https://openjournals.ljmu.ac.uk/BRR <p>Biomolecular Research Reports (BRR) aim to stimulate and promote original and interdisciplinary research by actively engaging the research community through timely and relevant publications. <br>BRR will publish three types of articles.</p> <ul> <li class="show"><strong>Perspectives &amp; Commentaries. </strong>These articles will provide insightful analyses of developments in a specific biomolecular research area. Contributions may also present global views or a potential paradigm shift in a specific or broad research area. The Editorial Board will invite authors for submissions to this category.</li> <li class="show"><strong>Reviews</strong> will present concise appraisal and synthesis of the latest developments on a specific research topic. Authors are expected to have relevant research expertise on the review topic evidenced by publications track record or active research programme in the field.</li> <li class="show"><strong>Research Papers</strong> will present findings from original work with writing styles and formats that emphasise rationale, design, findings, and implications. Priority will be placed on soundness of scientific methods as reflected in the design of experiments, reproducibility and balanced interpretation of data. The goal is not to select papers for publication based on their perceived current scientific impact</li> </ul> <p>We invite submissions to the Commentaries &amp; Perspectives, Reviews, and Research Papers sections of the journal across a wide range of research fields with elements of the biomolecular sciences as the subject of investigation or as research tools in related areas. These include but not limited to biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, biotechnology, microbiology, biomedical sciences, chemical biology, pharmacology, natural product chemistry, environmental chemistry, and forensic biosciences. The Editorial Board are particularly interested in contributions that incorporate an interdisciplinary approach to experimental science.</p> Liverpool John Moores University en-US Biomolecular Research Reports <p>This journal provides immediate open access to its content with no submission or publications fees. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;Licence</a><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution License</a> that allows others to read, download, copy, distribute,&nbsp; print, search, or link to the full text of works in this journal. It also allows others to remix, adapt and build upon the work, as long as credit is given to the author(s).&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> https://openjournals.ljmu.ac.uk/BRR/article/view/602 <p>Biochar has the recognized potential to sequester carbon, facilitate contaminant amelioration and enhance agricul-tural crop yield. Different types of biochar have different impacts on ecosystems, and those that are produced locally, relative to where they will be used, are considered more sustainable. It is important, therefore, to determine how the locally produced biochars affect total and functional microbial communities, especially in agronomic contexts. In this study we tested the hypotheses that biochar augmentation would: (1) increase plant yield; and (2) differentially affect total and functional microbial community composition and structure in bulk vs. rhizosphere (Trifolium pratense) soils. Triplicate randomised seedling cells of a 5% (w/w) mixture of sandy clay loam soil (26% clay, 21% silt and 53% sand), with/without locally-produced mixed broadleaf forestry biochar, and with/without 0.1 g clover seeds, were sampled destructively at 2-week intervals for 8 weeks post clover germination. Microbial DNA of bulk and T. pratense rhizos-phere soils were analysed with next-generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The results showed a statistically significant increase in plant biomass in response to biochar addition correlating to increased abundances of Armati-monadetes and Bacteroidetes specifically in the rhizosphere. Although no significant change in overall alpha diversity was observed, significant changes in abundance at the genus level were recorded particularly in the presence of biochar for a number of recognised nitrogen-fixing and plant growth-promoting bacteria, including those capable of indole acetic acid (IAA) production, plant disease suppression and degradation of toxic compounds. We conclude that although overall soil diversity may not be affected by biochar addition, key genera associated with soil health and nitrogen fixation, such as Pseudoxanthomonas, Variovorax, Pseudonocardia, Devosia, Lysobacter and Hydrogeno-phaga, increased and facilitated plant growth.</p> Caroline Hayley Orr Andrew Nelson Sean Lindsay Elizabeth Anne Clements Joseph James Russell T Komang Ralebitso-Senior1 Copyright (c) 2021 Caroline Hayley Orr, Andrew Nelson, Sean Lindsay, Elizabeth Anne Clements, Joseph James Russell, T Komang Ralebitso-Senior1 2021-12-03 2021-12-03 10.24377/BRR602 https://openjournals.ljmu.ac.uk/BRR/article/view/601 <p>Non-healing wounds present a major healthcare challenge associated with the ageing population, the rising incidence of diabetes and the obesity epidermic. Driven by the need to expand therapeutic options for the treatment of such wounds, a large body of evidence has emerged in recent years demonstrating that microRNAs (miRNAs) modulate various aspects of cutaneous wound healing through effects on diverse cell types, including keratinocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells and macrophages. However, clear translational pathways for non-invasive cutaneous delivery of miRNAs to facilitate wound repair have not yet been established. The recognition that miRNAs can be actively partitioned into extracellular vesicles (EVs)—exosomes, microvesicles and apoptotic bodies—has stimulated research into the regulation, function and translational exploitation of EV-derived miRNAs both as a novel mode of intercellular signalling and as a tool for miRNA transfer to cells for therapeutic purposes. In particular, because mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were found to support wound healing, there is much interest in the therapeutic potential of EVs, especially exosomes, derived from these cells. In this review, we survey some of the main mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for which exosomal miRNAs have been evaluated in the context of skin repair, including exosomes from adipose-derived MSCs, bone MSCs, amniotic MSCs and umbilical cord MSCs. Epithelial stem cell (EPSC)-derived exosomes are also considered, from keratinocytes and epidermal stem cells. The picture that emerges from studies on exosomes from various cell types reveal they share a limited set of exosomal miRNAs enhancing wound repair. We suggest a need for direct comparison of exosomal miRNA profiles from a range of MSCs and EPSCs. The ability of exogenous exosomal miRNAs to promote healing of chronic diabetic wounds also warrants further attention in order to more fully establish their therapeutic potential.</p> Iain Dykes Kehinde Ross Copyright (c) 2021 Iain Dykes, Kehinde Ross 2021-12-03 2021-12-03 10.24377/BRR601