One in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections causing common infections in people worldwide in 2023 were resistant to antibiotic treatments, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) r...

Overall, our results showed that the spectral quality of light has a significant impact on phytoplankton community dynamics and the biochemical composition of lake seston. Moreover, the results sugge....

PhD Project - Exploring new drivers for nitrogen fixation in polar oceans at University of Southampton, listed on FindAPhD.com

All organisms that perform oxygenic photosynthesis fix inorganic CO2 through the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle, which is then converted into many organic...

The industrial development and modernization occurring worldwide are crucial for meeting the demands of the present era. However, the necessary use of xenobiotics, such as heavy metals, dyes, and pesticides, poses a significant threat to ecosystems and inflicts severe harm on the environment. Cyanobacteria play a vital role in nitrogen fixation and are integral to the environment, contributing to soil fertility, UV protection, and oxygen production, among other functions. Despite the ability of these microbes to produce valuable metabolites, their production is sensitive to environmental toxicity. Furthermore, the relationship between photonic wavelength and the photosynthetic activity of cyanobacteria remains poorly understood. This article investigates the connection between the efficiency of the photosystem and the nature of the incident photonic wavelength. Additionally, the study examines the effects of photonic energy on the response of cyanobacteria to Cr (VI) toxicity, highlighting the involvement of an alternative quantum well induced by the presence of Cr (VI). Significantly, the research identifies a clear correlation between the level of photonic energy and the efficiency of the photosystem by calculating various photochemical and physiological parameters, including pigments, dry biomass, quantum yield, and transient S state. The enhancement of water-splitting processes and photosystem II efficiency was also observed with increased photonic energy under blue and green light, leading to a reduction in oxidative damage. These findings suggest a cooperative relationship between specific light wavelengths and the alleviation of Cr (VI) stress in Nostoc commune, providing insights into their ecological adaptability and potential applications in controlled cultivation systems and bioremediation.

The prevention of marine biofouling remains a global challenge due to environmental concerns associated with current biocidal antifouling (AF) agents …

Cyanobacterial blooms (CyanoHABs) and their associated toxins pose a significant threat to public health and water quality. A novel approach called Mu…

Abstract Argonaute proteins are an evolutionarily conserved family of proteins capable of recognizing and cleaving specific nucleic acid sequences using complementary guide molecules. Eukaryotic Argonautes play a key role in RNA interference by utilizing short RNAs of various classes to recognize target mRNAs. Prokaryotic Argonautes are much more diverse and most of them recognize DNA targets. The search for new Argonautes that would be active under varying conditions is important for both understanding their functions and developing new tools for genetic technologies. Many previously studied Argonautes exhibit low activity at low and moderate temperatures. To overcome this limitation, we isolated and studied two Argonaute proteins from psychrotolerant cyanobacteria, CstAgo from Cyanobacterium stanieri and CspAgo from Calothrix sp. Both proteins use short DNA guides to recognize and cleave DNA targets. CstAgo displayed no specificity for the 5′-end structure of the guide, while CspAgo demonstrated a weak preference for the 5′-terminal nucleotide. CstAgo was highly active and capable of cleaving single-stranded DNA at temperatures from 10 to 50°C. CspAgo was more cold-sensitive but cleaved double-stranded plasmid DNA using specific guides. Therefore, the studied proteins can be potentially used for DNA manipulations under a wide range of conditions.

For the filamentous cyanobacteria, the order Leptolyngbyales is the larger and obviously polyphyletic group, although its members are morphologically similar...

Center: Cyanobacterial isoprene production from CO2 and sunlight. Top: CRISPR-editing for generation of markerless production strains. Top right: Long-term production assay for strain stability asses...

Toxic cyanobacterial blooms, primarily caused by Microcystis aeruginosa, are increasing globally due to climate change. These harmful organisms have adapted to high temperature and UV radiation (UVR), posing a significant threat to drinking water. While UVBR can damage cyanobacteria, they may avoid it with antioxidant defense mechanisms. Microcystins (MCs), cyclic hepatotoxic heptapeptides produced by cyanobacteria, can harm aquatic and terrestrial organisms, but their role in antioxidant protection remains unclear. This study investigated the relationship between gene expression and MC content in Microcystis aeruginosa cells pre-adapted to elevated temperatures (29 °C) exposed to natural UVR for several days. We have demonstrated a strong resilience in M. aeruginosa to high doses of UVBR, largely attributed to its enhanced antioxidant capacity following pre-exposure to elevated temperatures, as confirmed by previous studies. Moreover, our findings suggest that MCs may act as scavengers as part of the UVR protection mechanisms. This is evidenced by a temporal lack of correlation between the abundance of mcy transcripts and the cellular toxin content, where toxin quotas were lower despite increased mcy transcription. These findings are particularly relevant to the ecophysiological role of MCs, suggesting its potential involvement in increased blooms of toxic M. aeruginosa under conditions of climate change and eutrophication. This information is crucial for effective water treatment planning.

Cyanophycin is a biopolymer of arginine and aspartate, and it is found in various prokaryotes. Two key enzymes of cyanophycin metabolism are cyanophyc…

This study provides evidence on how carbon metabolism regulates cell division among cyanobacteria. Manipulation of the TCA pathway directly impacts the FtsZ-dependent cell division by regulating its expression via the transcriptional factor NtcA.

Bacteria can organize their internal components in specific patterns to ensure proper function and faithful inheritance after cell division. In the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus, protein-base...

This work first reveals the silicon uptake in Synechococcus PCC 7002 via two silicon transporters SIT-L and Lsi-L, which are widely distributed in 469 sequenced cyanobacterial genomes. This enhances p...