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The automated Galaxy-SynBioCAD pipeline for synthetic biology design and engineering. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5082. [PMID: 36038542 PMCID: PMC9424320 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32661-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we introduce the Galaxy-SynBioCAD portal, a toolshed for synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and industrial biotechnology. The tools and workflows currently shared on the portal enables one to build libraries of strains producing desired chemical targets covering an end-to-end metabolic pathway design and engineering process from the selection of strains and targets, the design of DNA parts to be assembled, to the generation of scripts driving liquid handlers for plasmid assembly and strain transformations. Standard formats like SBML and SBOL are used throughout to enforce the compatibility of the tools. In a study carried out at four different sites, we illustrate the link between pathway design and engineering with the building of a library of E. coli lycopene-producing strains. We also benchmark our workflows on literature and expert validated pathways. Overall, we find an 83% success rate in retrieving the validated pathways among the top 10 pathways generated by the workflows.
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Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis: The Obstacles We Face in Determining a Non-Invasive Test and Current Advances in Biomarker Detection. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14081889. [PMID: 35454792 PMCID: PMC9029324 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14081889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers in the western world. CRC originates from precursor adenomatous polyps, which may over time develop into cancer. Endoscopic evaluation remains the gold-standard investigation for the disease. In the absence of molecular tools for early detection, the removal of neoplastic adenomas via polypectomy remains an important measure to prevent dysplastic adenomas from evolving into invasive carcinoma. Colonoscopy is an intrusive procedure that provides an uncomfortable experience for patients. Kits for testing for the presence of blood hemoglobin in the stool are now widely used, and DNA methylation-based detection kits have been approved in the USA for testing the stool and plasma, but few other molecular biomarkers have found their way into medical practice. This review summarizes current trends in the detection and screening of CRC and provides a definitive review of emerging molecular biomarkers for CRC. Abstract Globally, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer, with 1.4 million new cases and over 700,000 deaths per annum. Despite being one of the most common cancers, few molecular approaches to detect CRC exist. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a known serum biomarker that is used in CRC for monitoring disease recurrence or response to treatment. However, it can also be raised in multiple benign conditions, thus having no value in early detection or screening for CRC. Molecular biomarkers play an ever-increasing role in the diagnosis, prognosis, and outcome prediction of disease, however, only a limited number of biomarkers are available and none are suitable for early detection and screening of CRC. A PCR-based Epi proColon® blood plasma test for the detection of methylated SEPT9 has been approved by the USFDA for CRC screening in the USA, alongside a stool test for methylated DNA from CRC cells. However, these are reserved for patients who decline traditional screening methods. There remains an urgent need for the development of non-invasive molecular biomarkers that are highly specific and sensitive to CRC and that can be used routinely for early detection and screening. A molecular approach to the discovery of CRC biomarkers focuses on the analysis of the transcriptome of cancer cells to identify differentially expressed genes and proteins. A systematic search of the literature yielded over 100 differentially expressed CRC molecular markers, of which the vast majority are overexpressed in CRC. In terms of function, they largely belong to biological pathways involved in cell division, regulation of gene expression, or cell proliferation, to name a few. This review evaluates the current methods used for CRC screening, current availability of biomarkers, and new advances within the field of biomarker detection for screening and early diagnosis of CRC.
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Ibrahim M, Raajaraam L, Raman K. Modelling microbial communities: Harnessing consortia for biotechnological applications. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:3892-3907. [PMID: 34584635 PMCID: PMC8441623 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.06.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbes propagate and thrive in complex communities, and there are many benefits to studying and engineering microbial communities instead of single strains. Microbial communities are being increasingly leveraged in biotechnological applications, as they present significant advantages such as the division of labour and improved substrate utilisation. Nevertheless, they also present some interesting challenges to surmount for the design of efficient biotechnological processes. In this review, we discuss key principles of microbial interactions, followed by a deep dive into genome-scale metabolic models, focussing on a vast repertoire of constraint-based modelling methods that enable us to characterise and understand the metabolic capabilities of microbial communities. Complementary approaches to model microbial communities, such as those based on graph theory, are also briefly discussed. Taken together, these methods provide rich insights into the interactions between microbes and how they influence microbial community productivity. We finally overview approaches that allow us to generate and test numerous synthetic community compositions, followed by tools and methodologies that can predict effective genetic interventions to further improve the productivity of communities. With impending advancements in high-throughput omics of microbial communities, the stage is set for the rapid expansion of microbial community engineering, with a significant impact on biotechnological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maziya Ibrahim
- Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
- Centre for Integrative Biology and Systems Medicine (IBSE), IIT Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
- Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBCDSAI), IIT Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
| | - Lavanya Raajaraam
- Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
- Centre for Integrative Biology and Systems Medicine (IBSE), IIT Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
- Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBCDSAI), IIT Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
| | - Karthik Raman
- Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
- Centre for Integrative Biology and Systems Medicine (IBSE), IIT Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
- Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBCDSAI), IIT Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
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Serral F, Castello FA, Sosa EJ, Pardo AM, Palumbo MC, Modenutti C, Palomino MM, Lazarowski A, Auzmendi J, Ramos PIP, Nicolás MF, Turjanski AG, Martí MA, Fernández Do Porto D. From Genome to Drugs: New Approaches in Antimicrobial Discovery. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:647060. [PMID: 34177572 PMCID: PMC8219968 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.647060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Decades of successful use of antibiotics is currently challenged by the emergence of increasingly resistant bacterial strains. Novel drugs are urgently required but, in a scenario where private investment in the development of new antimicrobials is declining, efforts to combat drug-resistant infections become a worldwide public health problem. Reasons behind unsuccessful new antimicrobial development projects range from inadequate selection of the molecular targets to a lack of innovation. In this context, increasingly available omics data for multiple pathogens has created new drug discovery and development opportunities to fight infectious diseases. Identification of an appropriate molecular target is currently accepted as a critical step of the drug discovery process. Here, we review how diverse layers of multi-omics data in conjunction with structural/functional analysis and systems biology can be used to prioritize the best candidate proteins. Once the target is selected, virtual screening can be used as a robust methodology to explore molecular scaffolds that could act as inhibitors, guiding the development of new drug lead compounds. This review focuses on how the advent of omics and the development and application of bioinformatics strategies conduct a "big-data era" that improves target selection and lead compound identification in a cost-effective and shortened timeline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Serral
- Instituto de Cálculo, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Florencia A Castello
- Instituto de Cálculo, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ezequiel J Sosa
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN) CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustín M Pardo
- Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN) CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Miranda Clara Palumbo
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carlos Modenutti
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN) CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Mercedes Palomino
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN) CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alberto Lazarowski
- Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Instituto de Investigaciones en Fisiopatología y Bioquímica Clínica (INFIBIOC), Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jerónimo Auzmendi
- Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Instituto de Investigaciones en Fisiopatología y Bioquímica Clínica (INFIBIOC), Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pablo Ivan P Ramos
- Centro de Integração de Dados e Conhecimentos para Saúde (CIDACS), Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Salvador, Brazil
| | - Marisa F Nicolás
- Laboratório Nacional de Computação Científica (LNCC), Petrópolis, Brazil
| | - Adrián G Turjanski
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN) CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marcelo A Martí
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN) CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Darío Fernández Do Porto
- Instituto de Cálculo, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Cocco N, Llabrés M, Reyes-Prieto M, Simeoni M. MetNet: A two-level approach to reconstructing and comparing metabolic networks. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0246962. [PMID: 33577575 PMCID: PMC7880445 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic pathway comparison and interaction between different species can detect important information for drug engineering and medical science. In the literature, proposals for reconstructing and comparing metabolic networks present two main problems: network reconstruction requires usually human intervention to integrate information from different sources and, in metabolic comparison, the size of the networks leads to a challenging computational problem. We propose to automatically reconstruct a metabolic network on the basis of KEGG database information. Our proposal relies on a two-level representation of the huge metabolic network: the first level is graph-based and depicts pathways as nodes and relations between pathways as edges; the second level represents each metabolic pathway in terms of its reactions content. The two-level representation complies with the KEGG database, which decomposes the metabolism of all the different organisms into “reference” pathways in a standardised way. On the basis of this two-level representation, we introduce some similarity measures for both levels. They allow for both a local comparison, pathway by pathway, and a global comparison of the entire metabolism. We developed a tool, MetNet, that implements the proposed methodology. MetNet makes it possible to automatically reconstruct the metabolic network of two organisms selected in KEGG and to compare their two networks both quantitatively and visually. We validate our methodology by presenting some experiments performed with MetNet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicoletta Cocco
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Informatica e Statistica, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Venice, Italy
| | - Mercè Llabrés
- Mathematics and Computer Science Department, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
| | - Mariana Reyes-Prieto
- Evolutionary Systems Biology of Symbionts, Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I 2 SysBio), Universitat de Valencia, Paterna, Valencia, Spain
- Sequencing and Bioinformatics Service, Foundation for the Promotion of Sanitary and Biomedical Research of the Valencia Region (FISABIO), València, Spain
| | - Marta Simeoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Informatica e Statistica, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Venice, Italy
- European Centre for Living Technology (ECLT), Venice, Italy
- * E-mail:
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Hari A, Lobo D. Fluxer: a web application to compute, analyze and visualize genome-scale metabolic flux networks. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:W427-W435. [PMID: 32442279 PMCID: PMC7319574 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Next-generation sequencing has paved the way for the reconstruction of genome-scale metabolic networks as a powerful tool for understanding metabolic circuits in any organism. However, the visualization and extraction of knowledge from these large networks comprising thousands of reactions and metabolites is a current challenge in need of user-friendly tools. Here we present Fluxer (https://fluxer.umbc.edu), a free and open-access novel web application for the computation and visualization of genome-scale metabolic flux networks. Any genome-scale model based on the Systems Biology Markup Language can be uploaded to the tool, which automatically performs Flux Balance Analysis and computes different flux graphs for visualization and analysis. The major metabolic pathways for biomass growth or for biosynthesis of any metabolite can be interactively knocked-out, analyzed and visualized as a spanning tree, dendrogram or complete graph using different layouts. In addition, Fluxer can compute and visualize the k-shortest metabolic paths between any two metabolites or reactions to identify the main metabolic routes between two compounds of interest. The web application includes >80 whole-genome metabolic reconstructions of diverse organisms from bacteria to human, readily available for exploration. Fluxer enables the efficient analysis and visualization of genome-scale metabolic models toward the discovery of key metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Archana Hari
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, USA
| | - Daniel Lobo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, USA
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