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Bioinformatics Research in Bacterial Genomics, Metagenomics and Metatranscriptomics
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Bioinformatics Research in Bacterial Genomics, Metagenomics and Metatranscriptomics

A special issue of Current Issues in Molecular Biology (ISSN 1467-3045). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2025 | Viewed by 6002

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Vesselin Baev

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Molecular Biology, University of Plovdiv, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Interests: bioinformatics; NGS; tool development; genomics; metagenomics; transcriptomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to introduce this Special Issue dedicated to a comprehensive exploration of bacterial genomics, metagenomics, and metatranscriptomics. In the post-genomic era of molecular biology, improvements in high-throughput shotgun sequencing technologies have not only enhanced quality but have also reduced costs, resulting in a significant increase in the availability of metagenome and metatranscriptome sequences. As the volume of bacterial sequencing data continues to rise, the development of innovative tools and approaches has become crucial for effective analysis and moreover for the interpretation of results.

The scope of topics covered in this Special Issue is broad, encompassing areas such as genome assembly and annotation, functional annotation, comparative genomics, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, microbial diversity, bacterial communities associated with animals and plants, shotgun sequencing of complex biological samples, and more. We welcome both original research papers and reviews, and we also encourage articles that combine dry-lab and wet-lab approaches.

Prof. Dr. Vesselin Baev
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Current Issues in Molecular Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bacterial genomics and functional analysis
  • genome-wide comparative genomics
  • bioinformatics methods and tools
  • metagenomics
  • metatranscriptomics

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3641 KiB  
Article
Bacterial Diversity, Metabolic Profiling, and Application Potential of Antarctic Soil Metagenomes
by Mario Fernández, Salvador Barahona, Fernando Gutierrez, Jennifer Alcaíno, Víctor Cifuentes and Marcelo Baeza
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46(11), 13165-13178; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb46110785 - 18 Nov 2024
Viewed by 232
Abstract
Antarctica has attracted increasing interest in understanding its microbial communities, metabolic potential, and as a source of microbial hydrolytic enzymes with industrial applications, for which advances in next-generation sequencing technologies have greatly facilitated the study of unculturable microorganisms. In this work, soils from [...] Read more.
Antarctica has attracted increasing interest in understanding its microbial communities, metabolic potential, and as a source of microbial hydrolytic enzymes with industrial applications, for which advances in next-generation sequencing technologies have greatly facilitated the study of unculturable microorganisms. In this work, soils from seven sub-Antarctic islands and Union Glacier were studied using a whole-genome shotgun metagenomic approach. The main findings were that the microbial community at all sites was predominantly composed of the bacterial phyla Actinobacteria and Cyanobacteria, and the families Streptomycetaceae and Pseudonocardiaceae. Regarding the xenobiotic biodegradation and metabolism pathway, genes associated with benzoate, chloroalkane, chloroalkene, and styrene degradation were predominant. In addition, putative genes encoding industrial enzymes with predicted structural properties associated with improved activity at low temperatures were found, with catalases and malto-oligosyltrehalose trehalohydrolase being the most abundant. Overall, our results show similarities between soils from different Antarctic sites with respect to more abundant bacteria and metabolic pathways, especially at higher classification levels, regardless of their geographic location. Furthermore, our results strengthen the potential of Antarctic soils as a source of industrially relevant enzymes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinformatics Research in Bacterial Genomics, Metagenomics and Metatranscriptomics)
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16 pages, 5022 KiB  
Article
Modification of Glucose Metabolic Pathway to Enhance Polyhydroxyalkanoate Synthesis in Pseudomonas putida
by Yue Dong, Keyao Zhai, Yatao Li, Zhen Lv, Mengyao Zhao, Tian Gan and Yuchao Ma
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46(11), 12784-12799; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb46110761 - 10 Nov 2024
Viewed by 529
Abstract
Medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHAs) are semi-crystalline elastomers with a low melting point and high elongation at break, allowing for a wide range of applications in domestic, agricultural, industrial, and mainly medical fields. Utilizing low-cost cellulose hydrolyzed sugar as a carbon source and metabolic engineering [...] Read more.
Medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHAs) are semi-crystalline elastomers with a low melting point and high elongation at break, allowing for a wide range of applications in domestic, agricultural, industrial, and mainly medical fields. Utilizing low-cost cellulose hydrolyzed sugar as a carbon source and metabolic engineering to enhance synthesis in Pseudomonas putida is a promising strategy for commercializing mcl-PHAs, but little has been attempted to improve the utilization of glucose for synthesizing mcl-PHAs. In this study, a multi-pathway modification was performed to improve the utilization of substrate glucose and the synthesis capacity of PHAs. To enhance glucose metabolism to flow to acetyl-CoA, which is an important precursor of mcl-PHA, multiple genes in glucose metabolism were inactive (branch pathway and negative regulatory) and overexpressed (positive regulatory) in this study. The two genes, gcd (encoding glucose dehydrogenase) and gltA (encoding citrate synthase), involved in glucose peripheral pathways and TCA cycles were separately and jointly knocked out in Pseudomonas putida QSRZ6 (ΔphaZΔhsdR), and the mcl-PHA synthesis was improved in the mutants; particularly, the mcl-PHA titer of QSRZ603 (ΔgcdΔgltA) was increased by 33.7%. Based on the glucose branch pathway truncation, mcl-PHA synthesis was further improved with hexR-inactivation (encoding a negative regulator in glucose metabolism). Compared with QSRZ603 and QSRZ6, the mcl-PHA titer of QSRZ607 (ΔgcdΔgltAΔhexR) was increased by 62.8% and 117.5%, respectively. The mutant QSRZ609 was constructed by replacing the endogenous promoter of gltB encoding a transcriptional activator of the two-component regulatory system GltR/GltS with the ribosome subunit promoter P33. The final mcl-PHA content and titers of QSRZ609 reached 57.3 wt% and 2.5 g/L, an increase of and 20.9% and 27.3% over that of the parent strain QSRZ605 and an increase of 110.4% and 159.9% higher as compared to QSRZ6, respectively. The fermentation was optimized with a feeding medium in shaker flacks; then, the mcl-PHA contents and titer of QSRZ609 were 59.1 wt% and 6.8 g/L, respectively. The results suggest that the regulation from glucose to acetyl-CoA by polygenic modification is an effective strategy for enhancing mcl-PHA synthesis, and the mutants obtained in this study can be used as chassis to further increase mcl-PHA production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinformatics Research in Bacterial Genomics, Metagenomics and Metatranscriptomics)
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12 pages, 2842 KiB  
Article
Development of MetaXplore: An Interactive Tool for Targeted Metagenomic Analysis
by Naima Bel Mokhtar, Elias Asimakis, Ioannis Galiatsatos, Amal Maurady, Panagiota Stathopoulou and George Tsiamis
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46(5), 4803-4814; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb46050289 - 15 May 2024
Viewed by 1091
Abstract
Over the last decades, the analysis of complex microbial communities by high-throughput sequencing of marker gene amplicons has become routine work for many research groups. However, the main challenges faced by scientists who want to make use of the generated sequencing datasets are [...] Read more.
Over the last decades, the analysis of complex microbial communities by high-throughput sequencing of marker gene amplicons has become routine work for many research groups. However, the main challenges faced by scientists who want to make use of the generated sequencing datasets are the lack of expertise to select a suitable pipeline and the need for bioinformatics or programming skills to apply it. Here, we present MetaXplore, an interactive, user-friendly platform that enables the discovery and visualization of amplicon sequencing data. Currently, it provides a set of well-documented choices for downstream analysis, including alpha and beta diversity analysis, taxonomic composition, differential abundance analysis, identification of the core microbiome within a population, and biomarker analysis. These features are presented in a user-friendly format that facilitates easy customization and the generation of publication-quality graphics. MetaXplore is implemented entirely in the R language using the Shiny framework. It can be easily used locally on any system with R installed, including Windows, Mac OS, and most Linux distributions, or remotely via a web server without bioinformatic expertise. It can also be used as a framework for advanced users who can modify and expand the tool. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinformatics Research in Bacterial Genomics, Metagenomics and Metatranscriptomics)
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17 pages, 4414 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Genomic Landscape of Bacillus paranthracis PUMB_17 as a Proficient Phosphatidylcholine-Specific Phospholipase C Producer
by Vesselin Baev, Ivan Iliev, Yordan Stefanov, Marinela Tsankova, Mariana Marhova, Elena Apostolova, Mariyana Gozmanova, Galina Yahubyan and Sonya Kostadinova
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46(3), 2497-2513; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb46030158 - 14 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1981
Abstract
Phospholipases find versatile applications across industries, including detergent production, food modification, pharmaceuticals (especially in drug delivery systems), and cell signaling research. In this study, we present a strain of Bacillus paranthracis for the first time, demonstrating significant potential in the production of phosphatidylcholine-specific [...] Read more.
Phospholipases find versatile applications across industries, including detergent production, food modification, pharmaceuticals (especially in drug delivery systems), and cell signaling research. In this study, we present a strain of Bacillus paranthracis for the first time, demonstrating significant potential in the production of phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C (PC-PLC). The investigation thoroughly examines the B. paranthracis PUMB_17 strain, focusing on the activity of PC-PLC and its purification process. Notably, the PUMB_17 strain displays extracellular PC-PLC production with high specific activity during the late exponential growth phase. To unravel the genetic makeup of PUMB_17, we employed nanopore-based whole-genome sequencing and subsequently conducted a detailed genome annotation. The genome comprises a solitary circular chromosome spanning 5,250,970 bp, featuring a guanine–cytosine ratio of 35.49. Additionally, two plasmids of sizes 64,250 bp and 5845 bp were identified. The annotation analysis reveals the presence of 5328 genes, encompassing 5186 protein-coding sequences, and 142 RNA genes, including 39 rRNAs, 103 tRNAs, and 5 ncRNAs. The aim of this study was to make a comprehensive genomic exploration that promises to enhance our understanding of the previously understudied and recently documented capabilities of Bacillus paranthracis and to shed light on a potential use of the strain in the industrial production of PC-PLC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinformatics Research in Bacterial Genomics, Metagenomics and Metatranscriptomics)
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11 pages, 4252 KiB  
Communication
The Role of Rv1476 in Regulating Stress Response and Intracellular Survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
by Aikebaier Reheman, Yifan Wang, Huaiyuan Cai, Pingyang Wei, Gang Cao and Xi Chen
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46(2), 1556-1566; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb46020100 - 16 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1295
Abstract
The virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) is related to many factors, including intracellular survival, cell wall permeability, and cell envelope proteins. However, the biological function of the M. tuberculosis membrane protein Rv1476 remains unclear. To investigate the potential role played [...] Read more.
The virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) is related to many factors, including intracellular survival, cell wall permeability, and cell envelope proteins. However, the biological function of the M. tuberculosis membrane protein Rv1476 remains unclear. To investigate the potential role played by Rv1476, we constructed an Rv1476 overexpression strain and found that overexpression of Rv1476 enhanced the intracellular survival of M. tuberculosis, while having no impact on the growth rate in vitro. Stress experiments demonstrated that the Rv1476 overexpression strain displayed increased susceptibility to different stresses compared to the wild-type strain. Transcriptome analysis showed that Rv1476 overexpression causes changes in the transcriptome of THP-1 cells, and differential genes are mainly enriched in cell proliferation, fatty acid degradation, cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction, and immune response pathways. Rv1476 overexpression inhibited the expression of some anti-tuberculosis-related genes, such as CCL1, IL15, IL16, ISG15, GBP5, IL23, ATG2A, IFNβ, and CSF3. Altogether, we conclude that Rv1476 may play a critical role for M. tuberculosis in macrophage survival. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinformatics Research in Bacterial Genomics, Metagenomics and Metatranscriptomics)
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