Microbial Farming for Future Agriculture

Intensification farming practice which mainly depends on agrochemical fertilizers and pesticides to meet the global food demand causes many problems to the environment. For instance, the high rate of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers utilization in the farmlands could damage the environment through some chemical and biological processes such as leaching, run-off, and volatilization.

 

Image source: Neutrog’s

Translational Bioinformatics to Accelerate the Life Sciences Research

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary science which develops algorithms and software tools for analyzing and understanding large amounts of biological information. It is a highly interdisciplinary field combining diverse types of specialists, including biologist, molecular life scientists, computer scientists, statisticians, and mathematicians.

 

Figure source: https://www.applicationnexus.com/bioinformatics/

The possible risks in applying genome-editing technology to human beings

Over the last decade, the exited development of genome editing technology has revolutionized research on the human genome, which has enabled investigators to better understand the role of a single-gene product to a disease in an organism. In the 1970s, the development of genetic engineering (manipulation of DNA or RNA) established a novel frontier in genome editing. Based on engineered or bacterial nucleases, genome editing machinery have been developed at a rapid pace over the past 10 years and have begun to show extraordinary utility in various fields, ranging from basic research to applied biotechnology and biomedical research.

 

 Figure source: BioEdge, February 04, 2019

Redesign of Terpenoid Biosynthetic Pathway in Plant by Genome Editing toward Human Health

I would like to share with all of you my experience when I joined a student exchange program at Bioengineering, Osaka University, Japan. I was there for a month and attended some lectures which were very exciting to share with all of you.

The first topic was presented by Prof. Dr. Toshiya Muranaka

Topic 1: Redesign of Terpenoid Biosynthetic Pathway in Plant by Genome Editing toward Human Health

Figure source: National Human Genome Research Institute (NIH), December 08, 2015

Mengenal Omics-Era: Pengertian dan Sejarah Omics

Gambar 1. Omics 

Dizaman modern ini, penelitian-penelitian yang berbasis omics atau Omics-Era muncul secara besar-besaran. sehingga tak heran jika banyak scientist, reseacher yg tertarik untuk pindah dan menggeluti bidang ini. Dalam artikel ini, saya akan mereview sedikit tentang Omics-Era.

Sejak dimulainya proyek besar yang disebut dengan Human Genome Project (HMP), teknologi-teknologi terbaru muncul dengan cepat dan memungkinkan untuk melakukan perhitungan ataupun observasi dalam skala besar dalam tingkat molecular maupun seluler. Teknologi ini dapat diaplikasikan dalam sistem biologi yang sangat kompleks untuk mendapatkan gambaran ataupun hasil yang sebelumnya terlihat tidak mungkin untuk dilakukan.

Banyak area research yang dapat dikategorikan sebagai omics. Contohnya adalah proteomics, transcriptomics, genomics, metabolomics, metagenomics, dan masih banyak omics-omics yang lain. Namun tahukan kamu apa itu sebenarnya arti dari omics?

CRISPR/Cas Systems and Their Application for Genome Editing

            1.     Introduction

CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is an array of short repeated sequences separated by spacers with unique sequences. CRISPR can be found on both chromosomal and plasmid DNA of bacteria. The spacers are often derived from nucleic acid of viruses and plasmids, and are used as recognition elements to find matching virus genomes and destroy them. These sequences play a key role in a bacterial immune system, and form the basis of a genome editing technology known as CRISPR/Cas9 which allows permanent modification of genes within organisms.

Compare and Contrast Gene Regulation in Bacteria and Human

To understand how gene regulation is controlled in both prokaryotic (Bacteria) and eukaryotic (Human) cells, we have to understand how a gene codes a functional protein in a cell. The process occurs in slightly different manners. 

Prokaryotic organisms (i.e. Bacteria) are single-cell organisms which lack a nuclear membrane, and their DNA floats freely in the cell cytoplasm. The transcription and translation processes occur simultaneously in the cytoplasm. When the resulting protein is not required, the transcription process is stopped. As a result, the fundamental method to control what type of protein and how much protein is expressed in a prokaryotic cell is the regulation of DNA transcription. When more protein is needed, more transcription occurs. Therefore, in the prokaryotic cell, the control of gene regulation is mostly at the transcriptional level.