Metagenomics of Antimicrobial Resistance in Gut Microbiome

A healthy human body functions in sync with a wide array of gut microbes collectively known as human gut microbiome. They complement in a number of functions which are essential in our daily life such as in food metabolism. Various illnesses including colon cancer, autism, obesity, and autoimmune diseases have been linked to an imbalanced gut microbiota. Antibiotics are indispensable drug; however, the administration of antibiotics in humans as well as in animal farms has shown to increase antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in gut microbiome. This is of serious concern since the commensals in gut microbiome could capture ARGs through horizontal gene transfer which in turn could cause postsurgical infections. In addition, numerous studies have consistently shown that the gut microbiome is unique to each individual. Hence, in-depth knowledge on the gut microbiota community and the factor responsible for shaping and spreading of ARGs is essential. This would in turn enable the development of custom-tailored personalized food and drugs in the future

Metagenomics — A Technological Drift in Bioremediation

Nature has its ways of resolving imbalances in its environment and microorganisms are one of the best tools of nature to eliminate toxic pollutants. The process of eliminating pollutants using microbes is termed Bioremediation. Metagenomics is a strategic approach for analysing microbial communities at a genomic level. It is one of the best technological upgradation to bioremediation. Identification and screening of metagenomes from the polluted environments are crucial in a metagenomic study. This chapter emphasizes recent multiple case studies explaining the approaches of metagenomics in bioremediation in different contaminated environments such as soil, water etc. The second section explains different sequences and function-based metagenomic strategies and tools starting from providing a detailed view of metagenomic screening, FACS, and multiple advanced metagenomic sequencing strategies dealing with the prevalent metagenomes in bioremediation and giving a list of different widespread metagenomic organisms and their respective projects. Eventually, we have provided a detailed view of different major bioinformatic tools and datasets most prevalently used in metagenomic data analysis and processing during metagenomic bioremediation

Ubiquitousness of Haloferax and Carotenoid Producing Genes in Arabian Sea Coastal Biosystems of India

This study presents a comparative analysis of halophiles from the global open sea and coastal biosystems through shotgun metagenomes (n = 209) retrieved from public repositories. The open sea was significantly enriched with Prochlorococcus and Candidatus pelagibacter. Meanwhile, coastal biosystems were dominated by Marinobacter and Alcanivorax. Halophilic archaea Haloarcula and Haloquandratum, predominant in the coastal biosystem, were significantly (p 60% G + C content. Multidrug resistance to tetracycline, gentamicin, ampicillin, and chloramphenicol were also observed. Our study showed that coastal biosystems could be more suited for bioprospection of halophiles rather than the open sea.This research was funded by SERB, GoI (SERB-EEQ/2018/001085), Central University of Kerala (India), research grant from the MINECO, Spain (RTI2018-099860-B-100) and University of Alicante (VIGROB-309)

Novel aromatase inhibitors selection using induced fit docking and extra precision methods: Potential clinical use in ER-alpha-positive breast cancer

This article aims to identify new molecules which could block or suppress the activity of aromatase enzyme by molecular docking studies using Schrödinger-Maestro v9.3

Metagenomics for Gut Microbes

This book focuses on metagenomics for gut microbiomes. The host is deprived of various benefits derived from the numerous gut microbes for food metabolism and health. However, polysaccharides such as cellulose, xylans, resistant starch, and inulin that are found in vegetables in our diet are digested by certain species that colonize the intestines. In contrast, metagenomic studies that reiterate microbiome intrinsic factors from particular communities and lifestyles and are extremely important for bacterial communities traveling over a long distance have entered a new era. Predominantly to understand the behavior of organisms and their action in a host, next-generation sequencing will provide a new insight into analyzing the livestock industry, agriculture, and human health risks and will consider for future development novel therapies for various diseases through identification of advanced tools. Hence, the book will give more precise information on the role of gut microbiomes in the host

Antibacterial Agents

New drugs are frequently entering into the market along with the existing drugs. The antibacterial agents can be discussed in five major classes, i.e. classification based on the type of action, source, spectrum of activity, chemical structure and function. Resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is an urgent problem of the humanity, which leads us to the lack of therapy for serious bacterial infections. Development of new antibiotics has almost ceased in the last decades - even when a new antibiotic is launched, very soon the resistance of bacteria appears. Industrial textiles exposed as awnings, screens, tents; upholstery used in large public areas such as hospitals, hotels and stations; fabrics for transports; protective clothing and personal protective equipment; bed sheets and blankets; textiles left wet between processing steps; intimate apparel, underwear, socks and sportswear, disinfection of air and water for white rooms, hospitals and operating theatres, food and pharma industries, water depuration, drinkable water supplying and air conditioning systems. Many clinicians recommend alternative approaches to using antimicrobial substances. Moreover, the majority of bioagents demonstrate on antibiotics for treatment of a wide range of diseases in human sectors. However, the misuse and mishandling of drugs lead to microbial, particularly bacterial, resistance as well as result in the difficulty of treating microbial diseases. Hence, the proposed book will give more precise information on novel antibacterial compound(s)

Biosynthesis of Silver Chloride Nanoparticles (AgCl-NPs) from Extreme Halophiles and Evaluation of Their Biological Applications

The biosynthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) has gained an overwhelming interest due to their biological applications. However, NPs synthesis by pigmented extreme halophiles remains underexplored. The NPs synthesis using pigmented halophiles is inexpensive and less toxic than other processes. In this study, pigmented halophilic microorganisms (n = 77) were screened to synthesize silver chloride nanoparticles (AgCl-NPs) with silver nitrate as metal precursors, and their biological applications were assessed. The synthesis of AgCl-NPs was possible using the crude extract from cellular lysis (CECL) of six extreme halophiles. Two of the AgCl-NPs viz. AK2-NPs and MY6-NPs synthesized by the CECL of Haloferax alexandrinus RK_AK2 and Haloferax lucentense RK_MY6, respectively, exhibited antimicrobial, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory activities. The surface plasmon resonance of the AgCl-NPs was determined with UV spectroscopy. XRD analysis of AK2-NPs and MY6-NPs confirmed the presence of silver in the form of chlorargyrite (silver chloride) having a cubic structure. The crystallite size of AK2-NPs and MY6-NPs, estimated with the Scherrer formula, was 115.81 nm and 137.50 nm. FTIR analysis verified the presence of diverse functional groups. Dynamic light-scattering analysis confirmed that the average size distribution of NPs was 71.02 nm and 117.36 nm for AK2-NPs and MY6-NPs, respectively, with monodisperse nature. The functional group in 1623–1641 cm−1 indicated the presence of protein β-sheet structure and shifting of amino and hydroxyl groups from the pigmented CECL, which helps in capping and stabilizing nanoparticles. The study provides evidence that CECL of Haloferax species can rapidly synthesize NPs with unique characteristics and biological applications.This work was the partial financial support from DST-EMR (2016/003715/BBM), SERB-EMEQ/051/2014, and EEQ/2018/001085