Bioengineered 

About: Bioengineered is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Medicine & Biology. It has an ISSN identifier of 2165-5979. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 1026 publications have been published receiving 4019 citations. The journal is also known as: Bioengineered.

Health hazards of hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) and its microbial reduction

Abstract: ABSTRACT Industrial effluents/wastewater are the main sources of hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) pollutants in the environment. Cr (VI) pollution has become one of the world’s most serious environmental concerns due to its long persistence in the environment and highly deadly nature in living organisms. To its widespread use in industries Cr (VI) is highly toxic and one of the most common environmental contaminants. Cr (VI) is frequently non-biodegradable in nature, which means it stays in the environment for a long time, pollutes the soil and water, and poses substantial health risks to humans and wildlife. In living things, the hexavalent form of Cr is carcinogenic, genotoxic, and mutagenic. Physico-chemical techniques currently used for Cr (VI) removal are not environmentally friendly and use a large number of chemicals. Microbes have many natural or acquired mechanisms to combat chromium toxicity, such as biosorption, reduction, subsequent efflux, or bioaccumulation. This review focuses on microbial responses to chromium toxicity and the potential for their use in environmental remediation. Moreover, the research problem and prospects for the future are discussed in order to fill these gaps and overcome the problem associated with bacterial bioremediation’s real-time applicability. Graphical abstract

Microbiological insights into anaerobic digestion for biogas, hydrogen or volatile fatty acids (VFAs): a review

Abstract: ABSTRACT In the past decades, considerable attention has been directed toward anaerobic digestion (AD), which is an effective biological process for converting diverse organic wastes into biogas, volatile fatty acids (VFAs), biohydrogen, etc. The microbial bioprocessing takes part during AD is of substantial significance, and one of the crucial approaches for the deep and adequate understanding and manipulating it toward different products is process microbiology. Due to highly complexity of AD microbiome, it is critically important to study the involved microorganisms in AD. In recent years, in addition to traditional methods, novel molecular techniques and meta-omics approaches have been developed which provide accurate details about microbial communities involved AD. Better understanding of process microbiomes could guide us in identifying and controlling various factors in both improving the AD process and diverting metabolic pathway toward production of selective bio-products. This review covers various platforms of AD process that results in different final products from microbiological point of view. The review also highlights distinctive interactions occurring among microbial communities. Furthermore, assessment of these communities existing in the anaerobic digesters is discussed to provide more insights into their structure, dynamics, and metabolic pathways. Moreover, the important factors affecting microbial communities in each platform of AD are highlighted. Finally, the review provides some recent applications of AD for the production of novel bio-products and deals with challenges and future perspectives of AD.

A comprehensive review on the use of algal-bacterial systems for wastewater treatment with emphasis on nutrient and micropollutant removal

Abstract: ABSTRACT The scarcity of water resources and environmental pollution have highlighted the need for sustainable wastewater treatment. Existing conventional treatment systems are energy-intensive and not always able to meet stringent disposal standards. Recently, algal-bacterial systems have emerged as environmentally friendly sustainable processes for wastewater treatment and resource recovery. The algal-bacterial systems work on the principle of the symbiotic relationship between algae and bacteria. This paper comprehensively discusses the most recent studies on algal-bacterial systems for wastewater treatment, factors affecting the treatment, and aspects of resource recovery from the biomass. The algal-bacterial interaction includes cell-to-cell communication, substrate exchange, and horizontal gene transfer. The quorum sensing (QS) molecules and their effects on algal–bacterial interactions are briefly discussed. The effect of the factors such as pH, temperature, C/N/P ratio, light intensity, and external aeration on the algal-bacterial systems have been discussed. An overview of the modeling aspects of algal-bacterial systems has been provided. The algal-bacterial systems have the potential for removing micropollutants because of the diverse possible interactions between algae-bacteria. The removal mechanisms of micropollutants – sorption, biodegradation, and photodegradation, have been reviewed. The harvesting methods and resource recovery aspects have been presented. The major challenges associated with algal-bacterial systems for real scale implementation and future perspectives have been discussed. Integrating wastewater treatment with the algal biorefinery concept reduces the overall waste component in a wastewater treatment system by converting the biomass into a useful product, resulting in a sustainable system that contributes to the circular bioeconomy. Graphical Abstract

Platycodin D regulates high glucose-induced ferroptosis of HK-2 cells through glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4)

Abstract: ABSTRACT Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is associated with inflammation. Platycodin D (PD) demonstrates anti-inflammatory activity. However, whether PD affects DN remains to be explored. Here, we aimed to discuss the role of PD in DN and its underlying mechanisms. High glucose (HG)-induced HK-2 cells were treated with PD, and cell viability was assessed using the Thiazolyl Blue Tetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay. Ferroptosis-related factors such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS), iron (Fe2+) level, GSH level, and malondialdehyde (MDA) level were evaluated. Cell death was evaluated using the TUNEL assay. GPX4 expression was evaluated using Quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting analysis. The results indicated that HG increased LDH activity, lipid ROS production, Fe2+ levels, and MDA levels and decreased GSH levels, suggesting that the HG condition induced ferroptosis. PD treatment inhibited ferroptosis in HG-induced cells, downregulated ACSL4 and TFR1 expression, and upregulated FTH-1 and SLC7A11 expression. PD reversed the effects of HG condition on cell death. Moreover, GPX4 expression was downregulated in HG-stimulated cells. Furthermore, we substantiated that PD suppressed ferroptosis by modulating GPX4 expression. In conclusion, PD inhibited ferroptosis in HG-induced HK-2 cells by upregulating GPX4 expression, suggesting that PD may be an effective drug for the clinical treatment of DN. Graphical abstract

Circular RNA protein tyrosine kinase 2 (circPTK2) promotes colorectal cancer proliferation, migration, invasion and chemoresistance

Abstract: ABSTRACT The dysregulated circular RNAs (circRNAs) are linked to progression and chemoresistance in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the role of circRNA protein tyrosine kinase 2 (circPTK2) in CRC progression and chemoresistance is uncertain. The circPTK2, microRNA (miR)-136-5p, m6A ‘reader’ protein YTH domain family protein 1 (YTHDF1), β-catenin and cyclin D1 abundances were examined via quantitative reverse transcription PCR or Western blotting. The progression was investigated by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, transwell and xenograft analysis. The resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and oxaliplatin was analyzed via detecting cell viability and apoptosis using CCK-8 analysis and flow cytometry. The binding relationship was examined through dual-luciferase reporter, RNA immunoprecipitation and pull-down analysis. In our study, circPTK2 abundance was enhanced in CRC and associated with liver metastasis, clinical stage and chemoresistance. CircPTK2 knockdown constrained cell proliferation, migration, invasion, resistance to 5-FU and oxaliplatin, and the Wnt/β-catenin signaling. MiR-136-5p was bound with circPTK2 and downregulated in CRC. MiR-136-5p knockdown attenuated the influence of circPTK2 silence on CRC progression and chemoresistance. YTHDF1 was targeted via miR-136-5p and upregulated in CRC samples and cells. MiR-136-5p targeted YTHDF1 to restrain CRC progression and chemoresistance. In addition, we confirmed that circPTK2 silence reduced xenograft tumor growth. In conclusion, circPTK2 interference suppressed CRC proliferation, migration, invasion and chemoresistance via regulating miR-136-5p and YTHDF1. Abbreviations: circRNAs: circular RNAs; CRC: colorectal cancer; circPTK2: circRNA protein tyrosine kinase 2; miR: microRNA; YTHDF1: YTH domain family protein 1; CCK-8: cell counting kit-8; 5-FU: 5-fluorouracil; RIP: RNA immunoprecipitation.