Andrias davidianus bone peptides alleviates hyperuricemia-induced kidney damage in vitro and in vivo

Hyperuricemia(HUA)is a vital risk factor for chronic kidney diseases(CKD)and development of functional foods capable of protecting CKD is of importance.This paper aimed to explore the amelioration effects and mechanism of Andrias davidianus bone peptides(ADBP)on HUA-induced kidney damage.In the present study,we generated the standard ADBP which contained high hydrophobic amino acid and low molecular peptide contents.In vitro results found that ADBP protected uric acid(UA)-induced HK-2 cells from damage by modulating urate transporters and antioxidant defense.In vivo results indicated that ADBP effectively ameliorated renal injury in HUA-induced CKD mice,evidenced by a remarkable decrease in serum UA,creatinine and blood urea nitrogen,improving kidney UA excretion,antioxidant defense and histological kidney deterioration.Metabolomic analysis highlighted 14 metabolites that could be selected as potential biomarkers and attributed to the amelioration effects of ADBP on CKD mice kidney dysfunction.Intriguingly,ADBP restored the gut microbiome homeostasis in CKD mice,especially with respect to the elevated helpful microbial abundance,and the decreased harmful bacterial abundance.This study demonstrated that ADBP displayed great nephroprotective effects,and has great promise as a food or functional food ingredient for the prevention and treatment of HUA-induced CKD.

Combinatorial co-expression of xanthine dehydrogenase and chaperone XdhC from Acinetobacter baumannii and Rhodobacter capsulatus and their applications in decreasing purine content in food

This study investigated the combinatorial expression of xanthine dehydrogenase(XDH)and chaperone XdhC from Acinetobacter baumannii and Rhodobacter capsulatus and their applications in decreasing purine content in the beer,beef and yeast.Naturally occurring xdhABC gene clusters of A.baumannii CICC 10254 and R.capsulatus CGMCC 1.3366 as well as two refactored clusters constructed by exchanging their xdhC genes were overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified to near homogeneity.RcXDH chaperoned by AbXdhC showed nearly the same catalytic performance as that by RcXdhC,except for the decreased substrate affinity.While the AbXDH co-expressed with RcXdhC displayed enhanced acidic adaptation but weakened catalytic activity.All the XDHs degraded purines in beer,beef and yeast extract effectively,indicating potential applications in low-purine foods to prevent hyperuricemia and gout.The study also presents a method for exploiting the better chaperone XdhC and novel XDHs by functional complement activity using existing XdhCs such as RcXdhC.

Emerging natural hemp seed proteins and their functions for nutraceutical applications

With changing dietary habits and increasing awareness of the nutraceutical role of dietary foods,the demand for natural plant proteins and interest in non-traditional protein sources in the food industry are increasing.Industrial hemp,belonging to the plant family Cannabaceae,is cultivated for its fibre and edible seeds.Due to its nutritional value,it has also been used in the food industry and medicine.In particular,hemp seed proteins have drawn considerable attention in both scientific and industrial fields because of their excellent nutraceutical values,superior digestibility,low allergenicity and diverse techno-functional properties.In this review,we provide a summary of the current research progress on the extraction and purification processes,physiochemical properties,nutraceutical functions,and applications of hemp seed proteins.Perspectives in the application of advanced technologies for hemp seed bioactive peptide mining are also discussed.This review provides up-to-date insights into the nutraceutical values,health benefits,and future applications of this emerging plant source protein.

Purification of total DNA extracted from activated sludge

Purification of the total DNA extracted from activated sludge samples was studied. The effects of extraction buffers and lysis treatments （lysozyme, sodium dodecyl sulfate （SDS）, sonication, mechanical mill and thermal shock） on yield and purity of the total DNA extracted from activated sludge were investigated. It was found that SDS and mechanical mill were the most effective ways for cell lysis, and both gave the highest DNA yields, while by SDS and thermal shock, the purest DNA extract could be obtained. The combination of SDS with other lysis treatment, such as sonication and thermal shock, could apparently increase the DNA yields but also result in severe shearing. For the purification of the crude DNA extract, polyvinyl polypyrrolidone was used for the removal of humic contaminants. Cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, potassium acetate and phenol/chloroform were used to remove proteins and polysaccharides from crude DNA. Crude DNA was further purified by isopropanol precipitation. Thus, a suitable protocol was proposed for DNA extraction, yielding about 49.9 mg （total DNA）/g volatile suspended solids, and the DNA extracts were successfully used in PCR amplifications for 16S rDNA and 16S rDNA V3 region. The PCR products of 16S rDNA V3 region allowed the DGGE analysis （denatured gradient gel electrophoresis） to be possible.

Nutritional and medicinal characteristics of Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) for applications in healthcare industry by artificial cultivation: A review

Andrias davidianus,i.e.Chinese giant salamander(CGS),is one of the largest and oldest amphibians existing in the world and is also one of the valuable biological resources of China.Wild CGS has been threatened with extinction in the past decades due to over capturing,deterioration of natural environment,the slow breeding and growth of the wild species in nature.However,in the past twenty years,with the breakthrough and progress of artificial breeding technology by artificial insemination,the number of artificially cultivated CGS has increased rapidly.Artificially cultivated CGS can either be released to the CGS living environment to increase the population in nature or legally applied in food and medicinal industry as a feedstock due to the unique nutritional and medicinal values of CGS as recorded historically.In this review,the nutritional components,bioactive components and medicinal activities of the artificially cultivated CGS will be summarized.The mucus,skin,meat and bone of CGS contain many different bioactive substances thereby having various medicinal activities including anti-aging,anti-fatigue,anti-tumor,therapy of burn and anti-infection and other physiological functions.This paper will further discuss the potential applications of the artificially cultivated CGS in healthcare industry and prospects of future technological development.

Influence of some agricultural practices on the soil acidification in acid precipitation areas

Both acid precipitation and unreasonable agricultural practices are notorious artificial factors resulting in soil acidification. To sort out reasonable agricultural practices favorable to abating soil acidification, the task of this study was directed to a long-term field trial in Chongqing, during which chemical fertilizer, organic fertilizer were applied to different crop rotations and the soil pH value was measured. The results indicated that all treatments decreased pH value in the 0 to 20 cm soil layer after ten years. Problems were more serious when chlorine-containing fertilizer, excessive chemical fertilizer and mixed fertilizer were applied. It is demonstrated that balance rates of N, P and K fertilizers, application of muck in field are advantageous to abating soil acidification. Oil plants affect soil acidification more than cereal in different crop rotation.

Chemical constituents,biological functions and pharmacological effects for comprehensive utilization of Eucommia ulmoides Oliver

Eucommia ulmoides Oliver is a native plant and valuable tonic Chinese medicine in China with a long history,great economic value and comprehensive development potential.Traditionally,the comprehensive utilization rate of E.ulmoides Oliv.is still very low,only bark has been used as medicine and other parts of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.cannot be fully utilized,even the leaves have been well utilized in food products in Japan in the past decades.In order to improve the comprehensive utilization efficiency of E.ulmoides Oliv.,in this review,we summarized the varieties and contents of main active compounds,biological functions and pharmacological effects in different parts of E.ulmoides Oliv.The findings suggest that other parts of E.ulmoides Oliv.could replace the bark of E.ulmoides Oliv.to some extent besides of their respective applications.The unique and extensive physiological functions between different parts of E.ulmoides Oliv.indicate that the comprehensive utilization of E.ulmoides Oliv.has a wide space to develop,which is also an effective way to protect E.ulmoides Oliv.resources and improve its the utilization rate.

Fermentation characteristics of vinegar residue and some natural materials

Solid state fermentation is an attractive process to produce cellulase economically due to its lower financial investment and lower operating costs. Generally available natural materials in our study included vinegar residue, wheat bran, rice bran and wheat straw. Cellulase production was carried out by solid state fermentation using these materials as the substrate of Trichoderma koningii. The ingredients of natural materials, associated with the effects of water content, time and nitrogen sources on cellulase synthesis were studied. A comparatively high cellulase activity （〉4 IU·g^-1 SDM） was obtained in the fermentation batch. The optimum culture time of vinegar residue, wheat bran and wheat straw were 72 hours, but that office bran was 60 hours. Total water contents of wheat bran, rice bran and wheat straw should not exceed 50% and that of vinegar residue should not be more than 60%. It was also shown that nitrogen salts contributed much to fermentation. （NH4）3PO4 and urea achieved good results in promoting enzyme activity.

Lovastatin production by Aspergillus terreus in solid-state fermentation

Lovastatin production by Aspergillus terreus ATCC 20542 in solid-state fermentation (SSF) was studied. Various substrates were used to evaluate the ability of A. terreus to produce lovastatin. The results showed that either rice or wheat bran was suitable substrate for lovastatin production in SSF. The maximum yield of lovastatin (2.9 mg/g dry substrate) using rice as substrate was achieved after incubating for 11 d at the following optimized process parameters: 50%～60% initial moisture content,pH 5.5,incubation temperature 28 °C.

Internal connections between dietary intake and gut microbiota homeostasis in disease progression of ulcerative colitis:a review

Ulcerative colitis(UC)is a chronic systematic inflammation disorder with increasing incidence,unknown pathogenesis,limited drug treatment,and abundant medical expenses.Dietary intake,as a daily indispensable environment factor,is closely related to UC pathogenesis and prevention.The underlying interactions between dietary intake and UC progression are implicated with the modulation of gut microbiome as well as microbial metabolites,suggesting the complex and systematic characteristics of UC.However,the triangular relationships with dietary intake,gut microbiota homeostasis,and UC have not been well summarized so far.Here we review the recent studies of dietary intake on the regulation of gut microbiome homeostasis as well as modulation of UC progression.These findings suggest that varieties in dietary patterns result in the production of diverse microbial fermentation metabolites,which contribute to gut microbiome homeostasis through multiple manipulations including immune modulation,inftammation restriction as well as epithelial barrier maintenance,thus finally determine the fate of UC progression and give implications for functional food development for prevention and treatment of UC patients.

Quantitative modeling of bacterial quorum sensing dynamics in time and space

Quorum sensing (QS) refers to the cell communication through signaling molecules that regulate many important biological functions of bacteria by monitoring their population density. Although a wide spectrum of studies on the QS system mechanisms have been carried out in experiments, mathematical modeling to explore the QS system has become a powerful approach as well. In this paper, we review the research progress of network modeling in bacterial QS to capture the system's underlying mechanisms. There are four types of QS system models for bacteria: the Gram-negative QS system model, the Gram-positive QS system model, the model for both Gram-negative and Gram-positive QS system, and the synthetic QS system model. These QS system models are mostly described by the ordinary differential equations (ODE) or partial differential equations (PDE) to study the changes of signaling molecule dynamics in time and space and the cell population density variations. Besides the deterministic simulations, the stochastic modeling approaches have also been introduced to discuss the noise effects on kinetics in QS systems. Taken together, these current modeling efforts advance our understanding of the QS system by providing systematic and quantitative dynamics description, which can hardly be obtained in experiments.

Isolation and characterization of novel peptides from fermented products of Lactobacillus for ulcerative colitis prevention and treatment

Ulcerative colitis(UC)is an incurable and highly complex digestive disease affecting millions of people worldwide.Compared to the current therapeutic drugs,bioactive peptides are more promising and safe substances as functional foods or drugs for the prevention and treatment of UC.The alcohol-soluble components from fermentation broth by fresh wheat germ and apple(AC-WGAF)were found to be effective in UC prevention in dextran sulfate sodium-induced mice in vivo.Herein,4 novel peptides are identifi ed from AC-WGAF by membrane ultrafi ltration,recycling preparative high-performance liquid chromatography,and matrix-assisted laser desorption–ionization time-of-fl ight/time-of-fl ight mass spectrometry,possessing anticolitis activity via using an in vitro model.One of those peptides named T24(PVLGPVRGPFPLL)exhibited the most remarkable anti-colitis activity by preventing tight junction protein loss,maintaining epithelial barrier integrity,and promoting cell proliferation during in vitro and in vivo studies by regulating mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways.Thus,T24 is a promising peptide as a functional food or novel drug for UC prevention and treatment.

Split internal-loop photobioreactor for Scenedesmus sp.microalgae:Culturing and hydrodynamics

In this study,the evaluation of the performance of the split internal loop photobioreactor for culturing a species of green microalgae,Scenedesmus sp.under different operating superficial gas velocity and during a different time of growth(i.e.,starting for the first day until end day of the culturing process)was addressed.The evaluation of the performance of the split internal loop photobioreactor was included assessing the density,pH,temperature,viscosity,surface tension,the optical density,cell population,dry biomass,and chlorophyll of the culture medium of the microalgae culturing.Additionally,the hydrodynamics of a Split Internal-Loop Photobioreactor with microalgae culturing was comprehensively quantified.Radioactive particle tracking(RPT)and gamma-ray computed tomography(CT)techniques were applied for the first time to quantify and address the influence of microalgae culture on the hydrodynamic parameters.The hydrodynamics parameters such as local liquid velocity field,shear stresses,turbulent kinetic energy,and local gas holdup profiles were measured at different superficial gas velocities as well as under different times of algae growth.The obtained results indicate that the flow distribution may significantly affect the performance of the photobioreactor,which may have substantial effects on the cultivation process.The obtained experimental data can serve as benchmark data for the evaluation and validation of computational fluid dynamics(CFD)codes and their closures.This,in turn,allows us to develop efficient reactors and consequently improving the productivity and selectivity of these photobioreactors.

Kinetics Estimation and Polymorphic Transformation Modeling of Buspirone Hydrochloride

In this work, solvent-mediated polymorphic transformation of metastable Form II to stable Form I of Buspirone Hy-drochloride (BUS-HCl) was studied. The polymorphic transformation was monitored using in-situ Raman spectroscopy. The solvent-mediated transformation process is governed by the dissolution of Form II and the nucleation and subsequent growth of Form I. The model parameters for each of these sub-processes were determined with the aid of experimental data including polymorphic fraction in solid phase, solute concentration, and the crystal size distribution. In order to estimate the kinetic parameters, independent seeded batch sets of experiments were conducted, first to estimate the growth rate of Form I, and consequently to estimate the secondary nucleation of Form I and dissolution rate of Form II. The experimental data showed that the secondary nucleation of Form I occurred slightly after the dissolution of Form II was initiated. The estimated parameters for growth, nucleation and dissolution rates were successfully implemented in the population model and validated with the experiments.

Genome-scale metabolic models applied for human health and biopharmaceutical engineering

Over the last 15 years,genome-scale metabolic models(GEMs)have been reconstructed for human and model animals,such as mouse and rat,to systematically understand metabolism,simulate multicellular or multi-tissue interplay,understand human diseases,and guide cell factory design for biopharmaceutical protein production.Here,we describe how metabolic networks can be represented using stoichiometric matrices and well-defined constraints for flux simulation.Then,we review the history of GEM development for quantitative understanding of Homo sapiens and other relevant animals,together with their applications.We describe how model develops from H.sapiens to other animals and from generic purpose to precise context-specific simulation.The progress of GEMs for animals greatly expand our systematic understanding of metabolism in human and related animals.We discuss the difficulties and present perspectives on the GEM development and the quest to integrate more biological processes and omics data for future research and translation.We truly hope that this review can inspire new models developed for other mammalian organisms and generate new algorithms for integrating big data to conduct more in-depth analysis to further make progress on human health and biopharmaceutical engineering.

Base editor-mediated large-scale screening of functional mutations in bacteria for industrial phenotypes

Base editing,the targeted introduction of point mutations into cellular DNA,holds promise for improving genome-scale functional genome screening to single-nucleotide resolution.Current efforts in prokaryotes,however,remain confined to loss-of-function screens using the premature stop codons-mediated gene inactivation library,which falls far short of fully releasing the potential of base editors.Here,we developed a base editor-mediated functional single nucleotide variant screening pipeline in Escherichia coli.We constructed a library with 31,123 sgRNAs targeting 462 stress response-related genes in E.coli,and screened for adaptive mutations under isobutanol and furfural selective conditions.Guided by the screening results,we successfully identified several known and novel functional mutations.Our pipeline might be expanded to the optimization of other phenotypes or the strain engineering in other microorganisms.

Cell-free synthetic biology:Engineering in an open world

Cell-free synthetic biology emerges as a powerful and flexible enabling technology that can engineer biological parts and systems for life science applications without using living cells.It provides simpler and faster engineering solutions with an unprecedented freedom of design in an open environment than cell system.This review focuses on recent developments of cell-free synthetic biology on biological engineering fields at molecular and cellular levels,including protein engineering,metabolic engineering,and artificial cell engineering.In cell-free protein engineering,the direct control of reaction conditions in cell-free system allows for easy synthesis of complex proteins,toxic proteins,membrane proteins,and novel proteins with unnatural amino acids.Cell-free systems offer the ability to design metabolic pathways towards the production of desired products.Buildup of artificial cells based on cell-free systems will improve our understanding of life and use them for environmental and biomedical applications.

Targeted mutagenesis:A sniper-like diversity generator in microbial engineering

Mutations,serving as the raw materials of evolution,have been extensively utilized to increase the chances of engineering molecules or microbes with tailor-made functions.Global and targeted mutagenesis are two main methods of obtaining various mutations,distinguished by the range of action they can cover.While the former one stresses the mining of novel genetic loci within the whole genomic background,targeted mutagenesis performs in a more straightforward manner,bringing evolutionary escape and error catastrophe under control.In this review,we classify the existing techniques of targeted mutagenesis into two categories in terms of whether the diversity is generated in vitro or in vivo,and briefly introduce the mechanisms and applications of them separately.The inherent connections and development trends of the two classes are also discussed to provide an insight into the next generation evolution research.

Research progress on classification, sources and functions of dietary polyphenols for prevention and treatment of chronic diseases

Dietary polyphenols are the most abundant antioxidants in daily diet and widely distributed in plants and plant-based foods,including vegetables,fruits,cereals,nuts,and beverages(e.g.,tea,coffee,red wine).Over the past decades,there has been rising scientific interest in their diverse benefits to human health,since dietary polyphenols display various bioactivities,such as antioxidant activity,anti-inflammatory activity,anticancer,anti-microbial activity,neuro-protective activity,among others.Various studies have demonstrated that diet with polyphenols is strongly related to decrease the risk of chronic diseases.In this review,firstly,we systematically summarize classification and sources of dietary polyphenols,and focus on the current evidences defining their function and mechanism on improving chronic diseases,including diabetes,obesity,hypertension,hyperuricemia.Then,future directions of dietary polyphenols are discussed.Noteworthy,despite the physiological effects of dietary polyphenols have been widely convinced in vitro and in vivo,human trials show inconsistent evidence with their beneficial effects in chronic diseases administration,so as to their unclear molecular mechanism.More clinical studies are needed to provide clear evidence on dietary polyphenols against chronic diseases.In general,this paper provides comprehensive review of the sources and compositions of dietary polyphenols from plant materials,and presents an overview of the evidence on dietary polyphenols against chronic diseases,which may offer some constructive inspirations for further research on dietary polyphenols and industrial application in the food and medicine industry.