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Hypericum is an important genus of the family Hypericaceae and includes almost 500 species of herbs, shrubs and trees. Being the home for many important bioactive compounds, these species have a long traditional value as medicinal plants. Currently, several species of this genus have been used in ailments as knowledge-based medicine in many countries. In the recent past, several pharmacological studies have been performed using crude extracts to evaluate the traditional knowledge. Results of those studies have revealed that Hypericum extract exert multiple pharmacological properties including antidepressant, antimicrobial, antitumor and wound healing effects. Phytochemical analyses revealed that these species produce a broad spectrum of valuable compounds, mainly naphthodianthrones (hypericin and pseudohypericin), phloroglucinols (hyperforin and adhyperforin), flavonoids (hyperoside, rutin and quercitrin), benzophenones/xanthones (garcinol and gambogic acid), and essential oils. Noticeably, Hypericum perforatum extracts have been used to treat mild to moderate depression from ancient to present times and the antidepressant efficacy of Hypericum extracts has been attributed to its hyperforin content, which is known to inhibit the re-uptake of aminergic transmitters such as serotonin and noradrenaline into synaptic nerve endings. Neurodegenerative diseases and inflammatory responses are also linked with Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production. A wide range of flavonoids present in Hypericum extracts, namely, rutin, quercetin, and quercitrin exhibit antioxidant/free radical scavenging activity. Hypericin, beside hyperforin, is the active molecule responsible for the antitumor ability of Hypericum extracts and is seen as a potent candidate to treat brain tumor. Recent attempts of using hypericin in patients with recurrent malignant brain tumors showed promising results. Collectively, Hypericum species contain multiple bioactive constituents, suggesting their potential to occupy a huge portion of the phytomedicine market. Today, studies on medicinal plants are rapidly increasing because of the search for new active molecules, and for the improvement in the production of plants and molecules for the herbal pharmaceutical industries. In the post genomic era, application of molecular biology and genomic tools revolutionized our understanding of major biosynthetic pathways, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Hypericum species and individual compounds. This special issue mainly focuses on the recent advancements made in the understanding of biosynthetic pathways, application of biotechnology, molecular biology, genomics, pharmacology and related areas.

Biotechnology --- Metabolomics --- Flavonoids --- Hypericum spp. --- Xanthones --- Hyperforins --- Biosynthetic Pathways --- Pharmacology --- Hypericins

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Hypericum is an important genus of the family Hypericaceae and includes almost 500 species of herbs, shrubs and trees. Being the home for many important bioactive compounds, these species have a long traditional value as medicinal plants. Currently, several species of this genus have been used in ailments as knowledge-based medicine in many countries. In the recent past, several pharmacological studies have been performed using crude extracts to evaluate the traditional knowledge. Results of those studies have revealed that Hypericum extract exert multiple pharmacological properties including antidepressant, antimicrobial, antitumor and wound healing effects. Phytochemical analyses revealed that these species produce a broad spectrum of valuable compounds, mainly naphthodianthrones (hypericin and pseudohypericin), phloroglucinols (hyperforin and adhyperforin), flavonoids (hyperoside, rutin and quercitrin), benzophenones/xanthones (garcinol and gambogic acid), and essential oils. Noticeably, Hypericum perforatum extracts have been used to treat mild to moderate depression from ancient to present times and the antidepressant efficacy of Hypericum extracts has been attributed to its hyperforin content, which is known to inhibit the re-uptake of aminergic transmitters such as serotonin and noradrenaline into synaptic nerve endings. Neurodegenerative diseases and inflammatory responses are also linked with Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production. A wide range of flavonoids present in Hypericum extracts, namely, rutin, quercetin, and quercitrin exhibit antioxidant/free radical scavenging activity. Hypericin, beside hyperforin, is the active molecule responsible for the antitumor ability of Hypericum extracts and is seen as a potent candidate to treat brain tumor. Recent attempts of using hypericin in patients with recurrent malignant brain tumors showed promising results. Collectively, Hypericum species contain multiple bioactive constituents, suggesting their potential to occupy a huge portion of the phytomedicine market. Today, studies on medicinal plants are rapidly increasing because of the search for new active molecules, and for the improvement in the production of plants and molecules for the herbal pharmaceutical industries. In the post genomic era, application of molecular biology and genomic tools revolutionized our understanding of major biosynthetic pathways, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Hypericum species and individual compounds. This special issue mainly focuses on the recent advancements made in the understanding of biosynthetic pathways, application of biotechnology, molecular biology, genomics, pharmacology and related areas.

Biotechnology --- Metabolomics --- Flavonoids --- Hypericum spp. --- Xanthones --- Hyperforins --- Biosynthetic Pathways --- Pharmacology --- Hypericins

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Bacterial infections cause millions of deaths globally, particularly in children and the elderly, and four of the 10 leading causes of death are infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries. The continuous use of antibiotics has resulted in multi-resistant bacterial strains all over the world, such as Community-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), and, as expected, hospitals have become breeding grounds for human-associated microorganisms, especially in critical care units.

actinomycetes --- antibiotic biosynthesis --- silent biosynthetic pathways --- γ-butyrolactones --- HiTES --- translation inhibitors --- marine actinobacteria --- Streptomyces sp. --- enzyme inhibition --- antimicrobial --- antioxidant --- cytotoxicity --- GC-MS --- pyrrolopyrazines --- myxobacteria --- antivirals --- secondary metabolites --- HIV --- Ebola --- hepatitis viruses --- diversity --- uncultured --- new antibiotics --- Streptomyces --- polyketides --- secondary metabolite --- polyketide synthases (PKSs)

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Amino Acids Biosynthesis presents the current knowledge of fundamental as well as applied microbiology of amino acids. Topics discussed are the amino acid biosynthetic pathways, their genetic and biochemical regulation, transport of amino acids and genomics of producing microorganisms. The characterization of the control mechanisms of amino acid biosynthesis has revealed insights into principles of genetic and biochemical regulation, such as transcriptional regulators and a new class of regulatory elements, the riboswitch. The volume further deals with the metabolic engineering of microorganisms for the biotechnological production of amino acids for use as pharmaceuticals and, particularly, as food and feed additives. Comprehensive reviews are given of recent achievements to enable or improve production of amino acids and dipeptides by fermentation and enzyme catalysis. Here, the particular focus is on metabolic engineering, the rational improvement of metabolic functions using recombinant DNA technology.

Amino Acids --- Biosynthetic Pathways --- Protein Engineering --- Amino acids --- Protein engineering --- Acides aminés --- Technologie des protéines --- biosynthesis --- metabolism --- Amino Acids -- Biosynthesis. --- Amino Acids -- Metabolism. --- Amino acids. --- Biosynthetic pathways. --- Biochemical Processes --- Metabolic Networks and Pathways --- Metabolic Phenomena --- Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins --- Genetic Engineering --- Phenomena and Processes --- Chemicals and Drugs --- Chemical Processes --- Genetic Techniques --- Biochemical Phenomena --- Investigative Techniques --- Chemical Phenomena --- Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment --- Metabolism --- Chemistry --- Biology --- Health & Biological Sciences --- Physical Sciences & Mathematics --- Biomedical Engineering --- Biochemistry --- Microbiology & Immunology --- Protein engineering. --- Engineering, Protein --- Protein design --- Proteins --- Design --- Life sciences. --- Biotechnology. --- Microbiology. --- Biochemical engineering. --- Food --- Proteins. --- Life Sciences. --- Protein Science. --- Applied Microbiology. --- Biochemical Engineering. --- Food Science. --- Biochemical engineering --- Genetic engineering --- Amino compounds --- Organic acids --- Peptides --- Biochemistry. --- Food science. --- Science --- Chemical engineering --- Bio-process engineering --- Bioprocess engineering --- Biotechnology --- Microbial biology --- Microorganisms --- Biological chemistry --- Chemical composition of organisms --- Organisms --- Physiological chemistry --- Medical sciences --- Composition --- Proteins . --- Food—Biotechnology. --- Proteids --- Biomolecules --- Polypeptides --- Proteomics

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Following an introduction to biogenic metal nanoparticles, this book presents how they can be biosynthesized using bacteria, fungi and yeast, as well as their potential applications in biomedicine. It is shown that the synthesis of nanoparticles using microbes is eco-friendly and results in reproducible metal nanoparticles of well-defined sizes, shapes and structures. This biotechnological approach based on the process of biomineralization exploits the effectiveness and flexibility of biological systems. Chapters include practical protocols for microbial synthesis of nanoparticles and microbial screening methods for isolating a specific nanoparticle producer as well as reviews on process optimization, industrial scale production, biomolecule-nanoparticle interactions, magnetosomes, silver nanoparticles and their numerous applications in medicine, and the application of gold nanoparticles in developing sensitive biosensors.

Metals -- Biotechnology. --- Metals -- Microbiology. --- Nanoparticles. --- Biochemical Processes --- Nanoparticles --- Metabolic Networks and Pathways --- Biochemical Phenomena --- Metabolism --- Nanostructures --- Chemical Processes --- Chemical Phenomena --- Manufactured Materials --- Metabolic Phenomena --- Phenomena and Processes --- Technology, Industry, and Agriculture --- Technology, Industry, Agriculture --- Biosynthetic Pathways --- Metal Nanoparticles --- Biology --- Health & Biological Sciences --- Microbiology & Immunology --- Metal clusters --- Microbiology. --- Colloidal metal particles --- Metal particles, Colloidal --- Life sciences. --- Pharmacology. --- Biotechnology. --- Nanochemistry. --- Biochemistry. --- Life Sciences. --- Applied Microbiology. --- Biochemistry, general. --- Pharmacology/Toxicology. --- Microclusters --- Nanostructured materials --- Particles --- Toxicology. --- Chemicals --- Medicine --- Pharmacology --- Poisoning --- Poisons --- Biological chemistry --- Chemical composition of organisms --- Organisms --- Physiological chemistry --- Chemistry --- Medical sciences --- Nanoscale chemistry --- Chemistry, Analytic --- Nanoscience --- Chemical engineering --- Genetic engineering --- Microbial biology --- Microorganisms --- Toxicology --- Composition --- Analytical chemistry --- Drug effects --- Medical pharmacology --- Chemotherapy --- Drugs --- Pharmacy --- Physiological effect