A Canonical Correlation Analysis of AIDS Restriction Genes and Metabolic Pathways Identifies Purine Metabolism as a Key Cooperator

Human immunodeficiency virus causes a severe disease in humans, referred to as immune deficiency syndrome. Studies on the interaction between host genetic factors and the virus have revealed dozens of genes that impact diverse processes in the AIDS disease. To resolve more genetic factors related to AIDS, a canonical correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between AIDS restriction and metabolic pathway gene expression. The results show that HIV-1 postentry cellular viral cofactors from AIDS restriction genes are coexpressed in human transcriptome microarray datasets. Further, the purine metabolism pathway comprises novel host factors that are coexpressed with AIDS restriction genes. Using a canonical correlation analysis for expression is a reliable approach to exploring the mechanism underlying AIDS

Microbial Production of Cellulosic Isobutanol: Integrating Ecology and Evolutionary Approaches with Engineering.

Biofuels derived from lignocellulosic feedstocks are widely considered to be among the most promising renewable fuels that can be produced at a large scale and in a sustainable manner. However, many challenges exist. In this work, we aim to address two of them, which are interconnected under an overall goal of achieving efficient microbial conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks to isobutanol, an advanced biofuel: i) enabling consolidated bioprocessing of lignocellulosic feedstocks to biofuels, through engineering synthetic microbial consortia; and ii) improving microbial stress tolerance, through genome evolution and engineering. Inspired by the versatility and robustness of ubiquitous natural microbial ecosystems, the first part of our work explores engineering synthetic multispecies microbial communities for cellulosic biofuel production. The required biochemical functions are divided between two specialist organisms: the fungus Trichoderma reesei, which secretes cellulases to hydrolyze lignocellulose into soluble saccharides, and the bacterium Escherichia coli, which metabolizes soluble saccharides into isobutanol. We developed and experimentally validated a comprehensive modeling framework, allowing us to elucidate key ecological interactions and develop mechanisms for stabilizing and tuning population composition. To illustrate bioprocessing applications, we demonstrate direct conversion of cellulosic feedstocks to isobutanol, achieving titers up to 1.86 g/L and 62% of theoretical yield. In the second part, we leverage recent advances in DNA sequencing and genome engineering technologies to decode and refactor microbial tolerance to isobutanol, a complex phenotype with a poorly understood genetic basis. We experimentally evolved isobutanol tolerant E. coli strains, and then used genome re-sequencing and functional dissection studies to reverse engineer mechanisms and genetic bases of tolerance. Next, we exploited our initial results to select genetic loci for targeted mutagenesis using Multiplex Automated Genome Engineering (MAGE), allowing us to refactor isobutanol tolerance and explore large genotype spaces for hyper-tolerant variants. In summary, we have integrated ecology and evolutionary approaches with engineering to develop novel microbial systems for biofuel production. Our synthetic microbial consortium approach provides key advantages over the conventional paradigm of engineering a single microbe (“super-bug”); in parallel, our genome evolution and engineering work has generated new insights into genetic and biochemical mechanisms underlying microbial tolerance to toxic chemicals.PHDChemical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99954/1/jminty_1.pd

Climate Change Issues in Nigeria: A Call For A Sustainable Policy in Agricultural Sector

Climate change has been reported to have been caused by human activities and its impacts on global economy and the citizen is devastating in nature. This paper aims to identify various ways through which farmers in the rural community contribute to climate change. This study intends to contribute to environmental sustainability and farmers’ adoption of cleaner agricultural production practices. This research adopted descriptive survey design type. The methodology includes the use of four stage sampling procedure to select 120 farmers from the study area. Interviewed schedule was used to collect data from the respondents, while the data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that majority (92.4%) engaged in bush burning, 96.7% were involved in deforestation,59 % engaged in soil nutrient depletion activitieswhile 92.4% engaged in drainage construction. All these activities contribute to global warming. Therefore, it is recommended that awareness campaign about the cause of climate change should be organized for the farmers in the zone,while policy should be formulated to encourage farmers to use climate smart agriculture in their production process in order to establish environmental sustainability. Key words: Climate change. Bush burning, Deforestation, Sustainability, Farmers activities Global warmin