@article{21711, abstract = {Background: Low-volume trapping columns are essential for sample enrichment, desalting, and injection profile focusing on nano-LC–MS-based proteomics. They enable higher sample loading, improve chromatographic performance, and protect the analytical column by removing salts and contaminants. Recently, monolithic trap columns with micropillar architecture have emerged as alternatives to conventionally packed traps. This study compares the performance of a packed and a micropillar monolithic trap column for the analysis of tryptic peptides. Methods: A tryptic digest of HeLa cell lysate was analyzed under identical LC–MS conditions using both trap types. Peptides were detected at 214 nm and analyzed by nano-ESI on a Q Exactive Plus Orbitrap. Data were searched against the human UniProt database (February 2023) using FragPipe v20.0, and statistical evaluation of MaxLFQ intensities was performed in Perseus using Welch’s t-test and clustering analysis. Results: Over 2500 proteins were identified with both setups. The packed trap column yielded more total peptides, particularly those with post-translational modifications and higher hydrophilicity, whereas the monolithic column favored peptides of intermediate hydrophobicity. Chromatographic profiles confirmed a slight reduction in the trapping efficiency of hydrophilic peptides by the monolithic trap. Conclusions: Trap column design significantly influences peptide recovery and proteome coverage.}, author = {Miletić Vukajlović, Jadranka and Ilić, Bojana and Bruszel, Bella and Panić-Janković, Tanja and Mitulović, Goran}, issn = {2227-7382}, journal = {Proteomes}, number = {1}, publisher = {MDPI}, title = {{Comparison of the trapping efficiency for tryptic peptides on particle-packed and micro-pillar trap columns for proteomics analyses}}, doi = {10.3390/proteomes14010010}, volume = {14}, year = {2026}, } @article{21779, abstract = {Acidomycin is an anti-mycobacterial antibiotic with a unique mode of action, targeting the biotin biosynthesis pathway. Despite being highly active against mycobacteria in vitro, its development as an anti-tubercular agent has been hindered due to suboptimal pharmacokinetics. Engineering of the acidomycin biosynthesis may yield new analogues with improved pharmacological properties. Here, we describe the identification of the acidomycin biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) in a Streptomyces bacterium isolated from the rhizosphere of Edelweiss. Notably, the acidomycin BGC is located in proximity to the genes for the biosynthesis of stravidins, secondary metabolites targeting a different enzyme in the biotin biosynthesis pathway, and two genes for streptavidins, proteins that strongly bind and sequester biotin. The identity of the acidomycin BGC was confirmed via both gene knock-out and heterologous expression, which suggested that the fatty acid required for the formation of acidomycin's acyl chain is most likely scavenged from the biotin biosynthesis pathway. CRISPR/Cas9-assisted knock-out of the cytochrome P450-encoding gene in the acidomycin BGC resulted in a significant decrease in its yield but did not abrogate the biosynthesis completely.}, author = {Vignolle, Anna and Zehl, Martin and Garzón, Jaime Felipe Guerrero and Schneider, Olha and Gafriller, Johannes and Grienke, Ulrike and Kirkegaard, Rasmus H. and Zotchev, Sergey B.}, issn = {1751-7915}, journal = {Microbial Biotechnology}, number = {4}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Identification and characterisation of the gene cluster governing biosynthesis of the anti-mycobacterial antibiotic acidomycin}}, doi = {10.1111/1751-7915.70357}, volume = {19}, year = {2026}, } @article{21953, abstract = {Several Streptomyces strains were isolated from freshwater sediments collected in the Laxenburg ponds (Lower Austria). Genome sequencing and bioinformatics analyses revealed biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that may specify production of chemically diverse secondary metabolites. Various culture conditions were employed to induce metabolite production, and subsequent LC-MS analyses facilitated the identification of the produced compounds and their correlation with the corresponding BGCs. These analyses of sediment-derived Streptomyces spp. highlight their extensive biosynthetic potential, revealing a diverse range of bioactive secondary metabolites, including siderophores, antibiotics, and other compounds with potential therapeutic applications. Genomes of two Streptomyces isolates, one of them representing a potentially new species, harbored several uncharacterized BGCs that may specify biosynthesis of novel secondary metabolites. Although targeted overexpression of pathway-specific regulators from these BGCs did not yield additional metabolites, whereas knockout experiments led to metabolic changes, presumably reflecting regulatory or compensatory interactions between multiple biosynthetic pathways. Continued exploration of these strains and their BGCs may lead to the discovery of new bioactive molecules with pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications.}, author = {Tocino-Márquez, Inmaculada and Zehl, Martin and Batajic, Jovana and Séneca, Joana and Pjevac, Petra and Murillo-Alba, José and Martín, Jesús and Sekurova, Olga N. and Zotchev, Sergey B.}, issn = {1664-302X}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, title = {{Unveiling the genomes and secondary metabolomes of Streptomyces spp. from freshwater sediments}}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1793713}, volume = {17}, year = {2026}, } @article{22254, abstract = {The global rise of antimicrobial resistance has intensified the search for new microbial metabolites from underexplored environments and taxonomic groups. Extreme and geographically isolated habitats such as Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems represent promising reservoirs of biosynthetic diversity, particularly among rare and difficult-to-cultivate actinomycetes that may produce chemically diverse metabolites with potential biotechnological applications. Here, we report the characterization of kineochelins, a previously undescribed group of siderophores produced by the Antarctic isolate Actinokineospora sp. UV203, representing a difficult-to-cultivate actinomycete lineage. Structural elucidation revealed a set of closely related congeners with a mixed-ligand architecture consistent with metal-chelating activity. Genome mining combined with transcriptomic analysis identified a dedicated nonribosomal peptide synthetase-encoding biosynthetic gene cluster responsible for kineochelin production. Comparative genomic analyses indicated that, although kineochelin biosynthetic genes share limited similarity with known mixed-ligand siderophores, their gene content and organization differ substantially, suggesting a distinct biosynthetic lineage. Functional characterization of the culture supernatant and an enriched pre-purified kineochelin fraction demonstrated strong and selective iron chelation, with high affinity for ferric and ferrous iron. Crude culture extracts inhibited the growth of bacterial strains isolated from the same Antarctic environment, indicating that kineochelins may contribute to iron-mediated microbial competition. In addition, kineochelin-enriched pre-purified fractions showed moderate selective inhibitory activity against the opportunistic yeast pathogen Nakaseomyces glabratus and a clinical isolate of Saccharomyces cerevisiae associated with invasive infection. These findings expand the chemical and biosynthetic diversity known within the genus Actinokineospora and demonstrate that Antarctic rare actinomycetes represent valuable sources of previously unexplored natural products. The discovery of kineochelins highlights the potential of genome-guided exploration of polar microorganisms for identifying bioactive metabolites with relevance for antimicrobial discovery and biotechnology.}, author = {Kralova, Stanislava and Spacek, Peter and Gafriller, Johannes and Bezdicek, Matej and Medvedcova, Viktoria and Séneca, Joana and Osvatic, Jay and Grienke, Ulrike and Rattei, Thomas and Sekurova, Olga N. and Zotchev, Sergey B. and Zehl, Martin and Loy, Alexander}, issn = {1751-7915}, journal = {Microbial Biotechnology}, keywords = {Actinokineospora, Antarctica, antimicrobial discovery, biosynthetic gene cluster, genome mining, microbial competition, nonribosomalpeptide synthetase, siderophores}, number = {6}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Kineochelins - A new group of siderophores from an antarctic bacterium}}, doi = {10.1111/1751-7915.70386}, volume = {19}, year = {2026}, } @article{22734, abstract = {Silver selenide (Ag2Se) is a promising near-room-temperature thermoelectric material, but its narrow stoichiometric window and β–α phase transition complicate reproducible microstructure control. Here, we present a mismatch-assisted microstructure engineering strategy in which Ag2Se particles are treated with polyanionic ZnSe complexes and consolidated through the β–α transition to introduce ZnSe nanoprecipitates, Ag2Se/ZnSe interfaces, and local strain fields. The crystallographic mismatch between ZnSe and Ag2Se, together with the Zn2+/Ag+ size difference, amplifies phase-transition-induced deformation and promotes high-density dislocations with periodic strain modulations. This defect architecture suppresses grain coarsening, removes excess Ag, limits Ag-interstitial formation, and reduces lattice thermal conductivity through lattice softening and multiscale phonon scattering. Ag2Se–4%ZnSe nanocomposites achieve a peak zTmax of 1.13 at 369 K and a zTavg of 1.08 from 300 to 380 K, demonstrating mismatch-driven defect engineering through the β–α phase transition as a route for optimizing Ag2Se-based thermoelectrics.}, author = {Liu, Yu and Kleinhanns, Tobias and Spadaro, Maria Chiara and Genç, Aziz and Horta, Sharona and Navita, Navita and Costanzo, Tommaso and Dutkiewicz, Ewelina and Arbiol, Jordi and Hong, Min and Ibáñez, Maria}, issn = {2380-8195}, journal = {ACS Energy Letters}, number = {8}, pages = {5752--5762}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, title = {{Exploiting mismatch strain and the β–α phase transition for microstructural engineering in thermoelectric Ag2Se}}, doi = {10.1021/acsenergylett.6c01499}, volume = {11}, year = {2026}, } @article{20326, abstract = {Ag2Se is a promising n-type thermoelectric material, but its performance is limited by excessive carrier concentration, compositional inhomogeneity, and phase instability, challenges rooted in a narrow homogeneity range and uncontrolled Ag+ diffusion in the superionic phase. Here, we address these issues by exploiting liquid–solid interface reactions using CdSe complexes that remove surface excess Ag to yield stoichiometric Ag2Se and generate CdSe nanodomains that inhibit Ag+ diffusion and constrain grain growth. The resulting Ag2Se-CdSe nanocomposites exhibit a reproducible, stable figure of merit (zT) of 1.04 between 300 and 390 K. Beyond demonstrating high performance, we elucidate the interfacial chemical reactions that give rise to the observed microstructure and transport properties, providing a foundation for rationally engineering interfacial chemistry to tailor transport properties across diverse thermoelectric material systems.}, author = {Liu, Yu and Kleinhanns, Tobias and Horta, Sharona and Dutkiewicz, Ewelina and Lu, Shaoqing and Spadaro, Maria Chiara and Genç, Aziz and Chen, Lei and Lim, Khak Ho and Hong, Min and Arbiol, Jordi and Ibáñez, Maria}, issn = {1520-5126}, journal = {Journal of the American Chemical Society}, number = {35}, pages = {32199--32208}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, title = {{Liquid-solid interface reactions drive enhanced thermoelectric performance in Ag2Se}}, doi = {10.1021/jacs.5c11435}, volume = {147}, year = {2025}, }