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| Open AccessChemoenzymatic indican for light-driven denim dyeing
Conventional blue denim dyeing has both environmental and health-related consequences. Here, Bidart et al. use enzyme engineering to develop a viable method for the bulk production of indican and demonstrate dying processes which could significantly reduce the negative consequences of this billion-dollar industry.
- Gonzalo Nahuel Bidart
- , David Teze
- & Ditte Hededam Welner
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Article
| Open AccessOperando investigation of the synergistic effect of electric field treatment and copper for bacteria inactivation
The overuse of chemicals in our disinfection processes has warranted the development of alternatives. Here, authors use a lab-on-a-chip device to study and observe the synergistic effects of electric field treatment and copper for inactivation of bacteria with promising applications in many fields.
- Mourin Jarin
- , Ting Wang
- & Xing Xie
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Article
| Open AccessDeposition and water repelling of temperature-responsive nanopesticides on leaves
Weak adhesion is a common hindrance to efficient utilization of pesticides in agricultural applications. Here, authors demonstrate leaf-adhesive tebuconazole nanopesticides which can be water-dispersed via flash nanoprecipitation using temperature-responsive copolymers PDMAEMA-b-PCL as the carrier.
- Jie Tang
- , Xiaojing Tong
- & Yisheng Xu
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Article
| Open AccessFacile hermetic TEM grid preparation for molecular imaging of hydrated biological samples at room temperature
Electron microscopy of native hydrated biological samples close to physiological temperature is challenging. Here, authors encapsulate proteins and cells as an efficient, cost-effective complement to other microscopy technique in addressing biological questions at the molecular level.
- Lingli Kong
- , Jianfang Liu
- & Gang Ren
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Article
| Open AccessPhenotypically complex living materials containing engineered cyanobacteria
Engineered living materials (ELMs) are emerging as a field at the intersection of materials science and synthetic biology. Here, the authors describe a photosynthetic ELM composed of genetically engineered cyanobacteria in a hydrogel matrix, capable of bioremediation and inducible cell death.
- Debika Datta
- , Elliot L. Weiss
- & Jonathan K. Pokorski
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Article
| Open AccessDiscovery and mechanism-guided engineering of BHET hydrolases for improved PET recycling and upcycling
The degradation of PET using PETase enzymes has great potential but can face problems with incomplete degradation. Here, the authors identified two BHETases from the environment and engineered them to improve their hydrolysis efficiency for applications in dual-enzyme PET recycling and tandem chemical-enzymatic PET upcycling systems.
- Anni Li
- , Yijie Sheng
- & He Huang
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Article
| Open AccessConstruction of a synthetic metabolic pathway for biosynthesis of 2,4-dihydroxybutyric acid from ethylene glycol
Ethylene glycol is an attractive two-carbon alcohol substrate for bioproduction as it can be derived from CO2 or syngas. Here, the authors design a five-step synthetic metabolic pathway in E. coli to enable the carbon-conserving biosynthesis of the platform chemical 2,4-dihydroxybutyric acid from ethylene glycol.
- Cláudio J. R. Frazão
- , Nils Wagner
- & Thomas Walther
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| Open AccessComplete bio-degradation of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) via engineered cutinases
Bio-degradation of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) is an attractive tactic but requires an effective hydrolytic enzyme. Here, the authors demonstrate that cutinases are highly potent PBAT-decomposing enzymes and their mechanism is proposed based on substrate-binding mode.
- Yu Yang
- , Jian Min
- & Rey-Ting Guo
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Article
| Open AccessWax worm saliva and the enzymes therein are the key to polyethylene degradation by Galleria mellonella
The crucial first step in the biodegradation of polyethylene plastic is oxidation of the polymer. This has traditionally required abiotic pre-treatment, but now Bertocchini and colleagues report two wax worm enzymes capable of catalyzing this oxidation and subsequent degradation at room temperature.
- A. Sanluis-Verdes
- , P. Colomer-Vidal
- & F. Bertocchini
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Article
| Open AccessDouble-tap gene drive uses iterative genome targeting to help overcome resistance alleles
CRISPR gene drives are genetic elements capable of quickly spreading through populations and they offer promising solutions for curbing the spread of vector-borne diseases and controlling crop pest and invasive species populations. Here the authors present a method for overcoming resistance alleles “double-tap,” that encodes additional gRNAs in the gene drive that target the most common generated resistance alleles.
- Alena L. Bishop
- , Víctor López Del Amo
- & Valentino M. Gantz
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| Open AccessBottlenecks and opportunities for synthetic biology biosafety standards
The lack of innovative standards for biosafety in synthetic biology is an unresolved policy gap that limits many potential applications in synthetic biology. We argue that a massive support for standardization in biosafety is required for synthetic biology to flourish.
- Lei Pei
- , Michele Garfinkel
- & Markus Schmidt
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| Open AccessMiDAS 4: A global catalogue of full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences and taxonomy for studies of bacterial communities in wastewater treatment plants
Microbial communities are responsible for biological wastewater treatment. Here, Dueholm et al. generate more than 5 million high-quality, full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences from wastewater treatment plants across the world to construct a database with a comprehensive taxonomy, providing insights into diversity and function of these microbial communities.
- Morten Kam Dahl Dueholm
- , Marta Nierychlo
- & Per Halkjær Nielsen
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| Open AccessGenetically stable CRISPR-based kill switches for engineered microbes
Biocontainment is a key to developing safe genetically-engineered microbes (GEMs). Here the authors demonstrate genetically stable CRISPR-based kill switches that control GEMs’ viability in animal hosts, enabling their safe biomedical applications.
- Austin G. Rottinghaus
- , Aura Ferreiro
- & Tae Seok Moon
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Article
| Open AccessAugmented CO2 tolerance by expressing a single H+-pump enables microalgal valorization of industrial flue gas
Microalgae used for CO2 removal in an industrial exhaust gas stream usually has low CO2 tolerance. Here, the authors increase CO2 tolerance by expressing a single H + -pump and enable microalgal valorization of industrial flue gas.
- Hong Il Choi
- , Sung-Won Hwang
- & Sang Jun Sim
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| Open AccessGene-drive suppression of mosquito populations in large cages as a bridge between lab and field
Experimental analysis of gene drive population dynamics has mostly been limited to small cage trials. Here the authors, to fill the gap between lab based studies and field studies, use large indoor cages and see population suppression without the emergence of resistant alleles
- Andrew Hammond
- , Paola Pollegioni
- & Andrea Crisanti
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| Open AccessOptimized CRISPR tools and site-directed transgenesis towards gene drive development in Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes
Culex mosquitoes are a global vector for insect-borne diseases, though progress with genetic tools lags behind other mosquito species. Here the authors present a Cas9-based toolkit and methods that could support future gene drive development in these mosquitoes.
- Xuechun Feng
- , Víctor López Del Amo
- & Valentino M. Gantz
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Article
| Open AccessThioglycoligase derived from fungal GH3 β-xylosidase is a multi-glycoligase with broad acceptor tolerance
Thioglycoligases have proved useful for bonding carbohydrates to non-sugar acceptors, however, the scope of these biocatalysts is usually limited. Here, the authors engineer a xylosidase into a thioglycoligase with the ability to form O-, N-, S- and Se- glycosides together with sugar esters and phosphoesters.
- Manuel Nieto-Domínguez
- , Beatriz Fernández de Toro
- & María Jesús Martínez
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Article
| Open AccessMicrobial reduction of metal-organic frameworks enables synergistic chromium removal
Interactions between electroactive bacteria and metal oxides are used for bioremediation. Here, the authors report on the application of Fe(III)-containing metal organic frameworks as substrates for bacterial growth which allow for remediation of lethal levels of chromium with high efficacy over several cycles.
- Sarah K. Springthorpe
- , Christopher M. Dundas
- & Benjamin K. Keitz
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| Open AccessDesigning yeast as plant-like hyperaccumulators for heavy metals
Existing heavy metal bioremediation systems are mainly based on plants, which require long growing time in specific conditions. Here, the authors mimic the characteristics of plant hyperaccumulators to engineer more tractable baker’s yeast and achieve 10–100-fold higher accumulation of chromium, arsenic, or cadmium.
- George L. Sun
- , Erin. E. Reynolds
- & Angela M. Belcher
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Article
| Open AccessHemocyanin facilitates lignocellulose digestion by wood-boring marine crustaceans
Marine woodborers can digest woody biomass without the help of gut microbiota but the mechanism has remained unclear. Here, the authors provide evidence that the woodborer’s respiratory protein hemocyanin plays a central role in wood digestion and may offer a route toward biorefining of woody plant biomass.
- Katrin Besser
- , Graham P. Malyon
- & Simon J. McQueen-Mason
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Article
| Open AccessStructural insight into molecular mechanism of poly(ethylene terephthalate) degradation
Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is a widely used plastic and its accumulation in the environment has become global problem. Here the authors report the crystal structure of a Ideonella sakaiensis PET-degrading enzyme and propose a molecular mechanism for PET degradation.
- Seongjoon Joo
- , In Jin Cho
- & Kyung-Jin Kim
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Article
| Open AccessElectricity generation from digitally printed cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria can be exploited to convert light energy into electrical current, however utilising them efficiently for power generation is a challenge. Here, the authors use a simple commercial inkjet printer to fabricate a thin-film paper-based biophotovoltaic cell capable of driving low-power devices.
- Marin Sawa
- , Andrea Fantuzzi
- & Peter J. Nixon
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Article
| Open AccessLow carbon renewable natural gas production from coalbeds and implications for carbon capture and storage
Coalbeds produce natural gas, which has been observed to be enhanced by in situ microbes. Here, the authors add plant-derived carbohydrates (monosaccharides) to coal seams to be converted by indigenous microbes into natural gas, thus demonstrating a potential low carbon renewable natural gas resource.
- Zaixing Huang
- , Christine Sednek
- & Shengpin Li
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| Open AccessElectricity from methane by reversing methanogenesis
Microbial fuel cells generate electricity from a variety of sources, however from methane only negligible electrical power has been reported so far. Here the authors convert methane into electricity using a synthetic consortium consisting of an engineered archaeal strain, microorganisms from methane-acclimated sludge, andGeobacter sulfurreducens.
- Michael J. McAnulty
- , Venkata G. Poosarla
- & Thomas K. Wood
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Article
| Open AccessCO2 fixation by anaerobic non-photosynthetic mixotrophy for improved carbon conversion
Microbial fermentation yield is limited by CO2 loss in glycolysis. Here, the authors engineered Clostridium ljungdahlii for the anaerobic, non-photosynthetic mixotrophy production of acetone, increasing carbon product yield while reducing CO2emissions from a biogenic feedstock fermentation.
- Shawn W. Jones
- , Alan G. Fast
- & Bryan P. Tracy