Are Algae the Future Source of Enzymes?

Various proteins and enzymes produced during algal photosynthesis can be used in economic development and environment management, such as in wastewater treatment, production of fine chemicals, and biodiesel production. This mini-review presents various enzymes isolated from algae and suggests that algae, given their unique properties, could be explored for large-scale production of enzymes as future biocatalyst factories.HighlightsVarious proteins and enzymes are produced during algal photosynthesis.Algae use phosphoglycolate phosphatase and glycolate oxidase as metabolizing enzymes.Algae possess the ability to produce commercial enzymes.Out of the 10,000 algae species, only a few are cultivated on an industrial scale.Algal wastes can be manipulated and recycled for production of various enzymes.

Specific Strategies for One-Step and Simultaneous Immobilization-Purification of Lipases

Lipases are the biocatalysts with outstanding prospects in industry and medicine. They have proven to be useful in various hydrolytic and synthetic reactions. However, there are some limitations for impure lipases that may restrict their widely uses in industrial applications. Purification is sometimes vital for the characterization of the function, structure, and interactions of lipases. The lipase immobilization is also an efficient strategy for increasing the enzyme activity and stability, and getting a simpler recovery. Lipases are naturally produced together with many other proteins that they may occupy some surface of immobilization solid support and decrease the final activity. The coupling of immobilization and purification of lipase will overcome the mentioned problems and obtain the maximum purification yields. The present mini-review will discuss the use of the techniques that permit to join immobilization and purification of lipases in a single step, including control of the immobilization conditions by interfacial activation on hydrophobic supports, the development of specific supports with affinity for lipases, and the use of bio-affinity supports including immuno- and lectin affinityHIGHLIGHTS•Lipases are the biocatalysts with outstanding prospects in industry and medicine.•Simultaneous immobilization-purification may enhance lipase activity and stability.•Lipases have a mechanism of interfacial activation in the presence of hydrophobic interfaces.•The lipase immobilization on hydrophobic supports is a much-utilized strategy.•Bio-affinity is a promising approach to increase lipase final yield and activity

Peptide-Catalysis in Asymmetric Organic Synthesis

Stereo-selectivity is an important feature in the development of the synthesis of biologically active organic compounds. In this process, (bio) catalysts exhibit substrate specificity that allows high levels of chemo- and regio-selectivity. Over the past decade, several peptides have been developed as effective bio-catalysts for a range of synthetically valuable reactions. In comparison with proteins owing a large number of amino acids and high molecular weights, peptide-catalysts possess only a few amino acid residues, which may adopt a secondary structure suitable for synthesis of desired chiral products. In addition, the flexible nature of peptides consents for tuning of reactivity and selectivity by replacing amino acid residues. These unique aspects provide attractive biocatalysts platform for asymmetric syntheses.HighlightsAsymmetric catalysis has an impressive progression in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.Enzymes and natural/synthetic peptides are attractive biocatalysts of the chiral reactions.Peptides show unique features compared with other catalysts in asymmetric catalysis.

Phage Therapy as a New Approach in Treating Emerging Antibiotic Resistant Infections

Despite the progress in treatment of infectious diseases, ability of microorganisms to develop the resistance to routine antibiotics has still remained as a big global challenge in clinics. This subject matter keeps the infections top in the list of life threatening diseases especially in those individuals suffering from nosocomial infections. The importance of this global health challenge urges researchers to find an alternative solution with more efficacies to treat infections. There are some alternative approaches by which the global spread of resistant bacteria could be controlled. Through these ways, using bacteriophages instead of different generation of antibiotics brings many promises. According to results of different studies using bacteriophages in the management of infectious disease especially in nosocomial infections not only helps to reduce the spread of antibiotics resistance but also raises the hopes for the rescue of the suffering patients. Bacteriophages can open a new therapeutic window in the control and the treatment of the infectious disease with better efficacy.HIGHLIGHTS•Bacteriophage can be used as an antimicrobial agent for treatment of bacterial infection.•Bacterial resistance to routine antibiotics is a big challenge in the world.•Specificity toward bacteria is one of the important characteristic of phages

Open reduction and internal fixation of the bilateral proximal humeral fracture dislocation with head splitting in an active young adult: a rare case

Proximal humeral fracture is a common injury particularly in elderly. A proper management of these fractures is very challenging, based on the various characteristics of patient, fracture anatomy, equipment and the surgeon experience. Bilateral PHF is a rare condition, which almost always caused by seizure, electric shock and trauma, respectively. An appropriate treatment of these patients needs especial attention to obtain a good clinical outcome. We report a 29-year-old patient who suffered from bilateral proximal humeral fracture with posterior dislocation and splitted humeral head due to the combined mechanism of injury including severe trauma after high voltage electric shock. We did not find similar case(s) reported before in the literature. The patient treated with bilateral open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). He was able to do his daily activities after 6 month

The Role and Station of the Teacher in Formation of the Social Skills in Disabled Students in an inclusive Education Program

An inclusive educational program must include some planning for social embracement for students with special needs to be more effective. This is usually done by teachers. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to find out about the role and station of teacher in forming the social skills of the students with special needs and disabilities in an inclusive education system. This is a descriptive-analytical study which falls under the descriptive research category. In this work, a collection of theories and perspectives by specialists in the field of disabled children education was analyzed. The findings show that the teacher has an important role in enhancing the social skills of students with disabilities. It is on this basis that the teacher can take advantage of various techniques and approaches such as collective learning and same-age teaching that he makes some efforts in teaching some social skills to students with disability so they can fulfill their educational, financial and especially social goals. Expansion of social skills in disabled students can significantly increase their ability in getting along with others and conducting appropriate socially acceptable behaviors, their popularity among their peers, teachers, parents and other adults and independence in their personal life. Keywords: Inclusive  Education , Social Skills, Disabled Student

Ionic Liquids and their Toxicity on the Enzyme Activity and Stability

Molecular interactions are crucial between the enzyme molecules and the surrounding solution in an enzymatic catalysis. Although aqueous solutions used as conventional enzymatic reaction media, non-aqueous enzymology emerges as a major area of biotechnology research and development. Ionic liquids, as new generation of promising alternatives to traditional organic solvents, possess potential industrial enzymatic applications. Enzymes in ionic liquids present enhanced activity, stability, and selectivity. In addition, the potential of ionic liquids in bio-catalysis is raised by high ability of dissolving a wide variety of substrates and their extensively tunable solvent properties through appropriate modification of the cations and anions. However, despite the bio-friendly nature of ionic liquids for enzymatic reactions, their growing interests increase concerns associated with toxicity and environmental pollution of such compounds. This mini-review presents a brief highlight of the contemporary knowledge of enzymes activity and stability in ionic liquids and the environmental influences regarding the potential risks related to the growing applications of these green solvents.HIGHLIGHTS•Conventional organic solvents can be replaced by ionic liquids as green solvents.•Ionic liquids are used as additives, catalysts, or reaction media in industries.•Advantages and disadvantages of ionic liquids are discussed.•Potential environmental hazards linked to application of ionic liquids are highlighted.•The environmental fate needs to be considered in designing safer ionic liquids

Medium Optimization for Synaptobrevin Production Using Statistical Methods

Background: Botulinum toxin, the most potent biological toxin, has become a powerful therapeutic tool for a growing number of clinical applications. Molecular studies have identified a family of synaptic vesicle-associated membrane proteins (VAMPs, also known as synaptobrevins) which have been implicated in synaptic vesicle docking and fusion with plasma membrane proteins.Materials and Methods: Using the synaptobrevin as a substrate for in vitro assay is the method to detect BoNT activity. We have been working on optimizations of bacterial expression conditions and media for high-level production of synaptobrevin peptide. Statistics-based experimental design was used to investigate the effect of medium components (E. coli strain, peptone, IPTG, yeast extract, ampicillin, and temperature) on synaptobrevin production by E. coli.Results: A 24 fractional factorial design with center points revealed that IPTG and temperature were the most significant factors, whereas the other factors were not important within the levels tested. This purpose was followed by a central composite design to develop a response surface for medium optimization. The optimum medium composition for synaptobrevin production was found to be: IPTG 29 mM, peptone 10 g/L, yeast extract 5 g/L, temperature 23°C and ampicillin 100 mg/L. This medium was projected to produce, theoretically, 115 mg/Lsynaptobrevin.Conclusion: The optimum medium composition synaptobrevin production was found to be: BL21 (E.coli strain), LB medium (peptone 10 g/L, Yeast 5 g/L), Ampicillin (100 mg/L), IPTG (0.29 mg/L) and temperature (23°C)

Biosynthesis and recovery of selenium nanoparticles and the effects on matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression

Today, green synthesis of nanoparticles is attracting increasing attention. In the present study, the Bacillus sp. MSh-1 was isolated from the Caspian Sea (located in the northern part of Iran) and identified by various identification tests and 16S ribosomal DNA analysis. The reduction time course study of selenium ion (Se4+) reduction by using this test strain was performed in a liquid culture broth. Then, the intracellular NPs (nanoparticles) were released by the liquid nitrogen disruption method and thoroughly purified using an n-octyl alcohol water extraction system. Characterization of the separated NPs on features such as particle shape, size and purity was carried out with different devices. The energy dispersive X-ray and X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the purified NPs consisted of only selenium and are amorphous respectively. In addition, the transmission electron micrograph showed that the separated NPs were spherical and 80–220 nm in size. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity effect of these extracted biogenic selenium (Se) NPs on the fibrosarcoma cell line (HT-1080) proliferation and the inhibitory effect of the Se NPs on MMP-2 (matrix metalloproteinase-2) expression were studied using the MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol- 2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide] assay and gelatin zymography. Biogenic Se NPs showed a moderately inhibitory effect on MMP-2 expression