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DNA N6-adenine methylation (6mA) has recently gained importance as an epigenetic modification in eukaryotes. Its function in lineages with high levels, such as early-diverging fungi (EDF), is of particular interest. Here, we investigated the biological significance and evolutionary implications of 6mA in EDF, which exhibit divergent evolutionary patterns in 6mA usage. The analysis of two Mucorales species displaying extreme 6mA usage reveals that species with high 6mA levels show symmetric methylation enriched in highly expressed genes. In contrast, species with low 6mA levels show mostly asymmetric 6mA. Interestingly, transcriptomic regulation throughout development and in response to environmental cues is associated with changes in the 6mA landscape. Furthermore, we identify an EDF-specific methyltransferase, likely originated from endosymbiotic bacteria, as responsible for asymmetric methylation, while an MTA-70 methylation complex performs symmetric methylation. The distinct phenotypes observed in the corresponding mutants reinforced the critical role of both types of 6mA in EDF.

Nanoliposomes loaded with curcumin (CUR) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were prepared using soybean lecithin as the wall material and modified by chitosan and sodium alginate on their surface through electrostatic self-assembly. The encapsulation efficiency, morphology, in vitro release, and stability of the fabricated nanoliposomes were characterized by laser particle size analyzer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed that the encapsulation efficiency of CUR was 100%. Moreover, neither co-encapsulation with GSH nor polysaccharide modification affected the encapsulation efficiency of CUR. However, the encapsulation efficiency of GSH was increased from 7.90% to 27.03% when co-encapsulated with CUR, and further increased to 41.22% after polysaccharide modification. Co-encapsulation of CUR and GSH did not significantly influence the release of CUR, but reduced the release rate of GSH from 51.2% to 23.6%. After polysaccharide modification, the sustained release effects of nanoliposomes loaded with CUR and/or GSH were enhanced. Meanwhile, the co-encapsulation of CUR and GSH increased the average particle size of liposomes from (95.02 ± 1.93) to (132.47 ± 18.14) nm, and the zeta potential from (–22.47 ± 1.96) to (–14.70 ± 0.46) mV. After bilayer modification of chitosan and sodium alginate, the average particle size of liposomes further increased to (161.97 ± 5.58) nm, while the zeta potential decreased to (–40.87 ± 1.79) mV. In addition, the thermal stability was increased. The results of this study will provide a basis for the development of novel functional foods or drugs loaded with bioactive substances.

Vinegar is an acidic condiment with a unique taste and fragrance, which is produced by microbial fermentation. Vinegar has rich nutrients and bioactive substances, which can provide a good material basis for the development of functional vinegar. This review summarizes the major progress that has been made in vinegar research in terms of product types, brewing methods, bioactive components and their functional properties in the past decade, and proposes that future development research on functional vinegar should consider the selection and combination of raw materials, the combination and application of microorganisms with customized functions, and the selection of containers and the development of new treatment methods for the aging of vinegar. This review will be helpful for developing new healthy vinegar and novel functional vinegar beverages under the background of ‘One Health’.

A variety of metabolites produced by marine microorganisms are gaining high value for their significant biological properties. Therefore, the search for active secondary metabolites from marine bacteria against pathogenic microorganisms has become essential for alternative and effective strategies. In this study, Halomonas saccharevitans, a marine-derived bacterium, was cultured and fermented on a liquid medium. The ethyl acetate (EtOAc) crude extract was then fractioned yielded five fractions to study their biological effect. Two fractions had significantly higher activity, i.e., absolute n-hexane against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and absolute methanol (MeOH) against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, with promising MIC values. The time–kill kinetics assay for the very susceptible bacteria against active fractions was also examined. The antifungal assay of the active fractions had the highest activity against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans with the examined variable MFC values. The cytotoxic assay against HepG2 cells showed promising activities, resulting in a 78% inhibition of cell viability. Moreover, the antioxidant activities showed reasonable inhibition values at 21.87 ± 0.85% and 98.25 ± 1.45%, compared to the control. Molecular docking revealed a high affinity between major detected compounds with free binding energies. The active fractions were characterized by the presence of diverse chemically esters, phenolics, essential oils, and other organic compounds detected by GC–MS. In conclusion, H. saccharevitans, derived from the Red Sea, might be useful as an alternative source for the possible production of bioactive substances with a variety of biomedical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]