Escherichia coli is the organism of choice for the production of recombinant proteins. Its use as a cell factory is well-established and it has become the most popular expression platform. For this reason, there are many molecular tools and protocols at hand for the high-level production of recombinant proteins, such as a vast catalog of expression plasmids, a great number of engineered strains and many cultivation strategies. We review the different approaches for the synthesis of recombinant proteins in E. coli and discuss recent progress in this ever-growing field.

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Recombinant protein expression in Escherichia coli: advances and challenges.

: Rapamycin is a new antifungal antibiotic produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus NRRL 5491. It was isolated from the mycelium by solvent extraction, purified by silica gel column chromatography and crystallized as a colorless solid which melts at 183 approximately to 185 degrees C and has the empirical formula C56H89NO14. From its characteristic ultraviolet absorption spectrum rapamycin can be classified as a triene. It is highly active against various Candida species, especially Candida albicans. Its activity is compared with that of amphotericin B, candicidin and nystatin.

Rapamycin (AY-22,989), a new antifungal antibiotic. II. Fermentation, isolation and characterization.:II. FERMENTATION, ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION

Prebiotics are a group of nutrients that are degraded by gut microbiota. Their relationship with human overall health has been an area of increasing interest in recent years. They can feed the intestinal microbiota, and their degradation products are short-chain fatty acids that are released into blood circulation, consequently, affecting not only the gastrointestinal tracts but also other distant organs. Fructo-oligosaccharides and galacto-oligosaccharides are the two important groups of prebiotics with beneficial effects on human health. Since low quantities of fructo-oligosaccharides and galacto-oligosaccharides naturally exist in foods, scientists are attempting to produce prebiotics on an industrial scale. Considering the health benefits of prebiotics and their safety, as well as their production and storage advantages compared to probiotics, they seem to be fascinating candidates for promoting human health condition as a replacement or in association with probiotics. This review discusses different aspects of prebiotics, including their crucial role in human well-being.

https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/8/3/92/pdf

Prebiotics: Definition, Types, Sources, Mechanisms, and Clinical Applications

Microbial enzymes are of great importance in the development of industrial bioprocesses. Current applications are focused on many different markets including pulp and paper, leather, detergents and textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemical, food and beverages, biofuels, animal feed and personal care, among others. Today there is a need for new, improved or/and more versatile enzymes in order to develop more novel, sustainable and economically competitive production processes. Microbial diversity and modern molecular techniques, such as metagenomics and genomics, are being used to discover new microbial enzymes whose catalytic properties can be improved/modified by different strategies based on rational, semi-rational and random directed evolution. Most industrial enzymes are recombinant forms produced in bacteria and fungi.

https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/4/1/117/pdf

Microbial Enzymes: Tools for Biotechnological Processes

The availability of allergen molecules ('components') from several protein families has advanced our understanding of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated responses and enabled 'component-resolved diagnosis' (CRD). The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Molecular Allergology User's Guide (MAUG) provides comprehensive information on important allergens and describes the diagnostic options using CRD. Part A of the EAACI MAUG introduces allergen molecules, families, composition of extracts, databases, and diagnostic IgE, skin, and basophil tests. Singleplex and multiplex IgE assays with components improve both sensitivity for low-abundance allergens and analytical specificity; IgE to individual allergens can yield information on clinical risks and distinguish cross-reactivity from true primary sensitization. Part B discusses the clinical and molecular aspects of IgE-mediated allergies to foods (including nuts, seeds, legumes, fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, milk, egg, meat, fish, and shellfish), inhalants (pollen, mold spores, mites, and animal dander), and Hymenoptera venom. Diagnostic algorithms and short case histories provide useful information for the clinical workup of allergic individuals targeted for CRD. Part C covers protein families containing ubiquitous, highly cross-reactive panallergens from plant (lipid transfer proteins, polcalcins, PR-10, profilins) and animal sources (lipocalins, parvalbumins, serum albumins, tropomyosins) and explains their diagnostic and clinical utility. Part D lists 100 important allergen molecules. In conclusion, IgE-mediated reactions and allergic diseases, including allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, asthma, food reactions, and insect sting reactions, are discussed from a novel molecular perspective. The EAACI MAUG documents the rapid progression of molecular allergology from basic research to its integration into clinical practice, a quantum leap in the management of allergic patients.

EAACI Molecular Allergology User's Guide.

Production of recombinant proteins by microbes and higher organisms.

For over 40 years, natural products have served us well in combating cancer. The main sources of these successful compounds are microbes and plants from the terrestrial and marine environments. The microbes serve as a major source of natural products with anti‐tumour activity. A number of these products were first discovered as antibiotics. Another major contribution comes from plant alkaloids, taxoids and podophyllotoxins. A vast array of biological metabolites can be obtained from the marine world, which can be used for effective cancer treatment. The search for novel drugs is still a priority goal for cancer therapy, due to the rapid development of resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. In addition, the high toxicity usually associated with some cancer chemotherapy drugs and their undesirable side‐effects increase the demand for novel anti‐tumour drugs active against untreatable tumours, with fewer side‐effects and/or with greater therapeutic efficiency. This review points out those technologies needed to produce the anti‐tumour compounds of the future.

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Natural products for cancer chemotherapy

Unexpected applications of secondary metabolites

Biosynthesis of β -lactam antibiotics by fungi and actinomycetes is markedly affected by compounds containing nitrogen. The different processes employed by the spectrum of microbes capable of making these valuable compounds are affected differently by particular compounds. Ammonium ions, except at very low concentrations, exert negative effects via nitrogen metabolite repression, sometimes involving the nitrogen regulatory gene nre. Certain amino acids are precursors or inducers, whereas others are involved in repression and, in certain cases, as inhibitors of biosynthetic enzymes and of enzymes supplying precursors. The most important amino acids from the viewpoint of regulation are lysine, methionine, glutamate and valine. Surprisingly, diamines such as diaminopropane, putrescine and cadaverine induce cephamycin production by actinomycetes. In addition to penicillins and cephalosporins made by fungi and cephamycins made by actinomycetes, other β-lactams are made by actinomycetes and unicellular ...

Involvement of Nitrogen-Containing Compounds in β -Lactam Biosynthesis and its Control

This overview of industrial biotechnology discusses the use of genetics in the production of medical pharmaceuticals and other products. It includes medical biotechnology (antibiotics, therapeutic proteins, protein production systems, and biopharmaceutical markets), primary metabolites, enzymes, biopolymers and bioplastics, biofuels, bioremediation, and agricultural biotechnology.

Preeti Vaishnav

Papers

Production of recombinant proteins by microbes and higher organisms.

Natural products for cancer chemotherapy

Unexpected applications of secondary metabolites

Involvement of Nitrogen-Containing Compounds in β -Lactam Biosynthesis and its Control

Industrial Biotechnology, (overview)