Microbial diversity

To investigate the impact of Poa alpigena Lindm on rhizosphere and bulk soil microorganisms in Haixin Mountain, Qinghai Lake, this study employed metagenomics technology to analyze the microbial communities of the samples. Results showed that 65 phyla, 139 classes, 278 orders, 596 families, 2376 genera, and 5545 species of soil microorganisms were identified from rhizosphere and bulk soil samples. Additionally, a microbial gene library specific to Poa alpigena Lindm was established for Qinghai Lake. Through α-diversity analysis, the richness and diversity of bulk microorganisms both significantly had a higher value than that in rhizosphere soil...

Antarctic soils represent one of the most pristine environments on Earth, where highly adapted and often endemic microbial species withstand multiple extremes. Specifically, fungal diversity is extremely low in Antarctic soils and species distribution and diversity are still not fully characterized in the continent. Despite the unique features of this environment and the international interest in its preservation, several factors pose severe threats to the conservation of inhabiting ecosystems. In this light, we aimed to provide an overview of the effects on fungal communities of the main changes endangering the soils of the continent...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. One of the main modulators of the gut microbiota is the diet, which directly influences host homeostasis and biological processes. Some dietary patterns can affect neurodegenerative diseases' progression through gut microbiota composition, gut permeability, and the synthesis and secretion of microbial-derived neurotrophic factors and neurotransmitters...

UNLABELLED: In many frankia, the ability to nodulate host plants (Nod+) and fix nitrogen (Fix+) is a common strategy. However, some frankia within the Pseudofrankia genus lack one or two of these traits. This phenomenon has been consistently observed across various actinorhizal nodule isolates, displaying Nod- and/or Fix- phenotypes. Yet, the mechanisms supporting the colonization and persistence of these inefficient frankia within nodules, both with and without symbiotic strains (Nod+/Fix+), remain unclear...

Freshwater wetlands are the wetland ecosystems surrounded by freshwater, which are at the interface of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, and are rich in ecological composition and function. Biodiversity in freshwater wetlands plays a key role in maintaining the stability of their habitat functions. Due to anthropogenic interference and global change, the biodiversity of freshwater wetlands decreases, which in turn destroys the habitat function of freshwater wetlands and leads to serious degradation of wetlands...

Global climate change has altered the frequency of soil freeze-thaw cycles, but the response of soil microorganisms to different elevation gradients during the early freeze-thaw period remains unclear. So far, the influence of the altitudinal gradient on the microbial community and metabolic characteristics in the early freeze-thaw period of the Qinghai Lake Basin remains unclear. To this end, we collected soil at different elevations in the early freeze-thaw period of the Qinghai Lake Basin and investigated the influence of the elevation gradient on soil microbial community characteristics and soil metabolic processes as well as the corresponding environmental driving mechanism by high-throughput sequencing and LC-MS (Liquid Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer) nontargeted metabolite determination...

Fungal diseases such as the devastating rice blast pose severe threats to crop production worldwide. Biological control of crop diseases caused by fungal pathogens is an environment-friendly approach for safeguarding crop production. But the insufficient availability of microbial agents effective against various fungal diseases has hampered the development of green production in crops. In this study, we identified a broad-spectrum antifungal bacterium, Streptomyces graminearus STR-1, showing antagonistic activity to diverse fungal pathogens including Magnaporthe oryzae , Rhizoctonia solani , Fusarium graminearum , Ustilaginoidea virens , and Bipolaris maydis ...

Global warming has contributed to shifts in precipitation patterns and increased plant productivity, resulting in a significant increase in litter input into the soils. The enhanced litter input, combined with higher levels of precipitation, may potentially affect soil microbial communities. This study aims to investigate the effects of litter input and increased precipitation on soil microbial biomass, community structure, and diversity in a temperate meadow steppe in northeastern China. Different levels of litter input (0%, +30%, +60%) and increased precipitation (0%, +15%, +30%) were applied over a three-year period (2015-2017)...

Background Oncological surgeries pose an elevated risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) due to their complexity and various associated treatments, impacting patient outcomes and healthcare costs. This has prompted a focus on advanced wound dressings that provide microbial protection, exudate absorption, and improved product performance, enhancing patient satisfaction. Our study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of Theruptor NXT with the current standard of care (SOC) practice involving cotton/povidone/micropore dressings in the postoperative wound management of oncological surgeries...

BACKGROUND: Achieving sustained virologic response (SVR) in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) reduces all-cause mortality. However, the mechanisms and risk factors for liver fibrosis and portal hypertension post-SVR remain incompletely understood. In the gut-liver axis, mucosa-associated microbiota (MAM) substantially influence immune and metabolic functions, displaying spatial heterogeneity at the anatomical intestinal site. We analyzed MAM composition and function to isolate the locoregional MAM involved in chronic liver disease progression in HCV post-SVR patients...

BACKGROUND: The appropriate sample handling for human fecal microbiota studies is essential to prevent changes in bacterial composition and quantities that could lead to misinterpretation of the data. METHODS: This study firstly identified the potential effect of aerobic and anaerobic fecal sample collection and transport materials on microbiota and quantitative microbiota in healthy and fat-metabolic disorder Thai adults aged 23-43 years. We employed metagenomics followed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and 16S rRNA gene qPCR, to analyze taxonomic composition, alpha diversity, beta diversity, bacterial quantification, Pearson's correlation with clinical factors for fat-metabolic disorder, and the microbial community and species potential metabolic functions...

The Melipona gut microbes differ from other social bees, with the absence of crucial corbiculate core gut symbionts and the high occurrence of environmental strains. We studied the microbial diversity and composition of three Melipona species and their honey to understand which strains are obtained by horizontal transmission (HT) from the pollination environment; or represent symbionts co-evolved with Melipona by HT from the hive/food stores or vertical transmission (VT) via social interactions. Bees harbored higher microbial alpha diversity and a different and more species-specific bacterial composition than honey...

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has garnered considerable attention globally. Changing lifestyles, over-nutrition, and physical inactivity have promoted its development. MASLD is typically accompanied by obesity and is strongly linked to metabolic syndromes. Given that MASLD prevalence is on the rise, there is an urgent need to elucidate its pathogenesis. Hepatic lipid accumulation generally triggers lipotoxicity and induces MASLD or progress to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) by mediating endoplasmic reticulum stress, oxidative stress, organelle dysfunction, and ferroptosis...

BACKGROUND: Taxonomic classification of reads obtained by metagenomic sequencing is often a first step for understanding a microbial community, but correctly assigning sequencing reads to the strain or sub-species level has remained a challenging computational problem. RESULTS: We introduce Mora, a MetagenOmic read Re-Assignment algorithm capable of assigning short and long metagenomic reads with high precision, even at the strain level. Mora is able to accurately re-assign reads by first estimating abundances through an expectation-maximization algorithm and then utilizing abundance information to re-assign query reads...

Salivary stones, known as sialoliths, form within the salivary ducts due to abnormal salivary composition and cause painful symptoms, for which surgical removal is the primary treatment. This study explored the role of the salivary microbial communities in the formation of sialoliths. We conducted a comparative analysis of microbial communities present in the saliva and salivary stones, and sequenced the 16S rRNA gene in samples obtained from patients with sialoliths and from healthy individuals. Although the diversity in the saliva was high, the essential features of the microbial environment in sialoliths were low diversity and evenness...

It has been suggested that gut microbiota influence Parkinson's disease (PD) via the gut-brain axis. Here, we examine associations between diet and gut microbiome composition and its predicted functional pathways in patients with PD. We assessed gut microbiota in fecal samples from 85 PD patients in central California using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Diet quality was assessed by calculating the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015) based on the Diet History Questionnaire II. We examined associations of diet quality, fiber, and added sugar intake with microbial diversity, composition, taxon abundance, and predicted metagenomic profiles, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and sequencing platform...

Polyphenols and dietary fibers in whole grains are important bioactive compounds to reduce risks for obesity. However, whether the combination of the two components exhibits a stronger anti-obesity effect remains unclear. Caffeic acid is a major phenolic acid in cereals, and arabinoxylan and β-glucan are biological macromolecules with numerous health benefits. Here, we investigated the effect of caffeic acid combined with arabinoxylan or β-glucan on glucose and lipid metabolism, gut microbiota, and metabolites in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD)...

It is a great challenge to restore northern mines after mining and achieve optimal results due to the extremely harsh environment and climate, as in Qinghe County of Xinjiang Province, China. Qinghe County has a climate of drought, cold, strong winds, and high altitude. After sand and iron mining, the soil in this area contains a large amount of sand and gravel with extremely low organic matter, nitrogen deficiency, and a high pH of 9.26. Our preliminary studies disclosed that only three plants, including Caligonum junceum, Atraphaxis virgata, and Melilotus albus Medic, can grow naturally in this environment without any artificial management...

NASA's Perseverance and ESA's Rosalind Franklin rovers have the scientific goal of searching for evidence of ancient life on Mars. Geochemical biosignatures that form because of microbe-mineral interactions could play a key role in achieving this, as they can be preserved for millions of years on Earth, and the same could be true for Mars. Previous laboratory experiments have explored the formation of biosignatures under closed systems, but these do not represent the open systems that are found in natural martian environments, such as channels and lakes...

The escalating crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) underscores the urgent need for novel antimicrobials. One promising strategy is the exploration of structural diversity, as diverse structures can lead to diverse biological activities and mechanisms of action. This review delves into the role of structural diversity in antimicrobial discovery, highlighting its influence on factors such as target selectivity, binding affinity, pharmacokinetic properties, and the ability to overcome resistance mechanisms...