. Dielectric spectroscopy (DS) can serve as a tool to satisfy some PAT requirements. DS has been used in the medical field for quite some time and it ma... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4638036 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4638036 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4638038&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21406222%26dopt%3DAbstract This article provides new insight into the relationship between global climate change and human health by identifying omega-3 PUFA availability as a potentially important link, and proposes a biotechnological strategy for addressing the potential shortage of omega-3 PUFAs in human diets resulting from global climate change. PMID: 21406222 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4638038 Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4638038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4578752&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21371549%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Schumacher M, Kelkel M, Dicato M, Diederich M Cancer is one of the most deadly diseases in the world. Although advances in the field of chemo-preventive and therapeutic medicine have been made regularly over the last ten years, the search for novel anti-cancer treatments continues. In this field, the marine environment, with its rich variety of organisms,is a largely untapped source of novel compounds with potent antitumor activity. Althoughmany reviews of marine anti-cancer compounds have been published, we focushere on selected marine compounds that act on the six hallmarks of cancer presented namely self-sufficiency in growth signals, insensitivity to anti-growth signals, evasion of apoptosis, limitless replication, sustained angiogenesis and tissue invasion and metastasis.... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4578752 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4578752 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4578753&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21362466%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cai G, Jin B, Monis P, Saint C Fermentative hydrogen production (FHP) has received a great R & D interest in recent decades, as it offers a potential means of producing H(2) from a variety of renewable resources, even wastewater via a low energy continuous process. Various extracellular metabolites including ethanol, acetate, butyrate and lactate can be produced during the fermentation, building a complex metabolic network of the FHP. Except for the recognition of its complexity, the metabolic flux network has not been well understood. Studies on biochemical reactions and metabolic flux network associated with the FHP in anaerobic fermentation system have only been drawn attention in recent years. This review summarizes the biochemical reactions taking place in the metabol... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4578753 Sat, 26 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4578753 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4578754&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21315143%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Averina ES, Kutyrev IA Marine foods represent a unique source of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the omega-3 (n-3) family. Today it is generally accepted that fish oil is important in a healthy and balanced omnivorous human diet. This favorable health perception of fish oil is however troubled by the high level of PUFA oxidation and low absorption in the gastro-intestinal tract. In this work we present and described various types of delivery systems which are used to improve PUFA and fish oil availability and oxidative stability. PMID: 21315143 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4578754 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4578754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4470694&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21291993%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Martins S, Mussatto SI, Martínez-Avila G, Montañez-Saenz J, Aguilar CN, Teixeira JA Interest in the development of bioprocesses for the production or extraction of bioactive compounds from natural sources has increased in recent years due to the potential applications of these compounds in food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. In this context, solid-state fermentation (SSF) has received great attention because this bioprocess has potential to successfully convert inexpensive agro-industrial residues, as well as plants, in a great variety of valuable compounds, including bioactive phenolic compounds. The aim of this review, after presenting general aspects about bioactive compounds and SSF systems, is to focus on the production and extraction of bioactive phenolic co... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4470694 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4470694 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4470695&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21272631%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ji XJ, Huang H, Ouyang PK 2,3-Butanediol is a promising bulk chemical due to its extensive industry applications. The state-of-the-art nature of microbial 2,3-butanediol production is reviewed in this paper. Various strategies for efficient and economical microbial 2,3-butanediol production, including strain improvement, substrate alternation, and process development, are reviewed and compared with regard to their pros and cons. This review also summarizes value added derivatives of biologically produced 2,3-butanediol and different strategies for downstream processing. The future prospects of microbial 2,3-butanediol production are discussed in light of the current progress, challenges, and trends in this field. Guidelines for future studies are also proposed. PMID: 21272... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4470695 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4470695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4400238&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21262336%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jayakumar R, Prabaharan M, Kumar PT, Nair SV, Tamura H Wound dressing is one of the most promising medical applications for chitin and chitosan. The adhesive nature of chitin and chitosan, together with their antifungal and bactericidal character, and their permeability to oxygen, are very important properties associated with the treatment of wounds and burns. Different derivatives of chitin and chitosan have been prepared for this purpose in the form of hydrogels, fibers, membranes, scaffolds and sponges. The purpose of this review is to take a closer look on the wound dressing applications of biomaterials based on chitin, chitosan and their derivatives in the various forms in detail. PMID: 21262336 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4400238 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4400238 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4400237&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21262337%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Campbell BE, Boag PR, Hofmann A, Cantacessi C, Wang CK, Taylor P, Hu M, Sindhu ZU, Loukas A, Sternberg PW, Gasser RB Almost nothing is known about atypical kinases in multicellular organisms, including parasites. Supported by information and data available for the free-living nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, and other eukaryotes, the present article describes three RIO kinase genes, riok-1, riok-2 and riok-3, from Haemonchus contortus, one of the most important parasitic nematodes of small ruminants. Analyses of these genes and their products predict that they each play critical roles in developmental pathways of parasitic nematodes. The findings of this review indicate prospects for functional studies of these genes in C. elegans (as a surrogate) and opportunities for the de... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4400237 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4400237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4400239&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21251973%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhang Y, Arends JB, de Wiele TV, Boon N Marine micro-organisms have been playing highly diverse roles over evolutionary time: they have defined the chemistry of the oceans and atmosphere. During the last decades, bioreactors with novel designs have become an important tool to study marine microbiology and ecology in terms of: marine microorganism cultivation and deep-sea bioprocess characterization; unique bio-chemical product formation and intensification; marine waste treatment and clean energy generation. In this review we briefly summarize the current status of bioreactor technology applied in marine microbiology and the critical parameters to take into account during reactor design. Furthermore, when we look at the growing population, as well as, pollution in the coastal ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4400239 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4400239 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4400240&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21241790%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hussain SS, Ali M, Ahmad M, Siddique KH Polyamines (PAs) are ubiquitous biogenic amines that have been implicated in diverse cellular functions in widely distributed organisms. In plants, mutant and transgenic plants with altered activity pointed to their involvement with different abiotic and biotic stresses. Furthermore, microarray, transcriptomic and proteomic approaches have elucidated key functions of different PAs in signaling networks in plants subjected to abiotic and biotic stresses, however the exact molecular mechanism remains enigmatic. Here, we argue that PAs should not be taken only as a protective molecule but rather like a double-faced molecule that likely serves as a major area for further research efforts. This review summarizes recent advances in plant polya... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4400240 Sat, 15 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4400240 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4400241&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21238564%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Agyei D, Danquah MK Recent studies have shown that most peptide sequences encrypted in food proteins confer bioactive properties after release by enzymatic hydrolysis. Such bioactivities, which include antithrombotic, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties, are among the traits that are of biological significance in therapeutic products. Bioactive peptides could therefore serve as potential therapeutic agents. Moreover, research has shown that peptide therapeutics are toxicologically safe, and present less side effects when compared to small molecule drugs. However, the major conventional methods i.e. the synthetic and biotechnological methods used in the production of peptide therapeutics are relatively expensive. The lack of commercially-viable process... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4400241 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4400241 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4400242&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21236330%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Xu J, Ge X, Dolan MC "Molecular farming" in plants with significant advantages in cost and safety is touted as a promising platform for the production of complex pharmaceutical proteins. While whole-plant produced biopharmaceuticals account for a significant portion of the preclinical and clinical pipeline, plant cell suspension culture, which integrates the merits of whole-plant systems with those of microbial fermentation, is emerging as a more compliant alternative "factory". However, low protein productivity remains a major obstacle that limits extensive commercialization of plant cell bioproduction platform. This review highlights the advantages and recent progress in plant cell culture technology and outlines viable strategies at both the biological and process engineeri... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4400242 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4400242 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4335700&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21182926%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cantacessi C, Gasser RB, Strube C, Schnieder T, Jex AR, Hall RS, Campbell BE, Young ND, Ranganathan S, Sternberg PW, Mitreva M The lungworm, Dictyocaulus viviparus, causes parasitic bronchitis in cattle, and is responsible for substantial economic losses in temperate regions of the world. Here, we undertake the first large-scale exploration of available transcriptomic data for this lungworm, examine differences in transcription between different stages/both genders and identify and prioritize essential molecules linked to fundamental metabolic pathways, which could represent novel drug targets. Approximately 3 million expressed sequence tags (ESTs), generated by 454 sequencing from third-stage larvae (L3) as well as adult females and males of D. viviparus, were assembled and a... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4335700 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4335700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4335702&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21147210%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Brandsma ME, Jevnikar AM, Ma S Iron is indispensible for life and essential for such processes as oxygen transport, electron transfer and DNA synthesis. Transferrin (Tf) is a ubiquitous protein with a central role in iron transport and metabolism. There is evidence, however, that Tf has many other biological roles in addition to its primary function of facilitating iron transport and metabolism, such as its profound effect on mammalian cell growth and productivity. The multiple functions of Tf can be exploited to develop many novel applications. Indeed, over the past several years, considerable efforts have been directed towards exploring human serum Tf (hTf), especially the use of recombinant native hTf and recombinant Tf fusion proteins, for various applications within biote... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4335702 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4335702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4335701&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21147211%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ma Y, Prasad MN, Rajkumar M, Freitas H Technogenic activities (industrial-plastic, textiles, microelectronics, wood preservatives; mining-mine refuse, tailings, smelting; agrochemicals-chemical fertilizers, farm yard manure, pesticides; aerosols-pyrometallurgical and automobile exhausts; biosolids-sewage sludge, domestic waste; fly ash-coal combustion products) are the primary sources of heavy metal contamination and pollution in the environment in addition to geogenic sources. During the last two decades, bioremediation has emerged as a potential tool to clean up the metal-contaminated/polluted environment. Exclusively derived processes by plants alone (phytoremediation) are time-consuming. Further, high levels of pollutants pose toxicity to the remediating plants. This situa... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4335701 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4335701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4335703&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21146601%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Murrell S, Wu SC, Butler M Dengue viral infection has become an increasing global health concern with over two-fifths of the world's population at risk of infection. It is the most rapidly spreading vector borne disease, attributed to changing demographics, urbanization, environment, and global travel. It continues to be a threat in over 100 tropical and sub-tropical countries, affecting predominantly children. Dengue also carries a hefty financial burden on the health care systems in affected areas, as those infected seek care for their symptoms. The search for a suitable vaccine for dengue has been ongoing for the last sixty years, yet any effective treatment or vaccine remains elusive. A vaccine must be protective for all four serotypes of dengue and be cost-effective. Many... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4335703 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4335703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4250951&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21130862%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Vaishnav P, Demain AL Secondary metabolites have been found to have interesting applications over and above their well-known medical uses, e.g., as antimicrobials, etc. These alternative applications include antitumor, cholesterol-lowering, immunosuppressant, anti-protozoal, anti-helminth, anti-viral and anti-ageing activities. Polyene antibiotics, such as amphotericin B, are of use as anti-prion agents, antitumor drugs and against leishmaniasis. Other microbial natural products that show antibiotic activity are used against cancer e.g., doxorubicin, neomycin, β-lactams, bleomycin and rapamycin. Macrolide antibiotics, such as erythromycin, clarithromycin and azithromycin, improve pulmonary function in patients suffering from panbion cholitis. Pigments like prodigiosin and shi... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4250951 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4250951 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4217992&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21115108%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Biju V, Mundayoor S, Omkumar RV, Anas A, Ishikawa M PMID: 21115108 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4217992 Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4217992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4217991&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21115109%26dopt%3DAbstract This article reviews the various cost-effective technologies and strategies, which are being developed to improve yield and quality of the plant-derived pharmaceuticals, thereby making plant-based production system suitable alternatives to the existing systems. It also attempts to overview the different novel plant-derived pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceutical protein products that are at various stages of clinical development or commercialization. It then discusses the biosafety and regulatory issues, which are crucial (if strictly adhered to) to eliminating potential health and environmental risks, which in turn is necessary to earning favorable public perception, thus ensuring the success of the industry. PMID: 21115109 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Adv... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4217991 Fri, 26 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4217991 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4217994&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21094247%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sonah H, Deshmukh RK, Singh VP, Gupta DK, Singh NK, Sharma TR A significant review of status and availability of genomic resources in horticultural crops can be utilized for the efficient exploitation of the current research in developing improved varieties and also defining future goals. In the present review, an attempt has been made to describe the current genomic resources available in major horticultural crops and utility of the genomic and genic sequence information for isolating and characterizing novel useful genes and designing new DNA markers. We have found that these genomic resources have been utilized for both basic and applied research; however the progress is relatively slow. Recent advances in automation and high throughput techniques used in decoding plant gen... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4217994 Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4217994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4217993&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21094248%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ho SH, Chen CY, Lee DJ, Chang JS The problem of climate change arising mainly from CO(2) emission is currently a critical environmental issue. Biofixation using microalgae has recently become an attractive approach to CO(2) capture and recycling with additional benefits of downstream utilization and applications of the resulting microalgal biomass. This review summarizes the history and strategies of microalgal mitigation of CO(2) emissions, photobioreactor systems used to cultivate microalgae for CO(2) fixation, current microalgae harvesting methods, as well as applications of valuable by-products. It is of importance to select appropriate microalgal species to achieve an efficient and economically feasible CO(2)-emission mitigation process. The desired microalgae species sho... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4217993 Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4217993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4042504&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20891033%26dopt%3DAbstract Retraction notice to "microbial production of dihydroxyacetone" [Biotech Adv. 26 (2008) 293–303]. Biotechnol Adv. 2010 Nov-Dec;28(6):938 Authors: Mishra R, Jain SR, Kumar A PMID: 20891033 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4042504 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:20:19 +0100 4042504 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4042503&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20891034%26dopt%3DAbstract Retraction notice to "molecular imprinting in sol–gel matrix" [Biotech Adv. 26 (2008) 533–547]. Biotechnol Adv. 2010 Nov-Dec;28(6):939 Authors: Gupta R, Kumar A PMID: 20891034 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4042503 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:20:16 +0100 4042503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4042502&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20891035%26dopt%3DAbstract Retraction notice to "nanosilver - the burgeoning therapeutic molecule and its green synthesi" [Biotech Adv. 27 (2009) 924–937]. Biotechnol Adv. 2010 Nov-Dec;28(6):940 Authors: Vaidyanathan R, Kalishwaralal K, Gopalram S, Gurunathan S PMID: 20891035 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4042502 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:20:10 +0100 4042502 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003804&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20851174%26dopt%3DAbstract This study centers on the descriptor-based classification and structural analysis of experimentally verified and putative FAEs; nevertheless, the framework presented here is applicable to every poorly characterized enzyme family. 365 FAE-related sequences of fungal, bacterial and plantae origin were collected and they were clustered using Self Organizing Maps followed by k-means clustering into distinct groups based on amino acid composition and physico-chemical composition descriptors derived from the respective amino acid sequence. A Support Vector Machine model was subsequently constructed for the classification of new FAEs into the pre-assigned clusters. The model successfully recognized 98.2% of the training sequences and all the sequences of the blind test. The underlying functionali... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003804 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4003804 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003609&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20851757%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wang B, Feng C, Ma Y, Zhang Z, Yin Z, Chen L, Wang Q Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) ranks as the seventh most important staple crop in the world and the fifth in developing countries after rice, wheat, maize and cassava. Sweetpotato is mainly grown in developing countries, which account for more than 95% of total production of the whole world. Genetic resources, including cultivated varieties and wild species, are a prerequisite for novel sweetpotato breeding in both conventional and genetic engineering programs. Various cryopreservation protocols have been developed for shoot tips and embryogenic tissues. The former explants are preferred for long-term conservation of sweetpotato genetic resources, while the latter are valuable for sweetpotato genetic improvement. This review ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003609 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4003609 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3973433&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20837129%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: de Carvalho CC The use of enzymes and whole bacterial cells has allowed the production of a plethora of compounds that have been used for centuries in foods and beverages. However, only recently we have been able to master techniques that allow the design and development of new biocatalysts with high stability and productivity. Rational redesign and directed evolution have lead to engineered enzymes with new characteristics whilst the understanding of adaptation mechanisms in bacterial cells has allowed their use under new operational conditions. Bacteria able to thrive under the most extreme conditions have also provided new and extraordinary catalytic processes. In this review, the new tools available for the improvement of biocatalysts are presented and discussed. PMID:... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3973433 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3973433 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3955175&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20816943%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Naqvi S, Ramessar K, Farré G, Sabalza M, Miralpeix B, Twyman RM, Capell T, Zhu C, Christou P Maize (also known as corn) is a domesticated cereal grain that has been grown as food and animal feed for tens of thousands of years. It is currently the most widely grown crop in the world, and is used not only for food/feed but also to produce ethanol, industrial starches and oils. Maize is now at the beginning of a new agricultural revolution, where the grains are used as factories to synthesize high-value molecules. In this article we look at the diversity of high-value products from maize, recent technological advances in the field and the emerging regulatory framework that governs how transgenic maize plants and their products are grown, used and traded. PMID: 20816943 [Pu... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3955175 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3955175 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3955174&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20817088%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Onaizi SA, Leong SS Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are next generation antibiotics which will make excellent coating agents for a myriad of devices because they are far less susceptible to the development of pathogen resistance compared to conventional antibiotics, exhibit rapid and broad-spectrum killing profiles, and are effective at low concentrations. These advantages, however, are compromised upon AMP tethering to solid supports. The effects of peptide tethering strategies in governing AMP orientation, surface density, flexibility, and activity are reviewed. Understanding AMP structure-function relationship in the tethered conformation will enable rational improvements of immobilisation parameters. Foreseeable challenges in the development of AMP-coated devices such as mic... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3955174 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3955174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3955176&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20807563%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Badel S, Bernardi T, Michaud P Lactobacilli have the ability to produce different kinds of exopolysaccharides (EPS) exhibiting a wide diversity of structures. EPS are classified, according to their composition into homopolysaccharides and heteropolysaccharides. One of their most described applications is their utilization as texturing agents naturally synthesized in the fermented food products. Nowadays, in regard to demand of modern consumers focusing towards safe and healthy food without additives, new perspectives of development appear for these biopolymers. The GRAS and probiotic status of some lactobacilli give to them more preference for consumable EPS production. The main drawbacks limiting their industrial expansion are their low yields of production and the validation... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3955176 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3955176 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3900253&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20732402%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Campbell BE, Hofmann A, McCluskey A, Gasser RB Little is known about the fundamental biology of parasitic nematodes (= roundworms) that cause serious diseases, affecting literally billions of animals and humans worldwide. Unlocking the biology of these neglected pathogens using modern technologies will yield crucial and profound knowledge of their molecular biology, and could lead to new treatment and control strategies. Supported by studies in the free-living nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, some recent investigations have provided improved insights into selected protein phosphatases (PPs) of economically important parasitic nematodes (Strongylida). In the present article, we review this progress and assess the potential of serine/threonine phosphatase (STP) genes and/or the... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3900253 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3900253 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3900257&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20728528%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Norsker NH, Barbosa MJ, Vermuë MH, Wijffels RH Worldwide, microalgal biofuel production is being investigated. It is strongly debated which type of production technology is the most adequate. Microalgal biomass production costs were calculated for 3 different micro algal production systems operating at commercial scale today: open ponds, horizontal tubular photobioreactors and flat panel photobioreactors. For the 3 systems, resulting biomass production costs including dewatering, were 4.95, 4.15 and 5.96 euro per kg, respectively. The important cost factors are irradiation conditions, mixing, photosynthetic efficiency of systems, medium- and carbon dioxide costs. Optimizing production with respect to these factors, a price of euro 0.68 per kg resulted. At this cost level mi... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3900257 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3900257 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3900256&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20728529%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ni BJ, Yu HQ Aerobic granulation may play an important role in the field of wastewater treatment due to the advantages of aerobic granules compared to the conventional sludge flocs, such as denser structure, better settleability and ensured solid-effluent separation, higher biomass concentration, and greater ability to withstand shock loadings, which is promising for a full-scale implementation. As an aid for this implementation, mathematical modeling would be an invaluable tool. In this paper, the existing mathematical models available in literature concerning aerobic granule systems are reviewed, including the modeling of the dynamic facets of the aerobic granulation process, the mass transfer and detachment in aerobic granules, the granule-based sequencing batch reactor, th... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3900256 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3900256