Effect of Nutrients on Diatom Growth: A Review

Diatoms are one of the unicellular algae with a rare presence of unaltered, durable, transparent and species-specific silica frustules that persist even after cell death in the deposits of water bodies. Diatom has high capacity for absorption of metals for maintaining the water quality and high rate of multiplication. These characters promoted the use of this microbial biomass for effluent detoxification. These diatoms can also solve metal toxicity problems in aquatic ecosystems in the water polluted environment. In the present review, the focus is on several nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, iron and silica) that are essential for the growth of diatoms at very low concentrations, but most of them are toxic at high concentrations. It also shows the relationship between heavy metal stress and lipid body induction which may be a valuable indicator for the evaluation of heavy metal contamination of fluvial ecosystems. HIGHLIGHTS Diatoms are eukaryotic, unicellular, photosynthetic, silica-containing microscopic algae with distinct geometric forms Diatoms are used for biomonitoring purposes for taxonomic and morphological properties of ecosystems, community and human disturbances Diatoms are also the primary producer of oil in the world responsible for fixing 25 % of CO2 and 30 % of crude oil diatoms Many diatoms are appropriate for lipid development up to 70 % of their body volume and are investigated for biofuel as a hotspot GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Self-Management Nursing Intervention for Controlling Glucose among Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

As the diabetic population increases, self-management of diabetes, a chronic disease, is important. Given that self-management nursing interventions using various techniques have been developed, an analysis of their importance is crucial. This study aimed to identify the overall effects of self-management nursing interventions on primary (HbA1c) and secondary (self-care, self-efficacy, fasting blood sugar level blood pressure, lipid, body mass index, waist circumference, distress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life) outcomes in diabetes. Systematic review and meta-analysis were used. The meta-analysis involved the synthesis of effect size; tests of homogeneity and heterogeneity; trim and fill plot; Egger’s regression test; and Begg’s test for assessing publication bias. The overall effect on HbA1c was −0.55, suggesting a moderate effect size, with HbA1c decreasing significantly after nursing interventions. Among the nursing interventions, the overall effect on HbA1c of nurse management programs, home visiting, and customized programs was −0.25, −0.61, and −0.65, respectively, a small or medium effect size, and was statistically significant. Healthcare professionals may encourage people with diabetes to engage in self-management of their glucose levels, such as patient-centered customized intervention. Interventions that reflect the individual’s characteristics and circumstances are effective in enabling self-management.

Revealing Lipid Body Formation and its Subcellular Reorganization in Oleaginous Microalgae Using Correlative Optical Microscopy and Infrared Nanospectroscopy Atomic Force Microscopy-Induced Resonance (AFM-IR)

The purpose of this work is to develop an integrated imaging approach to characterize without labeling at the sub-cellular level the formation of lipid body droplets (LBs) in microalgae undergoing nitrogen starvation. First conventional optical microscopy approaches, gas chromatography, and turbidimetry measurements allowed to monitor the biomass and the total lipid content in the oleaginous microalgae Parachlorella kesslerii during the starvation process. Then a local analysis of the LBs was proposed using an innovative infrared nanospectroscopy technique called atomic force microscopy-based infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR). This label-free technique assessed the formation of LBs and allowed to look into the LB composition thanks to the acquisition of local infrared spectra. Last correlative measurements using fluorescence microscopy and AFM-IR were performed to investigate the subcellular reorganization of LB and the chloroplasts.

The Role of Lipid and the Benefit of Statin in Augmenting Rifampicin Effectivity for a Better Leprosy Treatment

Although leprosy remains as a serious disease of the skin and nervous system, the current treatment is still lacking in its effectiveness. This literature review will explore the association of lipid and leprosy, as well as the potential of statin and other lipid-lowering agents as adjunctive drugs to combat leprosy. Articles were searched through the PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar with the keywords: immunomodulation, lipid-body, lipids, leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae, pathogenesis, rifampin or rifampicin, and statins. A manual searching is also carried out to find an additional relevant information to make this literature review more comprehensive. The literatures showed that lipids are highly correlated with leprosy through alterations in serum lipid profile, metabolism, pathogenesis, and producing oxidative stress. Statins can diminish lipid utilization in the pathogenesis of leprosy and show a mycobactericidal effect by increasing the effectiveness of rifampicin and recover the function of macrophages. In addition, Statins have anti-inflammatory properties which may aid in preventing type I and II reactions in leprosy. Standard multidrug therapy might reduce the efficacy of statins, but the effect is not clinically significant. The statin dose-response curve also allows therapeutic response to be achieved with minimal dose. The various pleiotropic effects of statins make it a potential adjunct to standard treatment for leprosy in the future.

Lipid Body Dynamics in Shoot Meristems: Production, Enlargement, and Putative Organellar Interactions and Plasmodesmal Targeting

Post-embryonic cells contain minute lipid bodies (LBs) that are transient, mobile, engage in organellar interactions, and target plasmodesmata (PD). While LBs can deliver γ-clade 1,3-β-glucanases to PD, the nature of other cargo is elusive. To gain insight into the poorly understood role of LBs in meristems, we investigated their dynamics by microscopy, gene expression analyzes, and proteomics. In developing buds, meristems accumulated LBs, upregulated several LB-specific OLEOSIN genes and produced OLEOSINs. During bud maturation, the major gene OLE6 was strongly downregulated, OLEOSINs disappeared from bud extracts, whereas lipid biosynthesis genes were upregulated, and LBs were enlarged. Proteomic analyses of the LB fraction of dormant buds confirmed that OLEOSINs were no longer present. Instead, we identified the LB-associated proteins CALEOSIN (CLO1), Oil Body Lipase 1 (OBL1), Lipid Droplet Interacting Protein (LDIP), Lipid Droplet Associated Protein1a/b (LDAP1a/b) and LDAP3a/b, and crucial components of the OLEOSIN-deubiquitinating and degradation machinery, such as PUX10 and CDC48A. All mRFP-tagged LDAPs localized to LBs when transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana. Together with gene expression analyzes, this suggests that during bud maturation, OLEOSINs were replaced by LDIP/LDAPs at enlarging LBs. The LB fraction contained the meristem-related actin7 (ACT7), “myosin XI tail-binding” RAB GTPase C2A, an LB/PD-associated γ-clade 1,3-β-glucanase, and various organelle- and/or PD-localized proteins. The results are congruent with a model in which LBs, motorized by myosin XI-k/1/2, traffic on F-actin, transiently interact with other organelles, and deliver a diverse cargo to PD.

The characteristics of host lipid body biogenesis during coral-dinoflagellate endosymbiosis

Intracellular lipid body (LB) biogenesis depends on the symbiosis between coral hosts and their Symbiodinaceae. Therefore, understanding the mechanism(s) behind LB biosynthesis in corals can portentially elucide the drivers of cellular regulation during endosymbiosis. This study assessed LB formation in the gastrodermal tissue layer of the hermatypic coral Euphyllia glabrescens. Diel rhythmicity in LB size and distribution was observed; solar irradiation onset at sunrise initiated an increase in LB formation, which continued throughout the day and peaked after sunset at 18:00. The LBs migrated from the area near the mesoglea to the gastrodermal cell border near the coelenteron. Micro-LB biogenesis occurred in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of the host gastrodermal cells. A transcriptomic analysis of genes related to lipogenesis indicated that binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP) plays a key role in metabolic signaling pathways. The diel rhythmicity of LB biogenesis was correlated with ER-localized BiP expression. BiP expression peaked during the period with the largest increase in LB formation, thereby indicating that the chaperoning reaction of abnormal protein folding inside the host ER is likely involved in LB biosynthesis. These findings suggest that the host ER, central to LB formation, potentially facilitates the regulation of endosymbiosis between coral hosts and Symbiodiniaceae.

Biochemical composition of tropical eel Anguilla bicolor McClelland,1844 in Freshwater and Estuary

During migration, Anguilla bicolor will stop its feeding activity and use energy from its body lipid stores. Therefore, information on changes in the body lipid content of eels is essential to know the preparation of spawning migration. Thus, it is interesting to study the body composition of A. bicolor in freshwater and estuaries. This research conducted a survey method. The eel was obtained from the Serayu River (freshwaters) and Segara Anakan (Estuary). The observed variables were water, dry weight, lipid, protein, crude fiber, ash, and BETN of eel. Oneway ANOVA analyzed data. The results show that freshwater eels' average body length and weight were 457.875 cm ± 153.8552 and 224.4375 g ± 165.3735. The body length and weight of the estuary eels were smaller than freshwater eels, which are 372.5714 cm ± 152.6467 and 109.6429 g ± 134.6054, respectively. The body composition of eel, except for lipid content, was similar for both habitats (p>0.05). However, the body lipid content of freshwater eels and the estuarine eel differed (p<0.05), namely 40.15% ± 9.63 and 27.33% ± 9.93, respectively. In conclusion, the lipid body content of freshwater eels was higher than the estuary eel, while another is relatively the same.

Antileishmanial compounds from Connarus suberosus: Metabolomics, isolation and mechanism of action

Leishmaniasis is a disease impacting public health worldwide due to its high incidence, morbidity and mortality. Available treatments are costly, lengthy and toxic, not to mention the problem of parasite resistance. The development of alternative treatments is warranted and natural products demonstrate promising activity. This study investigated the activity of Connarus suberosus extracts and compounds against Leishmania species. Several C. suberosus extracts were tested against L. amazonensis promastigotes. Active and inactive extracts were analyzed by UHPLC-MS and data evaluated using a metabolomics platform, revealing an unknown neoflavonoid (connarin, 3), isolated together with the pterocarpans: hemileiocarpin (1) and leiocarpin (2). The aforementioned compounds (1–3), together with the benzoquinones: rapanone (4), embelin (5) and suberonone (6) previously isolated by our group from the same species, were tested against: (i) L. amazonensis and L. infantum promastigotes, and (ii) L. amazonensis intracellular amastigotes, with the most active compound (3) also tested against L. infantum amastigotes. Cytotoxicity against murine peritoneal macrophages was also investigated. Compounds 2 and 3 presented an IC50 33.8 μM and 11.4 μM for L. amazonensis promastigotes; and 44.3 μM and 13.3 μM for L. infantum promastigotes, respectively. For L. amazonensis amastigotes, the IC50 of 2 was 20.4 μM with a selectivity index (SI) of 5.7, while the IC50 of 3 was 2.9 μM with an SI of 6.3. For L. infantum amastigotes, the IC50 of 3 was 7.7 μM. Compounds 2 and 3 presented activity comparable with the miltefosine positive control, with compound 3 found to be 2–4 times more active than the positive control, depending on the Leishmania species and form. The extracts and isolated compounds showed moderate toxicity against macrophages. Compounds 2 and 3 altered the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and neutral lipid body accumulation, while 2 also impacted plasma membrane permeabilization, culminating in cellular disorder and parasite death. Transmission electron microscopy of L. amazonensis promastigotes treated with compound 3 confirmed the presence of lipid bodies. Leiocarpin (2) and connarin (3) demonstrated antileishmanial activity. This study provides knowledge of natural products with antileishmanial activity, paving the way for prototype development to fight this neglected tropical disease.

Ultrastructural characterization of microlipophagy induced by the interaction of vacuoles and lipid bodies around generative and sperm cells in Arabidopsis pollen

During pollen maturation, various organelles change their distribution and function during development as male gametophytes. We analyzed the behavior of lipid bodies and vacuoles involved in lipophagy in Arabidopsis pollen using serial section SEM and conventional TEM. At the bicellular pollen stage, lipid bodies in the vegetative cells lined up at the surface of the generative cell. Vacuoles then tightly attached, drew in, and degraded the lipid bodies and eventually occupied the space of the lipid bodies. Degradation of lipid began before transfer of the entire contents of the lipid body. At the tricellular stage, vacuoles instead of lipid bodies surrounded the sperm cells. The degradation of lipid bodies is morphologically considered microautophagy. The atg2-1 Arabidopsis mutant is deficient in one autophagy-related gene (ATG). In this mutant, the assembly of vacuoles around sperm cells was sparser than that in wild-type pollen. The deficiency of ATG2 likely prevents or slows lipid degradation, although it does not prevent contact between organelles. These results demonstrate the involvement of microlipophagy in the pollen development of Arabidopsis.

Proteomic and Transcriptomic Patterns during Lipid Remodeling in Nannochloropsis gaditana

Nutrient limited conditions are common in natural phytoplankton communities and are often used to increase the yield of lipids from industrial microalgae cultivations. Here we studied the effects of bioavailable nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deprivation on the proteome and transcriptome of the oleaginous marine microalga Nannochloropsis gaditana. Turbidostat cultures were used to selectively apply either N or P deprivation, controlling for variables including the light intensity. Global (cell-wide) changes in the proteome were measured using Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) and LC-MS/MS, whilst gene transcript expression of the same samples was quantified by Illumina RNA-sequencing. We detected 3423 proteins, where 1543 and 113 proteins showed significant changes in abundance in N and P treatments, respectively. The analysis includes the global correlation between proteomic and transcriptomic data, the regulation of subcellular proteomes in different compartments, gene/protein functional groups, and metabolic pathways. The results show that triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation under nitrogen deprivation was associated with substantial downregulation of protein synthesis and photosynthetic activity. Oil accumulation was also accompanied by a diverse set of responses including the upregulation of diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT), lipase, and lipid body associated proteins. Deprivation of phosphorus had comparatively fewer, weaker effects, some of which were linked to the remodeling of respiratory metabolism.