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Journal articleDebabèche NB, Wagner M, Jiang Q, et al., 2026,
Cellulose sandwich composites with tube-reinforced foam cores.
, Carbohydr Polym, Vol: 389Lightweight porous cellulose materials, in particular pulp fibre foams, face challenges in achieving suitable mechanical properties while maintaining sustainability. Porous cellulose structures were developed by inserting pulp fibre pins or paper tubes into pre-perforated pulp fibre foams to form a sandwich structure with kraft liner paper deck sheets using a simple and scalable manufacturing process. The resulting porous cellulose composite structures, with densities ranging from 80 kg/m3 to 177 kg/m3, were mechanically characterised under compression, three-point bending, and double lap shear loading. We demonstrate that tube-reinforced configurations outperformed perforated pulp fibre foams in stiffness and strength, showing a significant improvement of 10,300% in compressive, 1500% in flexural, and 350% in shear modulus compared to perforated pulp fibre foams. We showed that the mechanical performance of pulp-based materials can be controlled by structural design rather than material modification, providing a viable strategy to overcome mechanical limitations of cellulose fibre foams.
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Journal articleSun M, Gao AX, Ye B, et al., 2026,
Advances in engineering and applications of synthetic phase-separated membraneless organelles in biotechnology
, Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology, Vol: 13, Pages: 37-49, ISSN: 2405-805XMembraneless organelles (MLOs) formed through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) constitute crucial dynamic microenvironments within cells, capable of selectively concentrating specific molecules and regulating biochemical reactions. Based on the working mechanisms of natural MLOs, researchers have designed and constructed various synthetic MLOs. These MLOs have been applied in regulating enzyme activity, optimizing metabolic pathways, regulating gene expression, producing recombinant proteins, and developing functional biomaterials. Here, we systematically summarized the design strategies, characterization techniques, and client protein recruitment methods for synthetic MLOs, and categorically reviewed their application progress in the biotechnology field. We also discussed current challenges faced in the practical applications of synthetic MLOs and future research directions. This review aims to provide theoretical guidance and practical reference for the design and application of LLPS-driven synthetic MLOs, thereby promoting their innovative development in synthetic biology and biotechnology.
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Journal articleBosma CB, Aaron SD, Celli BR, et al., 2026,
Airway mucus plugs in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: pathobiology, imaging, and implications for clinical trials.
, Am J Respir Crit Care Med, Vol: 212, Pages: 1947-1961Mucus plugs have been previously recognized as an important pathological feature in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but their clinical role in these diseases has not been explored in depth until recently. Mucus plug formation is driven by mucus hyperconcentration, changes in mucus viscoelastic properties, impaired clearance, and mucociliary collapse. Scoring systems, such as the bronchopulmonary segment mucus plug score, have been used to associate greater mucus plug burden with poor clinical outcomes. Additional scoring methods obtained through quantitative image processing are currently under development. Mucus plug burden has been associated with greater exacerbations and spirometric decline in both asthma and COPD, as well as greater mortality in COPD. Recently, mucus plug burden has been used as an endpoint in clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of biologic therapies in asthma; multiple biologic therapies demonstrated decreases in mucus plug burden and associated improvements in spirometry with treatment. Together, these data suggest that mucus plugs may be a treatable trait in asthma and COPD. Mucus plug burden has current clinical, phenotypic, and predictive utility and shows promise as a future biomarker. Increased incorporation into clinical trials, expanded evidence of treatment effect, and standardization of methodology and imaging protocols will be needed. Computed tomographic detection of mucus plug burden is ready for greater incorporation into both research outcomes and clinical care.
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Journal articleZhao A, Jüstel JPM, Jones MP, et al., 2026,
Circular and scalable leather alternatives from fungal fruiting bodies
, Cleaner Materials, Vol: 21Fungal leather alternatives, intended to imitate animal leather, are popular with fashion designers. Most fungal leather alternatives rely on ‘as-grown’ mycelium networks, which are time-intensive to grow and difficult to scale. We present a leather alternative designed for scalability, utilising mushroom residues and papermaking methods. Flexible chitin-glucan sheets were produced from Agaricus bisporus mushrooms with tensile strengths up to 20 MPa, values approaching those of synthetic and bovine leather (∼13 MPa and 10–31 MPa, respectively), and strains-to-failure of 16–18% (compared to 15–60% and 31–69%, respectively). Sheet aesthetics and mechanical properties were tailored through modified fungal pulp extraction, dyeing, and reinforcement with cellulose-based fibres to achieve tear strengths comparable to bovine leather (104–107 N/mm compared to 42–106 N/mm). Mushroom residue-based sheets demonstrated a solution aligned with the principles of circularity, converting underutilised by-products into wearable garments to reduce waste and resource use in the fashion and textile industries.
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Journal articleFerrando-Marco M, Lin S, Garcia Del Valle B, et al., 2026,
HDAC1/2-mediated repression of Wnt receptor expression orients asymmetric division polarity in Caenorhabditis elegans.
, Development, Vol: 153Asymmetric cell division generates distinct daughter cells essential for tissue development, yet the mechanisms orienting division polarity within tissues remain incompletely understood. Here, we uncover a role for chromatin-mediated transcriptional repression in controlling polarity orientation during asymmetric division of Caenorhabditis elegans epidermal stem cells, known as the seam cells. Tissue-specific loss of the class I histone deacetylase hda-1, homologous to mammalian HDAC1/2, causes polarity reversals and reduces molecular asymmetry between daughter cells. Using Targeted DamID, we identify the Wnt receptors lin-17 (frizzled homologue) and cam-1 (Ror homologue) as key targets. Single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridisation reveals opposing expression gradients along the body axis, with cam-1 enriched anteriorly and lin-17 posteriorly. In hda-1 mutants, both receptors are upregulated and differences between seam cells are flattened. Overexpression of either receptor alone is sufficient to reproduce the polarity reversals, while co-overexpression produces additive effects. The polarity phenotype is independent of the canonical NuRD and SIN3 complexes, suggesting that HDA-1 acts through an alternative mechanism. These findings link histone deacetylase activity to Wnt receptor expression and suggest that graded receptor expression may provide cues that orient asymmetric division polarity.
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Journal articleBeslać J, Brandfellner L, Bismarck A, et al., 2026,
The more the better: Role of polymer concentration in degradation of drag reducing agents
, Journal of Non Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, Vol: 350, ISSN: 0377-0257Polymer concentration is a key parameter for the application of polymeric drag reducing agents. Drag reducing agents are high molecular weight polymers which reduce drag in turbulent flow. Increasing polymer concentration increases drag reduction (DR) as well as polymer stability, counteracting polymer chain scission in turbulent flow. We investigated DR and stability of polyethylene oxide (PEO) in dilute and semi-dilute solutions in the concentration range of 25 wppm to 200 wppm using the pilot scale Vienna Experiment for Drag Reducing Agents (ViEDRA), taking into account viscosity changes caused by polymer concentration variation and polymer degradation. Theories attempt to reveal the mechanism of DR and to describe polymer degradation in turbulent flow. Most numerical simulations of DR do not account for polymer degradation and many experimental studies neglect viscosity changes. We focus on the impact of polymer concentration on both initial DR of the un-degraded polymer and on polymer degradation rate. Solution viscosity is monitored to disentangle DR provided by polymer dynamics from artefacts caused by viscosity changes with polymer addition, revealing a clear influence of polymer concentration on both initial DR and polymer degradation rate. The highest initial DR value was observed in solutions with the highest polymer concentrations. Degradation rate was higher for low polymer concentrations.
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Journal articleBush A, Chotirmall SH, Han MK, et al., 2026,
To the airway and beyond: introduction to an AJRCCM special section on airway disease.
, Am J Respir Crit Care Med, Vol: 212, Pages: 1879-1881 -
Journal articleGodson A, Eddie L, Schuster M, et al., 2026,
NbRD21 protease controls receptor kinase homeostasis in Nicotiana benthamiana.
, New Phytol, Vol: 251, Pages: 2741-2752RD21-like proteases are papain-like cysteine proteases with a C-terminal granulin domain that are abundant and ubiquitous in angiosperms and have often been implicated in immunity. We previously found that the activity of RD21 in Nicotiana benthamiana (NbRD21) is suppressed during infection with Pseudomonas syringae. Here, we studied the role of NbRD21 in immunity and proteome processing. NbRD21 was disrupted by genome editing and rd21 mutants were subjected to disease assays and shotgun proteomics. Dipeptide substrate zLR-AMC was used in protease assays and agroinfiltration was used to transiently express NbRD21 and candidate substrates. Genome-edited lines lacking NbRD21 develop normally but have drastically reduced zLRase activity and are significantly more susceptible to P. syringae. Shotgun proteomics revealed an increased accumulation of c. 20 diverse receptor-like kinases (RLKs) in untreated rd21 knockout lines, but their transcript levels are unaltered when compared to wild-type plants. 35S-driven GFP-tagged RLKs accumulate more upon transient expression in rd21 plants than in wild-type plants. These data indicate that NbRD21 post-translationally controls RLK homeostasis, either by directly degrading RLKs or indirectly by regulating endocytic RLK recycling.
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Journal articleZang Y, Guo Z, Ledesma-Amaro R, et al., 2026,
Engineering Bacillus subtilis as a sustainable platform for the production of functional bile acids.
, Trends Biotechnol, Vol: 44, Pages: 2679-2698Bile acids and their derivatives are key regulators of host metabolism, immunity, and microbiome interactions, with growing therapeutic potential. Conventional production methods of bile acids relying on animal extraction or chemical synthesis are inefficient, costly, and environmentally unfriendly. Microbial synthesis offers a sustainable alternative but is limited by the absence of genetic tools for native anaerobic producers. Here, we reconstructed the bile acid 7α-dehydroxylation pathway in Bacillus subtilis, a safe and tractable host. We characterized the key Bai enzymes and performed comprehensive analyses of the bile acids generated through in vitro assays and whole-cell catalysis. Multiple intermediates and end products, including cholyl-CoA, 3-oxo-cholic acid, 3-oxo-4,5-6,7-didehydro-deoxycholic acid, 3-oxo-4,5-dehydro-deoxycholic acid, 3-oxo-deoxycholic acid, and deoxycholic acid, were identified. This work establishes a functional heterologous platform for bile acid biosynthesis, enabling sustainable production and future applications in therapeutics and microbiome engineering.
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Journal articleHowlett P, Durairaj A, Gan J, et al., 2026,
Adjusting for the diagnostic accuracy of CXR in the dose-response relationship between cumulative silica exposure and silicosis in miners.
, Occup Environ Med, Vol: 83, Pages: 287-290INTRODUCTION: A recent meta-analysis confirmed that chest X-ray (CXR) has low sensitivity for diagnosing silicosis. We re-estimated previously published dose-response relationships between cumulative respirable crystalline silica (RCS) exposure and silicosis risk, under the assumptions that sensitivity was either fixed or relative to the population proportion of severe silicosis. METHODS: We combined unpublished logistic regression models from Scottish coal miners with meta-analysis results to model how CXR sensitivity changed according to cumulative RCS exposure. We assumed specificity was 0.95. Among mining cohorts, we calculated the difference in the cumulative risk of silicosis between the unadjusted and fixed and relative scenarios. Finally, we re-estimated a published dose-response meta-analysis and associated absolute risk reductions (ARR). RESULTS: The cumulative risk of silicosis was substantially higher in both the fixed and relative sensitivity scenarios compared with the unadjusted estimate in all mining cohorts. This was most pronounced in the relative scenario and when cumulative RCS exposures were below approximately 6 mg/m³-years. A reduction in cumulative RCS exposure from 4 to 2mg/m³-years corresponded to larger ARRs in the fixed and relative scenarios than the unadjusted scenario; 382 (95% CI 361 to 399) and 529 (95% CI 353 to 592) cases per 1000 miners compared with 313 (95% CI 288 to 333) cases per 1000 miners, respectively. DISCUSSION: We relied on a single estimate of the proportion of severe disease to link sensitivity and cumulative RCS exposure. Nevertheless, adjusting for the reduced diagnostic accuracy of CXR for silicosis suggests the burden of silicosis is underestimated in published mining cohorts.
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