Cyanobacteria News and Research

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Exposure to blue-green algae toxin shown to wreak havoc on gut bacteria and cause liver damage

Exposure to a specific type of blue-green algae toxin known as cylindrospermopsin has shown to wreak havoc on gut bacteria and an increased probability of irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, type 1 diabetes, obesity and inflammation of the liver – a precursor to liver cancer – according to a study led by the University of California, Irvine.

20 Dec 2022

Researchers uncover an intriguing previously unknown ability of Swiss army knife enzyme

Blue-green algae (AKA cyanobacteria) have a superpower which likely helps them be highly successful as invaders of waterways.

5 Oct 2022

Scientists explore ecological firewalls for the containment of synthetic microbes

In a new study, researchers described ecological firewalls (EFWs) to contain synthetic microbes.

10 Aug 2022

Scientists show how to design "ecological firewalls" for biosphere terraformation

Researchers discuss the use of ecological firewalls to predict and control communities of microbiota into which synthetic organisms are released.

11 Jul 2022

Lifestyle-specific differences in infant gut microbiome composition

A recent study published in Science noted that infant gut microbiome assembly varies with lifestyles.

13 Jun 2022

Researchers gain understanding of biosynthetic mechanisms for producing cyanobacterin

Researchers in the groups of Prof. Tobias Gulder from TU Dresden and Prof. Tanja Gulder from Leipzig University have succeeded in understanding the biosynthetic mechanisms for the production of the natural product cyanobacterin, which in Nature is produced in small quantities by the cyanobacteria Scytonema hofmanni.

27 May 2022

Researchers design and engineer artificial photosynthetic life-forms through endosymbiosis

Every plant, animal or other nucleus-containing cell also harbors an array of miniature "organs" that perform essential functions for the cell. In plants, for example, organelles called chloroplasts photosynthesize to generate energy for the organism.

3 May 2022

Study explores microbial genetic engineering approach as a replacement for shark livering for squalene

A new study examined possible genetic engineering approaches that could be utilized to tailor the metabolic processes of yeasts, bacteria, and thraustochytrids to optimize the synthesis of squalene.

21 Apr 2022

Scientists unravel the complex workings of the circadian rhythm in cyanobacteria

Scientists want to increase their understanding of circadian rhythms, those internal 24-hour biological clock cycles of sleeping and waking that occur in organisms, ranging from humans to plants to fungi to bacteria.

18 Apr 2022

Algal metabolites as novel drugs against viruses

A new review article published in the Journal of Biotechnology has provided information on various nutraceutical metabolites extracted from algae.

29 Mar 2022

Biologists reveal structure of newly discovered speargun-like molecular injection systems in bacteria

Biologists from ETH Zurich have discovered speargun-like molecular injection systems in two types of bacteria and have described their structure for the first time.

7 Mar 2022

Study shows SARS-CoV-2 infection can change nasopharyngeal microbiota composition in pregnancy

A recent study from Spain showed that the infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can change the overall structure and diversity of the nasopharyngeal microbiota in pregnant women – which persists even weeks after clinical infection. The paper is currently available on Research Square preprint* server.

3 Feb 2022

Ocean living microbes make oxygen in the dark

There is more going on in the deep, dark ocean waters than you may think: Uncountable numbers of invisible microorganisms go about their daily lives in the water columns, and now researchers have discovered that some of them produce oxygen in an unexpected way.

6 Jan 2022

NAU team receives $3 million from NSF to translate the codex contained in algal microbiome

The tiny cosmos of organisms living on a streamer of algae in a river-;the algal microbiome-;could help scientists learn what turns an environment from healthy to toxic and back again.

20 Nov 2021

SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity are strongly associated with nasal microbiota

In a recent study, researchers conducted a nasopharyngeal microbiota profiling parallelism in an effort to analyze microbiota variations in COVID-19 patients.

3 Oct 2021

Genetic background linked to elevated risk of omega-3 deficiency in Hispanic Americans

Hispanic people with a high percentage of American Indigenous ancestry are at increased risk of a nutritional deficiency that could affect their heart health and contribute to harmful inflammation, new research suggests.

26 Aug 2021

Study explores lectins from plants, fungi, algae and cyanobacteria as pan-coronavirus inhibitors

In a recently published article scientists have provided a detailed description of the utility of mannose-specific lectins in preventing coronavirus infections. They have specifically explained how mannose-specific lectins derived from plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria selectively bind N-glycans present on the surface of viral spike protein and how such interactions can be medically utilized to control coronavirus transmission.

1 Jul 2021

Fundamental insights on key protein can help strengthen plants against environmental stress

An international study led by Helmholtz Zentrum München has revealed the structure of a membrane-remodeling protein that builds and maintains photosynthetic membranes. These fundamental insights lay the groundwork for bioengineering efforts to strengthen plants against environmental stress, helping to sustaining human food supply and fight against climate change.

25 Jun 2021

Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prizes for 2021 go to four female and six male researchers

Four female and six male researchers are to receive the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize this year, the top award for early career investigators in Germany.

16 Mar 2021

Study: Understanding nutrient accumulation within cycads is essential to effective horticultural management

Collective research to date regarding nutrients found in the leaves of contemporary cycad species has been inconsistent as far as data collection and narrow in scope, according to a University of Guam-led literature review published on Nov. 19 in Horticulturae journal.

24 Jan 2021