Challenges in Functional Food Products with the Incorporation of Some Microalgae

Much attention has been given to the use of microalgae to produce functional foods that have valuable bioactive chemicals, including essential amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, carotenoids, fiber, and minerals. Microalgal biomasses are increasingly being used to improve the nutritional values of foods because of their unique nutrient compositions that are beneficial to human health. Their protein content and amino acid composition are the most important components. The microalgal biomass used in the therapeutic supplement industry is dominated by bio-compounds like astaxanthin, β-carotene, polyunsaturated fatty acids like eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, and polysaccharides such as β-glucan. The popularity of microalgal supplements is growing because of the health benefits of their bioactive substances. Moreover, some microalgae, such as Dunaliella, Arthrospira (Spirulina), Chlorella, and Haematococcus, are commonly used microalgal species in functional food production. The incorporation of microalgal biomass leads not only to enhanced nutritional value but also to improved sensory quality of food products without altering their cooking or textural characteristics. Microalgae, because of their eco-friendly potential, have emerged as one of the most promising and novel sources of new functional foods. This study reviews some recent and relevant works, as well as the current challenges for future research, using different methods of chemical modification in foods with the addition of a few commercial algae to allow their use in nutritional and sensory areas. It can be concluded that the production of functional foods through the use of microalgae in foods has become an important issue.

Identification of Hub lncRNAs Along With lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA Network for Effective Diagnosis and Prognosis of Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in tumorigenesis and progression of different cancers and they have been potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. As the most common endocrine malignancy, precise diagnosis and prognosis of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is of great clinical significance. Here, we aim to identify new hub lncRNAs for marking PTC and constructed prognostics signatures based on lncRNA- miRNA-mRNA competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) network to predict overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) respectively. Five reliable hub lncRNAs were identified by integrating differential genes of four Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) gene chips using the RobustRankAggreg (RRA) method. Based on differential analyses and interaction prediction, a lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network and a lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network were established. Then a comprehensive function characterization of the five hub lncRNAs was performed, including validation dataset testing, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and functional analysis on two networks. All results suggest that these five hub lncRNAs could be potential biomarkers for marking PTC. The ceRNA network was used to identify RNAs which were associated with PTC prognosis. Two prognostic signatures were developed using univariate and step-wise multivariate Cox regression analyses and both of them were independent prognostic indicators for PTC OS and DFS. Tumor microenvironment difference analysis between high and low-risk patients showed that dendritic cells activated and macrophages M0 may be a possible target for immunotherapy of PTC. In addition, disclosing the potential drugs that may reverse the expression of hub genes may improve the prognosis of patients with PTC. Here, connectivity map (CMap) analysis indicates that three bioactive chemicals (pioglitazone, benserazide, and SB-203580) are promising therapeutic agents for PTC. So, the paper presents a comprehensive study on diagnosis, prognosis, and potential drug screening for PTC based on the five hub lncRNAs identified by us.

Nature's Chemists: The Discovery and Engineering of Phytochemical Biosynthesis

Plants produce a diverse array of natural products, many of which have high pharmaceutical value or therapeutic potential. However, these compounds often occur at low concentrations in uncultivated species. Producing phytochemicals in heterologous systems has the potential to address the bioavailability issues related to obtaining these molecules from their natural source. Plants are suitable heterologous systems for the production of valuable phytochemicals as they are autotrophic, derive energy and carbon from photosynthesis, and have similar cellular context to native producer plants. In this review we highlight the methods that are used to elucidate natural product biosynthetic pathways, including the approaches leading to proposing the sequence of enzymatic steps, selecting enzyme candidates and characterizing gene function. We will also discuss the advantages of using plant chasses as production platforms for high value phytochemicals. In addition, through this report we will assess the emerging metabolic engineering strategies that have been developed to enhance and optimize the production of natural and novel bioactive phytochemicals in heterologous plant systems.