Application of a unique miniature MBR for screening the biodegradation of brominated flame retardants

A unique miniature membrane bioreactor (mMBR) was designed and applied to examine the biodegradability of two complex organic compounds belonging to a family of brominated flame retardants (BFR) under continuous culture conditions using a bacterial consortium. BFRs are a widely used group of anthropogenic environmental contaminants. Many of these compounds are toxic, persistent, have limited biodegradability, and tend to bioaccumulate in the environment. Their widespread production and use combined with the inappropriate treatment and disposal of industrial wastewater have caused myriad global health and environmental concerns. Dibromoneopentyl glycol (DBNPG) and tribromoneopentyl alcohol (TBNPA) are aliphatic BFRs, classified as recalcitrant compounds, having half-lives of more than 100 years. Following successful debromination and complete biodegradation of the two target compounds in the mMBR, we used molecular and bioinformatic techniques to track changes in bacterial community composition during the biodegradation process.Published versio

Environmental Impact of Flame Retardants (Persistence and Biodegradability)

Flame-retardants (FR) are a group of anthropogenic environmental contaminants used at relatively high concentrations in many applications. Currently, the largest market group of FRs is the brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Many of the BFRs are considered toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative. Bioremediation of contaminated water, soil and sediments is a possible solution for the problem. However, the main problem with this approach is the lack of knowledge concerning appropriate microorganisms, biochemical pathways and operational conditions facilitating degradation of these chemicals at an acceptable rate. This paper reviews and discusses current knowledge and recent developments related to the environmental fate and impact of FRs in natural systems and in engineered treatment processes

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field