A Hitchhiker's guide to CRISPR editing tools in bacteria : CRISPR can help unlock the bacterial world, but technical and regulatory barriers persist

Join us on a journey through the complex and ever-expanding universe of CRISPR approaches for genome editing in bacteria. Discover what is available, current technical challenges, successful implementation of these tools and the regulatory framework around their use.

Turning up the heat on essential E. coli genes

Temperature-sensitive (TS) alleles create tunable thermoswitches to deplete essential cellular activities and are used to dissect gene function. In their recent study, Link and colleagues (Schramm et al 2023) use a CRISPR-based approach to systematically create TS alleles across essential genes in E. coli.

A trashed treasure: Lignin could become a large and renewable source of organic compounds for the chemical industry to replace fossil fuel-based chemicals: Lignin could become a large and renewable source of organic compounds for the chemical industry to replace fossil fuel-based chemicals

Plant-based industries generate huge amounts of lignin waste that could be converted to useful bioproducts. Efforts to recycle lignin include GM plants, microbial cell factories and "lignin-first" approaches.

Cell sorters see things more clearly now

Microscopy and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) are two of the most important tools for single-cell phenotyping in basic and biomedical research. Microscopy provides high-resolution snapshots of cell morphology and the inner workings of cells, while FACS isolates thousands of cells per second using simple parameters, such as the intensity of fluorescent protein labels. Recent technologies are now combining both methods to enable the fast isolation of cells with microscopic phenotypes of interest, thereby bridging a long-standing gap in the life sciences. In this Commentary, we discuss the technical advancements made by image-enabled cell sorting and highlight novel experimental strategies in functional genomics and single-cell research.

A short history of beer brewing: Alcoholic fermentation and yeast technology over time: Alcoholic fermentation and yeast technology over time

The history of beer: from a staple food to a consumer product with an enormous variety of styles and tastes.

Harnessing the sun's power: Hybrid photosynthesis might become a key technology to address the energy crisis and food security challenges: Hybrid photosynthesis might become a key technology to address the energy crisis and food security challenges

Research on artificial photosynthesis has made considerable progress recently by combining natural and man-made systems for higher efficiency of solar energy conversion.

SDGs in new-media arts for science: How do new-media arts promote biotech as means for sustainable development?: How do new-media arts promote biotech as means for sustainable development?

New media arts take inspiration and tools from new technologies and scientific research. In turn, they have great potential for communication of science and its role for sustainability.

Ethical aspects of GMO regulation in the EU: Regulating new plant breeding techniques as GM has negative effects on sustainability, diversity and inclusion: Regulating new plant breeding techniques as GM has negative effects on sustainability, diversity and inclusion

Plant breeding plays a crucial role for the EU to live up to its values and promises of sustainability, innovation and diversity and inclusion. The current regulations, however, make it de facto impossible to use new breeding technologies.

An engineered Mycoplasma pneumoniae to fight Staphylococcus aureus

Bacterial infections are commonly treated with antimicrobials, but the rise of multi-drug resistance and the presence of biofilms can compromise treatment efficacy. Recently, new approaches using live bacteria or engineered microorganisms have gained attention in the fight against several diseases. In their recent work, Lluch-Senar and colleagues (Garrido et al, 2021) genetically modified the lung pathogen Mycoplasma pneumoniae to attenuate its virulence and secrete antibiofilm and bactericidal enzymes. Their strategy successfully altered a Staphylococcus aureus biofilm on catheters implanted in mice, providing an additional demonstration of the potential of genetically engineered microorganisms as therapeutic agents.