Bolatkhan K. Zayadan

Geothermal-associated microbial communities remain poorly characterized in Central Asia. Here, shotgun metagenomics was used to compare microbial communities associated with thermally influenced substrates from the Chundzha and Rakhman geothermal systems in Kazakhstan. Six metagenomes representing three spatial replicates per site yielded approximately 6.5–7.3 Gb of clean sequence data per sample. Species-level richness showed a directional trend toward higher values in Chundzha, whereas Shannon diversity was similar between sites. Genus-level Bray–Curtis ordination showed apparent site-associated separation, with sampling site explaining 87.3% of the variation, although the effect was not statistically significant (PERMANOVA, R² = 0.873, p = 0.10). Chundzha showed greater relative representation of several halophilic and halotolerant taxa, whereas Rakhman showed greater representation of soil-associated lineages. Broad COG and KEGG functional profiles were largely shared between sites. Several hydrogenase-, nitrogenase-, and RuBisCO-associated genes showed higher relative representation in Rakhman, whereas selected fermentation- and photosynthesis-associated functions were relatively higher in Chundzha; however, none of the targeted KO comparisons remained significant after FDR correction. These results indicate candidate taxonomic and functional patterns that should be regarded as exploratory because of the limited replication. The dataset provides a baseline for future genome-resolved and metatranscriptomic studies of geothermal-associated microbial communities in Kazakhstan.

Photosynthetic prokaryotes known as cyanobacteria produce an extensive range of primary and secondary metabolites that serve multiple biotechnological and biomedical purposes. The non-model filamentous Phormidium species capture researchers’ attention through their biotechnological potentials from diverse metabolites and their ability to thrive in tough environments while producing bioactive compounds. In this study, a thermotolerant strain of Phormidium ambiguum was isolated from the Chundzha thermal springs in southeastern Kazakhstan and characterized morphologically, physiologically, and biochemically. This cyanobacterium demonstrated fast growth in its culture media along with significant accumulation of proteins (44.8% DM), carbohydrates (45% DM), and photosynthetic pigments like chlorophyll a and valuable carotenoids, including b-carotene, myxoxantophyll and zeaxanthin. The LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of cyanobacterial non-polar extract identified 150 potential metabolites which include fatty acid derivatives, terpenoids and carotenoid-related compounds known for their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, as well as immune system stimulation. Biological assays confirmed a weak antioxidant capacity in the DPPH test, while in immunological assays, the extract of P. ambiguum stimulated T lymphocyte proliferation and activation, as well as NK cell proliferation in vitro. It also exhibited moderate antibacterial activity towards tested Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains. While additional studies are required to address environmental robustness, biosynthetic regulation, and practical scalability, the present findings indicate that P. ambiguum represents a valuable non-model cyanobacterium for exploratory bioprospecting. Its metabolite profile and observed bioactivities support further investigation of this thermotolerant strain as a potential source of immunomodulatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial compounds under controlled conditions.

Microalgae and cyanobacteria, as versatile photoautotrophic microorganisms, hold significant promise for mitigating soil and water pollution—particularly the removal of pesticides. This review examines their multifaceted roles in pesticide biodegradation, emphasizing how their metabolic capabilities simultaneously reduce environmental toxicity, enrich soil properties, and support beneficial microbiota. Cultivation in wastewater treatment systems further highlights their potential for cost-effective bioremediation, as these microbes degrade pesticides, recycle nutrients, break down organic pollutants, and generate biomass with value-added applications. Despite these advantages, implementing large-scale processes remains challenging. Key hurdles include optimizing growth parameters, preventing contamination, improving harvest efficiency, and designing robust bioreactors. Addressing these complexities demands interdisciplinary collaboration in strain selection, metabolic engineering, and process intensification. By capitalizing on microalgae and cyanobacteria’s adaptability and metabolic flexibility, we can develop more sustainable management strategies that reduce reliance on chemical inputs, foster soil health, and contribute to long-term ecological restoration. Ultimately, these microorganisms have the potential to reshape environmental stewardship by combining economic viability with broad-scale ecological benefits.

Cyanobacterial pigments have attracted considerable attention in industry due to their bioactive potential and natural origin. In the present study, the growth dynamics and pigment composition, in terms of chlorophyll a, total carotenoids and phycobiliprotein content, of four cyanobacterial strains isolated from thermal springs, namely Oscillatoria subbrevis CZS 2201, Phormidium ambiguum CZS 2205, Nostoc calcicola TSZ 2203, and Synechococcus sp. CZS 2204, were investigated. The analysis revealed that the maximum quantity of chlorophyll a and total carotenoids was observed in Oscillatoria subbrevis CZS 2201 (26.49 and 3.44 µg mL⁻¹), followed by Phormidium ambiguum CZS 2205 (18.64 and 2.32 µg mL⁻¹), whereas a minimum amount was detected in Synechococcus sp. CZS 2204 (12.13 and 1.24 µg mL⁻¹), respectively. In addition, Oscillatoria subbrevis CZS 2201 showed higher quantity of phycobiliproteins, especially C-phycocyanin (45.81 mg g⁻¹), C-phycoerythrin (64.17 mg g⁻¹) and C-allophycocyanin (27.45 mg g⁻¹). Moreover, carotenoid derivatives of Oscillatoria subbrevis CZS 2201 were also identified, among which β-carotene was the dominant form (1.94 µg mL⁻¹), while the accumulation of zeaxanthin and myxoxanthophyll was relatively high (0.53 and 0.41 µg mL⁻¹, respectively) compared with echinenone and cryptoxanthin (0.34 and 0.23 µg mL⁻¹, respectively). The study revealed that Oscillatoria subbrevis CZS 2201 was a potent producer of secondary carotenoids, including myxoxanthophyll.

Wastewater from oil refineries, as well as other chemical industries, has specific features. Phototrophic microorganisms are commonly used to treat wastewater containing toxic components, such as oil and petroleum products. Cultivating microalgae and cyanobacteria in nutrient-rich wastewater can yield high biomass for simultaneous biotreatment, making it a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach. This study investigated the species composition of microalgae in wastewater from oil refineries in the Atyrau region. The results showed that Cyanophyta representatives dominated the microalgae composition in the enrichment culture. The presence of cyanobacteria in the wastewater was attributed to the high nutrient and calcium content of the organic matter. An axenic culture of the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. was isolated to study its ability to grow and degrade different concentrations of motor oil. The results indicate the potential of Anabaena sp. strain in remediating aquatic environments contaminated with petroleum products.

The potential of cyanobacteria to perform a variety of distinct roles vital for the biosphere, including nutrient cycling and environmental detoxification, drives interest in studying their biodiversity. Increasing soil erosion and the overuse of chemical fertilizers are global problems in developed countries. The option might be to switch to organic farming, which entails largely the use of biofertilisers. Cyanobacteria are prokaryotic, photosynthetic organisms with considerable potential, within agrobiotechnology, to produce biofertilisers. They contribute significantly to plant drought resistance and nitrogen enrichment in the soil. This study sought, isolated, and investigated nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterial strains in rice fields, and evaluated the effect of Mo and Fe on photosynthetic and nitrogenase activities under nitrogen starvation. Cyanobacterial isolates, isolated from rice paddies in Kazakhstan, were identified as Trichormus variabilis K-31 (MZ079356), Cylindrospermum badium J-8 (MZ079357), Nostoc sp. J-14 (MZ079360), Oscillatoria brevis SH-12 (MZ090011), and Tolypothrix tenuis J-1 (MZ079361). The study of the influence of various concentrations of Mo and Fe on photosynthetic and nitrogenase activities under conditions of nitrogen starvation revealed the optimal concentrations of metals that have a stimulating effect on the studied parameters.

Sources of renewable energy as a promising alternative to traditional sources operating on oil, natural gas and coal, are currently of great interest. Among the various types of biofuels, biohydrogen is the most clean and valuable fuel, and may be the most promising candidate for the role of environmentally friendly and renewable energy carrier of the future. Photosynthetic microorganisms have attracted special interest as potential cell factories for production of biohydrogen. In combination with photosynthesis, these organisms can use inexpensive inorganic substrates and solar energy to simultaneously biosynthesize and release hydrogen. Most studies focus on using different metabolic strategies to increase the hydrogen yield in different strains of cyanobacteria, including construction of genetic mutants of cyanobacteria with high capacity for biohydrogen production, followed by a well-chosen metabolic approach to increase its yield, and development of the innovative methods for their cultivation. Our laboratory is currently working on the isolation of heterocystic nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria cultures from natural sources, as well as on the study of their morphological and cultural properties for use in biotechnology. The fundamental achievements made in these areas are summarized in this review.

Increasing growth of world costs on petroleum and growing deficiency of petroleum products leadto necessity of using alternative motor fuels. Thus, technology of using cyanobacteria as raw material forfuel production has one of the central place among tools of modern alternative energetics, because theyare considered as more effective biological producers of natural hydrocarbons in the form of fatty acids.This allows observing it as a unique renewable biomass source, which is suitable for rapid conversionto biodiesel.Nowadays, creation of such technology is actual and prospective; additionally it presents a greatinterest for development of alternative energetics. This article generalize literature data about problemsof introducing the alternative “green” technologies and development on new field of industry – bioenergetics, about perspectives and possibilities of biofuel from photosynthetic microorganisms and theirpreference among conventional sources of raw material. There are also data of experimental works onscreening of potential producers, optimization of cultivation of cyanobacteria for increasing the yield ofend product. In addition, possible ways of increasing efficiency of their energetical using with the help ofgenetic engineering methods are reviewed. The main stages of technology of biodiesel fuel productionfrom phototrophic microorganisms are described and results of scientific investigations in this area, conducted in the framework of scientific-research projects on the basis al-Farabi Kazakh National Universityare presented.Key words: biofuels, biodiesel, microalgae, cyanobacteria, fatty acids, lipids. Increasing growth of world costs on petroleum and growing deficiency of petroleum products leadto necessity of using alternative motor fuels. Thus, technology of using cyanobacteria as raw material forfuel production has one of the central place among tools of modern alternative energetics, because theyare considered as more effective biological producers of natural hydrocarbons in the form of fatty acids.This allows observing it as a unique renewable biomass source, which is suitable for rapid conversionto biodiesel.Nowadays, creation of such technology is actual and prospective; additionally it presents a greatinterest for development of alternative energetics. This article generalize literature data about problemsof introducing the alternative “green” technologies and development on new field of industry – bioenergetics, about perspectives and possibilities of biofuel from photosynthetic microorganisms and theirpreference among conventional sources of raw material. There are also data of experimental works onscreening of potential producers, optimization of cultivation of cyanobacteria for increasing the yield ofend product. In addition, possible ways of increasing efficiency of their energetical using with the help ofgenetic engineering methods are reviewed. The main stages of technology of biodiesel fuel productionfrom phototrophic microorganisms are described and results of scientific investigations in this area, conducted in the framework of scientific-research projects on the basis al-Farabi Kazakh National Universityare presented.Key words: biofuels, biodiesel, microalgae, cyanobacteria, fatty acids, lipids. Increasing growth of world costs on petroleum and growing deficiency of petroleum products leadto necessity of using alternative motor fuels. Thus, technology of using cyanobacteria as raw material forfuel production has one of the central place among tools of modern alternative energetics, because theyare considered as more effective biological producers of natural hydrocarbons in the form of fatty acids.This allows observing it as a unique renewable biomass source, which is suitable for rapid conversionto biodiesel.Nowadays, creation of such technology is actual and prospective; additionally it presents a greatinterest for development of alternative energetics. This article generalize literature data about problemsof introducing the alternative “green” technologies and development on new field of industry – bioenergetics, about perspectives and possibilities of biofuel from photosynthetic microorganisms and theirpreference among conventional sources of raw material. There are also data of experimental works onscreening of potential producers, optimization of cultivation of cyanobacteria for increasing the yield ofend product. In addition, possible ways of increasing efficiency of their energetical using with the help ofgenetic engineering methods are reviewed. The main stages of technology of biodiesel fuel productionfrom phototrophic microorganisms are described and results of scientific investigations in this area, conducted in the framework of scientific-research projects on the basis al-Farabi Kazakh National Universityare presented.Key words: biofuels, biodiesel, microalgae, cyanobacteria, fatty acids, lipids.