Ecosystem degradation is a major environmental threat. Beyond conservation, restoration of degraded ecosystems is a prerequisite to reinstate their ability to provide essential services and benefits. ...Most of the restoration efforts focus on aboveground restoration, that is, plants, under the assumption that establishment of plant species will reestablish the faunal and microbial species. While this may be true for some cases, it is not a general rule. Reestablishment of microbial communities by dedicated efforts is also necessary for successful restoration, as cycling of essential nutrients for plant growth and decomposition of organic matter is dependent on them. The role of microbial fertilizers and efficient organisms used in agriculture needs to be explored in restoration. Testing of symbiotic interactions between potential plant growth‐promoting Rhizobacteria and plants native to a degraded ecosystem can be conducted and utilized for successful establishment of plant species. However, utmost care must be taken while introducing new microbial species or non‐native plant species to an area, as they can adversely affect the resident microbial community. Techniques like phospholipid fatty‐acid analysis can be used for taxonomic identification of large microbial groups in non‐degraded reference ecosystems before introducing microbial species into a degraded ecosystem. For use of microbes in restoration, more studies on microbe‐plant interactions need to be conducted. For use of Soil Microbial Community (SMC) as indicators of restoration, their role and function in the ecology of the area need to be elucidated by employing all the available techniques.
Food security has become a major concern worldwide in recent years due to ever increasing population. Providing food for the growing billions without disturbing environmental balance is incessantly ...required in the current scenario. In view of this, sustainable modes of agricultural practices offer better promise and hence are gaining prominence recently. Moreover, these methods have taken precedence currently over chemical-based methods of pest restriction and pathogen control. Adoption of Biological Control is one such crucial technique that is currently in the forefront. Over a period of time, various biocontrol strategies have been experimented with and some have exhibited great success and promise. This review highlights the different methods of plant-pathogen control, types of plant pathogens, their modus operandi and various biocontrol approaches employing a range of microorganisms and their byproducts. The study lays emphasis on the use of upcoming methodologies like microbiome management and engineering, phage cocktails, genetically modified biocontrol agents and microbial volatilome as available strategies to sustainable agricultural practices. More importantly, a critical analysis of the various methods enumerated in the paper indicates the need to amalgamate these techniques in order to improve the degree of biocontrol offered by them.
In the present study, we report the draft genome sequence of an obligate thermophile
Geobacillus thermoleovorans
strain RL isolated from Manikaran hot water spring located atop the Himalayan ranges, ...India. Strain RL grew optimally at 70 °C but not below 45 °C. The draft genome (3.39 Mb) obtained by Illumina sequencing contains 138 contigs with an average G + C content of 52.30%. RAST annotation showed that amino acid metabolism pathways were most dominant followed by carbohydrate metabolism. Genome-wide analysis using NCBI’s Prokaryotic Genome Annotation Pipeline revealed that strain RL encodes for a cocktail of industrially important hydrolytic enzymes glycoside hydrolase, α-and β-glucosidase, xylanase, amylase, neopullulanase, pullulanase and lipases required for white biotechnology. In addition, the presence of genes encoding green biocatalyst multicopper polyphenol oxidase (laccase) and an anticancer enzyme
l
-glutaminase reflects the significance of strain RL in gray and red biotechnology, respectively. Strain RL is a thermophilic multi-enzyme encoding bacterium which could be the source for the recombinant production of biotechnologically significant enzymes. In, addition whole cells of strain RL may be used in bioremediation studies.
Weaponising microbes for peace Anand, Shailly; Hallsworth, John E.; Timmis, James ...
Microbial biotechnology,
June 2023, Letnik:
16, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
There is much human disadvantage and unmet need in the world, including deficits in basic resources and services considered to be human rights, such as drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, healthy ...nutrition, access to basic healthcare, and a clean environment. Furthermore, there are substantive asymmetries in the distribution of key resources among peoples. These deficits and asymmetries can lead to local and regional crises among peoples competing for limited resources, which, in turn, can become sources of discontent and conflict. Such conflicts have the potential to escalate into regional wars and even lead to global instability. Ergo: in addition to moral and ethical imperatives to level up, to ensure that all peoples have basic resources and services essential for healthy living and to reduce inequalities, all nations have a self‐interest to pursue with determination all available avenues to promote peace through reducing sources of conflicts in the world. Microorganisms and pertinent microbial technologies have unique and exceptional abilities to provide, or contribute to the provision of, basic resources and services that are lacking in many parts of the world, and thereby address key deficits that might constitute sources of conflict. However, the deployment of such technologies to this end is seriously underexploited. Here, we highlight some of the key available and emerging technologies that demand greater consideration and exploitation in endeavours to eliminate unnecessary deprivations, enable healthy lives of all and remove preventable grounds for competition over limited resources that can escalate into conflicts in the world. We exhort central actors: microbiologists, funding agencies and philanthropic organisations, politicians worldwide and international governmental and non‐governmental organisations, to engage – in full partnership – with all relevant stakeholders, to ‘weaponise’ microbes and microbial technologies to fight resource deficits and asymmetries, in particular among the most vulnerable populations, and thereby create humanitarian conditions more conducive to harmony and peace.
Deficits and asymmetries in basic resources and services considered to be human rights, such as a healthy diet, drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, healthcare, and a clean environment, can create discontent that may lead to conflicts, some of which have the potential to escalate into regional wars that in turn may cause global instability. Here, we highlight some of the available and emerging microbial technologies that demand greater consideration and exploitation in endeavours to eliminate unnecessary deprivations, enable healthy lives of all, and remove preventable grounds for conflicts in the world. Such technologies are preordained as some of the key mediators of social equity and peace among and between peoples.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to storm the world, with over 6.5 million cases worldwide. The severity of the disease varies with the territories and is mainly influenced by population density and ...age factor. In this study, we analyzed the transmission pattern of 95 SARS-CoV-2 genomes isolated from 11 different countries. Our study also revealed several nonsynonymous mutations in ORF1b and S-proteins and the impact on their structural stability. Our analysis showed the manipulation of host system by viral proteins through SARS-CoV-2–human protein interactome, which can be useful to understand the impact of virus on human health.
To address international food security concerns and sustain a growing global population, global agricultural output needs to increase by 70% by the year 2050. Current agricultural techniques to ...increase crop yields, specifically the application of chemicals, have resulted in a wide range of negative impacts on the environment and human health. The maintenance of good quality soil organic matter, a key concern in tropical countries such as India, requires a steady input of organic residues to maintain soil fertility. A tree with many uses, Leucaena leucocephala, has attracted much attention over the past decades. As per our literature review, no research has been conducted examining Leucaena leucocephala leaves for their fungal decomposition and their use as green manure. A study of the fungal colonization of Leucaena leucocephala leaves at various stages of decomposition was conducted to get an insight into which fungi play a critical role in the decomposition process. In total, fifty-two different species of fungi were isolated. There was an increase in the percentage of fungus occurrences as the leaves senesced and then finally decomposed. Almost all decomposition stages were characterized by a higher percentage occurrence of Deuteromycetes (75.47%) and by a lower rate of Ascomycetes (9.43%). A gradual increase of basidiomycetes such as unidentified sclerotia and Rhizoctonia solani was seen as the leaves senesced and finally decomposed. In the moist chamber, Didymium nigripes was the only Myxomycete isolated from completely decomposed leaves. In the present study, on average, there were more fungi in wet seasons than in the dry seasons.
The present study was carried out to clarify the taxonomic assignment of two closely related
species. Genomic information for 48 type strains was available at the time of conducting this analysis. ...Our analysis showed that two species,
.
Kim
. 2002 and
Chun
. 1999, are conspecific. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the two species possess 98.85 % sequence similarity. Further, whole-genome comparisons showed that
DSM 44348
and
N1165
shared 98.75 % average nucleotide identity, 98.63 % average amino acid identity and 87.8 % digital DNA-DNA hybridization values. These values exceed the threshold values for bacterial species delineation, indicating that they belong to the same species. Further, the phylogenomic analysis based on the core genome of the strains under study confirmed that
DSM 44348
and
N1165
formed a monophyletic clade. Based on this evidence we propose the reclassification of
Kim
. 2002 as a later heterotypic synonym of
Chun
. 1999.
Ever since the isolation of Amycolatopsis mediterranei in 1957, this strain has been the focus of research worldwide. In the last 60 years or more, our understanding of the taxonomy, development of ...cloning vectors and conjugation system, physiology, genetics, genomics, and biosynthetic pathway of rifamycin B production in A. mediterranei has substantially increased. In particular, the development of cloning vectors, transformation system, characterization of the rifamycin biosynthetic gene cluster, and the regulation of rifamycin B production by the pioneering work of Heinz Floss have made the rifamycin polyketide biosynthetic gene cluster (PKS) an attractive target for extensive genetic manipulations to produce rifamycin B analogues which could be effective against multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis. Additionally, a better understanding of the regulation of rifamycin B production and the application of newer genomics tools, including CRISPR-assisted genome editing systems, might prove useful to overcome the limitations associated with low production of rifamycin analogues.
Octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX), a high energy explosive, is used in various military and other applications like nuclear devices, rocket propellants, plastic explosives, ...rocket fuels, burster chargers construction, quarrying and mining. Generation and unselective disposal of HMX wastes from production sites, detonation fields and unexploded ordinance has resulted in significant environmental contamination of soil and water bodies. Due to its toxicity and persistence in the environment, the study of its biodegradation is highly desirable. Conventional HMX related waste management practices are neither environment friendly, nor cost effective. This work represents a consolidated up-to-date review on HMX, incorporating its production, environmental fate, conventional waste management techniques, and its toxicity and natural remediation (phytoremediation and bioremediation) potential, which may help researchers and implementers as a ready refrence to work with the high energy explosive.
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