Title: Accelerated molecular dynamics simulation, functional sequence space clustering and experimentally guided machine learning as an integrated tool for the customization of enzyme performance for defined industrial applications

Abstract:

Enzymes play an important role in a wide range of industries, such as food and feed, agriculture, personal care, textiles, laundry detergents, fine chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Some examples where enzymes are crucial include cheese manufacture, beer and winemaking, baking bread, fruit juice extraction and clarification, leather tanning and more recently in the production of biofuels and biopolymers^1,2. Further, due to their high enantio- and regio-selectivity, leading to higher yields of the required enantiomer, enzymes are increasingly used in fine chemical synthesis and in the production of chiral pharmaceutical intermediates and APIs.
The enzymes used for various industrial applications can be harvested from microbial sources or they can be customized for a defined industrial application and overexpressed in heterologous hosts such as bacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi. This type of enzyme engineering is a powerful way to obtain large amounts of a customized enzyme to replace traditional chemical processes.

Biography:

Henryk Kalisz obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Manchester University, has published over 60 papers in reputed scientific journals. He has over 30 years of experience in industrial enzymology and biotechnology. After his Ph.D., he worked as a postdoctorate at the University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany, before taking up a senior scientist role at the National Research Institute (Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische Forschung) in Braunschweig, Germany. He subsequently worked as Head of Biochemistry at Pharmacia, Nerviano, Italy, and as Chief Scientific Officer at Eucodis Bioscience in Vienna, Austria. Since October 2011 he has been applying his expertise in industrial enzymology as a consultant and independent representative to provide scientific and technological advice and assistance to various Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals organizations.

Title: Microbial oils enriched with carotenoids for cosmetic and nutraceutical applications

Abstract:

Microbial oils (MO) of fungal origin, rich in unsaturated fatty acids, have important opportunities in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. However, due to the high production costs of MO, to date, only two fungal strains (Mucor circinelloides and Mortierella alpina) have been successfully used on an industrial scale, in the food sector, for the production of MO rich in omega-3 and -6. In this frame, our study wanted to develop a sustainable process both from an economic and environmental point of view for the production of MO from specific species of oleaginous yeasts having the ability to accumulate large amounts of intracellular lipids and to produce, at the same time, additional interesting compounds such as carotenoids with antioxidant activity. To this aim, different species of red yeasts belonging to Rhodotorula and Rhodosporidium genera were screened on low-cost substrates (e,g, orange peels, ricotta cheese whey) in order to select the highest lipid producers, with a lipid content with respect to dry biomass over 40 % (w/w). The study, first conducted in shaken flask, allowed to select one strain which was subsequently transferred to bioreactor scale with mechanical agitation in order to evaluate the response of the microorganism and the process scale-up. At the end of the fermentative process, a qualitative and quantitative gas chromatography analysis of the fatty acids produced was performed and total carotenoids were quantified in order to assess the suitability of these oils for nutraceutical and cosmetic applications.

Biography:

Eleonora Carota has completed her PhD course in Science, Technology and Biotechnology for Sustainability at the University of Tuscia (Viterbo) in 2017 with a thesis concerning microbial oil production from yeasts and molds. She is actually a postdoc researcher at the “Environmental and Applied Microbiology” laboratory (University of Tuscia), headed by Prof. Maurizio Petruccioli. Her main lines of research concern the production of microbial compounds of industrial interest and the bioremediation of waters and soils contaminated by heavy metals by means of microorganisms.

Title: Self-adaptive organizations: the evolution of organizational models inspired by microbiology

Abstract:

This paper provides an overview on the self-adaptation considered as a human skill that we can train and develop in order to balance our organizations. We try here to explain what kind of organizational structures and behaviours can be used to facilitate and accelerate transformations and changes in our economic and social contexts. We are facing fast changes and new problems in economy and society. this current complexity requires new perspectives in designing and managing organizations. We strive to create organizational models and techniques that are as robust and versatile as biological organisms are and evolve in nature. Self-adaptation is an attribute of several systems in nature: it allows the reliability and scalability of recursive processes based on adjustment of collective behaviour of elements and without a central control of structure. Observing adaptive organisms biology focuses on processes at the sub-organism level. Using the latest molecular and physiological tools the adaptations of organisms to environmental stresses are studied and developed. The regulatory mechanisms are understood, including the genetic constraints, the physiological plasticity and the evolutionary history of the responses of organisms. Leafing through a biology book you will be fascinated by the multitude of self-adaptation solutions implemented by natural organisms: plants, animals and micro-organisms convey crucial information for an understanding of the effects of an environmental change on the organisms and the effects of organisms on the environment change. We suggest an approach able to catalyse transformation in people and organisations exposing behaviours and structures able to optimise themselves. These catalysers sometimes are people (change agents), sometimes are things (digital technologies) and sometimes are pieces of culture (knowledge and experience) and more often are combinations of these three factors. This approach has been used in this research for collecting and analysing results achieved in more than 5 years of projects evolution in the change management field.

Title: Streptomyces extracellular metabolites as potent agents to control phytopathogenic fungi

Abstract:

Introduction: Phytopathogenic fungi, causal agents of some of the world’s most serious plant diseases, can significantly reduce yields during large-scale agricultural production. For successful invasion of plant organs, pathogenicdevelopment is tightly regulated and specialized infection structures are formed. To further colonize hosts and establish disease, fungal pathogens deploy a plethora of virulence factors, which makes control solutions less and less powerful. Currently, there is an increasing public concern regarding the continued use of agrichemicals to control the phytopathogenic fungi. This awareness relies mainly in the noxious effects of the pesticides on the environmental and human health. Several efforts have been made to find less hazardous options for controlling these plant pathogens among which the biological control using the microorganisms has been demonstrated to be a feasible alternative, but it is not widely used on commercial scale. In the aim of searching new solutions against several phytopathogen fungi, our investigations were focused to explore the potential of new isolated Streptomyces strain, especially in the biocontrol of Pythium ultimum and Verticillium dahliae, using the bacterial metabolites of Streptomyces sp. TN258. Material and Methods: After fermentation, the supernatant containing the  bioactive  metabolites  was  filtered  to  eliminate bacterial cells.    Then, several in-vitro and in-vivo tests were performed to assess the efficacity of the treatment against the pathogens and to understand its mode of action. Several bimolecular and biochemical measurements are also made.     Results:  The  inhibitory  effect  of  TN258  free  cell  supernatant  against  P. ultimum  was  evaluated.  As  result,  by  application  of  50%  (v/v)  from  25 mg.ml−1  of concentration, mycelial growth was totally inhibited with hyphal destruction. At the same concentration, the oospores were distorted and the germination was completely stopped. In potato tubers, Streptomyces TN258 filtrated   supernatant,   applied   24   h   before   inoculation   by   P.   ultimum (preventive treatment group) was able to significantly decrease pathogen
penetration by 62% and to reduce the percentage of weight loss by 59.43%, in comparison with non-treated group. As regard Verticilium dahliae biocontrol, the outcomes can be summarised as  follow:  The  in-vitro  study  showed  the  power  of  Streptomyces  TN258 supernatant in the inhibition of mycelial growth of the fungus, as well as their destructive effect on spores and microsclerotia. In-plant study, in greenhouse, extracellular metabolites of the strain Streptomyces TN258 against displayed curative effect against Verticillium wilt, and induce upregulation of the defence genes. Field study of the curative effect of the extracellular metabolites of the Streptomyces TN258 strain on Verticillium wilt naturally present in olive trees indicated a remarkable general improvement of the trees and the decrease of the number of microsclerotia present in the soil. Conclusion:  The  extracellular  metabolites  of  Streptomyces  TN258  are  a promising eco-friendly solution to protect against P. ultimum potato tuber leak and to cure V. dahliae olive tree wilt.