The development of new methods for the direct functionalization of unactivated C–H bonds is ushering in a paradigm shift in the field of retrosynthetic analysis. In particular, the catalytic ...enantioselective functionalization of C–H bonds represents a highly atom- and step-economic approach toward the generation of structural complexity. However, as a result of their ubiquity and low reactivity, controlling both the chemo- and stereoselectivity of such processes constitutes a significant challenge. Herein we comprehensively review all asymmetric transition-metal-catalyzed methodologies that are believed to proceed via an inner-sphere-type mechanism, with an emphasis on the nature of stereochemistry generation. Our analysis serves to document the considerable and rapid progress within in the field, while also highlighting limitations of current methods.
Application of chiral derivatives of the versatile and ubiquitous cyclopentadienyl ligand has long remained an underdeveloped area in asymmetric catalysis. In this Perspective we highlight recent ...exciting results that demonstrate their enormous potential. In particular, we provide a comparative analysis of the available ligand families, an overview of their complexation chemistry, and an examination of their application in catalytic enantioselective reactions. We also discuss current limitations and speculate on the developments that are necessary to advance the field further.
Arthropod endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis is part of a global biocontrol strategy to reduce the replication of mosquito-borne RNA viruses such as alphaviruses. We previously demonstrated the ...importance of a host cytosine methyltransferase, DNMT2, in Drosophila and viral RNA as a cellular target during pathogen-blocking. Here we report a role for DNMT2 in Wolbachia-induced alphavirus inhibition in Aedes species. Expression of DNMT2 in mosquito tissues, including the salivary glands, is elevated upon virus infection. Notably, this is suppressed in Wolbachia-colonized animals, coincident with reduced virus replication and decreased infectivity of progeny virus. Ectopic expression of DNMT2 in cultured Aedes cells is proviral, increasing progeny virus infectivity, and this effect of DNMT2 on virus replication and infectivity is dependent on its methyltransferase activity. Finally, examining the effects of Wolbachia on modifications of viral RNA by LC-MS show a decrease in the amount of 5-methylcytosine modification consistent with the down-regulation of DNMT2 in Wolbachia colonized mosquito cells and animals. Collectively, our findings support the conclusion that disruption of 5-methylcytosine modification of viral RNA is a vital mechanism operative in pathogen blocking. These data also emphasize the essential role of epitranscriptomic modifications in regulating fundamental alphavirus replication and transmission processes.
The use of fly larvae for organic waste treatment Čičková, Helena; Newton, G. Larry; Lacy, R. Curt ...
Waste management (Elmsford),
January 2015, 2015-Jan, 2015-01-00, 20150101, Volume:
35
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
•Fly maggots can extract nutrients from organic waste.•Fly biodegradation facilities are effective and economically feasible.•High yields of larvae are produced on restaurant and meat-processing ...waste.•Scaling-up of production is a major obstacle for successful implementation.
The idea of using fly larvae for processing of organic waste was proposed almost 100years ago. Since then, numerous laboratory studies have shown that several fly species are well suited for biodegradation of organic waste, with the house fly (Musca domestica L.) and the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) being the most extensively studied insects for this purpose. House fly larvae develop well in manure of animals fed a mixed diet, while black soldier fly larvae accept a greater variety of decaying organic matter. Blow fly and flesh fly maggots are better suited for biodegradation of meat processing waste. The larvae of these insects have been successfully used to reduce mass of animal manure, fecal sludge, municipal waste, food scrapes, restaurant and market waste, as well as plant residues left after oil extraction. Higher yields of larvae are produced on nutrient-rich wastes (meat processing waste, food waste) than on manure or plant residues. Larvae may be used as animal feed or for production of secondary products (biodiesel, biologically active substances). Waste residue becomes valuable fertilizer. During biodegradation the temperature of the substrate rises, pH changes from neutral to alkaline, ammonia release increases, and moisture decreases. Microbial load of some pathogens can be substantially reduced. Both larvae and digested residue may require further treatment to eliminate pathogens. Facilities utilizing natural fly populations, as well as pilot and full-scale plants with laboratory-reared fly populations have been shown to be effective and economically feasible. The major obstacles associated with the production of fly larvae from organic waste on an industrial scale seem to be technological aspects of scaling-up the production capacity, insufficient knowledge of fly biology necessary to produce large amounts of eggs, and current legislation. Technological innovations could greatly improve performance of the biodegradation facilities and decrease production costs.
Fungal pathogens, among other stressors, negatively impact the productivity and population size of honey bees, one of our most important pollinators (1, 2), in particular their brood (larvae and ...pupae) (3, 4). Understanding the factors that influence disease incidence and prevalence in brood may help us improve colony health and productivity. Here, we examined the capacity of a honey bee-associated bacterium, Bombella apis, to suppress the growth of fungal pathogens and ultimately protect bee brood from infection. Our results showed that strains of
inhibit the growth of two insect fungal pathogens, Beauveria bassiana and Aspergillus flavus,
. This phenotype was recapitulated
; bee broods supplemented with
were significantly less likely to be infected by A. flavus. Additionally, the presence of
reduced sporulation of A. flavus in the few bees that were infected. Analyses of biosynthetic gene clusters across
strains suggest antifungal candidates, including a type 1 polyketide, terpene, and aryl polyene. Secreted metabolites from
alone were sufficient to suppress fungal growth, supporting the hypothesis that fungal inhibition is mediated by an antifungal metabolite. Together, these data suggest that
can suppress fungal infections in bee brood via secretion of an antifungal metabolite.
Fungi can play critical roles in host microbiomes (5-7), yet bacterial-fungal interactions are understudied. For insects, fungi are the leading cause of disease (5, 8). In particular, populations of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera), an agriculturally and economically critical species, have declined in part due to fungal pathogens. The presence and prevalence of fungal pathogens in honey bees have far-reaching consequences, endangering other species and threatening food security (1, 2, 9). Our research highlights how a bacterial symbiont protects bee brood from fungal infection. Further mechanistic work could lead to the development of new antifungal treatments.
Summary
The honey bee, the world's most important agricultural pollinator, relies exclusively on plant‐derived foods for nutrition. Nectar and pollen collected by honey bees are processed and matured ...within the nest through the activities of honey bee‐derived microbes and enzymes. In order to better understand the contribution of the microbial community to food processing in the honey bee, we generated a metatranscriptome of the honey bee gut microbiome. The function of the microbial community in the honey bee, as revealed by metatranscriptome sequencing, resembles that of other animal guts and food‐processing environments. We identified three major bacterial classes that are active in the gut (γ‐Proteobacteria, Bacilli and Actinobacteria), all of which are predicted to participate in the breakdown of complex macromolecules (e.g. polysaccharides and polypeptides), the fermentation of component parts of these macromolecules, and the generation of various fermentation products, such as short‐chain fatty acids and alcohol. The ability of the microbial community to metabolize these carbon‐rich food sources was confirmed through the use of community‐level physiological profiling. Collectively, these findings suggest that the gut microflora of the honey bee harbours bacterial members with unique roles, which ultimately can contribute to the processing of plant‐derived food for colonies.
Atropo‐enantioselective C−H functionalization reactions are largely limited to the dynamic kinetic resolution of biaryl substrates through the introduction of steric bulk proximal to the axis of ...chirality. Reported herein is a highly atropo‐enantioselective palladium(0)‐catalyzed methodology that forges the axis of chirality during the C−H functionalization process, enabling the synthesis of axially chiral dibenzazepinones. Computational investigations support experimentally determined racemization barriers, while also indicating C−H functionalization proceeds by an enantio‐determining CMD to yield configurationally stable eight‐membered palladacycles.
A barrier thing: A palladium‐catalyzed atropo‐enantioselective route towards axially chiral dibenzazepinones has been developed. The TADDOL‐derived phosphoramidite ligand L* provides high levels of enantiocontrol. Computational investigations provide information on racemization barriers and suggest an enantiodetermining C−H functionalization event. dba=dibenzylideneacetone.
Wolbachia pipientis is an intracellular endosymbiont known to confer host resistance against RNA viruses in insects. However, the causal mechanism underlying this antiviral defense remains poorly ...understood. To this end, we have established a robust arthropod model system to study the tripartite interaction involving Sindbis virus and Wolbachia strain wMel within its native host, Drosophila melanogaster. By leveraging the power of Drosophila genetics and a parallel, highly tractable D. melanogaster derived JW18 cell culture system, we determined that in addition to reducing infectious virus production, Wolbachia negatively influences Sindbis virus particle infectivity. This is further accompanied by reductions in viral transcript and protein levels. Interestingly, unchanged ratio of proteins to viral RNA copies suggest that Wolbachia likely does not influence the translational efficiency of viral transcripts. Additionally, expression analyses of candidate host genes revealed D. melanogaster methyltransferase gene Mt2 as an induced host factor in the presence of Wolbachia. Further characterization of viral resistance in Wolbachia-infected flies lacking functional Mt2 revealed partial recovery of virus titer relative to wild-type, accompanied by complete restoration of viral RNA and protein levels, suggesting that Mt2 acts at the stage of viral genome replication. Finally, knockdown of Mt2 in Wolbachia uninfected JW18 cells resulted in increased virus infectivity, thus demonstrating its previously unknown role as an antiviral factor against Sindbis virus. In conclusion, our findings provide evidence supporting the role of Wolbachia-modulated host factors towards RNA virus resistance in arthropods, alongside establishing Mt2's novel antiviral function against Sindbis virus in D. melanogaster.
The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is used extensively to produce hive products and for crop pollination, but pervasive concerns about colony health and population decline have sparked an ...interest in the microbial communities that are associated with these important insects. Currently, only the microbiome of workers has been characterized, while little to nothing is known about the bacterial communities that are associated with queens, even though their health and proper function are central to colony productivity. Here, we provide a large-scale analysis of the gut microbiome of honey bee queens during their developmental trajectory and through the multiple colonies that host them as part of modern queen-rearing practices. We found that queen microbiomes underwent a dramatic shift in size and composition as they aged and encountered different worker populations and colony environments. Queen microbiomes were dominated by enteric bacteria in early life but were comprised primarily of alphaproteobacteria at maturity. Furthermore, queen gut microbiomes did not reflect those of the workers who tended them and, indeed, they lacked many of the bacteria that are considered vital to workers. While worker gut microbiotas were consistent across the unrelated colony populations sampled, the microbiotas of the related queens were highly variable. Bacterial communities in mature queen guts were similar in size to those of mature workers and were characterized by dominant and specific alphaproteobacterial strains known to be associated with worker hypopharyngeal glands. Our results suggest a model in which queen guts are colonized by bacteria from workers' glands, in contrast to routes of maternal inoculation for other animal microbiomes.
Recent losses of honey bee colonies have led to increased interest in the microbial communities that are associated with these important pollinators. A critical function that bacteria perform for ...their honey bee hosts, but one that is poorly understood, is the transformation of worker-collected pollen into bee bread, a nutritious food product that can be stored for long periods in colonies. We used 16S rRNA pyrosequencing to comprehensively characterize in genetically diverse and genetically uniform colonies the active bacterial communities that are found on honey bees, in their digestive tracts, and in bee bread. This method provided insights that have not been revealed by past studies into the content and benefits of honey bee-associated microbial communities. Colony microbiotas differed substantially between sampling environments and were dominated by several anaerobic bacterial genera never before associated with honey bees, but renowned for their use by humans to ferment food. Colonies with genetically diverse populations of workers, a result of the highly promiscuous mating behavior of queens, benefited from greater microbial diversity, reduced pathogen loads, and increased abundance of putatively helpful bacteria, particularly species from the potentially probiotic genus Bifidobacterium. Across all colonies, Bifidobacterium activity was negatively correlated with the activity of genera that include pathogenic microbes; this relationship suggests a possible target for understanding whether microbes provide protective benefits to honey bees. Within-colony diversity shapes microbiotas associated with honey bees in ways that may have important repercussions for colony function and health. Our findings illuminate the importance of honey bee-bacteria symbioses and examine their intersection with nutrition, pathogen load, and genetic diversity, factors that are considered key to understanding honey bee decline.
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