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Theranostics 2022The occurrence of microorganisms has been confirmed in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of many different organs. Microorganisms (e.g., phage, virus, bacteria, fungi,... (Review)
Review
The occurrence of microorganisms has been confirmed in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of many different organs. Microorganisms (e.g., phage, virus, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa) present in TME modulate TME to inhibit or promote tumor growth in species-dependent manners due to the special physiological and pathological features of each microorganism. Such microorganism-TME interactions have recently been emulated to turn microorganisms into powerful cancer theranostic agents. To facilitate scientists to explore microorganisms-TME interactions further to develop improved cancer theranostics, here we critically review the characteristics of different microorganisms that can be found in TME, their interactions with TME, and their current applications in cancer diagnosis and therapy. Clinical trials of using microorganisms for cancer theranostics are also summarized and discussed. Moreover, the emerging technology of whole-metagenome sequencing that can be employed to precisely determine microbiota spectra is described. Such technology enables scientists to gain an in-depth understanding of the species and distributions of microorganisms in TME. Therefore, scientists now have new tools to identify microorganisms (either naturally present in or introduced into TME) that can be used as effective probes, monitors, vaccines, or drugs for potentially advancing cancer theranostics to clinical applications.
Topics: Humans; Neoplasms; Precision Medicine; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 35401838
DOI: 10.7150/thno.70719 -
Molecular Oral Microbiology Jun 2015Atherosclerosis is a common cardiovascular disease in the USA where it is a leading cause of illness and death. Atherosclerosis is the most common cause for heart attack... (Review)
Review
Atherosclerosis is a common cardiovascular disease in the USA where it is a leading cause of illness and death. Atherosclerosis is the most common cause for heart attack and stroke. Most commonly, people develop atherosclerosis as a result of diabetes, genetic risk factors, high blood pressure, a high-fat diet, obesity, high blood cholesterol levels, and smoking. However, a sizable number of patients suffering from atherosclerosis do not harbor the classical risk factors. Ongoing infections have been suggested to play a role in this process. Periodontal disease is perhaps the most common chronic infection in adults with a wide range of clinical variability and severity. Research in the past decade has shed substantial light on both the initiating infectious agents and host immunological responses in periodontal disease. Up to 46% of the general population harbors the microorganism(s) associated with periodontal disease, although many are able to limit the progression of periodontal disease or even clear the organism(s) if infected. In the last decade, several epidemiological studies have found an association between periodontal infection and atherosclerosis. This review focuses on exploring the molecular consequences of infection by pathogens that exacerbate atherosclerosis, with the focus on infections by the periodontal bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis as a running example.
Topics: Animals; Atherosclerosis; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Macrophages; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Nod2 Signaling Adaptor Protein; Periodontal Diseases; Porphyromonas gingivalis; Signal Transduction; Toll-Like Receptors
PubMed: 25388989
DOI: 10.1111/omi.12087 -
Frontiers in Bioengineering and... 2023
PubMed: 36714005
DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1137341 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2018Microorganisms play a major role in biogeochemical cycles. As such they are attractive candidates for developing new or improving existing biotechnological applications,... (Review)
Review
Microorganisms play a major role in biogeochemical cycles. As such they are attractive candidates for developing new or improving existing biotechnological applications, in order to deal with the accumulation and pollution of organic and inorganic compounds. Their ability to participate in bioremediation processes mainly depends on their capacity to metabolize toxic elements and catalyze reactions resulting in, for example, precipitation, biotransformation, dissolution, or sequestration. The contribution of genomics may be of prime importance to a thorough understanding of these metabolisms and the interactions of microorganisms with pollutants at the level of both single species and microbial communities. Such approaches should pave the way for the utilization of microorganisms to design new, efficient and environmentally sound remediation strategies, as exemplified by the case of arsenic contamination, which has been declared as a major risk for human health in various parts of the world.
PubMed: 29755441
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00820 -
International Journal of Bioprinting 2019The study of biodiversity, growth, development, and metabolism of cultivated microorganisms is an integral part of modern microbiological, biotechnological, and medical... (Review)
Review
The study of biodiversity, growth, development, and metabolism of cultivated microorganisms is an integral part of modern microbiological, biotechnological, and medical research. Such studies require the development of new methods of isolation, cultivation, manipulation, and study of individual bacterial cells and their consortia. To this end, in recent years, there has been an active development of different isolation and three-dimensional cell positioning methods. In this review, the optical tweezers, surface heterogeneous functionalization, multiphoton lithography, microfluidic techniques, and laser printing are reviewed. Laser printing is considered as one of the most promising techniques and is discussed in detail.
PubMed: 32596530
DOI: 10.18063/ijb.v5i1.165 -
Biomaterials Translational 2022Microorganisms with innate and artificial advantages have been regarded as intelligent drug delivery systems for cancer therapy with the help of engineering technology.... (Review)
Review
Microorganisms with innate and artificial advantages have been regarded as intelligent drug delivery systems for cancer therapy with the help of engineering technology. Although numerous studies have confirmed the promising prospects of microorganisms in cancer, several problems such as immunogenicity and toxicity should be addressed before further clinical applications. This review aims to investigate the development of engineered microorganism-based delivery systems for targeted cancer therapy. The main types of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, microalgae, and their components and characteristics are introduced in detail. Moreover, the engineering strategies and biomaterials design of microorganisms are further discussed. Most importantly, we discuss the innovative attempts and therapeutic effects of engineered microorganisms in cancer. Taken together, engineered microorganism-based delivery systems hold tremendous promise for biomedical applications in targeted cancer therapy.
PubMed: 36654778
DOI: 10.12336/biomatertransl.2022.03.004 -
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Aug 2014The extensive research, production and use of microorganisms to improve plant nutrition have resulted in an inconsistent definition of the term "biofertiliser" which, in... (Review)
Review
The extensive research, production and use of microorganisms to improve plant nutrition have resulted in an inconsistent definition of the term "biofertiliser" which, in some cases, is due to the different microbial mechanisms involved. The rationale for adopting the term biofertiliser is that it derives from "biological fertiliser", that, in turn, implies the use of living microorganisms. Here, we propose a definition for this kind of products which is distinguishing them from biostimulants or other inorganic and organic fertilisers. Special emphasis is given to microorganism(s) with multifunctional properties and biofertilisers containing more than one microorganism. This definition could be included in legal provisions regulating registration and marketing requirements. A set of rules is also proposed which could guarantee the quality of biofertilisers present on the market and thus foster their use by farmers.
Topics: Agricultural Inoculants; Agriculture; Bacteria; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Fertilizers; Fungi
PubMed: 24903811
DOI: 10.1007/s00253-014-5828-y -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2018The primary virulence factor of the skin commensal and opportunistic pathogen, , is the ability to form biofilms on surfaces of implanted materials. Much of this... (Review)
Review
The primary virulence factor of the skin commensal and opportunistic pathogen, , is the ability to form biofilms on surfaces of implanted materials. Much of this microorganism's pathogenic success has been attributed to its ability to evade the innate immune system. The primary defense against biofilm infection consists of complement activation, recruitment and subsequent killing of the pathogen by effector cells. Among pathogen-derived factors, the biofilm exopolysaccharide polysaccharide intercellular adhesion (PIA), as well as the accumulation-associated protein (Aap), and the extracellular matrix binding protein (Embp) have been shown to modulate effector cell-mediated killing of . Phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs) constitute the only class of secreted toxins by , at least one type of which (PSMδ) possesses strong cytolytic properties toward leukocytes. However, through selective production of non-cytolytic subtypes of PSMs, is able to maintain a low inflammatory infection profile and avoid eradication by the host immune system. Taken together, our emerging understanding of the mechanisms behind immune modulation by elucidates the microorganism's success in the initial colonization of device surfaces as well as the maintenance of a chronic and indolent course of biofilm infection.
PubMed: 29541068
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00359 -
Mycobiology Sep 2020This study was conducted to understand the dynamics of microbial communities of soil microorganisms, and their distribution and abundance in the indigenous...
This study was conducted to understand the dynamics of microbial communities of soil microorganisms, and their distribution and abundance in the indigenous microorganisms (IMOs) manipulated from humus collected from the forest near the crop field. The soil microorganisms originated from humus and artificially cultured microbial-based soil amendments were characterized by molecular and biochemical analyses. The bacterial population (2 × 10∼13 × 10 CFU/g sample) was approximately 100-fold abundant than the fungal population (2 × 10∼8 × 10 CFU/g sample). The 16S rDNA and ITS sequence analyses showed that the bacterial and fungal communities in humus and IMOs were mainly composed of and , and and species, respectively. Some of the bacterial isolates from the humus and IMOs showed strong inhibitory activity against soil-borne pathogenic fungi and . These bacteria also showed the siderophore production activity as well as phosphate solubilizing activity, which are requisite traits for biological control of plant pathogenic fungi. These results suggest that humus and IMOs could be a useful resource for sustainable agriculture.
PubMed: 33177918
DOI: 10.1080/12298093.2020.1816154 -
Metabolic Engineering Communications Dec 2022Hemicellulose is the second most abundant carbohydrate in lignocellulosic biomass and has extensive applications. In conventional biomass refinery, hemicellulose is... (Review)
Review
Hemicellulose is the second most abundant carbohydrate in lignocellulosic biomass and has extensive applications. In conventional biomass refinery, hemicellulose is easily converted to unwanted by-products in pretreatment and therefore can't be fully utilized. The present study aims to summarize the most recent development of lignocellulosic polysaccharide degradation and fully convert it to value-added bioproducts through microbial and enzymatic catalysis. Firstly, bioprocess and microbial metabolic engineering for enhanced utilization of lignocellulosic carbohydrates were discussed. The bioprocess for degradation and conversion of natural lignocellulose to monosaccharides and organic acids using anaerobic thermophilic bacteria and thermostable glycoside hydrolases were summarized. Xylose transmembrane transporting systems in natural microorganisms and the latest strategies for promoting the transporting capacity by metabolic engineering were summarized. The carbon catabolite repression effect restricting xylose utilization in microorganisms, and metabolic engineering strategies developed for co-utilization of glucose and xylose were discussed. Secondly, the metabolic pathways of xylose catabolism in microorganisms were comparatively analyzed. Microbial metabolic engineering for converting xylose to value-added bioproducts based on redox pathways, non-redox pathways, pentose phosphate pathway, and improving inhibitors resistance were summarized. Thirdly, strategies for degrading lignocellulosic polysaccharides and fully converting hemicellulose to value-added bioproducts through microbial metabolic engineering were proposed.
PubMed: 36311477
DOI: 10.1016/j.mec.2022.e00211