Molecular characterization of bmyC gene of the mosquito pupicidal bacteria, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (VCRC B483) and in silico analysis of bacillomycin D synthetase C protein

Interdisciplinary Overview of Lipopeptide and Protein-Containing Biosurfactants

Biosurfactants are amphipathic molecules capable of lowering interfacial and superficial tensions. Produced by living organisms, these compounds act the same as chemical surfactants but with a series of improvements, the most notable being biodegradability. Biosurfactants have a wide diversity of categories. Within these, lipopeptides are some of the more abundant and widely known. Protein-containing biosurfactants are much less studied and could be an interesting and valuable alternative. The harsh temperature, pH, and salinity conditions that target organisms can sustain need to be understood for better implementation. Here, we will explore biotechnological applications via lipopeptide and protein-containing biosurfactants. Also, we discuss their natural role and the organisms that produce them, taking a glimpse into the possibilities of research via meta-omics and machine learning.

Challenges and Opportunities in Identifying and Characterising Keratinases for Value-Added Peptide Production

Keratins are important structural proteins produced by mammals, birds and reptiles. Keratins usually act as a protective barrier or a mechanical support. Millions of tonnes of keratin wastes and low value co-products are generated every year in the poultry, meat processing, leather and wool industries. Keratinases are proteases able to breakdown keratin providing a unique opportunity of hydrolysing keratin materials like mammalian hair, wool and feathers under mild conditions. These mild conditions ameliorate the problem of unwanted amino acid modification that usually occurs with thermochemical alternatives. Keratinase hydrolysis addresses the waste problem by producing valuable peptide mixes. Identifying keratinases is an inherent problem associated with the search for new enzymes due to the challenge of predicting protease substrate specificity. Here, we present a comprehensive review of twenty sequenced peptidases with keratinolytic activity from the serine protease and metalloprotease families. The review compares their biochemical activities and highlights the difficulties associated with the interpretation of these data. Potential applications of keratinases and keratin hydrolysates generated with these enzymes are also discussed. The review concludes with a critical discussion of the need for standardized assays and increased number of sequenced keratinases, which would allow a meaningful comparison of the biochemical traits, phylogeny and keratinase sequences. This deeper understanding would facilitate the search of the vast peptidase family sequence space for novel keratinases with industrial potential.