{"type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [{"id": "10.3389/fbioe.2019.00378", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-21T16:19:14Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-12-04", "title": "Thickness of Polyelectrolyte Layers of Separately Confined Bacteria Alters Key Physiological Parameters on a Single Cell Level", "description": "Confinement of bacterial cells in a matrix or in capsules is an integral part of many biotechnological applications. Here, the well-known layer-by-layer method of deposition of a polyelectrolyte film a few nanometers in thickness to confine separated bacterial cells in permeable and physically durable shells has been examined. Due to the physical properties of such a confinement, we found that this method enables investigation of effects of physical barriers against mass gain and cell division. Using the method of time-lapse confocal microscopy, we observed a prolonged lag phase, dependent on the number of polyelectrolyte layers. In the confinement, both the GFP fluorescent signal from the leaking T7 promoter and the cell size were increased by factors of more than five and two, respectively. This creates a paradigm shift that enables use of mechanical entrapment for control of bacterial cell physiology and opens possibilities of controlling the division rate as well as gene expression. These effects can be attributed to the perturbation of the sensing of the cell size, which results in disproportional synthesis of a cell envelope impinging the intracellular material and compels cells to grow rapidly. In addition, the charged surface of cells enables prolonged intercellular physical interaction and results in spherically shaped microcolonies.", "keywords": ["polyelectrolytes", "0301 basic medicine", "0303 health sciences", "03 medical and health sciences", "layer-by-layer encapsulation", "time-lapse confocal microscopy", " polyelectrolytes", " layer-by-layer encapsulation", " electrostatic interactions", " cell surface modification", "cell surface modification", "Bioengineering and Biotechnology", "electrostatic interactions", "time-lapse confocal microscopy", "TP248.13-248.65", "Biotechnology"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2019.00378"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Frontiers%20in%20Bioengineering%20and%20Biotechnology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3389/fbioe.2019.00378", "name": "item", "description": "10.3389/fbioe.2019.00378", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3389/fbioe.2019.00378"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-12-04T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/s41477-023-01583-x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-21T16:16:46Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-12-04", "title": "Subtilase-mediated biogenesis of the expanded family of SERINE RICH ENDOGENOUS PEPTIDES", "description": "Plant signalling peptides are typically released from larger precursors by proteolytic cleavage to regulate plant growth, development and stress responses. Recent studies reported the characterization of a divergent family of Brassicaceae-specific peptides, SERINE RICH ENDOGENOUS PEPTIDES (SCOOPs), and their perception by the leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase MALE DISCOVERER 1-INTERACTING RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE 2 (MIK2). Here, we reveal that the SCOOP family is highly expanded, containing at least 50 members in the Columbia-0 reference Arabidopsis thaliana genome. Notably, perception of these peptides is strictly MIK2-dependent. How bioactive SCOOP peptides are produced, and to what extent their perception is responsible for the multiple physiological roles associated with MIK2 are currently unclear. Using N-terminomics, we validate the N-terminal cleavage site of representative PROSCOOPs. The cleavage sites are determined by conserved motifs upstream of the minimal SCOOP bioactive epitope. We identified subtilases necessary and sufficient to process PROSCOOP peptides at conserved cleavage motifs. Mutation of these subtilases, or their recognition motifs, suppressed PROSCOOP cleavage and associated overexpression phenotypes. Furthermore, we show that higher-order mutants of these subtilases show phenotypes reminiscent of mik2 null mutant plants, consistent with impaired PROSCOOP biogenesis, and demonstrating biological relevance of SCOOP perception by MIK2. Together, this work provides insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the functions of the recently identified SCOOP peptides and their receptor MIK2.", "keywords": ["570", "Arabidopsis Proteins", "[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]", "Arabidopsis", "Receptors", " Cell Surface", "580 Plants (Botany)", "[SDV] Life Sciences [q-bio]", "10126 Department of Plant and Microbial Biology", "1110 Plant Science", "Taverne", "Brassicaceae", "Serine", "Life Science", "10211 Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center", "Peptides", "Protein Kinases"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-023-01583-x.pdf"}, {"href": "https://hal.science/hal-04394015/file/NaturePlants_subtilase_scoop_2023_revised.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-023-01583-x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Nature%20Plants", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1038/s41477-023-01583-x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1038/s41477-023-01583-x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1038/s41477-023-01583-x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-12-04T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3389/fbioe.2022.1070851", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-21T16:19:14Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-01-04", "title": "Modification of bacterial cells for in vivo remotely guided systems", "description": "

It was shown recently that bacterial strains, which can act specifically against malignant cells, can be used efficiently in cancer therapy. Many appropriate bacterial strains are either pathogenic or invasive and there is a substantial shortage of methods with which to monitor in vivo the distribution of bacteria used in this way. Here, it is proposed to use a Layer-by-Layer (LbL) approach that can encapsulate individual bacterial cells with fluorescently labeled polyelectrolytes (PE)s and magnetite nanoparticles (NP)s. The NP enable remote direction in vivo to the site in question and the labeled shells in the far-red emission spectra allow non-invasive monitoring of the distribution of bacteria in the body. The magnetic entrapment of the modified bacteria causes the local concentration of the bacteria to increase by a factor of at least 5. The PEs create a strong barrier, and it has been shown in vitro experiments that the division time of bacterial cells coated in this way can be regulated, resulting in control of their invasion into tissues. That animals used in the study survived and did not suffer septic shock, which can be attributed to PE capsules that prevent release of endotoxins from bacterial cells.Bacterial attachment is crucial in many biotechnological applications, but many important bacterial strains cannot form biofilms. Biofilms can damage materials, and current strategies to manage biofilms are focused on inhibition and removal of biofilm. Biofilm formation is inevitable when materials are exposed to microbes and instead of biofilm prevention, we propose management of microbial composition by formation of biofilms with beneficial microbes. Since bacteria need to overcome a high repulsive force to attach to the surface and later to grow and multiply on it, electrostatic modification of the surfaces of cells or the material by polyelectrolytes (PE) was used in our approach, enabling efficient attachment of viable bacterial cells. Since highly positively charged PEs are known to be bactericidal, they were acetylated to reduce their toxicity, while preserving their net positive charge and ensuring cell viability. In our study bacterial strains were selected according to their intrinsic capability of biofilm formation, their shape variety and cell wall structure. These strains were tested to compare how the artificially prepared vs. natural biofilms can be used to populate the surface with beneficial bacteria. Using an artificial biofilm constructed of the potentially probiotic isolate Bacillus sp. strain 25.2. M, reduced the attachment and induced complete inhibition of E. coli growth over the biofilm. This study also revealed that the modification of the surfaces of cells or material by polyelectrolytes allows the deposition of bacterial cells, biofilm formation and attachment of biofilm non-forming cells onto surfaces. In this way, artificial biofilms with extended stability can be constructed, leading to selective pressure on further colonization of environmental bacteria.Recently, it has been shown that several bacterial strains can be very efficient in cancer treatment since they possess many important properties such as self-targeting, ease of detection, sensing and toxicity against tumors. However, there are only a few relevant \uffe2\uff80\uff9ccandidates\uffe2\uff80\uff9d for such an approach, as targeting and detection one of the biggest challenges as well as there are many limitations in the use of genetic approaches. Here, it is proposed the solution that enables surface modification of alive bacterial cells without interfering with their genetic material and potentially reduces their toxic side effect. By the electrostatic interaction fluorescently labeled polyelectrolytes (PEs) and magnetite nanoparticles (NPs) were deposited on the bacterial cell surface to control the cell growth, distribution and detection of bacteria. According to the results obtained in vivo, by the magnet entrapment of the modified bacteria the local concentration of the cells was increased more than 5 times, keeping the high concentrations even when the magnet is removed. Since the PEs create a strong barrier, in vitro it was shown that the division time of the cells can be regulated for better immune presentation.It was shown recently that bacterial strains, which can act specifically against malignant cells, can be used efficiently in cancer therapy. Many appropriate bacterial strains are either pathogenic or invasive and there is a substantial shortage of methods with which to monitor in vivo the distribution of bacteria used in this way. Here, it is proposed to use a Layer-by-Layer (LbL) approach that can encapsulate individual bacterial cells with fluorescently labeled polyelectrolytes (PE)s and magnetite nanoparticles (NP)s. The NP enable remote direction in vivo to the site in question and the labeled shells in the far-red emission spectra allow non-invasive monitoring of the distribution of bacteria in the body. The magnetic entrapment of the modified bacteria causes the local concentration of the bacteria to increase by a factor of at least 5. The PEs create a strong barrier, and it has been shown in vitro experiments that the division time of bacterial cells coated in this way can be regulated, resulting in control of their invasion into tissues. That animals used in the study survived and did not suffer septic shock, which can be attributed to PE capsules that prevent release of endotoxins from bacterial cells.