Volume 351, Issue 2, February 2014
Systems and Synthetic Biology
Editorial
Synthetic biology: old wine in new bottles with an emerging language that ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous?
MiniReviews
Steps towards the synthetic biology of polyketide biosynthesis
This authors discuss how traditional molecular biology contributed to understanding and engineering polyketide biosynthesis and how it can now be combined with recent advances in synthetic biology to create new antibiotics.
‘Drugs from Bugs’: bacterial effector proteins as promising biological (immune-) therapeutics
The diversity of bacterial effector proteins provides a rich toolkit for therapeutic or biotechnological applications.
Perspective
Sense codon emancipation for proteome-wide incorporation of noncanonical amino acids: rare isoleucine codon AUA as a target for genetic code expansion
Sense codon emancipation and codon reassignment: a synthetic biology approach to the extension of the universal genetic code.
Current Controversy in Microbiology
How many 16S-based studies should be included in a metagenomic conference? It may be a matter of etymology
DNA extracted from the environment contains a mixture of DNA belonging to all organisms regardless of their exact location (stones, soil, or plants) and therefore is named ‘metagenomic’. Metagenomic DNA can be used to make studies on single genes, and this kind of study is named ‘metagenetics’.
Research Letters
Discovery of two novel β-glucosidases from an Amazon soil metagenomic library
Two novel beta-glucosidase enzymes were found through a functional screening of a metagenomic library constructed from total DNA isolation of Amazon soil. One of the enzymes was successfully purified and chemically characterized. This is the first report of β-glucosidase discovery using a metagenomic approach from an Amazon soil microbial community.
Bacteriophage T4 can produce progeny virions in extremely slowly growing Escherichia coli host: comparison of a mathematical model with the experimental data
Bacteriophage T4 is able to give progeny in host Escherichia coli cells that grow with a doubling time as long as 21 h.
Selection of a DNA aptamer against norovirus capsid protein VP1
The article describes the process of finding an aptamer against the norovirus capsid using experiments and analysis, thus establishing a link between molecular biology and bioinformatics.
Recombinant protein expression in Lactococcus lactis using the P170 expression system
This study describes the development of a simple production system for manufacturing recombinant proteins and enzymes in a safe bacterial host.
Sensitivity of bacteria to diamond nanoparticles of various size differs in gram-positive and gram-negative cells
The antibacterial activity of diamond nanoparticles depends both on the size and surface termination of the nanoparticles and also on the structure of the bacterial cell wall.
The communities of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) leaf endophytic bacteria, analyzed by 16S-ribosomal RNA gene pyrosequencing
A culture-independent approach was used to analyze the structure and diversity of bacterial communities that endophytically colonize leaves of cultivated tomato.
Comparison of the effects of silver phosphate and selenium nanoparticles on Staphylococcus aureus growth reveals potential for selenium particles to prevent infection
Inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus growth by selenium, but not silver, nanoparticles offers scope for controlling infection.
Expression of Porphyromonas gingivalis small RNA in response to hemin availability identified using microarray and RNA-seq analysis
RNA expressed in the oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis in response to hemin availability and growth phase were comparatively analyzed to identify regulatory small RNAs.
Novel Amycolatopsis balhimycina biochemical abilities unveiled by proteomics
A 1DE-proteomic approach was used to implement proteomic data on the vancomycin-producing actinomycete Amycolatopsis balhimycina.
