Microbial Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common genetic disease in Caucasians that increases the mortality rate. This disease retards the passage of water and salt through the cells and therefore affects the vital functions of different organs. Pulmonary cystic fibrosis is the most common and responsible for the majority of symptoms, burden of care, and mortality. The gene that causes the disease has now been identified and sequenced. The lung diseases with CF are usually have three pathological elements; mucus obstruction, inflammation, and infection. In the last century, the relationship between CF, respiratory microbiology, and inflammation has been understood with increased longevity and development of new treatments and laboratory techniques. In this chapter, we will illustrate causes of CF lung diseases and modern therapeutic strategies

GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF ANTIDIABETIC ALPHA-GLUCOSIDASE INHIBITOR PRODUCING STREPTOMYCES SP

Objective: This study aims to control type 2 of diabetes mellitus by a hypoglycemic substance that extensively produced by Streptomyces bacteria. The antidiabetic action of this substance depends on prevention of starch hydrolysis and then the liberation of glucose monomers via an inhibition of α-glucosidase as one of starch hydrolyzing enzymes.Methods: The strains of marine actinomycetes were isolated on starch nitrate agar, and then qualitatively and quantitatively screened to prevent starch hydrolysis. The most potent strain was identified by classical and genetical methods. The genetic improvement of the most potent strain was carried out by using UV radiations at different exposure periods per second. The optimization of environmental conditions was studied to obtain the maximum activity of the α-glucosidase inhibitory protein, which purified and electrically separated to determine its molecular weight.Results: Among 55 marine actinomycetes, only 7 strains were found have antidiabetic activity. This activity was assayed spectrophotometrically at 400 nm, where p-nitrophenyl-α-d-glucopyranoside and acarbose were used as a substrate and a positive control respectively. The most potent strain which marked as AD-7 was identified as Streptomyces coelicolor, which exposed to the genetic improvement using UV radiations to obtain a highly activity of an inhibitory protein at 10 s of the exposure period. The activity and stability continued for 5 d at 37 °C. The maximum activity and stability of an improved inhibitory protein were obtained with optimization of environmental conditions included inoculum size (106 cfu/ml/300 µl), incubation period (14 d), agitation speed (160 rpm), incubation temperature (30 °C), and pH (8.5). An inhibitor was purified and separated at 34 KDa.Conclusion: Alpha-glucosidase inhibitory protein as a powerful hypoglycemic agent was extracted from the filtrate of S. coelicolor. The mutant strain of the latter had been produced most active and stable inhibitory protein, which prevents the starch hydrolysis via an inhibition of α-glucosidase enzyme for 5 d at 37 °C

<em>Phytophthora</em> spp.: Economic Plant Threats in Egypt

The potato crop is exposed to infection with many fungal diseases including late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans. The control of late blight disease requires an integrated management approach represented in cultivation control, plant resistance, and fungicide control. The citrus plants are infected by Phytophthora nicotianae that is causing root rot disease in Egypt. Three species of Phytophthora responsible for infection of citrus plants; P. nicotianae, P. citrophthora, and P. palmivora. Other pathogens associate P. nicotianae and form complexes or coinfection that release different diseases for citrus plants such as gummosis, Phytophthora–Diaprepes complex (PDC), and Huanglongbing syndrome (HLBS)

The Yeast Role in Medical Applications

Biotechnology including medical applications depends on the yeast as biofermenter to produce many industrial products including pharmaceutical ones. Although yeasts are first known as useful microorganisms, some of them are identified as pathogens for plants, animals, and humans. Due to the simple cellular structure of the yeast among other microbial groups, it is used in the earliest investigations to determine the features of eukaryotic molecular biology, cell biology, and physiology. The economic income of some countries mainly depends on yeast for producing the economic products, such as France that depends on yeast for wine production. This book throws light on yeast and its important role in the medical applications