Imaging Proteins Sensitive to Direct Fusions Using Transient Peptide-Peptide Interactions.

Fluorescence microscopy enables specific visualization of proteins in living cells and has played an important role in our understanding of the protein subcellular location and function. Some proteins, however, show altered localization or function when labeled using direct fusions to fluorescent proteins, making them difficult to study in live cells. Additionally, the resolution of fluorescence microscopy is limited to ∼200 nm, which is 2 orders of magnitude larger than the size of most proteins.

Yeast lacking the sterol C-5 desaturase Erg3 are tolerant to the anti-inflammatory triterpenoid saponin escin.

Escin is a mixture of over 30 glycosylated triterpenoid (saponin) structures, extracted from the dried fruit of horse chestnuts. Escin is currently used as an anti-inflammatory, and has potential applications in the treatment of arthritis and cancer. Engineered yeast would enable production of specific bioactive components of escin at industrial scale, however many saponins have been shown to be toxic to yeast.

ACtivE: Assembly and CRISPR-Targeted Editing for Yeast Genome Engineering Using Minimum Reagents and Time.

Thanks to its sophistication, the CRISPR/Cas system has been a widely used yeast genome editing method. However, CRISPR methods generally rely on preassembled DNAs and extra cloning steps to deliver gRNA, Cas protein, and donor DNA. These laborious steps might hinder its usefulness.

A systematic comparison of triterpenoid biosynthetic enzymes for the production of oleanolic acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Triterpenoids are high-value plant metabolites with numerous applications in medicine, agriculture, food, and home and personal care products. However, plants produce triterpenoids in low abundance, and their complex structures make their chemical synthesis prohibitively expensive and often impossible. As such, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been explored as an alternative means of production.

The wide-ranging phenotypes of ergosterol biosynthesis mutants, and implications for microbial cell factories.

Yeast strains have been used extensively as robust microbial cell factories for the production of bulk and fine chemicals, including biofuels (bioethanol), complex pharmaceuticals (antimalarial drug artemisinin and opioid pain killers), flavours, and fragrances (vanillin, nootkatone, and resveratrol). In many cases, it is of benefit to suppress or modify ergosterol biosynthesis during strain engineering, for example, to increase thermotolerance or to increase metabolic flux through an alternate pathway. However, the impact of modifying ergosterol biosynthesis on engineered strains is discussed sparsely in literature, and little attention has been paid to the implications of these modifications on the general health and well-being of yeast.

Safety of Electronic Cigarette Use During Breastfeeding: Qualitative Study Using Online Forum Discussions.

Background: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) are an increasingly popular alternative to smoking, helping to prevent relapse in those trying to quit and with the potential to reduce harm as they are likely to be safer than standard cigarettes. Many women return to smoking in the postpartum period having stopped during pregnancy, and while this can affect their decisions about breastfeeding, little is known about women's opinions on using e-cigs during this period.

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore online forum users' current attitudes, motivations, and barriers to postpartum e-cig use, particularly as a breastfeeding mother.

Monodehydroascorbate reductase mediates TNT toxicity in plants.

The explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a highly toxic and persistent environmental pollutant. Due to the scale of affected areas, one of the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly means of removing explosives pollution could be the use of plants. However, mechanisms of TNT phytotoxicity have been elusive.

Harnessing microbial gene pools to remediate persistent organic pollutants using genetically modified plants--a viable technology?

It has been 14 years since the international community came together to legislate the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), restricting the production and use of specific chemicals that were found to be environmentally stable, often bioaccumulating, with long-term toxic effects. Efforts are continuing to remove these pollutants from the environment. While incineration and chemical treatment can be successful, these methods require the removal of tonnes of soil, at high cost, and are damaging to soil structure and microbial communities.

Phytodetoxification of the environmental pollutant and explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene.

Our recent study highlights the role of 2 glutathione transferases (GSTs) in the detoxification of the environmental pollutant, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in Arabidopsis thaliana. TNT is toxic and highly resistant to biodegradation in the environment, raising both health and environmental concerns. Two GSTs, GST-U24 and GST-U25, are upregulated in response to TNT treatment, and expressed predominantly in the root tissues; the site of TNT location following uptake.

Arabidopsis Glutathione Transferases U24 and U25 Exhibit a Range of Detoxification Activities with the Environmental Pollutant and Explosive, 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene.

The explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a major worldwide military pollutant. The presence of this toxic and highly persistent pollutant, particularly at military sites and former manufacturing facilities, presents various health and environmental concerns. Due to the chemically resistant structure of TNT, it has proven to be highly recalcitrant to biodegradation in the environment.