Contribution of the mesophilic fungi of different spices in Egypt

Thirty-eight genera and 81 species of fungi were isolated and identified from 120 samples of 24 kinds of spices collected from different places at Assiut Governorate, Egypt. Predominant genera wereAspergillus (25 species) andPenicillium (7 species) of whichA. flavus, A. niger, A. ochraceus, A. fumigatus, A. flavus var.columnaris, A. terreus, P. chrysogenum andP. corylophilum were the most commonly occurring.     

Glycerol production by two filamentous fungi grown at different ionic and nonionic osmotics and cheese whey

Glycerol production by a highly glycerol-producing local isolate (Eurotium amstelodami) and a standard reference isolate (Aspergillus wentii) was markedly enhanced by high saline media. Glycerol concentration depended on the external osmotic. Thus, the highest glycerol concentration was found in the presence of NaCl, followed by KCl, with considerably lower values for MgCl₂ and CaCl₂ saline media. With glucose (5–50%) used as a nonionic osmotic, low levels of glycerol were obtained and the main pool of polyols was mannitol. Glycerol production was gradually increased with the increase of NaCl concentration of cheese whey, reaching maxima by both organisms when whey was supplemented with 8% NaCl (total of 16% NaCl). The quantity of glycerol produced byA. wentii was twice higher than that obtained byE. amstelodami on whey treated with 8% NaCl.     

Aptamer-functionalized quantum dots as theranostic nanotools against cancer and bacterial infections: A comprehensive overview of recent trends

Aptamers (Apts) are synthetic nucleic acid ligands that can be engineered to target various molecules, including amino acids, proteins, and pharmaceuticals. Through a series of adsorption, recovery, and amplification steps, Apts are extracted from combinatorial libraries of synthesized nucleic acids. Using aptasensors in bioanalysis and biomedicine can be improved by combining them with nanomaterials. Moreover, Apt-associated nanomaterials, including liposomes, polymeric, dendrimers, carbon nanomaterials, silica, nanorods, magnetic NPs, and quantum dots (QDs), have been widely used as promising nanotools in biomedicine. Following surface modifications and conjugation with appropriate functional groups, these nanomaterials can be successfully used in aptasensing. Advanced biological assays can use Apts immobilized on QD surfaces through physical interaction and chemical bonding. Accordingly, modern QD aptasensing platforms rely on interactions between QDs, Apts, and targets to detect them. QD-Apt conjugates can be used to directly detect prostate, ovarian, colorectal, and lung cancers or simultaneously detect biomarkers associated with these malignancies. Tenascin-C, mucin 1, prostate-specific antigen, prostate-specific membrane antigen, nucleolin, growth factors, and exosomes are among the cancer biomarkers that can be sensitively detected using such bioconjugates. Furthermore, Apt-conjugated QDs have shown great potential for controlling bacterial infections such as Bacillus thuringiensis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Campylobacter jejuni, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella typhimurium. This comprehensive review discusses recent advancements in the design of QD-Apt bioconjugates and their applications in cancer and bacterial theranostics.     

Accumulation of sugar alcohols by filamentous fungi

Five hundred isolates of different xerophilic and non-xerophilic fungi belonging to 10 genera and 74 species were screened for alditol (sugar alcohol) accumulation. Ninety-two of the isolates failed to grow on a salt medium, most of the isolates (408) produced alditols; 348,44 and 16 of them produced low, moderate and high levels of alditols, respectively. The high alditol producers belonged to five species ofAspergillus, six species ofEurotium andFennellia flavipes. Glycerol andd-mannitol were the main constituents of alditol pools of the 16 high alditol producers.d-Arabinitol andmeso-erythritol were also formed but at low concentrations by several of the tested isolates.     

ARRHYTHMIA WITH MITRAL VALVE PROLAPSE: RESULTS OF ANNULOPLASTY IN TWO PATIENTS

The effectiveness of posterior annuloplasty in two patients who failed to respond to medical treatment for atrial and ventricular arrhythmias related to mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is reported. Although the etiology of arrhythmia in MVP remains mostly speculative, anatomic correction of prolapse or billowing of the mitral leaflets appears to reverse the anatomic and pathologic conditions that cause the arrhythmia.     

Reconstitution and partial purification of the glibenclamide-sensitive, ATP-dependent K+ channel from rat liver and beef heart mitochondria.

The transport properties of mitochondria are such that net potassium flux across the inner membrane determines mitochondrial volume. It has been known that K+ uptake is mediated by diffusive leak driven by the high electrical membrane potential maintained by redox-driven, electrogenic proton ejection and that regulated K+ efflux is mediated by an 82-kDa inner membrane K+/H+ antiporter. There is also long-standing suggestive evidence for the existence of an inner membrane protein designed to catalyze electrophoretic K+ uptake into mitochondria. We report reconstitution of a highly purified inner membrane protein fraction from rat liver and beef heart mitochondria that catalyzes electrophoretic K+ flux in liposomes and channel activity in planar lipid bilayers. The unit conductance of the channel at saturating [K+] is about 30 pS. Reconstituted K+ flux is inhibited with high affinity by ATP and ADP in the presence of divalent cations and by glibenclamide in the absence of divalent cations. The mitochondrial ATP-dependent K+ channel is selective for K+, with a Km of 32 mM, and does not transport Na+. K+ transport depends on voltage in a manner consistent with a channel activity that is not voltage-regulated. Thus, the mitochondrial ATP-dependent K+ channel exhibits properties that are remarkably similar to those of the ATP-dependent K+ channels of plasma membranes.     

A high-fat diet rich in corn oil exaggerates the infarct size and memory impairment in rats with cerebral ischemia and is associated with suppressing osteopontin and Akt,and activating GS3Kβ, iNOS,and NF-κB

Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry - The increase in osteopontin (OPN) levels after stroke induces neural protection by activating Akt signaling and inhibiting GS3Kβ, iNOS, and NF-κB....     

Synthesis of Some New Pyrazoline-Based Thiazole Derivatives and Evaluation of Their Antimicrobial,Antifungal, and Anticancer Activities

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - 3-(2-Thienyl)-5-aryl-1-thiocarbamoyl-2-pyrazolines were reacted with chloroacetone derivatives and hydrazonyl chloride derivatives in ethanol to afford the...     

Production,optimization, purification,characterization, and anti-cancer application of extracellular L-glutaminase produced from the marine bacterial isolate

Abstract

L-glutaminase from bacterial sources has been proven to be effective and economical agents in cancer therapy, food industry and high-value chemicals like threonine. In the present study, a newly isolated bacterial strain was potentially producing extracellular L-glutaminase, it identified as Bacillus subtilis OHEM11 (MK389501) using the 16S rRNA gene. L-glutaminase production optimized and the optimum factors for production under submerged fermentation were at pH 6.5–7.0 and 35?°C after 28?hr using rhamnose and glutamine as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, while bagasse was the best inducer for the production under solid-state fermentation. Ethanol precipitation and ion-exchange chromatography using QFF are the purification steps. L-glutaminase was purified to 2-fold with specific activity 89.78?U/mg and its molecular weight about 54.8?kDa with the alkaline property of the enzyme makes it clear having carcinostatic property; maximum enzyme activity at pH 8.2 and 40?°C and retained about 90% activity for 1?hr. The cytotoxicity effect of L-glutaminase indicated a significant safety on Vero cells with high anticancer activity against NFS-60, HepG-2, and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. The outcomes demonstrated that L-glutaminase could be applied in many biotechnological applications such as pharmaceutical and food processing.     

Chitosan‐triggered immunity to Fusarium in chickpea is associated with changes in the plant extracellular matrix architecture,stomatal closure and remodeling of the plant metabolome and proteome

Pathogen‐/microbe‐associated molecular patterns (PAMPs/MAMPs) initiate complex defense responses by reorganizing the biomolecular dynamics of the host cellular machinery. The extracellular matrix (ECM) acts as a physical scaffold that prevents recognition and entry of phytopathogens, while guard cells perceive and integrate signals metabolically. Although chitosan is a known MAMP implicated in plant defense, the precise mechanism of chitosan‐triggered immunity (CTI) remains unknown. Here, we show how chitosan imparts immunity against fungal disease. Morpho‐histological examination revealed stomatal closure accompanied by reductions in stomatal conductance and transpiration rate as early responses in chitosan‐treated seedlings upon vascular fusariosis. Electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy showed ECM fortification leading to oligosaccharide signaling, as documented by increased galactose, pectin and associated secondary metabolites. Multiomics approach using quantitative ECM proteomics and metabolomics identified 325 chitosan‐triggered immune‐responsive proteins (CTIRPs), notably novel ECM structural proteins, LYM2 and receptor‐like kinases, and 65 chitosan‐triggered immune‐responsive metabolites (CTIRMs), including sugars, sugar alcohols, fatty alcohols, organic and amino acids. Identified proteins and metabolites are linked to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, stomatal movement, root nodule development and root architecture coupled with oligosaccharide signaling that leads to Fusarium resistance. The cumulative data demonstrate that ROS, NO and eATP govern CTI, in addition to induction of PR proteins, CAZymes and PAL activities, besides accumulation of phenolic compounds downstream of CTI. The immune‐related correlation network identified functional hubs in the CTI pathway. Altogether, these shifts led to the discovery of chitosan‐responsive networks that cause significant ECM and guard cell remodeling, and translate ECM cues into cell fate decisions during fusariosis.