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Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2021Algae and fungi share a rich history in the fields of basic and applied natural science. In biotechnology, in particular, algae and fungi are of paramount importance,... (Review)
Review
Algae and fungi share a rich history in the fields of basic and applied natural science. In biotechnology, in particular, algae and fungi are of paramount importance, due to the production and development of valuable compounds, such as pharmaceuticals, enzymes, and biofuels. They are also used in waste fermentation, biocontrol of pathogens, and food processing and improvement, among other fields. Although a substantial number of different microorganisms are utilized for these purposes, there lies tremendous potential in uncharacterized microbial species. For this reason, biodiversity hotspots offer a wealth of potential in the discovery of new products and processing strategies based on these microorganisms. This review presents an overview of the use of algae and fungi in pre-Hispanic times/modern-day Mexico for the benefits of mankind. One of our objectives is to raise awareness about the potential of developing research projects for identification and biotechnological utilization of algae and fungi in a megadiverse country, such as Mexico.
PubMed: 34834893
DOI: 10.3390/plants10112530 -
Environmental Science and Pollution... Jul 2022The healthy development of biodiversity has been threatened frequent water eutrophication. In recent years, photocatalytic technology, which has attracted researchers'... (Review)
Review
The healthy development of biodiversity has been threatened frequent water eutrophication. In recent years, photocatalytic technology, which has attracted researchers' attention, not only showed increasing potential in the field of organic pollutant degradation, but also many kinds of photocatalysts were used in the field of red tide pollution control at present, which showed superior ability to inactivate harmful algae and degrade algal toxins. Researches have also explored the mechanisms of photocatalytic algae inhibition. In this study, the current research progress in the field of photocatalytic algae inhibition was systematically discussed from several aspects, such as common types of photocatalysts, modification methods of photocatalysts, types of tested algae for photocatalytic algae inhibition, and action mechanism of inactivated algae cells, so as to provide a certain theoretical basis for further application research of photocatalysts in the field of algae removal in the later period.
Topics: Biodiversity; Catalysis; Environmental Pollutants; Harmful Algal Bloom
PubMed: 35522403
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-20645-9 -
Toxins Jun 2021This article gives a comprehensive overview on potentially harmful algae occurring in the built environment. Man-made structures provide diverse habitats where algae can... (Review)
Review
This article gives a comprehensive overview on potentially harmful algae occurring in the built environment. Man-made structures provide diverse habitats where algae can grow, mainly aerophytic in nature. Literature reveals that algae that is potentially harmful to humans do occur in the anthropogenic environment in the air, on surfaces or in water bodies. Algae may negatively affect humans in different ways: they may be toxic, allergenic and pathogenic to humans or attack human structures. Toxin-producing alga are represented in the built environment mainly by blue green algae (Cyanoprokaryota). In special occasions, other toxic algae may also be involved. Green algae (Chlorophyta) found airborne or growing on manmade surfaces may be allergenic whereas Cyanoprokaryota and other forms may not only be toxic but also allergenic. Pathogenicity is found only in a special group of algae, especially in the genus Prototheca. In addition, rare cases with infections due to algae with green chloroplasts are reported. Algal action may be involved in the biodeterioration of buildings and works of art, which is still discussed controversially. Whereas in many cases the disfigurement of surfaces and even the corrosion of materials is encountered, in other cases a protective effect on the materials is reported. A comprehensive list of 79 taxa of potentially harmful, airborne algae supplemented with their counterparts occurring in the built environment, is given. Due to global climate change, it is not unlikely that the built environment will suffer from more and higher amounts of harmful algal species in the future. Therefore, intensified research in composition, ecophysiology and development of algal growth in the built environment is indicated.
Topics: Air Pollutants; Air Pollution, Indoor; Allergens; Animals; Bacterial Toxins; Built Environment; Chlorophyta; Cyanobacteria; Humans
PubMed: 34209446
DOI: 10.3390/toxins13070465 -
The Plant Journal : For Cell and... Aug 2014Algae are found in all aquatic and many terrestrial habitats. They are dominant in phytoplankton and biofilms thereby contributing massively to global primary... (Review)
Review
Algae are found in all aquatic and many terrestrial habitats. They are dominant in phytoplankton and biofilms thereby contributing massively to global primary production. Since algae comprise photosynthetic representatives of the various protoctist groups their physiology and appearance is highly diverse. This diversity is also mirrored in their characteristic life cycles that exhibit various facets of ploidy and duration of the asexual phase as well as gamete morphology. Nevertheless, sexual reproduction in unicellular and colonial algae usually has as common motive that two specialized, sexually compatible haploid gametes establish physical contact and fuse. To guarantee mating success, processes during sexual reproduction are highly synchronized and regulated. This review focuses on sex pheromones of algae that play a key role in these processes. Especially, the diversity of sexual strategies as well as of the compounds involved are the focus of this contribution. Discoveries connected to algal pheromone chemistry shed light on the role of key evolutionary processes, including endosymbiotic events and lateral gene transfer, speciation and adaptation at all phylogenetic levels. But progress in this field might also in the future provide valid tools for the manipulation of aquaculture and environmental processes.
Topics: Chlorophyta; Pheromones; Reproduction; Stramenopiles
PubMed: 24597605
DOI: 10.1111/tpj.12496 -
Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences :... Jun 2018Chloroplasts are endosymbiotic organelles and play crucial roles in energy supply and metabolism of eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms (algae and land plants). They... (Review)
Review
Chloroplasts are endosymbiotic organelles and play crucial roles in energy supply and metabolism of eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms (algae and land plants). They harbor channels and transporters in the envelope and thylakoid membranes, mediating the exchange of ions and metabolites with the cytosol and the chloroplast stroma and between the different chloroplast subcompartments. In secondarily evolved algae, three or four envelope membranes surround the chloroplast, making more complex the exchange of ions and metabolites. Despite the importance of transport proteins for the optimal functioning of the chloroplast in algae, and that many land plant homologues have been predicted, experimental evidence and molecular characterization are missing in most cases. Here, we provide an overview of the current knowledge about ion and metabolite transport in the chloroplast from algae. The main aspects reviewed are localization and activity of the transport proteins from algae and/or of homologues from other organisms including land plants. Most chloroplast transporters were identified in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, reside in the envelope and participate in carbon acquisition and metabolism. Only a few identified algal transporters are located in the thylakoid membrane and play role in ion transport. The presence of genes for putative transporters in green algae, red algae, diatoms, glaucophytes and cryptophytes is discussed, and roles in the chloroplast are suggested. A deep knowledge in this field is required because algae represent a potential source of biomass and valuable metabolites for industry, medicine and agriculture.
Topics: Biological Transport; Chlorophyta; Chloroplasts; Glaucophyta; Ion Transport; Ions; Membrane Transport Proteins; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Photosynthesis; Phylogeny; Plant Proteins; Rhodophyta
PubMed: 29541792
DOI: 10.1007/s00018-018-2793-0 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2023Epigenetics, referring to heritable gene regulatory information that is independent of changes in DNA sequences, is an important mechanism involved both in organism... (Review)
Review
Epigenetics, referring to heritable gene regulatory information that is independent of changes in DNA sequences, is an important mechanism involved both in organism development and in the response to environmental events. About the epigenetic marks, DNA methylation is one of the most conserved mechanisms, playing a pivotal role in organism response to several biotic and abiotic stressors. Indeed, stress can induce changes in gene expression through hypo- or hyper-methylation of DNA at specific loci and/or in DNA methylation at the genome-wide level, which has an adaptive significance and can direct genome evolution. Exploring DNA methylation in responses to abiotic stress could have important implications for improving stress tolerance in algae. This article summarises the DNA methylation pattern in algae and its impact on abiotic stress, such as heavy metals, nutrients and temperature. Our discussion provides information for further research in algae for a better comprehension of the epigenetic response under abiotic stress, which could favour important implications to sustain algae growth under abiotic stress conditions, often related to high biosynthesis of interesting metabolites.
PubMed: 36678953
DOI: 10.3390/plants12020241 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Jun 2024Microplastics (MPs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are ubiquitous in aquatic environments. Algae play an important role in aquatic environments.... (Review)
Review
Microplastics (MPs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are ubiquitous in aquatic environments. Algae play an important role in aquatic environments. Thus, it is important to study the response of algae to combined exposure of MPs and PPCPs. Here, we review the effects of MPs and PPCPs on algae. First, the individual effects of MPs and PPCPs on algae were summarized. Second, the combined effects of MPs and PPCPs on algae were systematically analyzed. (1) Antagonism: ① when the MPs are too large to enter the algal cells, the adsorption of PPCPs onto MPs results in decreased the contact of MPs and PPCPs with algae; ② PPCPs and MPs have opposing actions on the same biological target; ③ MPs increase the activity of metabolic enzymes in algae, thus promoting the PPCP degradation. (2) Synergy: ① when the MPs are small enough to enter algal cells, the adsorption of PPCPs on MPs promotes the entry of PPCPs; ② when MPs are negatively charged, the adsorption of positively charged PPCPs by MPs decreases the electrostatic repulsion, increasing the interaction between algae and MPs; ③ complementary modes of action between MPs and PPCPs show combined effects on the same biological target. Third, the relative importance of the factors that impact the combined effects are evaluated using the random forest model decreased in the following order: PPCP types > algal species > MP size > MP concentration > MP types > exposure time. Finally, future directions for the combined effects of MPs and PPCPs are proposed, which will facilitate a better understanding of the environmental fate and risks of both MPs and PPCPs.
PubMed: 38950849
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124478 -
Frontiers in Nutrition 2022Nutritional clinical trials have reported algae such as spirulina and chlorella to have the capability to improve cardiovascular risk factors, anemia, immune function,...
Nutritional clinical trials have reported algae such as spirulina and chlorella to have the capability to improve cardiovascular risk factors, anemia, immune function, and arterial stiffness. With positive results being reported in clinical trials, researchers are investigating the potential for algae as an ergogenic aid for athletes. Initial studies found spirulina and chlorella supplementation to increase peak oxygen uptake and time to exhaustion, with the mechanistic focus on the antioxidant capabilities of both algae. However, a number of oxidative stress biomarkers reported in these studies are now considered to lack robustness and have consequently provided equivocal results. Considering the nutrient complexity and density of these commonly found edible algae, there is a need for research to widen the scope of investigation. Most recently algae supplementation has demonstrated ergogenic potential during submaximal and repeated sprint cycling, yet a confirmed primary mechanism behind these improvements is still unclear. In this paper we discuss current algae supplementation studies and purported effects on performance, critically examine the antioxidant and ergogenic differing perspectives, and outline future directions.
PubMed: 35321288
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.865741 -
Journal of Environmental Pathology,... 2020Carbon dioxide (CO2), being an important greenhouse gas (GHG) significantly present in Earth's atmosphere, has been increasing because of several anthropogenic... (Review)
Review
Carbon dioxide (CO2), being an important greenhouse gas (GHG) significantly present in Earth's atmosphere, has been increasing because of several anthropogenic activities leading to global warming. Globally, various efforts have been made to confront climate change, and various CO2 capture and storage methods have been designed. This review aims at describing detailed studies about algae and the methods used by algae to capture and sequester carbon from the atmospheric environment. Algae exist in varied terrestrial and aqueous habitats. Under certain conditions, microalgae are potential accumulators of lipids, which act as a biofuel. Algal biofuel production promotes carbon sequestration and future energy production. This review explicates the opportunities and challenges for biological systems in CO2 sequestration by algae. In addition, the CO2 fixation by algae is explored and leading biochemical channels and enzymes involved in it are studied.
Topics: Biomass; Carbon Dioxide; Carbon Sequestration; Chlorophyta; Cyanobacteria; Electron Transport; Greenhouse Gases; Humans; Microalgae; Photosynthesis
PubMed: 33389904
DOI: 10.1615/JEnvironPatholToxicolOncol.2020034921 -
Biotechnology Reports (Amsterdam,... Mar 2024Fermentation of both microalgae and macroalgae is one of the most efficient methods of obtaining valuable value-added products due to the minimal environmental pollution... (Review)
Review
Fermentation of both microalgae and macroalgae is one of the most efficient methods of obtaining valuable value-added products due to the minimal environmental pollution and the availability of economic benefits, as algae do not require arable land and drift algae and algal bloom biomass are considered waste and must be recycled and their fermentation waste utilized. The compounds found in algae can be effectively used in the fuel, food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, depending on the type of fermentation used. Products such as methane and hydrogen can be produced by anaerobic digestion and dark fermentation of algae, and lactic acid and its polymers can be produced by lactic acid fermentation of algae. Article aims to provide an overview of the different types potential of micro- and macroalgae fermentation, the advantages and disadvantages of each type considered, and the economic feasibility of algal fermentation for the production of various value-added products.
PubMed: 38234329
DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00827