Stable isotope-assisted metabolomics to detect metabolic flux changes in mammalian cell cultures

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Highlights► Stable isotope-assisted metabolomics is powerful to determine metabolic fluxes. ► Stable isotope-assisted metabolomics is more complex for mammalian cell cultures. ► Biotechnological processes can be improved by assessing metabolic flux changes. ► Metabolic flux analysis is an attractive tool for toxicity studies. ► There is a huge potential for future applications on mammalian systems.     

Network,nodes and nexus: systems approach to multitarget therapeutics

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Highlights► Complex diseases are an outcome of multiple triggers that precipitate into similar phenotypes. ► Systems level understanding can reveal dynamic aspects of disease progression profile. ► Correlation of metabolic remodeling to phenotypic alteration can delineate critical nodes of interventions. ► Multitargeting of key nodes of metabolic networks can be an effective therapeutic strategy. ► Robust and high-throughput data integration in conjunction with simulation would make the drug discovery process more efficient.     

Comparative genomics approaches to understanding and manipulating plant metabolism

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Highlights► Comparative genomics can help predict the function of unknown plant metabolic genes. ► Functional gene annotations are foundational to the construction of metabolic models. ► Models can simulate effects of genetic changes and thus guide metabolic engineering. ► Examples of comparative genomics facilitating gene discovery in plants are presented.     

Profiling metabolic networks to study cancer metabolism

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Highlights► Metabolic dependencies that arise in tumors may present new opportunities for therapy. ► Advanced methods in metabolic systems biology can help identify these dependencies. ► Application of isotope tracers to cancer models can facilitates quantitation of fluxes. ► Tumors with compromised TCA metabolism exhibit unique metabolic profiles.     

Beyond sequencing: optical mapping of DNA in the age of nanotechnology and nanoscopy

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Highlights► Individual DNA molecules hundreds of kbp long may be stretched and visualized by optical microscopy. ► An optical barcode is generated by fluorescent labeling of short sequence motifs along the stretched DNA. ► Optical maps complement DNA sequencing for gap closing, finishing, validation and de novo assembly of genomes. ► Genome structural variations not accessible to sequencing or DNA arrays may be directly visualized. ► Epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation and DNA binding proteins may also be mapped on single genomic fragments.     

Metabolomic investigations of anaerobic hydrocarbon-impacted environments

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Highlights► This review describes metabolomic studies of anaerobic hydrocarbon-impacted sites. ► The discovery of new pathways has provided new metabolic and molecular biomarkers. ► Assessment of in situ biodegradation is enhanced via integrative approaches.     

The enabled state of DNA nanotechnology

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Highlights► The expansion of shape space and growth of interest in structural DNA nanotechnology. ► Recent advances that support the design and practical fabrication of in particular DNA origami objects. ► DNA-based devices that support scientific discovery in different fields of science.     

Gut metabotypes govern health effects of dietary polyphenols

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Highlights► Health effects of dietary polyphenols often depend on multiple metabolic processes. ► Gut metabotypes with specific polyphenol metabolism patterns can be differentiated. ► Physiologically achievable concentrations of relevant metabolites should be tested. ► Novel products and applications can exploit polyphenol–microbiota interactions.     

Towards metagenome-scale models for industrial applications — the case of Lactic Acid Bacteria

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Highlights► Genome-scale metabolic modelling is being increasingly applied in LAB research. ► Novel techniques that broaden applicability of models remain to be applied to LAB. ► Additional constraints allow better predictions of genome-scale metabolic models. ► Novel approaches to move from modelling monocultures to mixed cultures are being developed. ► The feasibility of metagenome-based modelling approaches is being appreciated.     

Transcriptome data modeling for targeted plant metabolic engineering

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Highlights► Network analysis is essential for data mining of omics-based large-scale data sets. ► Gene coexpression analysis is useful for prediction of gene function. ► Comparative network analysis can reveal common and unique plant metabolic pathways. ► Novel genome editing tools facilitate rational metabolic engineering.     

Magnetic nanoparticles-based diagnostics and theranostics

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Highlights► Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) can be in engineered and functionalized. ► MNPs can be used as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents and targeted MNPs can be used in theranostic applications. ► MNPs are useful for in vivo drug and gene delivery. ► MNPs are useful for photodynamic, phototherapy and hyperthermia. ► MNPs can be used for controlled released and manipulation of cell in vivo.     

DNA nanotechnology with one-dimensional self-assembled nanostructures

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Highlights► Hybridization chain reactions for amplified DNA detection and DNA assembly. ► Rolling circle amplification-synthesized DNAzyme chains for amplified DNA detection. ► Bi-enzyme cascades and biocatalytic synthesis of metallic nanowires on DNA templates. ► Self-assembled one-dimensional DNA nanostructures for biocatalytic cascades. ► Programmed assembly of metal nanoparticles on one-dimensional DNA nanostructures.     

Recent progress in the metabolic engineering of alkaloids in plant systems

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Highlights► Recent metabolic engineering efforts for plant alkaloids. ► Characterizing, reconfiguring and fine-tuning metabolic ‘parts’ improves titers. ► Additional strategies are necessary to produce ‘unnatural’ natural products.     

The challenges of cellular compartmentalization in plant metabolic engineering

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Highlights► Targeting enzymes to organelles with highest precursor pool affects product yield. ► Targeting of nonendogenous enzymes to organelles is a useful tool for engineering. ► Identification of transporters is central for effective metabolic engineering. ► Advances in metabolomics of isolated organelles will impact engineering strategies. ► Future plant metabolic engineering will include introduction of entire pathways.     

Metabolic network flux analysis for engineering plant systems

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Highlights► A powerful range of tools has been developed for metabolic network flux analysis. ► These tools yield insights that are used to aid microbial metabolic engineering. ► Plants present great opportunities and special challenges to applying these tools. ► Tool selection and knowledge of plant systems is key to practical success.     

Expanded genetic code for the engineering of ribosomally synthetized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products (RiPPs)

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Highlights► RiPPs have high capabilities of target interaction far beyond the field of anti-infectives. ► RiPPs are especially suitable for design and engineering with the genetic code expansion. ► First published studies yielded RiPPs with unnatural/synthetic amino acids. ► Achievement: expanded scope of the in vivo (mainly bacterial) RiPPs synthesis. ► Perspective: design of RiPPS with novel chemistries and unique sequence combinations.     

Enzyme and metabolic engineering for the production of novel biopolymers: crossover of biological and chemical processes

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Highlights► Poly(ω-hydroxy fatty acids) are polyethylene-like biobased polyester. ► Medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate homopolymers are processed to stretchy film. ► Microbial lactate-based polyesters exhibit transparent and flexible properties. ► Enzyme and metabolic engineering facilitates the expanding of bio-based polymers.     

New opportunities by synthetic biology for biopharmaceutical production in Pichia pastoris

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Highlights► The application of Pichia pastoris for biopharmaceutical production is described. ► Synthetic biology approaches and perspectives to improve production are reviewed. ► Glycoengineering efforts to produce humanized, uniform glycoproteins are covered. ► The design and application of synthetic promoter variants are highlighted. ► The molecular toolbox available for synthetic biology in P. pastoris is discussed.     

Building robust functionality in synthetic circuits using engineered feedback regulation

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Highlights► Engineered feedback loops implement elaborate functionality in synthetic circuits. ► The homeostatic potential of feedback loops is under-utilized in synthetic biology. ► Feedback control of engineered or natural cellular functions can be achieved using biological components or in silico regulation. ► Optogenetics and microfluidic technologies are important for implementing in silico control.