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This study highlighted the nutritional importance of Catostylus perezi (an edible jellyfish) in Pakistan; a society where a large proportion of the population suffers from malnutrition, while C. perezi, a blessing of the sea, is wasted or exported. In the present study, the amino acid and fatty acid profiles of the oral arms and umbrella of C. perezi were determined by HPLC. The total amino acid concentration (ΣAA) in the oral arms was 151.19 mg/100g, while in the umbrella it was 100.17 mg/100g. The ratio of total essential amino acids to total non-essential amino acids (TEAA/TNEAA) was 0.72 in the oral arms, while it was 0.70 in the umbrella. Higher amount of ω-3 with lower ratio of ω-6/ω-3 in oral arms (0.52), rather umbrella (ω-6/ω-3 ratio; 0.62). The antimicrobial activity, MIC, MBC, and MFC of the whole body of the edible jellyfish were determined. On the basis of polarity, different solvents were used, e.g. water, methanol, dichloromethane, chloroform, and n-hexane. Among all the extracts, the water extract gave the highest ZOI against C. xerosis (29 mm), while the n-hexane extract gave the lowest ZOI against S. aureus (MRSA) ATCC 33591 (8.20 mm). The water extract of C. perezi had high potential against C. xerosis with the highest AMI and PAI (1.53 and 153, respectively), while the same extract had the highest TAI against E. coli (81.43 mL/g). For fungi/yeast, the methanolic extract had the highest ZOI (29.70 mm) against S. cerevisiae and the lowest MIC/MFC (2.40 µg/mL) against the same pathogen. The n-Hexane extract gave the lowest ZOI (11.10 mm) against P. variotii and the highest MIC/MFC (31.60 µg/mL) against Penicillium sp. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to analyse the disintegrating effect of the extracts (with the highest antimicrobial effect) on the cells of selected Gram-positive, Gram-negative and yeast species. The amino acid and fatty acid profiles and antimicrobial assessment showed that C. perezi has great nutritional importance, so the use of C. perezi as food is highly recommended for the Pakistani community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the transcriptome analysis was practiced to identify potential genes of probiotic Bacillus subtilis BSN313 involved in selenium (Se) enrichment metabolism. The transcriptomic variation of the strain was deliberated in presence of three different sodium selenite concentrations (0, 3, and 20 μg/mL). The samples were taken at 1 and 13 h subsequent to inoculation of selenite and gene expression profiles in Se metabolism were analyzed through RNA sequencing. The gene expression levels of the pre log phase were lower than the stationary phase. It is because, the bacteria has maximum grown with high concentration of Se (enriched with organic Se), at stationary phase. Bacterial culture containing 3 μg/mL concentration of inorganic Se (sodium selenite) has shown highest gene expression as compared to no or high concentration of Se. This concentration (3 μg/mL) of sodium selenite (as Se) in the medium promoted the upregulation of thioredoxin reductase expression, whereas its higher Se concentration inhibited the formation of selenomethionine (SeMet). The result of 5 L bioreactor fermentation showed that SeMet was also detected in the fermentation supernatant as the growth entered in the late stationary phase and reached up to 857.3 ng/mL. The overall intracellular SeMet enriched content in BSN313 was extended up to 23.4 μg/g dry cell weight. The other two selenoamino acids (Se‐AAs), methyl‐selenocysteine, and selenocysteine were hardly detected in medium supernatant. From this study, it was concluded that SeMet was the highest content of organic Se byproduct biosynthesized by B. subtilis BSN313 strain in Se‐enriched medium during stationary phase. Thus, B. subtilis BSN313 can be considered a commercial probiotic strain that can be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. This is because it can meet the commercial demand for Se‐AAs (SeMet) in both industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethyl (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyrate ((S)-CHBE) is an important chiral intermediate in the synthesis of the cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin. Studying the use of SpyTag/SpyCatcher and SnoopTag/SnoopCatcher systems for the asymmetric reduction reaction and directed coupling coenzyme regeneration is practical for efficiently synthesizing (S)-CHBE. In this study, Spy and Snoop systems were used to construct a double-enzyme directed fixation system of carbonyl reductase (BsCR) and glucose dehydrogenase (BsGDH) for converting 4-chloroacetoacetate (COBE) to (S)-CHBE and achieving coenzyme regeneration. We discussed the enzymatic properties of the immobilized enzyme and the optimal catalytic conditions and reusability of the double-enzyme immobilization system. Compared to the free enzyme, the immobilized enzyme showed an improved optimal pH and temperature, maintaining higher relative activity across a wider range. The double-enzyme immobilization system was applied to catalyze the asymmetric reduction reaction of COBE, and the yield of (S)-CHBE reached 60.1% at 30 °C and pH 8.0. In addition, the double-enzyme immobilization system possessed better operational stability than the free enzyme, and maintained about 50% of the initial yield after six cycles. In summary, we show a simple and effective strategy for self-assembling SpyCatcher/SnoopCatcher and SpyTag/SnoopTag fusion proteins, which inspires building more cascade systems at the interface. It provides a new method for facilitating the rapid construction of in vitro immobilized multi-enzyme complexes from crude cell lysate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amino- and sulfhydryl- functionalized biomass carbon dots (BCDs) were prepared by one-pot reverse microemulsion for specific recognition of ferric ions (Fe3+) and L-cysteine (L-Cys). Green grapefruit peel was used as the carbon source while aminosilane and mercaptosilane were used as N- and S-supplier. Following the adsorption of Fe3+ on the surfaces of BCDs-NH2 and BCDs-SH, the fluorescence responses was quenched step by step, while adding L-Cys to the BCDs-NH2/Fe3+ system restored the fluorescence. The BCDs-NH2 and BCDs-SH system exhibited extremely low limits of detection for Fe3+ of 3.2 and 3.0 nM, respectively, within a wide linear ranges of 0.006–200 μM and 0.004–200 μM, respectively. The BCDs-NH2/Fe3+ systems were used as an optosensor for L-Cys in the concentration ranges of 0.08–30 and 30–1000 μM with a detection limit of 65 nM. Developed BCDs-NH2 and BCDs-SH were able to respond to Fe3+ in water samples with satisfactory recoveries of 100.1%-103.1% and 94.6%-108.5%, respectively, and the BCDs-NH2/Fe3+ system was also able to respond to BCDs-NH2/Fe3+ in actual lake water samples with recoveries from 87.3% to 98.8%. Meanwhile, The BCDs-NH2 exhibited good photoluminescence and stability, and the with a fluorescence quantum yield was as high as 25%. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using such materials to remove hazardous ions from water and employing the resulting complexes for optosensing in a sustainable manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study designed a "turn-off–on" fluorescence analysis method based on carbon quantum dots (CQDs) to detect metal ions and amino acids in real sample systems. CQDs were derived from green pomelo peel via a one-step hydrothermal process. The co-doped CQDs with N and S atoms imparted excellent optical properties (quantum yield = 17.31%). The prepared CQDs could be used as fluorescent "turn-off" probes to detect Fe3+ with a limit of detection of 0.086 µM, a linear detection range of 0.1–160 µM, and recovery of 83.47–106.53% in water samples. The quenched CQD fluorescence could be turned on after adding L-cysteine (L-Cys), which allowed detection of L-Cys with a detection limit of 0.34 µM and linear range of 0.4–85 µM. Recovery of L-Cys in amino acid beverage was 87.08–122.74%. Visual paper-based testing strips and cellulose/CQDs composite hydrogels could be also used to detect Fe3+ and L-Cys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane reforming with carbon dioxide (DRM) is one promising way to achieve carbon neutrality and convert methane to syngas for high-value chemical production. Catalyst development with better performance is the key to its potential large-scale industrial application due to its deactivation caused by carbon deposition and metal sintering. Hence, a Ni/CeO2 catalyst (Ni/CeO2-M) with higher CO2 conversion and better stability is prepared, supported on CeO2 precipitated via a novel microimpinging stream reactor. A series of ex-situ or in-situ characterizations, such as CO titration measurements, two-step transient surface reaction (two-step TSR), CO2 and CH4 temperature-programmed surface reaction (CO2-TPSR and CH4-TPSR), X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), and in-situ Raman spectroscopy study, were used to investigate its structure and mechanism. In contrast to Ni supported on commercial CeO2 (Ni/CeO2-C), the Ni/CeO2-M catalyst with stronger lattice oxygen mobility and higher oxygen storage capacity enhances its CO2 activation ability and carbon deposition. The Ni particle size of the Ni/CeO2-M catalyst decreased, and a higher oxidation state was obtained due to the strong metal–support interaction. Besides the reaction performance improvement of the Ni/CeO2-M catalyst, the novel microimpinging stream reactor could achieve catalyst continuous production with a high preparation efficiency. This work provides a novel method for the high-performance catalyst preparation for DRM reaction and its mechanism study gives a deep insight into high-performance catalyst development via bottom-up study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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2-phenylethanol (2-PE), an aromatic alcohol with a rose fragrance, is the second most widely used flavoring substance in the world. It is widely used in the cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical industries. This paper introduces the chemical synthesis methods of 2-PE and the synthetic pathways in plants and microorganisms, summarizes the strategies to improve the microbial synthesis of 2-PE, reviews the research progress in de novo synthesis of 2-PE in microorganisms, and makes an outlook on the research prospects, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the industrial production of 2-PE.

A short self-assembly peptide A 6 K (H 2 N-AAAAAAK-OH) with unmodified N- and C-terminus was designed, and the charge distribution model of this short peptide at different pH was established by computer simulation. The pH of the solution was adjusted according to the model and the corresponding self-assembled structure was observed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). As the pH changes, the peptide will assemble into blocks or nanoribbons, which indicates that the A 6 K peptide is a pH-responsive peptide. Circular dichroism (CD) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation showed that the block structure was formed by random coils, while the increase in β-turn content contributes to the formation of intact nanoribbons. A reasonable explanation of the self-assembling structure was made according to the electrostatic distribution model and the effect of electrostatic interaction on self-assembly was investigated. This study laid the foundation for further design of nanomaterials based on pH-responsive peptides.