scholarly journals Microfluidic Advancements in Classical Biotechnology – A Review

Author(s):  
Ishtiaq Ahmed ◽  
Zain Akram ◽  
Mohammed Hussen Bule ◽  
Hafiz M. N. Iqbal

Micro-technology has played a substantial role in bioscience, biomedical and biotechnological research due to its core advantages in modern science and engineering. It has created unique development in various sectors of bio-research and upsurges the efficacy of research at the molecular level in recent years. Microfluidic technology makes it possible to manipulate sample volumes at the micro- and nano-level (called nanofluidics) with terrific control outside in vivo cellular microenvironment, enabling the reduction of discrepancies between in vivo and in vitro environments as well as reducing reaction time and cost. In this review, we discuss various effective integrations of microfluidic technologies into biotechnology and its paradigmatic significance in bio-research, supporting mechanical and chemical in vitro cellular micro-environment. Specific innovations relating to the application of microfluidics to advance microbial life, solitary and co-cultures along with a multiple-type cell culturing, cellular communications, cellular interactions and population dynamics are discussed.

Chemosensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ishtiaq Ahmed ◽  
Zain Akram ◽  
Mohammed Bule ◽  
Hafiz Iqbal

A micro-level technique so-called “microfluidic technology or simply microfluidic” has gained a special place as a powerful tool in bioengineering and biomedical engineering research due to its core advantages in modern science and engineering. Microfluidic technology has played a substantial role in numerous applications with special reference to bioscience, biomedical and biotechnological research. It has facilitated noteworthy development in various sectors of bio-research and upsurges the efficacy of research at the molecular level, in recent years. Microfluidic technology can manipulate sample volumes with precise control outside cellular microenvironment, at micro-level. Thus, enable the reduction of discrepancies between in vivo and in vitro environments and reduce the overall reaction time and cost. In this review, we discuss various integrations of microfluidic technologies into biotechnology and its paradigmatic significance in bio-research, supporting mechanical and chemical in vitro cellular microenvironment. Furthermore, specific innovations related to the application of microfluidics to advance microbial life, solitary and co-cultures along with a multiple-type cell culturing, cellular communications, cellular interactions, and population dynamics are also discussed.


2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 1948-1957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke L. Deatherage ◽  
Brad T. Cookson

ABSTRACTInteraction of microbes with their environment depends on features of the dynamic microbial surface throughout cell growth and division. Surface modifications, whether used to acquire nutrients, defend against other microbes, or resist the pressures of a host immune system, facilitate adaptation to unique surroundings. The release of bioactive membrane vesicles (MVs) from the cell surface is conserved across microbial life, in bacteria, archaea, fungi, and parasites. MV production occurs not onlyin vitrobut alsoin vivoduring infection, underscoring the influence of these surface organelles in microbial physiology and pathogenesis through delivery of enzymes, toxins, communication signals, and antigens recognized by the innate and adaptive immune systems. Derived from a variety of organisms that span kingdoms of life and called by several names (membrane vesicles, outer membrane vesicles [OMVs], exosomes, shedding microvesicles, etc.), the conserved functions and mechanistic strategies of MV release are similar, including the use of ESCRT proteins and ESCRT protein homologues to facilitate these processes in archaea and eukaryotic microbes. Although forms of MV release by different organisms share similar visual, mechanistic, and functional features, there has been little comparison across microbial life. This underappreciated conservation of vesicle release, and the resulting functional impact throughout the tree of life, explored in this review, stresses the importance of vesicle-mediated processes throughout biology.


1992 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 193-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
George G Zhanel ◽  
Daryl J Hoban ◽  
Godfrey KM Harding

Antimicrobial activity is not an ‘all or none’ effect. An increase in the rate and extent of antimicrobial action is usually observed over a wide range of antimicrobial concentrations. Subinhibitory antimicrobial concentrations are well known to produce significant antibacterial effects, and various antimicrobials at subinhibitory concentrations have been reported to inhibit the rate of bacterial growth. Bacterial virulence may be increased or decreased by subinhibitory antimicrobial concentrations by changes in the ability of bacteria to adhere to epithelial cells or by alterations in bacterial susceptibility to host immune defences. Animal studies performed in rats, hamsters and rabbits demonstrate decreased bacterial adherence, reduced infectivity and increased survival of animals treated with subinhibitory antimicrobial concentrations compared to untreated controls. The major future role of investigation of subinhibitory antimicrobial concentrations will be to define more fully, at a molecular level, how antimicrobials exert their antibacterial effects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Misun Kim ◽  
Hyein Jo ◽  
Yoojung Kwon ◽  
Myeong Seon Jeong ◽  
Hyun Suk Jung ◽  
...  

In a previous study, we have demonstrated that p62, a selective receptor of autophagy, can regulate allergic inflammation. In the present study, microRNA array analysis showed that miR-154-5p was increased by antigen (DNP-HSA) in a p62-dependent manner in rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL2H3). NF-kB directly increased the expression of miR-154-5p. miR-154-5p mediated in vivo allergic reactions, including passive cutaneous anaphylaxis and passive systemic anaphylaxis. Cytokine array analysis showed that antigen stimulation increased the expression of MCP1 in RBL2H3 cells in an miR-154-5p-dependent manner. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-ERK-NF-kB signaling increased the expression of MCP1 in antigen-stimulated RBL2H3 cells. Recombinant MCP1 protein induced molecular features of allergic reactions both in vitro and in vivo. Anaphylaxis-promoted tumorigenic potential has been known to be accompanied by cellular interactions involving mast cells, and macrophages, and cancer cells. Our experiments employing culture medium, co-cultures, and recombinant MCP1 protein showed that miR-154 and MCP1 mediated these cellular interactions. MiR-154-5p and MCP1 were found to be present in exosomes of RBL2H3 cells. Exosomes from PSA-activated BALB/C mouse induced molecular features of passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in an miR-154-5p-dependent manner. Exosomes from antigen-stimulated RBL2H3 cells enhanced both tumorigenic and metastatic potentials of B16F1 melanoma cells in an miR-154-5p-dependent manner. Exosomes regulated both ROS level and ROS mediated cellular interactions during allergic inflammation. Our results indicate that the miR-154-5p-MCP1 axis might serve as a valuable target for the development of anti-allergy therapeutics.


Real-time PCR offers a wide area of application to analyze the role of gene activity in various biological aspects at the molecular level with higher specificity, sensitivity and the potential to troubleshoot with post-PCR processing and difficulties. With the recent advancement in the development of functional tissue graft for the regeneration of damaged/diseased tissue, it is effective to analyze the cell behaviour and differentiation over tissue construct toward specific lineage through analyzing the expression of an array of specific genes. With the ability to collect data in the exponential phase, the application of Real-Time PCR has been expanded into various fields such as tissue engineering ranging from absolute quantification of gene expression to determine neo-tissue regeneration and its maturation. In addition to its usage as a research tool, numerous advancements in molecular diagnostics have been achieved, including microbial quantification, determination of gene dose and cancer research. Also, in order to consistently quantify mRNA levels, Northern blotting and in situ hybridization (ISH) methods are less preferred due to low sensitivity, poor precision in detecting gene expression at a low level. An amplification step is thus frequently required to quantify mRNA amounts from engineered tissues of limited size. When analyzing tissue-engineered constructs or studying biomaterials–cells interactions, it is pertinent to quantify the performance of such constructs in terms of extracellular matrix formation while in vitro and in vivo examination, provide clues regarding the performance of various tissue constructs at the molecular level. In this chapter, our focus is on Basics of qPCR, an overview of technical aspects of Real-time PCR; recent Protocol used in the lab, primer designing, detection methods and troubleshooting of the experimental problems.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e13569-e13569
Author(s):  
Enrica Marchi ◽  
Matko Kalac ◽  
Danielle Bongero ◽  
Christine McIntosh ◽  
Laura K Fogli ◽  
...  

e13569 Background: CHOP and CHOP-like chemotherapy are the most used regimens for the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) despite sub-optimal results. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) have shown class activity in PTCLs. The interaction between the HDACIs (depsipeptide (R), belinostat (B), vorinostat (V) and panobinostat (P)) and a DNMT inhibitor (decitabine (D) was investigated in vitro, in vivo and at the molecular level in T-cell lymphoma and leukemia cell lines (H9, HH, P12, PF-382). Methods: For cytotoxicity assays, luminescence cell viability assay was used (CellTiter-Glo). Drug:drug interactions were analyzed with relative risk ratios (RRR) based on the GraphPad software (RRR<1 defining synergism). Apoptosis was assessed by Yo-Pro-1 and propidium iodine followed by FACSCalibur acquisition. Gene expression profiling was analyzed using Illumina Human HT-12 v4 Expression BeadChip microarrays and Gene Spring Software for the analysis. Results: The IC50s for B, R, V, P, D and 5-Azacytidine alone were assessed at 24, 48 and 72 hours. In cytotoxicity assays the combination of D plus B, R, V or P at 72 hours showed synergism in all the cell lines (RRRs 0.0007-0.9). All the cell lines were treated with D, B or R for 72 hours and all the combinations showed significantly more apoptosis than the single drug exposures and controls (RRR < 1). In vivo, HH SCID beige mice were treated i.p. for 3 cycles with the vehicle solution, D or B or their combination at increasing dose. The combination cohort showed statistically significant tumor growth inhibition compared to all the other cohorts. Gene expression analysis revealed differentially expressed genes and modulated pathways for each of the single agent treatment and the combination. The effects of the two drugs were largely different (only 39 genes modified in common). Most of the effects induced by the single agent were maintained in the combination group. Interestingly, 944 genes were modulated uniquely by the combination treatment. Conclusions: The combination of a DNMTI and HDACIs is strongly synergistic in vitro, in vivo and at the molecular level in model of T-cell lymphoma and these data will constitute the basis for a phase I-II clinical trials.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (104) ◽  
pp. 20141191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Molinos ◽  
Catarina R. Almeida ◽  
Joana Caldeira ◽  
Carla Cunha ◽  
Raquel M. Gonçalves ◽  
...  

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is one of the major causes of low back pain, a problem with a heavy economic burden, which has been increasing in prevalence as populations age. Deeper knowledge of the complex spatial and temporal orchestration of cellular interactions and extracellular matrix remodelling is critical to improve current IVD therapies, which have so far proved unsatisfactory. Inflammation has been correlated with degenerative disc disease but its role in discogenic pain and hernia regression remains controversial. The inflammatory response may be involved in the onset of disease, but it is also crucial in maintaining tissue homeostasis. Furthermore, if properly balanced it may contribute to tissue repair/regeneration as has already been demonstrated in other tissues. In this review, we focus on how inflammation has been associated with IVD degeneration by describing observational and in vitro studies as well as in vivo animal models. Finally, we provide an overview of IVD regenerative therapies that target key inflammatory players.


1987 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth P. Mathews

Besides histamine, a large and increasing number of mediators of allergic reactions are being found to be released by mast cells or basophils during anaphylactic reactions. Many of these same substances are released by stimuli other than allergen-IgE interactions, and this type of phenomenon (anaphylactoid or pseudo-allergic reaction) may account for some nasal symptoms that simulate allergy. In addition to rapidly developing reactions of these types, numerous recent investigations have emphasized the importance of late-phase reactions that occur as a consequence of the immediate reactivity. Besides mast cells and/or basophils, these late effects seem to involve a complex network of cellular interactions, which may include neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, macrophages, and platelets. Studies of nasal washings following allergen challenges in humans have provided cogent in vivo support of earlier hypotheses about mediator release based on in vitro experimentation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Gabriela Calvopina Chavez ◽  
Mikaela Anne Gardner ◽  
Joel S Griffitts

The bacteriophage T7 expression system is one of the most prominent transcription systems used in biotechnology and molecular-level research. However, T7 RNA polymerase is prone to read-through transcription due to its high processivity. As a consequence, enforcing efficient transcriptional termination is difficult. The termination hairpin found natively in the T7 genome is adapted to be inefficient, exhibiting 62% termination efficiency in vivo and even lower efficiency in vitro. In this study, we engineered a series of sequences that outperform the efficiency of the native terminator hairpin. By embedding a previously discovered 8-nucleotide T7 polymerase pause sequence within a synthetic hairpin sequence, we observed in vivo termination efficiency of 91%; by joining two short sequences into a tandem 2-hairpin structure, termination efficiency was increased to 98% in vivo and 91% in vitro. This study also tests the ability of these engineered sequences to terminate transcription of the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. Two out of three of the most successful T7 polymerase terminators also facilitated termination of the bacterial polymerase with around 99% efficiency.


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