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Glyphosate, also known as N-phosphonomethylglycine, is the herbicide that is widely used across the globe. As there are concerns over its potential toxicity to non-target soil species, there is a growing interest in identifying glyphosatedegrading microorganisms in soil. Biodegradation, by actinobacteria, is a very promising approach to eliminate this pesticide from contaminated environments. The present work isolated and identified actinobacteria capable of degrading glyphosate from Saharan agriculture, as well as determined how the application of this herbicide affects the abundance of actinobacteria present in soil. It was observed that the use of glyphosate led to an increased abundance of actinobacteria in the soil compared to the untreated soil. Among this population, an actinobacterial strain was isolated from glyphosate contaminated soil by the enrichment method, and was identified to possess the greatest capability to degrade glyphosate at 50 mg/L. The identification of this strain was achieved through a combination of cultural, morphological, biochemical, and molecular techniques. This included the use of 16S rDNA sequencing, leading to its successful classification as Streptomyces sp. strain SRH22. This strain was assigned the accession number OQ302556 by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). A rapid, sensitive, and straightforward spectrophotometric technique was employed for the quantification of glyphosate. Results showed that the optimal biodegradation (90.2%) was obtained under a temperature of 30 degrees, a PH of 7.2, and an inoculum volume of 4% timed over six days. This work shows that the Streptomyces SRH22 presents good potentiality to be used as a bioremediation agent for agricultural soils in the Algerian Sahara. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptomyces is recognized as a crucial generator of bioactive molecules that benefit humanity, such as antibiotics and other medications. The Streptomyces strain obtained from the gut of Apis mellifera yemintica was utilized in this investigation to screen for antibacterial and antiproliferative activities using secondary metabolites. On the basis of morphological and molecular identification, the isolated strain ess_amH1 was confirmed as Streptomyces sp., and phylogenetic tree construction revealed 96% sequence similarity with Streptomyces griseus. The ethyl acetate solvent extract generated from the strain ess_amH1 demonstrated high antibacterial activity against ATCC bacterial pathogens, as well as pathogenic yeast, according to the disc diffusion assay. The ethyl acetate solvent extract also induced dose-dependent cytotoxicity in breast cancer and hepatocarcinoma cell lines, with IC50 concentrations at 50 and 75 µg/mL, respectively. The findings confirm that the Streptomyces sp. strain ess_amH1 isolated from a competitive symbiotic habitat, i.e., the gut of A. mellifera yemintica, produces promising bioactive chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver-based nanostructures are suitable for many biomedical applications, but to be useful therapeutic agents, the high toxicity of these nanomaterials must be eliminated. Here, we biosynthesize nontoxic and ultra-small silver nanoclusters (rsAg@NCs) using metabolites of usnioid lichen (a symbiotic association of algae and fungi) that exhibit excellent antimicrobial activity against fluconazole (FCZ)-resistant Candida albicans that is many times higher than chemically synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and FCZ. The rsAg@NCs trigger apoptosis via reactive oxygen species accumulation that leads to the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, DNA fragmentation, chromosomal condensation, and the activation of metacaspases. The proteomic analysis clearly demonstrates that rsAg@NCs exposure significantly alters protein expression. Most remarkable among the down-regulated proteins are those related to glycolysis, metabolism, free radical scavenging, anti-apoptosis, and mitochondrial function. In contrast, proteins involved in plasma membrane function, oxidative stress, cell death, and apoptosis were upregulated. Eventually, we also established that the apoptosis-inducing potential of rsAg@NCs is due to the activation of Ras signaling, which confirms their application in combating FCZ-resistant C. albicans infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalgae sorbents are microalgae that have the potential to passively bind heavy metals/contaminants to their cellular structures in a process called biosorption. This study investigates the use of two species of microalgae to remove the toxic heavy metal cobalt from aqueous solution. Two microalgae isolates, Phormidium tenue and Chlorella vulgaris, were collected from the Wadi Hanifah Stream in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We determined the capacity of both isolates to bioremove Co +2 ions and the optimum conditions under which this occurs. The two isolates were additionally characterized by microscopic and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In the current investigation, Phormidium tenue removed 94% of Co +2 under ideal conditions of pH 6, contact duration (30 min), starting concentration (50 mgL -1 ) and biosorbent dose (1gL -1 ); while Chlorella vulgaris removed 87% of Co +2 under the same parameters except pH 5.5 and contact duration (60 min). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirms the binding of Co +2 to the biomass, which comprises many of the functional groups. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed some alterations to the shape of algal cells and cellular components for both microalgae studied. In addition, equilibrium study by both Langmuir and Freundlich models was performed to detect the effect of certain equilibrium factors on the capacity of the biosorption mechanism. Finally, Phormidium tenue and Chlorella vulgaris were discovered to be promising microalgae for effective cobalt biosorption in aquatic conditions., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Silver-based nanostructures are suitable for many biomedical applications, but to be useful therapeutic agents, the high toxicity of these nanomaterials must be eliminated. Here, we biosynthesize nontoxic and ultra-small silver nanoclusters (rsAg@NCs) using metabolites of usnioid lichen (a symbiotic association of algae and fungi) that exhibit excellent antimicrobial activity against fluconazole (FCZ)-resistant Candida albicans that is many times higher than chemically synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and FCZ. The rsAg@NCs trigger apoptosis via reactive oxygen species accumulation that leads to the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, DNA fragmentation, chromosomal condensation, and the activation of metacaspases. The proteomic analysis clearly demonstrates that rsAg@NCs exposure significantly alters protein expression. Most remarkable among the down-regulated proteins are those related to glycolysis, metabolism, free radical scavenging, anti-apoptosis, and mitochondrial function. In contrast, proteins involved in plasma membrane function, oxidative stress, cell death, and apoptosis were upregulated. Eventually, we also established that the apoptosis-inducing potential of rsAg@NCs is due to the activation of Ras signaling, which confirms their application in combating FCZ-resistant C . albicans infections.