All Microbial Biotechnology articles – Page 3
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NewsMagic mushrooms invent active compound twice
A study shows that fungi have developed the ability to produce psilocybin at least twice independently of each other. While Psilocybe species use a known enzyme toolkit for this purpose, fiber cap mushrooms employ a different biochemical arsenal – and yet arrive at the same molecule.
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NewsNew genome editing method inspired by bacteria’s defense strategies
Researchers have developed a new method for precisely editing DNA. Their aim was to make genetic changes in bacteria, plants, and human cells even more accurate and gentle.
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NewsGame-changing biotech for engineering pathogen-resistant crops
Researchers have identified an ancient protein that has the potential to help defend plants against tens of thousands of different bacteria and other pathogens. Dubbed “SCORE”, this receptor detects cold-shock protein—variations of which are found in more than 85% of known bacteria, as well as fungi and insects.
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NewsBiodegradable PET alternative bioproduced at unprecedented levels
The PET-alternative PDCA is biodegradable and has superior physical properties. A team of bioengineers has engineered E. coli bacteria to produce the compound from glucose at unprecedented levels and without byproducts — and opened up a realm of possibilities for the future of bioengineering.
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NewsResearch team on quest to engineer computing systems from living cells
A research team has received a $1.99 million grant to lead research on engineered bacterial consortia that could form the basis of biological computing systems. They aim to integrate microbial sensing and communication with electronic networks, paving the way for computing systems constructed from living cells instead of traditional silicon-based hardware.
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NewsBroad-specificity enzyme targets glycans from across the kingdoms of life
Researchers have found a new enzyme that has a much broader specificity than the leading alternatives. This analysis resulted in the identification of the PNGaseL enzyme taken from Flavobacterium akiainvivens, which is a microbe isolated from decaying wood of a Hawai’ian plant.
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NewsPioneering raspberry genome editing technique could be the future of fruit and farming
Researchers have published a new method to edit the DNA of raspberries, with the goal of creating more sustainable raspberry production and less food waste. Protoplasts were gene edited with CRISPR-Cas9, which can be programmed to target any region of the genome.
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NewsMetabolic modeling unlocks diversity of yeast for industrial biotechnology
Scientists uncovered how yeast adapts to different environments at a systems level through strain-specific metabolic modeling.
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CareersMicrobes at work: Caliche’s journey in carbon capture
When petroleum engineers Amit Priyadarshan and Anandh Mathew founded Caliche Private Limited in 2018, their initial vision was not limited to the oil and gas sector they knew so well. Instead, they were driven by a bigger challenge: climate change.
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NewsBacterial signaling molecule that choreographs flip between biofilm and motility could transform biotechnology and medical applications
A bacterial signaling molecule involved in flipping the switch between sessile and motile forms could offer huge potential in improving probiotics, boosting wastewater treatment and producing therapeutic compounds.
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CareersMeet the Global Ambassadors: our Q&A with Durgesh Kumar Jaiswal
The Microbiologist gets to know our Global Ambassador for India, Dr. Durgesh Kumar Jaiswal, who is Assistant Professor at the Department of Biosciences, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, specializing in microbial biotechnology and sustainable agriculture.
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NewsChemists boost the efficiency of a key enzyme in bacterial photosynthesis
Chemists have shown that they can greatly enhance a version of the photosynthesis enzyme rubisco found in bacteria from a low-oxygen environment. Using directed evolution, they identified mutations that could boost rubisco’s catalytic efficiency by up to 25 per cent.
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NewsScientists uncover ‘superfamily’ of bacterial predator proteins
Scientists have identified a new type of protein in bacteria that could change our understanding of how these organisms interact with their environments. It focuses on a protein called PopA, found in the bacterial predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus.
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NewsNew cell-sorting platform accelerates discovery of high-value microbes
Researchers have developed an advanced, high-throughput single-cell sorting platform that enables direct isolation of living cells with targeted metabolic profiles from large mutant libraries.
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NewsBiosynthetic pathway discoveries mean we can halve the price of costly cancer drug
Researchers have identified the enzymes responsible for the two critical final steps in the biosynthetic pathway that makes the chemotherapy drug Taxol active as a drug, potentially opening it up to biotech based production.
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NewsSilver nanoparticles produced by fungus could be used to prevent and treat COVID-19
Silver nanoparticles produced by the fungus Trichoderma reesei could become important allies in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Tests on hamsters showed that they not only inhibited the infection but also reduced the viral load in the lungs.
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NewsElectricity-generating bacteria may power future innovations
Scientists have discovered how certain bacteria breathe by generating electricity, using a natural process that pushes electrons into their surroundings instead of breathing on oxygen.
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NewsNew tool for cutting DNA offers promising prospects for biotechnology
Researchers have developed a new genetic tool based on a family of specific enzymes called Ssn that allows targeted cuts to be induced exclusively in single-stranded DNA. They focused on one of these enzymes in the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis.
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NewsMicrobial landscape in the early operation phase of China space station
Metagenomics, comparative genomics, and microbial culture techniques were employed to conduct an in-depth analysis of the structure, function, dynamic changes, and adaptation mechanisms of microbial communities within the China Space Station.
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NewsMicroalgae and bacteria team up to convert CO2 into useful products
Most methods of genetically modifying the bacterium Escherichia coli and other microbes to convert carbon dioxide into useful biological products require additional carbon sources. A new study overcomes this limitation by combining the photosynthetic finesse of a single-celled algae with the production capabilities of the bacteria E. coli.