Search

Biosurfactants are amphiphilic compounds produced by bacteria either extracellularly or as a part of the cell membrane. Biosurfactants have had a profound impact on medical and pharmaceutical biotechnology. In our previous work, we isolated a new biosurfactant produced by Acinetobacter indicus M6 which reduces the surface tension of water from 72.0 to 39.8 mN/m and which showed thermophilic, halophytic and acidophilic stability. The chemical nature was found to be a class of glycolipoprotein. Here, our research presents the extracted biosurfactant’s anti-proliferative activity against lung cancer cells (A549), and anti-microbial and anti-biofilm activity against MRSA. The anti-tumour activity of biosurfactant against lung cancer cells was evaluated in terms of cell viability at different concentrations. The results showed a decrease in the percentage of lung cancer viable cells with increasing biosurfactant concentrations and incubation time, with a significant decrease being observed at 200 µg/ml concentration leading to cell proliferation inhibition at G1 phase. Treatment of biofilms for seven days at 500 µg/ml resulted in up to 82.5% biofilm disruption. Keywords: Biosurfactant, Acinetobacter indicus M6, Cell viability, Anti-proliferative activity, Anti-biofilm activity

CRISPR genome editing utilizes Cas9 nuclease and single guide RNA (sgRNA), which directs the nuclease to a specific site in the genome and makes a double-stranded break (DSB). Design of sgRNA for CRISPR-Cas targeting, and to promote CRISPR adaptation, uses a regulatory mechanism that ensures maximum CRISPR-Cas9 system functions when a bacterial population is at highest risk of phage infection. Acinetobacter baumannii is the most regularly identified gram-negative bacterium infecting patients. Recent reports have demonstrated that the extent of diseases caused by A. baumannii is expanding and, in a few cases, now surpasses the quantity of infections caused by P. aeruginosa. Most Acinetobacter strains possess biofilm-forming ability, which plays a major role in virulence and drug resistance. Biofilm bacteria use quorum sensing, a cell-to-cell communication process, to activate gene expression. Many genes are involved in biofilm formation and the mechanism to disrupt the biofilm network is still not clearly understood. In this study, we performed in silico gene editing to exploit the AbaI gene, responsible for biofilm formation. The study explored different tools available for genome editing to create gene knockouts, selecting the A. baumannii AbaI gene as a target. Keywords: AbaI, Acinetobacter baumannii, CHOPCHOP, Crispr-cas9, sgRNA

Freshwater biota especially molluscs are more vulnerable because even the slightest change in the quality of their habitat possibly leads to their mortality. In addition, their importance is felt that particularly molluscs contribute toward carbon sequestering from the environment as atmospheric carbon gets deposited as carbonates in their shell which constitute 10% of their body mass. Hence, the molecular phylogenetic relationships of two families inhabiting freshwater streams viz., Ampullariidae and Viviparidae considering the genera dwelling in Indian subcontinent namely Pila globosa and Bellamya bengalensis using the partial nucleotide sequence of mitochondrial COI gene were of considerable importance in building conservational strategies. The phylogenetic analysis of ampullariid and viviparid species inferred that these two chosen families were paraphyletic and rooted on the genera of Cyclophoroidea and possibly with Saulea vitrea as the connecting link.

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases are a major cause of emergency department visits requiring hospitalizations leading to considerable burden on global economy. Several factors contribute to the onset of gastrointestinal diseases such as pathogens (parasites, bacteria, virus, toxins etc.), autoimmune disorders and severe inflammation of intestine. Objective: One common feature among all these diseases is the dysentery and alteration of gut microbiota composition (gut dysbiosis). Apart from conventional therapies such as antibiotics and ORS supplementation, gut microbiota modulation with probiotic supplementation has emerged as a successful and healthy alternative in mitigating GI diseases. In this review our goal is to discuss the causes of gastrointestinal diseases and the present state of various therapeutic strategies such as probiotics as live biotherapeutics and Fecal Microbial Transplants (FMT’s). Conclusion: Several reports and clinical trials point out to the beneficial effects of probiotics in modulating the gut microbiota and improving the side effects of gastrointestinal diseases. Live biotherapeutics and FMT’s could be suitable and successful alternatives to conventional therapies in mitigating the gastrointestinal pathogens.