Lactoferrin (LF) is an iron-binding glycoprotein and is involved in important physiological processes. It is derived from milk and mucosal secretions. However, the separation and purification of a large amount of biologically active LF is very difficult. Therefore, technologies for synthetically manufacturing LF are urgently needed. In this review, researchers summarized the design and construction of high-expression LF synthetic biological systems. These systems are efficient and can maximize the LF production at large-scale industrial levels.
Tag: E. Coli
Gut bioelectricity provides a path for bad bacteria to cause diseases
UC Davis Health researchers has discovered a novel bioelectrical mechanism pathogens like Salmonella use to find entry points in the gut lining that would allow them to pass and cause infection.
Plants of the Kaliningrad region turned out to be rich in antioxidants and antimicrobials
Scientists from the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University stated that the biological activity of extracts of four plants that growing in the Kaliningrad region is provided by phenolic compounds — aromatic alcohols. These substances provide antioxidant and antimicrobic properties to Aesculus hippocastanum, Melilotus officinalis, Eryngium maritimum, and Hedysarum neglectum.
Common Wristbands ‘Hotbed’ for Harmful Bacteria Including E. Coli, Staphylococcus
Routinely cleaning wristbands is generally ignored. New research finds 95 percent of wristbands tested were contaminated. Rubber and plastic wristbands had higher bacterial counts, while gold and silver, had little to no bacteria. Bacteria found were common skin residents of the genera Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas, and intestinal organisms of the genera Escherichia, specifically E. coli. Staphylococcus was prevalent on 85 percent of the wristbands; researchers found Pseudomonas on 30 percent of the wristbands; and they found E. coli bacteria on 60 percent of the wristbands, which most commonly begins infection through fecal-oral transmission.
New technique for detecting foodborne illness early
University of Delaware researchers have developed a new technique to catch bacteria in the act, detecting it on produce before it reaches stores, restaurants and consumers’ plates. The new platform can detect foodborne pathogens in three to six hours.
Researchers track antimicrobial resistance in E. coli isolated from swine
The spread of drug-resistant microbes has become a global health concern that threatens our ability to treat infections. The widespread use of antimicrobials in livestock, such as swine farms, exacerbates this problem.
UC Irvine researchers create E. coli-based water monitoring technology
Irvine, Calif., Feb. 23, 2023 – People often associate Escherichia coli with contaminated food, but E. coli has long been a workhorse in biotechnology. Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have demonstrated that the bacterium has further value as part of a system to detect heavy metal contamination in water. E.
A disinfectant spray that deploys “billions of tiny soldiers”
Researchers have created a powerful new weapon against bacterial contamination and infection by developing a way to spray bacteriophages – harmless viruses that eat bacteria – onto food and other materials to rid them of harmful pathogens.
AF2Complex: Researchers Leverage Deep Learning to Predict Physical Interactions of Protein Complexes
Proteins are the molecular machinery that makes life possible, and researchers have long been interested in a key trait of protein function: their three-dimensional structure. A new study by Georgia Tech and Oak Ridge National Laboratory details a computational tool able to predict the structure protein complexes – and lends new insights into the biomolecular mechanisms of their function.
Silver Attacks Bacteria, Gets ‘Consumed’
As antibiotic-resistant bacteria become more prevalent, silver has seen steep growth in its use in things like antibacterial coatings. Still, a better understanding can provide clues on how to best apply it. In Chemical Physics Reviews, researchers monitored the interaction of silver nanoparticles with a nearby E. coli culture and found the silver undergoes several dramatic changes. Most notably, the E. coli cells caused substantial transformations in the size and shape of the silver particles.
E. coli bacteria offer path to improving photosynthesis
Cornell University scientists have engineered a key plant enzyme and introduced it in Escherichia coli bacteria in order to create an optimal experimental environment for studying how to speed up photosynthesis, a holy grail for improving crop yields.
A new method may make tomatoes safer to eat
When vegetable farmers harvest crops, they often rely on postharvest washing to reduce any foodborne pathogens, but a new University of Georgia study shows promise in reducing these pathogens – as well as lowering labor costs— by applying sanitizers to produce while it is still in the fields.
Personalized Microrobots Swim Through Biological Barriers, Deliver Drugs to Cells
Biohybrid robots on the micrometer scale can swim through the body and deliver drugs to tumors or provide other cargo-carrying functions. To be successful, they must consist of materials that can pass through the body’s immune response, swim quickly through viscous environments and penetrate tissue cells to deliver cargo. In this week’s APL Bioengineering, researchers fabricated biohybrid bacterial microswimmers by combining a genetically engineered E. coli MG1655 substrain and nanoerythrosomes, small structures made from red blood cells.
A MOTHER’S BUGS
-Newborn mice derive protective antibodies from their mothers’ microbiota
-Antibodies derived from mothers’ microbiota ward off both localized and widespread systemic infections by the bacterium E. coli
-Study points to the role of maternal microbes in offspring protection and neonatal immunity
-Findings can inform development of microbe-based therapies against infectious diarrhea in infants
Single Mutation Dramatically Changes Structure and Function of Bacteria’s Transporter Proteins
Swapping a single amino acid in a simple bacterial protein changes its structure and function, revealing the effects of complex gene evolution, finds a new study published in the journal eLife. The study—conducted using E. coli bacteria—can help researchers to better understand the evolution of transporter proteins and their role in drug resistance.