@article {pmid35944866, year = {2022}, author = {Tang, CC and Wang, TY and Zhang, XY and Wang, R and He, ZW and Li, Z and Wang, XC}, title = {Role of types and dosages of cations with low valance states on microalgal-bacterial symbiosis system treating wastewater.}, journal = {Bioresource technology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {127755}, doi = {10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127755}, pmid = {35944866}, issn = {1873-2976}, abstract = {This study investigated the roles of cations with low valance states, including Mg2+, K+ and Li+, on microalgal-bacterial symbiosis (MABS) system treating wastewater. Results showed that Mg2+ and K+ improved pollutants removal at dosages of less than 1 mM, and a further increase led to poorer performances. Conversely, Li+ inhibited pollutants removal. Mechanism study indicated Mg2+ and K+ with dosages of 10 mM and Li + inhibited the activities of MABS biomass (especially Chlorella), with bad absorption efficiencies of 20.64%, 13.65% and lower than 10%, leading to more extracellular polymeric substances production. Larger ions' charge density resulted in larger attraction of water molecules, contributing to the decreased distance between microalgae cells and increased biomass aggregation. Both these two impacts led to the order of impact degree on MABS aggregates: Mg2+ > Li+ > K+. The findings can present some new perspectives on assessing effects of cations on MABS system.}, } @article {pmid35941408, year = {2022}, author = {Mukherjee, A and Bilecz, AJ and Lengyel, E}, title = {The adipocyte microenvironment and cancer.}, journal = {Cancer metastasis reviews}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35941408}, issn = {1573-7233}, support = {W81XWH2110376//U.S. Department of Defense/ ; R01CA169604/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; R35CA264619/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Many epithelial tumors grow in the vicinity of or metastasize to adipose tissue. As tumors develop, crosstalk between adipose tissue and cancer cells leads to changes in adipocyte function and paracrine signaling, promoting a microenvironment that supports tumor growth. Over the last decade, it became clear that tumor cells co-opt adipocytes in the tumor microenvironment, converting them into cancer-associated adipocytes (CAA). As adipocytes and cancer cells engage, a metabolic symbiosis ensues that is driven by bi-directional signaling. Many cancers (colon, breast, prostate, lung, ovarian cancer, and hematologic malignancies) stimulate lipolysis in adipocytes, followed by the uptake of fatty acids (FA) from the surrounding adipose tissue. The FA enters the cancer cell through specific fatty acid receptors and binding proteins (e.g., CD36, FATP1) and are used for membrane synthesis, energy metabolism (β-oxidation), or lipid-derived cell signaling molecules (derivatives of arachidonic and linolenic acid). Therefore, blocking adipocyte-derived lipid uptake or lipid-associated metabolic pathways in cancer cells, either with a single agent or in combination with standard of care chemotherapy, might prove to be an effective strategy against cancers that grow in lipid-rich tumor microenvironments.}, } @article {pmid35933557, year = {2022}, author = {Capasso, L and Aranda, M and Cui, G and Pousse, M and Tambutté, S and Zoccola, D}, title = {Investigating calcification-related candidates in a non-symbiotic scleractinian coral, Tubastraea spp.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {13515}, pmid = {35933557}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; *Anthozoa ; Calcification, Physiologic ; Coral Reefs ; *Dinoflagellida ; Photosynthesis ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {In hermatypic scleractinian corals, photosynthetic fixation of CO2 and the production of CaCO3 are intimately linked due to their symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellates of the Symbiodiniaceae family. This makes it difficult to study ion transport mechanisms involved in the different pathways. In contrast, most ahermatypic scleractinian corals do not share this symbiotic relationship and thus offer an advantage when studying the ion transport mechanisms involved in the calcification process. Despite this advantage, non-symbiotic scleractinian corals have been systematically neglected in calcification studies, resulting in a lack of data especially at the molecular level. Here, we combined a tissue micro-dissection technique and RNA-sequencing to identify calcification-related ion transporters, and other candidates, in the ahermatypic non-symbiotic scleractinian coral Tubastraea spp. Our results show that Tubastraea spp. possesses several calcification-related candidates previously identified in symbiotic scleractinian corals (such as SLC4-γ, AMT-1like, CARP, etc.). Furthermore, we identify and describe a role in scleractinian calcification for several ion transporter candidates (such as SLC13, -16, -23, etc.) identified for the first time in this study. Taken together, our results provide not only insights about the molecular mechanisms underlying non-symbiotic scleractinian calcification, but also valuable tools for the development of biotechnological solutions to better control the extreme invasiveness of corals belonging to this particular genus.}, } @article {pmid35686658, year = {2022}, author = {Szklarzewicz, T and Kalandyk-Kołodziejczyk, M and Michalik, A}, title = {Ovary structure and symbiotic associates of a ground mealybug, Rhizoecus albidus (Hemiptera, Coccomorpha: Rhizoecidae) and their phylogenetic implications.}, journal = {Journal of anatomy}, volume = {241}, number = {3}, pages = {860-872}, doi = {10.1111/joa.13712}, pmid = {35686658}, issn = {1469-7580}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; *Hemiptera/anatomy & histology/chemistry/microbiology ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Ovary/anatomy & histology ; Phylogeny ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The ovary structure and the organization of its symbiotic system of the ground mealybug, Rhizoecus albidus (Rhizoecidae), were examined by means of microscopic and molecular methods. Each of the paired elongated ovaries of R. albidus is composed of circa one hundred short telotrophic-meroistic ovarioles, which are radially arranged along the distal part of the lateral oviduct. Analysis of serial sections revealed that each ovariole contains four germ cells: three trophocytes (nurse cells) occupying the tropharium and a single oocyte in the vitellarium. The ovaries are accompanied by giant cells termed bacteriocytes which are tightly packed with large pleomorphic bacteria. Their identity as Brownia rhizoecola (Bacteroidetes) was confirmed by means of amplicon sequencing and fluorescence in situ hybridization techniques. Moreover, to our knowledge, this is the first report on the morphology and ultrastructure of the Brownia rhizoecola bacterium. In the bacteriocyte cytoplasm bacteria Brownia co-reside with sporadic rod-shaped smaller bacteria, namely Wolbachia (Proteobacteria: Alphaproteobacteria). Both symbionts are transmitted to the next generation vertically (maternally), that is, via female germline cells. We documented that, at the time when ovarioles contain oocytes at the vitellogenic stage, these symbionts leave the bacteriocytes and move toward the neck region of ovarioles (i.e. the region between tropharium and vitellarium). Next, the bacteria enter the cytoplasm of follicular cells surrounding the basal part of the tropharium, leave them and enter the space between the follicular epithelium and surface of the nutritive cord connecting the tropharium and vitellarium. Finally, they gather in the deep depression of the oolemma at the anterior pole of the oocyte in the form of a 'symbiont ball'. Our results provide further arguments strongly supporting the validity of the recent changes in the classification of mealybugs, which involved excluding ground mealybugs from the Pseudococcidae family and raising them to the rank of their own family Rhizoecidae.}, } @article {pmid35635927, year = {2022}, author = {Zwart, H}, title = {"Love is a microbe too": Microbiome dialectics.}, journal = {Endeavour}, volume = {46}, number = {1-2}, pages = {100816}, doi = {10.1016/j.endeavour.2022.100816}, pmid = {35635927}, issn = {1873-1929}, mesh = {Human Genome Project ; Humans ; Language ; *Love ; *Microbiota ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Whereas the Human Genome Project was an anthropocentric research endeavour, microbiome research entails a much more interactive and symbiotic view of human existence, seeing human beings as holobionts, a term coined by Lynn Margulis to emphasise the interconnectedness and multiplicity of organisms. In this paper, building on previous authors, a dialectical perspective on microbiome research will be adopted, striving to supersede the ontological divide between self and other, humans and microbes, and to incorporate the microbiome as a crucial dimension of human existence, not only corporally, but also in terms of mood and cognition. On the practical level, microbiome insights promise to offer opportunities for self-care and self-management, allowing us to consciously interact with our microbiome to foster wellness and health. How to distinguish realistic scenarios from hype? Here again, an interactive (dialectical) approach is adopted, arguing that practices of the self should result from mutual learning between laboratory research and life-world experience.}, } @article {pmid35939207, year = {2022}, author = {Saha, U and Gondi, R and Patil, A and Saroj, SD}, title = {CRISPR in Modulating Antibiotic Resistance of ESKAPE Pathogens.}, journal = {Molecular biotechnology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35939207}, issn = {1559-0305}, support = {BT/RLF/Re-entry/41/2015//Department of Biotechnology , Ministry of Science and Technology/ ; 598515-EPP-1-2018-1-IN-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP//Erasmus+/ ; }, abstract = {The ESKAPE (Enterococcus spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp.) isolates both from the clinical settings and food products are demonstrated to gain resistance to multiple antimicrobials. Therefore, the ESKAPE pathogens pose a serious threat to public health, which warrants specific attention to developing alternative novel therapeutics. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats associated (CRISPR-Cas) system is one of the novel methods for managing antibiotic-resistant strains. Specific Cas nucleases can be programmed against bacterial genomic sequences to decrease bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Moreover, a few CRISPR-Cas nucleases have the ability to the sequence-specific killing of bacterial strains. However, some pathogens acquire antibiotic resistance due to the presence of the CRISPR-Cas system. In brief, there is a wide range of functional diversity of CRISPR-Cas systems in bacterial pathogens. Hence, to be an effective and safe infection treatment strategy, a comprehensive understanding of the role of CRISPR-Cas systems in modulating antibiotic resistance in ESKAPE pathogens is essential. The present review summarizes all the mechanisms by which CRISPR confers and prevents antibiotic resistance in ESKAPE. The review also emphasizes the relationship between CRISPR-Cas systems, biofilm formation, and antibiotic resistance in ESKAPE.}, } @article {pmid35938718, year = {2022}, author = {Xu, Z and Wang, M and Zhang, H and He, W and Cao, L and Lian, C and Zhong, Z and Wang, H and Fu, L and Zhang, X and Li, C}, title = {Metabolism Interactions Promote the Overall Functioning of the Episymbiotic Chemosynthetic Community of Shinkaia crosnieri of Cold Seeps.}, journal = {mSystems}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0032022}, doi = {10.1128/msystems.00320-22}, pmid = {35938718}, issn = {2379-5077}, abstract = {Remarkably diverse bacteria have been observed as biofilm aggregates on the surface of deep-sea invertebrates that support the growth of hosts through chemosynthetic carbon fixation. Growing evidence also indicates that community-wide interactions, and especially cooperation among symbionts, contribute to overall community productivity. Here, metagenome-guided metatranscriptomic and metabolic analyses were conducted to investigate the taxonomic composition, functions, and potential interactions of symbionts dwelling on the seta of Shinkaia crosnieri lobsters in a methane cold seep. Methylococcales and Thiotrichales dominated the community, followed by the Campylobacteriales, Nitrosococcales, Flavobacteriales, and Chitinophagales Metabolic interactions may be common among the episymbionts since many separate taxon genomes encoded complementary genes within metabolic pathways. Specifically, Thiotrichales could contribute to detoxification of hydroxylamine that is a metabolic by-product of Methylococcales. Further, Nitrosococcales may rely on methanol leaked from Methylococcales cells that efficiently oxidize methane. Elemental sulfur may also serve as a community good that enhances sulfur utilization that benefits the overall community, as evidenced by confocal Raman microscopy. Stable intermediates may connect symbiont metabolic activities in cyclical oxic-hypoxic fluctuating environments, which then enhance overall community functioning. This hypothesis was partially confirmed via in situ experiments. These results highlight the importance of microbe-microbe interactions in symbiosis and deep-sea adaptation. IMPORTANCE Symbioses between chemosynthetic bacteria and marine invertebrates are common in deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystems and are considered critical foundations for deep-sea colonization. Episymbiotic microorganisms tend to form condensed biofilms that may facilitate metabolite sharing among biofilm populations. However, the prevalence of metabolic interactions among deep-sea episymbionts and their contributions to deep-sea adaptations are not well understood due to sampling and cultivation difficulties associated with deep-sea environments. Here, we investigated metabolic interactions among the episymbionts of Shinkaia crosnieri, a dominant chemosynthetic ecosystem lobster species in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. Meta-omics characterizations were conducted alongside in situ experiments to validate interaction hypotheses. Furthermore, imaging analysis was conducted, including electron microscopy, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), and confocal Raman microscopy (CRM), to provide direct evidence of metabolic interactions. The results support the Black Queen Hypothesis, wherein leaked public goods are shared among cohabitating microorganisms to enhance the overall adaptability of the community via cooperation.}, } @article {pmid35938572, year = {2022}, author = {Ramesh, K and Tripathi, D and Bhatti, MM and Ghachem, K and Khan, SU and Kolsi, L}, title = {Mathematical modeling and simulation of electromagnetohydrodynamic bio-nanomaterial flow through physiological vessels.}, journal = {Journal of applied biomaterials & functional materials}, volume = {20}, number = {}, pages = {22808000221114708}, doi = {10.1177/22808000221114708}, pmid = {35938572}, issn = {2280-8000}, abstract = {Gold-based metal nanoparticles serve a key role in diagnosing and treating important illnesses such as cancer and infectious diseases. In consideration of this, the current work develops a mathematical model for viscoelastic nanofluid flow in the peristaltic microchannel. Nanofluid is considered as blood-based fluid suspended with gold nanoparticles. In the investigated geometry, various parametric effects such as Joule heating, magnetohydrodynamics, electroosmosis, and thermal radiation have been imposed. The governing equations of the model are analytically solved by using the lubrication theory where the wavelength of the channel is considered large and viscous force is considered more dominant as compared to the inertia force relating the applications in biological transport phenomena. The graphical findings for relevant parameters of interest are given. In the current analysis, the ranges of the parameters have been considered as: 0<κ<6,0<λ1<0.6,2
Method: A large database search was performed using pertinent terms, and a blueprint was developed for a meticulous literature review published between 2015 and 2021. Five hundred eighty-two articles were found and screened; a critical appraisal was performed for 22 peer-reviewed articles for relevant information.

Results: The literature review identified the need to use academic domains such as leadership, planning, delivery, and feedback as QA criteria to evaluate the efficiency of education and training in allied health professional education programs. Instructors and facilitators for specific knowledge and skill development and a description of their roles should also be used in QA evaluation.

Conclusion: Resources for effective learning and teaching in the allied healthcare domain are limited. This review highlights the significant need to include a QA system in AHE, considering the pivotal role of these students in supporting humankind, now and in the future. The findings contribute to the research by providing essential insights into current trends and focusing on existing research in AHE quality.}, } @article {pmid35927448, year = {2022}, author = {Koga, R and Moriyama, M and Onodera-Tanifuji, N and Ishii, Y and Takai, H and Mizutani, M and Oguchi, K and Okura, R and Suzuki, S and Gotoh, Y and Hayashi, T and Seki, M and Suzuki, Y and Nishide, Y and Hosokawa, T and Wakamoto, Y and Furusawa, C and Fukatsu, T}, title = {Single mutation makes Escherichia coli an insect mutualist.}, journal = {Nature microbiology}, volume = {7}, number = {8}, pages = {1141-1150}, pmid = {35927448}, issn = {2058-5276}, support = {JPMJER1803//MEXT | JST | Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO)/ ; JPMJER1902//MEXT | JST | Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO)/ ; JPMJER1803//MEXT | JST | Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO)/ ; JPMJER1902//MEXT | JST | Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO)/ ; JPMJER1803//MEXT | JST | Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO)/ ; JPMJER1902//MEXT | JST | Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO)/ ; JPMJER1803//MEXT | JST | Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO)/ ; JPMJER1902//MEXT | JST | Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO)/ ; JP25221107//MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)/ ; JP25221107//MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)/ ; JP16H06279//MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)/ ; }, abstract = {Microorganisms often live in symbiosis with their hosts, and some are considered mutualists, where all species involved benefit from the interaction. How free-living microorganisms have evolved to become mutualists is unclear. Here we report an experimental system in which non-symbiotic Escherichia coli evolves into an insect mutualist. The stinkbug Plautia stali is typically associated with its essential gut symbiont, Pantoea sp., which colonizes a specialized symbiotic organ. When sterilized newborn nymphs were infected with E. coli rather than Pantoea sp., only a few insects survived, in which E. coli exhibited specific localization to the symbiotic organ and vertical transmission to the offspring. Through transgenerational maintenance with P. stali, several hypermutating E. coli lines independently evolved to support the host's high adult emergence and improved body colour; these were called 'mutualistic' E. coli. These mutants exhibited slower bacterial growth, smaller size, loss of flagellar motility and lack of an extracellular matrix. Transcriptomic and genomic analyses of 'mutualistic' E. coli lines revealed independent mutations that disrupted the carbon catabolite repression global transcriptional regulator system. Each mutation reproduced the mutualistic phenotypes when introduced into wild-type E. coli, confirming that single carbon catabolite repression mutations can make E. coli an insect mutualist. These findings provide an experimental system for future work on host-microbe symbioses and may explain why microbial mutualisms are omnipresent in nature.}, } @article {pmid35927447, year = {2022}, author = {Kaltenpoth, M}, title = {Fast track to mutualism.}, journal = {Nature microbiology}, volume = {7}, number = {8}, pages = {1104-1105}, pmid = {35927447}, issn = {2058-5276}, } @article {pmid35926006, year = {2022}, author = {Kolte, A and Mahajan, Y and Vasa, L}, title = {Balanced diet and daily calorie consumption: Consumer attitude during the COVID-19 pandemic from an emerging economy.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {17}, number = {8}, pages = {e0270843}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0270843}, pmid = {35926006}, issn = {1932-6203}, abstract = {This article tries to explore consumer attitudes regarding a balanced diet and daily calorie intake monitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. It has become vital to boost people's immunity because of reoccurring diseases such as COVID-19, Ebola, and other chronic diseases such as diabetes, thyroid disease, etc. Healthy diets are important for supporting immune systems and keeping track of daily calorie consumption is an accompaniment to this. The research on attitudes toward a balanced diet is reviewed in this empirical study. Researchers employed a tri-component attitude model to assess consumer attitudes about a balanced diet and to track daily calorie consumption. A sample of 400 respondents was surveyed and data were collected with a structured questionnaire. The data were analysed using the structural equation modelling technique. The majority of respondents were found to lack declarative knowledge of both a balanced diet and daily calorie consumption. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumer attitudes about a healthy diet and daily calorie intake were effectively evaluated using beliefs, affection, and intentions. The repercussions for the government and business community were discussed. This study also evaluates the usefulness of the tri-component attitude model in the Indian context.}, } @article {pmid35925921, year = {2022}, author = {Mendes, M and Jonnalagadda, M and Ozarkar, S and Lima Torres, FC and Borda Pua, V and Kendall, C and Tarazona-Santos, E and Parra, EJ}, title = {Identifying signatures of natural selection in Indian populations.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {17}, number = {8}, pages = {e0271767}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0271767}, pmid = {35925921}, issn = {1932-6203}, abstract = {In this study, we present the results of a genome-wide scan for signatures of positive selection using data from four tribal groups (Kokana, Warli, Bhil, and Pawara) and two caste groups (Deshastha Brahmin and Kunbi Maratha) from West of the Maharashtra State In India, as well as two samples of South Asian ancestry from the 1KG project (Gujarati Indian from Houston, Texas and Indian Telugu from UK). We used an outlier approach based on different statistics, including PBS, xpEHH, iHS, CLR, Tajima's D, as well as two recently developed methods: Graph-aware Retrieval of Selective Sweeps (GRoSS) and Ascertained Sequentially Markovian Coalescent (ASMC). In order to minimize the risk of false positives, we selected regions that are outliers in all the samples included in the study using more than one method. We identified putative selection signals in 107 regions encompassing 434 genes. Many of the regions overlap with only one gene. The signals observed using microarray-based data are very consistent with our analyses using high-coverage sequencing data, as well as those identified with a novel coalescence-based method (ASMC). Importantly, at least 24 of these genomic regions have been identified in previous selection scans in South Asian populations or in other population groups. Our study highlights genomic regions that may have played a role in the adaptation of anatomically modern humans to novel environmental conditions after the out of Africa migration.}, } @article {pmid35925827, year = {2022}, author = {Kwak, Y and Argandona, JA and Degnan, PH and Hansen, AK}, title = {Chromosomal-level assembly of Bactericera cockerelli reveals rampant gene family expansions impacting genome structure, function and insect-microbe-plant-interactions.}, journal = {Molecular ecology resources}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/1755-0998.13693}, pmid = {35925827}, issn = {1755-0998}, abstract = {Lineage specific expansions and gene duplications are some of the most important sources of evolutionary novelty in eukaryotes. Although not as prevalent in eukaryotes compared to bacteria, horizontal gene transfer events can also result in key adaptations for insects, especially for those involved in insect-microbe interactions. In this study we assemble the first chromosomal assembly of the psyllid Bactericera cockerelli and reveal that the B. cockerelli genome has experienced significantly more gene expansion events compared to other Hemipteran representatives with fully sequenced genomes. We also reveal that B. cockerelli's genome is the largest psyllid genome (567 Mb) sequenced to date and is ~15% larger than the other two psyllid species genomes sequenced (Pachypsylla venusta and Diaphorina citri). Structurally, B. cockerelli appears to have an additional chromosome compared to the distantly related psyllid species P. venusta due to a previous chromosomal fission or fusion event. The increase in genome size and dynamic nature of the B. cockerelli genome may largely be contributed to the widespread expansion of type I and type II repeat elements that are rampant across all of B. cockerelli's. chromosomes. These repeat elements are distributed near equally in both euchromatic and heterochromatic regions. Furthermore, significant gene family expansions and gene duplications were uncovered for genes that are expected to be important in its adaptation to insect-plant and microbe interactions, which include transcription factors, proteases, odorant receptors, and horizontally transferred genes that are involved in the nutritional symbioses with their long-term nutritional endosymbiont Carsonella.}, } @article {pmid35923894, year = {2022}, author = {Maruyama, S and Unsworth, JR and Sawiccy, V and , and Weis, VM}, title = {Algae from Aiptasia egesta are robust representations of Symbiodiniaceae in the free-living state.}, journal = {PeerJ}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {e13796}, doi = {10.7717/peerj.13796}, pmid = {35923894}, issn = {2167-8359}, abstract = {Many cnidarians rely on their dinoflagellate partners from the family Symbiodiniaceae for their ecological success. Symbiotic species of Symbiodiniaceae have two distinct life stages: inside the host, in hospite, and outside the host, ex hospite. Several aspects of cnidarian-algal symbiosis can be understood by comparing these two life stages. Most commonly, algae in culture are used in comparative studies to represent the ex hospite life stage, however, nutrition becomes a confounding variable for this comparison because algal culture media is nutrient rich, while algae in hospite are sampled from hosts maintained in oligotrophic seawater. In contrast to cultured algae, expelled algae may be a more robust representation of the ex hospite state, as the host and expelled algae are in the same seawater environment, removing differences in culture media as a confounding variable. Here, we studied the physiology of algae released from the sea anemone Exaiptasia diaphana (commonly called Aiptasia), a model system for the study of coral-algal symbiosis. In Aiptasia, algae are released in distinct pellets, referred to as egesta, and we explored its potential as an experimental system to represent Symbiodiniaceae in the ex hospite state. Observation under confocal and differential interference contrast microscopy revealed that egesta contained discharged nematocysts, host tissue, and were populated by a diversity of microbes, including protists and cyanobacteria. Further experiments revealed that egesta were released at night. In addition, algae in egesta had a higher mitotic index than algae in hospite, were photosynthetically viable for at least 48 hrs after expulsion, and could competently establish symbiosis with aposymbiotic Aiptasia. We then studied the gene expression of nutrient-related genes and studied their expression using qPCR. From the genes tested, we found that algae from egesta closely mirrored gene expression profiles of algae in hospite and were dissimilar to those of cultured algae, suggesting that algae from egesta are in a nutritional environment that is similar to their in hospite counterparts. Altogether, evidence is provided that algae from Aiptasia egesta are a robust representation of Symbiodiniaceae in the ex hospite state and their use in experiments can improve our understanding of cnidarian-algal symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35922443, year = {2022}, author = {Strader, ME and Quigley, KM}, title = {The role of gene expression and symbiosis in reef-building coral acquired heat tolerance.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {4513}, pmid = {35922443}, issn = {2041-1723}, support = {1935308//National Science Foundation (NSF)/ ; }, abstract = {Predicting how reef-building corals will respond to accelerating ocean warming caused by climate change requires knowledge of how acclimation and symbiosis modulate heat tolerance in coral early life-history stages. We assayed transcriptional responses to heat in larvae and juveniles of 11 reproductive crosses of Acropora tenuis colonies along the Great Barrier Reef. Larvae produced from the warmest reef had the highest heat tolerance, although gene expression responses to heat were largely conserved by cross identity. Juvenile transcriptional responses were driven strongly by symbiosis - when in symbiosis with heat-evolved Symbiodiniaceae, hosts displayed intermediate expression between its progenitor Cladocopium and the more stress tolerant Durusdinium, indicating the acquisition of tolerance is a conserved evolutionary process in symbionts. Heat-evolved Symbiodiniaceae facilitated juvenile survival under heat stress, although host transcriptional responses to heat were positively correlated among those hosting different genera of Symbiodiniaceae. These findings reveal the relative contribution of parental environmental history as well as symbiosis establishment in coral molecular responses to heat in early life-history stages.}, } @article {pmid35920503, year = {2022}, author = {Puretz, BO and Gonzalez, CJ and Mota, TA and Dallacort, S and Carvalho, VR and Silva, RML and Serrão, JE and Zanuncio, JC and Wilcken, CF}, title = {Quadrastichus mendeli (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae): parasitism on Leptocybe invasa (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and first record in Brazil.}, journal = {Brazilian journal of biology = Revista brasleira de biologia}, volume = {82}, number = {}, pages = {e264771}, doi = {10.1590/1519-6984.264771}, pmid = {35920503}, issn = {1678-4375}, mesh = {Animals ; Brazil ; *Hymenoptera ; Plant Tumors ; Symbiosis ; *Wasps ; }, } @article {pmid35691585, year = {2022}, author = {Hojo, MK}, title = {Evolution of chemical interactions between ants and their mutualist partners.}, journal = {Current opinion in insect science}, volume = {52}, number = {}, pages = {100943}, doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2022.100943}, pmid = {35691585}, issn = {2214-5753}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/physiology ; *Aphids/physiology ; Ecosystem ; Humans ; Insecta/physiology ; Symbiosis/physiology ; }, abstract = {Mutualism is the reciprocal exploitation of interacting participants and is vulnerable to nonrewarding cheating. Ants are dominant insects in most terrestrial ecosystems, and some aphids and lycaenid butterfly species provide them with nutritional nectar rewards and employ ants as bodyguards. In this review, I discuss how chemical communication based on condition-dependent signaling and recognition plasticity regulate the payoff of interacting participants. I argue that the selfishness of both participants explains the signaling and communication among participants and contributes to the stability of these mutualisms. Uncovering the origin and maintenance of mutualistic association of ants will come from future research on ant collective behavior, the genetic and neural basis of cooperation, and a deeper understanding of the costs and benefits of these interactions.}, } @article {pmid35257969, year = {2022}, author = {Pierce, NE and Dankowicz, E}, title = {Behavioral, ecological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying caterpillar-ant symbioses.}, journal = {Current opinion in insect science}, volume = {52}, number = {}, pages = {100898}, doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2022.100898}, pmid = {35257969}, issn = {2214-5753}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants ; *Butterflies ; Predatory Behavior ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {At least 30 different groups in seventeen butterfly and moth families (Lepidoptera) include ant-associated caterpillars. The life histories of more than 900 ant-associated species have been documented from the butterfly families Lycaenidae and Riodinidae, with relationships ranging from parasitism to mutualism. Caterpillars that appear to secrete food rewards for ants are not necessarily mutualists, and a number of species are known to manipulate ants with deceptive chemical and vibratory signals. The functional variability of different exocrine glands deployed as 'ant organs' makes them prone to convergence, and it remains unclear whether ant association originated more than once in lycaenids and riodinids. The relative costs and benefits of caterpillar integration with ants is context dependent: both top-down and bottom-up effects influence the evolution of ant associations.}, } @article {pmid35920038, year = {2022}, author = {Bartoli, C and Boivin, S and Marta, M and Gris, C and Gasciolli, V and Gaston, M and Auriac, MC and Debellé, F and Cottret, L and Carlier, A and Masson-Boivin, C and Lepetit, M and Lefebvre, B}, title = {Rhizobium leguminosarum symbiovar viciae strains are natural wheat endophytes that can stimulate root development.}, journal = {Environmental microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.16148}, pmid = {35920038}, issn = {1462-2920}, abstract = {Although rhizobia that establish a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with legumes are also known to promote growth in non-legumes, studies on rhizobial associations with wheat roots are scarce. We searched for Rhizobium leguminosarum symbiovar viciae (Rlv) strains naturally competent to endophytically colonize wheat roots. We isolated 20 strains from surface-sterilized wheat roots, and found a low diversity of Rlv compared to that observed in the Rlv species complex. We tested the ability of a subset of these Rlv for wheat root colonization when co-inoculated with other Rlv. Only a few strains, including those isolated from wheat roots, and one strain isolated from pea nodules, were efficient in colonizing roots in co-inoculation conditions, while all the strains tested in single strain inoculation conditions were found to colonize the surface and interior of roots. Furthermore, Rlv strains isolated from wheat roots were able to stimulate root development and early arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonization. These responses were strain and host genotype dependent. Our results suggest that wheat can be an alternative host for Rlv; nevertheless, there is a strong competition between Rlv strains for wheat root colonization. In addition, we showed that Rlv are endophytic wheat root bacteria with potential ability to modify wheat development.}, } @article {pmid35915959, year = {2022}, author = {Soudzilovskaia, NA and He, J and Rahimlou, S and Abarenkov, K and Brundrett, MC and Tedersoo, L}, title = {FungalRoot v.2.0 - an empirical database of plant mycorrhizal traits: A response to Bueno et al. (2021) 'Towards a consistent benchmark for plant mycorrhizal association databases': A response to Bueno et al. (2021) 'Towards a consistent benchmark for plant mycorrhizal association databases'.}, journal = {The New phytologist}, volume = {235}, number = {5}, pages = {1689-1691}, doi = {10.1111/nph.18207}, pmid = {35915959}, issn = {1469-8137}, support = {016.161.318//Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek/ ; }, mesh = {Benchmarking ; *Mycorrhizae/physiology ; Plant Roots/physiology ; Plants ; Symbiosis ; }, } @article {pmid35706373, year = {2022}, author = {Gomes, SIF and Fortuna, MA and Bascompte, J and Merckx, VSFT}, title = {Mycoheterotrophic plants preferentially target arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi that are highly connected to autotrophic plants.}, journal = {The New phytologist}, volume = {235}, number = {5}, pages = {2034-2045}, doi = {10.1111/nph.18310}, pmid = {35706373}, issn = {1469-8137}, support = {J1606/Eco/G437//Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen/ ; 863.11.018//Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek/ ; 31003A-169671 3//Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung/ ; }, mesh = {Autotrophic Processes ; Carbon ; Fungi ; *Mycorrhizae ; Plants ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {How mycoheterotrophic plants that obtain carbon and soil nutrients from fungi are integrated in the usually mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal networks is unknown. Here, we compare autotrophic and mycoheterotrophic plant associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and use network analysis to investigate interaction preferences in the tripartite network. We sequenced root tips from autotrophic and mycoheterotrophic plants to assemble the combined tripartite network between autotrophic plants, mycorrhizal fungi and mycoheterotrophic plants. We compared plant-fungi interactions between mutualistic and antagonist networks, and searched for a diamond-like module defined by a mycoheterotrophic and an autotrophic plant interacting with the same pair of fungi to investigate whether pairs of fungi simultaneously linked to plant species from each interaction type were overrepresented throughout the network. Mycoheterotrophic plants as a group interacted with a subset of the fungi detected in autotrophs but are indirectly linked to all autotrophic plants, and fungi with a high overlap in autotrophic partners tended to interact with a similar set of mycoheterotrophs. Moreover, pairs of fungi sharing the same mycoheterotrophic and autotrophic plant species are overrepresented in the network. We hypothesise that the maintenance of antagonistic interactions is maximised by targeting well linked mutualistic fungi, thereby minimising the risk of carbon supply shortages.}, } @article {pmid35608306, year = {2022}, author = {Calla, B}, title = {Friend or foe: How plants discriminate between pathogenic and mutualistic bacteria.}, journal = {Plant physiology}, volume = {189}, number = {4}, pages = {1893-1895}, pmid = {35608306}, issn = {1532-2548}, mesh = {Bacteria/genetics ; *Plants/microbiology ; *Symbiosis ; }, } @article {pmid35917154, year = {2022}, author = {Banerji, R and Iyer, P and Bhagwat, A and Saroj, SD}, title = {Spermidine promotes lysozyme tolerance and acid stress resistance in Streptococcus pyogenes M3.}, journal = {Microbiology (Reading, England)}, volume = {168}, number = {8}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1099/mic.0.001228}, pmid = {35917154}, issn = {1465-2080}, abstract = {Streptococcus pyogenes are Gram-positive opportunistic pathogens residing in the human nasopharynx and skin. Changes in environmental conditions, such as pH, temperature and availability of essential ions, can stimulate the expression of S. pyogenes virulence factors. One such factor could be the availability of an extracellular pool of polyamines. Polyamines are synthesized from amino acids, and are universally present in the environment. Polyamines have been implicated in the ecology of pathogenesis by modulating quorum sensing, host adaptation and virulence. Polyamines mediate pathogenesis and help the pathogen resist environmental stress. In this study, we investigated the ability of the polyamine, spermidine, to promote acid stress survival of S. pyogenes. S. pyogenes does not synthesize spermidine, but the extracellular pool of spermidine constituted by the host and microbiome could be utilized as a signalling molecule. We report that spermidine promotes acid stress resistance in S. pyogenes. Moreover, spermidine affects the morphology of S. pyogenes by decreasing the cell size and increasing the dltA gene expression. Along with dltA, spermidine upregulated the gene expression of cell wall-modifying genes such as mur, pgdA, pepO and srtA, which might help the bacteria to resist acidic stress.}, } @article {pmid35916402, year = {2022}, author = {Isenberg, RY and Christensen, DG and Visick, KL and Mandel, MJ}, title = {High Levels of Cyclic Diguanylate Interfere with Beneficial Bacterial Colonization.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0167122}, doi = {10.1128/mbio.01671-22}, pmid = {35916402}, issn = {2150-7511}, abstract = {During colonization of the Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes), Vibrio fischeri bacteria undergo a lifestyle transition from a planktonic motile state in the environment to a biofilm state in host mucus. Cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) is a cytoplasmic signaling molecule that is important for regulating motility-biofilm transitions in many bacterial species. V. fischeri encodes 50 proteins predicted to synthesize and/or degrade c-di-GMP, but a role for c-di-GMP regulation during host colonization has not been investigated. We examined strains exhibiting either low or high levels of c-di-GMP during squid colonization and found that while a low-c-di-GMP strain had no colonization defect, a high c-di-GMP strain was severely impaired. Expression of a heterologous c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase restored colonization, demonstrating that the effect is due to high c-di-GMP levels. In the constitutive high-c-di-GMP state, colonizing V. fischeri exhibited reduced motility, altered biofilm aggregate morphology, and a regulatory interaction where transcription of one polysaccharide locus is inhibited by the presence of the other polysaccharide. Our results highlight the importance of proper c-di-GMP regulation during beneficial animal colonization, illustrate multiple pathways regulated by c-di-GMP in the host, and uncover an interplay of multiple exopolysaccharide systems in host-associated aggregates. IMPORTANCE There is substantial interest in studying cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) in pathogenic and environmental bacteria, which has led to an accepted paradigm in which high c-di-GMP levels promote biofilm formation and reduce motility. However, considerably less focus has been placed on understanding how this compound contributes to beneficial colonization. Using the Vibrio fischeri-Hawaiian bobtail squid study system, we took advantage of recent genetic advances in the bacterium to modulate c-di-GMP levels and measure colonization and track c-di-GMP phenotypes in a symbiotic interaction. Studies in the animal host revealed a c-di-GMP-dependent genetic interaction between two distinct biofilm polysaccharides, Syp and cellulose, that was not evident in culture-based studies: elevated c-di-GMP altered the composition and abundance of the in vivo biofilm by decreasing syp transcription due to increased cellulose synthesis. This study reveals important parallels between pathogenic and beneficial colonization and additionally identifies c-di-GMP-dependent regulation that occurs specifically in the squid host.}, } @article {pmid35916106, year = {2022}, author = {Alarcon-Enos, J and Quiroz-Carreño, S and Muñoz-Nuñez, E and Silva, FL and Devotto-Moreno, L and Seigler, DS and Pastene-Navarrete, E and Cespedes-Acuña, CL}, title = {Cyclopeptide alkaloids from Discaria chacaye (Rhamnaceae) as result of symbiosis with Frankia (Actinomycetales).}, journal = {Chemistry & biodiversity}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1002/cbdv.202200630}, pmid = {35916106}, issn = {1612-1880}, abstract = {Cyclopeptide alkaloids with different biological activities are present in plants of the family Rhamnaceae. Plants of this family grow in a symbiotic relationship with aerobic Gram-positive actinomycetes belonging to the genus Frankia . This goal of this research was a study of the comparative profile of alkaloids present in Discaria chacaye and to establish a connection between the presence or absence of Frankia sp. and the alkaloids. In addition, insecticidal activities of the alkaloidal extract were examined. A total of 24 alkaloids were identified, of which 12 have a benzylisoquinoline skeleton, 9 were cyclopeptides, 2 isoquinolines, and 1 an aporphine. The presence of cyclopeptide alkaloids is associated with Frankia nodules in the plant root. The alkaloid extracts showed insecticidal activity with mortality dose-dependence and LD 50 values between 44 to 71 µg/mL.}, } @article {pmid35906552, year = {2022}, author = {Chen, XG and Wu, YH and Li, NQ and Gao, JY}, title = {What role does the seed coat play during symbiotic seed germination in orchids: an experimental approach with Dendrobium officinale.}, journal = {BMC plant biology}, volume = {22}, number = {1}, pages = {375}, pmid = {35906552}, issn = {1471-2229}, mesh = {*Dendrobium/microbiology ; Germination ; *Mycorrhizae ; *Orchidaceae ; Seedlings ; Seeds ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Orchids require specific mycorrhizal associations for seed germination. During symbiotic germination, the seed coat is the first point of fungal attachment, and whether the seed coat plays a role in the identification of compatible and incompatible fungi is unclear. Here, we compared the effects of compatible and incompatible fungi on seed germination, protocorm formation, seedling development, and colonization patterns in Dendrobium officinale; additionally, two experimental approaches, seeds pretreated with NaClO to change the permeability of the seed coat and fungi incubated with in vitro-produced protocorms, were used to assess the role of seed coat played during symbiotic seed germination.

RESULTS: The two compatible fungi, Tulasnella sp. TPYD-2 and Serendipita indica PI could quickly promote D. officinale seed germination to the seedling stage. Sixty-two days after incubation, 67.8 ± 5.23% of seeds developed into seedlings with two leaves in the PI treatment, which was significantly higher than that in the TPYD-2 treatment (37.1 ± 3.55%), and massive pelotons formed inside the basal cells of the protocorm or seedlings in both compatible fungi treatments. In contrast, the incompatible fungus Tulasnella sp. FDd1 did not promote seed germination up to seedlings at 62 days after incubation, and only a few pelotons were occasionally observed inside the protocorms. NaClO seed pretreatment improved seed germination under all three fungal treatments but did not improve seed colonization or promote seedling formation by incompatible fungi. Without the seed coat barrier, the colonization of in vitro-produced protocorms by TPYD-2 and PI was slowed, postponing protocorm development and seedling formation compared to those in intact seeds incubated with the same fungi. Moreover, the incompatible fungus FDd1 was still unable to colonize in vitro-produced protocorms and promote seedling formation.

CONCLUSIONS: Compatible fungi could quickly promote seed germination up to the seedling stage accompanied by hyphal colonization of seeds and formation of many pelotons inside cells, while incompatible fungi could not continuously colonize seeds and form enough protocorms to support D. officinale seedling development. The improvement of seed germination by seed pretreatment may result from improving the seed coat hydrophilicity and permeability, but seed pretreatment cannot change the compatibility of a fungus with an orchid. Without a seed coat, the incompatible fungus FDd1 still cannot colonize in vitro-produced protocorms or support seedling development. These results suggest that seed coats are not involved in symbiotic germination in D. officinale.}, } @article {pmid35905405, year = {2022}, author = {Hale, KRS and Maes, DP and Valdovinos, FS}, title = {Simple Mechanisms of Plant Reproductive Benefits Yield Different Dynamics in Pollination and Seed Dispersal Mutualisms.}, journal = {The American naturalist}, volume = {200}, number = {2}, pages = {202-216}, doi = {10.1086/720204}, pmid = {35905405}, issn = {1537-5323}, mesh = {Animals ; Ecosystem ; Plants ; *Pollination ; *Seed Dispersal ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {AbstractPollination and seed dispersal mutualisms are critical for biodiversity and ecosystem services yet face mounting threats from anthropogenic perturbations that cause their populations to decline. Characterizing the dynamics of these mutualisms when populations are at low density is important to anticipate consequences of these perturbations. We developed simple population dynamic models detailed enough to distinguish different mechanisms by which plant populations benefit from animal pollination or seed dispersal. We modeled benefits as functions of foraging rate by animals on plant rewards and specified whether they affected plant seed set, germination, or negative density dependence during recruitment. We found that pollination and seed dispersal mutualisms are stable at high density but exhibit different dynamics at low density, depending on plant carrying capacity, animal foraging efficiency, and whether populations are obligate on their partners for persistence. Under certain conditions, all mutualisms experience destabilizing thresholds in which one population declines because its partner is too rare. Plants additionally experience Allee effects when obligate on pollinators. Finally, pollination mutualisms can exhibit bistable coexistence at low or high density when plants are facultative on pollinators. Insights from our models can inform conservation efforts, as mutualist populations continue to decline globally.}, } @article {pmid35762966, year = {2022}, author = {Sless, TJL and Searle, JB and Danforth, BN}, title = {Genome of the bee Holcopasites calliopsidis-a species showing the common apid trait of brood parasitism.}, journal = {G3 (Bethesda, Md.)}, volume = {12}, number = {8}, pages = {}, pmid = {35762966}, issn = {2160-1836}, support = {//Postgraduate Scholarship - Doctoral through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada/ ; DEB-1555905//U.S. National Science Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Base Sequence ; Bees/genetics ; *Parasites ; Phenotype ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Brood parasites represent a substantial but often poorly studied fraction of the wider diversity of bees. Brood parasitic bees complete their life cycles by infiltrating the nests of solitary host bees thereby enabling their offspring to exploit the food provisions intended for the host's offspring. Here, we present the draft assembly of the bee Holcopasites calliopsidis, the first brood parasitic species to be the subject of detailed genomic analysis. Consistent with previous findings on the genomic signatures of parasitism more broadly, we find that H. calliopsidis has the smallest genome currently known among bees (179 Mb). This small genome does not appear to be the result of purging of repetitive DNA, with some indications of novel repetitive elements which may show signs of recent expansion. Nor does H. calliopsidis demonstrate any apparent net loss of genic content in comparison with nonparasitic species, though many individual gene families do show significant contractions. Although the basis of the small genome size of this species remains unclear, the identification of over 12,000 putative genes-with functional annotation for nearly 10,000 of these-is an important step in investigating the genomic basis of brood parasitism and provides a valuable dataset to be compared against new genomes that remain to be sequenced.}, } @article {pmid35412657, year = {2022}, author = {Creed, RP and Brown, BL and Skelton, J}, title = {The potential impacts of invasions on native symbionts.}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {103}, number = {8}, pages = {e3726}, doi = {10.1002/ecy.3726}, pmid = {35412657}, issn = {1939-9170}, support = {//Appalachian State University, Virginia Tech/ ; DEB-1655927//National Science Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria ; Ecosystem ; *Parasites ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Symbionts, including parasites, pathogens, and mutualists, can play important roles in determining whether or not invasions by host species will be successful. Loss of enemies from the native habitat, such as parasites and pathogens, can allow for higher invader fitness in the invaded habitat. The presence of mutualists (e.g., pollinators, seed dispersers, mycorrhizae, and rhizobial bacteria) in the invaded habitat can facilitate invasion success. Although there has been a great deal of research focusing on how invading hosts may benefit from enemy losses or mutualist gains, far less attention has focused on how native symbiont populations and communities respond to invasion by non-indigenous hosts and symbionts. In this paper, we present a conceptual framework examining how symbionts such as parasites, pathogens, commensals, and mutualists can influence invader success and whether these native symbionts will benefit or decline during invasion. The first major factor in this framework is the competence of the invading host relative to the native hosts. Low- or non-competent hosts that support few if any native symbionts could cause declines in native symbiont taxa. Competent invading hosts could potentially support native parasites, pathogens, commensals, and mutualists, especially if there is a closely related or similar host in the invaded range. These symbionts could inhibit or facilitate invasion or have no discernible effect on the invading host. An understanding of how native symbionts interact with competent versus non-competent invading hosts as well as various invading symbionts is critical to our understanding of invasion success, its consequences for invaded communities and how native symbionts in these communities will fare in the face of invasion.}, } @article {pmid35914646, year = {2022}, author = {T T Tsang, C and Schubart, CD and Hou Chu, K and K L Ng, P and Ming Tsang, L}, title = {Molecular phylogeny of Thoracotremata crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura): toward adopting monophyletic superfamilies, invasion history into terrestrial habitats and multiple origins of symbiosis.}, journal = {Molecular phylogenetics and evolution}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {107596}, doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107596}, pmid = {35914646}, issn = {1095-9513}, abstract = {The Thoracotremata is a large and successful group of "true" crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura, Eubrachyura) with a great diversity of lifestyles and well-known intertidal representatives. The group represents the largest brachyuran radiation into terrestrial and semi-terrestrial environments and comprises multiple lineages of obligate symbiotic species. In consequence, they exhibit very diverse physiological and morphological adaptations. Our understanding of their evolution is, however, largely obscured by their confused classification. Here, we resolve interfamilial relationships of Thoracotremata, using 10 molecular markers and exemplars from all nominal families in order to reconstruct the pathways of lifestyle transition and to propose a new taxonomy corresponding to phylogenetic relationships. The results confirm the polyphyly of three superfamilies as currently defined (Grapsoidea, Ocypodoidea and Pinnotheroidea). At the family level, Dotillidae, Macrophthalmidae, and Varunidae are not monophyletic. Ancestral state reconstruction analyses and divergent time estimations indicate that the common ancestor of thoracotremes already thrived in intertidal environments in the Late Cretaceous and terrestrialization became a major driver of thoracotreme diversification. Multiple semi-terrestrial and terrestrial lineages originated and radiated in the Early Eocene, coinciding with the global warming event at the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). Secondary invasions into subtidal regions and colonizations of freshwater habitats occurred independently through multiple semi-terrestrial and terrestrial lineages. Obligate symbiosis between thoracotremes and other marine macro-invertebrates evolved at least twice. On the basis of the current molecular phylogenetic hypothesis, it will be necessary in the future to revise and recognize seven monophyletic superfamilies and revisit the morphological character states which define them.}, } @article {pmid35801683, year = {2022}, author = {Bollati, E and Lyndby, NH and D'Angelo, C and Kühl, M and Wiedenmann, J and Wangpraseurt, D}, title = {Green fluorescent protein-like pigments optimise the internal light environment in symbiotic reef-building corals.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.7554/eLife.73521}, pmid = {35801683}, issn = {2050-084X}, support = {702911-BioMIC-FUEL//H2020 European Research Council/ ; GMB 9325//Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation/ ; GBMF9206//Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation/ ; NE/S003533/2//Natural Environment Research Council/ ; 702911-BioMIC-FUEL/ERC_/European Research Council/International ; }, abstract = {Pigments homologous to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) have been proposed to fine-tune the internal light microclimate of corals, facilitating photoacclimation of photosynthetic coral symbionts (Symbiodiniaceae) to life in different reef habitats and environmental conditions. However, direct measurements of the in vivo light conditions inside the coral tissue supporting this conclusion are lacking. Here, we quantified the intra-tissue spectral light environment of corals expressing GFP-like proteins from widely different light regimes. We focus on: (1) photoconvertible red fluorescent proteins (pcRFPs), thought to enhance photosynthesis in mesophotic habitats via wavelength conversion, and (2) chromoproteins (CPs), which provide photoprotection to the symbionts in shallow water via light absorption. Optical microsensor measurements indicated that both pigment groups strongly alter the coral intra-tissue light environment. Estimates derived from light spectra measured in pcRFP-containing corals showed that fluorescence emission can contribute to >50% of orange-red light available to the photosynthetic symbionts at mesophotic depths. We further show that upregulation of pink CPs in shallow-water corals during bleaching leads to a reduction of orange light by 10-20% compared to low-CP tissue. Thus, screening by CPs has an important role in mitigating the light-enhancing effect of coral tissue scattering and skeletal reflection during bleaching. Our results provide the first experimental quantification of the importance of GFP-like proteins in fine-tuning the light microclimate of corals during photoacclimation.}, } @article {pmid35908064, year = {2022}, author = {Cecere, AG and Miyashiro, TI}, title = {Impact of transit time on the reproductive capacity of Euprymna scolopes as a laboratory animal.}, journal = {Laboratory animal research}, volume = {38}, number = {1}, pages = {25}, pmid = {35908064}, issn = {1738-6055}, support = {R01 GM129133/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The Hawaiian bobtail squid Euprymna scolopes hosts various marine bacterial symbionts, and these symbioses have served as models for the animal-microbe relationships that are important for host health. Within a light organ, E. scolopes harbors populations of the bacterium Vibrio fischeri, which produce low levels of bioluminescence that the squid uses for camouflage. The symbiosis is initially established after a juvenile squid hatches from its egg and acquires bacterial symbionts from the ambient marine environment. The relative ease with which a cohort of wild-caught E. scolopes can be maintained in a mariculture facility has facilitated over 3 decades of research involving juvenile squid. However, because E. scolopes is native to the Hawaiian archipelago, their transport from Hawaii to research facilities often represents a stress that has the potential to impact their physiology.

RESULTS: Here, we describe animal survival and reproductive capacity associated with a cohort of squid assembled from two shipments with markedly different transit times. We found that the lower juvenile squid counts generated by animals with the longer transit time were not due to the discrepancy in shipment but instead to fewer female squid that produced egg clutches at an elevated rate, which we term hyper-reproductivity. We find that hyper-reproductive females were responsible for 58% of the egg clutches laid.

CONCLUSIONS: The significance of these findings for E. scolopes biology and husbandry is discussed, thereby providing a platform for future investigation and further development of this cephalopod as a valuable lab animal for microbiology research.}, } @article {pmid35906195, year = {2022}, author = {Zhukova, M and Sapountzis, P and Schiøtt, M and Boomsma, JJ}, title = {Phylogenomic analysis and metabolic role reconstruction of mutualistic Rhizobiales hindgut symbionts of Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology ecology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/femsec/fiac084}, pmid = {35906195}, issn = {1574-6941}, abstract = {Rhizobiales are well-known plant-root nitrogen-fixing symbionts, but the functions of insect-associated Rhizobiales are poorly understood. We obtained genomes of three strains associated with Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants and show that, in spite of being extracellular gut symbionts, they lost all pathways for essential amino acid biosynthesis, making them fully dependent on their hosts. Comparison with 54 Rhizobiales genomes showed that all insect-associated Rhizobiales lost the ability to fix nitrogen and that the Acromyrmex symbionts had exceptionally also lost the urease genes. However, the Acromyrmex strains share biosynthesis pathways for riboflavin vitamin, queuosine and a wide range of antioxidant enzymes likely to be beneficial for the ant fungus-farming symbiosis. We infer that the Rhizobiales symbionts catabolize excess of fungus-garden-derived arginine to urea, supplementing complementary Mollicutes symbionts that turn arginine into ammonia and infer that these combined symbiont activities stabilize the fungus-farming mutualism. Similar to the Mollicutes symbionts, the Rhizobiales species have fully functional CRISPR/Cas and R-M phage defenses, suggesting that these symbionts are important enough for the ant hosts to have precluded the evolution of metabolically cheaper defenseless strains.}, } @article {pmid35902906, year = {2022}, author = {Morrow, KM and Pankey, MS and Lesser, MP}, title = {Community structure of coral microbiomes is dependent on host morphology.}, journal = {Microbiome}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {113}, pmid = {35902906}, issn = {2049-2618}, support = {OCE 1437054/1638296//National Science Foundation/ ; OCE 1437054/1638296//National Science Foundation/ ; OCE 1437054/1638296//National Science Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The importance of symbiosis has long been recognized on coral reefs, where the photosynthetic dinoflagellates of corals (Symbiodiniaceae) are the primary symbiont. Numerous studies have now shown that a diverse assemblage of prokaryotes also make-up part of the microbiome of corals. A subset of these prokaryotes is capable of fixing nitrogen, known as diazotrophs, and is also present in the microbiome of scleractinian corals where they have been shown to supplement the holobiont nitrogen budget. Here, an analysis of the microbiomes of 16 coral species collected from Australia, Curaçao, and Hawai'i using three different marker genes (16S rRNA, nifH, and ITS2) is presented. These data were used to examine the effects of biogeography, coral traits, and ecological life history characteristics on the composition and diversity of the microbiome in corals and their diazotrophic communities.

RESULTS: The prokaryotic microbiome community composition (i.e., beta diversity) based on the 16S rRNA gene varied between sites and ecological life history characteristics, but coral morphology was the most significant factor affecting the microbiome of the corals studied. For 15 of the corals studied, only two species Pocillopora acuta and Seriotopora hystrix, both brooders, showed a weak relationship between the 16S rRNA gene community structure and the diazotrophic members of the microbiome using the nifH marker gene, suggesting that many corals support a microbiome with diazotrophic capabilities. The order Rhizobiales, a taxon that contains primarily diazotrophs, are common members of the coral microbiome and were eight times greater in relative abundances in Hawai'i compared to corals from either Curacao or Australia. However, for the diazotrophic component of the coral microbiome, only host species significantly influenced the composition and diversity of the community.

CONCLUSIONS: The roles and interactions between members of the coral holobiont are still not well understood, especially critical functions provided by the coral microbiome (e.g., nitrogen fixation), and the variation of these functions across species. The findings presented here show the significant effect of morphology, a coral "super trait," on the overall community structure of the microbiome in corals and that there is a strong association of the diazotrophic community within the microbiome of corals. However, the underlying coral traits linking the effects of host species on diazotrophic communities remain unknown. Video Abstract.}, } @article {pmid35902758, year = {2022}, author = {Cziesielski, MJ and Liew, YJ and Cui, G and Aranda, M}, title = {Increased incompatibility of heterologous algal symbionts under thermal stress in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate model Aiptasia.}, journal = {Communications biology}, volume = {5}, number = {1}, pages = {760}, pmid = {35902758}, issn = {2399-3642}, abstract = {Rising ocean temperatures are increasing the rate and intensity of coral mass bleaching events, leading to the collapse of coral reef ecosystems. To better understand the dynamics of coral-algae symbioses, it is critical to decipher the role each partner plays in the holobiont's thermotolerance. Here, we investigated the role of the symbiont by comparing transcriptional heat stress responses of anemones from two thermally distinct locations, Florida (CC7) and Hawaii (H2) as well as a heterologous host-symbiont combination composed of CC7 host anemones inoculated with the symbiont Breviolum minutum (SSB01) from H2 anemones (CC7-B01). We find that oxidative stress and apoptosis responses are strongly influenced by symbiont type, as further confirmed by caspase-3 activation assays, but that the overall response to heat stress is dictated by the compatibility of both partners. Expression of genes essential to symbiosis revealed a shift from a nitrogen- to a carbon-limited state only in the heterologous combination CC7-B01, suggesting a bioenergetic disruption of symbiosis during stress. Our results indicate that symbiosis is highly fine-tuned towards particular partner combinations and that heterologous host-symbiont combinations are metabolically less compatible under stress. These results are essential for future strategies aiming at increasing coral resilience using heterologous thermotolerant symbionts.}, } @article {pmid35901899, year = {2022}, author = {Sun, X and Li, X and Tang, S and Lin, K and Zhao, T and Chen, X}, title = {A review on algal-bacterial symbiosis system for aquaculture tail water treatment.}, journal = {The Science of the total environment}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {157620}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157620}, pmid = {35901899}, issn = {1879-1026}, abstract = {Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing fields of global food production industry in recent years. To maintain the ecological health of aquaculture water body and the sustainable development of aquaculture industry, the treatment of aquaculture tail water (ATW) is becoming an indispensable task. This paper discussed the demand of environmentally friendly and cost-effective technologies for ATW treatment and the potential of algal-bacterial symbiosis system (ABSS) in ATW treatment. The characteristics of ABSS based technology for ATW treatment were analyzed, such as energy consumption, greenhouse gas emission, environmental adaptability and the possibility of removal or recovery of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus as resource simultaneously. Based on the principle of ABSS, this paper introduced the key environmental factors that should be paid attention to in the establishment of ABSS, and then summarized the species of algae, bacteria and the proportion of algae and bacteria commonly used in the establishment of ABSS. Finally, the reactor technologies and the relevant research gaps in the establishment of ABSS were reviewed and discussed.}, } @article {pmid35901852, year = {2022}, author = {Ayala-García, P and Jimenez-Guerrero, I and Jacott, C and López-Baena, FJ and Ollero, FJ and Del Cerro, P and Pérez-Montaño, F}, title = {The Rhizobium tropici CIAT 899 NodD2 protein promotes symbiosis and extends rhizobial nodulation range by constitutive nodulation factor synthesis.}, journal = {Journal of experimental botany}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/jxb/erac325}, pmid = {35901852}, issn = {1460-2431}, abstract = {In the symbiotic associations between rhizobia and legumes, the NodD regulators orchestrate the transcription of the specific nodulation genes. This set of genes is involved in the synthesis of nodulation factors, which are responsible for initiating the nodulation process. Rhizobium tropici CIAT 899 is the most successful symbiont of Phaseolus vulgaris and can nodulate a variety of legumes. Among the five NodD regulators present in this rhizobium, only NodD1 and NodD2 seem to have a role in the symbiotic process. However, the individual role of each NodD in the absence of the other proteins has remained elusive. In this work, we show that the CIAT 899 NodD2 does not require activation by inducers to promote the synthesis of nodulation factors. In fact, a CIAT 899 strain overexpressing nodD2-but lacking all additional nodD genes-can nodulate three different legumes as efficiently as wild-type. Interestingly, CIAT 899 NodD2-mediated gain of nodulation can be extended to another rhizobial species, since its overproduction in Sinorhizobium fredii HH103 not only increases the number of nitrogen-fixing nodules in two host legumes but also results in nodule development in incompatible legumes. These findings potentially open exciting opportunities to develop rhizobial inoculants and increase legume crop production.}, } @article {pmid35901264, year = {2022}, author = {de Faria, SM and Ringelberg, JJ and Gross, E and Koenen, EJM and Cardoso, D and Ametsitsi, GKD and Akomatey, J and Maluk, M and Tak, N and Gehlot, HS and Wright, KM and Teaumroong, N and Songwattana, P and de Lima, HC and Prin, Y and Zartman, CE and Sprent, JI and Ardley, J and Hughes, CE and James, EK}, title = {The innovation of the symbiosome has enhanced the evolutionary stability of nitrogen fixation in legumes.}, journal = {The New phytologist}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/nph.18321}, pmid = {35901264}, issn = {1469-8137}, support = {OPP11772165//Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation/ ; 312125/2020-8//Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico/ ; OPP11772165//Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office/ ; APP0037/2016//Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia/ ; 310003A_156140//Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung/ ; 31003A_182453/1//Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung/ ; }, abstract = {Nitrogen-fixing symbiosis is globally important in ecosystem functioning and agriculture, yet the evolutionary history of nodulation remains the focus of considerable debate. Recent evidence suggesting a single origin of nodulation followed by massive parallel evolutionary losses raises questions about why a few lineages in the N2 -fixing clade retained nodulation and diversified as stable nodulators, while most did not. Within legumes, nodulation is restricted to the two most diverse subfamilies, Papilionoideae and Caesalpinioideae, which show stable retention of nodulation across their core clades. We characterize two nodule anatomy types across 128 species in 56 of the 152 genera of the legume subfamily Caesalpinioideae: fixation thread nodules (FTs), where nitrogen-fixing bacteroids are retained within the apoplast in modified infection threads, and symbiosomes, where rhizobia are symplastically internalized in the host cell cytoplasm within membrane-bound symbiosomes (SYMs). Using a robust phylogenomic tree based on 997 genes from 147 Caesalpinioideae genera, we show that losses of nodulation are more prevalent in lineages with FTs than those with SYMs. We propose that evolution of the symbiosome allows for a more intimate and enduring symbiosis through tighter compartmentalization of their rhizobial microsymbionts, resulting in greater evolutionary stability of nodulation across this species-rich pantropical legume clade.}, } @article {pmid35898918, year = {2022}, author = {Huang, A and Shi, H and Cui, R and Cai, X and Xie, Z}, title = {Effects of Taurine on Primary Metabolism and Transcription in a Coral Symbiodinium sp.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {797688}, pmid = {35898918}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Coral reefs belong to the marine ecosystems and host the richest biodiversity of marine organisms. Coral reefs are formed as a result of the symbiotic relationship between the host coral animal and photosynthetic dinoflagellates, namely Symbiodinium sp. Coral animals induce the release of carbon fixation products of symbiotic Symbiodinium sp. through secreting host release factors (HRFs) such as taurine. To study the potential effect of taurine on photosynthesis and release of carbon fixation products of Symbiodinium sp., we compared the growth of Symbiodinium sp. under control and taurine-stimulated conditions. Photosynthesis parameters were detected to monitor the photosynthetic efficiency. Biomass and the contents of total soluble sugar, total insoluble sugar, total protein, total lipids, chlorophyll a were analyzed. Metabolome and transcriptome analyses were performed to analyze the potential effect of taurine on primary metabolism and mRNA transcription. The results revealed that taurine significantly increased the growth, photosynthesis efficiency, total soluble sugar, chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b and free amino acid content of Symbiodinium sp. while decreased the content of total insoluble sugar. Results of metabolome and transcriptome analyses suggested that taurine might affect metabolic pathways in Symbiodinium sp. by altering the permeability of the algal cell membrane, diverting photosynthetically fixed carbon from storage compounds to translocated compounds, releasing a signal of low concentrations of nitrogen to initiate a series of response mechanisms, and controlling the density of Symbiodinium sp. through the quorum sensing effect. These results help to explore how corals control carbon metabolism in Symbiodinium sp. and to provide theoretical guidance for furthering our understanding of Symbiodinium sp. biology and coral-algal symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35887044, year = {2022}, author = {Alías-Villegas, C and Fuentes-Romero, F and Cuéllar, V and Navarro-Gómez, P and Soto, MJ and Vinardell, JM and Acosta-Jurado, S}, title = {Surface Motility Regulation of Sinorhizobium fredii HH103 by Plant Flavonoids and the NodD1, TtsI, NolR, and MucR1 Symbiotic Bacterial Regulators.}, journal = {International journal of molecular sciences}, volume = {23}, number = {14}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/ijms23147698}, pmid = {35887044}, issn = {1422-0067}, support = {PID2019-107634RB-I00//Spanish "Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades"/ ; PGC2018-096477-B-I00//MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and "ERDF A way of making Europe"/ ; P.N.-G. PhD grant//VPPI of the University of Seville/ ; F.F.-R. PhD grant//"Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades" of the Andalusian Government/ ; }, mesh = {Bacterial Proteins/metabolism ; Flavonoids/metabolism/pharmacology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial ; Plants/metabolism ; *Rhizobium/metabolism ; *Sinorhizobium fredii/metabolism ; Symbiosis/physiology ; Type III Secretion Systems/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Bacteria can spread on surfaces to colonize new environments and access more resources. Rhizobia, a group of α- and β-Proteobacteria, establish nitrogen-fixing symbioses with legumes that rely on a complex signal interchange between the partners. Flavonoids exuded by plant roots and the bacterial transcriptional activator NodD control the transcription of different rhizobial genes (the so-called nod regulon) and, together with additional bacterial regulatory proteins (such as TtsI, MucR or NolR), influence the production of different rhizobial molecular signals. In Sinorhizobium fredii HH103, flavonoids and NodD have a negative effect on exopolysaccharide production and biofilm production. Since biofilm formation and motility are often inversely regulated, we have analysed whether flavonoids may influence the translocation of S. fredii HH103 on surfaces. We show that the presence of nod gene-inducing flavonoids does not affect swimming but promotes a mode of surface translocation, which involves both flagella-dependent and -independent mechanisms. This surface motility is regulated in a flavonoid-NodD1-TtsI-dependent manner, relies on the assembly of the symbiotic type 3 secretion system (T3SS), and involves the participation of additional modulators of the nod regulon (NolR and MucR1). To our knowledge, this is the first evidence indicating the participation of T3SS in surface motility in a plant-interacting bacterium. Interestingly, flavonoids acting as nod-gene inducers also participate in the inverse regulation of surface motility and biofilm formation, which could contribute to a more efficient plant colonisation.}, } @article {pmid35894614, year = {2022}, author = {Tanabe, N and Takasu, R and Hirose, Y and Kamei, Y and Kondo, M and Nakabachi, A}, title = {Diaphorin, a Polyketide Produced by a Bacterial Symbiont of the Asian Citrus Psyllid, Inhibits the Growth and Cell Division of Bacillus subtilis but Promotes the Growth and Metabolic Activity of Escherichia coli.}, journal = {Microbiology spectrum}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0175722}, doi = {10.1128/spectrum.01757-22}, pmid = {35894614}, issn = {2165-0497}, abstract = {Diaphorin is a polyketide produced by "Candidatus Profftella armatura" (Gammaproteobacteria: Burkholderiales), an obligate symbiont of a notorious agricultural pest, the Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). Diaphorin belongs to the pederin family of bioactive agents found in various host-symbiont systems, including beetles, lichens, and sponges, harboring phylogenetically diverse bacterial producers. Previous studies showed that diaphorin, which is present in D. citri at concentrations of 2 to 20 mM, has inhibitory effects on various eukaryotes, including the natural enemies of D. citri. However, little is known about its effects on prokaryotic organisms. To address this issue, the present study assessed the biological activities of diaphorin on two model prokaryotes, Escherichia coli (Gammaproteobacteria: Enterobacterales) and Bacillus subtilis (Firmicutes: Bacilli). Their growth and morphological features were analyzed using spectrophotometry, optical microscopy followed by image analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The metabolic activity of E. coli was further assessed using the β-galactosidase assay. The results revealed that physiological concentrations of diaphorin inhibit the growth and cell division of B. subtilis but promote the growth and metabolic activity of E. coli. This finding implies that diaphorin functions as a defensive agent of the holobiont (host plus symbionts) against some bacterial lineages but is metabolically beneficial for others, which potentially include obligate symbionts of D. citri. IMPORTANCE Certain secondary metabolites, including antibiotics, evolve to mediate interactions among organisms. These molecules have distinct spectra for microorganisms and are often more effective against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative ones. However, it is rare that a single molecule has completely opposite activities on distinct bacterial lineages. The present study revealed that a secondary metabolite synthesized by an organelle-like bacterial symbiont of psyllids inhibits the growth of Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis but promotes the growth of Gram-negative Escherichia coli. This finding not only provides insights into the evolution of microbiomes in animal hosts but also may potentially be exploited to promote the effectiveness of industrial material production by microorganisms.}, } @article {pmid35894593, year = {2022}, author = {Kameoka, H and Gutjahr, C}, title = {Functions of Lipids in Development and Reproduction of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Fungi.}, journal = {Plant & cell physiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/pcp/pcac113}, pmid = {35894593}, issn = {1471-9053}, support = {Collaborative Research Center 924 (CRC924) project//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; JPMJPR20D4//JST PRESTO/ ; }, abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form mutualistic associations with most land plants. The symbiosis is based on the exchange of nutrients: AMF receive photosynthetically fixed carbon from the plants and deliver mineral nutrients in return. Lipids are important players in the symbiosis. They act as components of the plant-derived membrane surrounding arbuscules, as carbon sources transferred from plants to AMF, as a major form of carbon storage in AMF, and as triggers of developmental responses in AMF. In this review, we describe the role of lipids in AM symbiosis and AMF development.}, } @article {pmid35890494, year = {2022}, author = {Chen, H and Renault, S and Markham, J}, title = {The Effect of Frankia and Hebeloma crustiliniforme on Alnus alnobetula subsp. Crispa Growing in Saline Soil.}, journal = {Plants (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {14}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/plants11141860}, pmid = {35890494}, issn = {2223-7747}, support = {RGPIN 05877-19//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council/ ; }, abstract = {The mining of the oil sands region of Canada's boreal forest creates disturbed land with elevated levels of salts. Understanding how native plants respond to salt stress is critical in reclaiming these lands. The native species, Alnus alnobetula subsp. crispa forms nitrogen-fixing nodules with Frankia, and ectomycorrhizae with a number of fungal species. These relationships may make the plant particularly well suited for restoring disturbed land. We inoculated A. alnobetula subsp. crispa with Frankia and Hebeloma crustiliniforme and exposed the plants to 0, 50, or 100 mM NaCl for seven weeks. Frankia-inoculated plants had increased biomass regardless of salt exposure, even though salt exposure reduced nitrogen fixation and reduced the efficiency of nitrogen-fixing nodules. The nitrogen-fixing symbiosis also decreased leaf stress and increased root phosphatase levels. This suggests that N-fixing plants not only have increased nitrogen nutrition but also have increased access to soil phosphorus. Mycorrhizae did not affect plant growth but did reduce nodule numbers and nodule efficiency. These results suggest that the nitrogen-fixing trait is more critical than mycorrhizae. While salt stress inhibits nitrogen-fixing symbiosis, plants still benefit from nitrogen fixation when exposed to salt.}, } @article {pmid35890038, year = {2022}, author = {Alai, S and Gautam, M and Palkar, S and Oswal, J and Gairola, S and Dhotre, DP}, title = {Characterization of Bordetella pertussis Strains Isolated from India.}, journal = {Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {7}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/pathogens11070794}, pmid = {35890038}, issn = {2076-0817}, abstract = {Despite high level vaccination and the availability of two different types of vaccines, whole cell (wP) and acellular vaccines (aP), the resurgence of pertussis has been reported in many countries. Antigenic variation within circulating and vaccine strains is the most documented reason reported for the resurgence of pertussis. Research on genetic divergence among circulating and vaccine strains has largely been reported in countries using aP vaccines. There are inadequate data available for antigenic variation in B. pertussis from wP-using countries. India has used wP for more than 40 years in their primary immunization program. The present study reports five clinical isolates of B. pertussis from samples of pediatric patients with pertussis symptoms observed in India. Genotypic and phenotypic characterization of clinical isolates were performed by serotyping, genotyping, whole genome analyses and comparative genomics. All clinical isolates showed serotype 1, 2 and 3 based on the presence of fimbriae 2 and 3. Genotyping showed genetic similarities in allele types for five aP genes within vaccine strains and clinical isolates reported from India. The presence of the ptxP3 genotype was observed in two out of five clinical isolates. Whole-genome sequencing was performed for clinical isolates using the hybrid strategy of combining Illumina (short reads) and oxford nanopore (long reads) sequencing strategies. Clinical isolates (n = 5) and vaccine strains (n = 7) genomes of B. pertussis from India were compared with 744 B. pertussis closed genomes available in the public databases. The phylogenomic comparison of B. pertussis genomes reported from India will be advantageous in better understanding pertussis resurgence reported globally with respect to pathogen adaptation.}, } @article {pmid35889063, year = {2022}, author = {Mosaico, G and Artuso, G and Pinna, M and Denotti, G and Orrù, G and Casu, C}, title = {Host Microbiota Balance in Teenagers with Gum Hypertrophy Concomitant with Acne Vulgaris: Role of Oral Hygiene Associated with Topical Probiotics.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {10}, number = {7}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/microorganisms10071344}, pmid = {35889063}, issn = {2076-2607}, abstract = {Gum hypertrophy is a very frequent condition linked to orthodontic treatment, especially in teenagers, and the same time, about 80% of young adults are affected by acne vulgaris, a chronic inflammatory skin disease, typically treated with antibacterial therapy. The use of probiotics has gained popularity in the medical field, and many studies have demonstrated its effectiveness, such as the positive effects of some bacterial strains belonging to Lactobacillus species. The aim of this study is to document the effect of Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) on facial skin that was randomly observed in two orthodontic patients. We present two case reports of a 14-year-old female patient and a 15-year-old male patient suffering from acne vulgaris who, during fixed orthodontic treatment, showed clinical signs of gingivitis with high values of Full Mouth Plaque Score (FMPS) and Bleeding on Probing (BOP). The patients were treated first with professional oral hygiene sessions and Scaling and Root Planing (SRP) procedures, and then with the administration of a formulate containing L. reuteri as a probiotic. The follow-up was made at four weeks. During the follow-up analysis, both patients showed a significant clinical remission for gum hypertrophy and skin acne vulgaris.}, } @article {pmid35887615, year = {2022}, author = {Valentini, V and Silvestri, V and Bucalo, A and Marraffa, F and Risicato, M and Grassi, S and Pellacani, G and Ottini, L and Richetta, AG}, title = {A Possible Link between Gut Microbiome Composition and Cardiovascular Comorbidities in Psoriatic Patients.}, journal = {Journal of personalized medicine}, volume = {12}, number = {7}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/jpm12071118}, pmid = {35887615}, issn = {2075-4426}, support = {IG2018/21389//Italian Association for Cancer Research/ ; }, abstract = {Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most common comorbidities that may affect psoriatic patients. Several exogenous and endogenous factors are involved in the etiology and progression of both psoriasis and CVD. A potential genetic link between the two diseases has emerged; however, some gaps remain in the understanding of the CVD prevalence in psoriatic patients. Recently, the role of the gut microbiome dysbiosis was documented in the development and maintenance of both diseases. To investigate whether gut microbiome dysbiosis might influence the occurrence of CVD in psoriatic patients, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed to characterize the gut microbiome of 28 psoriatic patients, including 17 patients with and 11 without CVD. The comparison of the gut microbiome composition between patients with and without CVD showed a higher prevalence of Barnesiellaceae and Phascolarctobacterium in patients with CVD. Among patients with CVD, those undergoing biologic therapy had lower abundance levels of Barnesiellaceae, comparable to those found in patients without CVD. Overall, these findings suggest that the co-occurrence of psoriasis and CVD might be linked to gut microbiome dysbiosis and that therapeutic strategies could help to restore the intestinal symbiosis, potentially improving the clinical management of psoriasis and its associated comorbidities.}, } @article {pmid35887485, year = {2022}, author = {Li, X and Zhang, X and Xu, M and Ye, Q and Gao, H and He, X}, title = {Improved Tolerance of Artemisia ordosica to Drought Stress via Dark Septate Endophyte (DSE) Symbiosis.}, journal = {Journal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {8}, number = {7}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/jof8070730}, pmid = {35887485}, issn = {2309-608X}, support = {31800345//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; C2020201043//National Science Foundation of Hebei Province, China/ ; 31770561//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, abstract = {Dark septate endophytes (DSEs) usually colonize plant roots, especially in stress environments. However, their relationship with plants ranges from beneficial to harmful and has remained largely uncharacterized. In the present study, 14 DSE species grouped into 11 genera were isolated from the roots of a desert plant, Artemisia ordosica, which is widely distributed in northwest China. Three dominant DSE species-Paraphoma chrysanthemicola (Pc), Alternaria chartarum (Ac), and Acrocalymma vagum (Av)-were selected and tested for their resistance to drought in vitro. Furthermore, we characterized the responses of A. ordosica under drought conditions in relation to the presence of these DSEs following inoculation. The results showed that all three strains grew well under in vitro drought stress, and the biomass of Ac and Av was significantly higher than that of the unstressed control. The effects of DSE inoculation on the growth of A. ordosica under drought stress varied according to the different DSE species but were generally beneficial. Under drought stress, Av and Pc promoted plant growth, antioxidant enzyme activity, and root development of the hosts. The Ac strain conferred obvious positive effects on the antioxidant enzyme activity of the hosts. In general, Av and Pc demonstrated better application potential for improving the drought resistance of A. ordosica.}, } @article {pmid35887072, year = {2022}, author = {Bullones-Bolaños, A and Bernal-Bayard, J and Ramos-Morales, F}, title = {The NEL Family of Bacterial E3 Ubiquitin Ligases.}, journal = {International journal of molecular sciences}, volume = {23}, number = {14}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/ijms23147725}, pmid = {35887072}, issn = {1422-0067}, support = {PID2019-106132RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033//Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación - Agencia Estatal de Investigación/ ; P20_00576//Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) y Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades de la Junta de Andalucía/ ; US-1380805//Universidad de Sevilla, Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) y Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades de la Junta de Andalucía/ ; }, mesh = {Bacteria/metabolism ; Bacterial Proteins/metabolism ; *Type III Secretion Systems/genetics ; Ubiquitin/genetics/metabolism ; *Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Some pathogenic or symbiotic Gram-negative bacteria can manipulate the ubiquitination system of the eukaryotic host cell using a variety of strategies. Members of the genera Salmonella, Shigella, Sinorhizobium, and Ralstonia, among others, express E3 ubiquitin ligases that belong to the NEL family. These bacteria use type III secretion systems to translocate these proteins into host cells, where they will find their targets. In this review, we first introduce type III secretion systems and the ubiquitination process and consider the various ways bacteria use to alter the ubiquitin ligation machinery. We then focus on the members of the NEL family, their expression, translocation, and subcellular localization in the host cell, and we review what is known about the structure of these proteins, their function in virulence or symbiosis, and their specific targets.}, } @article {pmid35885366, year = {2022}, author = {Ogata, M and Uchiyama, J and Ahhmed, AM and Sakuraoka, S and Taharaguchi, S and Sakata, R and Mizunoya, W and Takeda, S}, title = {Effects of Inherent Lactic Acid Bacteria on Inhibition of Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme and Antioxidant Activities in Dry-Cured Meat Products.}, journal = {Foods (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {14}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/foods11142123}, pmid = {35885366}, issn = {2304-8158}, support = {19H03109//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; 21K02138//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; 2019//Ito Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {The aim of this study was to investigate the inherent bacteria that contribute to expressing the angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity and the antioxidant activity of dry-cured meat products without a bacterial starter. Among the ten dry-cured meat product samples, Coppa and Milano salami exhibited high ACE inhibitory activity, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging ability, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). No consistent trend was observed in the pH values or the total peptide and imidazole dipeptide concentration of the products that exhibited high ACE inhibitory and antioxidant activities in the tested samples. To investigate the bacteria contributing to the ACE inhibitory and antioxidant activities of the product, 16S rRNA sequencing analysis, isolation, and identification of bacteria were performed using not only Coppa and Milano salami but also the Jamon Serrano and Parma prosciutto products that had low functional activities. Results suggest the Lactobacillales order, particularly the species Latilactobacillus sakei and Pediococcus pentosaceus, were the main inherent bacteria in Coppa and Milano salami, respectively, compared with the Jamon Serrano and Parma prosciutto products. Therefore, the inherent lactic acid bacteria in dry-cured meat products without bacterial starter is important for ACE inhibitory and antioxidant activities of the products.}, } @article {pmid35885345, year = {2022}, author = {Mustar, S and Ibrahim, N}, title = {A Sweeter Pill to Swallow: A Review of Honey Bees and Honey as a Source of Probiotic and Prebiotic Products.}, journal = {Foods (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {14}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/foods11142102}, pmid = {35885345}, issn = {2304-8158}, abstract = {Honey bees and honey, have been the subject of study for decades due to their importance in improving health. At times, some of the probiotics may be transferred to the honey stored in the honeycomb. Consumers may benefit from consuming live-probiotics honey, which can aid in suppressing the reproduction of pathogens in their digestive system. Prebiotics, on the other hand, are mainly carbohydrates that promote the growth of native microflora probiotics in the digestive tract to maintain a healthy environment and improve the gut performance of the host. Therefore, this narrative review aims to present and analyze ten years' worth of information on the probiotic and prebiotic potential of honey bees and honey since not many review articles were found discussing this topic. Results showed that not many studies have been performed on the probiotic and prebiotic aspects of honey bees and honey. If further research is conducted, isolated probiotics from the bee's gut combined with honey's prebiotic properties can be manipulated as potential sources of probiotics and prebiotics for human and animal benefits since they appear to be interrelated and function in symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35884821, year = {2022}, author = {Kovaleva, OV and Podlesnaya, P and Sorokin, M and Mochalnikova, V and Kataev, V and Khlopko, YA and Plotnikov, AO and Stilidi, IS and Kushlinskii, NE and Gratchev, A}, title = {Macrophage Phenotype in Combination with Tumor Microbiome Composition Predicts RCC Patients' Survival: A Pilot Study.}, journal = {Biomedicines}, volume = {10}, number = {7}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/biomedicines10071516}, pmid = {35884821}, issn = {2227-9059}, support = {22-25-00082//Russian Science Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {The identification of new prognostic markers of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is an urgent problem in oncourology. To investigate the potential prognostic significance of tumor microbiome and stromal inflammatory markers, we studied a cohort of 66 patients with RCC (23 clear cell RCC, 19 papillary RCC and 24 chromophobe RCC). The microbiome was analyzed in tumor and normal tissue by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Characterization of the tumor stroma was performed using immunohistochemistry. A significant difference in alpha diversity was demonstrated between normal kidney tissue and all types of RCC. Further, we demonstrated that the bacterial burden was higher in adjacent normal tissue than in a tumor. For the first time, we demonstrated a significant correlation between bacterial burden and the content of PU.1+ macrophages and CD66b+ neutrophils in kidney tumors. Tumors with high content of PU.1+ cells and CD66b+ cells in the stroma were characterized by a lower bacterial burden. In the tumors with high bacterial burden, the number of PU.1+ cells and CD66b+ was associated with a poor prognosis. The identified associations indicate the great prognostic potential of a combined tumor microbiome and stromal cell analysis.}, } @article {pmid35831502, year = {2022}, author = {Yang, Y and Nguyen, M and Khetrapal, V and Sonnert, ND and Martin, AL and Chen, H and Kriegel, MA and Palm, NW}, title = {Within-host evolution of a gut pathobiont facilitates liver translocation.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {607}, number = {7919}, pages = {563-570}, pmid = {35831502}, issn = {1476-4687}, support = {DP2 DK125119/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AG068863/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; RM1 GM141649/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {*Bacteria/genetics/immunology/pathogenicity ; *Bacterial Translocation/genetics ; *Biological Evolution ; Cell Wall/genetics ; Enterococcus/genetics/immunology ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome/genetics ; Genomics ; Host-Pathogen Interactions/immunology ; Humans ; Inflammation/microbiology/pathology ; Intestinal Mucosa/microbiology/pathology ; Lactobacillus reuteri/genetics/immunology ; *Liver/microbiology/pathology ; Lymph Nodes/microbiology ; Mutation ; Stochastic Processes ; Symbiosis/genetics/immunology ; }, abstract = {Gut commensal bacteria with the ability to translocate across the intestinal barrier can drive the development of diverse immune-mediated diseases1-4. However, the key factors that dictate bacterial translocation remain unclear. Recent studies have revealed that gut microbiota strains can adapt and evolve throughout the lifetime of the host5-9, raising the possibility that changes in individual commensal bacteria themselves over time may affect their propensity to elicit inflammatory disease. Here we show that within-host evolution of the model gut pathobiont Enterococcus gallinarum facilitates bacterial translocation and initiation of inflammation. Using a combination of in vivo experimental evolution and comparative genomics, we found that E. gallinarum diverges into independent lineages adapted to colonize either luminal or mucosal niches in the gut. Compared with ancestral and luminal E. gallinarum, mucosally adapted strains evade detection and clearance by the immune system, exhibit increased translocation to and survival within the mesenteric lymph nodes and liver, and induce increased intestinal and hepatic inflammation. Mechanistically, these changes in bacterial behaviour are associated with non-synonymous mutations or insertion-deletions in defined regulatory genes in E. gallinarum, altered microbial gene expression programs and remodelled cell wall structures. Lactobacillus reuteri also exhibited broadly similar patterns of divergent evolution and enhanced immune evasion in a monocolonization-based model of within-host evolution. Overall, these studies define within-host evolution as a critical regulator of commensal pathogenicity that provides a unique source of stochasticity in the development and progression of microbiota-driven disease.}, } @article {pmid35665559, year = {2022}, author = {Wei, J and Yang, XK and Zhang, SK and Segraves, KA and Xue, HJ}, title = {Parallel metatranscriptome analysis reveals degradation of plant secondary metabolites by beetles and their gut symbionts.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {31}, number = {15}, pages = {3999-4016}, doi = {10.1111/mec.16557}, pmid = {35665559}, issn = {1365-294X}, support = {31672334//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31472030//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Coleoptera/genetics ; Herbivory ; Insecta ; Plants ; Symbiosis/genetics ; }, abstract = {Switching to a new host plant is a driving force for divergence and speciation in herbivorous insects. This process of incorporating a novel host plant into the diet may require a number of adaptations in the insect herbivores that allow them to consume host plant tissue that may contain toxic secondary chemicals. As a result, herbivorous insects are predicted to have evolved efficient ways to detoxify major plant defences and increase fitness by either relying on their own genomes or by recruiting other organisms such as microbial gut symbionts. In the present study we used parallel metatranscriptomic analyses of Altica flea beetles and their gut symbionts to explore the contributions of beetle detoxification mechanisms versus detoxification by their gut consortium. We compared the gut meta-transcriptomes of two sympatric Altica species that feed exclusively on different host plant species as well as their F1 hybrids that were fed one of the two host plant species. These comparisons revealed that gene expression patterns of Altica are dependent on both beetle species identity and diet. The community structure of gut symbionts was also dependent on the identity of the beetle species, and the gene expression patterns of the gut symbionts were significantly correlated with beetle species and plant diet. Some of the enriched genes identified in the beetles and gut symbionts are involved in the degradation of secondary metabolites produced by plants, suggesting that Altica flea beetles may use their gut microbiota to help them feed on and adapt to their host plants.}, } @article {pmid35880318, year = {2022}, author = {Kageyama, A and Suyama, A and Kinoshita, R and Ito, J and Kashiwazaki, N}, title = {Dynamic changes of intracellular zinc ion level during maturation, fertilization, activation, and development in mouse oocytes.}, journal = {Animal science journal = Nihon chikusan Gakkaiho}, volume = {93}, number = {1}, pages = {e13759}, doi = {10.1111/asj.13759}, pmid = {35880318}, issn = {1740-0929}, support = {//Center for Human and Animal Symbiosis Science, Azabu University/ ; 20H05373//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; 21H02384//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Fertilization/physiology ; Fertilization in Vitro/veterinary ; Ions ; Male ; Mammals ; Mice ; *Oocytes ; Pregnancy ; *Semen ; Zinc ; }, abstract = {Although it is well known that calcium oscillations are required for fertilization in all mammalian species studied to date, recent studies also showed the ejection of zinc into the extracellular milieu in a series of coordinated events, called "zinc spark," during mammalian fertilization. These results led us to the hypothesis that a zinc ion-dependent signal is important for oocyte maturation, fertilization (activation), and further embryonic development. In this study, we evaluated the amounts and localization of intracellular zinc ions during maturation, fertilization, activation, and embryonic development in mouse oocytes. Our results show that abundant zinc ions are present in both immature and mature oocytes. After in vitro fertilization, the amounts of zinc ions were dramatically decreased at the pronuclear (PN) stage. Artificial activation by cycloheximide, SrCl2 , and TPEN also reduced the amounts of zinc ions in the PN stage. On the other hand, PN embryos derived from sperm injection still showed high level of zinc ions. However, the amounts of zinc ions rapidly increased at the blastocysts regardless of activation method. We showed here that the amounts of zinc ions dramatically changed during maturation, fertilization, activation, and development in mouse oocytes.}, } @article {pmid35879156, year = {2022}, author = {Van Hese, I and Goossens, K and Ampe, B and Haegeman, A and Opsomer, G}, title = {Exploring the microbial composition of Holstein Friesian and Belgian Blue colostrum in relation to the transfer of passive immunity.}, journal = {Journal of dairy science}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3168/jds.2022-21799}, pmid = {35879156}, issn = {1525-3198}, abstract = {For centuries, multicellular organisms have lived in symbiosis with microorganisms. The interaction with microorganisms has been shown to be very beneficial for humans and animals. During a natural birth, the initial inoculation with bacteria occurs when the neonate passes through the birth canal. Colostrum and milk intake are associated with the acquisition of a healthy gut flora. However, little is known about the microbial composition of bovine colostrum and the possible beneficial effects for the neonatal calf. In this prospective cohort study, the microbial composition of first-milking colostrum was analyzed in 62 Holstein Friesian (HF) and 46 Belgian Blue (BB) cows by performing amplicon sequencing of the bacterial V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Calves received, 3 times, 2 L of their dam's colostrum within 24 h after birth. Associations between colostral microbial composition and its IgG concentration, as well as each calf's serum IgG levels, were analyzed. Colostrum samples were dominated by the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria. The 10 most abundant genera in the complete data set were Acinetobacter (16.2%), Pseudomonas (15.1%), a genus belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family (4.9%), Lactococcus (4.0%), Chryseobacterium (3.9%), Staphylococcus (3.6%), Proteus (1.9%), Streptococcus (1.8%), Enterococcus (1.7%), and Enhydrobacter (1.5%). The remaining genera (other than these top 10) accounted for 36.5% of the counts, and another 8.7% were unidentified. Bacterial diversity differed significantly between HF and BB samples. Within each breed, several genera were found to be differentially abundant between colostrum of different quality. Moreover, in HF, the bacterial composition of colostrum leading to low serum IgG levels in the calf differed from that of colostrum leading to high serum IgG levels. Results of the present study indicate that the microbes present in colostrum are associated with transfer of passive immunity in neonatal calves.}, } @article {pmid35436545, year = {2022}, author = {Liebrenz, K and Frare, R and Gómez, C and Pascuan, C and Brambilla, S and Soldini, D and Maguire, V and Carrio, A and Ruiz, O and McCormick, W and Soto, G and Ayub, N}, title = {Multiple ways to evade the bacteriostatic action of glyphosate in rhizobia include the mutation of the conserved serine 90 of the nitrogenase subunit NifH to alanine.}, journal = {Research in microbiology}, volume = {173}, number = {6-7}, pages = {103952}, doi = {10.1016/j.resmic.2022.103952}, pmid = {35436545}, issn = {1769-7123}, mesh = {Alanine/metabolism ; *Bradyrhizobium/metabolism ; Glycine/analogs & derivatives ; Mutation ; Nitrogen Fixation ; Nitrogenase/genetics ; *Rhizobium/genetics/metabolism ; Serine/metabolism ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The genome resequencing of spontaneous glyphosate-resistant mutants derived from the soybean inoculant E109 allowed identifying genes most likely associated with the uptake (gltL and cya) and metabolism (zigA and betA) of glyphosate, as well as with nitrogen fixation (nifH). Mutations in these genes reduce the lag phase and improve nodulation under glyphosate stress. In addition to providing glyphosate resistance, the amino acid exchange Ser90Ala in NifH increased the citrate synthase activity, growth rate and plant growth-promoting efficiency of E109 in the absence of glyphosate stress, suggesting roles for this site during both the free-living and symbiotic growth stages.}, } @article {pmid35877598, year = {2022}, author = {Votta, C and Fiorilli, V and Haider, I and Wang, JY and Balestrini, R and Petřík, I and Tarkowská, D and Novák, O and Serikbayeva, A and Bonfante, P and Al-Babili, S and Lanfranco, L}, title = {Zaxinone Synthase controls arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization level in rice.}, journal = {The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/tpj.15917}, pmid = {35877598}, issn = {1365-313X}, abstract = {The rice carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase OsZAS was described to produce zaxinone, a novel plant-growth promoting apocarotenoid. A zas mutant line showed a reduced arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization but the mechanisms underlying this behavior are unknown. Here, we investigated how OsZAS and exogenous zaxinone treatment regulate mycorrhization. Micromolar exogenous supply of zaxinone rescued the root growth but not the mycorrhizal defects of the zas mutant and even reduced mycorrhization in wild type and zas genotypes. The zas line did not display an increase in strigolactones (SLs) level as observed in wild type plants at 7 day post inoculation with the AM fungus. Moreover, an exogenous treatment with the synthetic SLs analog, GR24, rescued the zas mutant mycorrhizal phenotype, indicating that the lower AM colonization rate of zas is due to a SLs deficiency at the early stages of the interaction and pointing out that, during this phase, OsZAS activity is required to induce SLs production, possibly mediated by the Dwarf14-Like (D14L) signaling pathway. OsZAS is expressed in arbuscule-containing cells and OsPT11prom::OsZAS transgenic lines, where OsZAS expression is driven by the OsPT11 promoter active in arbusculated cells, exhibit an increased mycorrhization compared to wild type. Overall, our results show that the genetic manipulation of OsZAS activity in planta leads to a different effect on the AM symbiosis from that of an exogenous zaxinone treatment and demonstrate that OsZAS controls AM colonization extent acting as a novel component of a regulatory network that involves SLs.}, } @article {pmid35876558, year = {2022}, author = {Quilbé, J and Nouwen, N and Pervent, M and Guyonnet, R and Cullimore, J and Gressent, F and Araújo, NH and Gully, D and Klopp, C and Giraud, E and Arrighi, JF}, title = {A mutant-based analysis of the establishment of Nod-independent symbiosis in the legume Aeschynomene evenia.}, journal = {Plant physiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/plphys/kiac325}, pmid = {35876558}, issn = {1532-2548}, abstract = {Intensive research on nitrogen-fixing symbiosis in two model legumes has uncovered the molecular mechanisms whereby rhizobial Nod factors activate a plant symbiotic signaling pathway that controls infection and nodule organogenesis. By constrast, the so-called Nod-independent symbiosis found between Aeschynomene evenia and photosynthetic bradyrhizobia, which does not involve Nod factor recognition nor infection thread formation, is less well known. To gain knowledge on how Nod-independent symbiosis is established, we conducted a phenotypic and molecular characterization of A. evenia lines carrying mutations in different nodulation genes. Besides investigating the effect of the mutations on rhizobial symbiosis, we examined their consequences on mycorrhizal symbiosis and in non-symbiotic conditions. Analysing allelic mutant series for AePOLLUX, AeCCaMK (Ca2+/calmodulin dependent kinase), AeCYCLOPS, AeNSP2 (nodulation signaling pathway 2), and AeNIN (nodule inception) demonstrated that these genes intervene at several stages of intercellular infection and during bacterial accommodation. We provide evidence that AeNSP2 has an additional nitrogen-dependent regulatory function in the formation of axillary root hairs at lateral root bases, which are rhizobia-colonized infection sites. Our investigation of the recently discovered symbiotic actor AeCRK (cysteine-rich receptor-like kinase) specified that it is not involved in mycorrhization; however, it is essential for both symbiotic signaling and early infection during nodulation. These findings provide important insights on the modus operandi of Nod-independent symbiosis and contribute to the general understanding of how rhizobial-legume symbioses are established by complementing the information acquired in model legumes.}, } @article {pmid35875979, year = {2022}, author = {Landini, L and Dadson, P and Gallo, F and Honka, MJ and Cena, H}, title = {Microbiota in Anorexia Nervosa - Potential for Treatment.}, journal = {Nutrition research reviews}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {1-51}, doi = {10.1017/S0954422422000130}, pmid = {35875979}, issn = {1475-2700}, abstract = {Anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterised by the restriction of energy intake in relation to energy needs and a significantly lowered body weight than normally expected, coupled with an intense fear of gaining weight. Treatment of AN is currently based on psychological and refeeding approaches, but their efficacy remains limited, since 40% of patients after ten years of medical care, still present symptoms of AN. The intestine hosts a large community of microorganisms, called the "microbiota", which live in symbiosis with the human host. The gut microbiota of a healthy human is dominated by bacteria from two phyla: Firmicutes and majorly Bacteroidetes. However, the proportion in their representation differs on an individual basis and depends on many external factors, such as medical treatment, geographical location, and hereditary, immunological and lifestyle factors. Drastic changes in dietary intake may profoundly impact the composition of the gut microbiota, and the resulting dysbiosis may play a part in the onset and/or maintenance of comorbidities associated with AN, such as gastrointestinal disorders, anxiety, and depression, as well as appetite dysregulation. Furthermore, studies have reported the presence of atypical intestinal microbial composition in patients with AN compared to healthy normal-weight controls. This review addresses the current knowledge about the role of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis and treatment of AN. The review also focuses on the bidirectional interaction between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system (microbiota-gut-brain axis), considering the potential use of the gut microbiota manipulation in the prevention and treatment of AN.}, } @article {pmid35874394, year = {2022}, author = {Yin, S and Wang, Y and Xu, J}, title = {Developing a Conceptual Partner Matching Framework for Digital Green Innovation of Agricultural High-End Equipment Manufacturing System Toward Agriculture 5.0: A Novel Niche Field Model Combined With Fuzzy VIKOR.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {924109}, pmid = {35874394}, issn = {1664-1078}, abstract = {Digital green innovation (DGI) is the core factor that affects the digitalization and decarbonization strategy of agricultural high-end equipment manufacturing (AHEM) system. Although AHEM enterprises actively cooperate with academic research institutes to develop agricultural high-end equipment, there are many obstacles in the process of DGI. Moreover, the integration of digital technology and green innovation from the perspective of partner matching for the AHEM system has not been fully introduced in current literature. Hence, this study aimed to (i) establish a suitable framework system for the AHEM system in general, (ii) quantify the selection of DGI by academic research institutions based on niche theory, and (iii) propose an extended niche field model combined with fuzzy VIKOR model. First, a theoretical framework consisting of three core elements of technology superposition, mutual benefit, and mutual trust, and technological complementarity was constructed based on niche intensity and niche overlap degree. DGI ability superposition of technology, mutual trust, and technical complementarity are beneficial for transferring DGI knowledge from academic research institutes to the AHEM industry. Second, triangle fuzzy number and prospect theory combined with the VIKOR method were introduced into the field theory to construct the complementary field model of DGI resources. The niche field model has been successfully applied to practical cases to illustrate how the model can be implemented to solve the problem of DGI partner selection. Third, the results of a case study show that the criteria framework and the niche field model can be applied to real-world partner selection for AHEM enterprises. This study not only puts forward the standard framework of niche fitness evaluation based on niche theory but also establishes the niche domain model of innovation partner selection management based on niche theory. The standard framework and novel niche field model can help enterprises to carry out digital green innovation in the development of high-end agricultural equipment. The study has the following theoretical and practical implications: (i) constructing a criteria framework based on niche theory; (ii) developing a novel niche field model for DGI partner selection of AHEM enterprises; and (iii) assisting AHEM enterprises to perform DGI practice.}, } @article {pmid35873728, year = {2022}, author = {Gao, T and Liu, X and Tan, K and Zhang, D and Zhu, B and Ma, F and Li, C}, title = {Introducing melatonin to the horticultural industry: physiological roles, potential applications, and challenges.}, journal = {Horticulture research}, volume = {9}, number = {}, pages = {uhac094}, pmid = {35873728}, issn = {2662-6810}, abstract = {Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is an emerging biomolecule that influences horticultural crop growth, flowering, fruit ripening, postharvest preservation, and stress protection. It functions as a plant growth regulator, preservative and antimicrobial agent to promote seed germination, regulate root system architecture, influence flowering and pollen germination, promote fruit production, ensure postharvest preservation, and increase resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Here, we highlight the potential applications of melatonin in multiple aspects of horticulture, including molecular breeding, vegetative reproduction, production of virus-free plants, food safety, and horticultural crop processing. We also discuss its effects on parthenocarpy, autophagy, and arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. Together, these many features contribute to the promise of melatonin for improving horticultural crop production and food safety. Effective translation of melatonin to the horticultural industry requires an understanding of the challenges associated with its uses, including the development of economically viable sources.}, } @article {pmid35793792, year = {2022}, author = {Freitas, S and Castelo-Branco, R and Wenzel-Storjohann, A and Vasconcelos, VM and Tasdemir, D and Leão, PN}, title = {Structure and Biosynthesis of Desmamides A-C, Lipoglycopeptides from the Endophytic Cyanobacterium Desmonostoc muscorum LEGE 12446.}, journal = {Journal of natural products}, volume = {85}, number = {7}, pages = {1704-1714}, doi = {10.1021/acs.jnatprod.2c00162}, pmid = {35793792}, issn = {1520-6025}, mesh = {*Cyanobacteria/metabolism ; *Cycas/microbiology ; Lipoglycopeptides/metabolism ; Plant Roots/microbiology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Certain cyanobacteria of the secondary metabolite-rich order Nostocales can establish permanent symbioses with a large number of cycads, by accumulating in their coralloid roots and shifting their metabolism to dinitrogen fixation. Here, we report the discovery of two new lipoglycopeptides, desmamides A (1) and B (2), together with their aglycone desmamide C (3), from the nostocalean cyanobacterium Desmonostoc muscorum LEGE 12446 isolated from a cycad (Cycas revoluta) coralloid root. The chemical structures of the compounds were elucidated using a combination of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The desmamides are decapeptides featuring O-glycosylation of tyrosine (in 1 and 2) and an unusual 3,5-dihydroxy-2-methyldecanoic acid residue. The biosynthesis of the desmamides was studied by substrate incubation experiments and bioinformatics. We describe herein the dsm biosynthetic gene cluster and propose it to be associated with desmamide production. The discovery of this class of very abundant (>1.5% d.w.) bacterial lipoglycopeptides paves the way for exploration of their potential role in root endosymbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35671161, year = {2022}, author = {Suito, T and Nagao, K and Juni, N and Hara, Y and Sokabe, T and Atomi, H and Umeda, M}, title = {Regulation of thermoregulatory behavior by commensal bacteria in Drosophila.}, journal = {Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry}, volume = {86}, number = {8}, pages = {1060-1070}, doi = {10.1093/bbb/zbac087}, pmid = {35671161}, issn = {1347-6947}, support = {15H05930//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; 15K21744//Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria ; Body Temperature Regulation ; *Drosophila ; *Drosophila melanogaster/microbiology/physiology ; Larva/physiology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Commensal bacteria affect many aspects of host physiology. In this study, we focused on the role of commensal bacteria in the thermoregulatory behavior of Drosophila melanogaster. We demonstrated that the elimination of commensal bacteria caused an increase in the preferred temperature of Drosophila third-instar larvae without affecting the activity of transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1)-expressing thermosensitive neurons. We isolated eight bacterial strains from the gut and culture medium of conventionally reared larvae and found that the preferred temperature of the larvae was decreased by mono-association with Lactobacillus plantarum or Corynebacterium nuruki. Mono-association with these bacteria did not affect the indices of energy metabolism such as ATP and glucose levels of larvae, which are closely linked to thermoregulation in animals. Thus, we show a novel role for commensal bacteria in host thermoregulation and identify two bacterial species that affect thermoregulatory behavior in Drosophila.}, } @article {pmid35138603, year = {2022}, author = {Schneider, SA and Sodano, J and LaPolla, JS}, title = {Distinguishing Symbiotic Partners of Acropyga Ants from Free-Living Soil Inhabitants.}, journal = {Neotropical entomology}, volume = {51}, number = {4}, pages = {641-647}, pmid = {35138603}, issn = {1678-8052}, support = {1754242//Directorate for Biological Sciences/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants ; *Hemiptera ; Soil ; Species Specificity ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The fruitful study of associations between ants and scale insects yields insight into the mechanisms that shape these symbioses. Field collections provide the basic information linking partnered species, and as such it is critical that collection techniques from the field reflect true species-to-species partnerships in the published literature. It is equally critical that such practices limit the potential for mistaking free-living "neighbors" for symbiotic partners and publishing erroneous associations. This article describes a protocol for collecting subterranean scale insects and associated Acropyga Roger ants, which relies upon the activity of worker ants to sort and distinguish symbionts from free-living scale insects that happen to live near the colony. By collecting samples of ants and scales into nest boxes and allowing a resting period of several hours, worker ants will gather symbiotic partners into dense, protected clusters in which symbionts are actively tended. Free-living scale insects neighboring the colony can be collected from soil along with colony samples, but these free-living individuals are excluded from protective clusters and ignored by workers. Following confirmation of ant attendance, true symbiotic partners can be confidently collected, preserved, and recorded for future study. We illustrate the value of employing this collection protocol using a case study from Peru.}, } @article {pmid35867895, year = {2022}, author = {Guzmán-Cornejo, L and Pacheco, L and Camargo-Ricalde, SL and González-Chávez, MDC}, title = {Endorhizal fungal symbiosis in lycophytes and metal(loid)-accumulating ferns growing naturally in mine wastes in Mexico.}, journal = {International journal of phytoremediation}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {1-12}, doi = {10.1080/15226514.2022.2092060}, pmid = {35867895}, issn = {1549-7879}, abstract = {Ferns and lycophytes are pioneer plants that can be useful for revegetation. Their natural distribution and interaction with soil fungal endophytes can increase plant fitness but have received little attention. This study aimed to identify these plant species in mine wastes, and determine colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septate endophytes (DSE). The pseudo-total and diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable rhizosphere concentrations of As, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Zn, bioavailability index (BI), and bioconcentration factor (BCF) were analyzed. Six ferns and one lycophyte were identified. Arsenic and metal concentrations were high, which were plant and site-dependent. All species showed hyperaccumulation of As in fronds, especially Argyrochosma formosa (2,883) and Notholaena affinis (2,160) had the highest concentrations (mg kg-1). All plants were colonized by AMF (3%-24%) and DSE (2%-33%). Astrolepis sinuata and Myriopteris notholaenoides had the maximum colonization by AMF and A. formosa by DSE. This study identifies for the first time five ferns and one lycophyte species on mine wastes, their As hyperaccumulation capacity and the simultaneous fungal colonization by AMF and DSE. These are relevant plant traits for phytoremediation. However, fungal identification and the role colonization by AMF and DSE requires full analysis.}, } @article {pmid35866016, year = {2022}, author = {Goes, AC and Kooij, PW and Culot, L and Bueno, OC and Rodrigues, A}, title = {Distinct and enhanced hygienic responses of a leaf-cutting ant toward repeated fungi exposures.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {12}, number = {7}, pages = {e9112}, pmid = {35866016}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Leaf-cutting ants and their fungal crops are a textbook example of a long-term obligatory mutualism. Many microbes continuously enter their nest containing the fungal cultivars, destabilizing the symbiosis and, in some cases, outcompeting the mutualistic partners. Preferably, the ant workers should distinguish between different microorganisms to respond according to their threat level and recurrence in the colony. To address these assumptions, we investigated how workers of Atta sexdens sanitize their fungal crop toward five different fungi commonly isolated from the fungus gardens: Escovopsis sp., Fusarium oxysporum, Metarhizium anisopliae, Trichoderma spirale, and Syncephalastrum sp. Also, to investigate the plasticity of these responses toward recurrences of these fungi, we exposed the colonies with each fungus three times fourteen days apart. As expected, intensities in sanitization differed according to the fungal species. Ants significantly groom their fungal crop more toward F. oxysporum, M. anisopliae, and Syncephalastrum sp. than toward Escovopsis sp. and T. spirale. Weeding, self-, and allogrooming were observed in less frequency than fungus grooming in all cases. Moreover, we detected a significant increase in the overall responses after repeated exposures for each fungus, except for Escovopsis sp. Our results indicate that A. sexdens workers are able to distinguish between different fungi and apply distinct responses to remove these from the fungus gardens. Our findings also suggest that successive exposures to the same antagonist increase hygiene, indicating plasticity of ant colonies' defenses to previously encountered pathogens.}, } @article {pmid35865673, year = {2022}, author = {Thirkell, TJ and Grimmer, M and James, L and Pastok, D and Allary, T and Elliott, A and Paveley, N and Daniell, T and Field, KJ}, title = {Variation in mycorrhizal growth response among a spring wheat mapping population shows potential to breed for symbiotic benefit.}, journal = {Food and energy security}, volume = {11}, number = {2}, pages = {e370}, pmid = {35865673}, issn = {2048-3694}, abstract = {All cereal crops engage in arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses which can have profound, but sometimes deleterious, effects on plant nutrient acquisition and growth. The mechanisms underlying variable mycorrhizal responsiveness in cereals are not well characterised or understood. Adapting crops to realise mycorrhizal benefits could reduce fertiliser requirements and improve crop nutrition where fertiliser is unavailable. We conducted a phenotype screen in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), using 99 lines of an Avalon × Cadenza doubled-haploid mapping population. Plants were grown with or without a mixed inoculum containing 5 species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Plant growth, nutrition and mycorrhizal colonisation were quantified. Plant growth response to inoculation was remarkably varied among lines, ranging from more than 30% decrease to 80% increase in shoot biomass. Mycorrhizal plants did not suffer decreasing shoot phosphorus concentration with increasing biomass as observed in their non-mycorrhizal counterparts. The extent to which mycorrhizal inoculation was beneficial for individual lines was negatively correlated with shoot biomass in the non-mycorrhizal state but was not correlated with the extent of mycorrhizal colonisation of roots. Highly variable mycorrhizal responsiveness among closely related wheat lines and the identification of several QTL for these traits suggests the potential to breed for improved crop-mycorrhizal symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35865232, year = {2022}, author = {Jensen, GG and Fiévet, R and Haerter, JO}, title = {The Diurnal Path to Persistent Convective Self-Aggregation.}, journal = {Journal of advances in modeling earth systems}, volume = {14}, number = {5}, pages = {e2021MS002923}, pmid = {35865232}, issn = {1942-2466}, abstract = {Clustering of tropical thunderstorms constitutes an important climate feedback because it influences the radiative balance. Convective self-aggregation (CSA) is a profound modeling paradigm for explaining the clustering of tropical oceanic thunderstorms. However, CSA is hampered in the realistic limit of fine model resolution when cold pools-dense air masses beneath thunderstorm clouds-are well-resolved. Studies on CSA usually assume the surface temperature to be constant, despite realistic surface temperatures varying significantly between night and day. Here we mimic the diurnal cycle in cloud-resolving numerical experiments by prescribing a surface temperature oscillation. Our simulations show that the diurnal cycle enables CSA at fine resolutions, and that the process is even accelerated by finer resolutions. We attribute these findings to vigorous combined cold pools emerging in symbiosis with mesoscale convective systems. Such cold pools suppress buoyancy in extended regions (∼100 km) and enable the formation of persistent dry patches. Our findings help clarify how the tropical cloud field forms sustained clusters under the diurnal forcing and may have implications for the origin of extreme thunderstorm rainfall and tropical cyclones.}, } @article {pmid35817824, year = {2022}, author = {Pecrix, Y and Sallet, E and Moreau, S and Bouchez, O and Carrere, S and Gouzy, J and Jardinaud, MF and Gamas, P}, title = {DNA demethylation and hypermethylation are both required for late nodule development in Medicago.}, journal = {Nature plants}, volume = {8}, number = {7}, pages = {741-749}, pmid = {35817824}, issn = {2055-0278}, support = {ANR-15-CE20-0002//Agence Nationale de la Recherche (French National Research Agency)/ ; ANR-10-INBS-09//Agence Nationale de la Recherche (French National Research Agency)/ ; ANR-10-LABX-41//Agence Nationale de la Recherche (French National Research Agency)/ ; }, mesh = {DNA Demethylation ; DNA Methylation ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; *Medicago truncatula/metabolism ; Nitrogen/metabolism ; RNA/metabolism ; *Root Nodules, Plant/metabolism ; Symbiosis/genetics ; }, abstract = {Plant epigenetic regulations are involved in transposable element silencing, developmental processes and responses to the environment1-7. They often involve modifications of DNA methylation, particularly through the DEMETER (DME) demethylase family and RNA-dependent DNA methylation (RdDM)8. Root nodules host rhizobia that can fix atmospheric nitrogen for the plant's benefit in nitrogen-poor soils. The development of indeterminate nodules, as in Medicago truncatula, involves successive waves of gene activation9-12, control of which raises interesting questions. Using laser capture microdissection (LCM) coupled to RNA-sequencing (SYMbiMICS data11), we previously identified 4,309 genes (termed NDD) activated in the nodule differentiation and nitrogen fixation zones, 36% of which belong to co-regulated genomic regions dubbed symbiotic islands13. We found MtDME to be upregulated in the differentiation zone and required for nodule development, and we identified 474 differentially methylated regions hypomethylated in the nodule by analysing ~2% of the genome4. Here, we coupled LCM and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing for a comprehensive view of DNA methylation, integrated with gene expression at the tissue level. Furthermore, using CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis of MtDRM2, we showed the importance of RdDM for CHH hypermethylation and nodule development. We thus proposed a model of DNA methylation dynamics during nodule development.}, } @article {pmid35863053, year = {2022}, author = {Liao, D and Sun, C and Liang, H and Wang, Y and Bian, X and Dong, C and Niu, X and Yang, M and Xu, G and Chen, A and Wu, S}, title = {SlSPX1-SlPHR complexes mediate the suppression of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis by phosphate repletion in tomato.}, journal = {The Plant cell}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/plcell/koac212}, pmid = {35863053}, issn = {1532-298X}, abstract = {Forming mutualistic symbioses with arbuscular mycorrhizae (AMs) improves the acquisition of mineral nutrients for most terrestrial plants. However, the formation of AM symbiosis usually occurs under phosphate (Pi)-deficient conditions. Here, we identify SlSPX1 (SYG1 (suppressor of yeast GPA1) /Pho81(phosphate 81)/XPR1 (xenotropic and polytropic retrovirus receptor 1) as the major repressor of the AM symbiosis in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) under phosphate-replete conditions. Loss of SlSPX1 function promotes direct Pi uptake and enhances AM colonization under phosphate-replete conditions. We determine that SlSPX1 integrates Pi signaling and AM symbiosis by directly interacting with a set of arbuscule-induced SlPHR proteins (SlPHR1, SlPHR4, SlPHR10, SlPHR11, and SlPHR12). The association with SlSPX1 represses the ability of SlPHR proteins to activate AM marker genes required for the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. SlPHR proteins exhibit functional redundancy, and no defective AM symbiosis was detected in the single mutant of SlPHR proteins. However, silencing SlPHR4 in the Slphr1 mutant background led to reduced AM colonization. Therefore, our results support the conclusion that SlSPX1-SlPHRs form a Pi-sensing module to coordinate the AM symbiosis under different Pi-availability conditions.}, } @article {pmid35862784, year = {2022}, author = {Voronin, D and Makepeace, BL}, title = {Symbionts on the Brain: How Wolbachia Is Strictly Corralled in Some Neotropical Drosophila spp.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0118222}, doi = {10.1128/mbio.01182-22}, pmid = {35862784}, issn = {2150-7511}, abstract = {Wolbachia is a heritable alphaproteobacterial symbiont of arthropods and nematodes, famous for its repertoire of host manipulations, including cytoplasmic incompatibility. To be vertically transmitted, Wolbachia must efficiently colonize the female germ line, although somatic tissues outside the gonads are also infected. In Drosophila spp., Wolbachia is usually distributed systemically in multiple regions of the adult fly, but in some neotropical hosts, Wolbachia's only somatic niches are cerebral bacteriocyte-like structures and the ovarian follicle cells. In their recent article, Strunov and colleagues (A. Strunov, K. Schmidt, M. Kapun, and W. J. Miller. mBio 13:e03863-21, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.03863-21) compared the development of Drosophila spp. with systemic or restricted infections and demonstrated that the restricted pattern is determined in early embryogenesis by an apparently novel autophagic process, involving intimate interactions of Wolbachia with the endoplasmic reticulum. This work has implications not only for the evolution of neotropical Drosophila spp. but also for our understanding of how Wolbachia infections are controlled in other native or artificial hosts.}, } @article {pmid35862663, year = {2022}, author = {Song, Y and Pfeiffer, F and Radek, R and Hearne, C and Hervé, V and Brune, A}, title = {Comparative Analysis of Brucepastera parasyntrophica gen. nov., sp. nov. and Teretinema zuelzerae gen. nov., comb. nov. (Treponemataceae) Reveals the Importance of Interspecies Hydrogen Transfer in the Energy Metabolism of Spirochetes.}, journal = {Applied and environmental microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0050322}, doi = {10.1128/aem.00503-22}, pmid = {35862663}, issn = {1098-5336}, abstract = {Most members of the family Treponemataceae (Spirochaetales) are associated with vertebrate hosts. However, a diverse clade of uncultured, putatively free-living treponemes comprising several genus-level lineages is present in other anoxic environments. The only cultivated representative to date is Treponema zuelzerae, isolated from freshwater mud. Here, we describe the isolation of strain RmG11 from the intestinal tract of cockroaches. The strain represents a novel genus-level lineage of Treponemataceae and is metabolically distinct from T. zuelzerae. While T. zuelzerae grows well on various sugars, forming acetate and H2 as major fermentation products, strain RmG11 grew poorly on glucose, maltose, and starch, forming mainly ethanol and only small amounts of acetate and H2. In contrast to the growth of T. zuelzerae, that of strain RmG11 was strongly inhibited at high H2 partial pressures but improved considerably when H2 was removed from the headspace. Cocultures of strain RmG11 with the H2-consuming Methanospirillum hungatei produced acetate and methane but no ethanol. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that strain RmG11 possesses only a single, electron-confurcating hydrogenase that forms H2 from NADH and reduced ferredoxin, whereas T. zuelzerae also possesses a second, ferredoxin-dependent hydrogenase that allows the thermodynamically more favorable formation of H2 from ferredoxin via the Rnf complex. In addition, we found that T. zuelzerae utilizes xylan and possesses the genomic potential to degrade other plant polysaccharides. Based on phenotypic and phylogenomic evidence, we describe strain RmG11 as Brucepastera parasyntrophica gen. nov., sp. nov. and Treponema zuelzerae as Teretinema zuelzerae gen. nov., comb. nov. IMPORTANCE Spirochetes are widely distributed in various anoxic environments and commonly form molecular hydrogen as a major fermentation product. Here, we show that two closely related members of the family Treponemataceae differ strongly in their sensitivity to high hydrogen partial pressure, and we explain the metabolic mechanisms that cause these differences by comparative genome analysis. We demonstrate a strong boost in the growth of the hydrogen-sensitive strain and a shift in its fermentation products to acetate during cocultivation with a H2-utilizing methanogen. Our results add a hitherto unrecognized facet to the fermentative metabolism of spirochetes and also underscore the importance of interspecies hydrogen transfer in not-obligately-syntrophic interactions among fermentative and hydrogenotrophic guilds in anoxic environments.}, } @article {pmid35859738, year = {2022}, author = {Wang, P and Li, M and Dong, L and Zhang, C and Xie, W}, title = {Comparative Genomics of Thaumarchaeota From Deep-Sea Sponges Reveal Their Niche Adaptation.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {869834}, pmid = {35859738}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Thaumarchaeota account for a large portion of microbial symbionts in deep-sea sponges and are even dominant in some cases. In this study, we investigated three new sponge-associated Thaumarchaeota from the deep West Pacific Ocean. Thaumarchaeota were found to be the most dominant phylum in this sponge by both prokaryotic 16S rRNA amplicons and metagenomic sequencing. Fifty-seven published Thaumarchaeota genomes from sponges and other habitats were included for genomic comparison. Similar to shallow sponge-associated Thaumarchaeota, those Thaumarchaeota in deep-sea sponges have extended genome sizes and lower coding density compared with their free-living lineages. Thaumarchaeota in deep-sea sponges were specifically enriched in genes related to stress adapting, symbiotic adhesion and stability, host-microbe interaction and protein transportation. The genes involved in defense mechanisms, such as the restriction-modification system, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas system, and toxin-antitoxin system were commonly enriched in both shallow and deep sponge-associated Thaumarchaeota. Our study demonstrates the significant effects of both depth and symbiosis on forming genomic characteristics of Thaumarchaeota, and provides novel insights into their niche adaptation in deep-sea sponges.}, } @article {pmid35851146, year = {2022}, author = {Arifin, AR and Phillips, RD and Weinstein, AM and Linde, CC}, title = {Cryptostylis species (Orchidaceae) from a broad geographic and habitat range associate with a phylogenetically narrow lineage of Tulasnellaceae fungi.}, journal = {Fungal biology}, volume = {126}, number = {8}, pages = {534-546}, doi = {10.1016/j.funbio.2022.06.001}, pmid = {35851146}, issn = {1878-6146}, mesh = {Australia ; *Basidiomycota ; Ecosystem ; *Mycorrhizae ; *Orchidaceae/microbiology ; Phylogeny ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {While many Australian terrestrial orchids have highly specialized mycorrhizal associations, we tested the hypothesis that the geographically widespread orchid genus Cryptostylis associates with a diversity of fungal species. Using fungal isolation and molecular approaches, we investigated the mycorrhizal associations of five Australian Cryptostylis species (27 sites sampled) and included limited sampling from three Asiatic Cryptostylis species (two sites). Like related orchid genera, Tulasnellaceae formed the main fungal associations of the Cryptostylis species we sampled, although some ectomycorrhizal, ericoid and saprotrophic fungi were detected infrequently. Each species of Australian Cryptostylis associated with three to seven Tulasnella Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs), except for C. hunteriana where only one Tulasnella OTU was detected. In total, eleven Tulasnella OTUs associated with Australian Cryptostylis. The Asiatic Cryptostylis associated with four different Tulasnella OTUs belonging to the same lineage as the Australian species. While five Tulasnella OTUs (T. australiensis, T. prima, T. warcupii, T. densa, and T. punctata) were used by multiple species of Australian Cryptostylis, the most commonly used OTU differed between orchid species. The association with different Tulasnella fungi by Cryptostylis species co-occurring at the same site suggests that in any given environmental condition, Cryptostylis species may intrinsically favour different fungal OTUs.}, } @article {pmid35851041, year = {2022}, author = {Rueger, T and Bhardwaj, AK and Turner, E and Barbasch, TA and Trumble, I and Dent, B and Buston, PM}, title = {Vertebrate growth plasticity in response to variation in a mutualistic interaction.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {11238}, pmid = {35851041}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 841263//Horizon 2020 Framework Programme/ ; Lara Vincent Student Research Award//Boston University/ ; }, mesh = {*Anemone ; Animals ; Fishes ; Reproduction ; *Sea Anemones/physiology ; Symbiosis/physiology ; }, abstract = {Vertebrate growth can be phenotypically plastic in response to predator-prey and competitive interactions. It is unknown however, if it can be plastic in response to mutualistic interactions. Here we investigate plasticity of vertebrate growth in response to variation in mutualistic interactions, using clown anemonefish and their anemone hosts. In the wild, there is a positive correlation between the size of the fish and the size of the anemone, but the cause of this correlation is unknown. Plausible hypotheses are that fish exhibit growth plasticity in response to variation in food or space provided by the host. In the lab, we pair individuals with real anemones of various sizes and show that fish on larger anemones grow faster than fish on smaller anemones. By feeding the fish a constant food ration, we exclude variation in food availability as a cause. By pairing juveniles with artificial anemones of various sizes, we exclude variation in space availability as a single cause. We argue that variation in space availability in conjunction with host cues cause the variability in fish growth. By adjusting their growth, anemonefish likely maximize their reproductive value given their anemone context. More generally, we demonstrate vertebrate growth plasticity in response to variation in mutualistic interactions.}, } @article {pmid35859013, year = {2022}, author = {Tang, YJ and Zhou, DY and Dai, J and Li, Y and Xing, YM and Guo, SX and Chen, J}, title = {Potential Specificity Between Mycorrhizal Fungi Isolated from Widespread Dendrobium spp. and Rare D. huoshanense Seeds.}, journal = {Current microbiology}, volume = {79}, number = {9}, pages = {264}, pmid = {35859013}, issn = {1432-0991}, support = {81973423//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 82173923//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2021-I2M-1-032//The CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences/ ; gxyq2020045//Outstanding Young Talents support Program of Anhui Universities/ ; }, mesh = {*Basidiomycota ; *Dendrobium/microbiology ; Germination ; *Mycorrhizae ; *Orchidaceae/microbiology ; Seedlings ; Seeds/microbiology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {In nature, orchid seed germination and seedling development depend on compatible mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal generalist and specificity affect the orchid distribution and rarity. Here, we investigated the specificity toward fungi in the rare D. huoshanense by mycorrhizal fungal isolation and symbiotic germination in vitro. Twenty mycorrhizal fungal strains were isolated from the roots of adult Dendrobium spp. (six and 12 strains from rare D. huoshanense and widespread D. officinale, respectively, and two strains from D. nobile and D. moniliforme, respectively) and 13 strains belong to Tulasnellaceae and seven strains belong to Serendipitaceae. Germination trials in vitro revealed that all 20 tested fungal strains can stimulate seed germination of D. huoshanense, but only nine strains (~ 50%) can support it up to the seedling stage. This finding indicates that generalistic fungi are important for early germination, but only a few can maintain a symbiosis with host in seedling stage. Thus, a shift of the microbial community from seedling to mature stage probably narrows the D. huoshanense distribution range. In addition, to further understand the relationship between the fungal capability to promote seed germination and fungal enzyme activity, we screened the laccase and pectase activity. The results showed that the two enzymes activities of fungi cannot be directly correlated with their germination-promoting activities. Understanding the host specificity degree toward fungi can help to better interpret the limited geographic distribution of D. huoshanense and provides opportunities for in situ and ex situ conservation and reintroduction programs.}, } @article {pmid35858432, year = {2022}, author = {Masson, F and Rommelaere, S and Schüpfer, F and Boquete, JP and Lemaitre, B}, title = {Disproportionate investment in Spiralin B production limits in-host growth and favors the vertical transmission of Spiroplasma insect endosymbionts.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {119}, number = {30}, pages = {e2208461119}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.2208461119}, pmid = {35858432}, issn = {1091-6490}, support = {310030_185295//Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (SNF)/ ; }, mesh = {Amino Acids/metabolism ; Animals ; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins ; *Drosophila melanogaster/physiology ; *Spiroplasma/metabolism ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Insects frequently harbor endosymbionts, which are bacteria housed within host tissues. These associations are stably maintained over evolutionary timescales through vertical transmission of endosymbionts from host mothers to their offspring. Some endosymbionts manipulate host reproduction to facilitate spread within natural populations. Consequently, such infections have major impacts on insect physiology and evolution. However, technical hurdles have limited our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying such insect-endosymbiont interactions. Here, we investigate the nutritional interactions between endosymbiotic partners using the tractable insect Drosophila melanogaster and its natural endosymbiont Spiroplasma poulsonii. Using a combination of functional assays, metabolomics, and proteomics, we show that the abundance and amino acid composition of a single Spiroplasma membrane lectin, Spiralin B (SpiB), dictates the amino acid requirements of the endosymbiont and determines its proliferation within host tissues. Ectopically increasing SpiB levels in host tissues disrupts localization of endosymbionts in the fly egg chambers and decreases vertical transmission. We find that SpiB is likely to be required by the endosymbiont to enter host oocytes, which may explain the massive investment of S. poulsonii in SpiB synthesis. SpiB both permits vertical transmission of the symbiont and limits its growth in nutrient-limiting conditions for the host; therefore, a single protein plays a pivotal role in ensuring durability of the interaction in a variable environment.}, } @article {pmid35858063, year = {2022}, author = {Batstone, RT and Burghardt, LT and Heath, KD}, title = {Phenotypic and genomic signatures of interspecies cooperation and conflict in naturally occurring isolates of a model plant symbiont.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {289}, number = {1978}, pages = {20220477}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2022.0477}, pmid = {35858063}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Genetic Variation ; Genomics ; *Medicago truncatula/genetics ; *Sinorhizobium meliloti/genetics ; Symbiosis/genetics ; }, abstract = {Given the need to predict the outcomes of (co)evolution in host-associated microbiomes, whether microbial and host fitnesses tend to trade-off, generating conflict, remains a pressing question. Examining the relationships between host and microbe fitness proxies at both the phenotypic and genomic levels can illuminate the mechanisms underlying interspecies cooperation and conflict. We examined naturally occurring genetic variation in 191 strains of the model microbial symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti, paired with each of two host Medicago truncatula genotypes in single- or multi-strain experiments to determine how multiple proxies of microbial and host fitness were related to one another and test key predictions about mutualism evolution at the genomic scale, while also addressing the challenge of measuring microbial fitness. We found little evidence for interspecies fitness conflict; loci tended to have concordant effects on both microbe and host fitnesses, even in environments with multiple co-occurring strains. Our results emphasize the importance of quantifying microbial relative fitness for understanding microbiome evolution and thus harnessing microbiomes to improve host fitness. Additionally, we find that mutualistic coevolution between hosts and microbes acts to maintain, rather than erode, genetic diversity, potentially explaining why variation in mutualism traits persists in nature.}, } @article {pmid35855731, year = {2022}, author = {Zheng, Z and Zhu, Y and Qiu, F and Wang, L}, title = {Coupling Relationship Among Technological Innovation, Industrial Transformation and Environmental Efficiency: A Case Study of the Huaihai Economic Zone, China.}, journal = {Chinese geographical science}, volume = {32}, number = {4}, pages = {686-706}, doi = {10.1007/s11769-022-1294-0}, pmid = {35855731}, issn = {1002-0063}, abstract = {The 14th Five-Year Plan period is a critical period for China to achieve high-quality development. Based on super-efficiency slacks-based measure (SBM) model, grey-related analysis (GRA) and other models, this paper studies the heterogeneity of the coupling relationship among technological innovation, industrial transformation and environmental efficiency in the Huaihai Economic Zone during the period of 2005-2019. In addition, it analyzes the coupling mechanism of single and binary systems to the ternary system, which is of great significance for the collaborative symbiosis among systems. The findings are as follows. 1) The technological innovation, industrial transformation and environmental efficiency (TIE) systems of the Huaihai Economic Zone had significant spatial-temporal heterogeneity. Although their evaluation value fluctuated, the development trends are all positive. Ultimately, technological innovation is characterized by being high in the northeast and low in the southwest around Xuzhou, while other systems are relatively staggered in space. 2) The coupling of TIE systems is in transition, lack of orderly integration and benign interaction. However, the developing trend of interaction is also upward, and a spatial pattern driven by Xuzhou and Linyi as the dual cores has gradually formed. Moreover, the coupling is mostly manifested as outdated technological innovation and industrial transformation. Except for the final coordination of regenerative cities, the other resource types are all in transition. Cities in all traffic locations are still in transition. The overall system interaction of cities on Longhai Line (Lanzhou-Lianyungang Railway) is relatively optimal, and cities on Xinshi Line (Xinxiang-Rizhao Railway) are accelerating toward synergy. 3) The coupling status of TIE systems depends on the development of the single system and the interaction of the binary (2E) system. The coupling is closely related to technological innovation and Technology-Industry system, and is hindered by the inefficient interaction of Technology-Environment system. Specifically, the synergy of regenerative cities is attributed to the advantage of a single system and the effective integration of 2E systems. Beneficial from the advantages of environmental efficiency, the cities on Xinshi Line promote the synergy of the 2E and TIE systems. Therefore, while the Huaihai Economic Zone stimulates the development potential of the single and 2E systems, it is necessary to amplify the superimposition effect of systems in accordance on the basis of resource and location.}, } @article {pmid35855710, year = {2022}, author = {Bhatia, K and Misra, P and Soe, YN and Sibin, MK and Batra, HS and Shelly, D and Sampath, S and Negi, R and Mukherjee, B and Jagani, R}, title = {A pilot study on DNA hypermethylation status in promoter region of P16 gene in patients with sporadic breast cancer.}, journal = {Medical journal, Armed Forces India}, volume = {78}, number = {3}, pages = {322-326}, pmid = {35855710}, issn = {0377-1237}, abstract = {Background: Epigenetic modification of cancer-related genes plays a role over and above their genetic alterations and contributes to the tumor initiation and progression of breast cancer. Promoter methylation of tumor suppressor genes is one such epigenetic modification, which can be potential biomarker. In this study, promoter methylation status of p16 gene was studied in blood samples of patients with breast carcinoma.

Methods: Seventy-five patients, freshly diagnosed with carcinoma of breast and 20 age and sex matched healthy control subjects were recruited for the study. DNA extracted from EDTA blood sample was bisulfite converted and subjected to methylation-specific PCR to amplify the p16 promoter region.

Results: Out of 75 patients, 25 (33%) patients showed hypermethylation in promoter region of p16 gene, which was statistically significant in comparison with the control group (p < 0.05). In subgroup analysis, lymph node involvement, cancer grade, and histopathological finding did not show any difference with methylation status of p16 promoter.

Conclusion: Significant hypermethylation of p16 promoter region in the blood of histopathologically proven cases of breast cancer was observed suggesting promoter hypermethylation of p16 may be a possible mechanism accounting for sporadic carcinoma of breast.}, } @article {pmid35855672, year = {2022}, author = {Narvaez, P and Morais, RA and Vaughan, DB and Grutter, AS and Hutson, KS}, title = {Cleaner fish are potential super-spreaders.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.244469}, pmid = {35855672}, issn = {1477-9145}, support = {//Australian Society for Fish Biology/ ; //James Cook University/ ; }, abstract = {Cleaning symbiosis is critical for maintaining healthy biological communities in tropical marine ecosystems. However, potential negative impacts of mutualism, such as the transmission of pathogens and parasites during cleaning interactions, have rarely been evaluated. Here, we investigated whether the dedicated bluestreak cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus, is susceptible to, and can transmit generalist ectoparasites between client fish. In laboratory experiments, L. dimidiatus were exposed to infective stages of three generalist ectoparasite species with contrasting life-histories. Labroides dimidiatus were susceptible to infection by the gnathiid isopod, Gnathia aureamaculosa, but significantly less susceptible to the ciliate protozoan, Cryptocaryon irritans, and the monogenean flatworm, Neobenedenia girellae, compared to control host species (Coris batuensis or Lates calcarifer). The potential for parasite transmission from a client fish to the cleaner fish was simulated using experimentally transplanted mobile adult (i.e., egg-producing) monogenean flatworms on L. dimidiatus. Parasites remained attached to cleaners for an average of two days, during which parasite egg production continued, but was reduced compared to control fish. Over this timespan, a wild cleaner may engage in several thousand cleaning interactions, providing numerous opportunities for mobile parasites to exploit cleaners as vectors. Our study provides the first experimental evidence that L. dimidiatus exhibits resistance to infective stages of some parasites yet has the potential to temporarily transport adult parasites. We propose that some parasites that evade being eaten by cleaner fish could exploit cleaning interactions as a mechanism for transmission and spread.}, } @article {pmid35855475, year = {2022}, author = {Boubakri, H and Chihaoui, SA and Najjar, E and Barhoumi, F and Jebara, M}, title = {Comprehensive identification, evolutionary patterns and the divergent response of PRX genes in Phaseolus vulgaris under biotic and abiotic interactions.}, journal = {3 Biotech}, volume = {12}, number = {8}, pages = {175}, pmid = {35855475}, issn = {2190-572X}, abstract = {Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are novel cysteine-based peroxidases which are involved in protecting cells from oxidative damage by catalyzing the reduction of different peroxides. The present study addressed, for the first time, genome-wide identification, evolutionary patterns and expression dynamics of Phaseolus vulgaris Prx gene family (PvPrx). Nine Prx proteins were identified in P. vulgaris based on homology searches. The phylogeny analysis of Prxs from seven plant species revealed that Prx proteins can be clustered into four groups (1C-Prx, 2C-Prxs, PrxQ and type II Prxs). Both tandem and segmental duplication contributed to PvPrx gene family expansion. Intragenic reorganizations including gain/loss of exon/intron and insertions/deletions have also contributed to PvPrx gene diversification. The collinearity analysis revealed the presence of some orthologous Prx gene pairs between A. thaliana and P. vulgaris genomes. The Ka/Ks ratio indicated that two of the three PvPrx duplicated gene pairs have undergone a purifying selection. Redundant stress-related cis-acting elements were also found in the promoters of most PvPrx genes. RT q-PCR analysis revealed an upregulation of key PvPrx members in response to symbiosis and different abiotic factors. The upregulation of targeted PvPrx members, particularly in leaves exposed to salinity or drought, was accompanied by an accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). When exogenously applied, H2O2 modulated almost all PvPrx genes, suggesting a potential H2O2-scavenging role for these proteins. Collectively, our analysis provided valuable information for further functional analysis of key PvPrx members to improve common bean stress tolerance and/or its symbiotic performance.

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-022-03246-8.}, } @article {pmid35849728, year = {2022}, author = {Zhang, R and Liu, X and Wei, C}, title = {Dynamic analysis of stochastic delay mutualistic system of leaf-cutter ants with stage structure and their fungus garden.}, journal = {Journal of biological dynamics}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {565-584}, doi = {10.1080/17513758.2022.2099590}, pmid = {35849728}, issn = {1751-3766}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/microbiology ; Fungi ; Gardens ; Models, Biological ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {In this paper, we propose a stochastic delay mutualistic model of leaf-cutter ants with stage structure and their fungus garden, in which we explore how the discrete delay and white noise affect the dynamic of the population system. The existence and uniqueness of global positive solution are proved, and the asymptotic behaviours of the stochastic model around the positive equilibrium point of the deterministic model are also investigated. Furthermore, the sufficient conditions for the persistence of the population are established. Finally, some numerical simulations are performed to show the effect of random environmental fluctuation on the model.}, } @article {pmid35840628, year = {2022}, author = {Kozieł, M and Kalita, M and Janczarek, M}, title = {Genetic diversity of microsymbionts nodulating Trifolium pratense in subpolar and temperate climate regions.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {12144}, pmid = {35840628}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {2018/31/B/NZ9/00663//National Science Centre of Poland (NCN)/ ; 2018/31/B/NZ9/00663//National Science Centre of Poland (NCN)/ ; 2018/31/B/NZ9/00663//National Science Centre of Poland (NCN)/ ; }, mesh = {DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; Phylogeny ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; *Rhizobium/genetics ; *Rhizobium leguminosarum/genetics ; Root Nodules, Plant/microbiology ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Symbiosis/genetics ; *Trifolium/genetics/microbiology ; }, abstract = {Rhizobia are soil-borne bacteria forming symbiotic associations with legumes and fixing atmospheric dinitrogen. The nitrogen-fixation potential depends on the type of host plants and microsymbionts as well as environmental factors that affect the distribution of rhizobia. In this study, we compared genetic diversity of bacteria isolated from root nodules of Trifolium pratense grown in two geographical regions (Tromsø, Norway and Lublin, Poland) located in distinct climatic (subpolar and temperate) zones. To characterize these isolates genetically, three PCR-based techniques (ERIC, BOX, and RFLP of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer), 16S rRNA sequencing, and multi-locus sequence analysis of chromosomal house-keeping genes (atpD, recA, rpoB, gyrB, and glnII) were done. Our results indicate that a great majority of the isolates are T. pratense microsymbionts belonging to Rhizobium leguminosarum sv. trifolii. A high diversity among these strains was detected. However, a lower diversity within the population derived from the subpolar region in comparison to that of the temperate region was found. Multi-locus sequence analysis showed that a majority of the strains formed distinct clusters characteristic for the individual climatic regions. The subpolar strains belonged to two (A and B) and the temperate strains to three R. leguminosarum genospecies (B, E, and K), respectively.}, } @article {pmid35697205, year = {2022}, author = {Mendez, P and Walsh, B and Hallem, EA}, title = {Using newly optimized genetic tools to probe Strongyloides sensory behaviors.}, journal = {Molecular and biochemical parasitology}, volume = {250}, number = {}, pages = {111491}, doi = {10.1016/j.molbiopara.2022.111491}, pmid = {35697205}, issn = {1872-9428}, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; Life Cycle Stages/genetics ; *Nematoda/physiology ; *Strongyloides stercoralis/genetics ; *Strongyloidiasis/parasitology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The oft-neglected human-parasitic threadworm, Strongyloides stercoralis, infects roughly eight percent of the global population, placing disproportionate medical and economic burden upon marginalized communities. While current chemotherapies treat strongyloidiasis, disease recrudescence and the looming threat of anthelminthic resistance necessitate novel strategies for nematode control. Throughout its life cycle, S. stercoralis relies upon sensory cues to aid in environmental navigation and coordinate developmental progression. Odorants, tastants, gases, and temperature have been shown to shape parasite behaviors that drive host seeking and infectivity; however, many of these sensory behaviors remain poorly understood, and their underlying molecular and neural mechanisms are largely uncharacterized. Disruption of sensory circuits essential to parasitism presents a promising strategy for future interventions. In this review, we describe our current understanding of sensory behaviors - namely olfactory, gustatory, gas sensing, and thermosensory behaviors - in Strongyloides spp. We also highlight the ever-growing cache of genetic tools optimized for use in Strongyloides that have facilitated these findings, including transgenesis, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis, RNAi, chemogenetic neuronal silencing, and the use of fluorescent biosensors to measure neuronal activity. Bolstered by these tools, we are poised to enter an era of rapid discovery in Strongyloides sensory neurobiology, which has the potential to shape pioneering advances in the prevention and treatment of strongyloidiasis.}, } @article {pmid35621042, year = {2022}, author = {Rojas-Gätjens, D and Valverde-Madrigal, KS and Rojas-Jimenez, K and Pereira, R and Avey-Arroyo, J and Chavarría, M}, title = {Antibiotic-producing Micrococcales govern the microbiome that inhabits the fur of two- and three-toed sloths.}, journal = {Environmental microbiology}, volume = {24}, number = {7}, pages = {3148-3163}, doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.16082}, pmid = {35621042}, issn = {1462-2920}, support = {//National Center of Biotechnological Innovations (CENIBiot)/ ; 809-C1-009//Vicerrectoría de Investigación, Universidad de Costa Rica/ ; }, mesh = {*Actinobacteria ; Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology ; Bacteria/genetics ; *Microbiota/genetics ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; *Sloths ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Sloths have a dense coat on which insects, algae and fungi coexist in a symbiotic relationship. This complex ecosystem requires different levels of controls; however, most of these mechanisms remain unknown. We investigated the bacterial communities inhabiting the hair of two- (Choloepus Hoffmanni) and three-toed (Bradypus variegatus) sloths and evaluated their potential for producing antibiotic molecules capable of exerting control over the hair microbiota. The analysis of 16S rRNA amplicon sequence variants revealed that the communities in both host species are dominated by Actinobacteriota and Firmicutes. The most abundant genera were Brevibacterium, Kocuria/Rothia, Staphylococcus, Rubrobacter, Nesterenkonia and Janibacter. Furthermore, we isolated nine strains of Brevibacterium and Rothia capable of producing substances that inhibited the growth of common mammalian pathogens. The analysis of the biosynthetic gene clusters of these nine isolates suggests that the pathogen-inhibitory activity could be mediated by the presence of siderophores, terpenes, beta-lactones, Type III polyketide synthases, ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides, non-alpha poly-amino acids like e-Polylysine, ectoine or non-ribosomal peptides. Our data suggest that Micrococcales that inhabit sloth hair could have a role in controlling microbial populations in that habitat, improving our understanding of this highly complex ecosystem.}, } @article {pmid35593514, year = {2022}, author = {Bunbury, F and Deery, E and Sayer, AP and Bhardwaj, V and Harrison, EL and Warren, MJ and Smith, AG}, title = {Exploring the onset of B12 -based mutualisms using a recently evolved Chlamydomonas auxotroph and B12 -producing bacteria.}, journal = {Environmental microbiology}, volume = {24}, number = {7}, pages = {3134-3147}, doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.16035}, pmid = {35593514}, issn = {1462-2920}, support = {n/a//Cambridge Trust/ ; CO-90-16-4078-02//European Space Agency/ ; BB/M011194/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; BB/S002197/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Bacteria/genetics ; *Chlamydomonas/genetics/metabolism ; Escherichia coli/genetics/metabolism ; Mesorhizobium ; *Symbiosis ; Vitamin B 12/genetics/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Cobalamin (vitamin B12) is a cofactor for essential metabolic reactions in multiple eukaryotic taxa, including major primary producers such as algae, and yet only prokaryotes can produce it. Many bacteria can colonize the algal phycosphere, forming stable communities that gain preferential access to photosynthate and in return provide compounds such as B12 . Extended coexistence can then drive gene loss, leading to greater algal-bacterial interdependence. In this study, we investigate how a recently evolved B12 -dependent strain of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, metE7, forms a mutualism with certain bacteria, including the rhizobium Mesorhizobium loti and even a strain of the gut bacterium E. coli engineered to produce cobalamin. Although metE7 was supported by B12 producers, its growth in co-culture was slower than the B12 -independent wild-type, suggesting that high bacterial B12 provision may be necessary to favour B12 auxotrophs and their evolution. Moreover, we found that an E. coli strain that releases more B12 makes a better mutualistic partner, and although this trait may be more costly in isolation, greater B12 release provided an advantage in co-cultures. We hypothesize that, given the right conditions, bacteria that release more B12 may be selected for, particularly if they form close interactions with B12 -dependent algae.}, } @article {pmid35292761, year = {2022}, author = {Keegstra, JM and Carrara, F and Stocker, R}, title = {The ecological roles of bacterial chemotaxis.}, journal = {Nature reviews. Microbiology}, volume = {20}, number = {8}, pages = {491-504}, pmid = {35292761}, issn = {1740-1534}, mesh = {Bacteria ; *Bacterial Physiological Phenomena ; *Chemotaxis ; Oceans and Seas ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {How bacterial chemotaxis is performed is much better understood than why. Traditionally, chemotaxis has been understood as a foraging strategy by which bacteria enhance their uptake of nutrients and energy, yet it has remained puzzling why certain less nutritious compounds are strong chemoattractants and vice versa. Recently, we have gained increased understanding of alternative ecological roles of chemotaxis, such as navigational guidance in colony expansion, localization of hosts or symbiotic partners and contribution to microbial diversity by the generation of spatial segregation in bacterial communities. Although bacterial chemotaxis has been observed in a wide range of environmental settings, insights into the phenomenon are mostly based on laboratory studies of model organisms. In this Review, we highlight how observing individual and collective migratory behaviour of bacteria in different settings informs the quantification of trade-offs, including between chemotaxis and growth. We argue that systematically mapping when and where bacteria are motile, in particular by transgenerational bacterial tracking in dynamic environments and in situ approaches from guts to oceans, will open the door to understanding the rich interplay between metabolism and growth and the contribution of chemotaxis to microbial life.}, } @article {pmid35132118, year = {2022}, author = {Scharfenstein, HJ and Chan, WY and Buerger, P and Humphrey, C and van Oppen, MJH}, title = {Evidence for de novo acquisition of microalgal symbionts by bleached adult corals.}, journal = {The ISME journal}, volume = {16}, number = {6}, pages = {1676-1679}, pmid = {35132118}, issn = {1751-7370}, mesh = {Animals ; *Anthozoa/genetics ; Coral Reefs ; *Dinoflagellida/genetics ; *Microalgae ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Early life stages of most coral species acquire microalgal endosymbionts (Symbiodiniaceae) from the environment, but whether exogenous symbiont uptake is possible in the adult life stage is unclear. Deep sequencing of the Symbiodiniaceae ITS2 genetic marker has revealed novel symbionts in adult corals following bleaching; however these strains may have already been present at densities below detection limits. To test whether acquisition of symbionts from the environment occurs, we subjected adult fragments of corals (six species in four families) to a chemical bleaching treatment (menthol and DCMU). The treatment reduced the native microalgal symbiont abundance to below 2% of their starting densities. The bleached corals were then inoculated with a cultured Cladocopium C1acro strain. Genotyping of the Symbiodiniaceae communities before bleaching and after reinoculation showed that fragments of all six coral species acquired the Cladocopium C1acro strain used for inoculation. Our results provide strong evidence for the uptake of Symbiodiniaceae from the environment by adult corals. We also demonstrate the feasibility of chemical bleaching followed by reinoculation to manipulate the Symbiodiniaceae communities of adult corals, providing an innovative approach to establish new symbioses between adult corals and heat-evolved microalgal symbionts, which could prove highly relevant to coral reef restoration efforts.}, } @article {pmid35848664, year = {2022}, author = {Salvi, S and Madas, S and Ghorpade, D and Gadhave, S and Barne, M}, title = {Is underuse of Inhaled Corticosteroids for Asthma in India contributing to 42% of global asthma deaths?.}, journal = {Lung India : official organ of Indian Chest Society}, volume = {39}, number = {4}, pages = {331-336}, doi = {10.4103/lungindia.lungindia_600_21}, pmid = {35848664}, issn = {0970-2113}, abstract = {Background: : According to the 2019 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) report, India contributes to an estimated 12.9% of global asthma cases (34.3 million) but a disproportionate 42.3% of all global asthma deaths. Also, asthma causes 4.83 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) annually in India, four times more than China, which ranks second.

Hypothesis: : We hypothesised that this disproportionate increase in asthma deaths and suffering in India could be due to the under-use of inhaled corticosteroids.

Methods: : Using the estimated number of asthma cases in each state and union territory in India (34.3 million) from the 2019 GBD data, we calculated the expected sales of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) for asthmatics in India. We assumed that 10% of asthmatics have mild intermitted disease and thus need only 4 units of ICS pMDI per year. The remaining 90% should ideally use 12 units of ICS pMDI or equivalent DPI. We also assumed that 30% of ICS sales in India would be accounted for by the 38 million COPD patients. State-wise actual sales of ICS in India were obtained from IQVIA.

Results: : The total amount of ICS sales in India for asthma obtained from IQVIA was 26.4 million versus the 384.16 million expected sales, which is only 6.8% of the required estimated sales. Moreover, when we correlated state-wise actual sales of ICS in India versus asthma mortality and DALYs (per 100,000 population), we found a significant negative correlation (R = -0.56; P < 0.001 for asthma deaths and R = -0.61; P < 0.001 for asthma DALYs).

Impact and Future Direction: : Policy-makers, health care providers, public health researchers, asthma sufferers and the people at large need to take cognizance of our findings and undertake appropriate measures, such as creating awareness and ensuring availability and regular use of ICS by asthmatics in India.}, } @article {pmid35847106, year = {2022}, author = {Zhou, H and Yang, L and Ding, J and Xu, K and Liu, J and Zhu, W and Zhu, J and He, C and Han, C and Qin, C and Luo, H and Chen, K and Zheng, Y and Honaker, CF and Zhang, Y and Siegel, PB and Meng, H}, title = {Dynamics of Small Non-coding RNA Profiles and the Intestinal Microbiome of High and Low Weight Chickens.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {916280}, pmid = {35847106}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {The host and its symbiotic bacteria form a biological entity, holobiont, in which they share a dynamic connection characterized by symbiosis, co-metabolism, and coevolution. However, how these collaborative relationships were maintained over evolutionary time remains unclear. In this research, the small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) profiles of cecum and their bacteria contents were measured from lines of chickens that have undergone long-term selection for high (HWS) or low (LWS) 56-day body weight. The results from these lines that originated from a common founder population and maintained under the same husbandry showed an association between host intestinal sncRNA expression profile (miRNA, lncRNA fragment, mRNA fragment, snoRNA, and snRNA) and intestinal microbiota. Correlation analyses suggested that some central miRNAs and mRNA fragments had interactions with the abundance of intestinal microbial species and microbiota functions. miR-6622-3p, a significantly differentially expressed (DE) miRNA was correlated with a body weight gain related bacterium, Alistipes putredinis. Our results showed that host sncRNAs may be mediators of interaction between the host and its intestinal microbiome. This provides additional clue for holobiont concepts.}, } @article {pmid35845655, year = {2022}, author = {Manresa-Grao, M and Pastor-Fernández, J and Sanchez-Bel, P and Jaques, JA and Pastor, V and Flors, V}, title = {Mycorrhizal Symbiosis Triggers Local Resistance in Citrus Plants Against Spider Mites.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {867778}, pmid = {35845655}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {Citrus plants are a highly mycotrophic species with high levels of fungal colonization. Citrus aurantium rootstocks typically show abundant root colonization by Rhizophagus irregularis three weeks after inoculation. Mycorrhizal symbiosis protects plants against multiple biotic stressors, however, such protection against spider mites remains controversial. We examined mycorrhiza-induced resistance (MIR) in citrus against the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae. Mycorrhized C. aurantium displayed reduced levels of damage in leaves and lower mite oviposition rates, compared to non-mycorrhized controls. Mycorrhization did not affect host choice of mites in Y-tube assays; of note, C. aurantium has innate strong antixenotic resistance against this mite. Analysis of metabolism pathways in mycorrhized citrus plants showed upregulated expression of the oxylipin-related genes LOX-2 and PR-3 early after infestation. Accordingly, jasmonic acid (JA), 12-oxo phytodienoic acid (OPDA), and JA-Ile concentrations were increased by mycorrhization. Non-targeted metabolomic analysis revealed the amino acid, oxocarboxylic acid, and phenylpropanoid metabolism as the three major pathways with more hits at 24 h post infection (hpi) in mycorrhized plants. Interestingly, there was a transition to a priming profile of these pathways at 48 hpi following infestation. Three flavonoids (i.e., malic acid, coumaric acid, and diconiferyl alcohol) were among the priming compounds. A mixture containing all these compounds provided efficient protection against the mite. Unexpectedly, systemic resistance did not improve after 72 h of primary infestation, probably due to the innate strong systemic resistance of C. aurantium. This is the first study to show that MIR is functional against T. urticae in locally infested citrus leaves, which is mediated by a complex pool of secondary metabolites and is likely coordinated by priming of JA-dependent responses.}, } @article {pmid35845640, year = {2022}, author = {Authier, L and Violle, C and Richard, F}, title = {Ectomycorrhizal Networks in the Anthropocene: From Natural Ecosystems to Urban Planning.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {900231}, pmid = {35845640}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {Trees acquire hydric and mineral soil resources through root mutualistic associations. In most boreal, temperate and Mediterranean forests, these functions are realized by a chimeric structure called ectomycorrhizae. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are highly diversified and vary widely in their specificity toward plant hosts. Reciprocally, association patterns of ECM plants range from highly specialist to generalist. As a consequence, ECM symbiosis creates interaction networks, which also mediate plant-plant nutrient interactions among different individuals and drive plant community dynamics. Our knowledge of ECM networks essentially relies on a corpus acquired in temperate ecosystems, whereas the below-ground facets of both anthropogenic ECM forests and inter-tropical forests remain poorly investigated. Here, we successively (1) review the current knowledge of ECM networks, (2) examine the content of early literature produced in ECM cultivated forests, (3) analyze the recent progress that has been made in understanding the place of ECM networks in urban soils, and (4) provide directions for future research based on the identification of knowledge gaps. From the examined corpus of knowledge, we reach three main conclusions. First, the emergence of metabarcoding tools has propelled a resurgence of interest in applying network theory to ECM symbiosis. These methods revealed an unexpected interconnection between mutualistic plants with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) herbaceous plants, embedding ECM mycelia through root-endophytic interactions. This affinity of ECM fungi to bind VA and ECM plants, raises questions on the nature of the associated functions. Second, despite the central place of ECM trees in cultivated forests, little attention has been paid to these man-made landscapes and in-depth research on this topic is lacking. Third, we report a lag in applying the ECM network theory to urban soils, despite management initiatives striving to interconnect motile organisms through ecological corridors, and the highly challenging task of interconnecting fixed organisms in urban greenspaces is discussed. In particular, we observe a pauperized nature of resident ECM inoculum and a spatial conflict between belowground human pipelines and ECM networks. Finally, we identify the main directions of future research to make the needed link between the current picture of plant functioning and the understanding of belowground ECM networks.}, } @article {pmid35845374, year = {2022}, author = {Yan, Q and Li, X and Xiao, X and Chen, J and Liu, J and Lin, C and Guan, R and Wang, D}, title = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improve the growth and drought tolerance of Cinnamomum migao by enhancing physio-biochemical responses.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {12}, number = {7}, pages = {e9091}, pmid = {35845374}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Drought is the main limiting factor for plant growth in karst areas with a fragile ecological environment. Cinnamomum migao H.W. Li is an endemic medicinal woody plant present in the karst areas of southwestern China, and it is endangered due to poor drought tolerance. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are known to enhance the drought tolerance of plants. However, few studies have examined the contribution of AMF in improving the drought tolerance of C. migao seedlings. Therefore, we conducted a series of experiments to determine whether a single inoculation and coinoculation of AMF (Claroideoglomus lamellosum and Claroideoglomus etunicatum) enhanced the drought tolerance of C. migao. Furthermore, we compared the effects of single inoculation and coinoculation with different inoculum sizes (20, 40, 60, and 100 g; four replicates per treatment) on mycorrhizal colonization rate, plant growth, photosynthetic parameters, antioxidant enzyme activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) and osmoregulatory substance contents. The results showed that compared with nonmycorrhizal plants, AMF colonization significantly improved plant growing status; net photosynthetic rate; superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase activities; and soluble sugar, soluble protein, and proline contents. Furthermore, AMF colonization increased relative water content and reduced MDA content in cells. These combined cumulative effects of AMF symbiosis ultimately enhanced the drought tolerance of seedlings and were closely related to the inoculum size. With an increase in inoculum size, the growth rate and drought tolerance of plants first increased and then decreased. The damage caused by drought stress could be reduced by inoculating 40-60 g of AMF, and the effect of coinoculation was significantly better than that of single inoculation at 60 g of AMF, while the effect was opposite at 40 g of AMF. Additionally, the interaction between AMF and inoculum sizes had a significant effect on drought tolerance. In conclusion, the inoculation of the AMF (Cl. lamellosum and Cl. etunicatum) improved photosynthesis, activated antioxidant enzymes, regulated cell osmotic state, and enhanced the drought tolerance of C. migao, enabling its growth in fragile ecological environments.}, } @article {pmid35844010, year = {2022}, author = {Pujasatria, GC and Nishiguchi, I and Miura, C and Yamato, M and Kaminaka, H}, title = {Orchid mycorrhizal fungi and ascomycetous fungi in epiphytic Vanda falcata roots occupy different niches during growth and development.}, journal = {Mycorrhiza}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35844010}, issn = {1432-1890}, abstract = {Epiphytic orchids are commonly found in exposed environments, which plausibly lead to different root fungal community structures from terrestrial orchids. Until recently, few studies have been conducted to show the fungal community structure during the growth of a photosynthetic and epiphytic orchid in its natural growing site. In this study, the Vanda falcata (commonly known as Neofinetia falcata), one of Japan's ornamental orchids, was used to characterize the fungal community structure at different developmental stages. Amplicon sequencing analysis showed that all development stages contain a similar fungal community: Ascomycota dominate half of the community while one-third of the community belongs to Basidiomycota. Rhizoctonia-like fungi, a polyphyletic basidiomycetous fungal group forming mycorrhizas in many orchids, exist even in a smaller portion (around one-quarter) compared to other Basidiomycota members. While ascomycetous fungi exhibit pathogenicity, two Ceratobasidium strains isolated from young and adult plants could initiate seed germination in vitro. It was also found that the colonization of mycorrhizal fungi was concentrated in a part of the root where it directly attaches to the phorophyte bark, while ascomycetous fungi were distributed in the velamen but never colonized cortical cells. Additionally, the root parts attached to the bark have denser exodermal passage cells, and these cells were only colonized by mycorrhizal fungi that further penetrated into the cortical area. Therefore, we confirmed a process that physical regulation of fungal entry to partition the ascomycetes and mycorrhizal fungi results in the balanced mycorrhizal symbiosis in this orchid.}, } @article {pmid35834960, year = {2022}, author = {Zhai, B and Wheeler, RT}, title = {The dominoes fall after long-term antibiotic exposure.}, journal = {Cell host & microbe}, volume = {30}, number = {7}, pages = {903-905}, doi = {10.1016/j.chom.2022.06.007}, pmid = {35834960}, issn = {1934-6069}, mesh = {*Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology/therapeutic use ; *Bacteria ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Broad-spectrum antibiotics should prevent disease, right? In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Drummond et al. turn logic on its head and show they actually drive more deadly invasive fungal-bacterial systemic co-infection. Prophylactic antibiotics increase susceptibility to these infections by targeting the commensal microbes required for gut-derived IL-17-mediated immunity.}, } @article {pmid35834958, year = {2022}, author = {Melamed, J and LeBlanc, G and Constantinides, MG}, title = {Gut microbiota gestalt.}, journal = {Cell host & microbe}, volume = {30}, number = {7}, pages = {899-901}, doi = {10.1016/j.chom.2022.06.009}, pmid = {35834958}, issn = {1934-6069}, mesh = {*Gastrointestinal Microbiome/physiology ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Intestines ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The pathogenicity of disease-associated microbes varies widely between individuals. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Rice et al. demonstrate that interactions between intestinal commensals reciprocally modulate the host immune response to each microbe, ameliorating the inflammation caused by one and dampening antibody responses to the other.}, } @article {pmid35759954, year = {2022}, author = {Hsouna, J and Gritli, T and Ilahi, H and Ellouze, W and Mansouri, M and Chihaoui, SA and Bouhnik, O and Missbah El Idrissi, M and Abdelmoumen, H and Wipf, D and Courty, PE and Bekki, A and Tambong, JT and Mnasri, B}, title = {Genotypic and symbiotic diversity studies of rhizobia nodulating Acacia saligna in Tunisia reveal two novel symbiovars within the Rhizobium leguminosarum complex and Bradyrhizobium.}, journal = {Systematic and applied microbiology}, volume = {45}, number = {4}, pages = {126343}, doi = {10.1016/j.syapm.2022.126343}, pmid = {35759954}, issn = {1618-0984}, mesh = {*Acacia ; *Bradyrhizobium ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; *Rhizobium ; *Rhizobium leguminosarum/genetics ; Root Nodules, Plant/microbiology ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Symbiosis/genetics ; Tunisia ; }, abstract = {Acacia saligna is an invasive alien species that has the ability to establish symbiotic relationships with rhizobia. In the present study, genotypic and symbiotic diversity of native rhizobia associated with A. saligna in Tunisia were studied. A total of 100 bacterial strains were selected and three different ribotypes were identified based on rrs PCR-RFLP analysis. Sequence analyses of rrs and four housekeeping genes (recA, atpD, gyrB and glnII) assigned 30 isolates to four putative new lineages and a single strain to Sinorhizobium meliloti. Thirteen slow-growing isolates representing the most dominant IGS (intergenic spacer) profile clustered distinctly from known rhizobia species within Bradyrhizobium with the closest related species being Bradyrhizobium shewense and Bradyrhizobium niftali, which had 95.17% and 95.1% sequence identity, respectively. Two slow-growing isolates, 1AS28L and 5AS6L, had B. frederekii as their closest species with a sequence identity of 95.2%, an indication that these strains could constitute a new lineage. Strains 1AS14I, 1AS12I and 6AS6 clustered distinctly from known rhizobia species but within the Rhizobium leguminosarum complex (Rlc) with the most closely related species being Rhizobium indicum with 96.3% sequence identity. Similarly, the remaining 11 strains showed 96.9 % and 97.2% similarity values with R. changzhiense and R. indicum, respectively. Based on nodC and nodA phylogenies and cross inoculation tests, these 14 strains of Rlc species clearly diverged from strains of Sinorhizobium and Rlc symbiovars, and formed a new symbiovar for which the name sv. "salignae" is proposed. Bacterial strains isolated in this study that were taxonomically assigned to Bradyrhizobium harbored different symbiotic genes and the data suggested a new symbiovar, for which sv. "cyanophyllae" is proposed. Isolates formed effective nodules on A. saligna.}, } @article {pmid35730734, year = {2022}, author = {Hansen, KA and Kim, RR and Lawton, ES and Tran, J and Lewis, SK and Deol, AS and Van Arnam, EB}, title = {Bacterial Associates of a Desert Specialist Fungus-Growing Ant Antagonize Competitors with a Nocamycin Analog.}, journal = {ACS chemical biology}, volume = {17}, number = {7}, pages = {1824-1830}, doi = {10.1021/acschembio.2c00187}, pmid = {35730734}, issn = {1554-8937}, mesh = {Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology ; *Ants/microbiology ; Bacteria ; Fungi ; Polyketides ; Soil ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Fungus-growing ants are defended by antibiotic-producing bacterial symbionts in the genus Pseudonocardia. Nutrients provisioned by the ants support these symbionts but also invite colonization and competition from other bacteria. As an arena for chemically mediated bacterial competition, this niche offers a window into ecological antibiotic function with well-defined competing organisms. From multiple colonies of the desert specialist ant Trachymyrmex smithi, we isolated Amycolatopsis bacteria that inhibit the growth of Pseudonocardia symbionts under laboratory conditions. Using bioassay-guided fractionation, we discovered a novel analog of the antibiotic nocamycin that is responsible for this antagonism. We identified the biosynthetic gene cluster for this antibiotic, which has a suite of oxidative enzymes consistent with this molecule's more extensive oxidative tailoring relative to similar tetramic acid antibiotics. High genetic similarity to globally distributed soil Amycolatopsis isolates suggest that this ant-derived Amycolatopsis strain may be an opportunistic soil strain whose antibiotic production allows for competition in this specialized niche. This nocamycin analog adds to the catalog of novel bioactive molecules isolated from bacterial associates of fungus-growing ants, and its activity against ant symbionts represents, to our knowledge, the first putative ecological function for the widely distributed enoyl tetramic acid family of antibiotics.}, } @article {pmid35660736, year = {2022}, author = {Lamrabet, M and ElFaik, S and Laadraoui, C and Bouhnik, O and Lamin, H and Alami, S and Abdelmoumen, H and Bedmar, EJ and El Idrissi, MM}, title = {Phylogenetic and symbiotic diversity of Lupinus albus and L. angustifolius microsymbionts in the Maamora forest, Morocco.}, journal = {Systematic and applied microbiology}, volume = {45}, number = {4}, pages = {126338}, doi = {10.1016/j.syapm.2022.126338}, pmid = {35660736}, issn = {1618-0984}, mesh = {*Bradyrhizobium ; Carbon ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; Forests ; *Lupinus/microbiology ; Morocco ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Root Nodules, Plant/microbiology ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Symbiosis/genetics ; }, abstract = {Out of 70 bacterial strains isolated from root nodules of Lupinus albus and L. angustifolius grown in the soils from the Maamora forest in Morocco, 56 isolates possessed the nodC symbiotic gene, as determined by nodC-PCR, and they were able to renodulate their original hosts. The phenotypic analysis showed that many strains had great potential for using different carbon compounds and amino acids as sole carbon and nitrogen sources. The majority of strains grew in media with pH values between 6 and 8. Only one strain isolated from L. angustifolius was able to grow at low pH values, whereas fourteen strains nodulating L. albus grew at pH 5. No strain developed at 40 °C, and eighteen strains grew at NaCl concentrations as high as 855 mM. A total of 17 strains solubilized phosphates, whereas 20 produced siderophores and seven produced IAA. Only three strains, Lalb41, Lang10 and Lang16, possessed all three plant growth promoting activities. The strains were grouped into eight genetic groups by rep-PCR. Analysis of the 16S rRNA sequences of eight strains representing the different groups showed that they were members of the genus Bradyrhizobium. The sequencing of the five housekeeping genes atpD, glnII, dnaK, gyrB and recA, from the eight representative strains, and the phylogenetic analysis of their concatenated sequences, showed that both plants were nodulated by different Bradyrhizobium species. Accordingly, two strains, Lalb41 and Lalb5.2, belonged to B. lupini, whereas two strains, Lalb2 and Lang17.2, were affiliated to B. cytisi, and one strain, Lang2, was close to B. canariense. The fourth group of strains, Lalb25, Lang14.3 and Lang8.3, which had similarity values of less than 96% with their closest named species, B. cytisi, may belong to two new genospecies in the genus Bradyrhizobium. All the strains nodulated Lupinus cosentinii, L. luteus, Retama sphaerocarpa, R. monosperma, Chamaecytisus albus, but not Vachellia gummifera, Phaseolus vulgaris or Glycine max. The nodA, nodC and nifH sequence analyses and their phylogeny confirmed that the strains isolated from the two lupines were members of the symbiovar genistearum.}, } @article {pmid35490629, year = {2022}, author = {Lamberte, LE and van Schaik, W}, title = {Antibiotic resistance in the commensal human gut microbiota.}, journal = {Current opinion in microbiology}, volume = {68}, number = {}, pages = {102150}, doi = {10.1016/j.mib.2022.102150}, pmid = {35490629}, issn = {1879-0364}, mesh = {Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology ; Bacteria/genetics ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial/genetics ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome/genetics ; Gene Transfer, Horizontal ; Humans ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Antibiotic-resistant infections are a major threat to global public health and there is an urgent need to develop new drugs and interventions to treat and prevent infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The human gut microbiota harbours both commensals and opportunistic pathogens which can acquire resistance to antibiotics through mutation and horizontal gene transfer. The powerful combination of modern high-throughput DNA sequencing and microbiological culture methods is providing novel insights into the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance among, up to recently poorly studied, commensal bacteria in the gut. Interventions to minimise the abundance of antibiotic-resistant commensals and opportunistic pathogens include faecal microbiota transplantation and the use of live biotherapeutics, but the efficacy of these treatments remains elusive.}, } @article {pmid35840731, year = {2022}, author = {Cárdenas, A and Raina, JB and Pogoreutz, C and Rädecker, N and Bougoure, J and Guagliardo, P and Pernice, M and Voolstra, CR}, title = {Greater functional diversity and redundancy of coral endolithic microbiomes align with lower coral bleaching susceptibility.}, journal = {The ISME journal}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35840731}, issn = {1751-7370}, support = {OSR-2017-CRG6-3400-02//King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)/ ; OSR-2017-CRG6-3400-02//King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)/ ; OSR-2017-CRG6-3400-02//King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)/ ; }, abstract = {The skeleton of reef-building coral harbors diverse microbial communities that could compensate for metabolic deficiencies caused by the loss of algal endosymbionts, i.e., coral bleaching. However, it is unknown to what extent endolith taxonomic diversity and functional potential might contribute to thermal resilience. Here we exposed Goniastrea edwardsi and Porites lutea, two common reef-building corals from the central Red Sea to a 17-day long heat stress. Using hyperspectral imaging, marker gene/metagenomic sequencing, and NanoSIMS, we characterized their endolithic microbiomes together with 15N and 13C assimilation of two skeletal compartments: the endolithic band directly below the coral tissue and the deep skeleton. The bleaching-resistant G. edwardsi was associated with endolithic microbiomes of greater functional diversity and redundancy that exhibited lower N and C assimilation than endoliths in the bleaching-sensitive P. lutea. We propose that the lower endolithic primary productivity in G. edwardsi can be attributed to the dominance of chemolithotrophs. Lower primary production within the skeleton may prevent unbalanced nutrient fluxes to coral tissues under heat stress, thereby preserving nutrient-limiting conditions characteristic of a stable coral-algal symbiosis. Our findings link coral endolithic microbiome structure and function to bleaching susceptibility, providing new avenues for understanding and eventually mitigating reef loss.}, } @article {pmid35840482, year = {2022}, author = {Hasan, MM and Corpas, FJ and Fang, XW}, title = {Light: a crucial factor for rhizobium-induced root nodulation.}, journal = {Trends in plant science}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.tplants.2022.07.002}, pmid = {35840482}, issn = {1878-4372}, abstract = {Wang et al. recently showed that, in soybean (Glycine max), root nodule formation is induced by a light-triggered signal that moves from the upper part of the plant to the roots. This novel signaling process opens a new area of research aimed to optimize the carbon-nitrogen balance in plant-rhizobium symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35839761, year = {2022}, author = {Boscaro, V and Syberg-Olsen, MJ and Irwin, NAT and George, EE and Vannini, C and Husnik, F and Keeling, PJ}, title = {All essential endosymbionts of the ciliate Euplotes are cyclically replaced.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.052}, pmid = {35839761}, issn = {1879-0445}, abstract = {Symbiotic systems vary in the degree to which the partners are bound to each other1. At one extreme, there are intracellular endosymbionts in mutually obligate relationships with their host, often interpreted as mutualistic. The symbiosis between the betaproteobacterium Polynucleobacter and the ciliate Euplotes (clade B) challenges this view2: although freshwater Euplotes species long ago became dependent on endosymbionts, the many extant Polynucleobacter lineages they harbour arose recently and in parallel from different free-living ancestors2. The host requires the endosymbionts for reproduction and survival3, but each newly established symbiont is ultimately driven to extinction in a cycle of establishment, degeneration, and replacement. Similar replacement events have been observed in sap-feeding insects4-6, a model for bacteria-eukaryote symbioses7, but usually only affect a small subset of the host populations. Most insects retain an ancient coevolving symbiont, suggesting that long-term mutualism and permanent integration remains the rule and symbiont turnovers are mere evolutionary side-stories. Here we show that this is not the case for Euplotes. We examined all known essential Euplotes symbionts and found that none are ancient or coevolving; rather, all are recently established and continuously replaced over relatively short evolutionary time spans, making the symbiosis ancient for the host but not for any bacterial lineage.}, } @article {pmid35837848, year = {2022}, author = {Staubli, F and Imola, L and Dauphin, B and Molinier, V and Pfister, S and Piñuela, Y and Schürz, L and Sproll, L and Steidinger, BS and Stobbe, U and Tegel, W and Büntgen, U and Egli, S and Peter, M}, title = {Hidden fairy rings and males-Genetic patterns of natural Burgundy truffle (Tuber aestivum Vittad.) populations reveal new insights into its life cycle.}, journal = {Environmental microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.16131}, pmid = {35837848}, issn = {1462-2920}, abstract = {Burgundy truffles are heterothallic ascomycetes that grow in symbiosis with trees. Despite their esteemed belowground fruitbodies, the species' complex lifecycle is still not fully understood. Here, we present the genetic patterns in three natural Burgundy truffle populations based on genotyped fruitbodies, ascospore extracts, and ectomycorrhizal root tips using microsatellites and the mating type locus. Distinct genetic structures with high relatedness in close vicinity were found for females (forming the fruitbodies) and males (fertilizing partner as inferred from ascospore extracts), with high genotypic diversity and annual turnover of males, suggesting that ephemeral male mating partners are germinating ascospores from decaying fruitbodies. The presence of hermaphrodites and the interannual persistence of a few males suggest that persistent mycelia may sporadically also act as males. Only female or hermaphroditic individuals were detected on root tips. At one site, fruitbodies grew in a fairy ring formed by a large female individual that showed an outward growth rate of 30cm per year, with the mycelium decaying within the ring and being fertilized by over 50 male individuals. While fairy ring structures have never been shown for truffles, the genetics of Burgundy truffle populations support a similar reproductive biology as those of other highly prized truffles. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.}, } @article {pmid35834932, year = {2022}, author = {Mohamad, R and Willems, A and Le Quéré, A and Pervent, M and Maynaud, G and Bonabaud, M and Dubois, E and Cleyet-Marel, JC and Brunel, B}, title = {Mesorhizobium ventifaucium sp. nov. and Mesorhizobium escarrei sp. nov., two novel root-nodulating species isolated from Anthyllis vulneraria.}, journal = {Systematic and applied microbiology}, volume = {45}, number = {5}, pages = {126341}, doi = {10.1016/j.syapm.2022.126341}, pmid = {35834932}, issn = {1618-0984}, abstract = {Ten mesorhizobial strains isolated from root-nodules of Anthyllis vulneraria by trapping using soils from southern France were studied to resolve their taxonomy. Their 16S rDNA sequences were identical and indicated that they are affiliated to the genus Mesorhizobium within the group M. prunaredense/M. delmotii/M. temperatum/M. mediterraneum/M. wenxiniae and M. robiniae as the closest defined species. Their evolutionary relationships with validated species were further characterized by multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) using 4 protein-coding housekeeping genes (recA, atpD, glnII and dnaK), that divides the strains in two groups, and suggest that they belong to two distinct species. These results were well-supported by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analyses, wet-lab DNA-DNA hybridization (≤58%), and genome-based species delineation methods (ANI < 96%, in silico DDH < 70%), confirming their affiliation to two novel species. Based on these differences, Mesorhizobium ventifaucium (STM4922T = LMG 29643T = CFBP 8438T) and Mesorhizobium escarrei (type strain STM5069T = LMG 29642T = CFBP 8439T) are proposed as names for these two novel species. The phylogeny of nodulation genes nodC and nodA allocated the type strains into symbiovar anthyllidis as well as those of M. metallidurans STM2683T, M. delmotii STM4623T and M. prunaredense STM4891T, all recovered from the same legume species.}, } @article {pmid35834588, year = {2022}, author = {Kahoun, D and Fojtíková, P and Vácha, F and Čížková, M and Vodička, R and Nováková, E and Hypša, V}, title = {Development and validation of an LC-MS/MS method for determination of B vitamins and some its derivatives in whole blood.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {17}, number = {7}, pages = {e0271444}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0271444}, pmid = {35834588}, issn = {1932-6203}, abstract = {Obligate symbiotic bacteria associated with the insects feeding exclusively on vertebrate blood are supposed to complement B vitamins presumably lacking in their diet. Recent genomic analyses revealed considerable differences in biosynthetic capacities across different symbionts, suggesting that levels of B vitamins may vary across different vertebrate hosts. However, a rigorous determination of B vitamins content in blood of various vertebrates has not yet been approached. A reliable analytical method focused on B vitamin complex in blood can provide valuable informative background and understanding of general principles of insect symbiosis. In this work, a chromatographic separation of eight B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin, folic acid, and cyanocobalamine), four B vitamin derivatives (niacinamide, pyridoxal-5-phosphate, 4-pyridoxic acid, and tetrahydrofolic acid), and 3 stable isotope labelled internal standards was developed. Detection was carried out using dual-pressure linear ion trap mass spectrometer in FullScan MS/MS and SIM mode. Except for vitamin B9 (tetrahydrofolic acid), the instrument quantitation limits of all analytes were ranging from 0.42 to 5.0 μg/L, correlation coefficients from 0.9997 to 1.0000, and QC coefficients from 0.53 to 3.2%. Optimization of whole blood sample preparation step was focused especially on evaluation of two types of protein-precipitation agents: trichloroacetic acid and zinc sulphate in methanol. The best results were obtained for zinc sulphate in methanol, but only nine analytes were successfully validated. Accuracy of the procedure using this protein-precipitating agent was ranging from 89 to 120%, precision from 0.5 to 13%, and process efficiency from 65 to 108%. The content of B vitamins in whole blood samples from human and various vertebrates is presented as an application example of this newly developed method.}, } @article {pmid35834138, year = {2022}, author = {Liang, SM and Zheng, FL and Wu, QS}, title = {Elucidating the dialogue between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and polyamines in plants.}, journal = {World journal of microbiology & biotechnology}, volume = {38}, number = {9}, pages = {159}, pmid = {35834138}, issn = {1573-0972}, abstract = {The most dominant arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiont can be established on roots of most terrestrial plants by beneficial AM fungi. A type of polycationic and aliphatic compounds, polyamines (PAs), are involved in plant physiological activities including stress responses. Interestingly, small amounts of PAs such as putrescine (Put) and spermidine (Spd) were found in AM fungal spores, and they are considered to be a component involved in mycorrhizal development, including mycorrhizal colonization, appressoria formation, spore germination and mycelial growth. Thus, PAs are regulatory factors in plant-AM symbiosis. Inoculation of AM fungi also affects the metabolism of endogenous PAs in host plants, including PAs synthesis and catabolism, thus, regulating various physiological events of the host. As a result, there seems to be a dialogue between PAs and AM fungi. Existing knowledge makes us understand that endogenous or exogenous PAs are an important regulator factor in the growth of AM fungi, as well as a key substance to colonize roots, which further enhances mycorrhizal benefits in plant growth responses and root architecture. The presence of AM symbiosis in roots alters the dynamic balance of endogenous PAs, triggering osmotic adjustment and antioxidant defense systems, maintaining charge balance and acting as a stress signalling molecule, which affects various physiological activities, such as plant growth, nutrient acquisition, stress tolerance and improvement of root architecture. This review mainly elucidated (i) what is the role of fungal endogenous PAs in fungal growth and colonization of roots in host plants? (ii) how AM fungi and PAs interact with each other to alter the growth of fungi and plants and subsequent activities, providing the reference for the future combined use of AM fungi and PAs in agricultural production, although there are still many unknown events in the dialogue.}, } @article {pmid35833719, year = {2022}, author = {Kulkarni, M and Dongre, P}, title = {Determining Efficacy of Inpatient Care for Select Surgeries at a Large Tertiary Care Hospital With Average Length of Stay as a Measure.}, journal = {Hospital topics}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {1-6}, doi = {10.1080/00185868.2022.2097972}, pmid = {35833719}, issn = {1939-9278}, abstract = {The purpose of the study was to determine average length of stay (ALOS) for selected surgical procedures for CABG, TKR, THR and inguinal hernia and to compare the variation of ALOS among the group and its comparison with standard guidelines. Passive file auditing method was followed to collect the required information to calculate the pre-operative, post- operative and overall LOS for a period of two months. Additional data was collected from electronic health record system used by the hospital. The observed value for ALOS for CABG was 12.76 days, for TKR - 6.44 days, THR-7.6 days and for inguinal hernia, it came to 2.28 days. Further, the mean and standard deviation with respect to pre-operative and post-operative stay for the four surgical procedures revealed mean pre-operative stay for CABG was 3.96 days, TKR - 1.18 days, THR- 1.60 days and Inguinal hernia was 0.53 days. The post-operative mean stay for CABG, TKR, THR and inguinal hernia were 8.80 days, 4.98 days, 6 days and 1.77 days respectively. It was also observed that there was difference in terms of length of stay (LOS) when compared between male and female patients for different surgical procedures. The findings help in identifying the factors leading to increased LOS number of cases with pre-operative, post-operative or overall stay from entry to exit. It has given an insight on the gaps that needs to address to improve the efficiency of patient services offered by the tertiary care hospital.}, } @article {pmid35832209, year = {2022}, author = {Shao, P and Yu, H and Xu, Z}, title = {Reading Game Sport from the Perspective of Sociology of Knowledge.}, journal = {Journal of environmental and public health}, volume = {2022}, number = {}, pages = {3711900}, doi = {10.1155/2022/3711900}, pmid = {35832209}, issn = {1687-9813}, abstract = {The evolution of media technology has not only changed readers' reading ways and reading habits but also tried to reshape their social behaviour. From the perspective of sociology of sustainable knowledge, this essay explores the impacts of technological change on reading through the framework of activity theory. It is found that digital reading is of increasing characteristics of "front stage" performance and reading anxiety in society, and sustainable knowledge anxiety began to spread. The research shows that the existing digital reading mode is actually the consumption of media, which is not conducive to the transmission and production of sustainable knowledge. Also, with the further development of technology, reading will open up a new chapter. The wisdom of human symbiosis will be infinitely stored and strive toward the era of global brain, which will help to better inherit sustainable knowledge and activate the vitality of sustainable knowledge production.}, } @article {pmid35738328, year = {2022}, author = {Aogo, RA and Tanaka, MM and Penington, CJ}, title = {Spatial dynamics of inflammation-causing and commensal bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.}, journal = {Journal of theoretical biology}, volume = {548}, number = {}, pages = {111194}, doi = {10.1016/j.jtbi.2022.111194}, pmid = {35738328}, issn = {1095-8541}, mesh = {*Bacteria ; *Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Immunity ; Inflammation ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {In recent years, new research programmes have been initiated to understand the role of gut bacteria in health and disease, enabled in large part by the emergence of high-throughput sequencing. As new genomic and other data emerge it will become important to explain observations in terms of underlying population mechanisms; for instance, it is of interest to understand how resident bacteria interact with their hosts and pathogens, and how they play a protective role. Connecting underlying processes with observed patterns is aided by the development of mathematical models. Here, we develop a spatial model of microbial populations in the gastrointestinal tract to explore conditions under which inflammation-causing bacteria can invade the gut and under which such pathogens become persistent. We find that pathogens invade both small and large intestine from even a relatively small inoculum size but are usually eliminated by the host response. When the immune response is weak, the pathogen is able to persist for a long period. Spatial structure affects these dynamics by creating moving refugia which facilitate bouts of pathogen resurgence and inflammation in persistent infections. Space also plays a role in repopulation by commensals after infection. We further find that the rate of decay of inflammation has a stronger effect on outcomes than the initiation of inflammation or other parameters. Finally, we explore the impact of partially inflammation-resistant commensals on these dynamics.}, } @article {pmid35822627, year = {2022}, author = {Toopaang, W and Bunnak, W and Srisuksam, C and Wattananukit, W and Tanticharoen, M and Yang, YL and Amnuaykanjanasin, A}, title = {Microbial polyketides and their roles in insect virulence: from genomics to biological functions.}, journal = {Natural product reports}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1039/d1np00058f}, pmid = {35822627}, issn = {1460-4752}, abstract = {Covering: May 1966 up to January 2022Entomopathogenic microorganisms have potential for biological control of insect pests. Their main secondary metabolites include polyketides, nonribosomal peptides, and polyketide-nonribosomal peptide (PK-NRP) hybrids. Among these secondary metabolites, polyketides have mainly been studied for structural identification, pathway engineering, and for their contributions to medicine. However, little is known about the function of polyketides in insect virulence. This review focuses on the role of bacterial and fungal polyketides, as well as PK-NRP hybrids in insect infection and killing. We also discuss gene distribution and evolutional relationships among different microbial species. Further, the role of microbial polyketides and the hybrids in modulating insect-microbial symbiosis is also explored. Understanding the mechanisms of polyketides in insect pathogenesis, how compounds moderate the host-fungus interaction, and the distribution of PKS genes across different fungi and bacteria will facilitate the discovery and development of novel polyketide-derived bio-insecticides.}, } @article {pmid35819348, year = {2022}, author = {Hung, SW and Chiu, MC and Huang, CC and Kuo, CH}, title = {Complete Genome Sequence of Curtobacterium sp. C1, a Beneficial Endophyte with the Potential for In-Plant Salinity Stress Alleviation.}, journal = {Molecular plant-microbe interactions : MPMI}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {MPMI01220027A}, doi = {10.1094/MPMI-01-22-0027-A}, pmid = {35819348}, issn = {0894-0282}, } @article {pmid35818672, year = {2022}, author = {Plett, JM and Sabotič, J and Vogt, E and Snijders, F and Kohler, A and Nielsen, UN and Künzler, M and Martin, F and Veneault-Fourrey, C}, title = {Mycorrhiza-induced mycocypins of Laccaria bicolor are potent protease inhibitors with nematotoxic and collembola antifeedant activity.}, journal = {Environmental microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.16115}, pmid = {35818672}, issn = {1462-2920}, support = {DE150100408//Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Australian Research Council/ ; FP7-211917//ENERGYPOPLAR/ ; ANR-11-LABX-0002-01//Laboratory of Excellence ARBRE/ ; DE-AC05-00OR22725//Plant-Microbes Interfaces, US DOE/ ; 31003A_173097//Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung/ ; P4-0127//Slovenian Research Agency/ ; P4-0432//Slovenian Research Agency/ ; }, abstract = {Fungivory of mycorrhizal hyphae has a significant impact on fungal fitness and, by extension, on nutrient transfer between fungi and host plants in natural ecosystems. Mycorrhizal fungi have therefore evolved an arsenal of chemical compounds that are hypothesized to protect the hyphal tissues from being eaten, such as the protease inhibitors mycocypins. The genome of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor has an unusually high number of mycocypin-encoding genes. We have characterized the evolution of this class of proteins, identified those induced by symbiosis with a host plant and characterized the biochemical properties of two upregulated L. bicolor mycocypins. More than half of L. bicolor mycocypin-encoding genes are differentially expressed during symbiosis or fruiting body formation. We show that two L. bicolor mycocypins that are strongly induced during symbiosis are cysteine protease inhibitors and exhibit similar but distinct localization in fungal tissues at different developmental stages and during interaction with a host plant. Moreover, we show that these L. bicolor mycocypins have toxic and feeding deterrent effect on nematodes and collembolans, respectively. Therefore, L. bicolor mycocypins may be part of a mechanism by which this species deters grazing by different members of the soil food web.}, } @article {pmid35818534, year = {2022}, author = {Rejeb, A and Rejeb, K and Zailani, S and Kayikci, Y and Keogh, JG}, title = {Examining Knowledge Diffusion in the Circular Economy Domain: a Main Path Analysis.}, journal = {Circular economy and sustainability}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {1-42}, doi = {10.1007/s43615-022-00189-3}, pmid = {35818534}, issn = {2730-5988}, abstract = {The circular economy (CE) field has recently attracted significant interest from academics and practitioners. CE represents a departure from the linear economy, which is characterised by unsustainable resource production and consumption. The growing number of publications necessitates a comprehensive analysis of this field. This is the first systematic examination of the knowledge base and knowledge diffusion pathways in the CE domain. We analyse a Web of Science dataset containing 5431 articles published between 1970 and 2020. To create a comprehensive review of the CE domain, we conducted a keyword co-occurrence network analysis. We examined four distinct types of main paths using the main path analysis (MPA) technique: forward, backward, global, and key-route. According to the analyses, CE research focuses on six primary research themes: CE and sustainability, bioeconomy, CE practices, lifecycle assessment and industrial symbiosis, construction activities, and waste management. In addition, the MPA demonstrates that the CE literature has recently focused on Industry 4.0 technologies and their contribution to CE. This is the first attempt to depict the genealogy of CE research so that scholars can comprehend the domain's evolutionary structure, identify hot topics, and capture the history, development status, and potential future directions of CE research.}, } @article {pmid35805098, year = {2022}, author = {Suparan, K and Sriwichaiin, S and Chattipakorn, N and Chattipakorn, SC}, title = {Human Blood Bacteriome: Eubiotic and Dysbiotic States in Health and Diseases.}, journal = {Cells}, volume = {11}, number = {13}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/cells11132015}, pmid = {35805098}, issn = {2073-4409}, support = {NSTDA Research Chair Grant (NC)//the National Science and Technology Development Agency Thailand/ ; CMU Excellent Center Award (NC)//Chiang Mai University/ ; Senior Research Scholar Grant (SCC)//National Research Council of Thailand/ ; }, mesh = {Bacteria/genetics ; Dysbiosis/complications ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans ; *Microbiota ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The human gut microbiome is acknowledged as being associated with homeostasis and the pathogenesis of several diseases. Conventional culture techniques are limited in that they cannot culture the commensals; however, next-generation sequencing has facilitated the discovery of the diverse and delicate microbial relationship in body sites and blood. Increasing evidence regarding the blood microbiome has revolutionized the concept of sterility and germ theory in circulation. Among the types of microbial communities in the blood, bacteriomes associated with many health conditions have been thoroughly investigated. Blood bacterial profiles in healthy subjects are identified as the eubiotic blood bacteriome, whereas the dysbiotic blood bacteriome represents the change in bacterial characteristics in subjects with diseases showing deviations from the eubiotic profiles. The blood bacterial characteristics in each study are heterogeneous; thus, the association between eubiotic and dysbiotic blood bacteriomes and health and disease is still debatable. Thereby, this review aims to summarize and discuss the evidence concerning eubiotic and dysbiotic blood bacteriomes characterized by next-generation sequencing in human studies. Knowledge pertaining to the blood bacteriome will transform the concepts around health and disease in humans, facilitating clinical implementation in the near future.}, } @article {pmid35815723, year = {2022}, author = {Holkar, K and Kale, V and Ingavle, G}, title = {Well-orchestrated physico-chemical and biological factors for enhanced secretion of osteogenic and angiogenic extracellular vesicles by mesenchymal stem cells in a 3D culture format.}, journal = {Biomaterials science}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1039/d2bm00750a}, pmid = {35815723}, issn = {2047-4849}, abstract = {The secretome of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is being studied for its regenerative potential for the treatment of various disorders, including bone diseases. However, mimicking the physiological parameters of native bone could further improve MSCs' secretory profile. The proteomic analysis revealed that MSCs have a diverse secretory profile depending on the cell formats used to grow them, such as two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments. Stem cells are given biochemical and biophysical stimuli in a 3D milieu that mimics in vivo situations. Compared to the gold standard monolayer culture, extracellular vesicles (EVs) released under 3D conditions improved the EV cargo numerically and qualitatively. The higher requirements of EVs in clinical trials with consistent therapeutic potential are challenging. This review discusses the impact of cell culture formats on the regenerative potential of MSCs, specifically in bone regeneration. The poor yield and heterogeneity issues have hampered the therapeutic usage of EVs. Therefore, this review further explores various engineering approaches that could enhance EVs' scalability from MSCs and their therapeutic effectiveness beyond their native utility in bone tissue regeneration. This review also highlights some of the upcoming 3D approaches/models that might be useful for the enhanced secretion of therapeutic EVs from stem cells. Finally, we discuss possible future directions and conclusions in this domain.}, } @article {pmid35815122, year = {2022}, author = {Cai, W and Hu, P and Li, Z and Kang, Q and Chen, H and Zhang, J and Zhu, S}, title = {Effect of high ammonia on granular stability and phosphorus recovery of algal-bacterial granules in treatment of synthetic biogas slurry.}, journal = {Heliyon}, volume = {8}, number = {7}, pages = {e09844}, doi = {10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09844}, pmid = {35815122}, issn = {2405-8440}, abstract = {The aim of the study was to investigate the application of algal-bacterial granules in treatment of high ammonia wastewater. Two identical cylindrical reactors, i.e., Rc and Rs was used to develop granular sludge system with synthetic biogas slurry. Rs was run under an artificial solar lamp controlled at 12 h power on and 12 h power off (∼10,000 lux); Rc was operated as control (no light). Results showed that algal-bacterial granules (ABGS) developed in Rs exhibited better structural stability in the face of high ammonia influent. Compared with aerobic granules (AGS), ABGS possessed high proteins (PN) content (145.3 mg/g-VSS) in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and better O2 mass transfer inner granules. Higher phosphorus (P) removal capacity was obtained in Rs even under 400 mg/L NH3-N which resulted in higher P content in ABGS biomass (56.4 mg/g-TSS). Bioavailable P in ABGS was 44 mg P/g-SS on day 160, approximately 1.53-times higher than that in AGS.}, } @article {pmid35814642, year = {2022}, author = {Redman, RS and Anderson, JA and Biaggi, TM and Malmberg, KEL and Rienstra, MN and Weaver, JL and Rodriguez, RJ}, title = {Symbiotic Modulation as a Driver of Niche Expansion of Coastal Plants in the San Juan Archipelago of Washington State.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {868081}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.868081}, pmid = {35814642}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Modern evolutionary theory and population genetics posit that adaptation and habitat expansion of plants result from processes exclusive to their genomes. Here, we present studies showing that plants can grow across complex habitat gradients by modulating symbiotic associations with Class 2 fungal endophytes. Endophyte analysis of three native (Leymus mollis, Distichlis spicata, and Salicornia pacifica) and one invasive (Spartina anglica) plant growing across adjacent microhabitats in the San Juan Archipelago altered associations with Class 2 fungal endophytes in response to soil salinity levels. At the microhabitat interfaces where the gradation of salinity varied, the plants were colonized by endophytes from both microhabitats. A reciprocal transplant study along a salt gradient demonstrated that Leymus mollis (dunegrass) required endophytes indigenous to each microhabitat for optimal fitness and/or survival. In contrast, when dunegrass and Grindelia integrifolia (gumweed) were found growing in low salinity, but high drought habitats, these plant species had their own unique dominant endophyte association regardless of geographic proximity and conferred drought but not high salt stress tolerance. Modulation of endophyte abundance occurred in planta based on the ability of the symbiont to confer tolerance to the stress imposed on plants. The ability of an endophyte to confer appropriate stress tolerance resulted in a significant increase of in planta fungal abundance. Conversely, the inability of an endophyte to confer stress tolerance resulted in a decrease of in planta fungal abundance. Our studies indicate that Class 2 fungal endophytes can provide a symbiotic mechanism for niche expansion and phenotypic plasticity across environmental gradients.}, } @article {pmid35813926, year = {2022}, author = {Yap, FC and Høeg, JT and Chan, BKK}, title = {Living on fire: Deactivating fire coral polyps for larval settlement and symbiosis in the fire coral-associated barnacle Wanella milleporae (Thoracicalcarea: Wanellinae).}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {12}, number = {7}, pages = {e9057}, doi = {10.1002/ece3.9057}, pmid = {35813926}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Symbiosis is increasingly recognized as being an important component in marine systems, and many such relationships are initiated when free-swimming larvae of one partner settle and become sedentary on a host partner. Therefore, several crucial questions emerge such as the larva's mechanism of locating a host, selection of substratum and finally settlement on the surface of its future partner. Here, we investigated these mechanisms by studying how larvae of the fire coral-associated barnacle Wanella milleporae move, settle and establish symbiosis with their host, Millepora tenera. Cyprids of W. milleporae possess a pair of specialized antennules with bell-shaped attachment discs that enable them to explore and settle superficially on the hostile surface of the fire coral. Intriguingly, the stinging polyps of the fire coral remain in their respective pores when the cyprids explore the fire coral surface. Even when cyprids come into contact with the nematocysts on the extended stinging polyps during the exploratory phase, no immobilization effects against the cyprids were observed. The exploratory phase of Wanella cyprids can be divided into a sequence of wide searching (large step length and high walking speed), close searching (small step length and low speed) and inspection behavior, eventually resulting in permanent settlement and metamorphosis. After settlement, xenogeneic interactions occur between the fire coral and the newly metamorphosed juvenile barnacle. This involved tissue necrosis and regeneration in the fire coral host, leading to a callus ring structure around the juvenile barnacle, enhancing survival rate after settlement. The complex exploratory and settlement patterns and interactions documented here represent a breakthrough in coral reef symbiosis studies to show how invertebrates start symbiosis with fire corals.}, } @article {pmid35813907, year = {2022}, author = {Kubovčiak, J and Schmiedová, L and Albrecht, T and Těšický, M and Tomášek, O and Kauzálová, T and Kreisinger, J}, title = {Within-community variation of interspecific divergence patterns in passerine gut microbiota.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {12}, number = {7}, pages = {e9071}, doi = {10.1002/ece3.9071}, pmid = {35813907}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Gut microbiota (GM) often exhibit variation between different host species and co-divergence with hosts' phylogeny. Identifying these patterns is a key for understanding the mechanisms that shaped symbiosis between GM and its hosts. Therefore, both GM-host species specificity and GM-host co-divergence have been investigated by numerous studies. However, most of them neglected a possibility that different groups of bacteria within GM can vary in the tightness of their association with the host. Consequently, unlike most of these studies, we aimed to directly address how the strength of GM-host species specificity and GM-host co-divergence vary across different GM clades. We decomposed GM communities of 52 passerine species (394 individuals), characterized by 16S rRNA amplicon sequence variant (ASV) profiles, into monophyletic Binned Taxonomic units (BTUs). Subsequently, we analyzed strength of host species specificity and correlation with host phylogeny separately for resulting BTUs. We found that most BTUs exhibited significant host-species specificity in their composition. Notably, BTUs exhibiting high host-species specificity comprised bacterial taxa known to impact host's physiology and immune system. However, BTUs rarely displayed significant co-divergence with host phylogeny, suggesting that passerine GM evolution is not shaped primarily through a shared evolutionary history between the host and its gut microbes.}, } @article {pmid35812902, year = {2022}, author = {Quilbé, J and Montiel, J and Arrighi, JF and Stougaard, J}, title = {Molecular Mechanisms of Intercellular Rhizobial Infection: Novel Findings of an Ancient Process.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {922982}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.922982}, pmid = {35812902}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {Establishment of the root-nodule symbiosis in legumes involves rhizobial infection of nodule primordia in the root cortex that is dependent on rhizobia crossing the root epidermal barrier. Two mechanisms have been described: either through root hair infection threads or through the intercellular passage of bacteria. Among the legume genera investigated, around 75% use root hair entry and around 25% the intercellular entry mode. Root-hair infection thread-mediated infection has been extensively studied in the model legumes Medicago truncatula and Lotus japonicus. In contrast, the molecular circuit recruited during intercellular infection, which is presumably an ancient and simpler pathway, remains poorly known. In recent years, important discoveries have been made to better understand the transcriptome response and the genetic components involved in legumes with obligate (Aeschynomene and Arachis spp.) and conditional (Lotus and Sesbania spp.) intercellular rhizobial infections. This review addresses these novel findings and briefly considers possible future research to shed light on the molecular players that orchestrate intercellular infection in legumes.}, } @article {pmid35702952, year = {2022}, author = {Sawall, Y and Nicosia, AM and McLaughlin, K and Ito, M}, title = {Physiological responses and adjustments of corals to strong seasonal temperature variations (20-28°C).}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {225}, number = {13}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.244196}, pmid = {35702952}, issn = {1477-9145}, support = {NNX16AB05G/NASA/NASA/United States ; //Princeton Environmental Institute/ ; //Lehigh Iacocca International Internship/ ; //BIOS University Programs/ ; }, mesh = {Acclimatization/physiology ; Animals ; *Anthozoa/physiology ; Coral Reefs ; Hot Temperature ; Seasons ; Symbiosis/physiology ; Temperature ; }, abstract = {Temperature is a key driver of metabolic rates. So far, we know little about potential physiological adjustments of subtropical corals to seasonal temperature changes (>8°C) that substantially exceed temperature fluctuation experienced by their counterparts in the tropics. This study investigated the effect of temperature reductions on Montastraea cavernosa and Porites astreoides in Bermuda (32°N; sea surface temperature ∼19-29°C) over 5 weeks, applying the following treatments: (i) constant control temperature at 28°C, and (ii) temperature reduction (0.5°C day-1) followed by constant temperature (20 days; acclimatization period) at 24°C and (iii) at 20°C. Both species decreased photosynthesis and respiration during temperature reduction as expected, which continued to decrease during the acclimatization period, indicating adjustment to a low energy turnover rather than thermal compensation. Trajectories of physiological adjustments and level of thermal compensation, however, differed between species. Montastraea cavernosa zooxanthellae metrics showed a strong initial response to temperature reduction, followed by a return to close to control values during the acclimatization period, reflecting a high physiological flexibility and low thermal compensation. Porites astreoides zooxanthellae, in contrast, showed no initial response, but an increase in pigment concentration per zooxanthellae and similar photosynthesis rates at 24°C and 20°C at the end of the experiment, indicating low acute thermal sensitivity and the ability for thermal compensation at the lowest temperature. Respiration decreased more strongly than photosynthesis, leading to significant build-up of biomass in both species (energy reserves). Results are important in the light of potential poleward migration of corals and of potential latitudinal and species-specific differences in coral thermal tolerance.}, } @article {pmid35810320, year = {2022}, author = {Bastías, DA and Applegate, ER and Johnson, LJ and Card, SD}, title = {Factors controlling the effects of mutualistic bacteria on plants associated with fungi.}, journal = {Ecology letters}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/ele.14073}, pmid = {35810320}, issn = {1461-0248}, support = {LVLX1702//Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment/ ; }, abstract = {Plants interacting with mutualistic fungi (MF) or antagonistic fungi (AF) can form associations with bacteria. We assessed whether the performance gain conferred by mutualistic bacteria to fungal-associated plants is affected by the interaction between symbiont traits, type of bacterial-protective traits against AF and abiotic/biotic stresses. Results showed that (A) performance gain conferred by bacteria to MF-associated plants was greater when symbionts promoted distinct rather than similar plant functions, (B) bacterial-based alleviation of the AF's negative effect on plants was independent of the type of protective trait, (C) bacteria promoted a greater performance of symbiotic plants in presence of biotic, but not abiotic, stress compared to stress-free situations. The plant performance gain was not affected by any fungal-bacterial trait combination but optimised when bacteria conferred resistance traits in biotic stress situations. The effects of bacteria on fungal-associated plants were controlled by the interaction between the symbionts' functional traits and the relationship between bacterial traits and abiotic/biotic stresses.}, } @article {pmid35809734, year = {2022}, author = {Talapatra, N and Ghosh, UK}, title = {New concept of biodiesel production using food waste digestate powder: Co-culturing algae-activated sludge symbiotic system in low N and P paper mill wastewater.}, journal = {The Science of the total environment}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {157207}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157207}, pmid = {35809734}, issn = {1879-1026}, abstract = {This paper aims to demonstrate an innovative process for the conversion of food waste digestate (FWD) powder into biofuel. The effects of different doses of FWD are investigated on microalgae-activated sludge (MAS) in treating pulp and paper mill wastewater (PPW) which generally contains insufficient nitrogen and phosphorus. FWD was added to adjust the initial N:P molar ratio in MAS at various levels (8:1 to 15:1). The highest Auxenochlorella protothecoides biomass achieved was 1.67 g L-1 at a 13.45:1 N/P molar ratio of PPW. After 10 days of cultivation, Auxenochlorella protothecoides-activated sludge system removed 91.7 %, 74.6 %, and 91.5 % of total nitrogen, phosphorus, and sCOD respectively at D0.836 g L-1 DD. The highest lipid productivity was reported as 41.27 ± 2.43 mg L-1 day-1. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis showed the presence of an appreciable percentage of balanced saturated and unsaturated fatty acids i.e. palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acid, rendering its potential as a feedstock for biodiesel production. Activated sludge induced flocculation of Auxenochlorella protothecoides was measured. The whole process establishes an effective means of circular economy, where the secondary source of recyclable nutrients i.e. FWD will be used as a source of N and P in PPW to obtain algal biodiesel from a negative value industrial wastewater.}, } @article {pmid35807693, year = {2022}, author = {Felföldi, Z and Vidican, R and Stoian, V and Roman, IA and Sestras, AF and Rusu, T and Sestras, RE}, title = {Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Fertilization Influence Yield, Growth and Root Colonization of Different Tomato Genotype.}, journal = {Plants (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {13}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/plants11131743}, pmid = {35807693}, issn = {2223-7747}, abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are beneficial for plant development and help absorb water and minerals from the soil. The symbiosis between these fungi and plant roots is extremely important and could limit crop dependence on fertilizers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of AMF on tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.), based on important agronomic traits of vegetative biomass, production, and fruits. The experiment was conducted in high tunnels, using 12 tomato genotypes under three different treatments: T1, control, without fertilizer and mycorrhizae colonization; T2, fertigation, without mycorrhizae colonization; and T3, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), seedling roots being inoculated with specialized soil-borne fungi. Plant growth, yield and fruit parameters indicated better results under mycorrhizal treatment. Root colonization with fungi varied significantly depending on the treatment and genotype, with a variation of 6.0-80.3% for frequency and 2.6-24.6% for intensity. For a majority of characteristics, the mycorrhization (T3) induced significant differences compared with the T1 and T2 treatments. In addition, AMF treatment induced a different response among the genotypes. Among the elements analyzed in the soil, significant differences were observed in phosphorous levels between planting the seedlings and after tomato harvesting and clearing of the plants. The results suggest that reducing fertilizers and promoting the symbiotic relationships of plants with soil microorganisms may have beneficial consequences for tomato crops.}, } @article {pmid35804465, year = {2022}, author = {Tsang, B and Gerlai, R}, title = {Researchers, animal support and regulatory staff: symbiosis or antagonism?.}, journal = {Laboratory animal research}, volume = {38}, number = {1}, pages = {19}, pmid = {35804465}, issn = {1738-6055}, abstract = {Animals are studied en masse by biologists around the world in a variety of biomedical and basic research studies. All this research benefits humankind and animals alike as it tackles a wide variety of problems ranging from those of conservation biology to medicine. Research with animal subjects is a complex endeavor that requires the cooperation and collaboration of a large number of experts, from the principal investigator through technicians and vivarium staff to regulatory experts. The research must be conducted in a humane manner that adheres to acceptable practices regulated by local, state and federal guidelines, rules and the law. In this short opinion article, we examine the current state of affairs regarding how researchers, animal support staff and regulatory experts work together. We pay particular attention to potential conflicts that may arise from the occasionally distinct roles played by those involved in animal research, and we provide some suggestions as short- and long-term remedies that have not been previously discussed in the literature.}, } @article {pmid35803942, year = {2022}, author = {Kodama, K and Rich, MK and Yoda, A and Shimazaki, S and Xie, X and Akiyama, K and Mizuno, Y and Komatsu, A and Luo, Y and Suzuki, H and Kameoka, H and Libourel, C and Keller, J and Sakakibara, K and Nishiyama, T and Nakagawa, T and Mashiguchi, K and Uchida, K and Yoneyama, K and Tanaka, Y and Yamaguchi, S and Shimamura, M and Delaux, PM and Nomura, T and Kyozuka, J}, title = {An ancestral function of strigolactones as symbiotic rhizosphere signals.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {3974}, pmid = {35803942}, issn = {2041-1723}, support = {19K05838//Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)/ ; }, abstract = {In flowering plants, strigolactones (SLs) have dual functions as hormones that regulate growth and development, and as rhizosphere signaling molecules that induce symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Here, we report the identification of bryosymbiol (BSB), an SL from the bryophyte Marchantia paleacea. BSB is also found in vascular plants, indicating its origin in the common ancestor of land plants. BSB synthesis is enhanced at AM symbiosis permissive conditions and BSB deficient mutants are impaired in AM symbiosis. In contrast, the absence of BSB synthesis has little effect on the growth and gene expression. We show that the introduction of the SL receptor of Arabidopsis renders M. paleacea cells BSB-responsive. These results suggest that BSB is not perceived by M. paleacea cells due to the lack of cognate SL receptors. We propose that SLs originated as AM symbiosis-inducing rhizosphere signaling molecules and were later recruited as plant hormone.}, } @article {pmid35803843, year = {2022}, author = {Nerva, L and Sandrini, M and Moffa, L and Velasco, R and Balestrini, R and Chitarra, W}, title = {Breeding toward improved ecological plant-microbiome interactions.}, journal = {Trends in plant science}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.tplants.2022.06.004}, pmid = {35803843}, issn = {1878-4372}, abstract = {Domestication processes, amplified by breeding programs, have allowed the selection of more productive genotypes and more suitable crop lines capable of coping with the changing climate. Notwithstanding these advancements, the impact of plant breeding on the ecology of plant-microbiome interactions has not been adequately considered yet. This includes the possible exploitation of beneficial plant-microbe interactions to develop crops with improved performance and better adaptability to any environmental scenario. Here we discuss the exploitation of customized synthetic microbial communities in agricultural systems to develop more sustainable breeding strategies based on the implementation of multiple interactions between plants and their beneficial associated microorganisms.}, } @article {pmid35802132, year = {2022}, author = {Chatterjee, P and Schafran, P and Li, FW and Meeks, JC}, title = {Nostoc talks back: Temporal patterns of differential gene expression during establishment of the Anthoceros-Nostoc symbiosis.}, journal = {Molecular plant-microbe interactions : MPMI}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1094/MPMI-05-22-0101-R}, pmid = {35802132}, issn = {0894-0282}, abstract = {Endosymbiotic association between hornworts and nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria form when the plant is limited for combined nitrogen (N). We generated RNA-Seq data to examine the temporal gene expression patterns during the culturing of N-starved Anthoceros punctatus in the absence and presence of the symbiotic cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme. In symbiont-free A. punctatus gametophytes, N-starvation caused downregulation of chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics, as well as transcription of photosynthesis related genes. This down-regulation was reversed in A. punctatus cocultured with N. punctiforme corresponding to the symbiont's provision of N2-derived NH4+, which commenced within 5 days of coculture and reached a maximum by 14 days. We also observed transient increases in transcription of ammonium and nitrate transporters in a N. punctiforme dependent manner, as well that of a SWEET transporter which was initially independent of N2-derived NH4+. The temporal patterns of differential gene expression indicated that N. punctiforme transmits signals that impact gene expression to A. punctatus both prior to, and after its provision of fixed N. This study is the first illustrating the temporal patterns of gene expression during establishment of an endosymbiotic nitrogen-fixing association in this monophyletic evolutionary lineage of land plants.}, } @article {pmid35801614, year = {2022}, author = {Gupta, S and Gaiki, D and Joshi, M}, title = {Devising the Set-up of Essential Equipments for a 250 Bedded COVID-19 Healthcare Facility for Mumbai and Suburban Regions.}, journal = {Hospital topics}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {1-7}, doi = {10.1080/00185868.2022.2091070}, pmid = {35801614}, issn = {1939-9278}, abstract = {The article assists with understanding the need to change the current accessible clinical resources; as well as gauging and sorting out the devices needed to provide food the uncommon requirements of the COVID-19 patients without trading off the smooth working of the medical services office without taking a chance with the security of the medical care experts conveying it. A primary objective of this study is to provide interim guidance for planning the medical equipment for an isolation facility in a way that satisfies the needs of patients in an exact manner. Additionally, to assist healthcare facility to follow the accreditation standards and plan the modifications necessary to ensure the safety of patients and employees. The documents reviewed for this study mainly focus on providing interim guidance, specifications, and essential devices for setting up of quarantine facilities in a COVID-19 healthcare facility. This study assists with understanding the rules to keep up with the current accessible clinical supplies and intending to procure more and usage of them at which departments to cater the extraordinary necessities of the COVID-19 patients without bargaining the smooth working of the medical care office and not taking a chance with the wellbeing of the medical care experts conveying it.}, } @article {pmid35800960, year = {2022}, author = {Battenberg, K and Hayashi, M}, title = {Evolution of root nodule symbiosis: Focusing on the transcriptional regulation from the genomic point of view.}, journal = {Plant biotechnology (Tokyo, Japan)}, volume = {39}, number = {1}, pages = {79-83}, doi = {10.5511/plantbiotechnology.22.0127a}, pmid = {35800960}, issn = {1342-4580}, abstract = {Since molecular phylogenetics recognized root nodule symbiosis (RNS) of all lineages as potentially homologous, scientists have tried to understand the "when" and the "how" of RNS evolution. Initial progress was made on understanding the timing of RNS evolution, facilitating our progress on understanding the underlying genomic changes leading to RNS. Here, we will first cover the different hypotheses on the timings of gains/losses of RNS and show how this has helped us understand how RNS has evolved. Finally, we will discuss how our improved understanding of the genetic changes that led to RNS is now helping us refine our understanding on when RNS has evolved.}, } @article {pmid35799468, year = {2022}, author = {Horas, EL and Metzger, SM and Platzer, B and Kelly, JB and Becks, L}, title = {Context-dependent costs and benefits of endosymbiotic interactions in a ciliate-algae system.}, journal = {Environmental microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.16112}, pmid = {35799468}, issn = {1462-2920}, support = {BE 4135/8-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 9196//Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation/ ; //International Max Planck Research School for Organismal Biology/ ; }, abstract = {Endosymbiosis, an interaction between two species where one lives within the other, has evolved multiple times independently, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Evolutionary theory suggests that for an endosymbiotic interaction to remain stable over time, births of both partners should be higher than their deaths in symbiosis and deaths of both partners should be higher than their births when living independently. However, experimentally measuring this can be difficult and conclusions tend to focus on the host. Using a ciliate-algal system (Paramecium bursaria host and Chlorella endosymbionts), we estimated the benefits and costs of endosymbiosis for both organisms using fitness measurements in different biotic environments to test under which environmental conditions the net effects of the interaction were positive for both partners. We found that the net effects of harbouring endosymbionts were positive for the ciliate hosts as it allowed them to survive in conditions of low-quality bacteria food. The algae benefitted by being endosymbiotic when predators such as the hosts were present, but the net effects were dependent on the total density of hosts, decreasing as hosts densities increased. Overall, we show that including context-dependency of endosymbiosis is essential in understanding how these interactions have evolved.}, } @article {pmid35729273, year = {2022}, author = {Ważny, R and Jędrzejczyk, RJ and Rozpądek, P and Domka, A and Turnau, K}, title = {Biotization of highbush blueberry with ericoid mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi improves plant growth and vitality.}, journal = {Applied microbiology and biotechnology}, volume = {106}, number = {12}, pages = {4775-4786}, pmid = {35729273}, issn = {1432-0614}, support = {TANGO1/269101/NCBR/2015//Narodowe Centrum Badań i Rozwoju/ ; }, mesh = {*Blueberry Plants/microbiology ; Endophytes ; Fungi/genetics ; *Mycorrhizae ; Plant Roots/microbiology ; Plants ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Ecological methods are becoming increasingly popular. One of these methods is plant biotization. In our paper, we focus on selection of Vaccinium corymbosum hairy root-inhabiting fungi for plant growth promotion in a single microorganism inoculation setup and then composed a multiorganismal inoculum enriched with a representative of another group of fungi, leaf endophytes. The hairy roots of V. corymbosum hosted 13 fungal taxa. In single inoculation of the plant with fungal strains, the most beneficial for plant growth were Oidiodendron maius and Phialocephala fortinii. Additional inoculation of the plants with three root symbiotic fungi (O. maius, Hymenoscyphus sp. and P. fortinii) and with the endophytic fungus Xylaria sp. increased plant height in laboratory experiments. On a semi-industrial scale, inoculation improved plant biomass and vitality. Therefore, the amendment of root-associated fungal communities with a mixture of ericoid mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi may represent an alternative to conventional fertilization and pesticide application in large-scale blueberry production. KEY POINTS: • O. maius and P. fortinii significantly stimulated V. corymbosum growth in a single inoculation. • Multimicroorganismal inoculum increased plant biomass and vitality. • Blueberry biotization with ericoid and endophytic fungi is recommended.}, } @article {pmid35723692, year = {2022}, author = {Cimen, H and Touray, M and Gulsen, SH and Hazir, S}, title = {Natural products from Photorhabdus and Xenorhabdus: mechanisms and impacts.}, journal = {Applied microbiology and biotechnology}, volume = {106}, number = {12}, pages = {4387-4399}, pmid = {35723692}, issn = {1432-0614}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Products/metabolism ; Insecta/microbiology ; *Nematoda/microbiology ; *Photorhabdus ; *Rhabditida ; Symbiosis ; *Xenorhabdus ; }, abstract = {Insects and fungal pathogens pose constant problems to public health and agriculture, especially in resource-limited parts of the world; and the use of chemical pesticides continues to be the main methods for the control of these organisms. Photorhabdus spp. and Xenorhabdus spp., (Fam; Morganellaceae), enteric symbionts of Steinernema, and Heterorhabditis nematodes are naturally found in soil on all continents, except Antarctic, and on many islands throughout the world. These bacteria produce diverse secondary metabolites that have important biological and ecological functions. Secondary metabolites include non-ribosomal peptides, polyketides, and/or hybrid natural products that are synthesized using polyketide synthetase (PRS), non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS), or similar enzymes and are sources of new pesticide/drug compounds and/or can serve as lead molecules for the design and synthesize of new alternatives that could replace current ones. This review addresses the effects of these bacterial symbionts on insect pests, fungal phytopathogens, and animal pathogens and discusses the substances, mechanisms, and impacts on agriculture and public health. KEY POINTS: • Insects and fungi are a constant menace to agricultural and public health. • Chemical-based control results in resistance development. • Photorhabdus and Xenorhabdus are compelling sources of biopesticides.}, } @article {pmid35361906, year = {2022}, author = {Zhang, C and Merana, GR and Harris-Tryon, T and Scharschmidt, TC}, title = {Skin immunity: dissecting the complex biology of our body's outer barrier.}, journal = {Mucosal immunology}, volume = {15}, number = {4}, pages = {551-561}, pmid = {35361906}, issn = {1935-3456}, mesh = {Biology ; Immunity, Innate ; *Mucous Membrane ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Our skin contributes critically to health via its role as a barrier tissue, carefully regulating passage of key substrates while also providing defense against exogenous threats. Immunological processes are integral to almost every skin function and paramount to our ability to live symbiotically with skin commensal microbes and other environmental stimuli. While many parallels can be drawn to immunobiology at other mucosal sites, skin immunity demonstrates unique features that relate to its distinct topography, chemical composition and microbial ecology. Here we provide an overview of skin as an immune organ, with reference to the broader context of mucosal immunology. We review paradigms of innate as well as adaptive immune function and highlight how skin-specific structures such as hair follicles and sebaceous glands interact and contribute to these processes. Finally, we highlight for the mucosal immunology community a few emerging areas of interest for the skin immunity field moving forward.}, } @article {pmid35795744, year = {2022}, author = {Tripathy, BK and Reddy Maddikunta, PK and Pham, QV and Gadekallu, TR and Dev, K and Pandya, S and ElHalawany, BM}, title = {Harris Hawk Optimization: A Survey onVariants and Applications.}, journal = {Computational intelligence and neuroscience}, volume = {2022}, number = {}, pages = {2218594}, doi = {10.1155/2022/2218594}, pmid = {35795744}, issn = {1687-5273}, abstract = {In this review, we intend to present a complete literature survey on the conception and variants of the recent successful optimization algorithm, Harris Hawk optimizer (HHO), along with an updated set of applications in well-established works. For this purpose, we first present an overview of HHO, including its logic of equations and mathematical model. Next, we focus on reviewing different variants of HHO from the available well-established literature. To provide readers a deep vision and foster the application of the HHO, we review the state-of-the-art improvements of HHO, focusing mainly on fuzzy HHO and a new intuitionistic fuzzy HHO algorithm. We also review the applications of HHO in enhancing machine learning operations and in tackling engineering optimization problems. This survey can cover different aspects of HHO and its future applications to provide a basis for future research in the development of swarm intelligence paths and the use of HHO for real-world problems.}, } @article {pmid35794357, year = {2022}, author = {Grünfeld, L and Skias, G and Rillig, MC and Veresoglou, SD}, title = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal root colonization depends on the spatial distribution of the host plants.}, journal = {Mycorrhiza}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35794357}, issn = {1432-1890}, support = {VE 736/2-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; VE 736/2-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, abstract = {Despite their ubiquity in terrestrial ecosystems, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) experience dispersion constraints and thus depend on the spatial distribution of the plant hosts. Our understanding of fungal-plant interactions with respect to their spatial distributions and implications for the functioning of the symbiosis remain limited. We here manipulated the location of habitat patches of Medicago lupulina in two experiments to explore the responses of AMF root colonization and extraradical hyphae. We tested the specific hypothesis that AMF-plant habitats high in connectance would stimulate root colonization and induce denser functional root colonization (colonization rate of arbuscules plus coils) because of higher propagule availability between nearby host plant patches (experiment 1). In experiment 2, we anticipated similar responses in mixed habitats of different soil fertility, namely phosphorus-fertilized or unfertilized soil, and anticipated a higher density of extraradical hyphae in the soil connecting the habitats with increased functional root colonization. In agreement with our hypothesis, we found the highest total and functional root colonization in unfragmented micro-landscapes, describing landscapes that occur within a spatial scale of a few centimeters with the AMF-plant habitats positioned adjacent to each other. In the second experiment, overdispersed micro-landscapes promoted functional root colonization. This study provides experimental evidence that the spatial distribution of habitats can determine AMF abundance at the microscale.}, } @article {pmid35782135, year = {2022}, author = {Pérez-Carrascal, OM and Choi, R and Massot, M and Pees, B and Narayan, V and Shapira, M}, title = {Host Preference of Beneficial Commensals in a Microbially-Diverse Environment.}, journal = {Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {795343}, doi = {10.3389/fcimb.2022.795343}, pmid = {35782135}, issn = {2235-2988}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria ; *Caenorhabditis elegans/microbiology ; *Escherichia coli ; Host Microbial Interactions ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Gut bacteria are often described by the neutral term commensals. However, the more we learn about their interactions with hosts, the more apparent it becomes that gut commensals often contribute positively to host physiology and fitness. Whether hosts can prefer beneficial bacteria, and how they do so, is not clear. This is of particular interest in the case of the bacterivore C. elegans, which depends on bacteria as food source, but also as gut colonizers that contribute to its physiology, from development to immunity. It is further unclear to what extent worms living in their microbially-diverse habitats can sense and distinguish between beneficial bacteria, food, and pathogens. Focusing on Enterobacteriaceae and members of closely related families, we isolated gut bacteria from worms raised in compost microcosms, as well as bacteria from the respective environments and evaluated their contributions to host development. Most isolates, from worms or from the surrounding environment, promoted faster development compared to the non-colonizing E. coli food strain. Pantoea strains further showed differential contributions of gut isolates versus an environmental isolate. Characterizing bacterial ability to hinder pathogenic colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, supported the trend of Pantoea gut commensals being beneficial, in contrast to the environmental strain. Interestingly, worms were attracted to the beneficial Pantoea strains, preferring them over non-beneficial bacteria, including the environmental Pantoea strain. While our understanding of the mechanisms underlying these host-microbe interactions are still rudimentary, the results suggest that hosts can sense and prefer beneficial commensals.}, } @article {pmid35661463, year = {2022}, author = {Dinges, ZM and Phillips, RK and Lively, CM and Bashey, F}, title = {Pre- and post-association barriers to host switching in sympatric mutualists.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {35}, number = {7}, pages = {962-972}, doi = {10.1111/jeb.14028}, pmid = {35661463}, issn = {1420-9101}, support = {DEB-0919015//National Science Foundation/ ; DEB-1906465//National Science Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria ; Insecta ; *Rhabditida/microbiology ; Symbiosis ; Sympatry ; *Xenorhabdus/genetics ; }, abstract = {Coevolution between mutualists can lead to reciprocal specialization, potentially causing barriers to host switching. Here, we conducted assays to identify pre- and post-association barriers to host switching by endosymbiotic bacteria, both within and between two sympatric nematode clades. In nature, Steinernema nematodes and Xenorhabdus bacteria form an obligate mutualism. Free-living juvenile nematodes carry Xenorhabdus in a specialized intestinal receptacle. When nematodes enter an insect, they release the bacteria into the insect hemocoel. The bacteria aid in killing the insect and facilitate nematode reproduction. Prior to dispersing from the insect, juvenile nematodes must form an association with their symbionts; the bacteria must adhere to the intestinal receptacle. We tested for pre-association barriers by comparing the effects of bacterial strains on native versus non-native nematodes via their virulence towards, nutritional support of, and ability to associate with different nematode species. We then assessed post-association barriers by measuring the relative fitness of nematodes carrying each strain of bacteria. We found evidence for both pre- and post-association barriers between nematode clades. Specifically, some bacteria were highly virulent to non-native hosts, and some nematode hosts carried fewer cells of non-native bacteria, creating pre-association barriers. In addition, reduced infection success and lower nematode reproduction were identified as post-association barriers. No barriers to symbiont switching were detected between nematode species within the same clade. Overall, our study suggests a framework that could be used to generate predictions for the evolution of barriers to host switching in this and other systems.}, } @article {pmid35641145, year = {2022}, author = {McMunn, MS and Hudson, AI and Zemenick, AT and Egerer, M and Bennett, L and Philpott, SM and Vannette, RL}, title = {Thermal sensitivity and seasonal change in the gut microbiome of a desert ant, Cephalotes rohweri.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology ecology}, volume = {98}, number = {7}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/femsec/fiac062}, pmid = {35641145}, issn = {1574-6941}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/physiology ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome/physiology ; Seasons ; Symbiosis ; Verrucomicrobia ; }, abstract = {Microorganisms within ectotherms must withstand the variable body temperatures of their hosts. Shifts in host body temperature resulting from climate change have the potential to shape ectotherm microbiome composition. Microbiome compositional changes occurring in response to temperature in nature have not been frequently examined, restricting our ability to predict microbe-mediated ectotherm responses to climate change. In a set of field-based observations, we characterized gut bacterial communities and thermal exposure across a population of desert arboreal ants (Cephalotes rohweri). In a paired growth chamber experiment, we exposed ant colonies to variable temperature regimes differing by 5°C for three months. We found that the abundance and composition of ant-associated bacteria were sensitive to elevated temperatures in both field and laboratory experiments. We observed a subset of taxa that responded similarly to temperature in the experimental and observational study, suggesting a role of seasonal temperature and local temperature differences amongst nests in shaping microbiomes within the ant population. Bacterial mutualists in the genus Cephaloticoccus (Opitutales: Opitutaceae) were especially sensitive to change in temperature-decreasing in abundance in naturally warm summer nests and warm growth chambers. We also report the discovery of a member of the Candidate Phlya Radiation (Phylum: Gracilibacteria), a suspected epibiont, found in low abundance within the guts of this ant species.}, } @article {pmid35793390, year = {2022}, author = {Zhang, J and Li, S and Wang, N and Chen, W and Feng, X and Jia, B and Zhao, Y and Yang, T and Zong, X}, title = {The introduced strain Mesorhizobium ciceri USDA3378 is more competitive than an indigenous strain in nodulation of chickpea in newly introduced areas of China.}, journal = {Letters in applied microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/lam.13785}, pmid = {35793390}, issn = {1472-765X}, abstract = {The present study aimed to compare the competitive advantage of two chickpea nodulating rhizobia strains (an indigenous strain Mesorhizobium muleiense CCBAU 83963T and an introduced strain Mesorhizobium ciceri USDA 3378) in different soils originated from new chickpea cultivation areas of China. The results showed that USDA 3378 had a significant competitive advantage in nodulation, with nodulation occupation rates ranging from 84.6% to 100% in all the sampled soils. According to the efficiency of symbiosis under single inoculation, chickpea plants inoculated with USDA 3378 showed better symbiotic performance based on the plant dry weight, leaf chlorophyll content and nodule numbers. The chickpea plants inoculated with USDA 3378 formed nodules about 2 days earlier than those inoculated with CCBAU 83963T . The higher growth in media and the stronger adsorption on chickpea roots of USDA 3378 when mixed with CCBAU 83963T may explain why USDA3378 shows a competitive advantage. The results from this study will contribute towards the development of effective chickpea rhizobial inoculants for soil conditioning and more environmentally friendly production of chickpeas in China.}, } @article {pmid35793264, year = {2022}, author = {Epstein, B and Burghardt, LT and Heath, KD and Grillo, MA and Kostanecki, A and Hämälä, T and Young, ND and Tiffin, P}, title = {Combining GWAS and population genomic analyses to characterize coevolution in a legume-rhizobia symbiosis.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/mec.16602}, pmid = {35793264}, issn = {1365-294X}, abstract = {​​The mutualism between legumes and rhizobia is clearly the product of past coevolution. However, the nature of ongoing evolution between these partners is less clear. To characterize the nature of recent coevolution between legumes and rhizobia, we used population genomic analysis to characterize selection on functionally annotated symbiosis genes as well as on symbiosis gene candidates identified through a two-species association analysis. For the association analysis, we inoculated each of 202 accessions of the legume host Medicago truncatula with a community of 88 Ensifer meliloti strains. Multi-strain inoculation, which better reflects the ecological reality of rhizobial selection in nature than single-strain inoculation, allows strains to compete for nodulation opportunities and host resources and for hosts to preferentially form nodules and provide resources to some strains. We found extensive host by symbiont, i.e., genotype-by-genotype, effects on rhizobial fitness and some annotated rhizobial genes bear signatures of recent positive selection. However, neither genes responsible for this variation nor annotated host symbiosis genes are enriched for signatures of either positive or balancing selection. This result suggests that stabilizing selection dominates selection acting on symbiotic traits and that variation in these traits is under mutation-selection balance. Consistent with the lack of positive selection acting on host genes, we found that among-host variation in growth was similar whether plants were grown with rhizobia or N-fertilizer, suggesting that the symbiosis may not be a major driver of variation in plant growth in multi-strain contexts.}, } @article {pmid35792328, year = {2022}, author = {Zhang, L and Gong, X and Chen, Z and Zhou, Y}, title = {Genome-centric metagenomics analysis revealed the metabolic function of abundant microbial communities in thermal hydrolysis-assisted thermophilic anaerobic digesters under propionate stress.}, journal = {Bioresource technology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {127574}, doi = {10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127574}, pmid = {35792328}, issn = {1873-2976}, abstract = {The ecological roles of microbial communities and how they interact with each other in thermal hydrolysis process (THP) assisted thermophilic anaerobic digestion (THP-AD) reactors remain largely unknown, especially under propionate stress. Two thermophilic THP-AD reactors had methane yield of 240-248 mL/g VSadded, but accumulated approximately 2000 mg/L propionate. Genome-centric metagenomics analysis showed that 68 metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs) were recovered, 32 MAGs of which were substantially enriched. Firmicutes spp. dominated the enriched microbial community, including hydrolytic/fermentative bacteria and syntrophs. Methanogenic activities were mainly mediated by Methanosarcina sp. and Methanothermobacter spp. In addition to hydrogenotrophic methanogens, Thermodesulfovibrio sp. could also be a vital H2 scavenger, contributing to maintaining low H2 partial pressure in the bioreactors. The remarkable accumulation of propionate could be likely attributed to the weak syntrophic propionate-oxidizing activity or its absence. These findings advanced our knowledge about the mutualistic symbiosis of carbon metabolism in thermophilic THP-AD reactors.}, } @article {pmid35791006, year = {2022}, author = {Cao, B and Zhao, RY and Li, HH and Xu, XM and Cui, H and Deng, H and Chen, L and Wei, B}, title = {Oral administration of asparagine and 3-indolepropionic acid prolongs survival time of rats with traumatic colon injury.}, journal = {Military Medical Research}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {37}, pmid = {35791006}, issn = {2054-9369}, support = {82073192//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 81773135//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2019YFB1311505//National Basic Research Program of China/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Traumatic colon injury (TCI) is a common disease during wartime. Prolongation of posttraumatic survival time is an effective approach to patient outcome improvement. However, there is a lack of basic research in this field. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying TCI progression and to develop novel regimens to buy time for TCI patients on the battlefield.

METHODS: A total of 669 Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. Surgical colon incision was performed to generate the TCI rat model. The landscape of colon microbiota compositions was depicted using 16S rRNA sequencing and metabolites in the intestinal contents were detected by metabolomics profiling. The signaling transduction in the intestinal epithelium was investigated using antibody microarrays and Western blotting. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was conducted to measure the levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in intestines and plasma for the detection of inflammatory responses. Diamine oxidase, D-lactate and endotoxin in plasma and protein expression of zonula occludens 1 and occludin were selected as the indicators of intestinal barrier permeability. To investigate alterations of microbiota symbiosis, the relative abundances of specific bacterial genera were detected using quantitative real-time PCR.

RESULTS: As a type of lethal injury, TCI induced acute disruption of intestinal homeostasis, characterized by inflammatory responses, intestinal barrier hyperpermeability and microbiota dysbiosis (P < 0.05). Significant alterations in bacterial metabolic patterns were detected with decreases in many metabolites. After a series of screenings, we found that oral administration of asparagine (Asn) and 3-indolepropionic acid (IPA) effectively prolonged posttraumatic survival time [Asn plus IPA vs. Vehicle: hazard ratio (HR) = 0.105, 95% CI 0.031-0.356, P = 0.0003] and restored intestinal homeostasis in TCI rats (P < 0.05). Mechanistically, this combinational strategy protected the rats against TCI through synergistic activation of Akt signaling in the intestinal epithelium (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Abrupt dysregulation of intestinal homeostasis plays a critical role in the progression toward TCI-induced death. Oral administration of Asn plus IPA may serve as an effective regimen to restore intestinal functions and prolong the posttraumatic survival time.}, } @article {pmid35790132, year = {2022}, author = {Li, H and Greening, C}, title = {Termite-engineered microbial communities of termite nest structures: a new dimension to the extended phenotype.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology reviews}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/femsre/fuac034}, pmid = {35790132}, issn = {1574-6976}, abstract = {Termites are a prototypical example of the 'extended phenotype' given their ability to shape their environments by constructing complex nesting structures and cultivating fungus gardens. Such engineered structures provide termites with stable, protected habitats and nutritious food sources, respectively. Recent studies have suggested that these termite-engineered structures harbour Actinobacteria-dominated microbial communities. In this review, we describe the composition, activities, and consequences of microbial communities associated with termite mounds, other nests, and fungus gardens. Culture-dependent and culture-independent studies indicate that these structures each harbour specialised microbial communities distinct from those in termite guts and surrounding soils. Termites select microbial communities in these structures through various means: opportunistic recruitment from surrounding soils; controlling physicochemical properties of nesting structures; excreting hydrogen, methane and other gases as bacterial energy sources; and pre-treating lignocellulose to facilitate fungal cultivation in gardens. These engineered communities potentially benefit termites by producing antimicrobial compounds, facilitating lignocellulose digestion, and enhancing energetic efficiency of the termite 'metaorganism'. Moreover, mound-associated communities have been shown to be globally significant in controlling emissions of methane and enhancing agricultural fertility. Altogether, these considerations suggest that the microbiomes selected by some animals extend much beyond their bodies, providing a new dimension to the 'extended phenotype'.}, } @article {pmid35787615, year = {2022}, author = {Jourdane, J and Delseny, M and Décamps, H}, title = {Claude Combes, pioneer of an eco-evolutionary approach to parasitism.}, journal = {Comptes rendus biologies}, volume = {345}, number = {1}, pages = {1-5}, doi = {10.5802/crbiol.74}, pmid = {35787615}, issn = {1768-3238}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; *Symbiosis ; }, } @article {pmid35181562, year = {2022}, author = {Stoldt, M and Macit, MN and Collin, E and Foitzik, S}, title = {Molecular (co)evolution of hymenopteran social parasites and their hosts.}, journal = {Current opinion in insect science}, volume = {50}, number = {}, pages = {100889}, doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2022.100889}, pmid = {35181562}, issn = {2214-5753}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/genetics/parasitology ; Bees ; Host-Parasite Interactions/genetics ; *Parasites ; Symbiosis ; *Wasps/genetics ; }, abstract = {Social parasitism describes a fascinating way of life in which species exploit the altruistic behaviour of closely related, social species. Social parasites have repeatedly evolved in the social Hymenoptera, including ants, bees, and wasps. The common ancestry and shared (social) environment with their hosts facilitates the study of molecular adaptations to the parasitic lifestyle. Moreover, when social parasites are widespread and virulent, they exert strong selection pressure on their hosts, leading to the evolution of defense mechanisms and triggering a coevolutionary arms race. Recent advances in sequencing technology now make it possible to study the molecular basis of this coevolutionary process. In addition to describing the latest developments, we highlight open research questions that could be tackled with genomic, transcriptomic, or epigenetic data.}, } @article {pmid35787284, year = {2022}, author = {Gokhale, D and Rao, S}, title = {Socio-economic and socio-demographic determinants of diet diversity among rural pregnant women from Pune, India.}, journal = {BMC nutrition}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {54}, pmid = {35787284}, issn = {2055-0928}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Diet diversity signifies the nutrient adequacy of an individual and thus has gained widespread significance in recent times. In developing countries achieving maximum diet diversity, especially among pregnant women from rural areas is challenging although of great importance. However, to do so understanding the primary factors associated with diet diversity is important. This paper, therefore, assessed the socio-demographic and socio-economic determinants of diet diversity among rural pregnant women in India.

METHODS: The study consisted of a community-based prospective cohort of n = 204 pregnant women attending primary healthcare centers (PHC) across 14 villages in Mulshi Taluka, Pune, Maharashtra, India. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire through a one-to-one interview method.

RESULTS: The prevalence of low, medium and high diet diversity was 56.4%, 33.3%, and 10.3% respectively. Minimum diversity in the diet was achieved among 73.5% of pregnant women. The mean diet diversity score (DDS) was 3.6 ± 1.3 with starchy staples being (100%) of commonly consumed foods. Young (< 20 years) women (OR = 5.2; CI:1.9- 13.8), housewives (OR = 3; CI:1.4-6.7), husbands working as skilled laborers (OR = 2.5; CI:1.2-5.5) were at significant risk of having low diet diversity scores. Whereas, those living in a joint family (OR = 0.3; CI:0.1-0.6), not owning a house (OR = 0.5; CI:0.2-0.9), and having a poor income (OR = 1.9; CI: 0.9- 3.7) were less likely to have low diet diversity.

CONCLUSION: Socio-economic and demographic factors (maternal age, mother's occupation, and husband's occupation) influenced the diet diversity among pregnant women. Monotonous diets are commonly seen in developing countries, especially in rural areas which can be a risk factor for poor nutrient adequacy and health of pregnant women. Policies and programs about these determinants of diet diversity should be enacted to replace the poor quality diets to ensure improved diet diversity and nutrient adequacy.}, } @article {pmid35784853, year = {2022}, author = {Deshpande, G and Alluri, V and Sharma, A and Ingalhalikar, M}, title = {Editorial: It Is a Matter of Matters: Deciphering Structural and Functional Brain Connectivity.}, journal = {Frontiers in neuroscience}, volume = {16}, number = {}, pages = {951001}, doi = {10.3389/fnins.2022.951001}, pmid = {35784853}, issn = {1662-4548}, } @article {pmid35784451, year = {2022}, author = {Scott, TJ and Queller, DC and Strassmann, JE}, title = {Context dependence in the symbiosis between Dictyostelium discoideum and Paraburkholderia.}, journal = {Evolution letters}, volume = {6}, number = {3}, pages = {245-254}, doi = {10.1002/evl3.281}, pmid = {35784451}, issn = {2056-3744}, abstract = {Symbiotic interactions change with environmental context. Measuring these context-dependent effects in hosts and symbionts is critical to determining the nature of symbiotic interactions. We investigated context dependence in the symbiosis between social amoeba hosts and their inedible Paraburkholderia bacterial symbionts, where the context is the abundance of host food bacteria. Paraburkholderia have been shown to harm hosts dispersed to food-rich environments, but aid hosts dispersed to food-poor environments by allowing hosts to carry food bacteria. Through measuring symbiont density and host spore production, we show that this food context matters in three other ways. First, it matters for symbionts, who suffer a greater cost from competition with food bacteria in the food-rich context. Second, it matters for host-symbiont conflict, changing how symbiont density negatively impacts host spore production. Third, data-based simulations show that symbiosis often provides a long-term fitness advantage for hosts after rounds of growth and dispersal in variable food contexts, especially when conditions are harsh with little food. These results show how food context can have many consequences for the Dictyostelium-Paraburkholderia symbiosis and that both sides can frequently benefit.}, } @article {pmid35784077, year = {2022}, author = {terHorst, CP and Coffroth, MA}, title = {Individual variation in growth and physiology of symbionts in response to temperature.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {12}, number = {6}, pages = {e9000}, doi = {10.1002/ece3.9000}, pmid = {35784077}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {In many cases, understanding species' responses to climate change requires understanding variation among individuals in response to such change. For species with strong symbiotic relationships, such as many coral reef species, genetic variation in symbiont responses to temperature may affect the response to increased ocean temperatures. To assess variation among symbiont genotypes, we examined the population dynamics and physiological responses of genotypes of Breviolum antillogorgium in response to increased temperature. We found broad temperature tolerance across genotypes, with all genotypes showing positive growth at 26, 30, and 32°C. Genotypes differed in the magnitude of the response of growth rate and carrying capacity to increasing temperature, suggesting that natural selection could favor different genotypes at different temperatures. However, the historical temperature at which genotypes were reared (26 or 30°C) was not a good predictor of contemporary temperature response. We found increased photosynthetic rates and decreased respiration rates with increasing contemporary temperature, and differences in physiology among genotypes, but found no significant differences in the response of these traits to temperature among genotypes. In species with such broad thermal tolerance, selection experiments on symbionts outside of the host may not yield results sufficient for evolutionary rescue from climate change.}, } @article {pmid35782167, year = {2022}, author = {Ladha, JK and Peoples, MB and Reddy, PM and Biswas, JC and Bennett, A and Jat, ML and Krupnik, TJ}, title = {Biological nitrogen fixation and prospects for ecological intensification in cereal-based cropping systems.}, journal = {Field crops research}, volume = {283}, number = {}, pages = {108541}, doi = {10.1016/j.fcr.2022.108541}, pmid = {35782167}, issn = {0378-4290}, abstract = {The demand for nitrogen (N) for crop production increased rapidly from the middle of the twentieth century and is predicted to at least double by 2050 to satisfy the on-going improvements in productivity of major food crops such as wheat, rice and maize that underpin the staple diet of most of the world's population. The increased demand will need to be fulfilled by the two main sources of N supply - biological nitrogen (gas) (N2) fixation (BNF) and fertilizer N supplied through the Haber-Bosch processes. BNF provides many functional benefits for agroecosystems. It is a vital mechanism for replenishing the reservoirs of soil organic N and improving the availability of soil N to support crop growth while also assisting in efforts to lower negative environmental externalities than fertilizer N. In cereal-based cropping systems, legumes in symbiosis with rhizobia contribute the largest BNF input; however, diazotrophs involved in non-symbiotic associations with plants or present as free-living N2-fixers are ubiquitous and also provide an additional source of fixed N. This review presents the current knowledge of BNF by free-living, non-symbiotic and symbiotic diazotrophs in the global N cycle, examines global and regional estimates of contributions of BNF, and discusses possible strategies to enhance BNF for the prospective benefit of cereal N nutrition. We conclude by considering the challenges of introducing in planta BNF into cereals and reflect on the potential for BNF in both conventional and alternative crop management systems to encourage the ecological intensification of cereal and legume production.}, } @article {pmid35781677, year = {2022}, author = {Sauviac, L and Rémy, A and Huault, E and Dalmasso, M and Kazmierczak, T and Jardinaud, MF and Legrand, L and Moreau, C and Ruiz, B and Cazalé, AC and Valière, S and Gourion, B and Dupont, L and Gruber, V and Boncompagni, E and Meilhoc, E and Frendo, P and Frugier, F and Bruand, C}, title = {A dual legume-rhizobium transcriptome of symbiotic nodule senescence reveals coordinated plant and bacterial responses.}, journal = {Plant, cell & environment}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/pce.14389}, pmid = {35781677}, issn = {1365-3040}, abstract = {Senescence determines plant organ lifespan depending on aging and environmental cues. During the endosymbiotic interaction with rhizobia, legume plants develop a specific organ, the root nodule, which houses nitrogen (N)-fixing bacteria. Unlike earlier processes of the legume-rhizobium interaction (nodule formation, N fixation), mechanisms controlling nodule senescence remain poorly understood. To identify nodule senescence-associated genes, we performed a dual plant-bacteria RNA sequencing approach on Medicago truncatula-Sinorhizobium meliloti nodules having initiated senescence either naturally (aging) or following an environmental trigger (nitrate treatment or salt stress). The resulting data allowed the identification of hundreds of plant and bacterial genes differentially regulated during nodule senescence, thus providing an unprecedented comprehensive resource of new candidate genes associated with this process. Remarkably, several plant and bacterial genes related to the cell cycle and stress responses were regulated in senescent nodules, including the rhizobial RpoE2-dependent general stress response. Analysis of selected core nodule senescence plant genes allowed showing that MtNAC969 and MtS40, both homologous to leaf senescence-associated genes, negatively regulate the transition between N fixation and senescence. In contrast, overexpression of a gene involved in the biosynthesis of cytokinins, well-known negative regulators of leaf senescence, may promote the transition from N fixation to senescence in nodules. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.}, } @article {pmid35610311, year = {2022}, author = {Flemming, A}, title = {Gut commensals promote antiviral immunity via extracellular vesicles.}, journal = {Nature reviews. Immunology}, volume = {22}, number = {7}, pages = {410}, pmid = {35610311}, issn = {1474-1741}, mesh = {*Antiviral Agents ; *Extracellular Vesicles ; Humans ; Symbiosis ; }, } @article {pmid35730958, year = {2022}, author = {Saini, A and Dalal, P and Sharma, D}, title = {Deciphering the interdependent labyrinth between gut microbiota and the immune system.}, journal = {Letters in applied microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/lam.13775}, pmid = {35730958}, issn = {1472-765X}, abstract = {The human gut microbiome interacts with each other and the host, which has significant effects on health and disease development. Intestinal homeostasis and inflammation are maintained by the dynamic interactions between gut microbiota and the innate and adaptive immune systems. Numerous metabolic products produced by the gut microbiota play a role in mediating cross-talk between gut epithelial and immune cells. In the event of an imbalance between the immune system and microbiota, the body becomes susceptible to infections and homeostasis is compromised. This review mainly focuses on the interplay between microbes and the immune system, such as T-cell- and B-cell-mediated adaptive responses to microbiota and signalling pathways for effective communication between the two. We have also highlighted the role of microbes in the activation of the immune response, the development of memory cells and how the immune system determines the diversity of human gut microbiota. The review also explains the relationship of commensal microbiota and their relation to the production of immunoglobulins.}, } @article {pmid35776745, year = {2022}, author = {Mateus, ID and Auxier, B and Ndiaye, MMS and Cruz, J and Lee, SJ and Sanders, IR}, title = {Reciprocal recombination genomic signatures in the symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Rhizophagus irregularis.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {17}, number = {7}, pages = {e0270481}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0270481}, pmid = {35776745}, issn = {1932-6203}, abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are part of the most widespread fungal-plant symbiosis. They colonize at least 80% of plant species, promote plant growth and plant diversity. These fungi are multinucleated and contain either one or two haploid nuclear genotypes (monokaryon and dikaryon) identified by the alleles at a putative mating-type locus. This taxon has been considered as an ancient asexual scandal because of the lack of observable sexual structures. Despite identification of a putative mating-type locus and functional activation of genes related to mating when two isolates co-exist, it remains unknown if the AMF life cycle involves a sexual or parasexual stage. We used publicly available genome sequences to test if Rhizophagus irregularis dikaryon genomes display signatures of sexual reproduction in the form of reciprocal recombination patterns, or if they display exclusively signatures of parasexual reproduction involving gene conversion. We used short-read and long-read sequence data to identify nucleus-specific alleles within dikaryons and then compared them to orthologous gene sequences from related monokaryon isolates displaying the same putative MAT-types as the dikaryon. We observed that the two nucleus-specific alleles of the dikaryon A5 are more related to the homolog sequences of monokaryon isolates displaying the same putative MAT-type than between each other. We also observed that these nucleus-specific alleles displayed reciprocal recombination signatures. These results confirm that dikaryon and monokaryon isolates displaying the same putative MAT-type are related in their life-cycle. These results suggest that a genetic exchange mechanism, involving reciprocal recombination in dikaryon genomes, allows AMF to generate genetic diversity.}, } @article {pmid35775972, year = {2022}, author = {Feeney, MA and Newitt, JT and Addington, E and Algora-Gallardo, L and Allan, C and Balis, L and Birke, AS and Castaño-Espriu, L and Charkoudian, LK and Devine, R and Gayrard, D and Hamilton, J and Hennrich, O and Hoskisson, PA and Keith-Baker, M and Klein, JG and Kruasuwan, W and Mark, DR and Mast, Y and McHugh, RE and McLean, TC and Mohit, E and Munnoch, JT and Murray, J and Noble, K and Otani, H and Parra, J and Pereira, CF and Perry, L and Pintor-Escobar, L and Pritchard, L and Prudence, SMM and Russell, AH and Schniete, JK and Seipke, RF and Sélem-Mojica, N and Undabarrena, A and Vind, K and van Wezel, GP and Wilkinson, B and Worsley, SF and Duncan, KR and Fernández-Martínez, LT and Hutchings, MI}, title = {ActinoBase: tools and protocols for researchers working on Streptomyces and other filamentous actinobacteria.}, journal = {Microbial genomics}, volume = {8}, number = {7}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1099/mgen.0.000824}, pmid = {35775972}, issn = {2057-5858}, abstract = {Actinobacteria is an ancient phylum of Gram-positive bacteria with a characteristic high GC content to their DNA. The ActinoBase Wiki is focused on the filamentous actinobacteria, such as Streptomyces species, and the techniques and growth conditions used to study them. These organisms are studied because of their complex developmental life cycles and diverse specialised metabolism which produces many of the antibiotics currently used in the clinic. ActinoBase is a community effort that provides valuable and freely accessible resources, including protocols and practical information about filamentous actinobacteria. It is aimed at enabling knowledge exchange between members of the international research community working with these fascinating bacteria. ActinoBase is an anchor platform that underpins worldwide efforts to understand the ecology, biology and metabolic potential of these organisms. There are two key differences that set ActinoBase apart from other Wiki-based platforms: [1] ActinoBase is specifically aimed at researchers working on filamentous actinobacteria and is tailored to help users overcome challenges working with these bacteria and [2] it provides a freely accessible resource with global networking opportunities for researchers with a broad range of experience in this field.}, } @article {pmid35775577, year = {2022}, author = {Carrier, TJ and Bosch, TCG}, title = {Symbiosis: the other cells in development.}, journal = {Development (Cambridge, England)}, volume = {149}, number = {13}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1242/dev.200797}, pmid = {35775577}, issn = {1477-9129}, support = {//Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung/ ; 261376515//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; //Collaborative Research Centre 1182/ ; //Canadian Institute for Advanced Research/ ; }, abstract = {Animal development is an inherently complex process that is regulated by highly conserved genomic networks, and the resulting phenotype may remain plastic in response to environmental signals. Despite development having been studied in a more natural setting for the past few decades, this framework often precludes the role of microbial prokaryotes in these processes. Here, we address how microbial symbioses impact animal development from the onset of gametogenesis through adulthood. We then provide a first assessment of which developmental processes may or may not be influenced by microbial symbioses and, in doing so, provide a holistic view of the budding discipline of developmental symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35775576, year = {2022}, author = {Gilbert, SF and Hadfield, MG}, title = {Symbiosis of disciplines: how can developmental biologists join conservationists in sustaining and restoring earth's biodiversity?.}, journal = {Development (Cambridge, England)}, volume = {149}, number = {13}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1242/dev.199960}, pmid = {35775576}, issn = {1477-9129}, support = {//Swarthmore College/ ; //Office of Naval Research/ ; //Leidos/ ; }, abstract = {What can developmental biology contribute toward mitigating the consequences of anthropogenic assaults on the environment and climate change? In this Spotlight article, we advocate a developmental biology that takes seriously Lynn Margulis' claim that 'the environment is part of the body'. We believe this to be a pre-condition for developmental biology playing important roles in conservation and environmental restoration. We need to forge a developmental biology of the holobiont - the multi-genomic physiologically integrated organism that is also a functional biome. To this end, we highlight how developmental biology needs to explore more deeply the interactions between developing organisms, and their chemical, physical and biotic environments.}, } @article {pmid35774624, year = {2022}, author = {Huang, R and Snedden, WA and diCenzo, GC}, title = {Reference nodule transcriptomes for Melilotus officinalis and Medicago sativa cv. Algonquin.}, journal = {Plant direct}, volume = {6}, number = {6}, pages = {e408}, doi = {10.1002/pld3.408}, pmid = {35774624}, issn = {2475-4455}, abstract = {Host/symbiont compatibility is a hallmark of the symbiotic nitrogen-fixing interaction between rhizobia and legumes, mediated in part by plant-produced nodule-specific cysteine-rich (NCR) peptides and the bacterial BacA membrane protein that can act as a NCR peptide transporter. In addition, the genetic and metabolic properties supporting symbiotic nitrogen fixation often differ between compatible partners, including those sharing a common partner, highlighting the need for multiple study systems. Here, we report high-quality nodule transcriptome assemblies for Medicago sativa cv. Algonquin and Melilotus officinalis, two legumes able to form compatible symbioses with Sinorhizobium meliloti. The compressed M. sativa and M. officinalis assemblies consisted of 79,978 and 64,593 contigs, respectively, of which 33,341 and 28,278 were assigned putative annotations, respectively. As expected, the two transcriptomes showed broad similarity at a global level. We were particularly interested in the NCR peptide profiles of these plants, as these peptides drive bacterial differentiation during the symbiosis. A total of 412 and 308 NCR peptides were predicted from the M. sativa and M. officinalis transcriptomes, respectively, with approximately 9% of the transcriptome of both species consisting of NCR transcripts. Notably, transcripts encoding highly cationic NCR peptides (isoelectric point > 9.5), which are known to have antimicrobial properties, were ∼2-fold more abundant in M. sativa than in M. officinalis, and ∼27-fold more abundant when considering only NCR peptides in the six-cysteine class. We hypothesize that the difference in abundance of highly cationic NCR peptides explains our previous observation that some rhizobial bacA alleles which can support symbiosis with M. officinalis are unable to support symbiosis with M. sativa.}, } @article {pmid35774575, year = {2022}, author = {Medithi, S and Kasa, YD and Kankipati, VR and Kodali, V and Jee, B and Jonnalagadda, PR}, title = {Impact of Micronutrient Supplementation on Pesticide Residual, Acetylcholinesterase Activity, and Oxidative Stress Among Farm Children Exposed to Pesticides.}, journal = {Frontiers in public health}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {872125}, doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2022.872125}, pmid = {35774575}, issn = {2296-2565}, abstract = {The present interventional study aimed to assess the impact of micronutrient supplementation on pesticide-residues concentrations, vitamins, minerals, acetylcholinesterase activity and oxidative stress among 129 farm children (9-12 years, n = 66 and 13-15 years, n = 63) involved in farming activities in Ranga Reddy district, Telangana, India. Our data showed the presence of five organophosphorus pesticide residues (chlorpyrifos, diazinon, malathion, monocrotophos, and phosalone) among children before-supplementation (both age-groups); while post-supplementation, only two pesticide residues (chlorpyrifos and diazinon) were detected indicating improved metabolic rate. Vitamin E, copper, magnesium and zinc levels were also improved in both the age-groups and manganese levels were significantly increased only among children of 13-15 years age group. Further, post-supplementation also showed an improvement in acetylcholinesterase activity and a decrease in lipid peroxidation among both the age groups of children. However, further research for ascertaining the ameliorating effect of micronutrients in preventing adverse effects of organophosphorus pesticides must be conducted.}, } @article {pmid35647657, year = {2022}, author = {Renoz, F and Lopes, MR and Gaget, K and Duport, G and Eloy, MC and Geelhand de Merxem, B and Hance, T and Calevro, F}, title = {Compartmentalized into Bacteriocytes but Highly Invasive: the Puzzling Case of the Co-Obligate Symbiont Serratia symbiotica in the Aphid Periphyllus lyropictus.}, journal = {Microbiology spectrum}, volume = {10}, number = {3}, pages = {e0045722}, doi = {10.1128/spectrum.00457-22}, pmid = {35647657}, issn = {2165-0497}, support = {1B374.21//Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS (FNRS)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Aphids/genetics/microbiology ; *Buchnera/genetics ; Phylogeny ; Serratia/genetics ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Dependence on multiple nutritional symbionts that form a metabolic unit has evolved many times in insects. Although it has been postulated that host dependence on these metabolically interconnected symbionts is sustained by their high degree of anatomical integration (these symbionts are often housed in distinct symbiotic cells, the bacteriocytes, assembled into a common symbiotic organ, the bacteriome), the developmental aspects of such multipartner systems have received little attention. Aphids of the subfamilies Chaitophorinae and Lachninae typically harbor disymbiotic systems in which the metabolic capabilities of the ancient obligate symbiont Buchnera aphidicola are complemented by those of a more recently acquired nutritional symbiont, often belonging to the species Serratia symbiotica. Here, we used microscopy approaches to finely characterize the tissue tropism and infection dynamics of the disymbiotic system formed by B. aphidicola and S. symbiotica in the Norway maple aphid Periphyllus lyropictus (Chaitophorinae). Our observations show that, in this aphid, the co-obligate symbiont S. symbiotica exhibits a dual lifestyle: intracellular by being housed in large syncytial bacteriocytes embedded between B. aphidicola-containing bacteriocytes in a well-organized compartmentalization pattern, and extracellular by massively invading the digestive tract and other tissues during embryogenesis. This is the first reported case of an obligate aphid symbiont that is internalized in bacteriocytes but simultaneously adopts an extracellular lifestyle. This unusual infection pattern for an obligate insect symbiont suggests that some bacteriocyte-associated obligate symbionts, despite their integration into a cooperative partnership, still exhibit invasive behavior and escape strict compartmentalization in bacteriocytes. IMPORTANCE Multipartner nutritional endosymbioses have evolved many times in insects. In Chaitophorinae aphids, the eroded metabolic capabilities of the ancient obligate symbiont B. aphidicola are complemented by those of more recently acquired symbionts. Here, we report the atypical case of the co-obligate S. symbiotica symbiont associated with P. lyropictus. This bacterium is compartmentalized into bacteriocytes nested into the ones harboring the more ancient symbiont B. aphidicola, reflecting metabolic convergences between the two symbionts. At the same time, S. symbiotica exhibits highly invasive behavior by colonizing various host tissues, including the digestive tract during embryogenesis. The discovery of this unusual phenotype for a co-obligate symbiont reveals a new face of multipartner nutritional endosymbiosis in insects. In particular, it shows that co-obligate symbionts can retain highly invasive traits and suggests that host dependence on these bacterial partners may evolve prior to their strict compartmentalization into specialized host structures.}, } @article {pmid35579457, year = {2022}, author = {Chaput, G and Ford, J and DeDiego, L and Narayanan, A and Tam, WY and Whalen, M and Huntemann, M and Clum, A and Spunde, A and Pillay, M and Palaniappan, K and Varghese, N and Mikhailova, N and Chen, IM and Stamatis, D and Reddy, TBK and O'Malley, R and Daum, C and Shapiro, N and Ivanova, N and Kyrpides, NC and Woyke, T and Glavina Del Rio, T and DeAngelis, KM}, title = {Sodalis ligni Strain 159R Isolated from an Anaerobic Lignin-Degrading Consortium.}, journal = {Microbiology spectrum}, volume = {10}, number = {3}, pages = {e0234621}, doi = {10.1128/spectrum.02346-21}, pmid = {35579457}, issn = {2165-0497}, support = {FP-91782301-0//U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)/ ; DE-AC02-05CH11231//U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/ ; }, mesh = {Anaerobiosis ; Animals ; Bacterial Typing Techniques ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics/metabolism ; *Enterobacteriaceae/genetics ; *Lignin/metabolism ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Novel bacterial isolates with the capabilities of lignin depolymerization, catabolism, or both, could be pertinent to lignocellulosic biofuel applications. In this study, we aimed to identify anaerobic bacteria that could address the economic challenges faced with microbial-mediated biotechnologies, such as the need for aeration and mixing. Using a consortium seeded from temperate forest soil and enriched under anoxic conditions with organosolv lignin as the sole carbon source, we successfully isolated a novel bacterium, designated 159R. Based on the 16S rRNA gene, the isolate belongs to the genus Sodalis in the family Bruguierivoracaceae. Whole-genome sequencing revealed a genome size of 6.38 Mbp and a GC content of 55 mol%. To resolve the phylogenetic position of 159R, its phylogeny was reconstructed using (i) 16S rRNA genes of its closest relatives, (ii) multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of 100 genes, (iii) 49 clusters of orthologous groups (COG) domains, and (iv) 400 conserved proteins. Isolate 159R was closely related to the deadwood associated Sodalis guild rather than the tsetse fly and other insect endosymbiont guilds. Estimated genome-sequence-based digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH), genome percentage of conserved proteins (POCP), and an alignment analysis between 159R and the Sodalis clade species further supported that isolate 159R was part of the Sodalis genus and a strain of Sodalis ligni. We proposed the name Sodalis ligni str. 159R (=DSM 110549 = ATCC TSD-177). IMPORTANCE Currently, in the paper industry, paper mill pulping relies on unsustainable and costly processes to remove lignin from lignocellulosic material. A greener approach is biopulping, which uses microbes and their enzymes to break down lignin. However, there are limitations to biopulping that prevent it from outcompeting other pulping processes, such as requiring constant aeration and mixing. Anaerobic bacteria are a promising alternative source for consolidated depolymerization of lignin and its conversion to valuable by-products. We presented Sodalis ligni str. 159R and its characteristics as another example of potential mechanisms that can be developed for lignocellulosic applications.}, } @article {pmid35445414, year = {2022}, author = {Suetsugu, K and Okada, H and Hirota, SK and Suyama, Y}, title = {Evolutionary history of mycorrhizal associations between Japanese Oxygyne (Thismiaceae) species and Glomeraceae fungi.}, journal = {The New phytologist}, volume = {235}, number = {3}, pages = {836-841}, doi = {10.1111/nph.18163}, pmid = {35445414}, issn = {1469-8137}, support = {JPMJPR21D6//Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology/ ; 4-2001//Environment Research and Technology Development Fund/ ; 4-1902//Environment Research and Technology Development Fund/ ; }, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; Fungi ; *Glomeromycota ; Japan ; *Mycorrhizae/genetics ; Symbiosis ; }, } @article {pmid35435757, year = {2022}, author = {Nakabachi, A and Moran, NA}, title = {Extreme Polyploidy of Carsonella, an Organelle-Like Bacterium with a Drastically Reduced Genome.}, journal = {Microbiology spectrum}, volume = {10}, number = {3}, pages = {e0035022}, doi = {10.1128/spectrum.00350-22}, pmid = {35435757}, issn = {2165-0497}, support = {21687020//MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/genetics ; *Gammaproteobacteria ; Genome, Bacterial ; *Hemiptera/genetics/microbiology ; Organelles ; Phylogeny ; Polyploidy ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Polyploidy is the state of having multiple copies of the genome within a nucleus or a cell, which has repeatedly evolved across the domains of life. Whereas most bacteria are monoploid, some bacterial species and endosymbiotic organelles that are derived from bacteria are stably polyploid. In the present study, using absolute quantitative PCR, we assessed the ploidy of Candidatus Carsonella ruddii (Gammaproteobacteria, Oceanospirillales), the obligate symbiont of the hackberry petiole gall psyllid, Pachypsylla venusta (Hemiptera, Psylloidea). The genome of this symbiont is one of the smallest known for cellular organisms, at 160 kb. The analysis revealed that Carsonella within a single bacteriocyte has ∼6 × 104 copies of the genome, indicating that some Carsonella cells can contain thousands or even tens of thousands of genomic copies per cell. The basis of polyploidy of Carsonella is unknown, but it potentially plays a role in the repair of DNA damage through homologous recombination. IMPORTANCE Mitochondria and plastids are endosymbiotic organelles in eukaryotic cells and are derived from free-living bacteria. They have many highly reduced genomes from which numerous genes have been transferred to the host nucleus. Similar, but more recently established, symbiotic systems are observed in some insect lineages. Although the genomic sequence data of such bacterial symbionts are rapidly accumulating, little is known about their ploidy. The present study revealed that a bacterium with a drastically reduced genome is an extreme polyploid, which is reminiscent of the case of organelles.}, } @article {pmid35772406, year = {2022}, author = {Gast, L and Cabrera Serrenho, A and Allwood, JM}, title = {What Contribution Could Industrial Symbiosis Make to Mitigating Industrial Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions in Bulk Material Production?.}, journal = {Environmental science & technology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1021/acs.est.2c01753}, pmid = {35772406}, issn = {1520-5851}, abstract = {In industrial symbiosis, byproducts and wastes are used to substitute other process inputs, with the goal of reducing the environmental impact of production. Potentially, such symbiosis could reduce greenhouse gas emissions; although there exists literature exploring this at specific industrial sites, there has not yet been a quantitative global assessment of the potential toward climate mitigation by industrial symbiosis in bulk material production of steel, cement, paper, and aluminum. A model based on physical production recipes is developed to estimate global mass flows for production of these materials with increasing levels of symbiosis. The results suggest that even with major changes to byproduct utilization in cement production, the emission reduction potential is low (7% of the total bulk material system emissions) and will decline as coal-fired electricity generation and blast furnace steel production are phased out. Introducing new technologies for heat recovery allows a greater potential reduction in emissions (up to 18%), but the required infrastructure and technologies have not yet been deployed at scale. Therefore, further industrial symbiosis is unlikely to make a significant contribution to GHG emission mitigation in bulk material production.}, } @article {pmid35769565, year = {2022}, author = {Tzani-Tzanopoulou, P and Skliros, D and Megremis, S and Xepapadaki, P and Andreakos, E and Chanishvili, N and Flemetakis, E and Kaltsas, G and Taka, S and Lebessi, E and Doudoulakakis, A and Papadopoulos, NG}, title = {Corrigendum: Interactions of Bacteriophages and Bacteria at the Airway Mucosa: New Insights Into the Pathophysiology of Asthma.}, journal = {Frontiers in allergy}, volume = {3}, number = {}, pages = {892908}, doi = {10.3389/falgy.2022.892908}, pmid = {35769565}, issn = {2673-6101}, abstract = {[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/falgy.2020.617240.].}, } @article {pmid35769276, year = {2022}, author = {Sasikumar, A and Ravi, L and Kotecha, K and Saini, JR and Varadarajan, V and Subramaniyaswamy, V}, title = {Sustainable Smart Industry: A Secure and Energy Efficient Consensus Mechanism for Artificial Intelligence Enabled Industrial Internet of Things.}, journal = {Computational intelligence and neuroscience}, volume = {2022}, number = {}, pages = {1419360}, doi = {10.1155/2022/1419360}, pmid = {35769276}, issn = {1687-5273}, abstract = {In recent years, the Internet of Things (IoT) has been industrializing in various real-world applications, including smart industry and smart grids, to make human existence more reliable. An overwhelming volume of sensing data is produced from numerous sensor devices as the Industrial IoT (IIoT) becomes more industrialized. Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a vital part in big data analyses as a powerful analytic tool that provides flexible and reliable information insights in real-time. However, there are some difficulties in designing and developing a useful big data analysis tool using machine learning, such as a centralized approach, security, privacy, resource limitations, and a lack of sufficient training data. On the other hand, Blockchain promotes a decentralized architecture for IIoT applications. It encourages the secure data exchange and resources among the various nodes of the IoT network, removing centralized control and overcoming the industry's current challenges. Our proposed approach goal is to design and implement a consensus mechanism that incorporates Blockchain and AI to allow successful big data analysis. This work presents an improved Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) algorithm-based IIoT network that combines Blockchain and AI for real-time data transmission. To accelerate IIoT block generation, nodes use an improved DPoS to reach a consensus for selecting delegates and store block information in the trading node. The proposed approach is evaluated regarding energy consumption and transaction efficiency compared with the exciting consensus mechanism. The evaluation results reveal that the proposed consensus algorithm reduces energy consumption and addresses current security issues.}, } @article {pmid35763172, year = {2022}, author = {Monique, K and de Souza, GR and Calixto, ES and Silva, EA}, title = {Temporal variation in the effect of ants on the fitness of myrmecophilic plants: seasonal effect surpasses periodic benefits.}, journal = {Die Naturwissenschaften}, volume = {109}, number = {4}, pages = {36}, pmid = {35763172}, issn = {1432-1904}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants ; Plant Nectar ; Plants ; Seasons ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Plants provide extrafloral nectar, which is a food resource taken by ants, especially aggressive species that may act as plant guards. To our knowledge, no study has been conducted to concurrently investigate the fluctuation of plant fitness over its whole reproductive season, recording and comparing both short periods (different samplings during the plant's reproductive season) and the season/pooled data (all fruits produced during the reproductive season). Here, by assigning plants to either ant-present or absent treatments, we investigated the influence of the protective foliage-dwelling ant, Camponotus crassus, on the flower bud and fruit production of four extrafloral nectaried plants (Ancistrotropis firmula, Bionia coriacea, Cochlospermum regium, and Peixotoa tomentosa) throughout their annual reproductive season. Periodic samples in the field revealed a large variation in plant reproduction throughout the season; the increases in buds and fruits were not constantly higher in plants with ants, and in fact, plants without ants had more reproductive structures sometimes. Nonetheless, the examination of the pooled data, i.e., cumulative number of flower buds and fruits produced during the reproductive season, revealed the plants with ants produced more flower buds and fruits (e.g., up to two-fold greater in A. firmula) compared to ant-absent treatments. Our results indicate the effects of ants on plant reproduction are not constant over time, but the net benefits to plants with ants are reflected in increased fruit production. Therefore, the investigations of the benefit of ants on plants should consider the whole plant's reproductive season rather than single samplings within plant reproduction period.}, } @article {pmid35638758, year = {2022}, author = {Martins, FH and Rajan, A and Carter, HE and Baniasadi, HR and Maresso, AW and Sperandio, V}, title = {Interactions between Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and Gut Commensals at the Interface of Human Colonoids.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {13}, number = {3}, pages = {e0132122}, doi = {10.1128/mbio.01321-22}, pmid = {35638758}, issn = {2150-7511}, support = {AI053067//HHS | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)/ ; AI154597//HHS | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)/ ; AI154597//HHS | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)/ ; AI155398//HHS | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/metabolism ; *Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli ; *Escherichia coli Infections ; *Escherichia coli Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Humans ; Mice ; *Microbiota ; Symbiosis ; Virulence/genetics ; Virulence Factors/metabolism ; }, abstract = {The interactions between the gut microbiota and pathogens are complex and can determine the outcome of an infection. Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is a major human enteric pathogen that colonizes the colon through attaching and effacing (AE) lesions and uses microbiota-derived molecules as cues to control its virulence. Different gut commensals can modulate EHEC virulence. However, the lack of an animal model that recapitulates the human pathophysiology of EHEC infection makes it challenging to investigate how variations in microbiota composition could affect host susceptibility to this pathogen. Here, we addressed these interactions building from simple to more complex in vitro systems, culminating with the use of the physiological relevant human colonoids as a model to study the interactions between EHEC and different gut commensals. We demonstrated that Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and Enterococcus faecalis enhance virulence expression and AE lesion formation in cultured epithelial cells, as well as on the colonic epithelium, while commensal E. coli did not affect these phenotypes. Importantly, in the presence of these three commensals together, virulence and AE lesion are enhanced. Moreover, we identified specific changes in the metabolic landscape promoted by different members of the gut microbiota and showed that soluble factors released by E. faecalis can increase EHEC virulence gene expression. Our study highlights the importance of interspecies bacterial interactions and chemical exchange in the modulation of EHEC virulence. IMPORTANCE Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) is a natural human pathogen that poorly colonizes mice. Hence, the use of murine models to understand features of EHEC infection is a challenge. In this study, we use human colonoids as a physiologically relevant model to study interactions between EHEC and gut commensals. We demonstrate that the ability of EHEC to form AE lesions on the intestinal epithelium is enhanced by the presence of certain gut commensals, such as B. thetaiotaomicron and E. faecalis, while it is not affected by commensal E. coli. Furthermore, we show that commensal bacteria differently impact the metabolic landscape. These data suggest that microbiota compositions can differentially modulate EHEC-mediated disease.}, } @article {pmid35767643, year = {2022}, author = {Chin, WH and Kett, C and Cooper, O and Müseler, D and Zhang, Y and Bamert, RS and Patwa, R and Woods, LC and Devendran, C and Korneev, D and Tiralongo, J and Lithgow, T and McDonald, MJ and Neild, A and Barr, JJ}, title = {Bacteriophages evolve enhanced persistence to a mucosal surface.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {119}, number = {27}, pages = {e2116197119}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.2116197119}, pmid = {35767643}, issn = {1091-6490}, support = {DE170100525//Department of Education and Training | Australian Research Council (ARC)/ ; DP210103296//Department of Education and Training | Australian Research Council (ARC)/ ; }, abstract = {The majority of viruses within the gut are obligate bacterial viruses known as bacteriophages (phages). Their bacteriotropism underscores the study of phage ecology in the gut, where they modulate and coevolve with gut bacterial communities. Traditionally, these ecological and evolutionary questions were investigated empirically via in vitro experimental evolution and, more recently, in vivo models were adopted to account for physiologically relevant conditions of the gut. Here, we probed beyond conventional phage-bacteria coevolution to investigate potential tripartite evolutionary interactions between phages, their bacterial hosts, and the mammalian gut mucosa. To capture the role of the mammalian gut, we recapitulated a life-like gut mucosal layer using in vitro lab-on-a-chip devices (to wit, the gut-on-a-chip) and showed that the mucosal environment supports stable phage-bacteria coexistence. Next, we experimentally coevolved lytic phage populations within the gut-on-a-chip devices alongside their bacterial hosts. We found that while phages adapt to the mucosal environment via de novo mutations, genetic recombination was the key evolutionary force in driving mutational fitness. A single mutation in the phage capsid protein Hoc-known to facilitate phage adherence to mucus-caused altered phage binding to fucosylated mucin glycans. We demonstrated that the altered glycan-binding phenotype provided the evolved mutant phage a competitive fitness advantage over its ancestral wild-type phage in the gut-on-a-chip mucosal environment. Collectively, our findings revealed that phages-in addition to their evolutionary relationship with bacteria-are able to evolve in response to a mammalian-derived mucosal environment.}, } @article {pmid35767223, year = {2022}, author = {Frattini, A and Martínez-Solís, M and Llopis-Giménez, Á and Pozo, MJ and Rivero, J and Crava, CM and Herrero, S}, title = {Compatibility of mycorrhiza-induced resistance with viral and bacterial entomopathogens in the control of Spodoptera exigua in tomato.}, journal = {Pest management science}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1002/ps.7058}, pmid = {35767223}, issn = {1526-4998}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are soil-borne microorganisms that establish mutualistic associations with roots of most terrestrial plants. This symbiosis results in nutritional and defensive benefits to the host plant, usually conferring protection against biotic stresses, but its indirect impact on third trophic levels is still unknown. In the present work, we explore whether the symbiosis of tomato plants with Funneliformis mosseae (and/or exposition to herbivory) influences the interaction of the generalist pest Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) with bacterial (Bacillus thuringiensis) and viral (baculovirus, SeMNPV) natural entomopathogens.

RESULTS: Symbiosis with AMF and previous herbivory reduces the growth rate of S. exigua, increases its susceptibility to a sublethal dose B. thuringiensis and has positive or neutral impact on the lethality of SeMNPV. Reduction of the phenoloxidase activity, a marker of the insect immune response, was associated to the larval feeding on plant material previously exposed to herbivory but not to the AMF. In addition, no changes in the insect gut microbiota could be associated to the observed changes in larval growth rate and susceptibility to the entomopathogens.

CONCLUSION: Our findings provide the first evidence of compatibility of AMF-symbiosis in tomato with the use of bacterial and viral entomopathogens, contributing to the development of novel approaches to combine the beneficial effect of AMF and entomopathogens in biological pest control. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.}, } @article {pmid35767213, year = {2022}, author = {Asmus, JJ and Toplis, B and Roets, F and Botha, A}, title = {Predicting interactions of the frass-associated yeast Hyphopichia heimii with Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata and twig-boring bark beetles.}, journal = {Folia microbiologica}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35767213}, issn = {1874-9356}, abstract = {Bark beetles are destructive insect pests known to form symbioses with different fungal taxa, including yeasts. The aim of this study was to (1) determine the prevalence of the rare yeast Hyphopichia heimii in bark beetle frass from wild olive trees in South Africa and to (2) predict the potential interaction of this yeast with trees and bark beetles. Twenty-eight culturable yeast species were isolated from frass in 35 bark beetle galleries, including representatives of H. heimii from nine samples. Physiological characterization of H. heimii isolates revealed that none was able to degrade complex polymers present in hemicellulose; however, all were able to assimilate sucrose and cellobiose, sugars associated with an arboreal habitat. All isolates were able to produce the auxin indole acetic acid, indicative of a potential symbiosis with the tree. Sterol analysis revealed that the isolates possessed ergosterol quantities ranging from 3.644 ± 0.119 to 13.920 ± 1.230 mg/g dry cell weight, which suggested that H. heimii could serve as a source of sterols in bark beetle diets, as is known for other bark beetle-associated fungi. In addition, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry demonstrated that at least one of the isolates, Hyphopichia heimii CAB 1614, was able to convert the insect pheromone cis-verbenol to the anti-aggregation pheromone verbenone. This indicated that H. heimii could potentially influence beetle behaviour. These results support the contention of a tripartite symbiosis between H. heimii, olive trees, and bark beetles.}, } @article {pmid35765190, year = {2022}, author = {Weiland, SO and Detcharoen, M and Schlick-Steiner, BC and Steiner, FM}, title = {Analyses of locomotion, wing morphology, and microbiome in Drosophila nigrosparsa after recovery from antibiotics.}, journal = {MicrobiologyOpen}, volume = {11}, number = {3}, pages = {e1291}, doi = {10.1002/mbo3.1291}, pmid = {35765190}, issn = {2045-8827}, support = {//University of Innsbruck/ ; }, abstract = {Antibiotics, such as tetracycline, have been frequently used to cure arthropods of Wolbachia endosymbionts. After the symbionts have been removed, the hosts must recover for some generations from the side effects of the antibiotics. However, most studies do not assess the direct and indirect longer-term effects of antibiotics used to remove Wolbachia, which may question the exact contribution of this endosymbiont to the effects observed. Here, we used the fly Drosophila nigrosparsa treated or not with tetracycline for three generations followed by two generations of recovery to investigate the effects of this antibiotic on the fly locomotion, wing morphology, and the gut microbiome. We found that antibiotic treatment did not affect fly locomotion two generations after being treated with the antibiotic. In addition, gut-microbiome restoration was tested as a more efficient solution to reduce the potential side effects of tetracycline on the microbiome. There was no significant difference in alpha diversity between gut restoration and other treatments, but the abundance of some bacterial taxa differed significantly between the gut-restoration treatment and the control. We conclude that in D. nigrosparsa the recovery period of two generations after being treated with the antibiotic is sufficient for locomotion, and suggest a general assessment of direct and indirect effects of antibiotics after a particular recovery time.}, } @article {pmid35765178, year = {2022}, author = {Pietsch, GM and Gazis, R and Klingeman, WE and Huff, ML and Staton, ME and Kolarik, M and Hadziabdic, D}, title = {Characterization and microsatellite marker development for a common bark and ambrosia beetle associate, Geosmithia obscura.}, journal = {MicrobiologyOpen}, volume = {11}, number = {3}, pages = {e1286}, doi = {10.1002/mbo3.1286}, pmid = {35765178}, issn = {2045-8827}, support = {//University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Departments of Entomology and Plant Pathology and Plant Sciences/ ; 15-CA-11272139-050//Cooperative Agreement between the USDA FS Pacific Southwest Research Station and the University of Tennessee/ ; 1009630(TEN00495)//USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch project/ ; }, abstract = {Symbioses between Geosmithia fungi and wood-boring and bark beetles seldom result in disease induction within the plant host. Yet, exceptions exist such as Geosmithia morbida, the causal agent of Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) of walnuts and wingnuts, and Geosmithia sp. 41, the causal agent of Foamy Bark Canker disease of oaks. Isolates of G. obscura were recovered from black walnut trees in eastern Tennessee and at least one isolate induced cankers following artificial inoculation. Due to the putative pathogenicity and lack of recovery of G. obscura from natural lesions, a molecular diagnostic screening tool was developed using microsatellite markers mined from the G. obscura genome. A total of 3256 candidate microsatellite markers were identified (2236, 789, 137 di-, tri-, and tetranucleotide motifs, respectively), with 2011, 703, 101 di-, tri-, and tetranucleotide motifs, respectively, containing markers with primers. From these, 75 microsatellite markers were randomly selected, screened, and optimized, resulting in 28 polymorphic markers that yielded single, consistently recovered bands, which were used in downstream analyses. Five of these microsatellite markers were found to be specific to G. obscura and did not cross-amplify into other, closely related species. Although the remaining tested markers could be useful, they cross-amplified within different Geosmithia species, making them not reliable for G. obscura detection. Five novel microsatellite markers (GOBS9, GOBS10, GOBS41, GOBS43, and GOBS50) were developed based on the G. obscura genome. These species-specific microsatellite markers are available as a tool for use in molecular diagnostics and can assist future surveillance studies.}, } @article {pmid35765004, year = {2022}, author = {Levraud, JP and Rawls, JF and Clatworthy, AE}, title = {Using zebrafish to understand reciprocal interactions between the nervous and immune systems and the microbial world.}, journal = {Journal of neuroinflammation}, volume = {19}, number = {1}, pages = {170}, pmid = {35765004}, issn = {1742-2094}, support = {ANR-16-CE20-0002-03//Agence Nationale de la Recherche/ ; ANR-21-CE35-0019-03//Agence Nationale de la Recherche (FR)/ ; ITN 955576//H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions/ ; R01 DK081426/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; P01-DK094779/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; R01-DK093399/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; R01-DK113123/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; R24-OD016761/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; Symbiosis in aquatic systems initiative//Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation/ ; Innovation fund//Pew Charitable Trusts/ ; }, abstract = {Animals rely heavily on their nervous and immune systems to perceive and survive within their environment. Despite the traditional view of the brain as an immunologically privileged organ, these two systems interact with major consequences. Furthermore, microorganisms within their environment are major sources of stimuli and can establish relationships with animal hosts that range from pathogenic to mutualistic. Research from a variety of human and experimental animal systems are revealing that reciprocal interactions between microbiota and the nervous and immune systems contribute significantly to normal development, homeostasis, and disease. The zebrafish has emerged as an outstanding model within which to interrogate these interactions due to facile genetic and microbial manipulation and optical transparency facilitating in vivo imaging. This review summarizes recent studies that have used the zebrafish for analysis of bidirectional control between the immune and nervous systems, the nervous system and the microbiota, and the microbiota and immune system in zebrafish during development that promotes homeostasis between these systems. We also describe how the zebrafish have contributed to our understanding of the interconnections between these systems during infection in fish and how perturbations may result in pathology.}, } @article {pmid35560043, year = {2022}, author = {Howard, N and Pressel, S and Kaye, RS and Daniell, TJ and Field, KJ}, title = {The potential role of Mucoromycotina 'fine root endophytes' in plant nitrogen nutrition.}, journal = {Physiologia plantarum}, volume = {174}, number = {3}, pages = {e13715}, doi = {10.1111/ppl.13715}, pmid = {35560043}, issn = {1399-3054}, support = {865225//H2020 European Research Council/ ; NE/S009663/1//Natural Environment Research Council/ ; }, mesh = {Endophytes ; *Glomeromycota ; *Mycorrhizae ; Nitrogen ; Plant Roots/microbiology ; Plants/microbiology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Mycorrhizal associations between fungi and plant roots have globally significant impacts on nutrient cycling. Mucoromycotina 'fine root endophytes' (MFRE) are a distinct and recently characterised group of mycorrhiza-forming fungi that associate with the roots of a range of host plant species. Given their previous misidentification and assignment as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) of the Glomeromycotina, it is now important to untangle the specific form and function of MFRE symbioses. In particular, relatively little is known about the nature of MFRE colonisation and its role in N uptake and transfer to host plants. Even less is known about the mechanisms by which MFRE access and assimilate N, and how this N is processed and subsequently exchanged with host plants for photosynthates. Here, we summarise and contrast the structures formed by MFRE and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in host plants as well as compare the N source preference of each mycorrhizal fungal group with what is currently known for MFRE N uptake. We compare the mechanisms of N assimilation and transfer to host plants utilised by the main groups of mycorrhizal fungi and hypothesise potential mechanisms for MFRE N assimilation and transfer, outlining directions for future research.}, } @article {pmid35485189, year = {2022}, author = {Meinnel, T}, title = {Tracking N-terminal protein processing from the Golgi to the chromatophore of a rhizarian amoeba.}, journal = {Plant physiology}, volume = {189}, number = {3}, pages = {1226-1231}, doi = {10.1093/plphys/kiac173}, pmid = {35485189}, issn = {1532-2548}, support = {ANR-17-CAPS-0001-01//French National Research Agency (ANR) KatNat/ ; ERA-NET//French National Research Agency (ANR) KatNat/ ; ANR-20 CE92-0040//CanMore/ ; ARCPJA32020060002137//Fondation ARC/ ; ANR-17-EUR-0007//French State/ ; ANR-11-IDEX-0003-02//Future program/ ; }, mesh = {*Amoeba ; *Chromatophores/metabolism ; Golgi Apparatus ; Symbiosis ; }, } @article {pmid35763818, year = {2022}, author = {Shin, NR and Doucet, D and Pauchet, Y}, title = {Duplication of horizontally acquired GH5_2 enzymes played a central role in the evolution of longhorned beetles.}, journal = {Molecular biology and evolution}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/molbev/msac128}, pmid = {35763818}, issn = {1537-1719}, abstract = {The rise of functional diversity through gene duplication contributed to the adaption of organisms to various environments. Here we investigate the evolution of putative cellulases of the subfamily 2 of glycoside hydrolase family 5 (GH5_2) in the Cerambycidae (longhorned beetles), a megadiverse assemblage of mostly xylophagous beetles. Cerambycidae originally acquired GH5_2 from a bacterial donor through horizontal gene transfer (HGT), and extant species harbor multiple copies that arose from gene duplication. We ask how these digestive enzymes contributed to the ability of these beetles to feed on wood. We analyzed 113 GH5_2, including the functional characterization of 52 of them, derived from 25 species covering most subfamilies of Cerambycidae. Ancestral gene duplications led to five well-defined groups with distinct substrate specificity, allowing these beetles to break down, in addition to cellulose, polysaccharides that are abundant in plant cell walls (PCWs), namely, xyloglucan, xylan, and mannans. Resurrecting the ancestral enzyme originally acquired by HGT, we show it was a cellulase that was able to break down glucomannan and xylan. Finally, recent gene duplications further expanded the catalytic repertoire of cerambycid GH5_2, giving rise to enzymes that favor transglycosylation over hydrolysis. We suggest that HGT and gene duplication, which shaped the evolution of GH5_2, played a central role in the ability of cerambycid beetles to use a PCW-rich diet and may have contributed to their successful radiation.}, } @article {pmid35762680, year = {2022}, author = {Ruiz, B and Sauviac, L and Brouquisse, R and Bruand, C and Meilhoc, E}, title = {Role of Nitric Oxide (NO) of bacterial origin in the Medicago truncatula-Sinorhizobium meliloti symbiosis.}, journal = {Molecular plant-microbe interactions : MPMI}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1094/MPMI-05-22-0118-SC}, pmid = {35762680}, issn = {0894-0282}, abstract = {Nitric oxide (NO) is a small ubiquitous gaseous molecule which has been found in many host-pathogen interactions. NO has been evidenced as part of the defense arsenal of animal cells and more recently of plant cells. To fight this molecular weapon, pathogens have evolved responses consisting in adaptation to NO or degradation of this toxic molecule. More recently, it was shown that NO could also be produced by the pathogen and contributes likewise to the success of the host cell infection. NO is also present during symbiotic interactions. Despite the growing knowledge about the role of NO during friendly interactions, data on the specificity of action of NO produced by each partner are scarce, partly due to the multiplicity of NO production systems. In the nitrogen fixing symbiosis between the soil bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti and the model legume Medicago truncatula, NO has been detected at all steps of the interaction where it displays various roles. Both partners contribute to NO production inside the legume root nodules where nitrogen fixation occurs. The study focuses on the role of bacterial NO in this interaction. We used a genetic approach to identify bacterial NO sources in the symbiotic context and test the phenotype in planta of bacterial mutants affected in NO production. Our results show that only denitrification is a source of bacterial NO in Medicago nodules and give an insight on the role of bacteria-derived NO at different steps of the symbiotic interaction.}, } @article {pmid35762679, year = {2022}, author = {Wei, F and Liu, Y and Zhou, D and Zhao, W and Chen, Z and Chen, DS and Li, Y and Zhang, XX}, title = {Transcriptomic identification of a unique set of NCR peptides expressed in the nitrogen-fixing root nodule of Astragalus sinicus.}, journal = {Molecular plant-microbe interactions : MPMI}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1094/MPMI-03-22-0054-R}, pmid = {35762679}, issn = {0894-0282}, abstract = {Legumes in the inverted repeat-lacking clade (IRLC) each produce a unique set of nodule-specific cysteine-rich (NCR) peptides, which act in concert to determine the terminal differentiation of nitrogen-fixing bacteroid. IRLC legumes differ greatly in NCR number and sequence diversity. This raises a significant question how bacteroid differentiation is collectively controlled by the specific NCR repertoire of an IRLC legume. Astragalus sinicus is an IRLC legume that forms indeterminate nodules with its microsymbiont Mesorhizobium huakuii 7653R. Here, we performed transcriptome analysis of root and nodule samples at 3, 7, 14, 28 days post inoculation with M. huakuii 7653R and its isogenic ∆bacA mutant. BacA is a broad-specificity peptide transporter required for the host-derived NCRs to target rhizobial cells. A total of 167 NCRs were identified in the RNA transcripts. Comparative sequence and electrochemical analysis revealed that A. sinicus NCRs (AsNCRs) are dominated by a unique cationic group (termed subgroup C), whose mature portion is relatively long (>60 amino acids) and phylogenetically distinct and possessing six highly conserved cysteine residues. Subsequent functional characterization showed that a 7653R variant harboring AsNCR03 (a representative of subgroup C AsNCR) displayed significant growth inhibition in laboratory media, and formed ineffective white nodules on A. sinicus with irregular symbiosomes. Finally, bacterial two-hybrid analysis led to the identification of GroEL1 and GroEL3 as the molecular targets of AsNCR067 and AsNCR076. Together, our data contribute to a systematic understanding of the NCR repertoire associated with the A. sinicus and M. huakuii symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35761415, year = {2022}, author = {Liu, Y and Yang, M and Tang, L and Wang, F and Huang, S and Liu, S and Lei, Y and Wang, S and Xie, Z and Wang, W and Zhao, X and Tang, B and Yang, S}, title = {TLR4 regulates RORγt+ regulatory T-cell responses and susceptibility to colon inflammation through interaction with Akkermansia muciniphila.}, journal = {Microbiome}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {98}, pmid = {35761415}, issn = {2049-2618}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Well-balanced interactions between gut microbiota and the immune system are essential to prevent chronic intestinal inflammation, as observed in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) functions as a sensor mediating the crosstalk between the intestinal commensal microbiome and host immunity, but the influence of TLR4 on the shaping of intestinal microbiota and immune responses during colon inflammation remains poorly characterized. We investigated whether the different susceptibilities to colitis between wild-type (WT) and TLR4-/- mice were gut microbiota-dependent and aimed to identify the potential immunity modulation mechanism.

METHODS: We performed antibiotic depletion of the microbiota, cohousing experiments, and faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in WT and TLR4-/- mice to assess the influence of TLR4 on intestinal microbial ecology. 16S rRNA sequencing was performed to dissect microbial discrepancies, and dysbiosis-associated immune perturbation was investigated by flow cytometry. Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila)-mediated immune modulation was confirmed through the T-cell transfer colitis model and bone marrow chimaera construction.

RESULTS: TLR4-/- mice experienced enhanced susceptibility to DSS-induced colitis. 16S rRNA sequencing showed notable discrepancy in the gut microbiota between WT and TLR4-/- mice. In particular, A. muciniphila contributed most to distinguishing the two groups. The T-cell transfer colitis model and bone marrow transplantation (BMT) consistently demonstrated that A. muciniphila ameliorated colitis by upregulating RORγt+ Treg cell-mediated immune responses. Mucosal biopsies from human manifested parallel outcomes with colon tissue from WT mice, as evidenced by the positive correlation between TLR4 expression and intestinal A. muciniphila colonization during homeostasis.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate a novel protective role of TLR4 against intestinal inflammation, wherein it can modulate A. muciniphila-associated immune responses. These findings provide a new perspective on host-commensal symbiosis, which may be beneficial for developing potential therapeutic strategies. Video abstract.}, } @article {pmid35312761, year = {2022}, author = {Suetsugu, K and Matsubayashi, J}, title = {Foliar chlorophyll concentration modulates the degree of fungal exploitation in a rhizoctonia-associated orchid.}, journal = {Journal of experimental botany}, volume = {73}, number = {12}, pages = {4204-4213}, doi = {10.1093/jxb/erac124}, pmid = {35312761}, issn = {1460-2431}, support = {17H05016//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; }, mesh = {Carbon ; Carbon Isotopes/analysis ; Chlorophyll ; *Mycorrhizae/physiology ; *Orchidaceae/genetics ; Rhizoctonia/physiology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Some green orchids obtain carbon from both mycobionts and photosynthesis at the adult stage. Intriguingly, these orchids can produce albino and, in rare cases, variegated phenotypes. Here, we studied a Platanthera hondoensis population with green, variegated, and albino individuals. Although its closely related Platanthera species are usually associated with non-ectomycorrhizal rhizoctonias, and several studies have failed to find evidence of trophic plasticity in rhizoctonia-associated orchids, variegated and albino P. hondoensis must possess a higher fungal dependency than green P. hondoensis. Therefore, we investigated whether (i) P. hondoensis is associated with non-ectomycorrhizal rhizoctonias and (ii) the degree of mycoheterotrophy (using 13C abundance as a proxy) correlates with the foliar chlorophyll concentration. High-throughput DNA sequencing revealed that all P. hondoensis phenotypes were dominantly associated with a rhizoctonia from Ceratobasidiaceae belonging to a clade distinct from recognized ectomycorrhizal clades. Regression analysis revealed a positive linear relationship between foliar chlorophyll concentration and the degree of mycoheterotrophy. This study strongly suggests that rhizoctonia-associated P. hondoensis can dynamically adjust fungal exploitation in response to photosynthetic carbon levels. Since rhizoctonia is the most common orchid mycorrhizal partner, trophic plasticity may be a widespread adaptive trait in green orchids.}, } @article {pmid35760157, year = {2022}, author = {Kafle, A and Cooney, DR and Shah, G and Garcia, K}, title = {Mycorrhiza-mediated potassium transport in Medicago truncatula can be evaluated by using rubidium as a proxy.}, journal = {Plant science : an international journal of experimental plant biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {111364}, doi = {10.1016/j.plantsci.2022.111364}, pmid = {35760157}, issn = {1873-2259}, abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi considerably improve plant nutrient acquisition, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen. Despite the physiological importance of potassium (K+) in plants, there is increasing interest in the mycorrhizal contribution to plant K+ nutrition. Yet, methods to track K+ transport are often costly and limiting evaluation opportunities. Rubidium (Rb+) is known to be transported through same pathways as K+. As such our research efforts attempt to evaluate if Rb+ could serve as a viable proxy for evaluating K+ transport in AM symbiosis. Therefore, we examined the transport of K+ in Medicago truncatula colonized by the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis isolate 09 having access to various concentrations of Rb+ in custom-made two-compartment systems. Plant biomass, fungal root colonization, and shoot nutrient concentrations were recorded under sufficient and limited K+ regimes. We report that AM plants displayed higher shoot Rb+ and K+ concentrations and a greater K+:Na+ ratio relative to non-colonized plants in both sufficient and limited K+ conditions. Consequently, our results indicate that Rb+ can be used as a proxy to assess the movement of K+ in AM symbiosis, and suggest the existence of a mycorrhizal uptake pathway for K+ nutrition in M. truncatula.}, } @article {pmid35758749, year = {2022}, author = {Mason, CJ and Peiffer, M and Chen, B and Hoover, K and Felton, GW}, title = {Opposing Growth Responses of Lepidopteran Larvae to the Establishment of Gut Microbiota.}, journal = {Microbiology spectrum}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0194122}, doi = {10.1128/spectrum.01941-22}, pmid = {35758749}, issn = {2165-0497}, abstract = {Gut microbiota can have diverse impacts on hosts, the nature of which often depend on the circumstances. For insect gut microbes, the quality and nature of host diets can be a significant force in swinging the pendulum from inconsequential to functionally important. In our study, we addressed whether beneficial microbes in one species impart similar functions to related species under identical conditions. Using fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua), and other noctuid hosts, we implemented an axenic rearing strategy and manipulated gut bacterial populations and dietary conditions. Our results revealed that some gut Enterococcus and Enterobacter isolates can facilitate utilization of a poor diet substrate by fall armyworm, but this was not the case for other more optimized diets. While Enterococcus provided benefits to fall armyworm, it was decidedly antagonistic to beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua) under identical conditions. Unique isolates and bacterial introductions at early growth stages were critical to how both larval hosts performed. Our results provide robust evidence of the roles in which bacteria support lepidopteran larval growth, but also indicate that the directionality of these relationships can differ among congener hosts. IMPORTANCE Insects have intimate relationships with gut microbiota, where bacteria can contribute important functions to their invertebrate hosts. Lepidopterans are important insect pests, but how they engage with their gut bacteria and how that translates to impacts on the host are lacking. Here we demonstrate the facultative nature of gut microbiota in lepidopteran larvae and the importance of diet in driving mutualistic or antagonistic relationships. Using multiple lepidopteran species, we uncover that the same bacteria that can facilitate exploitation of a challenging diet in one host severely diminishes larval performance of another larval species. Additionally, we demonstrate the beneficial functions of gut microbiota on the hosts are not limited to one lineage, but rather multiple isolates can facilitate the exploitation of a suboptimal diet. Our results illuminate the context-dependent nature of the gut microbiomes in invertebrates, and how host-specific microbial engagement can produce dramatically different interactions.}, } @article {pmid35758673, year = {2022}, author = {Holley, JC and Jackson, MN and Pham, AT and Hatcher, SC and Moran, NA}, title = {Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa) Harbor a Distinctive Gut Microbiome Related to That of Honey Bees and Bumble Bees.}, journal = {Applied and environmental microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0020322}, doi = {10.1128/aem.00203-22}, pmid = {35758673}, issn = {1098-5336}, abstract = {Eusocial corbiculate bees, including bumble bees and honey bees, maintain a socially transmitted core gut microbiome that contributes to digestion and pathogen defense. In contrast, solitary bees, which have fewer opportunities for direct interhost transmission, typically have less consistent microbiomes dominated by bacteria associated with pollen and food reserves. Carpenter bees (genus Xylocopa) are long-lived bees that are not eusocial but that often live in shared nesting sites. We characterized gut microbiomes for Xylocopa micans, X. mexicanorum, X. tabaniformis parkinsoniae, and X. virginica and for five solitary bee species from other genera (Andrena, Habropoda, Megachile, and Svastra), sampled in the same localities in central Texas. Unexpectedly, all four Xylocopa species had microbiomes dominated by bacterial lineages previously known only from social bees or other insect groups. Microbiomes were similar across three Xylocopa species and included lineages in the families Bifidobacteriaceae, Orbaceae, Lactobacillaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, and Enterobacteriaceae. In contrast, X. virginica had a distinct microbiome dominated by the genus Bombilactobacillus, a group abundant in guts of eusocial bees. Phylogenetic analyses support a past transfer of bacterial lineages into Xylocopa from bumble bees or honey bees. Gut microbiome compositions of Xylocopa species were distinct from those of other co-occurring solitary bees that had variable gut microbiomes dominated by bacteria from environmental sources. IMPORTANCE Gut microbiomes from social bees, such as honey bees and bumble bees, are conserved and consist of host-restricted bacteria that are transmitted among sterile female workers within a colony and that are important to the health of these key insect pollinators. In contrast, solitary bee species typically have more erratic, environmentally acquired microbiomes. Carpenter bees (genus Xylocopa) can be solitary as they lack a worker caste, and each female can excavate nests and raise offspring alone, although females are often social share nests at least in some species. This study showed that the gut microbiomes of four Xylocopa species have distinctive and consistent compositions and are dominated by bacterial lineages previously known from honey bees and bumble bees. Thus, eusociality is not required for bees to maintain a specialized, host-restricted gut microbiome. These findings suggest that gut bacteria are transmitted at shared nesting sites and that they play a role in host ecology.}, } @article {pmid35758609, year = {2022}, author = {Heath, KD and Batstone, RT and Cerón Romero, M and McMullen, JG}, title = {MGEs as the MVPs of Partner Quality Variation in Legume-Rhizobium Symbiosis.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0088822}, doi = {10.1128/mbio.00888-22}, pmid = {35758609}, issn = {2150-7511}, abstract = {Despite decades of research, we are only just beginning to understand the forces maintaining variation in the nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between rhizobial bacteria and leguminous plants. In their recent work, Alexandra Weisberg and colleagues use genomics to document the breadth of mobile element diversity that carries the symbiosis genes of Bradyrhizobium in natural populations. Studying rhizobia from the perspective of their mobile genetic elements, which have their own transmission modes and fitness interests, reveals novel mechanisms for the generation and maintenance of diversity in natural populations of these ecologically and economically important mutualisms.}, } @article {pmid35757312, year = {2022}, author = {Kumar, H and Kumar, N}, title = {Errors in antibiotic sensitivity testing: Barking up the wrong tree.}, journal = {Annals of medicine and surgery (2012)}, volume = {79}, number = {}, pages = {104015}, doi = {10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104015}, pmid = {35757312}, issn = {2049-0801}, } @article {pmid35756042, year = {2022}, author = {Lee, MH and Medina Munoz, M and Rio, RVM}, title = {The Tsetse Metabolic Gambit: Living on Blood by Relying on Symbionts Demands Synchronization.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {905826}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.905826}, pmid = {35756042}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Tsetse flies have socioeconomic significance as the obligate vector of multiple Trypanosoma parasites, the causative agents of Human and Animal African Trypanosomiases. Like many animals subsisting on a limited diet, microbial symbiosis is key to supplementing nutrient deficiencies necessary for metabolic, reproductive, and immune functions. Extensive studies on the microbiota in parallel to tsetse biology have unraveled the many dependencies partners have for one another. But far less is known mechanistically on how products are swapped between partners and how these metabolic exchanges are regulated, especially to address changing physiological needs. More specifically, how do metabolites contributed by one partner get to the right place at the right time and in the right amounts to the other partner? Epigenetics is the study of molecules and mechanisms that regulate the inheritance, gene activity and expression of traits that are not due to DNA sequence alone. The roles that epigenetics provide as a mechanistic link between host phenotype, metabolism and microbiota (both in composition and activity) is relatively unknown and represents a frontier of exploration. Here, we take a closer look at blood feeding insects with emphasis on the tsetse fly, to specifically propose roles for microRNAs (miRNA) and DNA methylation, in maintaining insect-microbiota functional homeostasis. We provide empirical details to addressing these hypotheses and advancing these studies. Deciphering how microbiota and host activity are harmonized may foster multiple applications toward manipulating host health, including identifying novel targets for innovative vector control strategies to counter insidious pests such as tsetse.}, } @article {pmid35756026, year = {2022}, author = {Chen, J and Li, J and Yang, Y and Wang, Y and Zhang, Y and Wang, P}, title = {Effects of Conventional and Organic Agriculture on Soil Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Community in Low-Quality Farmland.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {914627}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.914627}, pmid = {35756026}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi have promising applications in low-quality farmlands all over the world, but research on their responses to conventional and organic farming systems in low-quality soil is limited. We hypothesized that the colonization activity and community diversity of AM fungi in conventional farming systems may not be lower than in organic farming on low-quality farmlands where beneficial symbiosis is required. We collected soil and maize root samples from medium to low fertility farmlands with conventional or organic farming systems in western Jilin Province, China. The colonization percentage and intensity, taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity, community composition of soil AM fungi, and soil factors were detected and compared between the two farming systems. The colonization intensity and operational taxonomic unit (OTU) taxonomic diversity on conventional farms were higher than on organic farms. Glomus was the most common genus on conventional farms, whereas Paraglomus and Glomus were the most common on organic farms. We also found a simpler AM fungal network structure with lower OTU phylogenetic diversity on conventional farms. Our findings suggested that though the conventional farming system resulted in different compositions and simpler structures of soil AM fungal community, there are potential diverse OTU resources currently present on conventional farms. This work has potential impacts on understanding the influence of different farming systems on soil AM fungi in low-quality farmlands and the development of efficient mycorrhizal inoculant production.}, } @article {pmid35755655, year = {2022}, author = {Fernández, N and Knoblochová, T and Kohout, P and Janoušková, M and Cajthaml, T and Frouz, J and Rydlová, J}, title = {Asymmetric Interaction Between Two Mycorrhizal Fungal Guilds and Consequences for the Establishment of Their Host Plants.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {873204}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.873204}, pmid = {35755655}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and ectomycorrhiza (EcM) are the most abundant and widespread types of mycorrhizal symbiosis, but there is little and sometimes conflicting information regarding the interaction between AM fungi (AMF) and EcM fungi (EcMF) in soils. Their competition for resources can be particularly relevant in successional ecosystems, which usually present a transition from AM-forming herbaceous vegetation to EcM-forming woody species. The aims of this study were to describe the interaction between mycorrhizal fungal communities associated with AM and EcM hosts naturally coexisting during primary succession on spoil banks and to evaluate how this interaction affects growth and mycorrhizal colonization of seedlings of both species. We conducted a greenhouse microcosm experiment with Betula pendula and Hieracium caespitosum as EcM and AM hosts, respectively. They were cultivated in three-compartment rhizoboxes. Two lateral compartments contained different combinations of both host plants as sources of fungal mycelia colonizing the middle compartment, where fungal biomass, diversity, and community composition as well as the growth of each host plant species' seedlings were analyzed. The study's main finding was an asymmetric outcome of the interaction between the two plant species: while H. caespitosum and associated AMF reduced the abundance of EcMF in soil, modified the composition of EcMF communities, and also tended to decrease growth and mycorrhizal colonization of B. pendula seedlings, the EcM host did not have such effects on AM plants and associated AMF. In the context of primary succession, these findings suggest that ruderal AM hosts could hinder the development of EcM tree seedlings, thus slowing the transition from AM-dominated to EcM-dominated vegetation in early successional stages.}, } @article {pmid35755649, year = {2022}, author = {Lou, H and Guo, C and Fan, B and Fu, R and Su, H and Zhang, J and Sun, L}, title = {Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) Interact With Lachnum pygmaeum to Mitigate Drought and Promote Growth.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {920338}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.920338}, pmid = {35755649}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {The application of Ericoid mycorrhizal (ErM) fungi is considered to be an important strategy for increasing plant yield and drought resistance. In this study, we isolated and identified two ErM fungi that can promote the growth of lingonberry. We tried to understand the potential of these two ErM fungi to promote the growth of lingonberry and the strategies to help plants cope with water shortage. The use value of ErM fungi was evaluated by inoculating Oidiodendron maius FC (OmFC) or Lachnum pygmaeum ZL6 (LpZL6), well-watered (WW) and severe drought stress (SDS). The results showed that the mycelium of LpZL6 was denser than that of OmFC, and both ErM fungi significantly increased the biomass of lingonberry stems and roots. They also significantly increased the chlorophyll content by 65.6 and 97.8%, respectively. In addition, inoculation with LpZL6 fungi can improve drought resistance, promote root growth and increase root wet weight by 1157.6%. Drought reduced the chlorophyll content and soluble sugar content of lingonberry but increased significantly after inoculation with LpZL6. Inoculation with LpZL6 decreased lingonberry's malondialdehyde (MDA) content but increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Overall, these results indicated that the successful coexistence of ErM fungi and lingonberry alleviated the adverse effects of drought stress through higher secondary metabolites and photosynthetic pigment synthesis.}, } @article {pmid35743304, year = {2022}, author = {Huang, M and Yuan, M and Sun, C and Li, M and Wu, P and Jiang, H and Wu, G and Chen, Y}, title = {Roles of AGD2a in Plant Development and Microbial Interactions of Lotus japonicus.}, journal = {International journal of molecular sciences}, volume = {23}, number = {12}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/ijms23126863}, pmid = {35743304}, issn = {1422-0067}, support = {31570242//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; [2020]4004//Guizhou Provincial Academician Workstation of Microbiology and Health/ ; 2020XM03//Guizhou Tobacco Company/ ; }, mesh = {*Arabidopsis/metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; *Lotus/metabolism ; Microbial Interactions ; Plant Development ; Plant Proteins/metabolism ; Plant Roots/metabolism ; *Rhizobium/metabolism ; Root Nodules, Plant/metabolism ; Salicylic Acid/metabolism ; Symbiosis ; Transaminases/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Arabidopsis AGD2 (Aberrant Growth and Death2) and its close homolog ALD1 (AGD2-like defense response protein 1) have divergent roles in plant defense. We previously reported that modulation of salicylic acid (SA) contents by ALD1 affects numbers of nodules produced by Lotus japonicus, but AGD2's role in leguminous plants remains unclear. A combination of enzymatic analysis and biological characterization of genetic materials was used to study the function of AGD2 (LjAGD2a and LjAGD2b) in L. japonicus. Both LjAGD2a and LjAGD2b could complement dapD and dapE mutants of Escherichia coli and had aminotransferase activity in vitro. ljagd2 plants, with insertional mutations of LjAGD2, had delayed flowering times and reduced seed weights. In contrast, overexpression of LjAGD2a in L. japonicus induced early flowering, with increases in seed and flower sizes, but reductions in pollen fertility and seed setting rates. Additionally, ljagd2a mutation resulted in increased expression of nodulin genes and corresponding increases in infection threads and nodule numbers following inoculation with Rhizobium. Changes in expression of LjAGD2a in L. japonicus also affected endogenous SA contents and hence resistance to pathogens. Our results indicate that LjAGD2a functions as an LL-DAP aminotransferase and plays important roles in plant development. Moreover, LjAGD2a activates defense signaling via the Lys synthesis pathway, thereby participating in legume-microbe interaction.}, } @article {pmid35743118, year = {2022}, author = {Li, Y and Pei, Y and Shen, Y and Zhang, R and Kang, M and Ma, Y and Li, D and Chen, Y}, title = {Progress in the Self-Regulation System in Legume Nodule Development-AON (Autoregulation of Nodulation).}, journal = {International journal of molecular sciences}, volume = {23}, number = {12}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/ijms23126676}, pmid = {35743118}, issn = {1422-0067}, mesh = {*Fabaceae/genetics/metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Homeostasis ; Plant Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Plant Root Nodulation/genetics ; *Rhizobium/metabolism ; Root Nodules, Plant/metabolism ; *Self-Control ; Symbiosis/physiology ; }, abstract = {The formation and development of legumes nodules requires a lot of energy. Legumes must strictly control the number and activity of nodules to ensure efficient energy distribution. The AON system can limit the number of rhizobia infections and nodule numbers through the systemic signal pathway network that the aboveground and belowground parts participate in together. It can also promote the formation of nodules when plants are deficient in nitrogen. The currently known AON pathway includes four parts: soil NO3- signal and Rhizobium signal recognition and transmission, CLE-SUNN is the negative regulation pathway, CEP-CRA2 is the positive regulation pathway and the miR2111/TML module regulates nodule formation and development. In order to ensure the biological function of this important approach, plants use a variety of plant hormones, polypeptides, receptor kinases, transcription factors and miRNAs for signal transmission and transcriptional regulation. This review summarizes and discusses the research progress of the AON pathway in Legume nodule development.}, } @article {pmid35743041, year = {2022}, author = {Wekesa, C and Jalloh, AA and Muoma, JO and Korir, H and Omenge, KM and Maingi, JM and Furch, ACU and Oelmüller, R}, title = {Distribution, Characterization and the Commercialization of Elite Rhizobia Strains in Africa.}, journal = {International journal of molecular sciences}, volume = {23}, number = {12}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/ijms23126599}, pmid = {35743041}, issn = {1422-0067}, mesh = {*Fabaceae/microbiology ; Nitrogen Fixation ; *Rhizobium ; Soil ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Grain legumes play a significant role in smallholder farming systems in Africa because of their contribution to nutrition and income security and their role in fixing nitrogen. Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) serves a critical role in improving soil fertility for legumes. Although much research has been conducted on rhizobia in nitrogen fixation and their contribution to soil fertility, much less is known about the distribution and diversity of the bacteria strains in different areas of the world and which of the strains achieve optimal benefits for the host plants under specific soil and environmental conditions. This paper reviews the distribution, characterization, and commercialization of elite rhizobia strains in Africa.}, } @article {pmid35739215, year = {2022}, author = {Ngwenya, ZD and Mohammed, M and Jaiswal, SK and Dakora, FD}, title = {Phylogenetic relationships among Bradyrhizobium species nodulating groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.), jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis L.) and soybean (Glycine max Merr.) in Eswatini.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {10629}, pmid = {35739215}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Arachis/genetics ; *Bradyrhizobium ; Canavalia ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; Eswatini ; *Fabaceae/genetics ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; *Rhizobium/genetics ; Root Nodules, Plant/microbiology ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Soybeans/genetics ; Symbiosis/genetics ; }, abstract = {This study assessed the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of rhizobial isolates obtained from root nodules of groundnut, jack bean and soybean planted in different locations within Eswatini. Seventy-six rhizobial isolates were studied using ERIC-PCR (enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus) fingerprinting and PCR amplification of 16S rRNA, housekeeping genes (atpD, dnaK, glnll and rpoB) and symbiotic genes (nifH and nodC). The dendrogram generated from the ERIC-PCR banding patterns grouped the test rhizobial isolates into 16 major clusters (Cluster I-XVI), with three isolates, namely TUTAHeS60, TUTGMeS3 and TUTAHeS127, forming outgroups of Clusters IV, VI and IX, respectively. Furthermore, the 76 test isolates were grouped into 56 ERIC-PCR types at 70% similarity level. The phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and multilocus sequence analysis of four housekeeping (atpD, dnaK, glnII and rpoB) and two symbiotic (nifH and nodC) genes showed that all three legumes (groundnut, jack bean and soybean) were nodulated by bacterial symbionts belonging to the genus Bradyrhizobium, with some isolates exhibiting high divergence from the known reference type strains. The results also showed that B. arachidis, B. iriomotense and B. canariense were the closest type strains to the groundnut isolates, while B. pachyrhizi and B. elkanii were the closest relatives to the bacterial symbionts associated with the nodulation of both jack bean and soybean. This study is the first report to describe of the bacterial symbionts nodulating jack bean in African soils.}, } @article {pmid35737518, year = {2022}, author = {Fiege, JK and Langlois, RA}, title = {Embracing the heterogeneity of natural viruses in mouse studies.}, journal = {The Journal of general virology}, volume = {103}, number = {6}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1099/jgv.0.001758}, pmid = {35737518}, issn = {1465-2099}, mesh = {Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice ; *Microbiota ; Reproducibility of Results ; Symbiosis ; *Viruses/genetics ; }, abstract = {Animal models are a critical tool in modern biology. To increase reproducibility and to reduce confounding variables modern animal models exclude many microbes, including key natural commensals and pathogens. Here we discuss recent strategies to incorporate a natural microbiota to laboratory mouse models and the impacts the microbiota has on immune responses, with a focus on viruses.}, } @article {pmid35727974, year = {2022}, author = {Hu, ZI and Link, VM and Lima-Junior, DS and Delaleu, J and Bouladoux, N and Han, SJ and Collins, N and Belkaid, Y}, title = {Immune checkpoint inhibitors unleash pathogenic immune responses against the microbiota.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {119}, number = {26}, pages = {e2200348119}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.2200348119}, pmid = {35727974}, issn = {1091-6490}, support = {1ZIA- AI001115//Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (DIR, NIAID)/ ; 1ZIA-AI001132//Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (DIR, NIAID)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Dermatitis/immunology/microbiology ; Disease Models, Animal ; *Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/adverse effects ; Immunity/drug effects ; Interleukin-17/metabolism ; Mice ; *Microbiota/drug effects/immunology ; Staphylococcus epidermidis/drug effects/immunology ; Symbiosis/drug effects ; T-Lymphocytes/immunology ; }, abstract = {Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are essential components of the cancer therapeutic armamentarium. While ICIs have demonstrated remarkable clinical responses, they can be accompanied by immune-related adverse events (irAEs). These inflammatory side effects are of unclear etiology and impact virtually all organ systems, with the most common being sites colonized by the microbiota such as the skin and gastrointestinal tract. Here, we establish a mouse model of commensal bacteria-driven skin irAEs and demonstrate that immune checkpoint inhibition unleashes commensal-specific inflammatory T cell responses. These aberrant responses were dependent on production of IL-17 by commensal-specific T cells and induced pathology that recapitulated the cutaneous inflammation seen in patients treated with ICIs. Importantly, aberrant T cell responses unleashed by ICIs were sufficient to perpetuate inflammatory memory responses to the microbiota months following the cessation of treatment. Altogether, we have established a mouse model of skin irAEs and reveal that ICIs unleash aberrant immune responses against skin commensals, with long-lasting inflammatory consequences.}, } @article {pmid35751548, year = {2022}, author = {Wang, X and Chen, K and Zhou, M and Gao, Y and Huang, H and Liu, C and Fan, Y and Fan, Z and Wang, Y and Li, X}, title = {GmNAC181 promotes symbiotic nodulation and salt tolerance of nodulation by directly regulating GmNINa expression in soybean.}, journal = {The New phytologist}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/nph.18343}, pmid = {35751548}, issn = {1469-8137}, abstract = {Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the most important crops worldwide. Under low nitrogen condition, soybean can form a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia to acquire sufficient nitrogen for their growth and production. Nodulation signaling controls soybean symbiosis with rhizobia. The soybean Nodule Inception (GmNINa) gene is a central regulator of soybean nodulation. However, the transcriptional regulation of GmNINa remains largely unknown. Nodulation is sensitive to salt stress, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we identified a NAC transcription factor designated GmNAC181 (also known as GmNAC11) as the interacting protein of GmNSP1a. GmNAC181 overexpression or knockdown resulted in increased or decreased numbers of nodules, respectively, in soybean. Accordingly, the expression of GmNINa was greatly up- and downregulated, respectively. Furthermore, we showed that GmNAC181 can directly bind to the GmNINa promoter to activate its gene expression. Intriguingly, GmNAC181 was highly induced by salt stress during nodulation and promoted symbiotic nodulation under salt stress. We identified a new transcriptional activator of GmNINa in the nodulation pathway and revealed a mechanism by which GmNAC181 acts as a network node orchestrating the expression of GmNINa and symbiotic nodulation under salt stress conditions.}, } @article {pmid35750715, year = {2022}, author = {Song, H and Kim, KT and Park, SY and Lee, GW and Choi, J and Jeon, J and Cheong, K and Choi, G and Hur, JS and Lee, YH}, title = {A comparative genomic analysis of lichen-forming fungi reveals new insights into fungal lifestyles.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {10724}, pmid = {35750715}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {2017M3A9B8069471//National Research Foundation of Korea/ ; 2020R1A2B5B03096402//National Research Foundation of Korea/ ; }, abstract = {Lichen-forming fungi are mutualistic symbionts of green algae or cyanobacteria. We report the comparative analysis of six genomes of lichen-forming fungi in classes Eurotiomycetes and Lecanoromycetes to identify genomic information related to their symbiotic lifestyle. The lichen-forming fungi exhibited genome reduction via the loss of dispensable genes encoding plant-cell-wall-degrading enzymes, sugar transporters, and transcription factors. The loss of these genes reflects the symbiotic biology of lichens, such as the absence of pectin in the algal cell wall and obtaining specific sugars from photosynthetic partners. The lichens also gained many lineage- and species-specific genes, including those encoding small secreted proteins. These genes are primarily induced during the early stage of lichen symbiosis, indicating their significant roles in the establishment of lichen symbiosis.Our findings provide comprehensive genomic information for six lichen-forming fungi and novel insights into lichen biology and the evolution of symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35750307, year = {2022}, author = {Yang, YM and Naseer, M and Zhu, Y and Zhu, SG and Wang, S and Wang, BZ and Wang, J and Zhu, H and Wang, W and Tao, HY and Xiong, YC}, title = {Dual effects of nZVI on maize growth and water use are positively mediated by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi via rhizosphere interactions.}, journal = {Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {119661}, doi = {10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119661}, pmid = {35750307}, issn = {1873-6424}, abstract = {Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) might generate positive and negative effects on plant growth, since it acts as either hazardous or growth-promotion role. It is still unclear whether such dual roles can be mediated by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungifungi (AMF) in plant-AMF symbiosis. We first identified that in 1.5 g kg-1 nZVI (≤1.5 g kg-1 positively), maize biomass was increased by 15.83%; yet in 2.0 g kg-1 nZVI, it turned to be declined by 6.83%, relative to non-nZVI condition (CK, p < 0.05), showing a negative effect. Interestingly, the inoculation of AMF massively improved biomass by 45.18% in 1.5 g kg-1 nZVI, and relieved the growth inhibition by 2.0 g kg-1 nZVI. The event of water use efficiency followed similar trend as that of biomass. We found that proper concentration of nZVI can positively interact with rhizosphere AMF carrier, enabling more plant photosynthetic carbon to be remobilized to mycorrhiza. The scanning of transmission electron microscopy showed that excessive nZVI can infiltrate into root cortical cells and disrupt cellular homeostasis mechanism, significantly increasing iron content in roots by 76.01% (p < 0.05). Simultaneously, the images of scanning electron microscopy showed that nZVI were attached on root surface to form an insoluble iron ion (Fe3+) layer, hindering water absorption. However, they were efficiently immobilized and in situ intercepted by extraradical hyphae in mycorrhizal-nZVI symbiosis, lowering iron translocation efficiency by 6.07% (p < 0.05). Herein, the optimized structure remarkably diminished aperture blockage at root surface and improved root activities by 30.06% (p < 0.05). Particularly, next-generation sequencing demonstrated that appropriate amount of nZVI promoted the colonization and development of Funneliformis mosseae as dominant species in rhizosphere, confirming the positive interaction between AMF and nZVI, and its regulatory mechanism. Therefore, dual effects of nZVI can be actively mediated by AMF via rhizosphere interactions. The findings provided new insights into the safe and efficient application of nanomaterials in agriculture.}, } @article {pmid35748742, year = {2022}, author = {Prescott, SL and Logan, AC and Bristow, J and Rozzi, R and Moodie, R and Redvers, N and Haahtela, T and Warber, S and Poland, B and Hancock, T and Berman, B}, title = {Exiting the Anthropocene: Achieving Personal and Planetary Health in the 21st Century.}, journal = {Allergy}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/all.15419}, pmid = {35748742}, issn = {1398-9995}, abstract = {Planetary health provides a perspective of ecological interdependence that connects the health and vitality of individuals, communities, and Earth's natural systems. It includes the social, political, and economic ecosystems that influence both individuals and whole societies. In an era of interconnected grand challenges threatening health of all systems at all scales, planetary health provides a framework for cross-sectoral collaboration and unified systems approaches to solutions. The field of allergy is at the forefront of these efforts. Allergic conditions are a sentinel measure of environmental impact on human health in early life-illuminating how ecological changes affect immune development and predispose to a wider range of inflammatory noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). This shows how adverse macroscale ecology in the Anthropocene penetrates to the molecular level of personal and microscale ecology, including the microbial systems at the foundations of all ecosystems. It provides the basis for more integrated efforts to address widespread environmental degradation and adverse effects of maladaptive urbanisation, food systems, lifestyle behaviours, and socioeconomic disadvantage. Nature-based solutions and efforts to improve nature-relatedness are crucial for restoring symbiosis, balance, and mutualism in every sense, recognizing that both personal lifestyle choices and collective structural actions are needed in tandem. Ultimately, meaningful ecological approaches will depend on placing greater emphasis on psychological and cultural dimensions such as mindfulness, values, and moral wisdom to ensure a sustainable and resilient future.}, } @article {pmid35747246, year = {2022}, author = {Ndabankulu, K and Tsvuura, Z and Magadlela, A}, title = {Alien invasive Leucaena leucocephala successfully acquires nutrients by investing in below-ground biomass compared to native Vachellia nilotica in nutrient-amended soils in South Africa.}, journal = {AoB PLANTS}, volume = {14}, number = {3}, pages = {plac026}, doi = {10.1093/aobpla/plac026}, pmid = {35747246}, issn = {2041-2851}, abstract = {Soils in grasslands and savannas of southern Africa are acidic and nutrient-poor. Legume plants, such as Vachellia nilotica and alien invasive Leucaena leucocephala, are a major component of the vegetation there. Vachellia nilotica can establish in drought-prone environments, and is invasive in high rainfall areas. Leucaena leucocephala is an emerging invasive in South Africa and is ranked among the world's 100 most invasive alien species. Alien plants can invade native habitats through their adaptability to low-resource soils, and thus can out-compete and displace native vegetation. We investigated the effects of phosphorus (P) deficiency and soil acidity on legume-microbe symbiosis, nitrogen (N) nutrition and carbon (C) growth costs of these two legumes in grassland soils. We used as inoculum and growth substrate soils collected from a long-term (>65 years) nutrient and lime-addition trial, the Veld Fertilizer Trial (VFT), located at Ukulinga Research Farm near Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. We used soils from three VFT treatments: soils fertilized with superphosphate (336 kg ha-1) applied once per year (+P), soils fertilized with superphosphate (336 kg ha-1) applied once per year with dolomitic lime (2250 kg ha-1) applied once every 5 years (P+L) and soils with no superphosphate and no dolomitic lime applications (Control). Seeds of V. nilotica and L. leucocephala were germinated and grown independently in these soils in green house conditions and harvested after 125 days for measurement of growth, legume-microbe symbiosis, N nutrition and C growth costs. Results showed that the two legumes had different growth adaptations. Vachellia nilotica grown in control soils and +P soils nodulated with various Burkholderia spp., while L. leucocephala did not nodulate in all soil treatments. Both legumes utilized for growth both atmospheric- and soil-derived N across all treatments thereby decreasing C growth costs. Vachellia nilotica grown in +P soils accumulated the most biomass and N nutrition. Leucaena leucocephala maximized specific N assimilation rates by investing in below-ground biomass accumulation in control soils. This shows that L. leucocephala possesses traits that are successful in acquiring nutrients by investing in below-ground biomass and relying on utilization of N from both the soil and the atmosphere.}, } @article {pmid35747061, year = {2022}, author = {Engelenburg, HJ and Lucassen, PJ and Sarafian, JT and Parker, W and Laman, JD}, title = {Multiple sclerosis and the microbiota: Progress in understanding the contribution of the gut microbiome to disease.}, journal = {Evolution, medicine, and public health}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {277-294}, doi = {10.1093/emph/eoac009}, pmid = {35747061}, issn = {2050-6201}, abstract = {Multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurological autoimmune disorder, has recently been linked to neuro-inflammatory influences from the gut. In this review, we address the idea that evolutionary mismatches could affect the pathogenesis of MS via the gut microbiota. The evolution of symbiosis as well as the recent introduction of evolutionary mismatches is considered, and evidence regarding the impact of diet on the MS-associated microbiota is evaluated. Distinctive microbial community compositions associated with the gut microbiota of MS patients are difficult to identify, and substantial study-to-study variation and even larger variations between individual profiles of MS patients are observed. Furthermore, although some dietary changes impact the progression of MS, MS-associated features of microbiota were found to be not necessarily associated with diet per se. In addition, immune function in MS patients potentially drives changes in microbial composition directly, in at least some individuals. Finally, assessment of evolutionary histories of animals with their gut symbionts suggests that the impact of evolutionary mismatch on the microbiota is less concerning than mismatches affecting helminths and protists. These observations suggest that the benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet for patients with MS may not be mediated by the microbiota per se. Furthermore, any alteration of the microbiota found in association with MS may be an effect rather than a cause. This conclusion is consistent with other studies indicating that a loss of complex eukaryotic symbionts, including helminths and protists, is a pivotal evolutionary mismatch that potentiates the increased prevalence of autoimmunity within a population.}, } @article {pmid35744714, year = {2022}, author = {Dabré, ÉE and Hijri, M and Favret, C}, title = {Influence on Soybean Aphid by the Tripartite Interaction between Soybean, a Rhizobium Bacterium, and an Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {10}, number = {6}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/microorganisms10061196}, pmid = {35744714}, issn = {2076-2607}, support = {RGPIN 2017-06287//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council/ ; RGPIN-2018-04178//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council/ ; }, abstract = {The inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and rhizobia in legumes has been proven to increase plant growth and yield. To date, studies of the effects of these interactions on phytophagous insects have shown them to be context-dependent depending on the inoculant strain, the plant, and the insect species. Here, we document how a symbiosis involving an AM fungus, Rhizophagus irregularis; a rhizobium, Bradyrhizobium japonicum; and soybean, Glycine max, influences the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines. Soybean co-inoculated with the AM fungus-rhizobium pair increased the plant's biomass, nodulation, mycorrhizal colonization, nitrogen, and carbon concentrations, but decreased phosphorus concentration. Similar effects were observed with rhizobium alone, with the exception that root biomass was unaffected. With AM fungus alone, we only observed an increase in mycorrhizal colonization and phosphorus concentration. The aphids experienced an increased reproductive rate with the double inoculation, followed by rhizobium alone, whereas no effect was observed with the AM fungus. The size of individual aphids was not affected. Furthermore, we found positive correlation between nitrogen concentration and aphid population density. Our results confirm that co-inoculation of two symbionts can enhance both plant and phytophagous insect performance beyond what either symbiont can contribute alone.}, } @article {pmid35744676, year = {2022}, author = {Dabré, ÉE and Brodeur, J and Hijri, M and Favret, C}, title = {The Effects of an Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus and Rhizobium Symbioses on Soybean Aphid Mostly Fail to Propagate to the Third Trophic Level.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {10}, number = {6}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/microorganisms10061158}, pmid = {35744676}, issn = {2076-2607}, support = {RGPIN 2017-06287//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council/ ; RGPIN-2018-04178//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council/ ; }, abstract = {The cascading effects of microbe-plant symbioses on the second trophic level, such as phytophagous insects, have been most studied. However, few studies have examined the higher third trophic level, i.e., their natural enemies. We investigated the effects of the symbiotic associations between an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus, Rhizophagus irregularis (Glomerales: Glomeraceae), a nitrogen-fixing bacterium, Bradyrhizobium japonicum (Rhizobiales: Bradyrhizobiaceae), and soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. (Fabaceae) on two natural enemies of the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), the ladybird beetle Coleomegilla maculata (De Geer) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), and the parasitoid Aphelinus certus Yasnosh (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). We measured the growth and survival in the predator and parasitoid reared on aphids feeding on soybean inoculated seedlings. The rhizobium symbiosis alone was affected with a decreased rate of parasitoid emergence, presumably due to decreased host quality. However, number of mummies, sex-ratio, development time, and parasitoid size were all unaffected by inoculation. AM fungus alone or co-inoculated with the rhizobium was unaffected with any of the parameters of the parasitoid. For the predator, none of the measured parameters was affected with any inoculant. Here, it appears that whatever benefits the microbe-plant symbioses confer on the second trophic level are little transferred up to the third.}, } @article {pmid35741993, year = {2022}, author = {Shinde, DB and Koratkar, SS and Rale, V and Nm, S and Mishra, N}, title = {Effect of Encapsulated Ferrous Sulphate Fortified Salt on Hemoglobin Levels in Anemic Rats.}, journal = {Foods (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {12}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/foods11121795}, pmid = {35741993}, issn = {2304-8158}, support = {2019JZZY010704//Tata Chemicals (India)/ ; }, abstract = {(1) Background: Iron deficiency anemia is a significant nutritional problem all over the world. Salt formulations supplemented with encapsulated iron and iodine (double-fortified) were tested for their efficacy in managing iron deficiency anemia. In this study, we have checked the effect of these double-fortified salt formulations (iron and iodine) on hemoglobin (Hb) levels in anemic Wistar male rats. (2) Methods: The study was divided into two phases, viz., the development of anemia in the first phase and then the random division of anemic rats into five groups (Groups A to E). These rats were fed with three different salt formulations (Groups A to C); Group D was continued on a low iron diet, and Group E was on a normal pellet diet over a period of 84 days. The level of Hb was tested in each group. (3) Results: The rats in Groups A, B, C, and E recovered from anemia significantly, with higher Hb levels. On day 84, however, the Hb level in Group D continued to decrease. The bodyweight of the rats was not affected in any way. In all of the groups, histopathology examinations in various organs revealed no significant changes. (4) Conclusions: All of the three different salt formulations showed significant recovery in the anemic rats as compared to the rats fed with a normal pelleted diet.}, } @article {pmid35741382, year = {2022}, author = {Benjamin, G and Pandharikar, G and Frendo, P}, title = {Salicylic Acid in Plant Symbioses: Beyond Plant Pathogen Interactions.}, journal = {Biology}, volume = {11}, number = {6}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/biology11060861}, pmid = {35741382}, issn = {2079-7737}, support = {xxx//the department "Santé des Plantes et Environnement" of Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE)/ ; xxx//the University Côte d'Azur/ ; LABEX SIGNALIFE: program reference # ANR-11-LABX-0028-01//National Research Agency/ ; }, abstract = {Plants form beneficial symbioses with a wide variety of microorganisms. Among these, endophytes, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and nitrogen-fixing rhizobia are some of the most studied and well understood symbiotic interactions. These symbiotic microorganisms promote plant nutrition and growth. In exchange, they receive the carbon and metabolites necessary for their development and multiplication. In addition to their role in plant growth and development, these microorganisms enhance host plant tolerance to a wide range of environmental stress. Multiple studies have shown that these microorganisms modulate the phytohormone metabolism in the host plant. Among the phytohormones involved in the plant defense response against biotic environment, salicylic acid (SA) plays an important role in activating plant defense. However, in addition to being a major actor in plant defense signaling against pathogens, SA has also been shown to be involved in plant-microbe symbiotic interactions. In this review, we summarize the impact of SA on the symbiotic interactions. In addition, we give an overview of the impact of the endophytes, AMF, and rhizobacteria on SA-mediated defense response against pathogens.}, } @article {pmid35741375, year = {2022}, author = {Mendoza-Soto, AB and Rodríguez-Corral, AZ and Bojórquez-López, A and Cervantes-Rojo, M and Castro-Martínez, C and Lopez-Meyer, M}, title = {Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis Leads to Differential Regulation of Genes and miRNAs Associated with the Cell Wall in Tomato Leaves.}, journal = {Biology}, volume = {11}, number = {6}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/biology11060854}, pmid = {35741375}, issn = {2079-7737}, support = {A1_S_31400//Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología/ ; }, abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis is an association that provides nutritional benefits to plants. Importantly, it induces a physiological state allowing plants to respond to a subsequent pathogen attack in a more rapid and intense manner. Consequently, mycorrhiza-colonized plants become less susceptible to root and shoot pathogens. This study aimed to identify some of the molecular players and potential mechanisms related to the onset of defense priming by mycorrhiza colonization, as well as miRNAs that may act as regulators of priming genes. The upregulation of cellulose synthases, pectinesterase inhibitors, and xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase, as well as the downregulation of a pectinesterase, suggest that the modification and reinforcement of the cell wall may prime the leaves of mycorrhizal plants to react faster and stronger to subsequent pathogen attack. This was confirmed by the findings of miR164a-3p, miR164a-5p, miR171e-5p, and miR397, which target genes and are also related to the biosynthesis or modification of cell wall components. Our findings support the hypothesis that the reinforcement or remodeling of the cell wall and cuticle could participate in the priming mechanism triggered by mycorrhiza colonization, by strengthening the first physical barriers upstream of the pathogen encounter.}, } @article {pmid35740218, year = {2022}, author = {Margarita, V and Cao, LC and Bailey, NP and Ngoc, THT and Ngo, TMC and Nu, PAT and Diaz, N and Dessì, D and Hirt, RP and Fiori, PL and Rappelli, P}, title = {Effect of the Symbiosis with Mycoplasma hominis and Candidatus Mycoplasma Girerdii on Trichomonas vaginalis Metronidazole Susceptibility.}, journal = {Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {6}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/antibiotics11060812}, pmid = {35740218}, issn = {2079-6382}, support = {FAR2019 Rappelli//University of Sassari/ ; FAR2020 Fiori//University of Sassari/ ; FAR2020 Rappelli//University of Sassari/ ; }, abstract = {Trichomoniasis, the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infection worldwide, is caused by the protozoon Trichomonas vaginalis. The 5- nitroimidazole drugs, of which metronidazole is the most prescribed, are the only effective drugs to treat trichomoniasis. Resistance against metronidazole is increasingly reported among T. vaginalis isolates. T. vaginalis can establish an endosymbiosis with two Mycoplasma species, Mycoplasma hominis and Candidatus Mycoplasma girerdii, whose presence has been demonstrated to influence several aspects of the protozoan pathobiology. The role of M. hominis in T. vaginalis resistance to metronidazole is controversial, while the influence of Ca. M. girerdii has never been investigated. In this work, we investigate the possible correlation between the presence of Ca. M. girerdii and/or M. hominis and the in vitro drug susceptibility in a large group of T. vaginalis isolated in Italy and in Vietnam. We also evaluated, via RNA-seq analysis, the expression of protozoan genes involved in metronidazole resistance in a set of syngenic T. vaginalis strains, differing only for the presence/absence of the two Mycoplasmas. Our results show that the presence of M. hominis significantly increases the sensitivity to metronidazole in T. vaginalis and affects gene expression. On the contrary, the symbiosis with Candidatus Mycoplasma girerdii seems to have no effect on metronidazole resistance in T. vaginalis.}, } @article {pmid35732630, year = {2022}, author = {Sharp, C and Foster, KR}, title = {Host control and the evolution of cooperation in host microbiomes.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {3567}, pmid = {35732630}, issn = {2041-1723}, support = {209397/Z/17/Z//Wellcome Trust (Wellcome)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/genetics ; Biological Evolution ; *Microbiota/genetics ; Phylogeny ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Humans, and many other species, are host to diverse symbionts. It is often suggested that the mutual benefits of host-microbe relationships can alone explain cooperative evolution. Here, we evaluate this hypothesis with evolutionary modelling. Our model predicts that mutual benefits are insufficient to drive cooperation in systems like the human microbiome, because of competition between symbionts. However, cooperation can emerge if hosts can exert control over symbionts, so long as there are constraints that limit symbiont counter evolution. We test our model with genomic data of two bacterial traits monitored by animal immune systems. In both cases, bacteria have evolved as predicted under host control, tending to lose flagella and maintain butyrate production when host-associated. Moreover, an analysis of bacteria that retain flagella supports the evolution of host control, via toll-like receptor 5, which limits symbiont counter evolution. Our work puts host control mechanisms, including the immune system, at the centre of microbiome evolution.}, } @article {pmid35738252, year = {2022}, author = {George, EE and Tashyreva, D and Kwong, WK and Okamoto, N and Horák, A and Husnik, F and Lukeš, J and Keeling, PJ}, title = {Gene Transfer Agents in Bacterial Endosymbionts of Microbial Eukaryotes.}, journal = {Genome biology and evolution}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/gbe/evac099}, pmid = {35738252}, issn = {1759-6653}, abstract = {Gene transfer agents (GTAs) are virus-like structures that package and transfer prokaryotic DNA from donor to recipient prokaryotic cells. Here, we describe widespread GTA gene clusters in the highly reduced genomes of bacterial endosymbionts from microbial eukaryotes (protists). Homologs of the GTA capsid and portal complexes were initially found to be present in several highly reduced alphaproteobacterial endosymbionts of diplonemid protists (Rickettsiales and Rhodospirillales). Evidence of GTA expression was found in polyA-enriched metatranscriptomes of the diplonemid hosts and their endosymbionts, but due to biases in the polyA-enrichment methods, levels of GTA expression could not be determined. Examining the genomes of closely related bacteria revealed that the pattern of retained GTA head/capsid complexes with missing tail components was common across Rickettsiales and Holosporaceae (Rhodospirillales), all obligate symbionts with a wide variety of eukaryotic hosts. A dN/dS analysis of Rickettsiales and Holosporaceae symbionts revealed that purifying selection is likely the main driver of GTA evolution in symbionts, suggesting they remain functional, but the ecological function of GTAs in bacterial symbionts is unknown. In particular, it is unclear how increasing horizontal gene transfer in small, largely clonal endosymbiont populations can explain GTA retention, and therefore, the structures may have been repurposed in endosymbionts for host interactions. Either way, their widespread retention and conservation in endosymbionts of diverse eukaryotes suggests an important role in symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35737726, year = {2022}, author = {Bonfante, P}, title = {Microbe Profile: Gigaspora margarita, a multifaceted arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus.}, journal = {Microbiology (Reading, England)}, volume = {168}, number = {6}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1099/mic.0.001202}, pmid = {35737726}, issn = {1465-2080}, abstract = {Gigaspora margarita is a cosmopolitan arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, which - as an obligate symbiont- requires being associated to a host plant to accomplish its life cycle. It is characterized by huge white spores, the development of extraradical auxiliary cells, and the lack of intraradical vesicles. Its genome is dominated by transposable elements and is one of the largest fungal genomes so far sequenced. G. margarita has the peculiar feature to host taxonomically different endobacteria in its cytoplasm. The development of a cured line has allowed us to demonstrate how the endobacteria have a positive impact on the fungal physiology and -with a cascade effect- on the mycorrhizal plant.}, } @article {pmid35736096, year = {2022}, author = {Araújo, JPM and Li, Y and Duong, TA and Smith, ME and Adams, S and Hulcr, J}, title = {Four New Species of Harringtonia: Unravelling the Laurel Wilt Fungal Genus.}, journal = {Journal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {8}, number = {6}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/jof8060613}, pmid = {35736096}, issn = {2309-608X}, abstract = {Symbiosis between beetles and fungi arose multiple times during the evolution of both organisms. Some of the most biologically diverse and economically important are mutualisms in which the beetles cultivate and feed on fungi. Among these are bark beetles and Harringtonia, a fungal genus that produces Raffaelea-like asexual morph and hosts the causal agent of laurel wilt, H. lauricola (formerly Raffaelea lauricola). In this study, we propose four new species of Harringtonia associated with beetles from Belize and Florida (USA). We hope to contribute towards a more robust and inclusive phylogenetic framework for future studies on these beetle-fungi relationships and their potential impact in crops and forests worldwide.}, } @article {pmid35735591, year = {2022}, author = {Ilgun, A and Schmickl, T}, title = {Mycelial Beehives of HIVEOPOLIS: Designing and Building Therapeutic Inner Nest Environments for Honeybees.}, journal = {Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {7}, number = {2}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/biomimetics7020075}, pmid = {35735591}, issn = {2313-7673}, support = {824069//European Commission/ ; }, abstract = {The perceptions and definitions of healthy indoor environments have changed significantly throughout architectural history. Today, molecular biology teaches us that microbes play important roles in human health, and that isolation from them puts not only us but also other inhabitants of urban landscapes, at risk. In order to provide an environment that makes honeybees more resilient to environmental changes, we aim for combining the thermal insulation functionality of mycelium materials with bioactive therapeutic properties within beehive constructions. By identifying mycelial fungi's interactions with nest-related materials, using digital methods to design a hive structure, and engaging in additive manufacturing, we were able to develop a set of methods for designing and fabricating a fully grown hive. We propose two digital methods for modelling 3D scaffolds for micro-super organism co-occupation scenarios: "variable-offset" and "iterative-subtraction", followed by two inoculation methods for the biofabrication of scaffolded fungal composites. The HIVEOPOLIS project aims to diversify and complexify urban ecological niches to make them more resilient to future game changers such as climate change. The combined functions of mycelium materials have the potential to provide a therapeutic environment for honeybees and, potentially, humans in the future.}, } @article {pmid35734539, year = {2022}, author = {Angadi, KM and Jadhav, VB and Jadhav, SV}, title = {Quality Assurance with Reference Quality Control Strains in Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing: Need for Quality Antimicrobial-Resistant Research [Letter].}, journal = {Infection and drug resistance}, volume = {15}, number = {}, pages = {3075-3076}, doi = {10.2147/IDR.S376887}, pmid = {35734539}, issn = {1178-6973}, } @article {pmid35733963, year = {2022}, author = {Bathia, J and Schröder, K and Fraune, S and Lachnit, T and Rosenstiel, P and Bosch, TCG}, title = {Symbiotic Algae of Hydra viridissima Play a Key Role in Maintaining Homeostatic Bacterial Colonization.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {869666}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.869666}, pmid = {35733963}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {The freshwater polyp Hydra viridissima (H. viridissima) harbors endosymbiotic Chlorella algae in addition to a species-specific microbiome. The molecular basis of the symbiosis between Hydra and Chlorella has been characterized to be metabolic in nature. Here, we studied the interaction between the extracellularly located microbiota and the algal photobiont, which resides in Hydra's endodermal epithelium, with main focus on Legionella bacterium. We aimed at evaluating the influence of the symbiotic algae on microbial colonization and in shaping the host microbiome. We report that the microbiome composition of symbiotic and aposymbiotic (algae free) H. viridissima is significantly different and dominated by Legionella spp. Hvir in aposymbiotic animals. Co-cultivation of these animals resulted in horizontal transmission of Legionella spp. Hvir bacteria from aposymbiotic to symbiotic animals. Acquisition of this bacterium increased the release of algae into ambient water. From there, algae could subsequently be taken up again by the aposymbiotic animals. The presence of algal symbionts had negative impact on Legionella spp. Hvir and resulted in a decrease of the relative abundance of this bacterium. Prolonged co-cultivation ultimately resulted in the disappearance of the Legionella spp. Hvir bacterium from the Hydra tissue. Our observations suggest an important role of the photobiont in controlling an invasive species in a metacommunity and, thereby, shaping the microbiome.}, } @article {pmid35733285, year = {2022}, author = {Ran, Z and Ding, W and Cao, S and Fang, L and Zhou, J and Zhang, Y}, title = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: Effects on secondary metabolite accumulation of Traditional Chinese medicine.}, journal = {Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany)}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/plb.13449}, pmid = {35733285}, issn = {1438-8677}, abstract = {Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has played a pivotal role in maintaining the health of people, and the intrinsic quality of TCM is directly related to the clinical efficacy. The medicinal ingredients of TCM are derived from the secondary metabolites of plant metabolism and are also the result of the coordination of various physiological activities in plants. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is among the most ubiquitous plant mutualists that enhance the growth and yield of plants by facilitating the uptake of nutrients and water. Symbiosis of AMF with higher plants promotes growth and helps in the accumulation of secondary metabolites in plants. However, there is still no systematic analysis and summarization of their roles in the application of TCM, biosynthesis, and accumulation of active substances of herbs as well as the mechanism. AMF directly or indirectly affects the accumulation of secondary metabolites of TCM, which is the focus of this review. First, in this review, the effects of AM symbiosis on the content of different secondary metabolites in TCM such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids are mainly summarized. Moreover, the mechanism of AMF regulating the synthesis of secondary metabolites was also considered in combination with the establishment of mycorrhizal symbionts, response mechanism of plant hormones, nutrition elements, and expression of key enzyme activities. Finally, combined with the current application prospect of AMF in TCM, the future in-depth research is planned, thus providing a reference for improving the quality of TCM. In this manuscript, we reviewed the research status of AMF in promoting the accumulation of secondary metabolites in TCM to provide new ideas and methods for improving the quality of TCM.}, } @article {pmid35730286, year = {2022}, author = {Romero-Leiton, JP and Prieto, K and Reyes-Gonzalez, D and Fuentes-Hernandez, A}, title = {Optimal control and Bayes inference applied to complex microbial communities.}, journal = {Mathematical biosciences and engineering : MBE}, volume = {19}, number = {7}, pages = {6860-6882}, doi = {10.3934/mbe.2022323}, pmid = {35730286}, issn = {1551-0018}, mesh = {Bacteria ; Bayes Theorem ; *Microbiota ; Population Dynamics ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Interactions between species are essential in ecosystems, but sometimes competition dominates over mutualism. The transition between mutualism-competition can have several implications and consequences, and it has hardly been studied in experimental settings. This work studies the mutualism between cross-feeding bacteria in strains that supply an essential amino acid for their mutualistic partner when both strains are exposed to antimicrobials. When the strains are free of antimicrobials, we found that, depending on the amount of amino acids freely available in the environment, the strains can exhibit extinction, mutualism, or competition. The availability of resources modulates the behavior of both species. When the strains are exposed to antimicrobials, the population dynamics depend on the proportion of bacteria resistant to the antimicrobial, finding that the extinction of both strains is eminent for low levels of the resource. In contrast, competition between both strains continues for high levels of the resource. An optimal control problem was then formulated to reduce the proportion of resistant bacteria, which showed that under cooperation, both strains (sensitive and resistant) are immediately controlled, while under competition, only the density of one of the strains is decreased. In contrast, its mutualist partner with control is increased. Finally, using our experimental data, we did parameters estimation in order to fit our mathematical model to the experimental data.}, } @article {pmid35729504, year = {2022}, author = {Chen, Y and Zhang, L and Zhang, S and Liu, B and Zeng, W and Li, Z}, title = {The mite Acarus farris inducing defensive behaviors and reducing fitness of termite Coptotermes formosanus: implications for phoresy as a precursor to parasitism.}, journal = {BMC ecology and evolution}, volume = {22}, number = {1}, pages = {80}, pmid = {35729504}, issn = {2730-7182}, support = {2020GDASYL-20200103091//GDAS Special Project of Science and Technology Development/ ; 202102021018//the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangzhou/ ; 201904020002//the Science and Technology Planning Key Project of Guangzhou/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Grooming ; *Isoptera ; *Mites ; Social Behavior ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The ecology and evolution of phoretic mites and termites have not been well studied. In particular, it is unknown whether the specific relationship between mites and termites is commensal or parasitic. High phoretic mite densities have often been found to occur in weak termite colonies, suggesting that the relationship is closer to that of parasitism than commensalism.

RESULTS: To examine this, Coptotermes formosanus was used as a carrier, and Acarus farris as the phoretic mite. We used video recordings to observe termite social immunity behaviors and bioassay to examine termite fitness. Our results showed that the attachment of the mite on the termite can enhance termite social immunity behaviors like alarm vibration and grooming frequency while decreasing the duration of individual grooming episodes in phoretic mites. Further, A. farris phoresy led to a 22.91% reduction in termite abdomen volume and a 3.31-fold increase in termite mortality.

CONCLUSIONS: When termites groom more frequently, the consequence is short duration of grooming bouts. This may be indicative of a trade-off which provides suggestive evidence that frequent social behaviors may cost termites energy. And this caused phoretic behavior hastened termites' death, and helped propagate the population of mites feeding on dead termites. So, it provides a case for phoresy being a precursor to parasitism, and the specific relationship between A. farris and C. formosanus is closer to parasitism than to commensalism.}, } @article {pmid35728546, year = {2022}, author = {Leung, TLF}, title = {Economies of parasite body size.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {32}, number = {12}, pages = {R645-R649}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.059}, pmid = {35728546}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Body Size ; Host-Parasite Interactions ; *Parasites ; Reproduction ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Parasitism has independently evolved multiple times across the entire tree of life, and there are numerous parasitic representatives from every major eukaryote kingdom. In animals alone, parasitism has independently evolved at least 200 times. If there are any organisms that one might think would have access to limitless resources, it would be parasites. You would think that living in or on the body of their host, which serves as both a habitat and a food source, would provide parasites with bountiful resources to maximise every aspect of their existence, especially reproduction. But parasitism is not a loophole out of life history trade-offs. There is still a finite amount of resources that a parasite can obtain and allocate to its many needs. Living in a resource-rich environment has allowed many parasites to grow to sizes that are of multiple orders of magnitude larger than their free-living relatives. But that does not mean that the underlying economy of nature and its limitations are inapplicable to parasites.}, } @article {pmid35671755, year = {2022}, author = {Tvedte, ES and Gasser, M and Zhao, X and Tallon, LJ and Sadzewicz, L and Bromley, RE and Chung, M and Mattick, J and Sparklin, BC and Dunning Hotopp, JC}, title = {Accumulation of endosymbiont genomes in an insect autosome followed by endosymbiont replacement.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {32}, number = {12}, pages = {2786-2795.e5}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.024}, pmid = {35671755}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; Chromosomes ; Drosophila/genetics/microbiology ; Gene Transfer, Horizontal ; Genome ; Symbiosis/genetics ; *Wolbachia/genetics ; }, abstract = {Eukaryotic genomes can acquire bacterial DNA via lateral gene transfer (LGT).1 A prominent source of LGT is Wolbachia,2 a widespread endosymbiont of arthropods and nematodes that is transmitted maternally through female germline cells.3,4 The DNA transfer from the Wolbachia endosymbiont wAna to Drosophila ananassae is extensive5-7 and has been localized to chromosome 4, contributing to chromosome expansion in this lineage.6 As has happened frequently with claims of bacteria-to-eukaryote LGT, the contribution of wAna transfers to the expanded size of D. ananassae chromosome 4 has been specifically contested8 owing to an assembly where Wolbachia sequences were classified as contaminants and removed.9 Here, long-read sequencing with DNA from a Wolbachia-cured line enabled assembly of 4.9 Mbp of nuclear Wolbachia transfers (nuwts) in D. ananassae and a 24-kbp nuclear mitochondrial transfer. The nuwts are <8,000 years old in at least two locations in chromosome 4 with at least one whole-genome integration followed by rapid extensive duplication of most of the genome with regions that have up to 10 copies. The genes in nuwts are accumulating small indels and mobile element insertions. Among the highly duplicated genes are cifA and cifB, two genes associated with Wolbachia-mediated Drosophila cytoplasmic incompatibility. The wAna strain that was the source of nuwts was subsequently replaced by a different wAna endosymbiont. Direct RNA Nanopore sequencing of Wolbachia-cured lines identified nuwt transcripts, including spliced transcripts, but functionality, if any, remains elusive.}, } @article {pmid35418221, year = {2022}, author = {Gu, F and Ai, S and Chen, Y and Jin, S and Xie, X and Zhang, T and Zhong, G and Yi, X}, title = {Mutualism promotes insect fitness by fungal nutrient compensation and facilitates fungus propagation by mediating insect oviposition preference.}, journal = {The ISME journal}, volume = {16}, number = {7}, pages = {1831-1842}, pmid = {35418221}, issn = {1751-7370}, support = {2019YFD1002102//Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (Guangdong Natural Science Foundation)/ ; 2019A1515012201//Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (Guangdong Natural Science Foundation)/ ; 32072460//National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Fungi ; Nutrients ; *Oviposition ; Symbiosis ; *Tephritidae/microbiology ; }, abstract = {Penicillium and Bactrocera dorsalis (oriental fruit fly, Hendel) are major pathogens and pests of citrus fruits, as both of them can cause detrimental losses in citrus production. However, their interaction in the cohabitation of citrus fruits remains elusive. In this study, we revealed a mutualistic relationship between Penicillium and B. dorsalis. We found that insect behaviors can facilitate the entry of fungal pathogens into fruits, and fungal pathogens promote the fitness of insects in return. More specifically, Penicillium could take advantage of the openings left by ovipositors of flies, and adult flies contaminated with Penicillium could spread the fungus to new sites. Moreover, the volatile emissions from fungi could attract gravid flies to the infected site for egg laying. The fungus and B. dorsalis were able to establish mutual interaction, as revealed by the presence of Penicillium DNA in intestinal tracts of flies throughout all larval stages. The fungal partner seemed to promote the emergence rate and shorten the emergence duration of the flies by providing pyridoxine, one of the B group vitamins. Different from previously reported scenarios of strong avoidance of Drosophila and attraction of Aedes aegypti toward Penicillium, our findings unveil a hitherto new paradigm of the mutualism between Penicillium and B. dorsalis, by which both insect and fungus earn benefits to facilitate their propagation.}, } @article {pmid35731940, year = {2022}, author = {Picazo, DR and Werner, A and Dagan, T and Kupczok, A}, title = {Pangenome evolution in environmentally transmitted symbionts of deep-sea mussels is governed by vertical inheritance.}, journal = {Genome biology and evolution}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/gbe/evac098}, pmid = {35731940}, issn = {1759-6653}, abstract = {Microbial pangenomes vary across species; their size and structure are determined by genetic diversity within the population and by gene loss and horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Many bacteria are associated with eukaryotic hosts where the host colonization dynamics may impact bacterial genome evolution. Host-associated lifestyle has been recognized as a barrier to HGT in parentally transmitted bacteria. However, pangenome evolution of environmentally acquired symbionts remains understudied, often due to limitations in symbiont cultivation. Using high-resolution metagenomics, here we study pangenome evolution of two co-occurring endosymbionts inhabiting Bathymodiolus brooksi mussels from a single cold seep. The symbionts, sulfur-oxidizing (SOX) and methane-oxidizing (MOX) gamma-proteobacteria, are environmentally acquired at an early developmental stage and individual mussels may harbor multiple strains of each symbiont species. We found differences in the accessory gene content of both symbionts across individual mussels, which are reflected by differences in symbiont strain composition. Compared to core genes, accessory genes are enriched in genome plasticity functions. We found no evidence for recent horizontal gene transfer between both symbionts. A comparison between the symbiont pangenomes revealed that the MOX population is less diverged and contains fewer accessory genes, supporting that the MOX association with B. brooksi is more recent in comparison to that of SOX. Our results show that the pangenomes of both symbionts evolved mainly by vertical inheritance. We conclude that genome evolution of environmentally transmitted symbionts that associate with individual hosts over their lifetime is affected by a narrow symbiosis where the frequency of HGT is constrained.​.}, } @article {pmid35730939, year = {2022}, author = {Jones, MW and Fricke, LC and Thorpe, CJ and Vander Esch, LO and Lindsey, ARI}, title = {Infection Dynamics of Cotransmitted Reproductive Symbionts Are Mediated by Sex, Tissue, and Development.}, journal = {Applied and environmental microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0052922}, doi = {10.1128/aem.00529-22}, pmid = {35730939}, issn = {1098-5336}, abstract = {One of the most prevalent intracellular infections on earth is with Wolbachia, a bacterium in the Rickettsiales that infects a range of insects, crustaceans, chelicerates, and nematodes. Wolbachia is maternally transmitted to offspring and has profound effects on the reproduction and physiology of its hosts, which can result in reproductive isolation, altered vectorial capacity, mitochondrial sweeps, and even host speciation. Some populations stably harbor multiple Wolbachia strains, which can further contribute to reproductive isolation and altered host physiology. However, almost nothing is known about the requirements for multiple intracellular microbes to be stably maintained across generations while they likely compete for space and resources. Here, we use a coinfection of two Wolbachia strains ("wHa" and "wNo") in Drosophila simulans to define the infection and transmission dynamics of an evolutionarily stable double infection. We find that a combination of sex, tissue, and host development contributes to the infection dynamics of the two microbes and that these infections exhibit a degree of niche partitioning across host tissues. wHa is present at a significantly higher titer than wNo in most tissues and developmental stages, but wNo is uniquely dominant in ovaries. Unexpectedly, the ratio of wHa to wNo in embryos does not reflect those observed in the ovaries, indicative of strain-specific transmission dynamics. Understanding how Wolbachia strains interact to establish and maintain stable infections has important implications for the development and effective implementation of Wolbachia-based vector biocontrol strategies, as well as more broadly defining how cooperation and conflict shape intracellular communities. IMPORTANCE Wolbachia is a maternally transmitted intracellular bacterium that manipulates the reproduction and physiology of arthropods, resulting in drastic effects on the fitness, evolution, and even speciation of its hosts. Some hosts naturally harbor multiple strains of Wolbachia that are stably transmitted across generations, but almost nothing is known about the factors that limit or promote these coinfections, which can have profound effects on the host's biology and evolution and are under consideration as an insect-management tool. Here, we define the infection dynamics of a known stably transmitted double infection in Drosophila simulans with an eye toward understanding the patterns of infection that might facilitate compatibility between the two microbes. We find that a combination of sex, tissue, and development all contributes to infection dynamics of the coinfection.}, } @article {pmid35730098, year = {2022}, author = {Song, NP and Chen, XY and Wang, L and Pan, YQ and Yang, XG and Chen, J and Chen, L and Meng, C}, title = {[Village-level landscape succession and its driving mechanism in the agro-pastoral ecotone of Ningxia, China].}, journal = {Ying yong sheng tai xue bao = The journal of applied ecology}, volume = {33}, number = {5}, pages = {1387-1394}, doi = {10.13287/j.1001-9332.202205.019}, pmid = {35730098}, issn = {1001-9332}, abstract = {The relationship between human activities and landscape patterns and its regulation are one of the core fields in landscape ecology. The ecological conditions and local cultures of agro-pastoral ecotone are gradually wea-kening due to environmental fluctuations, land-use characteristics (suitable for both farming and grazing), and unstable policy. Therefore, protecting and restoring this semi-natural landscape and the resulting biological, ecolo-gical and cultural functions are becoming increasingly urgent. Here, by combing remote sensing data with interview survey and geographic investigation, we characterized the landscape changes (1964 to 2019) of Wanjigou Village in Yanchi County of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which lay within the agro-pastoral ecotone. We further explored the rules of landscape succession and the underlying natural and social mechanism, as well as the interactions between landscape types. Results showed that Wanjigou Village had been subjected to a succession from the landscape characterized by grassland, arable land and sandy land to that characterized by grassland, shrub land, sandy land and arable land. The change from the competition of landscape function separation to the preliminary integration had formed a definite succession path for grassland-arable land-sandy land-shrub land. The main driving factors were a synthesis of policy, human needs, and environment. Policy often promoted landscape change through large-scale and intensified human activities, while environment promoted landscape succession through internal driving force of ecosystem toward a mutual adaption between landscape and the innate conditions. The driving factors of landscape succession were soil moisture variations caused by the change of soil physical structure, and vegetation change in adapting to new environment. In agro-pastoral ecotone with low resource density, the separation of landscape functions was one of the main reasons for land desertification. The integration and coordination of landscape functions greatly alleviated the situation of ecological deterioration. The critical path to maintain sustainable development of agro-pastoral ecotone was to achieve complementation among landscape types and even integrating with external resources by transforming landscape separation competition into landscape symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35728426, year = {2022}, author = {Lüders, A and Dinkelberg, A and Quayle, M}, title = {Becoming "us" in digital spaces: How online users creatively and strategically exploit social media affordances to build up social identity.}, journal = {Acta psychologica}, volume = {228}, number = {}, pages = {103643}, doi = {10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103643}, pmid = {35728426}, issn = {1873-6297}, abstract = {Social media has become a major platform for information-exchange, discourse, and protest and has been linked to a wide range of pressing macro developments. Consequenlty, there is significant interest from scholars as well as from the wider publuc to understand how social media affordances interact with human behavior. In attempts to address these demands, the present article borrows from the social identity tradition to explain group formation processes in Web 2.0 and other online ecosystems. We propose that online users creatively and strategically exploit the affordances provided by platforms and technologies to construct and perform collective selfhood. We emphasize the relevance of community development, norm consensualization, and emotional alignment as recursive dynamic processes that - in symbiosis - provide a functional basis for social identities. We outline these proposed mechanisms based on a corpus of interdisciplinary literature and suggest avenues for future research.}, } @article {pmid35725777, year = {2022}, author = {Heaver, SL and Le, HH and Tang, P and Baslé, A and Mirretta Barone, C and Vu, DL and Waters, JL and Marles-Wright, J and Johnson, EL and Campopiano, DJ and Ley, RE}, title = {Characterization of inositol lipid metabolism in gut-associated Bacteroidetes.}, journal = {Nature microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35725777}, issn = {2058-5276}, abstract = {Inositol lipids are ubiquitous in eukaryotes and have finely tuned roles in cellular signalling and membrane homoeostasis. In Bacteria, however, inositol lipid production is relatively rare. Recently, the prominent human gut bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (BT) was reported to produce inositol lipids and sphingolipids, but the pathways remain ambiguous and their prevalence unclear. Here, using genomic and biochemical approaches, we investigated the gene cluster for inositol lipid synthesis in BT using a previously undescribed strain with inducible control of sphingolipid synthesis. We characterized the biosynthetic pathway from myo-inositol-phosphate (MIP) synthesis to phosphoinositol dihydroceramide, determined the crystal structure of the recombinant BT MIP synthase enzyme and identified the phosphatase responsible for the conversion of bacterially-derived phosphatidylinositol phosphate (PIP-DAG) to phosphatidylinositol (PI-DAG). In vitro, loss of inositol lipid production altered BT capsule expression and antimicrobial peptide resistance. In vivo, loss of inositol lipids decreased bacterial fitness in a gnotobiotic mouse model. We identified a second putative, previously undescribed pathway for bacterial PI-DAG synthesis without a PIP-DAG intermediate, common in Prevotella. Our results indicate that inositol sphingolipid production is widespread in host-associated Bacteroidetes and has implications for symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35723778, year = {2022}, author = {Kanojiya, P and Joshi, R and Saroj, SD}, title = {The source of carbon and nitrogen differentially affects the survival of Neisseria meningitidis in macrophages and epithelial cells.}, journal = {Archives of microbiology}, volume = {204}, number = {7}, pages = {404}, pmid = {35723778}, issn = {1432-072X}, support = {BT/RLF/Re-entry/41/2015//Department of Biotechnology , Ministry of Science and Technology/ ; }, mesh = {Carbon/metabolism ; Epithelial Cells/microbiology ; Lactates/metabolism ; Macrophages/metabolism ; *Neisseria meningitidis/genetics/metabolism ; Nitrogen/metabolism ; Pyruvates/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Neisseria meningitidis is a commensal of human nasopharynx which under certain unidentified conditions could lead to fulminant meningitis or sepsis. Availability of nutrients is essential for bacterial growth and virulence. The metabolic adaptations allow N. meningitidis to utilize host resources, colonize and cause virulence functions which are a crucial for the invasive infection. During colonization meningococci encounters a range of microenvironments involving fluctuations in the availability of carbon and nitrogen source. Therefore, the characterization of virulence factors of N. meningitidis under different microenvironmental conditions is a prime requisite to understand pathogenesis; however, the role of nutrients is not well understood. Here, we explore the expression of virulence phenotype leading to symptomatic behaviour as affected by available carbon and nitrogen sources. We evaluate the effect of carbon or nitrogen source on growth, adhesion to epithelial cells, macrophage infectivity, capsule formation and virulence gene expression of N. meningitidis. It was found that lactate, pyruvate, and acetate facilitate survival of N. meningitidis in macrophages. While in epithelial cells, the survival of N. meningitidis is negatively affected by the presence of lactate and pyruvate.}, } @article {pmid35722318, year = {2022}, author = {Morales, DP and Robinson, AJ and Pawlowski, AC and Ark, C and Kelliher, JM and Junier, P and Werner, JH and Chain, PSG}, title = {Advances and Challenges in Fluorescence in situ Hybridization for Visualizing Fungal Endobacteria.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {892227}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.892227}, pmid = {35722318}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Several bacteria have long been known to interact intimately with fungi, but molecular approaches have only recently uncovered how cosmopolitan these interactions are in nature. Currently, bacterial-fungal interactions (BFI) are inferred based on patterns of co-occurrence in amplicon sequencing investigations. However, determining the nature of these interactions, whether the bacteria are internally or externally associated, remains a grand challenge in BFI research. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a robust method that targets unique sequences of interest which can be employed for visualizing intra-hyphal targets, such as mitochondrial organelles or, as in this study, bacteria. We evaluate the challenges and employable strategies to resolve intra-hyphal BFI to address pertinent criteria in BFI research, such as culturing media, spatial distribution of bacteria, and abundance of bacterial 16S rRNA copies for fluorescent labeling. While these experimental factors influence labeling and detection of endobacteria, we demonstrate how to overcome these challenges thorough permeabilization, appropriate media choice, and targeted amplification using hybridization chain reaction FISH. Such microscopy imaging approaches can now be utilized by the broader research community to complement sequence-based investigations and provide more conclusive evidence on the nature of specific bacterial-fungal relationships.}, } @article {pmid35722028, year = {2022}, author = {Soni, M and Singh, AK and Babu, KS and Kumar, S and Kumar, A and Singh, S}, title = {Convolutional neural network based CT scan classification method for COVID-19 test validation.}, journal = {Smart health (Amsterdam, Netherlands)}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {100296}, doi = {10.1016/j.smhl.2022.100296}, pmid = {35722028}, issn = {2352-6483}, abstract = {Given the novel corona virus discovered in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, due to the high false-negative rate of RT-PCR and the time-consuming to obtain the results, research has proved that computed tomography (CT) has become an auxiliary One of the essential means of diagnosis and treatment of new corona virus pneumonia. Since few COVID-19 CT datasets are currently available, it is proposed to use conditional generative adversarial networks to enhance data to obtain CT datasets with more samples to reduce the risk of over fitting. In addition, a BIN residual block-based method is proposed. The improved U-Net network is used for image segmentation and then combined with multi-layer perception for classification prediction. By comparing with network models such as AlexNet and GoogleNet, it is concluded that the proposed BUF-Net network model has the best performance, reaching an accuracy rate of 93%. Using Grad-CAM technology to visualize the system's output can more intuitively illustrate the critical role of CT images in diagnosing COVID-19. Applying deep learning using the proposed techniques suggested by the above study in medical imaging can help radiologists achieve more effective diagnoses that is the main objective of the research. On the basis of the foregoing, this study proposes to employ CGAN technology to augment the restricted data set, integrate the residual block into the U-Net network, and combine multi-layer perception in order to construct new network architecture for COVID-19 detection using CT images. -19. Given the scarcity of COVID-19 CT datasets, it is proposed that conditional generative adversarial networks be used to augment data in order to obtain CT datasets with more samples and therefore lower the danger of overfitting.}, } @article {pmid35720831, year = {2022}, author = {Kakodkar, PV and Reddy, MG}, title = {Mu-can: A bacterial-fungal symbiosis that reduces dental caries.}, journal = {Journal of conservative dentistry : JCD}, volume = {25}, number = {2}, pages = {211-212}, doi = {10.4103/jcd.jcd_29_22}, pmid = {35720831}, issn = {0972-0707}, } @article {pmid35720585, year = {2022}, author = {Xie, W and Hodge, A and Hao, Z and Fu, W and Guo, L and Zhang, X and Chen, B}, title = {Increased Carbon Partitioning to Secondary Metabolites Under Phosphorus Deficiency in Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. Is Modulated by Plant Growth Stage and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {876192}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.876192}, pmid = {35720585}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {Phosphorus (P) is one of the macronutrients limiting plant growth. Plants regulate carbon (C) allocation and partitioning to cope with P deficiency, while such strategy could potentially be influenced by plant growth stage and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis. In a greenhouse pot experiment using licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) as the host plant, we investigated C allocation belowground and partitioning in roots of P-limited plants in comparison with P-sufficient plants under different mycorrhization status in two plant growth stages. The experimental results indicated that increased C allocation belowground by P limitation was observed only in non-AM plants in the early growth stage. Although root C partitioning to secondary metabolites (SMs) in the non-AM plants was increased by P limitation as expected, trade-off patterns were different between the two growth stages, with C partitioning to SMs at the expense of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) in the early growth stage but at the expense of root growth in the late growth stage. These changes, however, largely disappeared because of AM symbiosis, where more root C was partitioned to root growth and AM fungus without any changes in C allocation belowground and partitioning to SMs under P limitations. The results highlighted that besides assisting with plant P acquisition, AM symbiosis may alter plant C allocation and partitioning to improve plant tolerance to P deficiency.}, } @article {pmid35720577, year = {2022}, author = {He, C and Han, T and Tan, L and Li, X}, title = {Effects of Dark Septate Endophytes on the Performance and Soil Microbia of Lycium ruthenicum Under Drought Stress.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {898378}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.898378}, pmid = {35720577}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {In the current study, we explored the effects of dark septate endophytes (DSE) (Neocamarosporium phragmitis, Alternaria chlamydospore, and Microascus alveolaris) on the performance and rhizosphere soil microbial composition of Lycium ruthenicum Murr under drought stress. Differences in plant growth and physiological indexes, soil parameters, and microbial composition under different treatments were studied. Three DSE species could form good symbiotic relationships with L. ruthenicum plants, and the symbionts depended on DSE species and water availability. Inoculation of DSE had the greatest benefit on host plants under drought conditions. In particular, N. phragmitis and A. chlamydospore had a significant positive influence on the biomass, morphological and physiological indexes of host plants. Additionally, the content of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungi, gram-negative bacteria, and actinomycetes in the soil was significantly elevated after DSE inoculation in the absence of water. Based on a variance decomposition analysis, DSE was the most important factor affecting the growth and physiological parameters of host plants, and DSE inoculation combined with water conditions significantly affected the contents of soil microbial communities. Structural equation model (SEM) analysis showed that the positive effects of DSE on L. ruthenicum varied with DSE species and plant parameters under different water conditions. These results are helpful to understand the ecological function of DSE and its potential application in the cultivation of L. ruthenicum plants in drylands.}, } @article {pmid35718272, year = {2022}, author = {Li, Z and Liu, Y and Zhang, L}, title = {Role of the microbiome in oral cancer occurrence, progression and therapy.}, journal = {Microbial pathogenesis}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {105638}, doi = {10.1016/j.micpath.2022.105638}, pmid = {35718272}, issn = {1096-1208}, abstract = {The oral cavity, like other digestive or mucosal sites, contains a site-specific microbiome that plays a significant role in maintaining health and homeostasis. Strictly speaking, the gastrointestinal tract starts from the oral cavity, with special attention paid to the specific flora of the oral cavity. In healthy people, the microbiome of the oral microenvironment is governed by beneficial bacteria, that benefit the host by symbiosis. When a microecological imbalance occurs, changes in immune and metabolic signals affect the characteristics of cancer, as well as chronic inflammation, disruption of the epithelial barrier, changes in cell proliferation and cell apoptosis, genomic instability, angiogenesis, and epithelial barrier destruction and metabolic regulation. These pathophysiological changes could result in oral cancer. Rising evidence suggests that oral dysbacteriosis and particular microbes may play a positive role in the evolution, development, progression, and metastasis of oral cancer, for instance, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) through direct or indirect action.}, } @article {pmid35710335, year = {2022}, author = {Zapién-Campos, R and Bansept, F and Sieber, M and Traulsen, A}, title = {On the effect of inheritance of microbes in commensal microbiomes.}, journal = {BMC ecology and evolution}, volume = {22}, number = {1}, pages = {75}, pmid = {35710335}, issn = {2730-7182}, support = {CRC 1182//German Research Foundation (FB, AT)/ ; CRC 1182//German Research Foundation (FB, AT)/ ; }, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Inheritance Patterns ; *Microbiota/genetics ; Symbiosis/genetics ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Our current view of nature depicts a world where macroorganisms dwell in a landscape full of microbes. Some of these microbes not only transit but establish themselves in or on hosts. Although hosts might be occupied by microbes for most of their lives, a microbe-free stage during their prenatal development seems to be the rule for many hosts. The questions of who the first colonizers of a newborn host are and to what extent these are obtained from the parents follow naturally.

RESULTS: We have developed a mathematical model to study the effect of the transfer of microbes from parents to offspring. Even without selection, we observe that microbial inheritance is particularly effective in modifying the microbiome of hosts with a short lifespan or limited colonization from the environment, for example by favouring the acquisition of rare microbes.

CONCLUSION: By modelling the inheritance of commensal microbes to newborns, our results suggest that, in an eco-evolutionary context, the impact of microbial inheritance is of particular importance for some specific life histories.}, } @article {pmid35666732, year = {2022}, author = {Bordenstein, SR and Bordenstein, SR}, title = {Widespread phages of endosymbionts: Phage WO genomics and the proposed taxonomic classification of Symbioviridae.}, journal = {PLoS genetics}, volume = {18}, number = {6}, pages = {e1010227}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pgen.1010227}, pmid = {35666732}, issn = {1553-7404}, support = {R01 AI132581/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI143725/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Arthropods ; *Bacteriophages/genetics ; Eukaryota ; Genomics ; Symbiosis/genetics ; *Wolbachia/genetics ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are the most common obligate, intracellular bacteria in animals. They exist worldwide in arthropod and nematode hosts in which they commonly act as reproductive parasites or mutualists, respectively. Bacteriophage WO, the largest of Wolbachia's mobile elements, includes reproductive parasitism genes, serves as a hotspot for genetic divergence and genomic rearrangement of the bacterial chromosome, and uniquely encodes a Eukaryotic Association Module with eukaryotic-like genes and an ensemble of putative host interaction genes. Despite WO's relevance to genome evolution, selfish genetics, and symbiotic applications, relatively little is known about its origin, host range, diversification, and taxonomic classification. Here we analyze the most comprehensive set of 150 Wolbachia and phage WO assemblies to provide a framework for discretely organizing and naming integrated phage WO genomes. We demonstrate that WO is principally in arthropod Wolbachia with relatives in diverse endosymbionts and metagenomes, organized into four variants related by gene synteny, often oriented opposite the putative origin of replication in the Wolbachia chromosome, and the large serine recombinase is an ideal typing tool to distinguish the four variants. We identify a novel, putative lytic cassette and WO's association with a conserved eleven gene island, termed Undecim Cluster, that is enriched with virulence-like genes. Finally, we evaluate WO-like Islands in the Wolbachia genome and discuss a new model in which Octomom, a notable WO-like Island, arose from a split with WO. Together, these findings establish the first comprehensive Linnaean taxonomic classification of endosymbiont phages, including non-Wolbachia phages from aquatic environments, that includes a new family and two new genera to capture the collective relatedness of these viruses.}, } @article {pmid35639296, year = {2022}, author = {Ben Romdhane, S and De Lajudie, P and Fuhrmann, JJ and Mrabet, M}, title = {Potential role of rhizobia to enhance chickpea-growth and yield in low fertility-soils of Tunisia.}, journal = {Antonie van Leeuwenhoek}, volume = {115}, number = {7}, pages = {921-932}, pmid = {35639296}, issn = {1572-9699}, mesh = {Bacteria/genetics ; *Cicer/genetics/microbiology ; Fertility ; Phosphorus ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; *Rhizobium/genetics ; Siderophores ; Soil ; Soil Microbiology ; Symbiosis ; Tunisia ; }, abstract = {Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria are bacteria that improve plant growth and reduce plant pathogen damages. In this study, 100 nodule bacteria were isolated from chickpea, screened for their plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits and then characterised by PCR-RFLP of 16 S rDNA. Results showed that most of the slow-growing isolates fixed nitrogen but those exhibiting fast-growth did not. Fourteen isolates solubilized inorganic phosphorus, 16 strains produced siderophores, and 17 strains produced indole acetic acid. Co-culture experiments identified three strains having an inhibitory effect against Fusarium oxysporum, the primary pathogenic fungus for chickpea in Tunisia. Rhizobia with PGP traits were assigned to Mesorhizobium ciceri, Mesorhizobium mediterraneum, Sinorhizobium meliloti and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. We noted that PGP activities were differentially distributed between M. ciceri and M. mediterraneum. The region of Mateur in northern Tunisia, with clay-silty soil, was the origin of 53% of PGP isolates. Interestingly, we found that S. meliloti and A. tumefaciens strains did not behave as parasitic nodule-bacteria but as PGP rhizobacteria useful for chickpea nutrition and health. In fact, S. meliloti strains could solubilize phosphorus, produce siderophore and auxin. The A. tumefaciens strains could perform the previous PGP traits and inhibit pathogen growth also. Finally, one candidate strain of M. ciceri (LL10)-selected for its highest symbiotic nitrogen fixation and phosphorus solubilization-was used for field experiment. The LL10 inoculation increased grain yield more than three-fold. These finding showed the potential role of rhizobia to be used as biofertilizers and biopesticides, representing low-cost and environment-friendly inputs for sustainable agriculture.}, } @article {pmid35485184, year = {2022}, author = {Kaur, R and Singh, S and Joshi, N}, title = {Pervasive Endosymbiont Arsenophonus Plays a Key Role in the Transmission of Cotton Leaf Curl Virus Vectored by Asia II-1 Genetic Group of Bemisia tabaci.}, journal = {Environmental entomology}, volume = {51}, number = {3}, pages = {564-577}, doi = {10.1093/ee/nvac024}, pmid = {35485184}, issn = {1938-2936}, support = {DST-WOS-A Scheme No. SR/WOS-A/LS-1346/2014//Department of Science and Technology, Government of Kerala/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Asia ; *Hemiptera/genetics ; *Rifampin/pharmacology ; Symbiosis ; Tetracyclines ; }, abstract = {Insects often coevolved with their mutualistic partners such as gut endosymbionts, which play a key in the physiology of host. Studies on such interactions between Bemisia tabaci and its primary and secondary endosymbionts have gained importance due to their indispensable roles in the biology of this insect. Present study reports the predominance of two secondary endosymbionts, Arsenophonus and Cardinium in the Asia II-1 genetic group of whitefly and elucidates their role in the transmission of its vectored Cotton leaf curl virus. Selective elimination of endosymbionts was optimized using serial concentration of ampicillin, chloramphenicol, kanamycin, tetracycline, and rifampicin administered to viruliferous whiteflies through sucrose diet. Primary endosymbiont, Portiera was unresponsive to all the antibiotics, however, rifampicin and tetracycline at 90 μg/ml selectively eliminated Arsenophonus from the whitefly. Elimination of Arsenophonus resulted in significant decrease in virus titer from viruliferous whitefly, further the CLCuV transmission efficiency of these whiteflies was significantly reduced compared to the control flies. Secondary endosymbiont, Cardinium could not be eliminated completely even with higher concentrations of antibiotics. Based on the findings, Arsenophonus plays a key role in the retention and transmission of CLCuV in the Asia II-1 genetic group of B. tabaci, while the role of Cardinium could not be established due to its unresponsiveness to antibiotics.}, } @article {pmid35403785, year = {2022}, author = {Krumbholz, J and Ishida, K and Baunach, M and Teikari, JE and Rose, MM and Sasso, S and Hertweck, C and Dittmann, E}, title = {Deciphering Chemical Mediators Regulating Specialized Metabolism in a Symbiotic Cyanobacterium.}, journal = {Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)}, volume = {61}, number = {26}, pages = {e202204545}, doi = {10.1002/anie.202204545}, pmid = {35403785}, issn = {1521-3773}, support = {239748522//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 392923329//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, mesh = {Biosynthetic Pathways/genetics ; Multigene Family ; *Nostoc/genetics ; Secondary Metabolism/genetics ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Genomes of cyanobacteria feature a variety of cryptic biosynthetic pathways for complex natural products, but the peculiarities limiting the discovery and exploitation of the metabolic dark matter are not well understood. Here we describe the discovery of two cell density-dependent chemical mediators, nostoclide and nostovalerolactone, in the symbiotic model strain Nostoc punctiforme, and demonstrate their pronounced impact on the regulation of specialized metabolism. Through transcriptional, bioinformatic and labeling studies we assigned two adjacent biosynthetic gene clusters to the biosynthesis of the two polyketide mediators. Our findings provide insight into the orchestration of specialized metabolite production and give lessons for the genomic mining and high-titer production of cyanobacterial bioactive compounds.}, } @article {pmid35216519, year = {2022}, author = {Bennett, AE and Groten, K}, title = {The Costs and Benefits of Plant-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Interactions.}, journal = {Annual review of plant biology}, volume = {73}, number = {}, pages = {649-672}, doi = {10.1146/annurev-arplant-102820-124504}, pmid = {35216519}, issn = {1545-2123}, mesh = {Cost-Benefit Analysis ; *Mycorrhizae ; Plant Roots ; Plants ; Soil ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The symbiotic interaction between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is often perceived as beneficial for both partners, though a large ecological literature highlights the context dependency of this interaction. Changes in abiotic variables, such as nutrient availability, can drive the interaction along the mutualism-parasitism continuum with variable outcomes for plant growth and fitness. However, AM fungi can benefit plants in more ways than improved phosphorus nutrition and plant growth. For example, AM fungi can promote abiotic and biotic stress tolerance even when considered parasitic from a nutrient provision perspective. Other than being obligate biotrophs, very little is known about the benefits AM fungi gain from plants. In this review, we utilize both molecular biology and ecological approaches to expand our understanding of the plant-AM fungal interaction across disciplines.}, } @article {pmid35201412, year = {2022}, author = {Cheng, K and Wei, M and Jin, X and Tang, M and Zhang, H}, title = {LbAMT3-1, an ammonium transporter induced by arbuscular mycorrhizal in Lycium barbarum, confers tobacco with higher mycorrhizal levels and nutrient uptake.}, journal = {Plant cell reports}, volume = {41}, number = {6}, pages = {1477-1480}, pmid = {35201412}, issn = {1432-203X}, mesh = {*Ammonium Compounds/metabolism/pharmacology ; Ecosystem ; *Lycium ; *Mycorrhizae/metabolism ; Nutrients ; Plant Breeding ; Plant Roots/metabolism ; Plants ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; Symbiosis ; Tobacco/genetics ; }, abstract = {KEY MESSAGE: An ammonium transporter LbAMT3-1 overexpression increases the arbuscular abundance of mycorrhizal that opens the possibility of using LbAMT3-1 in breeding programs to improve symbiotic nutrient uptake in Lycium barbarum. Nitrogen (N) is one of the most essential nutrients required by plants and limits net primary production much of the time in most terrestrial ecosystems. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can enhance plant nutrient uptake and improve plant productivity in nutrient limit ecosystems. Here, we identified an ammonia transporter, LbAMT3-1, specifically induced by AM fungi in Lycium barbarum. To understand the expression characteristics and biological functions, LbAMT3-1 was cloned, characterized, and overexpressed in Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco). A BLAST search identified the coding sequence for LbAMT3-1 with an open-reading frame of 1473 bp. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis indicated that, besides mycorrhizal roots, LbAMT3-1 were barely detectable in other tissues, including stems and leaves. Promoter-GUS assay showed that GUS staining was detected in mycorrhizal roots, and GUS activity driven by the LbAMT3-1 promoter was exclusively confined to root cells containing arbuscules. LbAMT3-1 functionally complemented the yeast mutant efficiently, and yeast expressing LbAMT3-1 showed well growth on the agar medium with 0.02, 0.2, and 2 mM NH4+ supply. Moreover, overexpression of LbAMT3-1 in N. tabacum resulted a significant increase in arbuscular abundance and enhanced the nutrient acquisition capacity of mycorrhizal plants. Based on the results of our study, we propose that overexpression of LbAMT3-1 can promote P and N uptake of host plants through the mycorrhizal pathway, and increase the colonization intensity and arbuscular abundance, which opens the possibility of using LbAMT3-1 in breeding programs.}, } @article {pmid35712558, year = {2022}, author = {Sabbioni, G and Forlani, G}, title = {The Emerging Role of Proline in the Establishment and Functioning of Legume-Rhizobium Symbiosis.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {888769}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.888769}, pmid = {35712558}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {High levels of some enzymes involved in proline synthesis and utilization were early found in soybean nodules, and rhizobial knockout mutants were shown to be defective in inducing nodulation and/or fixing nitrogen, leading to postulate that this amino acid may represent a main substrate for energy transfer from the plant to the symbiont. However, inconsistent results were reported in other species, and several studies suggested that proline metabolism may play an essential role in the legume-Rhizobium symbiosis only under stress. Different mechanisms have been hypothesized to explain the beneficial effects of proline on nodule formation and bacteroid differentiation, yet none of them has been conclusively proven. Here, we summarize these findings, with special emphasis on the occurrence of a legume-specific isoform of δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase, the enzyme that catalyses the rate-limiting step in proline synthesis. Data are discussed in view of recent results connecting the regulation of both, the onset of nodulation and proline metabolism, to the redox status of the cell. Full comprehension of these aspects could open new perspectives to improve the adaptation of legumes to environmental stress.}, } @article {pmid35712272, year = {2022}, author = {Bhatia, S and Bansal, D and Patil, S and Pandya, S and Ilyas, QM and Imran, S}, title = {A Retrospective Study of Climate Change Affecting Dengue: Evidences, Challenges and Future Directions.}, journal = {Frontiers in public health}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {884645}, doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2022.884645}, pmid = {35712272}, issn = {2296-2565}, mesh = {*Climate Change ; *Dengue/epidemiology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Retrospective Studies ; Weather ; }, abstract = {Climate change is unexpected weather patterns that can create an alarming situation. Due to climate change, various sectors are affected, and one of the sectors is healthcare. As a result of climate change, the geographic range of several vector-borne human infectious diseases will expand. Currently, dengue is taking its toll, and climate change is one of the key reasons contributing to the intensification of dengue disease transmission. The most important climatic factors linked to dengue transmission are temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity. The present study carries out a systematic literature review on the surveillance system to predict dengue outbreaks based on Machine Learning modeling techniques. The systematic literature review discusses the methodology and objectives, the number of studies carried out in different regions and periods, the association between climatic factors and the increase in positive dengue cases. This study also includes a detailed investigation of meteorological data, the dengue positive patient data, and the pre-processing techniques used for data cleaning. Furthermore, correlation techniques in several studies to determine the relationship between dengue incidence and meteorological parameters and machine learning models for predictive analysis are discussed. In the future direction for creating a dengue surveillance system, several research challenges and limitations of current work are discussed.}, } @article {pmid35711769, year = {2022}, author = {Lee, J and Lee, DW}, title = {Insecticidal Serralysin of Serratia marcescens Is Detoxified in M3 Midgut Region of Riptortus pedestris.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {913113}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.913113}, pmid = {35711769}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Riptortus pedestris insect indiscriminately acquires not only the symbiotic bacterium Burkholderia insecticola, but also entomopathogens that are abundant in the soil via feeding. However, it is unclear how the host insect survives oral infections of entomopathogens. A previous study suggested that serralysin, a potent virulence factor produced by Serratia marcescens, suppresses cellular immunity by degrading adhesion molecules, thereby contributing to bacterial pathogenesis. Here, we observed that S. marcescens orally administered to R. pedestris stably colonized the insect midgut, while not exhibiting insecticidal activity. Additionally, oral infection with S. marcescens did not affect the host growth or fitness. When co-incubated with the midgut lysates of R. pedestris, serralysin was remarkably degraded. The detoxification activity against serralysin was enhanced in the midgut extract of gut symbiont-colonizing insects. The mRNA expression levels of serralysin genes were negligible in M3-colonizing S. marcescens. M3-colonizing S. marcescens did not produce serralysin toxin. Immunoblot analyses revealed that serralysin was not detected in the M3 midgut region. The findings of our study suggest that orally infected S. marcescens lose entomopathogenicity through host-derived degrading factors and suppression of serralysin.}, } @article {pmid35711755, year = {2022}, author = {Pineda-Mendoza, RM and Zúñiga, G and López, MF and Hidalgo-Lara, ME and Santiago-Hernández, A and López-López, A and Orduña, FNR and Cano-Ramírez, C}, title = {Rahnella sp., a Dominant Symbiont of the Core Gut Bacteriome of Dendroctonus Species, Has Metabolic Capacity to Degrade Xylan by Bifunctional Xylanase-Ferulic Acid Esterase.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {911269}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.911269}, pmid = {35711755}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Rahnella sp. ChDrAdgB13 is a dominant member of the gut bacterial core of species of the genus Dendroctonus, which is one of the most destructive pine forest bark beetles. The objectives of this study were identified in Rahnella sp. ChDrAdgB13 genome the glycosyl hydrolase families involved in carbohydrate metabolism and specifically, the genes that participate in xylan hydrolysis, to determine the functionality of a putative endo-1,4-β-D-xylanase, which results to be bifunctional xylanase-ferulic acid esterase called R13 Fae and characterize it biochemically. The carbohydrate-active enzyme prediction revealed 25 glycoside hydrolases, 20 glycosyl transferases, carbohydrate esterases, two auxiliary activities, one polysaccharide lyase, and one carbohydrate-binding module (CBM). The R13 Fae predicted showed high identity to the putative esterases and glycosyl hydrolases from Rahnella species and some members of the Yersiniaceae family. The r13 fae gene encodes 393 amino acids (43.5 kDa), containing a signal peptide, esterase catalytic domain, and CBM48. The R13 Fae modeling showed a higher binding affinity to ferulic acid, α-naphthyl acetate, and arabinoxylan, and a low affinity to starch. The R13 Fae recombinant protein showed activity on α-naphthyl acetate and xylan, but not on starch. This enzyme showed mesophilic characteristics, displaying its optimal activity at pH 6.0 and 25°C. The enzyme was stable at pH from 4.5 to 9.0, retaining nearly 66-71% of its original activity. The half-life of the enzyme was 23 days at 25°C. The enzyme was stable in the presence of metallic ions, except for Hg2+. The products of R13 Fae mediated hydrolysis of beechwood xylan were xylobiose and xylose, manifesting an exo-activity. The results suggest that Rahnella sp. ChDrAdgB13 hydrolyze xylan and its products could be assimilated by its host and other gut microbes as a nutritional source, demonstrating their functional role in the bacterial-insect interaction contributing to their fitness, development, and survival.}, } @article {pmid35710828, year = {2022}, author = {Vo, VTA and Kim, S and Hua, TNM and Oh, J and Jeong, Y}, title = {Iron commensalism of mesenchymal glioblastoma promotes ferroptosis susceptibility upon dopamine treatment.}, journal = {Communications biology}, volume = {5}, number = {1}, pages = {593}, pmid = {35710828}, issn = {2399-3642}, support = {2017R1A5A2015369 and 2020R1A2C1004684//National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)/ ; }, mesh = {*Brain Neoplasms/drug therapy/genetics/metabolism ; Dopamine/metabolism ; *Ferroptosis ; *Glioblastoma/drug therapy/genetics/metabolism ; Humans ; Iron/metabolism ; Neoplastic Stem Cells/metabolism ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The heterogeneity of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) leads to poor patient prognosis. Here, we aim to investigate the mechanism through which GBM heterogeneity is coordinated to promote tumor progression. We find that proneural (PN)-GBM stem cells (GSCs) secreted dopamine (DA) and transferrin (TF), inducing the proliferation of mesenchymal (MES)-GSCs and enhancing their susceptibility toward ferroptosis. PN-GSC-derived TF stimulates MES-GSC proliferation in an iron-dependent manner. DA acts in an autocrine on PN-GSC growth in a DA receptor D1-dependent manner, while in a paracrine it induces TF receptor 1 expression in MES-GSCs to assist iron uptake and thus enhance ferroptotic vulnerability. Analysis of public datasets reveals worse prognosis of patients with heterogeneous GBM with high iron uptake than those with other GBM subtypes. Collectively, the findings here provide evidence of commensalism symbiosis that causes MES-GSCs to become iron-addicted, which in turn provides a rationale for targeting ferroptosis to treat resistant MES GBM.}, } @article {pmid35708141, year = {2022}, author = {Xiong, H and Liu, X and Xie, Z and Zhu, L and Lu, H and Wang, C and Yao, J}, title = {Metabolic Symbiosis-Blocking Nano-combination for Tumor Vascular Normalization Treatment.}, journal = {Advanced healthcare materials}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e2102724}, doi = {10.1002/adhm.202102724}, pmid = {35708141}, issn = {2192-2659}, abstract = {The clinical anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drugs and metronomic chemotherapy (MET) induced tumor vascular normalization treatment (TVNT) was easily antagonized by tumor microenvironment metabolic cross-talk between tumor cells and endothelial cells. To overcome this dilemma, nanodrug with the ability of endothelial cells targeted glycolysis inhibition and nanodrug with the ability of tumor cell glycolysis inhibition, anti-VEGF and MET were combined to prepare Nano-combination for TVNT. Besides blocking the metabolic cross-talk between tumor cells and endothelial cells, Nano-combination also induced extensive regulations-widely obstructing the pathways related to angiogenesis, tumor cell proliferation and immunosuppression and breaking the negative sugar-lipid-protein metabolism balance in tumor microenvironment. Thus, stronger and more lasting normalized tumor vascular network and remarkable antitumor efficacy were obtained after treatment, constructing a positive feedback loop between TVNT and anti-tumor therapy. Above all, our study provided a new insight for solving the bottleneck of clinical TVNT. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.}, } @article {pmid35707611, year = {2022}, author = {Yu, L and Huang, T and Qi, X and Yu, J and Wu, T and Luo, Z and Zhou, L and Li, Y}, title = {Genome-Wide Analysis of Long Non-coding RNAs Involved in Nodule Senescence in Medicago truncatula.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {917840}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.917840}, pmid = {35707611}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {Plant long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely accepted to play crucial roles during diverse biological processes. In recent years, thousands of lncRNAs related to the establishment of symbiosis, root nodule organogenesis and nodule development have been identified in legumes. However, lncRNAs involved in nodule senescence have not been reported. In this study, senescence-related lncRNAs were investigated in Medicago truncatula nodules by high-throughput strand-specific RNA-seq. A total of 4576 lncRNAs and 126 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) were identified. We found that more than 60% lncRNAs were associated with transposable elements, especially TIR/Mutator and Helitron DNA transposons families. In addition, 49 DElncRNAs were predicted to be the targets of micro RNAs. Functional analysis showed that the largest sub-set of differently expressed target genes of DElncRNAs were associated with the membrane component. Of these, nearly half genes were related to material transport, suggesting that an important function of DElncRNAs during nodule senescence is the regulation of substance transport across membranes. Our findings will be helpful for understanding the functions of lncRNAs in nodule senescence and provide candidate lncRNAs for further research.}, } @article {pmid35707396, year = {2022}, author = {Normand, P and Pujic, P and Abrouk, D and Vemulapally, S and Guerra, T and Carlos-Shanley, C and Hahn, D}, title = {Draft Genomes of Nitrogen-fixing Frankia Strains Ag45/Mut15 and AgPM24 Isolated from Root Nodules of Alnus Glutinosa.}, journal = {Journal of genomics}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {49-56}, doi = {10.7150/jgen.74788}, pmid = {35707396}, issn = {1839-9940}, abstract = {The genomes of two nitrogen-fixing Frankia strains, Ag45/Mut15 and AgPM24, isolated from root nodules of Alnus glutinosa are described as representatives of a novel candidate species. Phylogenomic and ANI analyses confirmed that both strains are related to cluster 1 frankiae, and that both strains belong to a novel species. At 6.4 - 6.7 Mb, their genomes were smaller than those of other cultivated Alnus-infective cluster 1 strains but larger than that of the non-cultivated Alnus-infective cluster 1 Sp+ strain AgTrS that was their closest neighbor as assessed by ANI. Comparative genomic analyses identified genes essential for nitrogen-fixation, gene composition as regards COGs, secondary metabolites clusters and transcriptional regulators typical of those from Alnus-infective cluster 1 cultivated strains in both genomes. There were 459 genes present in other cultivated Alnus-infective strains lost in the two genomes, spread over the whole of the genome, which indicates genome erosion is taking place in these two strains.}, } @article {pmid35706973, year = {2022}, author = {Kumar, DN and Ghogale, DS}, title = {Intrinsic resistance: A non-negligible bacterial trait.}, journal = {Annals of medicine and surgery (2012)}, volume = {78}, number = {}, pages = {103949}, doi = {10.1016/j.amsu.2022.103949}, pmid = {35706973}, issn = {2049-0801}, } @article {pmid35703628, year = {2022}, author = {Souza, MM and Junqueira, LA and Teofilo-Guedes, GS and Jacques, GC and Zanuncio, JC}, title = {Predation of neotropical social wasp nests by ants.}, journal = {Brazilian journal of biology = Revista brasleira de biologia}, volume = {84}, number = {}, pages = {e260674}, doi = {10.1590/1519-6984.260674}, pmid = {35703628}, issn = {1678-4375}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants ; Nesting Behavior ; Predatory Behavior ; Symbiosis ; *Wasps ; }, } @article {pmid35703047, year = {2022}, author = {Hearn, LR and Davies, OK and Schwarz, MP}, title = {Extreme reproductive skew at the dawn of sociality is consistent with inclusive fitness theory but problematic for routes to eusociality.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {289}, number = {1976}, pages = {20220652}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2022.0652}, pmid = {35703047}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; Biological Evolution ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Pregnancy ; *Reproduction ; *Social Behavior ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {To understand the earliest stages of social evolution, we need to identify species that are undergoing the initial steps into sociality. Amphylaeus morosus is the only unambiguously known social species in the bee family Colletidae and represents an independent origin of sociality within the Apoidea. This allows us to investigate the selective factors promoting the transition from solitary to social nesting. Using genome-wide SNP genotyping, we infer robust pedigree relationships to identify maternity of brood and intracolony relatedness for colonies at the end of the reproductive season. We show that A. morosus forms both matrifilial and full-sibling colonies, both involving complete or almost complete monopolization over reproduction. In social colonies, the reproductive primary was also the primary forager with the secondary female remaining in the nest, presumably as a guard. Social nesting provided significant protection against parasitism and increased brood survivorship in general. We show that secondary females gain large indirect fitness benefits from defensive outcomes, enough to satisfy the conditions of inclusive fitness theory, despite an over-production of males in social colonies. These results suggest an avenue to sociality that involves high relatedness and, very surprisingly, extreme reproductive skew in its earliest stages and raises important questions about the evolutionary steps in pathways to eusociality.}, } @article {pmid35657436, year = {2022}, author = {Pandit, A and Johny, L and Srivastava, S and Adholeya, A and Cahill, D and Brau, L and Kochar, M}, title = {Recreating in vitro tripartite mycorrhizal associations through functional bacterial biofilms.}, journal = {Applied microbiology and biotechnology}, volume = {106}, number = {11}, pages = {4237-4250}, pmid = {35657436}, issn = {1432-0614}, support = {CRG/2020/000417//Science and Engineering Research Board/ ; }, mesh = {Bacteria ; Biofilms ; *Mycorrhizae ; Plant Roots/microbiology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and beneficial bacteria are found naturally associated with most terrestrial plant roots. While it is now well known that bacteria colonize AMF and can form aggregates and biofilms, little is known about how interactions between bacterial communities and AMF take place under both in situ and in vitro conditions. We investigated the impact of inoculation with AMF-associated bacteria (AABs) of AMF by in vitro recreation of the interaction on synthetic growth media in a two-compartment Petri plate system. The inoculated AABs were found to be associated with the mycorrhizal co-culture and were found to migrate along growing AMF hyphae and to be associated with the spore surface. AABs differentially influenced the growth of the AMF and their functional capability demonstrated by analysis of phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, and biofilm formation. We have thus characterized these important interactions adding to a further understanding of the synergistic relationship between the two cross-kingdom microbial partners. KEY POINTS: • An in vitro assay was utilized to recreate functional biofilms with AMF-associated bacteria. • AMF-associated bacteria formed a biofilm and enhanced sporulation of Rhizophagus irregularis. • AMF-bacterial interactions through biofilm formation influence the functional capability of both partners.}, } @article {pmid35526745, year = {2022}, author = {Nascimento da Silva, J and Calixto Conceição, C and Cristina Ramos de Brito, G and Costa Santos, D and Martins da Silva, R and Arcanjo, A and Henrique Ferreira Sorgine, M and de Oliveira, PL and Andrade Moreira, L and da Silva Vaz, I and Logullo, C}, title = {Wolbachia pipientis modulates metabolism and immunity during Aedes fluviatilis oogenesis.}, journal = {Insect biochemistry and molecular biology}, volume = {146}, number = {}, pages = {103776}, doi = {10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103776}, pmid = {35526745}, issn = {1879-0240}, mesh = {*Aedes/microbiology ; Animals ; Oogenesis ; Symbiosis/physiology ; *Wolbachia/physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia pipientis is a maternally transmitted bacterium that mostly colonizes arthropods, including the mosquito Aedes fluviatilis, potentially affecting different aspects of host physiology. This intracellular bacterium prefers gonadal tissue cells, interfering with the reproductive cycle of insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and nematodes. Wolbachia's ability to modulate the host's reproduction is related to its success in prevalence and frequency. Infecting oocytes is essential for vertical propagation, ensuring its presence in the germline. The mosquito Ae. fluviatilis is a natural host for this bacterium and therefore represents an excellent experimental model in the effort to understand host-symbiont interactions and the mutual metabolic regulation. The aim of this study was to comparatively describe metabolic changes in naturally Wolbachia-infected and uninfected ovaries of Ae. fluviatilis during the vitellogenic period of oogenesis, thus increasing the knowledge about Wolbachia parasitic/symbiotic mechanisms.}, } @article {pmid35704677, year = {2022}, author = {Shi, X and Qin, T and Qu, Y and Zhang, J and Hao, G and Zhao, N and Gao, Y and Ren, A}, title = {Infection by endophytic Epichloë sibirica was associated with activation of defense hormone signal transduction pathways and enhanced pathogen resistance in the grass Achnatherum sibiricum.}, journal = {Phytopathology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1094/PHYTO-12-21-0521-R}, pmid = {35704677}, issn = {0031-949X}, abstract = {Epichloë endophytes can improve the resistance of host grasses to pathogenic fungi, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we used phytohormone quantifications, gene expression analysis and pathogenicity experiments to investigate the effect of Epichloë sibirica on the resistance of Achnatherum sibiricum to Curvularia lunata pathogens. Comparison of gene expression patterns between endophyte-infected and endophyte-free leaves revealed that endophyte infection was associated with significant induction of 1758 and 765 differentially expressed genes in the host before and after pathogen inoculation, respectively. Functional analysis of the differentially expressed genes suggested that endophyte infection may activate the constitutive resistance of the host by increasing photosynthesis, enhancing the ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species, and actively regulating the expression of genes with function related to disease resistance. We found that endophyte infection was associated with induction of the expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis pathways of jasmonic acid, ethylene and pipecolic acid and amplified the defense response of jasmonic acid/ethylene co-regulated EIN/ERF1 transduction pathway and Pip-mediated TGA transduction pathway. Phytohormone quantifications showed that endophyte infection was associated with significant accumulation of jasmonic acid, ethylene and pipecolic acid after pathogen inoculation. Exogenous phytohormone treatments confirmed that the disease index of plants was negatively related to both jasmonic acid and ethylene concentrations. Our results demonstrate that endophyte infection can not only improve the constitutive resistance of the host to phytopathogens before pathogen inoculation but also be associated with enhanced systemic resistance of the host to necrotrophs after C. lunata inoculation.}, } @article {pmid35704174, year = {2022}, author = {Martini, MC and Vacca, C and Torres Tejerizo, GA and Draghi, WO and Pistorio, M and Lozano, MJ and Lagares, A and Del Papa, MF}, title = {ubiF is involved in acid stress tolerance and symbiotic competitiveness in Rhizobium favelukesii LPU83.}, journal = {Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology]}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35704174}, issn = {1678-4405}, support = {PIP2015-0700//CONICET/ ; PICT2017-2371//Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica/ ; PICT2017-2833//Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica/ ; }, abstract = {The acidity of soils significantly reduces the productivity of legumes mainly because of the detrimental effects of hydrogen ions on the legume plants, leading to the establishment of an inefficient symbiosis and poor biological nitrogen fixation. We recently reported the analysis of the fully sequenced genome of Rhizobium favelukesii LPU83, an alfalfa-nodulating rhizobium with a remarkable ability to grow, nodulate and compete in acidic conditions. To gain more insight into the genetic mechanisms leading to acid tolerance in R. favelukesii LPU83, we constructed a transposon mutant library and screened for mutants displaying a more acid-sensitive phenotype than the parental strain. We identified mutant Tn833 carrying a single-transposon insertion within LPU83_2531, an uncharacterized short ORF located immediately upstream from ubiF homolog. This gene encodes a protein with an enzymatic activity involved in the biosynthesis of ubiquinone. As the transposon was inserted near the 3' end of LPU83_2531 and these genes are cotranscribed as a part of the same operon, we hypothesized that the phenotype in Tn833 is most likely due to a polar effect on ubiF transcription.We found that a mutant in ubiF was impaired to grow at low pH and other abiotic stresses including 5 mM ascorbate and 0.500 mM Zn2+. Although the ubiF mutant retained the ability to nodulate alfalfa and Phaseolus vulgaris, it was unable to compete with the R. favelukesii LPU83 wild-type strain for nodulation in Medicago sativa and P. vulgaris, suggesting that ubiF is important for competitiveness. Here, we report for the first time an ubiF homolog being essential for nodulation competitiveness and tolerance to specific stresses in rhizobia.}, } @article {pmid35703035, year = {2022}, author = {Pendse, S and Vaidya, A and Kale, V}, title = {Clinical applications of pluripotent stem cells and their derivatives: current status and future perspectives.}, journal = {Regenerative medicine}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.2217/rme-2022-0045}, pmid = {35703035}, issn = {1746-076X}, abstract = {Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can differentiate into specific cell types and thus hold great promise in regenerative medicine to treat certain diseases. Hence, several studies have been performed harnessing their salutary properties in regenerative medicine. Despite several challenges associated with the clinical applications of PSCs, worldwide efforts are harnessing their potential in the regeneration of damaged tissues. Several clinical trials have been performed using PSCs or their derivatives. However, the delay in publishing the data obtained in the trials has led to a lack of awareness about their outcomes, resulting in apprehension about cellular therapies. Here, the authors review the published papers containing data from recent clinical trials done with PSCs. PSC-derived extracellular vesicles hold great potential in regenerative therapy. Since published papers containing the data obtained in clinical trials on PSC-derived extracellular vesicles are not available yet, the authors have reviewed some of the pre-clinical work done with them.}, } @article {pmid35701539, year = {2022}, author = {Jackson, R and Monnin, D and Patapiou, PA and Golding, G and Helanterä, H and Oettler, J and Heinze, J and Wurm, Y and Economou, CK and Chapuisat, M and Henry, LM}, title = {Convergent evolution of a labile nutritional symbiosis in ants.}, journal = {The ISME journal}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35701539}, issn = {1751-7370}, support = {NE/M018016/1//NERC Environmental Bioinformatics Centre (NEBC)/ ; }, abstract = {Ants are among the most successful organisms on Earth. It has been suggested that forming symbioses with nutrient-supplementing microbes may have contributed to their success, by allowing ants to invade otherwise inaccessible niches. However, it is unclear whether ants have evolved symbioses repeatedly to overcome the same nutrient limitations. Here, we address this question by comparing the independently evolved symbioses in Camponotus, Plagiolepis, Formica and Cardiocondyla ants. Our analysis reveals the only metabolic function consistently retained in all of the symbiont genomes is the capacity to synthesise tyrosine. We also show that in certain multi-queen lineages that have co-diversified with their symbiont for millions of years, only a fraction of queens carry the symbiont, suggesting ants differ in their colony-level reliance on symbiont-derived resources. Our results imply that symbioses can arise to solve common problems, but hosts may differ in their dependence on symbionts, highlighting the evolutionary forces influencing the persistence of long-term endosymbiotic mutualisms.}, } @article {pmid35580146, year = {2022}, author = {Rhodes, KA and Ma, MC and Rendón, MA and So, M}, title = {Neisseria genes required for persistence identified via in vivo screening of a transposon mutant library.}, journal = {PLoS pathogens}, volume = {18}, number = {5}, pages = {e1010497}, doi = {10.1371/journal.ppat.1010497}, pmid = {35580146}, issn = {1553-7374}, support = {R21 AI144763/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Carrier State/microbiology/physiopathology ; *DNA Transposable Elements/genetics ; Gene Library ; *Host Microbial Interactions/genetics/physiology ; Mice ; Microbiota/genetics ; Mucous Membrane/microbiology ; *Neisseria/genetics/pathogenicity ; Neisseria gonorrhoeae/genetics/pathogenicity ; Neisseria meningitidis/genetics/pathogenicity ; Symbiosis/genetics/physiology ; Virulence Factors/genetics ; }, abstract = {The mechanisms used by human adapted commensal Neisseria to shape and maintain a niche in their host are poorly defined. These organisms are common members of the mucosal microbiota and share many putative host interaction factors with Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Evaluating the role of these shared factors during host carriage may provide insight into bacterial mechanisms driving both commensalism and asymptomatic infection across the genus. We identified host interaction factors required for niche development and maintenance through in vivo screening of a transposon mutant library of Neisseria musculi, a commensal of wild-caught mice which persistently and asymptomatically colonizes the oral cavity and gut of CAST/EiJ and A/J mice. Approximately 500 candidate genes involved in long-term host interaction were identified. These included homologs of putative N. meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae virulence factors which have been shown to modulate host interactions in vitro. Importantly, many candidate genes have no assigned function, illustrating how much remains to be learned about Neisseria persistence. Many genes of unknown function are conserved in human adapted Neisseria species; they are likely to provide a gateway for understanding the mechanisms allowing pathogenic and commensal Neisseria to establish and maintain a niche in their natural hosts. Validation of a subset of candidate genes confirmed a role for a polysaccharide capsule in N. musculi persistence but not colonization. Our findings highlight the potential utility of the Neisseria musculi-mouse model as a tool for studying the pathogenic Neisseria; our work represents a first step towards the identification of novel host interaction factors conserved across the genus.}, } @article {pmid35700898, year = {2022}, author = {Pekkoh, J and Chaichana, C and Thurakit, T and Phinyo, K and Lomakool, S and Ruangrit, K and Duangjan, K and Suwannarach, N and Kumla, J and Cheirsilp, B and Srinuanpan, S}, title = {Dual-Bioaugmentation Strategy to Enhance the Formation of Algal-Bacteria Symbiosis Biofloc in Aquaculture Wastewater Supplemented with Agricultural Wastes as an Alternative Nutrient Sources and Biomass Support Materials.}, journal = {Bioresource technology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {127469}, doi = {10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127469}, pmid = {35700898}, issn = {1873-2976}, abstract = {This study performs an integrated evaluation of the formation and distribution of algal-bacterial bioflocs in aquaculture wastewater supplemented with agricultural waste, together with an assessment of their behavior in the microbial community and of the water quality of the system in which a new bioaugmentation strategy was applied. Results indicated that the dual bioaugmentation strategy via the consortium addition of bacteria and microalgae had the highest formation performance, providing the most compact biofloc structure (0.59 g/L), excellent settleability (71.91%), and a large particle diameter (4.25 mm). The fed-batch supplementation of molasses and rice bran, in terms of changes in the values of COD, NH4+, NO3-, and PO43-, stimulated the formation of biofloc through algal-bacterial bioflocs and microbe-rice bran complexes within a well-established microbial community. These findings provide new insight into the influence of bioaugmentation on the formation of an innovative algal-bacterial biofloc.}, } @article {pmid35699341, year = {2022}, author = {Thompson, L and Swift, SOI and Egan, CP and Yogi, D and Chapin, T and Hynson, NA}, title = {Traits and tradeoffs among non-native ectomycorrhizal fungal symbionts affect pine seedling establishment in a Hawaiian co-invasion landscape.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/mec.16564}, pmid = {35699341}, issn = {1365-294X}, abstract = {Pine invasions lead to losses of native biodiversity and ecosystem function, but pine invasion success is often linked to co-invading non-native ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi. How the community composition, traits, and distributions of these fungi vary over the landscape and how this in-turn affects pine success is understudied. A greenhouse bioassay experiment was performed to test the effects of changes in EM fungal community structure from a pine plantation, to an invasion front to currently pine-free areas on percent root colonization and seedling biomass. Soils were also analyzed by qPCR to determine changes in inoculum and spore density over distance for a common co-invading EM fungus, Suillus pungens. Percent colonization increased with distance from the plantation, which corresponded with an increase in seedling biomass and stark changes in EM fungal community membership where Suillus spp. dominated currently pine-free areas. However, there was a negative relationship between S. pungens inoculum potential versus root colonization over distance. We conclude that the success of pine invasions is facilitated by specific traits of Suillus spp., but that the success of Suillus is contingent on a lack of competition with other ectomycorrhizal fungi.}, } @article {pmid35697901, year = {2022}, author = {Amorim, K and Loick-Wilde, N and Yuen, B and Osvatic, JT and Wäge-Recchioni, J and Hausmann, B and Petersen, JM and Fabian, J and Wodarg, D and Zettler, ML}, title = {Chemoautotrophy, symbiosis and sedimented diatoms support high biomass of benthic molluscs in the Namibian shelf.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {9731}, pmid = {35697901}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {03V01279//German Federal Ministry of Education and Research/ ; }, abstract = {The molluscs Lucinoma capensis, Lembulus bicuspidatus and Nassarius vinctus are highly abundant in Namibian oxygen minimum zone sediments. To understand which nutritional strategies allow them to reach such impressive abundances in this extreme habitat we investigated their trophic diversity, including a chemosymbiosis in L. capensis, focussing on nitrogen biochemical pathways of the symbionts. We combined results of bulk nitrogen and carbon (δ13C and δ15N) and of compound-specific isotope analyses of amino acid nitrogen (AAs-δ15NPhe and δ15NGlu), with 16S rRNA gene sequencing of L. capensis tissues and also with exploratory results of ammonium, nitrate and nitrite turnover. The trophic position (TP) of the bivalve L. capensis is placed between autotrophy and mixotrophy, consistent with its proposed symbiosis with sulfur-oxidizing Candidatus Thiodiazotropha sp. symbionts. The symbionts are here revealed to perform nitrate reduction and ammonium uptake, with clear indications of ammonium host-symbionts recycling, but surprisingly unable to fix nitrogen. The TP of the bivalve L. bicuspidatus is placed in between mixotrophy and herbivory. The TP of the gastropod N. vinctus reflected omnivory. Multiple lines of evidences in combination with current ecosystem knowledge point to sedimented diatoms as important components of L. bicuspidatus and N. vinctus' diet, likely supplemented at times with chemoautotrophic bacteria. This study highlights the importance of benthic-pelagic coupling that fosters the dietary base for macrozoobenthos in the OMZ. It further unveils that, in contrast to all shallow water lucinid symbionts, deeper water lucinid symbionts rely on ammonium assimilation rather than dinitrogen fixation to obtain nitrogen for growth.}, } @article {pmid35532932, year = {2022}, author = {Strunov, A and Lerch, S and Blanckenhorn, WU and Miller, WJ and Kapun, M}, title = {Complex effects of environment and Wolbachia infections on the life history of Drosophila melanogaster hosts.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {35}, number = {6}, pages = {788-802}, doi = {10.1111/jeb.14016}, pmid = {35532932}, issn = {1420-9101}, support = {FWF P32275//Austrian Science Fund/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Drosophila melanogaster/genetics ; Female ; Fertility ; Longevity ; Male ; Reproduction ; Symbiosis ; *Wolbachia/genetics ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia bacteria are common endosymbionts of many arthropods found in gonads and various somatic tissues. They manipulate host reproduction to enhance their transmission and confer complex effects on fitness-related traits. Some of these effects can serve to increase the survival and transmission efficiency of Wolbachia in the host population. The Wolbachia-Drosophila melanogaster system represents a powerful model to study the evolutionary dynamics of host-microbe interactions and infections. Over the past decades, there has been a replacement of the ancestral wMelCS Wolbachia variant by the more recent wMel variant in worldwide D. melanogaster populations, but the reasons remain unknown. To investigate how environmental change and genetic variation of the symbiont affect host developmental and adult life-history traits, we compared effects of both Wolbachia variants and uninfected controls in wild-caught D. melanogaster strains at three developmental temperatures. While Wolbachia did not influence any developmental life-history traits, we found that both lifespan and fecundity of host females were increased without apparent fitness trade-offs. Interestingly, wMelCS-infected flies were more fecund than uninfected and wMel-infected flies. By contrast, males infected with wMel died sooner, indicating sex-specific effects of infection that are specific to the Wolbachia variant. Our study uncovered complex temperature-specific effects of Wolbachia infections, which suggests that symbiont-host interactions in nature are strongly dependent on the genotypes of both partners and the thermal environment.}, } @article {pmid35695864, year = {2022}, author = {Nadal-Jimenez, P and Siozios, S and Halliday, N and Cámara, M and Hurst, GDD}, title = {Symbiopectobacterium purcellii, gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from the leafhopper Empoasca decipiens.}, journal = {International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology}, volume = {72}, number = {6}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1099/ijsem.0.005440}, pmid = {35695864}, issn = {1466-5034}, abstract = {Bacterial endosymbionts are found in multiple arthropod species, where they play crucial roles as nutritional symbionts, defensive symbionts or reproductive parasites. Recent work has highlighted a new clade of heritable microbes within the gammaproteobacteria that enter into both obligate and facultative symbioses, with an obligately required unculturable symbiont recently given the name Candidatus Symbiopectobacterium. In this study, we describe a culturable rod shaped non-flagellated bacterial symbiont from this clade isolated from the leafhopper Empoasca decipiens. The symbiont is related to the transovarially transmitted 'BEV' bacterium that was first isolated from the leafhopper Euscelidius variegatus by Alexander Purcell, and we therefore name the symbiont Symbiopectobacterium purcellii sp. nov., gen. nov. We further report the closed genome sequence for S. purcellii. The genome is atypical for a heritable microbe, being large in size, without profound AT bias and with little evidence of pseudogenization. The genome is predicted to encode Type II, III and VI secretion systems and associated effectors and a non-ribosomal peptide synthase array likely to produce bioactive small molecules. The predicted metabolism is more complete than for other symbionts in the Symbiopectobacterium clade, and the microbe is predicted to synthesize a range of B vitamins. However, Biolog plate results indicate that the metabolism is depauperate compared to the sister clade, represented by Pectobacterium carotovorum. A quorum-sensing pathway related to that of Pectobacterium species (containing an overlapping expI-expR1 pair in opposite directions and a "solo" expR2) is evidenced, and LC-MS/MS analysis reveals the presence of 3-hydroxy-C10-HSL as the sole N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) in our strain. This AHL profile is profoundly divergent from that of other Erwinia and Pectobacterium species which produce mostly 3-oxo-C6- and 3-oxo-C8-HSL and could aid group identification. Thus, this microbe denotes one that has lost certain pathways associated with a saprophytic lifestyle but represents an important baseline against which to compare other members of the genus Symbiopectobacterium that show more profound integration into host biology. The type strain of Symbiopectobacterium purcellii gen. nov., sp. nov. is SyEd1T (LMG 32449T=CECT 30436T).}, } @article {pmid35695500, year = {2022}, author = {Newell, PD and Preciado, LM and Murphy, CG}, title = {A Functional Analysis of the Purine Salvage Pathway in Acetobacter fabarum.}, journal = {Journal of bacteriology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0004122}, doi = {10.1128/jb.00041-22}, pmid = {35695500}, issn = {1098-5530}, abstract = {Acetobacter species are a major component of the gut microbiome of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, a widely used model organism. While a range of studies have illuminated impacts of Acetobacter on their hosts, less is known about how association with the host impacts bacteria. A previous study identified that a purine salvage locus was commonly found in Acetobacter associated with Drosophila. In this study, we sought to verify the functions of predicted purine salvage genes in Acetobacter fabarum DsW_054 and to test the hypothesis that these bacteria can utilize host metabolites as a sole source of nitrogen. Targeted gene deletion and complementation experiments confirmed that genes encoding xanthine dehydrogenase (xdhB), urate hydroxylase (urhA), and allantoinase (puuE) were required for growth on their respective substrates as the sole source of nitrogen. Utilization of urate by Acetobacter is significant because this substrate is the major nitrogenous waste product of Drosophila, and its accumulation in the excretory system is detrimental to both flies and humans. The potential significance of our findings for host purine homeostasis and health are discussed, as are the implications for interactions among microbiota members, which differ in their capacity to utilize host metabolites for nitrogen. IMPORTANCE Acetobacter are commonly found in the gut microbiota of fruit flies, including Drosophila melanogaster. We evaluated the function of purine salvage genes in Acetobacter fabarum to test the hypothesis that this bacterium can utilize host metabolites as a source of nitrogen. Our results identify functions for three genes required for growth on urate, a major host waste product. The utilization of this and other Drosophila metabolites by gut bacteria may play a role in their survival in the host environment. Future research into how microbial metabolism impacts host purine homeostasis may lead to therapies because urate accumulation in the excretory system is detrimental to flies and humans.}, } @article {pmid35695425, year = {2022}, author = {Li, J and Zou, Y and Yang, J and Li, Q and Bourne, DG and Sweet, M and Liu, C and Guo, A and Zhang, S}, title = {Cultured Bacteria Provide Insight into the Functional Potential of the Coral-Associated Microbiome.}, journal = {mSystems}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0032722}, doi = {10.1128/msystems.00327-22}, pmid = {35695425}, issn = {2379-5077}, abstract = {Improving the availability of representative isolates from the coral microbiome is essential for investigating symbiotic mechanisms and applying beneficial microorganisms to improve coral health. However, few studies have explored the diversity of bacteria which can be isolated from a single species. Here, we isolated a total of 395 bacterial strains affiliated with 49 families across nine classes from the coral Pocillopora damicornis. Identification results showed that most of the strains represent potential novel bacterial species or genera. We also sequenced and assembled the genomes of 118 of these isolates, and then the putative functions of these isolates were identified based on genetic signatures derived from the genomes and this information was combined with isolate-specific phenotypic data. Genomic information derived from the isolates identified putative functions including nitrification and denitrification, dimethylsulfoniopropionate transformation, and supply of fixed carbon, amino acids, and B vitamins which may support their eukaryotic partners. Furthermore, the isolates contained genes associated with chemotaxis, biofilm formation, quorum sensing, membrane transport, signal transduction, and eukaryote-like repeat-containing and cell-cell attachment proteins, all of which potentially help the bacterium establish association with the coral host. Our work expands on the existing culture collection of coral-associated bacteria and provides important information on the metabolic potential of these isolates which can be used to refine understanding of the role of bacteria in coral health and are now available to be applied to novel strategies aimed at improving coral resilience through microbiome manipulation. IMPORTANCE Microbes underpin the health of corals which are the building blocks of diverse and productive reef ecosystems. Studying the culturable fraction of coral-associated bacteria has received less attention in recent times than using culture-independent molecular methods. However, the genomic and phenotypic characterization of isolated strains allows assessment of their functional role in underpinning coral health and identification of beneficial microbes for microbiome manipulation. Here, we isolated 395 bacterial strains from tissues of Pocillopora damicornis with many representing potentially novel taxa and therefore providing a significant contribution to coral microbiology through greatly enlarging the existing cultured coral-associated bacterial bank. Through analysis of the genomes obtained in this study for the coral-associated bacteria and coral host, we elucidate putative metabolic linkages and symbiotic establishment. The results of this study will help to elucidate the role of specific isolates in coral health and provide beneficial microbes for efforts aimed at improving coral health.}, } @article {pmid35695228, year = {2022}, author = {Matela, H and Panchal, P and Yadav, SS and Muley, A and Medithi, S and Menon, K}, title = {A critical comparison of the Indian school food and nutrition guidelines with the WHO-nutrition friendly school initiative and the review of existing implementation scenario.}, journal = {Nutrition and health}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {2601060221105734}, doi = {10.1177/02601060221105734}, pmid = {35695228}, issn = {0260-1060}, abstract = {Background: The school-based food and nutrition guidelines approach has the potential to combat undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies among children and adolescents and set the foundation for a healthy adult lifestyle. Aim: To critically compare the Nutrition Friendly School Initiative (NFSI) of the World Health Organization (WHO) with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) guidelines to gauge the strengths and limitations. Additionally, to summarize the existing studies on implementing school food and nutrition guidelines. Methods: Policy documents of the above guidelines were critically evaluated, and narrative analysis was conducted. An electronic search was conducted for full-text research articles published in the English language between January 2007 to September 2021 in Science Direct, PubMed, Web of Science, and SCOPUS databases. Results: Upon critical comparison of the three guidelines, it was found that the NFSI and FSSAI guidelines shared similarities in many components and the FSSAI guidelines, if implemented adequately, could improve the school food environment and combat the triple malnutrition burden in India. After screening the articles based on the eligibility criteria, 11 studies were included in the preparation of the review. Studies reported partial or inadequate implementation and poor compliance with the guidelines or approach. A few studies identified barriers to guideline implementation. Conclusion: Implementation of school food and nutrition guidelines could improve the nutritional outcomes in children and adolescents. To sustain the effective implementation, adequate resources and preparedness are essential in low-and middle-income countries, including India.}, } @article {pmid35694577, year = {2022}, author = {Cui, Y}, title = {Landscaping Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Production Park Using Lightweight Deep Reinforcement Learning under Circular Symbiosis Concept.}, journal = {Computational intelligence and neuroscience}, volume = {2022}, number = {}, pages = {8410996}, doi = {10.1155/2022/8410996}, pmid = {35694577}, issn = {1687-5273}, abstract = {The paper intends to optimize the landscape of the agricultural and animal husbandry (AG and AH) production park using the deep reinforcement learning (DRL) model under circular symbiosis. Therefore, after reviewing the relevant literature, decision tree evolutionary algorithm, and ensemble learning criteria, this paper studies and constructs the circular symbiotic industrial chain. Then, an experiment of landscaping the park and optimizing the production is made with full consideration of practical institutions. Finally, the numerical results show that the yield of several crops has been significantly improved after the landscape optimization by the proposed DRL model. Remarkably, the increase in rice yield is the most prominent. The yield of rice and wheat was about 12 kg before optimization and 18 kg after DRL model optimization, which has increased by 6 kg. This research has important reference value for improving the output efficiency of AG and AH products.}, } @article {pmid35694215, year = {2022}, author = {Qin, H and Li, G and Xu, X and Zhang, C and Zhong, W and Xu, S and Yin, Y and Song, J}, title = {The role of oral microbiome in periodontitis under diabetes mellitus.}, journal = {Journal of oral microbiology}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {2078031}, doi = {10.1080/20002297.2022.2078031}, pmid = {35694215}, issn = {2000-2297}, abstract = {Periodontitis is among most common human inflammatory diseases and characterized by destruction of tooth-supporting tissues that will eventually lead to tooth loss. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by chronic hyperglycemia which results from defects in insulin secretion and/or insulin resistance. Numerous studies have provided evidence for the inter-relationship between DM and periodontitis that has been considered as the sixth most frequent complication of DM. However, the mechanisms are not fully understood yet. The impact of DM on periodontitis through hyperglycemia and inflammatory pathways is well described, but the effects of DM on oral microbiota remain controversial according to previous studies. Recent studies using next-generation sequencing technology indicate that DM can alter the biodiversity and composition of oral microbiome especially subgingival microbiome. This may be another mechanism by which DM risks or aggravates periodontitis. Thus, to understand the role of oral microbiome in periodontitis of diabetics and the mechanism of shifts of oral microbiome under DM would be valuable for making specific therapeutic regimens for treating periodontitis patients with DM or preventing diabetic patients from periodontitis. This article reviews the role of oral microbiome in periodontal health (symbiosis) and disease (dysbiosis), highlights the oral microbial shifts under DM and summarizes the mechanism of the shifts.}, } @article {pmid35693120, year = {2022}, author = {Bauer, FM and Lärm, L and Morandage, S and Lobet, G and Vanderborght, J and Vereecken, H and Schnepf, A}, title = {Development and Validation of a Deep Learning Based Automated Minirhizotron Image Analysis Pipeline.}, journal = {Plant phenomics (Washington, D.C.)}, volume = {2022}, number = {}, pages = {9758532}, doi = {10.34133/2022/9758532}, pmid = {35693120}, issn = {2643-6515}, abstract = {Root systems of crops play a significant role in agroecosystems. The root system is essential for water and nutrient uptake, plant stability, symbiosis with microbes, and a good soil structure. Minirhizotrons have shown to be effective to noninvasively investigate the root system. Root traits, like root length, can therefore be obtained throughout the crop growing season. Analyzing datasets from minirhizotrons using common manual annotation methods, with conventional software tools, is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Therefore, an objective method for high-throughput image analysis that provides data for field root phenotyping is necessary. In this study, we developed a pipeline combining state-of-the-art software tools, using deep neural networks and automated feature extraction. This pipeline consists of two major components and was applied to large root image datasets from minirhizotrons. First, a segmentation by a neural network model, trained with a small image sample, is performed. Training and segmentation are done using "RootPainter." Then, an automated feature extraction from the segments is carried out by "RhizoVision Explorer." To validate the results of our automated analysis pipeline, a comparison of root length between manually annotated and automatically processed data was realized with more than 36,500 images. Mainly the results show a high correlation (r = 0.9) between manually and automatically determined root lengths. With respect to the processing time, our new pipeline outperforms manual annotation by 98.1-99.6%. Our pipeline, combining state-of-the-art software tools, significantly reduces the processing time for minirhizotron images. Thus, image analysis is no longer the bottle-neck in high-throughput phenotyping approaches.}, } @article {pmid35692823, year = {2022}, author = {Wang, J and Ma, C and Ma, S and Zheng, H and Feng, H and Wang, Y and Wang, J and Liu, C and Xin, D and Chen, Q and Yang, M}, title = {GmARP is Related to the Type III Effector NopAA to Promote Nodulation in Soybean (Glycine max).}, journal = {Frontiers in genetics}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {889795}, doi = {10.3389/fgene.2022.889795}, pmid = {35692823}, issn = {1664-8021}, abstract = {Type III effectors secreted by rhizobia regulate nodulation in the host plant and are important modulators of symbiosis between rhizobia and soybean (Glycine max), although the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we studied the type III effector NopAA in Sinorhizobium fredii HH103, confirming its secretion into the extracellular environment under the action of genistein. The enzyme activity of NopAA was investigated in vitro, using xyloglucan and β-glucan as substrates. NopAA functions were investigated by the generation of a NopAA mutant and the effects of NopAA deficiency on symbiosis were analyzed. Soybean genes associated with NopAA were identified in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population and their functions were verified. NopAA was confirmed to be a type III effector with glycosyl hydrolase activity, and its mutant did not promote nodulation. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis identified 10 QTLs with one, Glyma.19g074200 (GmARP), found to be associated with NopAA and to positively regulate the establishment of symbiosis. All these results support the hypothesis that type III effectors interact with host proteins to regulate the establishment of symbiosis and suggest the possibility of manipulating the symbiotic soybean-rhizobia interaction to promote efficient nitrogen fixation.}, } @article {pmid35681429, year = {2022}, author = {Uhlig, F and Hyland, NP}, title = {Making Sense of Quorum Sensing at the Intestinal Mucosal Interface.}, journal = {Cells}, volume = {11}, number = {11}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/cells11111734}, pmid = {35681429}, issn = {2073-4409}, support = {Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 754535//European Union/ ; 12/RC/2273_P2/SFI_/Science Foundation Ireland/Ireland ; }, mesh = {Acyl-Butyrolactones/chemistry/metabolism ; Bacteria/metabolism ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; *Quorum Sensing/genetics ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The gut microbiome can produce metabolic products that exert diverse activities, including effects on the host. Short chain fatty acids and amino acid derivatives have been the focus of many studies, but given the high microbial density in the gastrointestinal tract, other bacterial products such as those released as part of quorum sensing are likely to play an important role for health and disease. In this review, we provide of an overview on quorum sensing (QS) in the gastrointestinal tract and summarise what is known regarding the role of QS molecules such as auto-inducing peptides (AIP) and acyl-homoserine lactones (AHL) from commensal, probiotic, and pathogenic bacteria in intestinal health and disease. QS regulates the expression of numerous genes including biofilm formation, bacteriocin and toxin secretion, and metabolism. QS has also been shown to play an important role in the bacteria-host interaction. We conclude that the mechanisms of action of QS at the intestinal neuro-immune interface need to be further investigated.}, } @article {pmid35681192, year = {2022}, author = {Nepel, M and Pfeifer, J and Oberhauser, FB and Richter, A and Woebken, D and Mayer, VE}, title = {Nitrogen fixation by diverse diazotrophic communities can support population growth of arboreal ants.}, journal = {BMC biology}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {135}, pmid = {35681192}, issn = {1741-7007}, support = {DOC fellowship (24388)//Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften/ ; P-31990-B//Austrian Science Fund/ ; W1257-B20//Austrian Science Fund/ ; short-term grant abroad (KWA)//Universität Wien/ ; EXC 2117 - 422037984//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants ; *Cecropia Plant ; Ecosystem ; Nitrogen Fixation ; Plants ; Population Growth ; Symbiosis ; Trees ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Symbiotic ant-plant associations, in which ants live on plants, feed on plant-provided food, and protect host trees against threats, are ubiquitous across the tropics, with the Azteca-Cecropia associations being amongst the most widespread interactions in the Neotropics. Upon colonization of Cecropia's hollow internodes, Azteca queens form small patches with plant parenchyma, which are then used as waste piles when the colony grows. Patches-found in many ant-plant mutualisms-are present throughout the colony life cycle and may supplement larval food. Despite their initial nitrogen (N)-poor substrate, patches in Cecropia accommodate fungi, nematodes, and bacteria. In this study, we investigated the atmospheric N2 fixation as an N source in patches of early and established ant colonies.

RESULTS: Via 15N2 tracer assays, N2 fixation was frequently detected in all investigated patch types formed by three Azteca ant species. Quantified fixation rates were similar in early and established ant colonies and higher than in various tropical habitats. Based on amplicon sequencing, the identified microbial functional guild-the diazotrophs-harboring and transcribing the dinitrogenase reductase (nifH) gene was highly diverse and heterogeneous across Azteca colonies. The community composition differed between early and established ant colonies and partly between the ant species.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that N2 fixation can result in reasonable amounts of N in ant colonies, which might not only enable bacterial, fungal, and nematode growth in the patch ecosystems but according to our calculations can even support the growth of ant populations. The diverse and heterogeneous diazotrophic community implies a functional redundancy, which could provide the ant-plant-patch system with a higher resilience towards changing environmental conditions. Hence, we propose that N2 fixation represents a previously unknown potential to overcome N limitations in arboreal ant colonies.}, } @article {pmid35679821, year = {2022}, author = {Abbas, A and Zackular, JP}, title = {Won't you be my neighbor? The importance of biogeography and nutrient niches in the gut.}, journal = {Cell host & microbe}, volume = {30}, number = {6}, pages = {759-761}, doi = {10.1016/j.chom.2022.05.009}, pmid = {35679821}, issn = {1934-6069}, mesh = {*Gastrointestinal Tract ; Nutrients ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {In the complex gastrointestinal tract landscape, competition for resources is fierce among microbes. One way to avoid conflict is migration to a different microhabitat. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Liou et al. demonstrate how a commensal and pathogen differ in how and where they acquire nitrate.}, } @article {pmid35556179, year = {2022}, author = {Zhao, Y and Cartabia, A and Lalaymia, I and Declerck, S}, title = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and production of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants.}, journal = {Mycorrhiza}, volume = {32}, number = {3-4}, pages = {221-256}, pmid = {35556179}, issn = {1432-1890}, support = {721635//H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions/ ; }, mesh = {Fungi ; *Mycorrhizae ; Plant Roots/microbiology ; *Plants, Medicinal/microbiology ; Soil ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Medicinal plants are an important source of therapeutic compounds used in the treatment of many diseases since ancient times. Interestingly, they form associations with numerous microorganisms developing as endophytes or symbionts in different parts of the plants. Within the soil, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are the most prevalent symbiotic microorganisms forming associations with more than 70% of vascular plants. In the last decade, a number of studies have reported the positive effects of AMF on improving the production and accumulation of important active compounds in medicinal plants.In this work, we reviewed the literature on the effects of AMF on the production of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants. The major findings are as follows: AMF impact the production of secondary metabolites either directly by increasing plant biomass or indirectly by stimulating secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways. The magnitude of the impact differs depending on the plant genotype, the AMF strain, and the environmental context (e.g., light, time of harvesting). Different methods of cultivation are used for the production of secondary metabolites by medicinal plants (e.g., greenhouse, aeroponics, hydroponics, in vitro and hairy root cultures) which also are compatible with AMF. In conclusion, the inoculation of medicinal plants with AMF is a real avenue for increasing the quantity and quality of secondary metabolites of pharmacological, medical, and cosmetic interest.}, } @article {pmid35511363, year = {2022}, author = {Cope, KR and Kafle, A and Yakha, JK and Pfeffer, PE and Strahan, GD and Garcia, K and Subramanian, S and Bücking, H}, title = {Physiological and transcriptomic response of Medicago truncatula to colonization by high- or low-benefit arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.}, journal = {Mycorrhiza}, volume = {32}, number = {3-4}, pages = {281-303}, pmid = {35511363}, issn = {1432-1890}, support = {2017-67014-26530//National Institute of Food and Agriculture/ ; 2020-67013-31800//National Institute of Food and Agriculture/ ; }, mesh = {*Ammonium Compounds/metabolism ; *Medicago truncatula/microbiology ; *Mycorrhizae/physiology ; Plant Roots/microbiology ; Symbiosis/physiology ; Transcriptome ; }, abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi form a root endosymbiosis with many agronomically important crop species. They enhance the ability of their host to obtain nutrients from the soil and increase the tolerance to biotic and abiotic stressors. However, AM fungal species can differ in the benefits they provide to their host plants. Here, we examined the putative molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of the physiological response of Medicago truncatula to colonization by Rhizophagus irregularis or Glomus aggregatum, which have previously been characterized as high- and low-benefit AM fungal species, respectively. Colonization with R. irregularis led to greater growth and nutrient uptake than colonization with G. aggregatum. These benefits were linked to an elevated expression in the roots of strigolactone biosynthesis genes (NSP1, NSP2, CCD7, and MAX1a), mycorrhiza-induced phosphate (PT8), ammonium (AMT2;3), and nitrate (NPF4.12) transporters and the putative ammonium transporter NIP1;5. R. irregularis also stimulated the expression of photosynthesis-related genes in the shoot and the upregulation of the sugar transporters SWEET1.2, SWEET3.3, and SWEET 12 and the lipid biosynthesis gene RAM2 in the roots. In contrast, G. aggregatum induced the expression of biotic stress defense response genes in the shoots, and several genes associated with abiotic stress in the roots. This suggests that either the host perceives colonization by G. aggregatum as pathogen attack or that G. aggregatum can prime host defense responses. Our findings highlight molecular mechanisms that host plants may use to regulate their association with high- and low-benefit arbuscular mycorrhizal symbionts.}, } @article {pmid35419710, year = {2022}, author = {Feller, B and Dančák, M and Hroneš, M and Sochor, M and Suetsugu, K and Imhof, S}, title = {Mycorrhizal structures in mycoheterotrophic Thismia spp. (Thismiaceae): functional and evolutionary interpretations.}, journal = {Mycorrhiza}, volume = {32}, number = {3-4}, pages = {269-280}, pmid = {35419710}, issn = {1432-1890}, support = {RO0418//Technologická Agentura České Republiky/ ; JPMJPR21D6//Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology/ ; }, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; Hyphae ; *Mycorrhizae ; Plant Roots/microbiology ; Seeds ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Achlorophyllous, mycoheterotrophic plants often have an elaborate mycorrhizal colonization pattern, allowing a sustained benefit from external fungal root penetrations. The present study reveals the root anatomy and mycorrhizal pattern of eight mycoheterotrophic Thismia spp. (Thismiaceae), all of which show separate tissue compartments segregating different hyphal shapes of the mycorrhizal colonization, as there are intact straight, coiled and peculiarly knotted hyphae as well as degenerated clumps of hyphal material. Those tissue compartments in Thismia roots potentially comprise exo-, meso- and endoepidermae, and exo-, meso- and endocortices, although not all species develop all these root layers. Differences in details among species according to anatomy (number of root layers, cell sizes and shapes) and colonization pattern (hyphal shapes within cells) are striking and can be discussed as an evolutionary series towards increasing mycorrhizal complexity which roughly parallels the recently established phylogeny of Thismia. We suggest functional explanations for why the distinct elements of the associations can contribute to the mycorrhizal advantage for the plants and, thus, we emphasize the relevance of structural traits for mycorrhizae.}, } @article {pmid35689949, year = {2022}, author = {Sun, L and Zhang, Z and Dong, X and Tang, Z and Ju, B and Du, Z and Wang, E and Xie, Z}, title = {Bradyrhizobium aeschynomenes sp. nov., a root and stem nodule microsymbiont of Aeschynomene indica.}, journal = {Systematic and applied microbiology}, volume = {45}, number = {4}, pages = {126337}, doi = {10.1016/j.syapm.2022.126337}, pmid = {35689949}, issn = {1618-0984}, abstract = {Aeschynomene indica has a distinctive symbiosis with Bradyrhizobium in which nodulation is Nod factor-independent. In this study, we characterised three Gram-negative and rod-shaped strains (83002T, 81013 and 83012) isolated from root nodules of Aeschynomene indica in Shandong Peninsula. The major cellular fatty acids of isolates were C16:0, C18:0, C18:1 ω7c 11-methyl, summed feature 3 and summed feature 8. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), aminolipids (AL) and phosphatidylcholine (PC). Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA locus showed that they belonged to the Bradyrhizobium genus, and shared the highest similarity to the type strains Bradyrhizobium oligotrophicum S58T and Bradyrhizobium denitrificans LMG 8443T. As expected, analysis of concatenated sequences of six housekeeping genes (atpD, recA, glnII, dnaK, gyrB, and rpoB) and nifH gene proposed that these three strains formed a distinct clade within the genus Bradyrhizobium. The highest average nucleotide identity and DNA-DNA hybridization values of the three strains in comparison to the closest Bradyrhizobium species were 87.5% and 65.3%, respectively, which are far below the threshold of species delineation, and thus confirmed the three strains as a new species. The genome size of strain 83002T is 7.52 Mbp, and the DNA G+C content is 65.42 mol%. Strain 83002T (=KCTC 82266T=MCCC 1K04775T) was chosen as the type strain of the new species, for which the name Bradyrhizobium aeschynomenes sp. nov. was proposed.}, } @article {pmid35687087, year = {2022}, author = {Rousk, K}, title = {Biotic and abiotic controls of nitrogen fixation in cyanobacteria-moss associations.}, journal = {The New phytologist}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/nph.18264}, pmid = {35687087}, issn = {1469-8137}, support = {7027-00011B//Det Frie Forskningsråd/ ; 947719//H2020 European Research Council/ ; }, abstract = {Most mosses are colonized by nitrogen (N)-fixing cyanobacteria. This discovery is relatively recent, which can explain the large knowledge gaps the field is now tackling. For instance, while we have a good understanding of the abiotic controls (e.g. nutrient availability, increased temperature), we still do not know much about the biotic controls of N2 fixation in mosses. I propose here that we should endeavour to position moss-cyanobacteria associations along the mutualism-parasitism continuum under varying abiotic conditions (e.g. nutrient availability). This would finally unravel the nature of the relationship between the partners and will be a big leap in our understanding of the evolution of plant-bacteria interactions using moss-cyanobacteria associations as a model system.}, } @article {pmid35685924, year = {2022}, author = {Barcoto, MO and Rodrigues, A}, title = {Lessons From Insect Fungiculture: From Microbial Ecology to Plastics Degradation.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {812143}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.812143}, pmid = {35685924}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Anthropogenic activities have extensively transformed the biosphere by extracting and disposing of resources, crossing boundaries of planetary threat while causing a global crisis of waste overload. Despite fundamental differences regarding structure and recalcitrance, lignocellulose and plastic polymers share physical-chemical properties to some extent, that include carbon skeletons with similar chemical bonds, hydrophobic properties, amorphous and crystalline regions. Microbial strategies for metabolizing recalcitrant polymers have been selected and optimized through evolution, thus understanding natural processes for lignocellulose modification could aid the challenge of dealing with the recalcitrant human-made polymers spread worldwide. We propose to look for inspiration in the charismatic fungal-growing insects to understand multipartite degradation of plant polymers. Independently evolved in diverse insect lineages, fungiculture embraces passive or active fungal cultivation for food, protection, and structural purposes. We consider there is much to learn from these symbioses, in special from the community-level degradation of recalcitrant biomass and defensive metabolites. Microbial plant-degrading systems at the core of insect fungicultures could be promising candidates for degrading synthetic plastics. Here, we first compare the degradation of lignocellulose and plastic polymers, with emphasis in the overlapping microbial players and enzymatic activities between these processes. Second, we review the literature on diverse insect fungiculture systems, focusing on features that, while supporting insects' ecology and evolution, could also be applied in biotechnological processes. Third, taking lessons from these microbial communities, we suggest multidisciplinary strategies to identify microbial degraders, degrading enzymes and pathways, as well as microbial interactions and interdependencies. Spanning from multiomics to spectroscopy, microscopy, stable isotopes probing, enrichment microcosmos, and synthetic communities, these strategies would allow for a systemic understanding of the fungiculture ecology, driving to application possibilities. Detailing how the metabolic landscape is entangled to achieve ecological success could inspire sustainable efforts for mitigating the current environmental crisis.}, } @article {pmid35682640, year = {2022}, author = {Ho-Plágaro, T and García-Garrido, JM}, title = {Molecular Regulation of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis.}, journal = {International journal of molecular sciences}, volume = {23}, number = {11}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/ijms23115960}, pmid = {35682640}, issn = {1422-0067}, support = {PID2020-115336GB-I00//Spain, Ministry for Science and Innovation (MCIN)/ ; }, abstract = {Plant-microorganism interactions at the rhizosphere level have a major impact on plant growth and plant tolerance and/or resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Of particular importance for forestry and agricultural systems is the cooperative and mutualistic interaction between plant roots and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi from the phylum Glomeromycotina, since about 80% of terrestrial plant species can form AM symbiosis. The interaction is tightly regulated by both partners at the cellular, molecular and genetic levels, and it is highly dependent on environmental and biological variables. Recent studies have shown how fungal signals and their corresponding host plant receptor-mediated signalling regulate AM symbiosis. Host-generated symbiotic responses have been characterized and the molecular mechanisms enabling the regulation of fungal colonization and symbiosis functionality have been investigated. This review summarizes these and other recent relevant findings focusing on the molecular players and the signalling that regulate AM symbiosis. Future progress and knowledge about the underlying mechanisms for AM symbiosis regulation will be useful to facilitate agro-biotechnological procedures to improve AM colonization and/or efficiency.}, } @article {pmid35680934, year = {2022}, author = {Tonoike, A and Otaki, KI and Terauchi, G and Ogawa, M and Katayama, M and Sakata, H and Miyasako, F and Mogi, K and Kikusui, T and Nagasawa, M}, title = {Identification of genes associated with human-canine communication in canine evolution.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {6950}, pmid = {35680934}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {Branding Project (2016-2019)//MEXT-Supported Program for the Private University Research/ ; Branding Project (2016-2019)//MEXT-Supported Program for the Private University Research/ ; Branding Project (2016-2019)//MEXT-Supported Program for the Private University Research/ ; JSPS KAKENHI 19H00972//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; JSPS KAKENHI 18H02489//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; }, abstract = {The dog (Canis familiaris) was the first domesticated animal and hundreds of breeds exist today. During domestication, dogs experienced strong selection for temperament, behaviour, and cognitive ability. However, the genetic basis of these abilities is not well-understood. We focused on ancient dog breeds to investigate breed-related differences in social cognitive abilities. In a problem-solving task, ancient breeds showed a lower tendency to look back at humans than other European breeds. In a two-way object choice task, they showed no differences in correct response rate or ability to read human communicative gestures. We examined gene polymorphisms in oxytocin, oxytocin receptor, melanocortin 2 receptor, and a Williams-Beuren syndrome-related gene (WBSCR17), as candidate genes of dog domestication. The single-nucleotide polymorphisms on melanocortin 2 receptor were related to both tasks, while other polymorphisms were associated with the unsolvable task. This indicates that glucocorticoid functions are involved in the cognitive skills acquired during dog domestication.}, } @article {pmid35680712, year = {2022}, author = {López-Bucio, J and Esparza-Reynoso, S and Pelagio-Flores, R}, title = {Nitrogen availability determines plant growth promotion and the induction of root branching by the probiotic fungus Trichoderma atroviride in Arabidopsis seedlings.}, journal = {Archives of microbiology}, volume = {204}, number = {7}, pages = {380}, pmid = {35680712}, issn = {1432-072X}, support = {A1-S-34768//Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología/ ; }, abstract = {Plant growth-promoting fungi are integral components of the root microbiome that help the host resist biotic and abiotic stress while improving nutrient acquisition. Trichoderma atroviride is a common inhabitant of the rhizosphere, which establishes a perdurable symbiosis with plants through the emission of volatiles, diffusible compounds, and robust colonization. Currently, little is known on how the environment influences the Trichoderma-plant interaction. In this report, we assessed plant growth and root architectural reconfiguration of Arabidopsis seedlings grown in physical contact with T. atroviride under contrasting nitrate and ammonium availability. The shoot and root biomass accumulation and lateral root formation triggered by the fungus required high nitrogen supplements and involved nitrate reduction via AtNIA1 and NIA2. Ammonium supplementation did not restore biomass production boosted by T. atroviride in nia1nia2 double mutant, but instead fungal inoculation increased nitric oxide accumulation in Arabidopsis primary root tips depending upon nitrate supplements. N deprived seedlings were largely resistant to the effects of nitric oxide donor SNP triggering lateral root formation. T. atroviride enhanced expression of CHL1:GUS in root tips, particularly under high N supplements and required an intact CHL1 nitrate transporter to promote lateral root formation in Arabidopsis seedlings. These data imply that the developmental programs strengthened by Trichoderma and the underlying growth promotion in plants are dependent upon adequate nitrate nutrition and may involve nitric oxide as a second messenger.}, } @article {pmid35674596, year = {2022}, author = {Bogas, AC and Cruz, FPN and Lacava, PT and Sousa, CP}, title = {Endophytic fungi: an overview on biotechnological and agronomic potential.}, journal = {Brazilian journal of biology = Revista brasleira de biologia}, volume = {84}, number = {}, pages = {e258557}, doi = {10.1590/1519-6984.258557}, pmid = {35674596}, issn = {1678-4375}, mesh = {*Biological Products ; *Endophytes/metabolism ; Fungi ; Plants/chemistry ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Endophytic fungi colonize the inter- and/or intracellular regions of healthy plant tissues and have a close symbiotic relationship with their hosts. These microorganisms produce antibiotics, enzymes, and other bioactive compounds that enable them to survive in competitive habitats with other microorganisms. In addition, secondary metabolites confer protection to their host plant against other bacterial and fungal pathogens and/or can promote plant growth. Endophytic fungi are viewed as a promising source of bioactive natural products, which can be optimized through changes in growing conditions. The exploration of novel bioactive molecules produced by these microorganisms has been attracting attention from researchers. The chemical and functional diversity of natural products from endophytic fungi exhibits a broad spectrum of applications in medicine, agriculture, industry and the environment. Fungal endophytes can also enhance the photoprotective effects and photochemical efficiency in the host plants. Modern omic approaches have facilitated research investigating symbiotic plant-endophytic fungi interactions. Therefore, research on endophytic fungi can help discovery novel biomolecules for various biotechnological applications and develop a sustainable agriculture.}, } @article {pmid35397954, year = {2022}, author = {Allen, JL and Lendemer, JC}, title = {A call to reconceptualize lichen symbioses.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {37}, number = {7}, pages = {582-589}, doi = {10.1016/j.tree.2022.03.004}, pmid = {35397954}, issn = {1872-8383}, mesh = {*Lichens/microbiology ; Species Specificity ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Several decades of research across disciplines have overturned historical perspectives of symbioses dominated by binary characterizations of highly specific species-species interactions. This paradigm shift has unlocked the previously underappreciated and overlooked dynamism of fungal mutualisms such as mycorrhizae. Lichens are another example of important fungal mutualisms where reconceptualization is urgently needed to realize their potential as model systems. This reconceptualization requires both an objective synthesis of new data and envisioning a revised integrative approach that unifies the spectrum of ecology and evolution. We propose a ten-theme framework that if pursued would propel lichens to the vanguard of symbiotic theory.}, } @article {pmid35393600, year = {2022}, author = {Sabrina Pankey, M and Plachetzki, DC and Macartney, KJ and Gastaldi, M and Slattery, M and Gochfeld, DJ and Lesser, MP}, title = {Cophylogeny and convergence shape holobiont evolution in sponge-microbe symbioses.}, journal = {Nature ecology & evolution}, volume = {6}, number = {6}, pages = {750-762}, pmid = {35393600}, issn = {2397-334X}, support = {OCE-1638296//NSF | GEO | Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE)/ ; OCE-1638289//NSF | GEO | Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE)/ ; }, mesh = {*Bacteria ; Biodiversity ; *Microbiota ; Phylogeny ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Symbiotic microbial communities of sponges serve critical functions that have shaped the evolution of reef ecosystems since their origins. Symbiont abundance varies tremendously among sponges, with many species classified as either low microbial abundance (LMA) or high microbial abundance (HMA), but the evolutionary dynamics of these symbiotic states remain unknown. This study examines the LMA/HMA dichotomy across an exhaustive sampling of Caribbean sponge biodiversity and predicts that the LMA symbiotic state is the ancestral state among sponges. Conversely, HMA symbioses, consisting of more specialized microorganisms, have evolved multiple times by recruiting similar assemblages, mostly since the rise of scleractinian-dominated reefs. Additionally, HMA symbioses show stronger signals of phylosymbiosis and cophylogeny, consistent with stronger co-evolutionary interaction in these complex holobionts. These results indicate that HMA holobionts are characterized by increased endemism, metabolic dependence and chemical defences. The selective forces driving these patterns may include the concurrent increase in dissolved organic matter in reef ecosystems or the diversification of spongivorous fishes.}, } @article {pmid35678605, year = {2022}, author = {Mashini, AG and Oakley, CA and Grossman, AR and Weis, VM and Davy, SK}, title = {Immunolocalization of Metabolite Transporter Proteins in a Model Cnidarian-Dinoflagellate Symbiosis.}, journal = {Applied and environmental microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0041222}, doi = {10.1128/aem.00412-22}, pmid = {35678605}, issn = {1098-5336}, abstract = {Bidirectional nutrient flow between partners is integral to the cnidarian-dinoflagellate endosymbiosis. However, our current knowledge of the transporter proteins that regulate nutrient and metabolite trafficking is nascent. Four transmembrane transporters that likely play an important role in interpartner nitrogen and carbon exchange were investigated with immunocytochemistry in the model sea anemone Exaiptasia diaphana ("Aiptasia"; strain NZ1): ammonium transporter 1 (AMT1), V-type proton ATPase (VHA), facilitated glucose transporter member 8 (GLUT8), and aquaporin-3 (AQP3). Anemones lacking symbionts were compared with those in symbiosis with either their typical, homologous dinoflagellate symbiont, Breviolum minutum, or the heterologous species, Durusdinium trenchii and Symbiodinium microadriaticum. AMT1 and VHA were only detected in symbiotic Aiptasia, irrespective of symbiont type. However, GLUT8 and AQP3 were detected in both symbiotic and aposymbiotic states. All transporters were localized to both the epidermis and gastrodermis, though localization patterns in host tissues were heavily influenced by symbiont identity, with S. microadriaticum-colonized anemones showing the most distinct patterns. These patterns suggested disruption of fixed carbon and inorganic nitrogen fluxes when in symbiosis with heterologous versus homologous symbionts. This study enhances our understanding of nutrient transport and host-symbiont integration, while providing a platform for further investigation of nutrient transporters and the host-symbiont interface in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. IMPORTANCE Coral reefs are in serious decline, in particular due to the thermally induced dysfunction of the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis that underlies their success. Yet our ability to react to this crisis is hindered by limited knowledge of how this symbiosis functions. Indeed, we still have much to learn about the cellular integration that determines whether a particular host-symbiont combination can persist, and hence whether corals might be able to adapt by acquiring new, more thermally resistant symbionts. Here, we employed immunocytochemistry to localize and quantify key nutrient transporters in tissues of the sea anemone Aiptasia, a globally adopted model system for this symbiosis, and compared the expression of these transporters when the host is colonized by native versus nonnative symbionts. We showed a clear link between transporter expression and symbiont identity, elucidating the cellular events that dictate symbiosis success, and we provide a methodological platform for further examination of cellular integration in this ecologically important symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35677251, year = {2022}, author = {Li, Y and Dong, S and Gao, Q and Fan, C and Fayiah, M and Ganjurjav, H and Hu, G and Wang, X and Yan, Y and Gao, X and Li, S}, title = {Grazing Changed Plant Community Composition and Reduced Stochasticity of Soil Microbial Community Assembly of Alpine Grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {864085}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.864085}, pmid = {35677251}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {Grazing is a substantial threat to the sustainability of grassland ecosystems, while it is uncertain about the variety of plant and soil microbial community and the linkages between them limit the comprehensive understanding of grazing ecology. We conducted an experiment on the effects of the grazing regimes rotational grazing (RG), continuous grazing (CG), and grazing exclusion (GE) on an alpine meadow in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The differences of plant community composition, soil microbial community assembly mechanism, and taxonomic and functional composition between grazing regimes were examined, and the relationship between plant species and the soil microbes was assessed by constructing a co-occurrence network. The results showed that the plant community composition varied with the grazing regimes, while the soil microbial community composition did not vary with the grazing regimes. The soil bacterial functional composition was similar under RG and CG, while the soil fungal functional composition was similar under GE and RG. The soil microbial community under all grazing regimes was assembled mainly according to stochastic rather than deterministic mechanisms, and RG and CG reduced the relative importance of the stochastic ratio. At the microbial phylum level, CG and GE increased the relative abundance of Acidobacteria and Armatimonadetes and CG and RG increased the relative abundance of Elusimicrobia. In the network of plant species and soil microbial classes, plants and bacteria themselves were mainly positively linked (symbiosis and promotion), while plants and soil microbes were mainly negatively linked (competition). There were five microbial generalists in the network, which connected with many microbes, and four showed no difference in their abundance among the grazing regimes. Overall, the stable key microbes in the network and the fact that many of the plants are unconnected with microbes weakened the impact of grazing-induced changes in the plant community on soil microbes, probably resulting in the stable soil microbial community composition. Moreover, there was still a dominant and tolerant plant species, Kobresia pygmaea, that connected the plant and microbial communities, implying that the dominant plant species not only played a crucial role in the plant community but also acted as a bridge between the plants and soil microbes; thus, its tolerance and dominance might stabilize the soil microbial community.}, } @article {pmid35676759, year = {2022}, author = {Medithi, S and Kasa, YD and Jee, B and Venkaiah, K and Jonnalagadda, PR}, title = {Alterations in reproductive hormone levels among farm women and their children occupationally exposed to organophosphate pesticides.}, journal = {Women & health}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {1-11}, doi = {10.1080/03630242.2022.2085844}, pmid = {35676759}, issn = {1541-0331}, abstract = {Exposure to organophosphorus pesticides may lead to reproductive hormone dysfunction. Even among children of pubertal age, the exposure may disrupt growth, development, and maturation. The present study was conducted to assess the alterations in the reproductive hormone levels, among farm women (24-45 years, n = 129) and their children (9-12 years, n = 66 and 13-15 years, n = 63) and compare them with age and gender-matched control group [women (n = 134) and their children (9-12 years, n = 69 and 13-15 years, n = 65)] belonging to villages of Ranga Reddy District, Telangana, India. Blood pesticide residues and reproductive hormone (follicle-stimulating hormone-FSH, luteinizing hormone-LH, estradiol, and testosterone) levels were analyzed. The detected pesticide residues (ng/mL) were chlorpyrifos, diazinon, malathion, and monocrotophos among the farm women, while the farm children of 9-12 years age groups were detected with residues of chlorpyrifos, diazinon, malathion, monocrotophos, and phosalone. The farm children of 13-15 years age group were detected with residues of chlorpyrifos, diazinon, malathion, monocrotophos, and phosalone. However, no residues were detected among the samples of women and children of control groups. Significantly lower levels of FSH (in follicular phase) were observed among the farm women than the control group. Significant alterations in FSH and LH levels of farm women were observed with a significant correlation between the chlorpyrifos residue levels and estradiol hormone. While no such significant change in hormone levels was observed among the farm children of both age groups of both genders. Though the present study showed pesticide-induced alterations in hormone levels among the farm women, research is needed to elucidate the critical windows during which exposure may adversely affect the reproductive system in children at the pubertal stage and women at reproductive age and subsequently their progeny's health at a later stage of life.}, } @article {pmid35671270, year = {2022}, author = {Campbell, C and Russo, L and Albert, R and Buckling, A and Shea, K}, title = {Whole community invasions and the integration of novel ecosystems.}, journal = {PLoS computational biology}, volume = {18}, number = {6}, pages = {e1010151}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010151}, pmid = {35671270}, issn = {1553-7358}, mesh = {Biota ; *Ecosystem ; *Introduced Species ; Plants ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The impact of invasion by a single non-native species on the function and structure of ecological communities can be significant, and the effects can become more drastic-and harder to predict-when multiple species invade as a group. Here we modify a dynamic Boolean model of plant-pollinator community assembly to consider the invasion of native communities by multiple invasive species that are selected either randomly or such that the invaders constitute a stable community. We show that, compared to random invasion, whole community invasion leads to final stable communities (where the initial process of species turnover has given way to a static or near-static set of species in the community) including both native and non-native species that are larger, more likely to retain native species, and which experience smaller changes to the topological measures of nestedness and connectance. We consider the relationship between the prevalence of mutualistic interactions among native and invasive species in the final stable communities and demonstrate that mutualistic interactions may act as a buffer against significant disruptions to the native community.}, } @article {pmid35521705, year = {2022}, author = {Kutos, S and Barnes, EM and Bhutada, A and Lewis, JD}, title = {Preferential associations of soil fungal taxa under mixed compositions of eastern American tree species.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology ecology}, volume = {98}, number = {6}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/femsec/fiac056}, pmid = {35521705}, issn = {1574-6941}, mesh = {*Ecosystem ; Forests ; *Fungi/classification/genetics/metabolism ; *Microbiota/physiology ; Plants/metabolism/microbiology ; Soil/chemistry ; *Soil Microbiology ; *Symbiosis/physiology ; *Trees/microbiology ; }, abstract = {Soil fungi are vital to forest ecosystem function, in part through their role mediating tree responses to environmental factors, as well as directly through effects on resource cycling. While the distribution of soil fungi can vary with abiotic factors, plant species identity is also known to affect community composition. However, the particular influence that a plant will have on its soil microbiota remains difficult to predict. Here, we paired amplicon sequencing and enzymatic assays to assess soil fungal composition and function under three tree species, Quercus rubra, Betula nigra, and Acer rubrum, planted individually and in all combinations in a greenhouse. We observed that fungal communities differed between each of the individual planted trees, suggesting at least some fungal taxa may associate preferentially with these tree species. Additionally, fungal community composition under mixed-tree plantings broadly differed from the individual planted trees, suggesting mixing of these distinct soil fungal communities. The data also suggest that there were larger enzymatic activities in the individual plantings as compared to all mixed-tree plantings which may be due to variations in fungal community composition. This study provides further evidence of the importance of tree identity on soil microbiota and functional changes to forest soils.}, } @article {pmid35676049, year = {2022}, author = {Wulandari, D and Tittabutr, P and Songwattana, P and Piromyou, P and Teamtisong, K and Boonkerd, N and Boonchuen, P and Teaumroong, N}, title = {Symbiosis Contribution of Non-nodulating Bradyrhizobium cosmicum S23321 after Transferal of the Symbiotic Plasmid pDOA9.}, journal = {Microbes and environments}, volume = {37}, number = {2}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1264/jsme2.ME22008}, pmid = {35676049}, issn = {1347-4405}, abstract = {The symbiotic properties of rhizobial bacteria are driven by the horizontal gene transfer of symbiotic genes, which are located in symbiosis islands or on plasmids. The symbiotic megaplasmid pDOA9 of Bradyrhizobium sp. DOA9, carrying the nod, nif, fix, and type three secretion system (T3SS) genes, has been conjugatively transferred to different Bradyrhizobium strains. In the present study, non-nodulating B. cosmicum S23321, which shows a close phylogenetic relationship with Bradyrhizobium sp. DOA9, but lacks symbiotic properties, was used to carry pDOA9 (annotated as chimeric S2:pDOA9). The results obtained showed that pDOA9 conferred symbiotic properties on S23321; however, nodulation phenotypes varied among the DOA9, chimeric ORS278:pDOA9, and S2:pDOA9 strains even though they all carried symbiotic pDOA9 plasmid. S23321 appeared to gain symbiotic nodulation from pDOA9 by processing nodulation genes and broadening the host range. The present results also showed the successful formation of active nodules in Arachis hypogaea (Dalbergoid) and Vigna radiata (Millitoid) by chimeric S2:pDOA9, while Crotalaria juncea (Genistoid) and Macroptilium atropurpureum (Millitoid) formed nodule-like structures. The formation of nodules and nodule-like structures occurred in a nod factor-dependent manner because the nod factor-lacking strain (S2:pDOA9ΩnodB) completely abolished nodulation in all legumes tested. Moreover, T3SS carried by S2:pDOA9 exerted negative effects on symbiosis with Crotalaria juncea, which was consistent with the results obtained on DOA9. T3SS exhibited symbiotic compatibility with V. radiata when nodulated by S23321. These outcomes implied that pDOA9 underwent changes during legume evolution that broadened host specificity and the compatibility of nodulation in a manner that was dependent on the chromosomal background of the recipient as well as legume host restrictions.}, } @article {pmid35660719, year = {2022}, author = {Pena-Passos, M and Sisti, LS and Mayer, JLS}, title = {Microscopy Techniques for Interpreting Fungal Colonization in Mycoheterotrophic Plants Tissues and Symbiotic Germination of Seeds.}, journal = {Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE}, volume = {}, number = {183}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3791/63777}, pmid = {35660719}, issn = {1940-087X}, mesh = {Germination ; Microscopy ; *Mycorrhizae/physiology ; *Orchidaceae/microbiology/physiology ; Plants ; Seeds ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Structural botany is an indispensable perspective to fully understand the ecology, physiology, development, and evolution of plants. When researching mycoheterotrophic plants (i.e., plants that obtain carbon from fungi), remarkable aspects of their structural adaptations, the patterns of tissue colonization by fungi, and the morphoanatomy of subterranean organs can enlighten their developmental strategies and their relationships with hyphae, the source of nutrients. Another important role of symbiotic fungi is related to the germination of orchid seeds; all Orchidaceae species are mycoheterotrophic during germination and seedling stage (initial mycoheterotrophy), even the ones that photosynthesize in adult stages. Due to the lack of nutritional reserves in orchid seeds, fungal symbionts are essential to provide substrates and enable germination. Analyzing germination stages by structural perspectives can also answer important questions regarding the fungi interaction with the seeds. Different imaging techniques can be applied to unveil fungi endophytes in plant tissues, as are proposed in this article. Freehand and thin sections of plant organs can be stained and then observed using light microscopy. A fluorochrome conjugated to wheat germ agglutinin can be applied to the fungi and co-incubated with Calcofluor White to highlight plant cell walls in confocal microscopy. In addition, the methodologies of scanning and transmission electron microscopy are detailed for mycoheterotrophic orchids, and the possibilities of applying such protocols in related plants is explored. Symbiotic germination of orchid seeds (i.e., in the presence of mycorrhizal fungi) is described in the protocol in detail, along with possibilities of preparing the structures obtained from different stages of germination for analyses with light, confocal, and electron microscopy.}, } @article {pmid35420162, year = {2022}, author = {Aung, KMM and Chen, HH and Segar, ST and Miao, BG and Peng, YQ and Liu, C}, title = {Changes in temperature alter competitive interactions and overall structure of fig wasp communities.}, journal = {The Journal of animal ecology}, volume = {91}, number = {6}, pages = {1303-1315}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.13701}, pmid = {35420162}, issn = {1365-2656}, support = {2019HJ2096001006//Biodiversity Survey and Assessment Project of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China/ ; 32070487, 31860620//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Ecosystem ; *Ficus/physiology ; Pollination ; Symbiosis ; Temperature ; *Wasps/physiology ; }, abstract = {Organisms exist within ecological networks, connected through interactions such as parasitism, predation and mutualism which can modify their abundance and distribution within habitat patches. Differential species responses make it hard to predict the influence of climate change at the community scale. Understanding the interplay between climate and biotic interactions can improve our predictions of how ecosystems will respond to current global warming. We aim to understand how climate affects the multitrophic biotic interactions as well as the community structure using the enclosed communities of wasps associated with figs as study system. To examine the presence and strength of multitrophic species interactions, we first characterized the multitrophic community of fig wasps associated with Ficus racemosa and then applied hierarchical joint species distribution models, fitted to community monitoring data. We further evaluated the effect of climate on individual species trends as well as interspecific interactions. We found that the competitive balance shifted to favour non-pollinating galling wasps and disadvantage the dominant pollinator in suboptimal conditions. Furthermore, suboptimal conditions for galling wasps facilitated the occurrence of their specialized parasitoid, as changes cascaded across trophic levels and led to alternative community structures. Our results highlight the role of how species interactions can be modified across multiple trophic levels in a fig wasp community according to climate.}, } @article {pmid35405230, year = {2022}, author = {Lemes, P and Barbosa, FG and Naimi, B and Araújo, MB}, title = {Dispersal abilities favor commensalism in animal-plant interactions under climate change.}, journal = {The Science of the total environment}, volume = {835}, number = {}, pages = {155157}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155157}, pmid = {35405230}, issn = {1879-1026}, mesh = {Animals ; Anura ; *Climate Change ; Ecosystem ; Plants ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Scientists still poorly understand how biotic interactions and dispersal limitation jointly interact and affect the ability of species to track suitable habitats under climate change. Here, we examine how animal-plant interactions and dispersal limitations might affect the responses of Brazil nut-dependent frogs facing projected climate change. Using ecological niche modelling and dispersal simulations, we forecast the future distributions of the Brazil nut tree and three commensalist frog species over time (2030, 2050, 2070, and 2090) in the regional rivalry (SSP370) scenario that includes great challenges to mitigation and adaptation. With the exception of one species, projections point to a decrease in suitable habitats of up to 40.6%. For frog species with potential reductions of co-occurrence areas, this is expected to reduce up to 23.8% of suitable areas for binomial animal-plant relationships. Even so, biotic interactions should not be lost over time. Species will depend on their own dispersal abilities to reach analogous climates in the future for maintaining ecological and evolutionary processes associated with commensal taxa. However, ecological and evolutionary processes associated with commensal taxa should be maintained in accordance with their own dispersal ability. When dispersal limitation is included in the models, the suitable range of all three frog species is reduced considerably by the end of the century. This highlights the importance of dispersal limitation inclusion for forecasting future distribution ranges when biotic interactions matter.}, } @article {pmid35301166, year = {2022}, author = {Naragon, TH and Wagner, JM and Parker, J}, title = {Parallel evolutionary paths of rove beetle myrmecophiles: replaying a deep-time tape of life.}, journal = {Current opinion in insect science}, volume = {51}, number = {}, pages = {100903}, doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2022.100903}, pmid = {35301166}, issn = {2214-5753}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/parasitology ; Biological Evolution ; *Coleoptera/anatomy & histology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The rise of ants over the past ~100 million years reshaped the biosphere, presenting ecological challenges for many organisms, but also opportunities. No insect group has been so adept at exploiting niches inside ant colonies as the rove beetles (Staphylinidae) - a global clade of>64,000 predominantly free-living predators from which numerous socially parasitic 'myrmecophile' lineages have emerged. Myrmecophilous staphylinids are specialized for colony life through changes in behavior, chemistry, anatomy, and life history that are often strikingly convergent, and hence potentially adaptive for this symbiotic way of life. Here, we examine how the interplay between ecological pressures and molecular, cellular, and neurobiological mechanisms shape the evolutionary trajectories of symbiotic lineages in this ancient, convergent system.}, } @article {pmid35669951, year = {2022}, author = {Jury, CP and Boeing, BM and Trapido-Rosenthal, H and Gates, RD and Toonen, RJ}, title = {Nitric oxide production rather than oxidative stress and cell death is associated with the onset of coral bleaching in Pocillopora acuta.}, journal = {PeerJ}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {e13321}, doi = {10.7717/peerj.13321}, pmid = {35669951}, issn = {2167-8359}, abstract = {Elevated seawater temperatures associated with climate change lead to coral bleaching. While the ultimate causes of bleaching are well understood, the proximate physiological mechanisms underlying the bleaching response are not as well defined. Here we measured nitric oxide synthase activity, oxidative stress, and cell death in algal symbionts (Symbiodinaceae) freshly isolated from the reef-building coral Pocillopora acuta collected in the field under natural non-bleaching conditions and from corals experimentally exposed to elevated temperatures. Nitric oxide synthase activity in the algal symbionts was >3 orders of magnitude higher than that of the host and increased dramatically with increasing temperature and time of exposure (up to 72 h), consistent with the onset of bleaching for these corals. Oxidative stress and cell death among the algal symbionts were highest in coral holobionts exposed to intermediate as opposed to maximal temperatures, suggesting that these mechanisms are not proximal triggers for bleaching in this species. Our results point to nitric oxide production by the algal symbionts, rather than symbiont dysfunction, as a more important driver of coral bleaching under acute thermal stress in this coral.}, } @article {pmid35669675, year = {2022}, author = {Soni, M and Khan, IR and Babu, KS and Nasrullah, S and Madduri, A and Rahin, SA}, title = {Light Weighted Healthcare CNN Model to Detect Prostate Cancer on Multiparametric MRI.}, journal = {Computational intelligence and neuroscience}, volume = {2022}, number = {}, pages = {5497120}, doi = {10.1155/2022/5497120}, pmid = {35669675}, issn = {1687-5273}, abstract = {The SEMRCNN model is proposed for autonomously extracting prostate cancer locations from regions of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MP-MRI). Feature maps are explored in order to provide fine segmentation based on the candidate regions. Two parallel convolutional networks retrieve these maps of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and T2W images, which are then integrated to use the complimentary information in MP-MRI. By utilizing extrusion and excitation blocks, it is feasible to automatically increase the number of relevant features in the fusion feature map. The aim of this study is to study the current scenario of the SE Mask-RCNN and deep convolutional network segmentation model that can automatically identify prostate cancer in the MP-MRI prostatic region. Experiments are conducted using 140 instances. SEMRCNN segmentation of prostate cancer lesions has a Dice coefficient of 0.654, a sensitivity of 0.695, a specificity of 0.970, and a positive predictive value of 0.685. SEMRCNN outperforms other models like as V net, Resnet50-U-net, Mask-RCNN, and U network model for prostate cancer MP-MRI segmentation. This approach accomplishes fine segmentation of lesions by recognizing and finding potential locations of prostate cancer lesions, eliminating interference from surrounding areas, and improving the learning of the lesions' features.}, } @article {pmid35665185, year = {2022}, author = {Liu, YN and Liu, CC and Guo, R and Tian, L and Cheng, JF and Wu, YN and Wang, D and Wang, B}, title = {The Rice Qa-SNAREs in SYP13 Subfamily Are Involved in Regulating Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis and Seed Fertility.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {898286}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.898286}, pmid = {35665185}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {Qa-SNARE gene SYP132 (isoform α) was previously reported to affect arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis in the legume species Medicago truncatula. In non-legumes especially monocots, it remains unknown whether certain SNARE genes are also involved in AM symbiosis. In this work, we studied a rice orthologous gene OsSYP132, which showed induced expression in mycorrhizal roots and two paralogous genes OsSYP131a and OsSYP131b, which were not induced by the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis. After employing CRISPR/Cas9 technique to generate their mutants, the Ossyp131a homozygous mutant T0 plants exhibited a dwarf phenotype and produced no fertile seeds, indicating a required role of this gene in seed fertility. Unlike the case in legume, the Ossyp132 mutants exhibited normal mycorrhizal phenotype, so did the Ossyp131b mutants. In the Ossyp131b Ossyp132 double mutants, however, the colonization rate and arbuscule abundance level decreased markedly, indicating an impaired fungal proliferation ability in rice roots. Such a defect was further confirmed by the reduced expression levels of AM marker genes. Our results in rice therefore demonstrated that while SYP13II members showed evolutionary and induction patterns specific to symbiosis, AM symbiosis is in fact controlled by the combined action of both SYP13I and SYP13II clades, revealing a functional redundancy among SYNTAXIN genes in mutualism.}, } @article {pmid35664157, year = {2022}, author = {Shi, JL and Chen, GH}, title = {Orchestrating Multi-Agent Knowledge Ecosystems: The Role of Makerspaces.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {898134}, doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2022.898134}, pmid = {35664157}, issn = {1664-1078}, abstract = {In the knowledge economy, the process of knowledge sharing and creation for value co-creation frequently emerge in a multi-agent and multi-level system. It's important to consider the roles, functions, and possible interactive knowledge-based activities of key actors for ecological development. Makerspace as an initial stage of incubated platform plays the central and crucial roles of resource orchestrators and platform supporter. Less literature analyses the knowledge ecosystem embedded by makerspaces and considers the interactive process of civil society and natural environment. This study constructs a multi-agent and multi-level knowledge ecosystem from macro, meso, and micro perspective based on Quintuple Helix theory and designs four evolutionary stages of knowledge orchestrating processes. This study finds that the symbiosis, co-evolution, interaction, and orchestration of multiple agents in the knowledge ecosystem should be merged with each other for value co-creation, which helps to take a systematic approach for policymakers, managers, and researchers.}, } @article {pmid35663891, year = {2022}, author = {James, EB and Pan, X and Schwartz, O and Wilson, ACC}, title = {SymbiQuant: A Machine Learning Object Detection Tool for Polyploid Independent Estimates of Endosymbiont Population Size.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {816608}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.816608}, pmid = {35663891}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Quantifying the size of endosymbiont populations is challenging because endosymbionts are typically difficult or impossible to culture and commonly polyploid. Current approaches to estimating endosymbiont population sizes include quantitative PCR (qPCR) targeting endosymbiont genomic DNA and flow-cytometry. While qPCR captures genome copy number data, it does not capture the number of bacterial cells in polyploid endosymbiont populations. In contrast, flow cytometry can capture accurate estimates of whole host-level endosymbiont population size, but it is not readily able to capture data at the level of endosymbiotic host cells. To complement these existing approaches for estimating endosymbiont population size, we designed and implemented an object detection/segmentation tool for counting the number of endosymbiont cells in micrographs of host tissues. The tool, called SymbiQuant, which makes use of recent advances in deep neural networks includes a graphic user interface that allows for human curation of tool output. We trained SymbiQuant for use in the model aphid/Buchnera endosymbiosis and studied Buchnera population dynamics and phenotype over aphid postembryonic development. We show that SymbiQuant returns accurate counts of endosymbionts, and readily captures Buchnera phenotype. By replacing our training data with data composed of annotated microscopy images from other models of endosymbiosis, SymbiQuant has the potential for broad application. Our tool, which is available on GitHub, adds to the repertoire of methods researchers can use to study endosymbiosis at the organismal, genome, and now endosymbiotic host tissue or cell levels.}, } @article {pmid35660864, year = {2022}, author = {Béchade, B and Hu, Y and Sanders, JG and Cabuslay, CS and Łukasik, P and Williams, BR and Fiers, VJ and Lu, R and Wertz, JT and Russell, JA}, title = {Turtle ants harbor metabolically versatile microbiomes with conserved functions across development and phylogeny.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology ecology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/femsec/fiac068}, pmid = {35660864}, issn = {1574-6941}, abstract = {Gut bacterial symbionts can support animal nutrition by facilitating digestion and providing valuable metabolites. However, changes in symbiotic roles between immature and adult stages are not well documented, especially in ants. Here, we explored the metabolic capabilities of microbiomes sampled from herbivorous turtle ant (Cephalotes sp.) larvae and adult workers through (meta)genomic screening and in vitro metabolic assays. We reveal that larval guts harbor bacterial symbionts with impressive metabolic capabilities, including catabolism of plant and fungal recalcitrant dietary fibers and energy-generating fermentation. Additionally, several members of the specialized adult gut microbiome, sampled downstream of an anatomical barrier that dams large food particles, show a conserved potential to depolymerize many dietary fibers. Symbionts from both life stages have the genomic capacity to recycle nitrogen and synthesize amino acids and B-vitamins. With help of their gut symbionts, including several bacteria likely acquired from the environment, turtle ant larvae may aid colony digestion and contribute to colony-wide nitrogen, B-vitamin and energy budgets. In addition, the conserved nature of the digestive capacities among adult-associated symbionts suggests that nutritional ecology of turtle ant colonies has long been shaped by specialized, behaviorally-transferred gut bacteria with over 45 million years of residency.}, } @article {pmid35655273, year = {2022}, author = {Kirk, P and Amsbury, S and German, L and Gaudioso-Pedraza, R and Benitez-Alfonso, Y}, title = {A comparative meta-proteomic pipeline for the identification of plasmodesmata proteins and regulatory conditions in diverse plant species.}, journal = {BMC biology}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {128}, pmid = {35655273}, issn = {1741-7007}, support = {MR/T04263X/1//UKRI/ ; RPG-2016-136//Leverhulme Trust/ ; BB/M011151/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; BB/T009691/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {*Arabidopsis/genetics ; Plants/metabolism ; *Plasmodesmata/metabolism ; Proteome/metabolism ; Proteomics ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: A major route for cell-to-cell signalling in plants is mediated by cell wall-embedded pores termed plasmodesmata forming the symplasm. Plasmodesmata regulate the plant development and responses to the environment; however, our understanding of what factors or regulatory cues affect their structure and permeability is still limited. In this paper, a meta-analysis was carried out for the identification of conditions affecting plasmodesmata transport and for the in silico prediction of plasmodesmata proteins in species for which the plasmodesmata proteome has not been experimentally determined.

RESULTS: Using the information obtained from experimental proteomes, an analysis pipeline (named plasmodesmata in silico proteome 1 or PIP1) was developed to rapidly generate candidate plasmodesmata proteomes for 22 plant species. Using the in silico proteomes to interrogate published transcriptomes, gene interaction networks were identified pointing to conditions likely affecting plasmodesmata transport capacity. High salinity, drought and osmotic stress regulate the expression of clusters enriched in genes encoding plasmodesmata proteins, including those involved in the metabolism of the cell wall polysaccharide callose. Experimental determinations showed restriction in the intercellular transport of the symplasmic reporter GFP and enhanced callose deposition in Arabidopsis roots exposed to 75-mM NaCl and 3% PEG (polyethylene glycol). Using PIP1 and transcriptome meta-analyses, candidate plasmodesmata proteins for the legume Medicago truncatula were generated, leading to the identification of Medtr1g073320, a novel receptor-like protein that localises at plasmodesmata. Expression of Medtr1g073320 affects callose deposition and the root response to infection with the soil-borne bacteria rhizobia in the presence of nitrate.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that combining proteomic meta-analysis and transcriptomic data can be a valuable tool for the identification of new proteins and regulatory mechanisms affecting plasmodesmata function. We have created the freely accessible pipeline PIP1 as a resource for the screening of experimental proteomes and for the in silico prediction of PD proteins in diverse plant species.}, } @article {pmid35655088, year = {2022}, author = {de la Fuente Cantó, C and Diouf, MN and Ndour, PMS and Debieu, M and Grondin, A and Passot, S and Champion, A and Barrachina, C and Pratlong, M and Gantet, P and Assigbetsé, K and Kane, N and Cubry, P and Diedhiou, AG and Heulin, T and Achouak, W and Vigouroux, Y and Cournac, L and Laplaze, L}, title = {Genetic control of rhizosheath formation in pearl millet.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {9205}, pmid = {35655088}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {ANR17-CE20-0022-01//Agence Nationale de la Recherche/ ; ANR17-CE20-0022-01//Agence Nationale de la Recherche/ ; ANR-l0-LABX-0001-0l//Agence Nationale de la Recherche/ ; ANR-l0-LABX-0001-0l//Agence Nationale de la Recherche/ ; ANR-l0-LABX-0001-0l//Agence Nationale de la Recherche/ ; ANR-l0-LABX-0001-0l//Agence Nationale de la Recherche/ ; ANR17-CE20-0022-01//Agence Nationale de la Recherche/ ; ANR17-CE20-0022-01//Agence Nationale de la Recherche/ ; ANR17-CE20-0022-01//Agence Nationale de la Recherche/ ; ANR17-CE20-0022-01//Agence Nationale de la Recherche/ ; ANR17-CE20-0022-01//Agence Nationale de la Recherche/ ; GLDC//Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers/ ; GLDC//Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers/ ; GLDC//Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers/ ; AF 1301-015//Agropolis Fondation/ ; AF 1301-015//Agropolis Fondation/ ; AF 1301-015//Agropolis Fondation/ ; AF 1301-015//Agropolis Fondation/ ; AF 1301-015//Agropolis Fondation/ ; AF 1301-015//Agropolis Fondation/ ; AF 1301-015//Agropolis Fondation/ ; AF 1301-015//Agropolis Fondation/ ; AF 1301-015//Agropolis Fondation/ ; FC 2013-0891//Fondazione Cariplo/ ; FC 2013-0891//Fondazione Cariplo/ ; FC 2013-0891//Fondazione Cariplo/ ; FC 2013-0891//Fondazione Cariplo/ ; FC 2013-0891//Fondazione Cariplo/ ; FC 2013-0891//Fondazione Cariplo/ ; FC 2013-0891//Fondazione Cariplo/ ; FC 2013-0891//Fondazione Cariplo/ ; FC 2013-0891//Fondazione Cariplo/ ; }, mesh = {Genome-Wide Association Study ; *Pennisetum/genetics ; Quantitative Trait Loci ; Rhizosphere ; Soil/chemistry ; }, abstract = {The rhizosheath, the layer of soil that adheres strongly to roots, influences water and nutrients acquisition. Pearl millet is a cereal crop that plays a major role for food security in arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa and India. We previously showed that root-adhering soil mass is a heritable trait in pearl millet and that it correlates with changes in rhizosphere microbiota structure and functions. Here, we studied the correlation between root-adhering soil mass and root hair development, root architecture, and symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and we analysed the genetic control of this trait using genome wide association (GWAS) combined with bulk segregant analysis and gene expression studies. Root-adhering soil mass was weakly correlated only to root hairs traits in pearl millet. Twelve QTLs for rhizosheath formation were identified by GWAS. Bulk segregant analysis on a biparental population validated five of these QTLs. Combining genetics with a comparison of global gene expression in the root tip of contrasted inbred lines revealed candidate genes that might control rhizosheath formation in pearl millet. Our study indicates that rhizosheath formation is under complex genetic control in pearl millet and suggests that it is mainly regulated by root exudation.}, } @article {pmid35657706, year = {2022}, author = {Tookmanian, E and Junghans, L and Kulkarni, G and Ledermann, R and Saenz, J and Newman, DK}, title = {Hopanoids Confer Robustness to Physicochemical Variability in the Niche of the Plant Symbiont Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens.}, journal = {Journal of bacteriology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0044221}, doi = {10.1128/jb.00442-21}, pmid = {35657706}, issn = {1098-5530}, abstract = {Rhizobia are a group of bacteria that increase soil nitrogen content through symbiosis with legume plants. The soil and symbiotic host are potentially stressful environments, and the soil will likely become even more stressful as the climate changes. Many rhizobia within the Bradyrhizobium clade, like Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens, possess the genetic capacity to synthesize hopanoids, steroid-like lipids similar in structure and function to cholesterol. Hopanoids are known to protect against stresses relevant to the niche of B. diazoefficiens. Paradoxically, mutants unable to synthesize the extended class of hopanoids participate in symbioses with success similar to that of the wild type, despite being delayed in root nodule initiation. Here, we show that in B. diazoefficiens, the growth defects of extended-hopanoid-deficient mutants can be at least partially compensated for by the physicochemical environment, specifically, by optimal osmotic and divalent cation concentrations. Through biophysical measurements of lipid packing and membrane permeability, we show that extended hopanoids confer robustness to environmental variability. These results help explain the discrepancy between previous in-culture and in planta results and indicate that hopanoids may provide a greater fitness advantage to rhizobia in the variable soil environment than the more controlled environments within root nodules. To improve the legume-rhizobium symbiosis through either bioengineering or strain selection, it will be important to consider the full life cycle of rhizobia, from soil to symbiosis. IMPORTANCE Rhizobia, such as B. diazoefficiens, play an important role in the nitrogen cycle by making nitrogen gas bioavailable through symbiosis with legume plants. As climate change threatens soil health, this symbiosis has received increased attention as a more sustainable source of soil nitrogen than the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process. Efforts to use rhizobia as biofertilizers have been effective; however, long-term integration of rhizobia into the soil community has been less successful. This work represents a small step toward improving the legume-rhizobium symbiosis by identifying a cellular component-hopanoid lipids-that confers robustness to environmental stresses rhizobia are likely to encounter in soil microenvironments as sporadic desiccation and flooding events become more common.}, } @article {pmid35650275, year = {2022}, author = {Pausan, MR and Blohs, M and Mahnert, A and Moissl-Eichinger, C}, title = {The sanitary indoor environment-a potential source for intact human-associated anaerobes.}, journal = {NPJ biofilms and microbiomes}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {44}, pmid = {35650275}, issn = {2055-5008}, mesh = {Archaea/genetics ; Humans ; *Microbiota/genetics ; Oxygen ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {A healthy human microbiome relies on the interaction with and exchange of microbes that takes place between the human body and its environment. People in high-income countries spend most of their time indoors and for this reason, the built environment (BE) might represent a potent source of commensal microbes. Anaerobic microbes are of particular interest, as researchers have not yet sufficiently clarified how the human microbiome acquires oxygen-sensitive microbes. We sampled the bathrooms in ten households and used propidium monoazide (PMA) to assess the viability of the collected prokaryotes. We compared the microbiome profiles based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and confirmed our results by genetic and cultivation-based analyses. Quantitative and qualitative analysis revealed that most of the microbial taxa in the BE samples are human-associated. Less than 25% of the prokaryotic signatures originate from intact cells, indicating that aerobic and stress resistant taxa display an apparent survival advantage. However, we also confirmed the presence of intact, strictly anaerobic taxa on bathroom floors, including methanogenic archaea. As methanogens are regarded as highly sensitive to aerobic conditions, oxygen-tolerance experiments were performed with human-associated isolates to validate their survival. These results show that human-associated methanogens can survive oxic conditions for at least 6 h. We collected strong evidence that supports the hypothesis that obligate anaerobic taxa can survive in the BE for a limited amount of time. This suggests that the BE serves as a potential source of anaerobic human commensals.}, } @article {pmid35613058, year = {2022}, author = {Newbury, A and Dawson, B and Klümper, U and Hesse, E and Castledine, M and Fontaine, C and Buckling, A and Sanders, D}, title = {Fitness effects of plasmids shape the structure of bacteria-plasmid interaction networks.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {119}, number = {22}, pages = {e2118361119}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.2118361119}, pmid = {35613058}, issn = {1091-6490}, support = {NE/S000771/1//RCUK | Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)/ ; MR/N0137941/1//RCUK | Medical Research Council (MRC)/ ; }, mesh = {*Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology ; *Bacteria/drug effects/genetics ; *Drug Resistance, Bacterial/genetics ; Genetic Fitness ; Models, Biological ; *Plasmids/genetics ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {SignificanceAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a great challenge for modern medicine. Plasmids are important vectors of antibiotic resistance genes. Plasmids can have context-dependent effects on their hosts, generally slowing their growth rate but also providing protection from specific antibiotics and heavy metals. Thus, models that predict population densities based on interactions between species are useful for explaining plasmid dynamics. Here, we predict with a simple ecological model the properties of a host (e.g., bacteria) and symbiont (e.g., plasmid) interaction network. Using experimental microbial communities and a conjugative plasmid, we confirm our predictions that beneficial symbionts spread more widely through a microbial community and provide key experimental results for network ecologists seeking to uncover the determinants of ecological network structure.}, } @article {pmid35595238, year = {2022}, author = {Chen, L and Feng, C and Wang, R and Nong, X and Deng, X and Chen, X and Yu, H}, title = {A chromosome-level genome assembly of the pollinating fig wasp Valisia javana.}, journal = {DNA research : an international journal for rapid publication of reports on genes and genomes}, volume = {29}, number = {3}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/dnares/dsac014}, pmid = {35595238}, issn = {1756-1663}, support = {31971568//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; c20140500001306//Province Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Chromosomes ; *Ficus/genetics ; Phylogeny ; Symbiosis ; *Wasps/genetics ; }, abstract = {Fig wasp has always been thought the species-specific pollinator for their host fig (Moraceae, Ficus) and constitute a model system with its host to study co-evolution and co-speciation. The availability of a high-quality genome will help to further reveal the mechanisms underlying these characteristics. Here, we present a high-quality chromosome-level genome for Valisa javana developed by a combination of PacBio long-read and Illumina short-read. The assembled genome size is 296.34 Mb from 13 contigs with a contig N50 length of 26.76 kb. Comparative genomic analysis revealed expanded and positively selected genes related to biological features that aid fig wasps living in syconium of its highly specific host. Protein-coding genes associated with chemosensory, detoxification and venom genes were identified. Several differentially expressed genes in transcriptome data of V. javana between odor-stimulated samples and the controls have been identified in some olfactory signal transduction pathways, e.g. olfactory transduction, cAMP, cGMP-PKG, Calcim, Ras and Rap1. This study provides a valuable genomic resource for a fig wasp, and sheds insight into further revealing the mechanisms underlying their adaptive traits to their hosts in different places and co-speciation with their host.}, } @article {pmid35247265, year = {2022}, author = {Davis, B and Lim, WH and Lambers, H and Dixon, KW and Read, DJ}, title = {Inorganic phosphorus nutrition in green-leaved terrestrial orchid seedlings.}, journal = {Annals of botany}, volume = {129}, number = {6}, pages = {669-678}, pmid = {35247265}, issn = {1095-8290}, mesh = {*Basidiomycota ; *Mycorrhizae ; *Orchidaceae/microbiology ; Phosphorus ; Seedlings/microbiology ; Soil ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Many terrestrial orchids have an obligate dependence on their mycorrhizal associations for nutrient acquisition, particularly during germination and early seedling growth. Though important in plant growth and development, phosphorus (P) nutrition studies in mixotrophic orchids have been limited to only a few orchid species and their fungal symbionts. For the first time, we demonstrate the role of a range of fungi in the acquisition and transport of inorganic P to four phylogenetically distinct green-leaved terrestrial orchid species (Diuris magnifica, Disa bracteata, Pterostylis sanguinea and Microtis media subsp. media) that naturally grow in P-impoverished soils.

METHODS: Mycorrhizal P uptake and transfer to orchids was determined and visualized using agar microcosms with a diffusion barrier between P source (33P orthophosphate) and orchid seedlings, allowing extramatrical hyphae to reach the source.

KEY RESULTS: Extramatrical hyphae of the studied orchid species were effective in capturing and transporting inorganic P into the plant. Following 7 d of exposure, between 0.5 % (D. bracteata) and 47 % (D. magnifica) of the P supplied was transported to the plants (at rates between 0.001 and 0.097 fmol h-1). This experimental approach was capable of distinguishing species based on their P-foraging efficiency, and highlighted the role that fungi play in P nutrition during early seedling development.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that orchids occurring naturally on P-impoverished soils can obtain significant amounts of inorganic P from their mycorrhizal partners, and significantly more uptake of P supplied than previously shown in other green-leaved orchids. These results provide support for differences in mycorrhiza-mediated P acquisition between orchid species and fungal symbionts in green-leaved orchids at the seedling stage. The plant-fungus combinations of this study also provide evidence for plant-mediated niche differentiation occurring, with ecological implications in P-limited systems.}, } @article {pmid35651921, year = {2022}, author = {Gupta, S and Saravanan, V and Choudhury, A and Alqahtani, A and Abonazel, MR and Babu, KS}, title = {Supervised Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) Methods for Classifying Alzheimer's Disease-Based Neurodegenerative Disorders.}, journal = {Computational and mathematical methods in medicine}, volume = {2022}, number = {}, pages = {9092289}, doi = {10.1155/2022/9092289}, pmid = {35651921}, issn = {1748-6718}, abstract = {Alzheimer's disease is incurable at the moment. If it can be appropriately diagnosed, the correct treatment can postpone the patient's illness. To aid in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and to minimize the time and expense associated with manual diagnosis, a machine learning technique is employed, and a transfer learning method based on 3D MRI data is proposed. Machine learning algorithms can dramatically reduce the time and effort required for human treatment of Alzheimer's disease. This approach extracts bottleneck features from the M-Net migration network and then adds a top layer to supervised training to further decrease the dimensionality and delete portions. As a consequence, the transfer network presented in this study has several advantages in terms of computational efficiency and training time savings when used as a machine learning approach for AD-assisted diagnosis. Finally, the properties of all subject slices are combined and trained in the classification layer, completing the categorization of Alzheimer's disease symptoms and standard control. The results show that this strategy has a 1.5 percentage point better classification accuracy than the one that relies exclusively on VGG16 to extract bottleneck features. This strategy could cut the time it takes for the network to learn and improve its ability to classify things. The experiment shows that the method works by using data from OASIS. A typical transfer learning network's classification accuracy is about 8% better with this method than with a typical network, and it takes about 1/60 of the time with this method.}, } @article {pmid35651768, year = {2022}, author = {Veličković, D and Liao, YC and Thibert, S and Veličković, M and Anderton, C and Voglmeir, J and Stacey, G and Zhou, M}, title = {Spatial Mapping of Plant N-Glycosylation Cellular Heterogeneity Inside Soybean Root Nodules Provided Insights Into Legume-Rhizobia Symbiosis.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {869281}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.869281}, pmid = {35651768}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {Although ubiquitously present, information on the function of complex N-glycan posttranslational modification in plants is very limited and is often neglected. In this work, we adopted an enzyme-assisted matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging strategy to visualize the distribution and identity of N-glycans in soybean root nodules at a cellular resolution. We additionally performed proteomics analysis to probe the potential correlation to proteome changes during symbiotic rhizobia-legume interactions. Our ion images reveal that intense N-glycosylation occurs in the sclerenchyma layer, and inside the infected cells within the infection zone, while morphological structures such as the cortex, uninfected cells, and cells that form the attachment with the root are fewer N-glycosylated. Notably, we observed different N-glycan profiles between soybean root nodules infected with wild-type rhizobia and those infected with mutant rhizobia incapable of efficiently fixing atmospheric nitrogen. The majority of complex N-glycan structures, particularly those with characteristic Lewis-a epitopes, are more abundant in the mutant nodules. Our proteomic results revealed that these glycans likely originated from proteins that maintain the redox balance crucial for proper nitrogen fixation, but also from enzymes involved in N-glycan and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. These findings indicate the possible involvement of Lewis-a glycans in these critical pathways during legume-rhizobia symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35650720, year = {2022}, author = {Wang, L and Yang, D and Chen, R and Ma, F and Wang, G}, title = {How a functional soil animal-earthworm affect arbuscular mycorrhizae-assisted phytoremediation in metals contaminated soil?.}, journal = {Journal of hazardous materials}, volume = {435}, number = {}, pages = {128991}, doi = {10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128991}, pmid = {35650720}, issn = {1873-3336}, abstract = {Phytoremediation is a promising and sustainable technology to remediate the risk of heavy metals (HMs) contaminated soils, however, this way is limited to some factors contributing to slow plant growth and low remediation efficiency. As soil beneficial microbe, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) assisted phytoremediation is an environment-friendly and high-efficiency bioremediation technology. However, AMF-symbiotic formation and their functional expression responsible for HMs-polluted remediation are significantly influenced by edaphic fauna. Earthworms as common soil fauna, may have various effects on formation of AMF symbiosis, and exhibit synergy with AMF for the combined remediation of HMs-contaminated soils. For now, AMF-assisted phytoremediation incorporating earthworm coexistence is scarcely reported. Therefore, the main focus of this review is to discuss the AMF effects under earthworm coexistence. Effects of AMF-symbiotic formation influenced by earthworms are fully reviewed. Moreover, underlying mechanisms and synergy of the two in HMs remediation, soil improvement, and plant growth were comprehensively elucidated. Phenomenon of "functional synergism" between earthworms and AMF may be a significant mechanism for HMs phytoremediation. Finally, this review analyses shortcomings and prescriptions in the practical application of the technology and provides new insights into AMF- earthworms synergistic remediation of HMs-contaminated soils.}, } @article {pmid35650254, year = {2022}, author = {Nozaki, T and Shigenobu, S}, title = {Ploidy dynamics in aphid host cells harboring bacterial symbionts.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {9111}, pmid = {35650254}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {19J01756//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; 17H03717//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; }, abstract = {Aphids have evolved bacteriocytes or symbiotic host cells that harbor the obligate mutualistic bacterium Buchnera aphidicola. Because of the large cell size (approximately 100 μm in diameter) of bacteriocytes and their pivotal role in nutritional symbiosis, researchers have considered that these cells are highly polyploid and assumed that bacteriocyte polyploidy may be essential for the symbiotic relationship between the aphid and the bacterium. However, little is known about the ploidy levels and dynamics of aphid bacteriocytes. Here, we quantitatively analyzed the ploidy levels in the bacteriocytes of the pea-aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. Image-based fluorometry revealed the hyper polyploidy of the bacteriocytes ranging from 16- to 256-ploidy throughout the lifecycle. Bacteriocytes of adult parthenogenetic viviparous females were ranged between 64 and 128C DNA levels, while those of sexual morphs (oviparous females and males) were comprised of 64C, and 32-64C cells, respectively. During post-embryonic development of viviparous females, the ploidy level of bacteriocytes increased substantially, from 16 to 32C at birth to 128-256C in actively reproducing adults. These results suggest that the ploidy levels are dynamically regulated among phenotypes and during development. Our comprehensive and quantitative data provides a foundation for future studies to understand the functional roles and biological significance of the polyploidy of insect bacteriocytes.}, } @article {pmid35639693, year = {2022}, author = {Calatrava, V and Stephens, TG and Gabr, A and Bhaya, D and Bhattacharya, D and Grossman, AR}, title = {Retrotransposition facilitated the establishment of a primary plastid in the thecate amoeba Paulinella.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {119}, number = {23}, pages = {e2121241119}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.2121241119}, pmid = {35639693}, issn = {1091-6490}, support = {80NSSC19K0462//National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/ ; N/A//Carnegie Institution for Science/ ; NJ01180//USDA | National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)/ ; }, mesh = {*Amoeba/genetics ; Eukaryota ; Plastids/genetics ; *Rhizaria ; Symbiosis/genetics ; }, abstract = {SignificancePrimary endosymbiosis allowed the evolution of complex life on Earth. In this process, a prokaryote was engulfed and retained in the cytoplasm of another microbe, where it developed into a new organelle (mitochondria and plastids). During organelle evolution, genes from the endosymbiont are transferred to the host nuclear genome, where they must become active despite differences in the genetic nature of the "partner" organisms. Here, we show that in the amoeba Paulinella micropora, which harbors a nascent photosynthetic organelle, the "copy-paste" mechanism of retrotransposition allowed domestication of endosymbiont-derived genes in the host nuclear genome. This duplication mechanism is widespread in eukaryotes and may be a major facilitator for host-endosymbiont integration and the evolution of organelles.}, } @article {pmid35637201, year = {2022}, author = {Kodama, Y and Fujishima, M}, title = {Endosymbiotic Chlorella variabilis reduces mitochondrial number in the ciliate Paramecium bursaria.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {8216}, pmid = {35637201}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {20K06768//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; }, mesh = {Antibodies, Monoclonal/metabolism ; *Chlorella/metabolism ; Mitochondria ; *Paramecium/metabolism ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Extant symbioses illustrate endosymbiosis is a driving force for evolution and diversification. In the ciliate Paramecium bursaria, the endosymbiotic alga Chlorella variabilis in perialgal vacuole localizes beneath the host cell cortex by adhesion between the perialgal vacuole membrane and host mitochondria. We investigated whether host mitochondria are also affected by algal endosymbiosis. Transmission electron microscopy of host cells showed fewer mitochondria beneath the algae-bearing host cell cortex than that of alga-free cells. To compare the density and distribution of host mitochondria with or without symbiotic algae, we developed a monoclonal antibody against Paramecium mitochondria. Immunofluorescence microscopy with the monoclonal antibody showed that the mitochondrial density of the algae-bearing P. bursaria was significantly lower than that of the alga-free cells. The total cell protein concentration of alga-free P. bursaria cells was approximately 1.8-fold higher than that of algae-bearing cells, and the protein content of mitochondria was significantly higher in alga-free cells than that in the algae-bearing cells. These results corresponded with those obtained by transmission electron and immunofluorescence microscopies. This paper shows that endosymbiotic algae affect reduced mitochondrial number in the host P. bursaria significantly.}, } @article {pmid35315055, year = {2022}, author = {Liao, J and Bearup, D and Strona, G}, title = {A patch-dynamic metacommunity perspective on the persistence of mutualistic and antagonistic bipartite networks.}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {103}, number = {6}, pages = {e3686}, doi = {10.1002/ecy.3686}, pmid = {35315055}, issn = {1939-9170}, support = {20192ACBL21029//Key Youth Project of Jiangxi Province/ ; 31760172//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31901175//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Biodiversity ; *Ecosystem ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The structure of interactions between species within a community plays a key role in maintaining biodiversity. Previous studies found that the effects of these structures might vary substantially depending on interaction type, for example, a highly connected and nested architecture stabilizes mutualistic communities, while the stability of antagonistic communities is enhanced in modular and weakly connected structures. Here we show that, when network dynamics are modeled using a patch-dynamic metacommunity framework, the qualitative differences between antagonistic and mutualistic systems disappear, with nestedness and modularity interacting to promote metacommunity persistence. However, the interactive effects are significantly weaker in antagonistic metacommunities. Our model also predicts an increase in connectance, nestedness, and modularity over time in both types of interaction, except in antagonistic networks, where nestedness declines. At steady state, we find a strong negative correlation between nestedness and modularity in both mutualistic and antagonistic metacommunities. These predictions are consistent with the structural trends found in a large data set of real-world antagonistic and mutualistic communities.}, } @article {pmid35315052, year = {2022}, author = {Crumière, AJJ and Mallett, S and Michelsen, A and Rinnan, R and Shik, JZ}, title = {Nutritional challenges of feeding a mutualist: Testing for a nutrient-toxin tradeoff in fungus-farming leafcutter ants.}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {103}, number = {6}, pages = {e3684}, doi = {10.1002/ecy.3684}, pmid = {35315052}, issn = {1939-9170}, support = {ERC-2017-STG-757810/ERC_/European Research Council/International ; }, mesh = {Agriculture ; Animals ; *Ants/physiology ; Fungi/physiology ; Nutrients ; Symbiosis/physiology ; Tannins ; }, abstract = {The biochemical heterogeneity of food items often yields tradeoffs as each bite of food tends to contain some nutrients in surplus and others in deficit, as well as other less palatable or even toxic compounds. These multidimensional nutritional challenges are likely to be compounded when foraged foods are used to provision others (e.g., offspring or symbionts) with different physiological needs and tolerances. We explored these challenges in free-ranging colonies of leafcutter ants that navigate a diverse tropical forest to collect plant fragments they use to provision a co-evolved fungal cultivar. We tested the prediction that leafcutter farmers face provisioning tradeoffs between the nutritional quality and concentration of toxic tannins in foraged plant fragments. Chemical analyses of plant fragments sampled from the mandibles of Panamanian Atta colombica leafcutter ants provided little support for a nutrient-tannin foraging tradeoff. First, colonies foraged for plant fragments that ranged widely in tannin concentration. Second, high tannin levels did not appear to restrict colonies from selecting plant fragments with blends of protein and carbohydrates that maximized cultivar performance when measured with in vitro experiments. We also tested whether tannins expand the realized nutritional niche selected by leafcutter ants into high-protein dimensions as: (1) tannins can bind proteins and reduce their accessibility during digestion, and (2) in vitro experiments have shown that excess protein provisioning reduces cultivar performance. Contrary to this hypothesis, the most protein-rich plant fragments did not have highest tannin levels. More generally, the approach developed here can be used to test how multidimensional interactions between nutrients and toxins shape the costs and benefits of providing care to offspring or symbionts.}, } @article {pmid35645262, year = {2022}, author = {Desai, AS and Singh, A and Edis, Z and Haj Bloukh, S and Shah, P and Pandey, B and Agrawal, N and Bhagat, N}, title = {An In Vitro and In Vivo Study of the Efficacy and Toxicity of Plant-Extract-Derived Silver Nanoparticles.}, journal = {Journal of functional biomaterials}, volume = {13}, number = {2}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/jfb13020054}, pmid = {35645262}, issn = {2079-4983}, support = {CSR-IC/BL-19/CRS-116/2018-19/1390 and Project ID No: Ref. No. 2021-IRG-PH-2//Consortium for Scientific Research (CSR) -DAEF Indore and Deanship of Research and Graduate Studies, AU, Ajman, United Arab Emirates/ ; }, abstract = {Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) display unique plasmonic and antimicrobial properties, enabling them to be helpful in various industrial and consumer products. However, previous studies showed that the commercially acquired silver nanoparticles exhibit toxicity even in small doses. Hence, it was imperative to determine suitable synthesis techniques that are the most economical and least toxic to the environment and biological entities. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized using plant extracts and their physico-chemical properties were studied. A time-dependent in vitro study using HEK-293 cells and a dose-dependent in vivo study using a Drosophila model helped us to determine the correct synthesis routes. Through biological analyses, we found that silver nanoparticles' cytotoxicity and wound-healing capacity depended on size, shape, and colloidal stability. Interestingly, we observed that out of all the synthesized AgNPs, the ones derived from the turmeric extract displayed excellent wound-healing capacity in the in vitro study. Furthermore, the same NPs exhibited the least toxic effects in an in vivo study of ingestion of these NPs enriched food in Drosophila, which showed no climbing disability in flies, even at a very high dose (250 mg/L) for 10 days. We propose that stabilizing agents played a superior role in establishing the bio-interaction of nanoparticles. Our study reported here verified that turmeric-extract-derived AgNPs displayed biocompatibility while exhibiting the least cytotoxicity.}, } @article {pmid35645085, year = {2021}, author = {Panchanadikar, N and Balasubramanian, S and Nirmal, L and Haridoss, S and Muthu, MS}, title = {Management of oral mucosal lesions in salicylate sensitive stevens-Johnson syndrome - A case report.}, journal = {Indian journal of dental research : official publication of Indian Society for Dental Research}, volume = {32}, number = {4}, pages = {537-540}, doi = {10.4103/ijdr.IJDR_322_20}, pmid = {35645085}, issn = {1998-3603}, abstract = {In the present era, the use of drugs is an important paradigm of health care. Reactions to drugs range from minor cutaneous reactions to potentially lethal conditions like Stevens-Johnson syndrome. A 13-year-old, male patient, known case of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome was referred from the pediatric ward for the management of oral mucosal lesions, post consumption of the antibiotic combination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim. Failure of lesion regression led to the change in the treatment plan, speculating an allergic reaction to one of the components of the initial treatment medication (choline salicylate) as well. Identification and withdrawal of the offending medication and rendering supportive care along with treatment of the lesions with topical corticosteroids form the outline of management. This case report demonstrates the approach undertaken by the pediatric dentist to cure the oral mucosal lesions in symbiosis with pediatricians, ophthalmologists and nutritionists to cure this life-threatening condition.}, } @article {pmid35643082, year = {2022}, author = {Paight, C and Hunter, ES and Lane, CE}, title = {Codependence of individuals in the Nephromyces species swarm requires heterospecific bacterial endosymbionts.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.007}, pmid = {35643082}, issn = {1879-0445}, abstract = {Symbiosis is one of the most important evolutionary processes shaping the biodiversity on Earth. Symbiotic associations often bring together organisms from different domains of life, which can provide an unparalleled route to evolutionary innovation.1-4 The phylum Apicomplexa encompasses 6,000 ubiquitous animal parasites; however, species in the recently described apicomplexan family, Nephromycidae, are reportedly non-virulent.5,6 The members of the genus Nephromyces live within a specialized organ of tunicates, called the renal sac, in which they use concentrated uric acid as a primary nitrogen source.7,8 Here, we report genomic and transcriptomic data from the diverse genus Nephromyces, as well as the three bacterial symbionts that live within this species complex. We show that the diversity of Nephromyces is unexpectedly high within each renal sac, with as many as 20 different species inhabiting the renal sacs in wild populations. The many species of Nephromyces can host three different types of bacterial endosymbionts; however, FISH microscopy allowed us to demonstrate that each individual Nephromyces cell hosts only a single bacterial type. Through the reconstruction and analyses of the endosymbiont bacterial genomes, we infer that each bacterial type supplies its host with different metabolites. No individual species of Nephromyces, in combination with its endosymbiont, can produce a complete set of essential amino acids, and culture experiments demonstrate that individual Nephromyces species cannot form a viable infection. Therefore, we hypothesize that Nephromyces spp. depend on co-infection with congeners containing different bacterial symbionts in order to exchange metabolites to meet their needs.}, } @article {pmid35642902, year = {2022}, author = {Puginier, C and Keller, J and Delaux, PM}, title = {Plant-microbe interactions that have impacted plant terrestrializations.}, journal = {Plant physiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/plphys/kiac258}, pmid = {35642902}, issn = {1532-2548}, abstract = {Plants display a tremendous diversity of developmental and physiological features, resulting from gains and losses of functional innovations across the plant phylogeny. Among those, the most impactful have been undoubtedly the ones that allowed plant terrestrializations, the transitions from an aquatic to a terrestrial environment. Although the embryophyte terrestrialization has been particularly scrutinized, others occurred across the plant phylogeny with the involvement of mutualistic symbioses as a common theme. Here, we review the current pieces of evidence supporting that the repeated colonization of land by plants has been facilitated by interactions with mutualistic symbionts. In that context, we detail two of these mutualistic symbioses: the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in embryophytes and the lichen symbiosis in chlorophyte algae. We suggest that associations with bacteria should be revisited in that context, and we propose that overlooked symbioses might have facilitated the emergence of other land plant clades.}, } @article {pmid35642316, year = {2022}, author = {Bremer, N and Tria, FDK and Skejo, J and Garg, SG and Martin, WF}, title = {Ancestral state reconstructions trace mitochondria but not phagocytosis to the last eukaryotic common ancestor.}, journal = {Genome biology and evolution}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/gbe/evac079}, pmid = {35642316}, issn = {1759-6653}, abstract = {Two main theories have been put forward to explain the origin of mitochondria in eukaryotes: phagotrophic engulfment (undigested food) and microbial symbiosis (physiological interactions). The two theories generate mutually exclusive predictions about the order in which mitochondria and phagocytosis arose. To discriminate the alternatives, we have employed ancestral state reconstructions (ASR) for phagocytosis as a trait, phagotrophy as a feeding habit, the presence of mitochondria, the presence of plastids and the multinucleated organization across major eukaryotic lineages. To mitigate the bias introduced by assuming a particular eukaryotic phylogeny we reconstructed the appearance of these traits across 1,789 different rooted gene trees, each having species from opisthokonts, mycetozoa, hacrobia, excavate, archeplastida and SAR. The trees reflect conflicting relationships and different positions of the root. We employed a novel phylogenomic test that summarizes ASR across trees. It reconstructs a last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA) that possessed mitochondria, was multinucleated, lacked plastids, and was non-phagotrophic as well as non-phagocytic. This indicates that both phagocytosis and phagotrophy arose subsequent to the origin of mitochondria, consistent with findings from comparative physiology. Furthermore, our ASRs uncovered multiple origins of phagocytosis and of phagotrophy across eukaryotes, indicating that, like wings in animals, these traits are useful but neither ancestral nor homologous across groups. The data indicate that mitochondria preceded the origin of phagocytosis, such that phagocytosis cannot have been the mechanism by which mitochondria were acquired.}, } @article {pmid35642120, year = {2022}, author = {Kumari, KMU and Yadav, NP and Luqman, S}, title = {Promising essential oils/plant extracts in the prevention and treatment of dandruff pathogenesis.}, journal = {Current topics in medicinal chemistry}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.2174/1568026622666220531120226}, pmid = {35642120}, issn = {1873-4294}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Dandruff is a scalp malady affecting predominantly the male populace. Topical agents and synthetic drugs used for dandruff treatment have specific side effects including burning at the application site, depression, dizziness, headache, itching or skin rash, nausea, stomach pain, vision change, vomiting, discoloration of hair, dryness or oiliness of the scalp and increased loss of hair. Thus, essential oils and extracts from plants could be valuable in the treatment and prevention of dandruff.

AIM & OBJECTIVE: This review aims to highlight current findings in dandruff occurrence, its etiology, promising plant essential oils/extracts, and novel treatment strategies. The main emphasis has been given on the anti-dandruff effect of essential oils and plant extracts to disrupt microbial growth. The proposed mechanism (s) of action, novel approaches used to perk up its biopharmaceutical properties, and topical application have been discussed.

RESULTS: The literature survey was done, bibliographic sources and research papers were retrieved from different search engines and databases, including SciFinder, PubMed, NCBI, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The selection of papers was accomplished based on exclusion and inclusion criteria. The scalp of diverse populations revealed an association of dandruff with microbial symbiosis, including Staphylococcus, Propionibacterium, Malassezia, and Candida as the pathogens responsible for the cause of dandruff. Topical antifungals are considered as the first line of treatment for dandruff including azoles, with clotrimazole (1%), ketoconazole (2%), and miconazole (2%). Other commonly used therapies integrate benzoyl peroxide, coal tar, glycerin, zinc pyrithione, lithium succinate/gluconate, salicylic acid, selenium disulfide/sulfide, sodium sulfacetamide, etc. However, these medicaments and chemicals are known to cause specific side effects. Alternative therapies, including tea tree oil, thyme, Aloe vera, Mentha have been reported to demonstrate anti-dandruff activity by disrupting the microbial growth associated with dandruff formation.

CONCLUSION: Overall, this review explains the occurrence of dandruff, its etiology, and the potential applicability of promising plant essential oils/extracts, and their novel treatment strategies. Further studies based on pre-clinical and clinical research are essential before making any conclusion about its efficacy in humans.}, } @article {pmid35641544, year = {2022}, author = {Oliveira, TC and Cabral, JSR and Santana, LR and Tavares, GG and Santos, LDS and Paim, TP and Müller, C and Silva, FG and Costa, AC and Souchie, EL and Mendes, GC}, title = {The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus clarus improves physiological tolerance to drought stress in soybean plants.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {9044}, pmid = {35641544}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {406197/2016-4//Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico/ ; }, abstract = {Soybean (Glycine max L.) is an economically important crop, and is cultivated worldwide, although increasingly long periods of drought have reduced the productivity of this plant. Research has shown that inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) provides a potential alternative strategy for the mitigation of drought stress. In the present study, we measured the physiological and morphological performance of two soybean cultivars in symbiosis with Rhizophagus clarus that were subjected to drought stress (DS). The soybean cultivars Anta82 and Desafio were grown in pots inoculated with R. clarus. Drought stress was imposed at the V3 development stage and maintained for 7 days. A control group, with well-irrigated plants and no AMF, was established simultaneously in the greenhouse. The mycorrhizal colonization rate, and the physiological, morphological, and nutritional traits of the plants were recorded at days 3 and 7 after drought stress conditions were implemented. The Anta82 cultivar presented the highest percentage of AMF colonization, and N and K in the leaves, whereas the DS group of the Desafio cultivar had the highest water potential and water use efficiency, and the DS + AMF group had thermal dissipation that permitted higher values of Fv/Fm, A, and plant height. The results of the principal components analysis demonstrated that both cultivars inoculated with AMF performed similarly under DS to the well-watered plants. These findings indicate that AMF permitted the plant to reduce the impairment of growth and physiological traits caused by drought conditions.}, } @article {pmid35639596, year = {2022}, author = {Weisberg, AJ and Sachs, JL and Chang, JH}, title = {Dynamic interactions between mega symbiosis ICEs and bacterial chromosomes maintain genome architecture.}, journal = {Genome biology and evolution}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/gbe/evac078}, pmid = {35639596}, issn = {1759-6653}, abstract = {Acquisition of mobile genetic elements can confer novel traits to bacteria. For example, some integrative and conjugative elements confer upon members of Bradyrhizobium the capacity to fix nitrogen in symbiosis with legumes. These so-called symICEs can be extremely large and vary as monopartite and polypartite configurations within chromosomes of related strains. These features are predicted to impose fitness costs and have defied explanation. Here, we show that chromosome architecture is largely conserved despite diversity in genome composition, variations in locations of attachment sites recognized by integrases of symICEs, and differences in large-scale chromosomal changes that occur upon integration. Conversely, many simulated non-native chromosome-symICE combinations are predicted to result in lethal deletions or disruptions to architecture. Findings suggest that there is compatibility between chromosomes and symICEs. We hypothesize that size and structural flexibility of symICEs is important for generating combinations that maintain chromosome architecture across a genus of nitrogen fixing bacteria with diverse and dynamic genomes.}, } @article {pmid35639582, year = {2022}, author = {Brune, A and Song, Y and Oren, A and Paster, BJ}, title = {A new family for 'termite gut treponemes': description of Breznakiellaceae fam. nov., Gracilinema caldarium gen. nov., comb. nov., Leadbettera azotonutricia gen. nov., comb. nov., Helmutkoenigia isoptericolens gen. nov., comb. nov., and Zuelzera stenostrepta gen. nov., comb. nov., and proposal of Rectinemataceae fam. nov.}, journal = {International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology}, volume = {72}, number = {5}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1099/ijsem.0.005439}, pmid = {35639582}, issn = {1466-5034}, abstract = {The intestinal tracts of termites are abundantly colonized by a diverse assemblage of spirochetes. Most of them belong to 'termite cluster I', a monophyletic group within the radiation of the genus Treponema that occurs exclusively in termite guts. Phylogenomic analysis revealed that members of the genus Treponema are extremely diverse and represent two separate, family-level lineages: the Treponemataceae sensu stricto, which comprise the majority of the validly described Treponema species, and a second lineage that comprises the remaining members of the genus Treponema, including all members of 'termite cluster I' from termites and the recently isolated Breznakiella homolactica from cockroaches. Here, we present the formal description of Breznakiellaceae fam. nov. and of the new genera required to accommodate the misplaced Treponema species in the new family as new combinations (Leadbettera azotonutricia, Gracilinema caldarium, Helmutkoenigia isoptericolens and Zuelzera stenostrepta). To avoid paraphyly of Treponemataceae, we propose Rectinemataceae fam. nov. to include the genus Rectinema.}, } @article {pmid35639004, year = {2022}, author = {Maruyama, S and Mandelare-Ruiz, PE and McCauley, M and Peng, W and Cho, BG and Wang, J and Mechref, Y and Loesgen, S and Weis, VM}, title = {Heat Stress of Algal Partner Hinders Colonization Success and Alters the Algal Cell Surface Glycome in a Cnidarian-Algal Symbiosis.}, journal = {Microbiology spectrum}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0156722}, doi = {10.1128/spectrum.01567-22}, pmid = {35639004}, issn = {2165-0497}, abstract = {Corals owe their ecological success to their symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellate algae (family Symbiodiniaceae). While the negative effects of heat stress on this symbiosis are well studied, how heat stress affects the onset of symbiosis and symbiont specificity is less explored. In this work, we used the model sea anemone, Exaiptasia diaphana (commonly referred to as Aiptasia), and its native symbiont, Breviolum minutum, to study the effects of heat stress on the colonization of Aiptasia by algae and the algal cell-surface glycome. Heat stress caused a decrease in the colonization of Aiptasia by algae that were not due to confounding variables such as algal motility or oxidative stress. With mass spectrometric analysis and lectin staining, a thermally induced enrichment of glycans previously found to be associated with free-living strains of algae (high-mannoside glycans) and a concomitant reduction in glycans putatively associated with symbiotic strains of algae (galactosylated glycans) were identified. Differential enrichment of specific sialic acid glycans was also identified, although their role in this symbiosis remains unclear. We also discuss the methods used to analyze the cell-surface glycome of algae, evaluate current limitations, and provide suggestions for future work in algal-coral glycobiology. Overall, this study provided insight into how stress may affect the symbiosis between cnidarians and their algal symbionts by altering the glycome of the symbiodinian partner. IMPORTANCE Coral reefs are under threat from global climate change. Their decline is mainly caused by the fragility of their symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellate algae which they rely upon for their ecological success. To better understand coral biology, researchers used the sea anemone, Aiptasia, a model system for the study of coral-algal symbiosis, and characterized how heat stress can alter the algae's ability to communicate to the coral host. This study found that heat stress caused a decline in algal colonization success and impacted the cell surface molecules of the algae such that it became more like that of nonsymbiotic species of algae. This work adds to our understanding of the molecular signals involved in coral-algal symbiosis and how it breaks down during heat stress.}, } @article {pmid35638879, year = {2022}, author = {Chetri, SPK and Rahman, Z and Thomas, L and Lal, R and Gour, T and Agarwal, LK and Vashishtha, A and Kumar, S and Kumar, G and Kumar, R and Sharma, K}, title = {Paradigms of actinorhizal symbiosis under the regime of global climatic changes: New insights and perspectives.}, journal = {Journal of basic microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1002/jobm.202200043}, pmid = {35638879}, issn = {1521-4028}, support = {FRPS-SRG: F.30-476/2019 (BSR)//MLS University, University Grants Commission (UGC)/ ; //MHRD-RUSA 2.0, Government of India/ ; }, abstract = {Nitrogen occurs as inert and inaccessible dinitrogen gaseous form (N2) in the atmosphere. Biological nitrogen fixation is a chief process that makes this dinitrogen (N2) accessible and bioavailable in the form of ammonium (NH4 +) ions. The key organisms to fix nitrogen are certain prokaryotes, called diazotrophs either in the free-living form or establishing significant mutual relationships with a variety of plants. On such examples is ~95-100 MY old incomparable symbiosis between dicotyledonous trees and a unique actinobacterial diazotroph in diverse ecosystems. In this association, the root of the certain dicotyledonous tree (~25 genera and 225 species) belonging to three different taxonomic orders, Fagales, Cucurbitales, and Rosales (FaCuRo) known as actinorhizal trees can host a diazotroph, Frankia of order Frankiales. Frankia is gram-positive, branched, filamentous, sporulating, and free-living soil actinobacterium. It resides in the specialized, multilobed, and coralloid organs (lateral roots but without caps), the root nodules of actinorhizal tress. This review aims to provide systematic information on the distribution and the phylogenetic diversity of hosts from FaCuRo and their micro-endosymbionts (Frankia spp.), colonization mechanisms, and signaling pathways. We also aim to provide details on developmental and physiological imperatives for gene regulation and functional genomics of symbiosis, phenomenal restoration ecology, influences of contemporary global climatic changes, and anthropogenic impacts on plant-Frankia interactions for the functioning of ecosystems and the biosphere.}, } @article {pmid35634047, year = {2022}, author = {Rani, S and Ghai, D and Kumar, S and Kantipudi, MP and Alharbi, AH and Ullah, MA}, title = {Efficient 3D AlexNet Architecture for Object Recognition Using Syntactic Patterns from Medical Images.}, journal = {Computational intelligence and neuroscience}, volume = {2022}, number = {}, pages = {7882924}, doi = {10.1155/2022/7882924}, pmid = {35634047}, issn = {1687-5273}, abstract = {In computer vision and medical image processing, object recognition is the primary concern today. Humans require only a few milliseconds for object recognition and visual stimulation. This led to the development of a computer-specific pattern recognition method in this study for identifying objects in medical images such as brain tumors. Initially, an adaptive median filter is used to remove the noise from MRI images. Thereafter, the contrast image enhancement technique is used to improve the quality of the image. To evaluate the wireframe model, the cellular logic array processing (CLAP)-based algorithm is then applied to images. The basic patterns of three-dimensional (3D) images are then identified from the input image by scanning the whole image. The frequency of these patterns is also used for object classification. A deep neural network is then utilized for the classification of brain tumor. In the proposed model, the syntactic pattern recognition technique is used to find the feature vector and 3D AlexNet is used for brain tumor classification. To evaluate the performance of the proposed work, three benchmark brain tumor datasets are used, i.e., Figshare, Brain MRI Kaggle, and Medical MRI datasets and BraTS 2019 dataset. The comparative analyses reveal that the proposed brain tumor classification model achieves significantly better performance than the existing models.}, } @article {pmid35619021, year = {2022}, author = {Tchelet, D and Salomon, D}, title = {A Rapid Fluorescence-Based Screen to Identify Regulators and Components of Interbacterial Competition Mechanisms in Bacteria.}, journal = {Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)}, volume = {2427}, number = {}, pages = {11-24}, pmid = {35619021}, issn = {1940-6029}, mesh = {*Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology ; *Bacteria/genetics ; Fluorescence ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Contact-dependent antibacterial mechanisms enhance bacterial fitness as they enable bacteria to outcompete their rivals and thrive in diverse environments. Such systems also allow pathogenic bacteria to establish a niche inside a host, where they must compete with commensal microflora. In many cases, antibacterial systems are tightly regulated by complex sensor and signal transduction networks. Deciphering these regulatory networks, as well as identifying functional components of antibacterial mechanisms, are valuable objectives since essential regulators and components present possible targets for developing antivirulence therapies. Here we describe Bacterial Competition Fluorescence (BaCoF), a methodology that relies on a fluorescence signal to determine the outcome of bacterial competitions. This methodology enables screening of mutant libraries to identify genes that are essential for activating a contact-dependent antibacterial system of interest. Thus, this methodology can be applied to reveal essential regulators and components of antibacterial systems in bacterial pathogens.}, } @article {pmid35617387, year = {2022}, author = {Brodin, P}, title = {Immune-microbe interactions early in life: A determinant of health and disease long term.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {376}, number = {6596}, pages = {945-950}, doi = {10.1126/science.abk2189}, pmid = {35617387}, issn = {1095-9203}, mesh = {Environmental Exposure ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome/physiology ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Microbial Interactions ; *Microbiota/physiology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Research on newborn immunity has revealed the importance of cell ontogeny, feto-maternal tolerance, and the transfer of maternal antibodies. Less is known about postnatal adaptation to environmental exposures. The microbiome and its importance for health have been extensively studied, but it remains unclear how mutually beneficial relationships between commensal microbes and human cells first arise and are maintained throughout life. Such immune-microbe mutualism, and perturbations thereof, is most likely a root cause of increasing incidences of immune-mediated disorders such as allergies and autoimmunity across many industrialized nations during the past century. In this Review, I discuss our current understanding of immune development and propose that mismatches among ancestral, early-life, and adult environments can explain perturbations to immune-microbe interactions, immune dysregulation, and increased risks of immune-mediated diseases.}, } @article {pmid35631700, year = {2022}, author = {Shi, H and Sun, G and Gou, L and Guo, Z}, title = {Rhizobia-Legume Symbiosis Increases Aluminum Resistance in Alfalfa.}, journal = {Plants (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {10}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/plants11101275}, pmid = {35631700}, issn = {2223-7747}, support = {32030074//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; CARS-22//Chinese Agriculture Research System/ ; }, abstract = {Alfalfa is the most important forage legume with symbiotic nitrogen-fixing nodule in roots, but it is sensitive to aluminum (Al), which limits its plantation in acidic soils. One rhizobia clone of Sinorhizobium meliloti with Al tolerance (AT1) was isolated from the nodule in AlCl3-treated alfalfa roots. AT1 showed a higher growth rate than the standard rhizobia strain Sm1021 under Al-stressed conditions. Alfalfa growth was improved by inoculation with AT1 under Al-stressed conditions, with increased length and fresh weight in shoots and roots. High nitrogenase activity and pink effective nodules were obtained in AT1-inoculated plant roots under Al stress, with increased total nitrogen compared with the non-inoculated control. The application of exogenous NH4+-nitrogen increased the Al resistance in alfalfa. It is suggested that rhizobia's increase of the Al resistance in alfalfa is associated with its improved nitrogen status. Inoculation with Al-tolerant rhizobia is worth testing in an acidic field for improved alfalfa productivity.}, } @article {pmid35630837, year = {2022}, author = {Souayeh, B and Ramesh, K and Hdhiri, N and Yasin, E and Alam, MW and Alfares, K and Yasin, A}, title = {Heat Transfer Attributes of Gold-Silver-Blood Hybrid Nanomaterial Flow in an EMHD Peristaltic Channel with Activation Energy.}, journal = {Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {12}, number = {10}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/nano12101615}, pmid = {35630837}, issn = {2079-4991}, support = {AN00052//Deanship of Scientific Research at King Faisal University/ ; }, abstract = {The heat enhancement in hybrid nanofluid flow through the peristaltic mechanism has received great attention due to its occurrence in many engineering and biomedical systems, such as flow through canals, the cavity flow model and biomedicine. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to discuss the hybrid nanofluid flow in a symmetric peristaltic channel with diverse effects, such as electromagnetohydrodynamics (EMHD), activation energy, gyrotactic microorganisms and solar radiation. The equations governing this motion were simplified under the approximations of a low Reynolds number (LRN), a long wavelength (LWL) and Debye-Hückel linearization (DHL). The numerical solutions for the non-dimensional system of equations were tackled using the computational software Mathematica. The influences of diverse physical parameters on the flow and thermal characteristics were computed through pictorial interpretations. It was concluded from the results that the thermophoresis parameter and Grashof number increased the hybrid nanofluid velocity near the right wall. The nanoparticle temperature decreased with the radiation parameter and Schmidt number. The activation energy and radiation enhanced the nanoparticle volume fraction, and motile microorganisms decreased with an increase in the Peclet number and Schmidt number. The applications of the current investigation include chyme flow in the gastrointestinal tract, the control of blood flow during surgery by altering the magnetic field and novel drug delivery systems in pharmacological engineering.}, } @article {pmid35629800, year = {2022}, author = {Sun, R and Jin, Y}, title = {Pilot Scale Application of a Ceramic Membrane Bioreactor for Treating High-Salinity Oil Production Wastewater.}, journal = {Membranes}, volume = {12}, number = {5}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/membranes12050473}, pmid = {35629800}, issn = {2077-0375}, support = {2019GXNSFFA245017//Guangxi Natural Science Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {The offshore oil extraction process generates copious amounts of high-salinity oil-bearing wastewater; at present, treating such wastewater in an efficient and low-consumption manner is a major challenge. In this study, a flat ceramic membrane bioreactor (C-MBR) process combining aerobic microbial treatment technology and ceramic membrane filtration technology was used to treat oil-bearing wastewater. The pilot test results demonstrated the remarkable performance of the combined sequential batch reactor (SBR) and C-MBR process, wherein the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) removal rates reached 93% and 98.9%, respectively. Microbial analysis indicated that the symbiosis between Marinobacterium, Marinobacter, and Nitrosomonas might have contributed to simultaneously removing NH4+-N and reducing COD, and the increased enrichment of Nitrosomonas significantly improved the nitrogen removal efficiency. Cleaning ceramic membranes with NaClO solution reduces membrane contamination and membrane cleaning frequency. The combined SBR and C-MBR process is an economical and feasible solution for treating high-salinity oil-bearing wastewater. Based on the pilot application study, the capital expenditure for operating the full-scale combined SBR and C-MBR process was estimated to be 251,717 USD/year, and the unit wastewater treatment cost was 0.21 USD/m3, which saved 62.5% of the energy cost compared to the conventional MBR process.}, } @article {pmid35628768, year = {2022}, author = {Luo, J and Yan, Q and Yang, G and Wang, Y}, title = {Impact of the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Funneliformis mosseae on the Physiological and Defence Responses of Canna indica to Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Stress.}, journal = {Journal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {8}, number = {5}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/jof8050513}, pmid = {35628768}, issn = {2309-608X}, support = {31070401//Y.-B.W./ ; GXXT-2020-075//Y.-B.W./ ; YJS20210138//J.L./ ; 202010349031//Q.-X.Y./ ; }, abstract = {Copper oxide nanoparticles (nano-CuO) are recognized as an emerging pollutant. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can mitigate the adverse impacts of various pollutants on host plants. However, AMF's mechanism for alleviating nano-CuO phytotoxicity remains unclear. The goal of this study was to evaluate how AMF inoculations affect the physiological features of Canna indica seedlings exposed to nano-CuO stress. Compared with the non-AMF inoculated treatment, AMF inoculations noticeably improved plant biomass, mycorrhizal colonization, leaf chlorophyll contents, and the photosynthetic parameters of C. indica under nano-CuO treatments. Moreover, AMF inoculation was able to significantly mitigate nano-CuO stress by enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities and decreasing ROS levels in the leaves and roots of C. indica, thus increasing the expression of genes involved in the antioxidant response. In addition, AMF inoculation reduced the level of Cu in seedlings and was associated with an increased expression of Cu transport genes and metallothionein genes. Furthermore, AMF inoculations increased the expression levels of organic acid metabolism-associated genes while facilitating organic acid secretion, thus reducing the accumulation of Cu. The data demonstrate that AMF-plant symbiosis is a feasible biocontrol approach to remediate nano-CuO pollution.}, } @article {pmid35626532, year = {2022}, author = {Ghosh, B and Bouri, E}, title = {Is Bitcoin's Carbon Footprint Persistent? Multifractal Evidence and Policy Implications.}, journal = {Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {24}, number = {5}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/e24050647}, pmid = {35626532}, issn = {1099-4300}, abstract = {The Bitcoin mining process is energy intensive, which can hamper the much-desired ecological balance. Given that the persistence of high levels of energy consumption of Bitcoin could have permanent policy implications, we examine the presence of long memory in the daily data of the Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index (BECI) (BECI upper bound, BECI lower bound, and BECI average) covering the period 25 February 2017 to 25 January 2022. Employing fractionally integrated GARCH (FIGARCH) and multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MFDFA) models to estimate the order of fractional integrating parameter and compute the Hurst exponent, which measures long memory, this study shows that distant series observations are strongly autocorrelated and long memory exists in most cases, although mean-reversion is observed at the first difference of the data series. Such evidence for the profound presence of long memory suggests the suitability of applying permanent policies regarding the use of alternate energy for mining; otherwise, transitory policy would quickly become obsolete. We also suggest the replacement of 'proof-of-work' with 'proof-of-space' or 'proof-of-stake', although with a trade-off (possible security breach) to reduce the carbon footprint, the implementation of direct tax on mining volume, or the mandatory use of carbon credits to restrict the environmental damage.}, } @article {pmid35625404, year = {2022}, author = {Jach, ME and Sajnaga, E and Ziaja, M}, title = {Utilization of Legume-Nodule Bacterial Symbiosis in Phytoremediation of Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils.}, journal = {Biology}, volume = {11}, number = {5}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/biology11050676}, pmid = {35625404}, issn = {2079-7737}, abstract = {With the increasing industrial activity of the growing human population, the accumulation of various contaminants in soil, including heavy metals, has increased rapidly. Heavy metals as non-biodegradable elements persist in the soil environment and may pollute crop plants, further accumulating in the human body causing serious conditions. Hence, phytoremediation of land contamination as an environmental restoration technology is desirable for both human health and broad-sense ecology. Legumes (Fabaceae), which play a special role in nitrogen cycling, are dominant plants in contaminated areas. Therefore, the use of legumes and associated nitrogen-fixing rhizobia to reduce the concentrations or toxic effects of contaminants in the soil is environmentally friendly and becomes a promising strategy for phytoremediation and phytostabilization. Rhizobia, which have such plant growth-promoting (PGP) features as phosphorus solubilization, phytohormone synthesis, siderophore release, production of beneficial compounds for plants, and most of all nitrogen fixation, may promote legume growth while diminishing metal toxicity. The aim of the present review is to provide a comprehensive description of the main effects of metal contaminants in nitrogen-fixing leguminous plants and the benefits of using the legume-rhizobium symbiosis with both wild-type and genetically modified plants and bacteria to enhance an efficient recovery of contaminated lands.}, } @article {pmid35625129, year = {2022}, author = {Curdt, F and Schupp, PJ and Rohde, S}, title = {Light Availability Affects the Symbiosis of Sponge Specific Cyanobacteria and the Common Blue Aquarium Sponge (Lendenfeldia chondrodes).}, journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI}, volume = {12}, number = {10}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/ani12101283}, pmid = {35625129}, issn = {2076-2615}, support = {1841147.1FUGG//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, abstract = {Bacterial symbionts in marine sponges play a decisive role in the biological and ecological functioning of their hosts. Although this topic has been the focus of numerous studies, data from experiments under controlled conditions are rare. To analyze the ongoing metabolic processes, we investigated the symbiosis of the sponge specific cyanobacterium Synechococcus spongiarum and its sponge host Lendenfeldia chondrodes under varying light conditions in a defined aquarium setting for 68 days. Sponge clonal pieces were kept at four different light intensities, ranging from no light to higher intensities that were assumed to trigger light stress. Growth as a measure of host performance and photosynthetic yield as a proxy of symbiont photosynthetic activity were measured throughout the experiment. The lack of light prevented sponge growth and induced the expulsion of all cyanobacteria and related pigments by the end of the experiment. Higher light conditions allowed rapid sponge growth and high cyanobacteria densities. In addition, photosynthetically active radiation above a certain level triggered an increase in cyanobacteria's lutein levels, a UV absorbing protein, thus protecting itself and the host's cells from UV radiation damage. Thus, L. chondrodes seems to benefit strongly from hosting the cyanbacterium S. spongiarum and the relationship should be considered obligatory mutualistic.}, } @article {pmid35624491, year = {2022}, author = {Arora, J and Kinjo, Y and Šobotník, J and Buček, A and Clitheroe, C and Stiblik, P and Roisin, Y and Žifčáková, L and Park, YC and Kim, KY and Sillam-Dussès, D and Hervé, V and Lo, N and Tokuda, G and Brune, A and Bourguignon, T}, title = {The functional evolution of termite gut microbiota.}, journal = {Microbiome}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {78}, pmid = {35624491}, issn = {2049-2618}, support = {20-20548S//Czech Science Foundation/ ; CULS (20213112)//Czech University of Life Sciences/ ; 17H01510//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; DC2 grant//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Termites primarily feed on lignocellulose or soil in association with specific gut microbes. The functioning of the termite gut microbiota is partly understood in a handful of wood-feeding pest species but remains largely unknown in other taxa. We intend to fill this gap and provide a global understanding of the functional evolution of termite gut microbiota.

RESULTS: We sequenced the gut metagenomes of 145 samples representative of the termite diversity. We show that the prokaryotic fraction of the gut microbiota of all termites possesses similar genes for carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolisms, in proportions varying with termite phylogenetic position and diet. The presence of a conserved set of gut prokaryotic genes implies that essential nutritional functions were present in the ancestor of modern termites. Furthermore, the abundance of these genes largely correlated with the host phylogeny. Finally, we found that the adaptation to a diet of soil by some termite lineages was accompanied by a change in the stoichiometry of genes involved in important nutritional functions rather than by the acquisition of new genes and pathways.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal that the composition and function of termite gut prokaryotic communities have been remarkably conserved since termites first appeared ~ 150 million years ago. Therefore, the "world's smallest bioreactor" has been operating as a multipartite symbiosis composed of termites, archaea, bacteria, and cellulolytic flagellates since its inception. Video Abstract.}, } @article {pmid35624412, year = {2022}, author = {Yoshioka, Y and Suzuki, G and Zayasu, Y and Yamashita, H and Shinzato, C}, title = {Comparative genomics highlight the importance of lineage-specific gene families in evolutionary divergence of the coral genus, Montipora.}, journal = {BMC ecology and evolution}, volume = {22}, number = {1}, pages = {71}, pmid = {35624412}, issn = {2730-7182}, support = {20J21301//Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows/ ; 20H03066//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; 19K15902//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; 21H04742//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; 20H03235//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Scleractinian corals of the genus Montipora (Anthozoa, Cnidaria) possess some unusual biological traits, such as vertical transmission of algal symbionts; however, the genetic bases for those traits remain unknown. We performed extensive comparative genomic analyses among members of the family Acroporidae (Montipora, Acropora, and Astreopora) to explore genomic novelties that might explain unique biological traits of Montipora using improved genome assemblies and gene predictions for M. cactus, M. efflorescens and Astreopora myriophthalma.

RESULTS: We obtained genomic data for the three species of comparable high quality to other published coral genomes. Comparative genomic analyses revealed that the gene families restricted to Montipora are significantly more numerous than those of Acropora and Astreopora, but their functions are largely unknown. The number of gene families specifically expanded in Montipora was much lower than the number specifically expanded in Acropora. In addition, we found that evolutionary rates of the Montipora-specific gene families were significantly higher than other gene families shared with Acropora and/or Astreopora. Of 40 gene families under positive selection (Ka/Ks ratio > 1) in Montipora, 30 were specifically detected in Montipora-specific gene families. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of early life stages of Montipora, which possesses maternally inherited symbionts, and Acropora, which lacks them, revealed that most gene families continuously expressed in Montipora, but not expressed in Acropora do not have orthologs in Acropora. Among the 30 Montipora-specific gene families under positive selection, 27 are expressed in early life stages.

CONCLUSIONS: Lineage-specific gene families were important to establish the genus Montipora, particularly genes expressed throughout early life stages, which under positive selection, gave rise to biological traits unique to Montipora. Our findings highlight evolutionarily acquired genomic bases that may support symbiosis in these stony corals and provide novel insights into mechanisms of coral-algal symbiosis, the physiological foundation of coral reefs.}, } @article {pmid35624002, year = {2022}, author = {Pang, L and Khan, F and Heimberger, AB and Chen, P}, title = {Mechanism and therapeutic potential of tumor-immune symbiosis in glioblastoma.}, journal = {Trends in cancer}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.trecan.2022.04.010}, pmid = {35624002}, issn = {2405-8025}, abstract = {Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal form of brain tumor in human adults. Myeloid-lineage cells, including macrophages, microglia, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and neutrophils, are the most frequent types of cell in the GBM tumor microenvironment (TME) that contribute to tumor progression. Emerging experimental evidence indicates that symbiotic interactions between cancer cells and myeloid cells are critical for tumor growth and immunotherapy resistance in GBM. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms whereby cancer cells shape a myeloid cell-mediated immunosuppressive TME and, reciprocally, how such myeloid cells affect tumor progression and immunotherapy efficiency in GBM. Moreover, we highlight tumor-T cell symbiosis and summarize immunotherapeutic strategies intercepting this co-dependency in GBM.}, } @article {pmid35623663, year = {2022}, author = {Gilboa, A and Hope, R and Ben Simon, S and Polak, P and Koren, O and Yaari, G}, title = {Ontogeny of the B Cell Receptor Repertoire and Microbiome in Mice.}, journal = {Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.4049/jimmunol.2100955}, pmid = {35623663}, issn = {1550-6606}, abstract = {The immune system matures throughout childhood to achieve full functionality in protecting our bodies against threats. The immune system has a strong reciprocal symbiosis with the host bacterial population and the two systems co-develop, shaping each other. Despite their fundamental role in health physiology, the ontogeny of these systems is poorly characterized. In this study, we investigated the development of the BCR repertoire by analyzing high-throughput sequencing of their receptors in several time points of young C57BL/6J mice. In parallel, we explored the development of the gut microbiome. We discovered that the gut IgA repertoires change from birth to adolescence, including an increase in CDR3 lengths and somatic hypermutation levels. This contrasts with the spleen IgM repertoires that remain stable and distinct from the IgA repertoires in the gut. We also discovered that large clones that germinate in the gut are initially confined to a specific gut compartment, then expand to nearby compartments and later on expand also to the spleen and remain there. Finally, we explored the associations between diversity indices of the B cell repertoires and the microbiome, as well as associations between bacterial and BCR clusters. Our results shed light on the ontogeny of the adaptive immune system and the microbiome, providing a baseline for future research.}, } @article {pmid35623566, year = {2022}, author = {Pei, Y and Chen, S and Zhang, Y and Olga, V and Li, Y and Diao, X and Zhou, H}, title = {Coral and it's symbionts responses to the typical global marine pollutant BaP by 4D-Proteomics approach.}, journal = {Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {119440}, doi = {10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119440}, pmid = {35623566}, issn = {1873-6424}, abstract = {The symbiosis of corals, zooxanthellae, and microbes is the foundation of the coral reef ecosystem. In addition to global warming, marine pollutants are another important factor causing the breakdown of coral symbiosis. Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is a globally widespread marine environmental pollutant that poses a severe threat to marine ecosystems. However, responses of coral symbionts to global marine pollutant stress remain unclear. In this study, we selected Acropora formosa as the target coral to explore its response to 50 μg L-1 BaP stress using diaPASEF proteomics and 16s rRNA microbiome analysis. The results showed that: 1) the coral symbionts were sensitive to BaP stress; 2) the photosynthetic system of zooxanthellae was crucial for the balance of symbiotic relationships; 3) the destruction of the photosynthetic system induced a zooxanthellae hypoxic stress response; 4) corals adapted to BaP stress by promoting non-essential protein degradation and changing energy metabolism strategies; and 5) symbiotic bacteria showed strong adaptability to BaP. This study not only fills the gap in understanding the response mechanism of coral symbionts under BaP stress, but also provides fundamental data for coral reef protection strategies.}, } @article {pmid35622881, year = {2022}, author = {Rodriguez, M}, title = {The Feminine Body and the Culture of Care.}, journal = {The New bioethics : a multidisciplinary journal of biotechnology and the body}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {1-9}, doi = {10.1080/20502877.2022.2067626}, pmid = {35622881}, issn = {2050-2885}, abstract = {Can we speak of a feminine approach to caring for the body? If there is such an approach, how does culture influence or even construct it? Do we need a new culture of care in the medical field? What can a woman's contribution be to transform culture in this area? In this analysis, I take the human body and its way of being in the world as my starting point, so that we could speak, using Sartrean terminology, of a 'psychical body'. Then I consider the symbiosis that occurs during pregnancy, and I speak of it as a 'relational modality', that gives an 'existential orientation' to women, whether or not they are biological mothers. Finally, I show some implications of this relational modality for the culture of care.}, } @article {pmid35621817, year = {2022}, author = {Khadem-Safdarkhani, H and Hajiqanbar, H and Riegler, M and Seeman, O and Katlav, A}, title = {Two New Phoretic Species of Heterostigmatic Mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Neopygmephoridae and Scutacaridae) on Australian Hydrophilid Beetles (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae).}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {13}, number = {5}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/insects13050483}, pmid = {35621817}, issn = {2075-4450}, abstract = {Many heterostigmatic mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Heterostigmata) display a wide range of symbiotic interactions, from phoresy to parasitism, with a variety of insects. Australia is expected to harbour a rich diversity of heterostigmatic mites; however, its phoretic fauna and its host associations remain mainly unexplored. We conducted a short exploration of Australian insect-associated phoretic mites in summer 2020 and found two new phoretic heterostigmatic species on a semiaquatic hydrophilid beetle species, Coelostoma fabricii (Montrouzier, 1860) (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae). Here, we describe these two new species, Allopygmephorus coelostomus sp. nov. (Neopygmephoridae) and Archidispus hydrophilus sp. nov. (Scutacaridae), which both belong to the superfamily Pygmephoroidea. Both species are distinct from their congeners, with a plesiomorphic character, bearing a median genital sclerite (mgs). Our study reports both genera for the first time from Australia.}, } @article {pmid35619999, year = {2022}, author = {Tame, A and Maruyama, T and Yoshida, T}, title = {Phagocytosis of exogenous bacteria by gill epithelial cells in the deep-sea symbiotic mussel Bathymodiolus japonicus.}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {9}, number = {5}, pages = {211384}, doi = {10.1098/rsos.211384}, pmid = {35619999}, issn = {2054-5703}, abstract = {Animals that live in nutrient-poor environments, such as the deep sea, often establish intracellular symbiosis with beneficial bacteria that provide the host with nutrients that are usually inaccessible to them. The deep-sea mussel Bathymodiolus japonicus relies on nutrients from the methane-oxidizing bacteria harboured in epithelial gill cells called bacteriocytes. These symbionts are specific to the host and transmitted horizontally, being acquired from the environment by each generation. Morphological studies in mussels have reported that the host gill cells acquire the symbionts via phagocytosis, a process that facilitates the engulfment and digestion of exogenous microorganisms. However, gill cell phagocytosis has not been well studied, and whether mussels discriminate between the symbionts and other bacteria in the phagocytic process remains unknown. Herein, we aimed to investigate the phagocytic ability of gill cells involved in the acquisition of symbionts by exposing the mussel to several types of bacteria. The gill cells engulfed exogenous bacteria from the environment indiscriminately. These bacteria were preferentially eliminated through intracellular digestion using enzymes; however, most symbionts were retained in the bacteriocytes without digestion. Our findings suggest that regulation of the phagocytic process after engulfment is a key mechanism for the selection of symbionts for establishing intracellular symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35618174, year = {2022}, author = {Siden-Kiamos, I and Koidou, V and Livadaras, I and Skoufa, E and Papadogiorgaki, S and Papadakis, S and Chalepakis, G and Ioannidis, P and Vontas, J}, title = {Dynamic interactions between the symbiont Candidatus Erwinia dacicola and its olive fruit fly host Bactrocera oleae.}, journal = {Insect biochemistry and molecular biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {103793}, doi = {10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103793}, pmid = {35618174}, issn = {1879-0240}, abstract = {The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae, the most serious pest of olives, requires the endosymbiotic bacterium Candidatus Erwinia dacicola in order to complete its development in unripe green olives. Hence, a better understanding of the symbiosis of Ca. E. dacicola and its insect host may lead to new strategies for B. oleae control. The relative abundance of bacteria during the fly life cycle comparing black and green olives was estimated by real time quantitative PCR revealing significant fluctuations during development in black olives with a peak of the bacteria in the second instar larvae. By microscopy analysis of larvae, we show that the bacteria reside extracellularly in the gastric caeca. During the transition to late third instar larvae, the bacteria were discharged into the midgut concomitant with a change in caeca size and morphology due to the contraction of the muscles surrounding the caeca. A similar alteration was also observed in a laboratory strain devoid of bacteria. To further investigate the symbiotic interaction and the change in caeca morphology a comparative transcriptomics analysis was undertaken. Samples of dissected caeca from second and third instar larvae collected from the field as well as second instar larvae from a laboratory strain devoid of symbionts showed significant changes in transcript expression. This highlighted genes associated with the developmental changes revealed by the microscopic analysis as well as responses to microorganisms.}, } @article {pmid35616984, year = {2022}, author = {Garetier, M and Rousset, J and Makki, K and Brochard, S and Rousseau, F and Salem, DB and Borotikar, B}, title = {Assessment and comparison of image quality between two real-time sequences for dynamic MRI of distal joints at 3.0 Tesla.}, journal = {Acta radiologica (Stockholm, Sweden : 1987)}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {2841851221101889}, doi = {10.1177/02841851221101889}, pmid = {35616984}, issn = {1600-0455}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Real-time sequences allow functional evaluation of various joint structures during a continuous motion and help understand the pathomechanics of underlying musculoskeletal diseases.

PURPOSE: To assess and compare the image quality of the two most frequently used real-time sequences for joint dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), acquired during finger and ankle joint motion.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A real-time dynamic acquisition protocol, including radiofrequency (RF)-spoiled and balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) sequences, optimized for temporal resolution with similar spatial resolution, was performed using a 3.0-T MRI scanner on 10 fingers and 12 ankles from healthy individuals during active motion. Image quality criteria were evaluated on each time frame and compared between these two sequences. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were determined and compared from regions of interest placed on cortical bone, tendon, fat, and muscle. Visualization of anatomical structures and overall image quality appreciation were rated by two radiologists using a 0-10 grading scale.

RESULTS: Mean CNR was significantly higher with bSSFP sequence compared to RF-spoiled sequence. The grading score was in the range of 5-9.3 and was significantly higher with RF-spoiled sequence for bone and joint evaluation and overall image appreciation on the two joints. The standard deviation for SNR, CNR, and grading score during motion was smaller with RF-spoiled sequence for both the joints. The inter-reader reliability was excellent (>0.75) for evaluating anatomical structures in both sequences.

CONCLUSION: A RF-spoiled real-time sequence is recommended for the in vivo clinical evaluation of distal joints on a 3.0-T MRI scanner.}, } @article {pmid35614967, year = {2022}, author = {Jadhav, S and Jadhav, V and Angadi, K}, title = {Berberine: Best Alternative Medicine Insight Abating Global Challenges for Treatment of MRSA Infections [Letter].}, journal = {Infection and drug resistance}, volume = {15}, number = {}, pages = {2573-2574}, doi = {10.2147/IDR.S373391}, pmid = {35614967}, issn = {1178-6973}, } @article {pmid35337870, year = {2022}, author = {Varas, O and Pulgar, J and Duarte, C and García-Herrera, C and Abarca-Ortega, A and Grenier, C and Rodríguez-Navarro, AB and Zapata, J and Lagos, NA and García-Huidobro, MR and Aldana, M}, title = {Parasitism by metacercariae modulates the morphological, organic and mechanical responses of the shell of an intertidal bivalve to environmental drivers.}, journal = {The Science of the total environment}, volume = {830}, number = {}, pages = {154747}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154747}, pmid = {35337870}, issn = {1879-1026}, mesh = {Animals ; Climate Change ; Humans ; Metacercariae ; *Mytilidae ; Symbiosis ; *Trematoda/physiology ; }, abstract = {Environmental variation alters biological interactions and their ecological and evolutionary consequences. In coastal systems, trematode parasites affect their hosts by disrupting their life-history traits. However, the effects of parasitism could be variable and dependent on the prevailing environmental conditions where the host-parasite interaction occurs. This study compared the effect of a trematode parasite in the family Renicolidae (metacercariae) on the body size and the shell organic and mechanical characteristics of the intertidal mussels Perumytilus purpuratus, inhabiting two environmentally contrasting localities in northern and central Chile (ca. 1600 km apart). Congruent with the environmental gradient along the Chilean coast, higher levels of temperature, salinity and pCO2, and a lower pH characterise the northern locality compared to that of central Chile. In the north, parasitised individuals showed lower body size and shell resistance than non-parasitised individuals, while in central Chile, the opposite pattern was observed. Protein level in the organic matter of the shell was lower in the parasitised hosts than in the non-parasitised ones regardless of the locality. However, an increase in polysaccharide levels was observed in the parasitised individuals from central Chile. These results evidence that body size and shell properties of P. purpuratus vary between local populations and that they respond differently when confronting the parasitism impacts. Considering that the parasite prevalence reaches around 50% in both populations, if parasitism is not included in the analysis, the true response of the host species would be masked by the effects of the parasite, skewing our understanding of how environmental variables will affect marine species. Considering parasitism and identifying its effects on host species faced with environmental drivers is essential to understand and accurately predict the ecological consequences of climate change.}, } @article {pmid35319096, year = {2022}, author = {Mizumoto, N and Bourguignon, T and Kanao, T}, title = {Termite nest evolution fostered social parasitism by termitophilous rove beetles.}, journal = {Evolution; international journal of organic evolution}, volume = {76}, number = {5}, pages = {1064-1072}, doi = {10.1111/evo.14457}, pmid = {35319096}, issn = {1558-5646}, mesh = {Animals ; *Coleoptera ; Insecta ; *Isoptera ; Phylogeny ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Colonies of social insects contain large amounts of resources often exploited by specialized social parasites. Although some termite species host numerous parasitic arthropod species, called termitophiles, others host none. The reason for this large variability remains unknown. Here, we report that the evolution of termitophily in rove beetles is linked to termite nesting strategies. We compared one-piece nesters, whose entire colony life is completed within a single wood piece, to foraging species, which exploit multiple physically separated food sources. Our epidemiological model predicts that characteristics related to foraging (e.g., extended colony longevity and frequent interactions with other colonies) increase the probability of parasitism by termitophiles. We tested our prediction using literature data. We found that foraging species are more likely to host termitophilous rove beetles than one-piece nesters: 99.6% of known termitophilous species were associated with foraging termites, whereas 0.4% were associated with one-piece nesters. Notably, the few one-piece nesting species hosting termitophiles were those having foraging potential and access to soil. Our phylogenetic analyses confirmed that termitophily primarily evolved with foraging termites. These results highlight that the evolution of complex termite societies fostered social parasitism, explaining why some species have more social parasites than others.}, } @article {pmid35612316, year = {2022}, author = {Han, Y and Lou, X and Zhang, W and Xu, T and Tang, M}, title = {Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Enhanced Drought Resistance of Populus cathayana by Regulating the 14-3-3 Family Protein Genes.}, journal = {Microbiology spectrum}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0245621}, doi = {10.1128/spectrum.02456-21}, pmid = {35612316}, issn = {2165-0497}, abstract = {Plants can improve their resistance to a variety of stresses by forming mutualistic relationships with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The 14-3-3 protein is a major regulator of the plant stress response. However, the regulation mechanism of 14-3-3 family protein genes (14-3-3s) of mycorrhizal plants coping with stress during AMF symbiosis remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the physiological changes and 14-3-3 expression profiles of Populus cathayana inoculated with AMF under different water conditions. The results showed that good colonization and symbiotic relationships with plants were formed under all water conditions (63.00% to 83.67%). Photosynthesis, peroxidase (POD) activity, and Mg and Ca content were significantly affected by drought and AMF. In addition, thirteen 14-3-3 protein genes (PcGRF1-PcGRF13) were identified by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), of which the expression levels of PcGRF10 and PcGRF11 induced by AMF were significantly positively correlated with superoxide dismutase (SOD), POD, and sugar content, indicating that the 14-3-3s of mycorrhizal symbiotic plants may respond to drought through antioxidant and osmotic regulation. This is the first study on 14-3-3s in the symbiosis system of forest arbor plants and AMF, and it may help to further study the effects of 14-3-3s during AMF symbiosis on stresses and provide new ideas for improving mycorrhizal seedling cultivation under stress. IMPORTANCE The 14-3-3 protein may regulate many biochemical and physiological processes under abiotic stress. Studies have shown that the 14-3-3 protein gene of AMF is not only upregulated under drought stress, but also enhances the regulation of AMF on plant drought tolerance by regulating plant signal pathways and drought response genes; however, knowledge about the biological relevance of these interactions remains limited and controversial. The precise functions of Populus cathayana 14-3-3s under drought stress remain poorly resolved and the mechanisms of action of these genes in mycorrhizae-induced drought stress are still unknown. Thus, studying the drought-resistance mechanism of the AMF symbiotic plant 14-3-3 gene is of special significance to improving the drought tolerance of the plant. Further systematic study is needed to probe the mechanism by which AMF regulates different 14-3-3 genes and their subsequent physiological effects on drought.}, } @article {pmid35611654, year = {2022}, author = {Robes, JMD and Altamia, MA and Murdock, EG and Concepcion, GP and Haygood, MG and Puri, AW}, title = {A Conserved Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Is Regulated by Quorum Sensing in a Shipworm Symbiont.}, journal = {Applied and environmental microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0027022}, doi = {10.1128/aem.00270-22}, pmid = {35611654}, issn = {1098-5336}, abstract = {Bacterial symbionts often provide critical functions for their hosts. For example, wood-boring bivalves called shipworms rely on cellulolytic endosymbionts for wood digestion. However, how the relationship between shipworms and their bacterial symbionts is formed and maintained remains unknown. Quorum sensing (QS) often plays an important role in regulating symbiotic relationships. We identified and characterized a QS system found in Teredinibacter sp. strain 2052S, a gill isolate of the wood-boring shipworm Bactronophorus cf. thoracites. We determined that 2052S produces the signal N-decanoyl-l-homoserine lactone (C10-HSL) and that this signal controls the activation of a biosynthetic gene cluster colocated in the symbiont genome that is conserved among all symbiotic Teredinibacter isolates. We subsequently identified extracellular metabolites associated with the QS regulon, including ones linked to the conserved biosynthetic gene cluster, using mass spectrometry-based molecular networking. Our results demonstrate that QS plays an important role in regulating secondary metabolism in this shipworm symbiont. This information provides a step toward deciphering the molecular details of the relationship between these symbionts and their hosts. Furthermore, because shipworm symbionts harbor vast yet underexplored biosynthetic potential, understanding how their secondary metabolism is regulated may aid future drug discovery efforts using these organisms. IMPORTANCE Bacteria play important roles as symbionts in animals ranging from invertebrates to humans. Despite this recognized importance, much is still unknown about the molecular details of how these relationships are formed and maintained. One of the proposed roles of shipworm symbionts is the production of bioactive secondary metabolites due to the immense biosynthetic potential found in shipworm symbiont genomes. Here, we report that a shipworm symbiont uses quorum sensing to coordinate activation of its extracellular secondary metabolism, including the transcriptional activation of a biosynthetic gene cluster that is conserved among many shipworm symbionts. This work is a first step toward linking quorum sensing, secondary metabolism, and symbiosis in wood-boring shipworms.}, } @article {pmid35611584, year = {2022}, author = {Luu, TB and Ourth, A and Pouzet, C and Pauly, N and Cullimore, J}, title = {A newly-evolved chimeric lysin motif receptor-like kinase in Medicago truncatula spp. tricycla R108 extends its Rhizobia symbiotic partnership.}, journal = {The New phytologist}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/nph.18270}, pmid = {35611584}, issn = {1469-8137}, abstract = {Rhizobial lipochitooligosaccharidic Nod factors (NFs), specified by nod genes, are the primary determinants of host specificity in the legume-Rhizobia symbiosis. We examined the nodulation ability of Medicago truncatula cv Jemalong A17 and M. truncatula ssp. tricycla R108 with the Sinorhizobium meliloti nodF/nodL mutant, which produces modified NFs. We then applied genetic and functional approaches to study the genetic basis and mechanism of nodulation of R108 by this mutant. We show that the nodF/nodL mutant can nodulate R108 but not A17. Using genomics and reverse genetics, we identified a newly-evolved, chimeric LysM receptor-like kinase gene in R108, LYK2bis, which is responsible for the phenotype and can allow A17 to gain nodulation with the nodF/nodL mutant. We found that LYK2bis is involved in nodulation by mutants producing non-O-acetylated NFs and interacts with the key receptor protein NFP. Many, but not all natural S. meliloti and S. medicae strains tested require LYK2bis for efficient nodulation of R108. Our findings reveal that a newly-evolved gene in R108, LYK2bis, extends nodulation specificity to mutants producing non-O-acetylated NFs and is important for nodulation by many natural Sinorhizobia. Evolution of this gene may present an adaptive advantage to allow nodulation by a greater variety of strains.}, } @article {pmid35610303, year = {2022}, author = {Okuda, S and Hirose, Y and Takihara, H and Okuda, A and Ling, Y and Tajima, Y and Shimada, Y and Ichikawa, H and Takizawa, K and Sakata, J and Wakai, T}, title = {Unveiling microbiome profiles in human inner body fluids and tumor tissues with pancreatic or biliary tract cancer.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {8766}, pmid = {35610303}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {18H04123//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; 19K22651//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; }, abstract = {With the discovery of bacterial symbiosis in the tissues of various cancers, the study of the tumor microbiome is attracting a great deal of attention. Anatomically, since the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and pancreas form a continuous ductal structure, the microbiomes in the digestive juices of these organs may influence each other. Here, we report a series of microbiome data in tumor-associated tissues such as tumor, non-tumor, and lymph nodes, and body fluids such as saliva, gastric juice, pancreatic juice, bile, and feces of patients with pancreatic or biliary tract cancers. The results show that the microbiome of tumor-associated tissues has a very similar bacterial composition, but that in body fluids has different bacterial composition which varies by location, where some bacteria localize to specific body fluids. Surprisingly, Akkermansia was only detected in the bile of patients with biliary tract cancer and its presence was significantly associated with the performance of external biliary drainage (P = 0.041). Furthermore, we found that tumor-associated tissues and body fluids in deep inner body are mostly inhabited by unidentified and uncharacterized bacteria, suggesting that such bacteria may be potential targets for precision therapy in the future.}, } @article {pmid35609666, year = {2022}, author = {Paliya, S and Mandpe, A and Bhisikar, D and Kumar, MS and Kumar, S}, title = {Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Indian wastewater treatment plant: Occurrence, mass flow and removal.}, journal = {Chemosphere}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {135055}, doi = {10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135055}, pmid = {35609666}, issn = {1879-1298}, abstract = {Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are categorized as a group of brominated flame retardants that cause hazardous health impacts but are still being used consistently worldwide. The studies on their occurrence and fate in wastewater treatment plants are scarce, and considering the Indian scenario, no study has been reported till date in this context. Therefore, in the present study, PBDE congeners of primary concern were investigated first time to assess the existence, dissemination and fate of PBDEs in the municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWTP) located in Nagpur city, Maharashtra, India. BDE 209 and 47 were detected as the predominant PBDE contaminants in all the analysed samples. The concentration of PBDEs was primarily found in the particulate phase of wastewater. According to mass loading analysis, 1297 mg/day concentration of PBDEs is disposed of at landfill sites in the form of sludge, while 77.46 mg/day is released via final effluent. The present investigation is the first of its kind of study conducted to evaluate the PBDE contamination in Indian MWTP, which reveals the presence of high PBDE concentration in Indian municipal sewage. The findings of the current study exhibit the need for appropriate action toward the sound surveillance of PBDEs in the Indian context.}, } @article {pmid35608298, year = {2022}, author = {Margarita, V and Bailey, NP and Rappelli, P and Diaz, N and Dessì, D and Fettweis, JM and Hirt, RP and Fiori, PL}, title = {Two Different Species of Mycoplasma Endosymbionts Can Influence Trichomonas vaginalis Pathophysiology.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0091822}, doi = {10.1128/mbio.00918-22}, pmid = {35608298}, issn = {2150-7511}, abstract = {Trichomonas vaginalis can host the endosymbiont Mycoplasma hominis, an opportunistic pathogenic bacterium capable of modulating T. vaginalis pathobiology. Recently, a new noncultivable mycoplasma, "Candidatus Mycoplasma girerdii," has been shown to be closely associated with women affected by trichomoniasis, suggesting a biological association. Although several features of "Ca. M. girerdii" have been investigated through genomic analysis, the nature of the potential T. vaginalis-"Ca. M. girerdii" consortium and its impact on the biology and pathogenesis of both microorganisms have not yet been explored. Here, we investigate the association between "Ca. M. girerdii" and T. vaginalis isolated from patients affected by trichomoniasis, demonstrating their intracellular localization. By using an in vitro model system based on single- and double-Mycoplasma infection of Mycoplasma-free isogenic T. vaginalis, we investigated the ability of the protist to establish a relationship with the bacteria and impact T. vaginalis growth. Our data indicate likely competition between M. hominis and "Ca. M. girerdii" while infecting trichomonad cells. Comparative dual-transcriptomics data showed major shifts in parasite gene expression in response to the presence of Mycoplasma, including genes associated with energy metabolism and pathogenesis. Consistent with the transcriptomics data, both parasite-mediated hemolysis and binding to host epithelial cells were significantly upregulated in the presence of either Mycoplasma species. Taken together, these results support a model in which this microbial association could modulate the virulence of T. vaginalis. IMPORTANCE T. vaginalis and M. hominis form a unique case of endosymbiosis that modulates the parasite's pathobiology. Recently, a new nonculturable mycoplasma species ("Candidatus Mycoplasma girerdii") has been described as closely associated with the protozoon. Here, we report the characterization of this endosymbiotic relationship. Clinical isolates of the parasite demonstrate that mycoplasmas are common among trichomoniasis patients. The relationships are studied by devising an in vitro system of single and/or double infections in isogenic protozoan recipients. Comparative growth experiments and transcriptomics data demonstrate that the composition of different microbial consortia influences the growth of the parasite and significantly modulates its transcriptomic profile, including metabolic enzymes and virulence genes such as adhesins and pore-forming proteins. The data on modulation from RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) correlated closely with those of the cytopathic effect and adhesion to human target cells. We propose the hypothesis that the presence and the quantitative ratios of endosymbionts may contribute to modulating protozoan virulence. Our data highlight the importance of considering pathogenic entities as microbial ecosystems, reinforcing the importance of the development of integrated diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.}, } @article {pmid35595740, year = {2022}, author = {Hemmerle, L and Maier, BA and Bortfeld-Miller, M and Ryback, B and Gäbelein, CG and Ackermann, M and Vorholt, JA}, title = {Dynamic character displacement among a pair of bacterial phyllosphere commensals in situ.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {2836}, pmid = {35595740}, issn = {2041-1723}, support = {668991//EC | EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020 | H2020 Priority Excellent Science | H2020 European Research Council (H2020 Excellent Science - European Research Council)/ ; 51NF40_180575//Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (Swiss National Science Foundation)/ ; }, mesh = {Adaptation, Physiological ; *Biological Evolution ; Ecosystem ; Humans ; Phenotype ; *Symbiosis/genetics ; }, abstract = {Differences between species promote stable coexistence in a resource-limited environment. These differences can result from interspecies competition leading to character shifts, a process referred to as character displacement. While character displacement is often interpreted as a consequence of genetically fixed trait differences between species, it can also be mediated by phenotypic plasticity in response to the presence of another species. Here, we test whether phenotypic plasticity leads to a shift in proteome allocation during co-occurrence of two bacterial species from the abundant, leaf-colonizing families Sphingomonadaceae and Rhizobiaceae in their natural habitat. Upon mono-colonizing of the phyllosphere, both species exhibit specific and shared protein functions indicating a niche overlap. During co-colonization, quantitative differences in the protein repertoire of both bacterial populations occur as a result of bacterial coexistence in planta. Specifically, the Sphingomonas strain produces enzymes for the metabolization of xylan, while the Rhizobium strain reprograms its metabolism to beta-oxidation of fatty acids fueled via the glyoxylate cycle and adapts its biotin acquisition. We demonstrate the conditional relevance of cross-species facilitation by mutagenesis leading to loss of fitness in competition in planta. Our results show that dynamic character displacement and niche facilitation mediated by phenotypic plasticity can contribute to species coexistence.}, } @article {pmid35421438, year = {2022}, author = {Gall, BG and Stokes, AN and Brodie, ED and Brodie, ED}, title = {Tetrodotoxin levels in lab-reared Rough-Skinned Newts (Taricha granulosa) after 3 years and comparison to wild-caught juveniles.}, journal = {Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology}, volume = {213}, number = {}, pages = {7-12}, doi = {10.1016/j.toxicon.2022.04.007}, pmid = {35421438}, issn = {1879-3150}, mesh = {Animals ; *Bacteria ; Female ; Humans ; *Salamandridae ; Symbiosis ; Tetrodotoxin/toxicity ; }, abstract = {The origin and biogenesis of tetrodotoxin (TTX) is one of the most interesting and perplexing questions remaining for TTX researchers. Newts can possess extreme quantities of TTX and are one of the most well-studied of all TTX-bearing organisms, yet seemingly conflicting results between studies on closely related species continues to generate debate. In this study, eggs from 12 female newts (Taricha granulosa) were reared in captivity and the metamorphosed juveniles were fed a TTX-free diet for 3 years. Using a non-lethal sampling technique, we collected skin samples from each individual each year. Wild-caught juveniles from the same population were also sampled for TTX. In lab-reared juveniles, mass increased rapidly, and after only 2 years individuals approached adult body mass. TTX levels increased slowly during the first two years and then jumped considerably in year three when fed a diet free of TTX. However, wild-caught juvenile newts of unknown age were more toxic than their lab-reared counterparts. These results, coupled with additional data on the long-term production and synthesis of TTX in adult newts suggest that TTX is unlikely to come through dietary acquisition, but rather newts may be able to synthesize their own toxin or acquire it from symbiotic bacteria.}, } @article {pmid35363532, year = {2022}, author = {Jhu, MY and Sinha, NR}, title = {Parasitic Plants: An Overview of Mechanisms by Which Plants Perceive and Respond to Parasites.}, journal = {Annual review of plant biology}, volume = {73}, number = {}, pages = {433-455}, doi = {10.1146/annurev-arplant-102820-100635}, pmid = {35363532}, issn = {1545-2123}, mesh = {Animals ; Crops, Agricultural/parasitology ; Host-Parasite Interactions/physiology ; *Parasites ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {In contrast to most autotrophic plants, which produce carbohydrates from carbon dioxide using photosynthesis, parasitic plants obtain water and nutrients by parasitizing host plants. Many important crop plants are infested by these heterotrophic plants, leading to severe agricultural loss and reduced food security. Understanding how host plants perceive and resist parasitic plants provides insight into underlying defense mechanisms and the potential for agricultural applications. In this review, we offer a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of host perception of parasitic plants and the pre-attachment and post-attachment defense responses mounted by the host. Since most current research overlooks the role of organ specificity in resistance responses, we also summarize the current understanding and cases of cross-organ parasitism, which indicates nonconventional haustorial connections on other host organs, for example, when stem parasitic plants form haustoria on their host roots. Understanding how different tissue types respond to parasitic plants could provide the potential for developing a universal resistance mechanism in crops against both root and stem parasitic plants.}, } @article {pmid35338649, year = {2022}, author = {Semchenko, M and Barry, KE and de Vries, FT and Mommer, L and Moora, M and Maciá-Vicente, JG}, title = {Deciphering the role of specialist and generalist plant-microbial interactions as drivers of plant-soil feedback.}, journal = {The New phytologist}, volume = {234}, number = {6}, pages = {1929-1944}, doi = {10.1111/nph.18118}, pmid = {35338649}, issn = {1469-8137}, support = {PRG1065//Eesti Teadusagentuur/ ; 864.14.006//NWO-Vidi/ ; 840035//H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions/ ; 851678//European Commission/ ; }, mesh = {Feedback ; Phylogeny ; Plant Roots/physiology ; Plants ; Rhizosphere ; *Soil ; *Soil Microbiology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Feedback between plants and soil microbial communities can be a powerful driver of vegetation dynamics. Plants elicit changes in the soil microbiome that either promote or suppress conspecifics at the same location, thereby regulating population density-dependence and species co-existence. Such effects are often attributed to the accumulation of host-specific antagonistic or beneficial microbiota in the rhizosphere. However, the identity and host-specificity of the microbial taxa involved are rarely empirically assessed. Here we review the evidence for host-specificity in plant-associated microbes and propose that specific plant-soil feedbacks can also be driven by generalists. We outline the potential mechanisms by which generalist microbial pathogens, mutualists and decomposers can generate differential effects on plant hosts and synthesize existing evidence to predict these effects as a function of plant investments into defence, microbial mutualists and dispersal. Importantly, the capacity of generalist microbiota to drive plant-soil feedbacks depends not only on the traits of individual plants but also on the phylogenetic and functional diversity of plant communities. Identifying factors that promote specialization or generalism in plant-microbial interactions and thereby modulate the impact of microbiota on plant performance will advance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying plant-soil feedback and the ways it contributes to plant co-existence.}, } @article {pmid35331715, year = {2022}, author = {Heckley, AM and de Lira, JJPR and Hendry, AP and Pérez-Jvostov, F}, title = {How might Gyrodactylus parasitism modify trade-offs between female preference and susceptibility of males to predation in Trinidadian guppies?.}, journal = {International journal for parasitology}, volume = {52}, number = {7}, pages = {459-467}, doi = {10.1016/j.ijpara.2022.01.006}, pmid = {35331715}, issn = {1879-0135}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; *Poecilia ; Predatory Behavior ; Reproduction ; Symbiosis ; *Trematoda ; }, abstract = {A number of examples exist of trade-offs between mating success and survival; that is, success in one fitness component comes at the cost of success in the other fitness component. However, these expected trade-offs are - perhaps even more commonly - not observed. One explanation for this apparent paradox of missing trade-offs could be that the other factors generating fitness variation across individuals confound or obscure the expected trade-off. These confounding effects could arise in two general ways: (i) the additional source of variation could positively (or negatively) influence both fitness components ("shared confounder" hypothesis), or (ii) the additional source of variation could influence only one fitness component ("non-shared confounder" hypothesis). We tested whether parasitism by Gyrodactylus spp. could be a confounder of trade-offs between female preference and susceptibility to predation for male Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). As in previous work, we did not find the expected trade-off; that is, the males preferred by females were not more likely to be eaten by predators. Because half of the experimental males were infected by Gyrodactylus in a paired design, we were able to show that females discriminated against infected males, but that infected males were not more susceptible to predation. Our results thus provide support for the non-shared confounder hypothesis. That is, by negatively affecting one fitness component (female choice) but not the other (susceptibility to predation), parasitism by Gyrodactylus could obscure the expected trade-off between female preference and susceptibility to predation.}, } @article {pmid35604874, year = {2022}, author = {Snelders, NC and Rovenich, H and Thomma, BPHJ}, title = {Microbiota manipulation through the secretion of effector proteins is fundamental to the wealth of lifestyles in the fungal kingdom.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology reviews}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/femsre/fuac022}, pmid = {35604874}, issn = {1574-6976}, abstract = {Fungi are well-known decomposers of organic matter that thrive in virtually any environment on earth where they encounter wealths of other microbes. Some fungi evolved symbiotic lifestyles, including pathogens and mutualists, that have mostly been studied in binary interactions with their hosts. However, we now appreciate that such interactions are greatly influenced by the ecological context in which they take place. While establishing their symbioses, fungi not only interact with their hosts, but also with the host-associated microbiota. Thus, they target the host and its associated microbiota as a single holobiont. Recent studies have shown that fungal pathogens manipulate the host microbiota by means of secreted effector proteins with selective antimicrobial activity to stimulate disease development. In this review we discuss the ecological contexts in which such effector-mediated microbiota manipulation is relevant for the fungal lifestyle and argue that this is not only relevant for pathogens of plants and animals, but beneficial in virtually any niche where fungi occur. Moreover, we reason that effector-mediated microbiota manipulation likely evolved already in fungal ancestors that encountered microbial competition long before symbiosis with land plants and mammalian animals evolved. Thus, we claim that effector-mediated microbiota manipulation is fundamental to fungal biology.}, } @article {pmid35604230, year = {2022}, author = {Dominelli, N and Platz, F and Heermann, R}, title = {The Insect Pathogen Photorhabdus luminescens Protects Plants from Phytopathogenic Fusarium graminearum via Chitin Degradation.}, journal = {Applied and environmental microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0064522}, doi = {10.1128/aem.00645-22}, pmid = {35604230}, issn = {1098-5336}, abstract = {Phytopathogens represent a large agricultural challenge. The use of chemical pesticides is harmful to the environment, animals, and humans. Therefore, new sustainable and biological alternatives are urgently needed. The insect-pathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens, already used in combination with entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) as a biocontrol agent, is characterized by two different phenotypic cell forms, called primary (1°) and secondary (2°). The 1° cells are symbiotic with EPNs and are used for biocontrol, and the 2° cells are unable to undergo symbiosis with EPNs, remain in the soil after insect infection, and specifically interact with plant roots. A previous RNA sequencing (RNAseq) analysis showed that genes encoding the exochitinase Chi2A and chitin binding protein (CBP) are highly upregulated in 2° cells exposed to plant root exudates. Here, we investigate Chi2A and CBP functions and demonstrate that both are necessary for P. luminescens 2° cells to inhibit the growth of the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium graminearum. We provide evidence that Chi2A digests chitin and thereby inhibits fungal growth. Furthermore, we show that 2° cells specifically colonize fungal hyphae as one of the first mechanisms to protect plants from fungal phytopathogens. Finally, soil pot bioassays proved plant protection from F. graminearum by 2° cells, where Chi2A and CPB were essential for this process. This work gives molecular insights into the new applicability of P. luminescens as a plant-growth-promoting and plant-protecting organism in agriculture. IMPORTANCE The enteric enterobacterium Photorhabdus luminescens is already being used as a bioinsecticide since it is highly pathogenic toward a broad range of insects. However, the bacteria exist in two phenotypically different cell types, called 1° and 2° cells. Whereas only 1° cells are symbiotic with their nematode partner to infect insects, 2° cells were shown to remain in the soil after an insect infection cycle. It was demonstrated that 2° cells specifically interact with plant roots. Here, we show that the bacteria are beneficial for the plants by protecting them from phytopathogenic fungi. Specific colonization of the fungus mycelium as well as chitin-degrading activity mediated by the chitin binding protein (CBP) and the chitinase Chi2A are essential for this process. Our data give evidence for the novel future applicability of P. luminescens as a plant-growth-promoting organism and biopesticide.}, } @article {pmid35604107, year = {2022}, author = {Ma, Z and Zhao, X and He, A and Cao, Y and Han, Q and Lu, Y and Yong, JWH and Huang, J}, title = {Mycorrhizal symbiosis reprograms ion fluxes and fatty acid metabolism in wild jujube during salt stress.}, journal = {Plant physiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/plphys/kiac239}, pmid = {35604107}, issn = {1532-2548}, abstract = {Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba) is an important fruit tree in China, and soil salinity is the main constraint affecting jujube production. It is unclear how arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis supports jujube adaptation to salt stress. Herein, we performed comparative physiological, ion flux, fatty acid (FA) metabolomic, and transcriptomic analyses to examine the mechanism of AM jujube responding to salt stress. AM seedlings showed better performance during salt stress. AM symbiosis altered phytohormonal levels: IAA and ABA contents were significantly increased in AM roots and reduced by salt stress. Mycorrhizal colonization enhanced root H+ efflux and K+ influx, while inducing expression of plasma membrane-type ATPase 7 (ZjAHA7) and high-affinity K+ transporter 2 (ZjHAK2) in roots. High K+/Na+ homeostasis was maintained throughout salt exposure. FA content was elevated in AM leaves as well as roots, especially for palmitic acid, oleic acid, trans oleic acid, and linoleic acid, and similar effects were also observed in AM poplar (P. alba × P. glandulosa cv. 84K) and Medicago truncatula, indicating AM symbiosis elevating FA levels could be a conserved physiological effect. Gene co-expression network analyses uncovered a core gene set including 267 genes in roots associated with AM symbiosis and conserved transcriptional responses, e.g., FA metabolism, phytohormone signal transduction, SNARE interaction in vesicular transport, and biotin metabolism. In contrast to widely up-regulated genes related to FA metabolism in AM roots, limited genes were affected in leaves. We propose a model of AM symbiosis-linked reprogramming of FA metabolism and provide a comprehensive insight into AM symbiosis with a woody species adaptation to salt stress.}, } @article {pmid35603562, year = {2022}, author = {Gore, MN and Patwardhan, AR}, title = {Disparities in the Cost of Living Adjusted Earnings of Female Sex Workers in India, Thailand, and the USA: A Need to Create an Equitable Economic Survival of Female Sex Workers.}, journal = {Journal of primary care & community health}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {21501319221101857}, doi = {10.1177/21501319221101857}, pmid = {35603562}, issn = {2150-1327}, abstract = {Financial necessity and desperation is the primary reason for females to enter into sex work. The health and well-being of female sex workers (FSWs) depend on the balance between their earnings and the cost of living in their local environment. Therefore it would be of value to examine the comparative cost of living adjusted earnings of FSWs in different countries to gauge equity or its absence in their financial state. Data about per client per encounter earnings for FSWs in Pune, India was taken from primary research conducted by the first author. Equivalent secondary data was acquired for the US and Thailand from an online literature review. Earnings after converting to US dollar values were adjusted against the cost of living in the respective environments of the FSWs and then compared. An FSW in India, (Pune) earned on the average US $4.40 after adjusting for the cost of living locally, while in Thailand (Bangkok) the equivalent earning was US $18.77 and in the US (Washington DC region) it was $101.79. These results suggest that an FSW in the US earns 23 times more, and a Thai FSW earns 4 times more than an FSW in India. There are numerous variables that affect the earnings of an FSW and the limited defined scope of this paper based on available data does not permit detailed analyses of causal or intermediate influencing factors. Nonetheless, it can be said with reasonable confidence that much needs to be done and can be done to mitigate the earning disparity, particularly in an emerging economy like India as shown in this small study, and that can perhaps be done best under the umbrella domain of a "harm reduction approach."}, } @article {pmid35602666, year = {2022}, author = {Das, D and Sarkar, A and Debroy, A}, title = {Impact of COVID-19 on changing consumer behaviour: Lessons from an emerging economy.}, journal = {International journal of consumer studies}, volume = {46}, number = {3}, pages = {692-715}, doi = {10.1111/ijcs.12786}, pmid = {35602666}, issn = {1470-6423}, abstract = {The present study investigates the impact of COVID-19 on Consumers' changing way of life and buying behaviour based on their socio-economic backgrounds. A questionnaire survey was carried out to understand the impact of COVID-19 on consumers' affordability, lifestyle, and health awareness and how these effects influenced their buying behaviour. A total of 425 usable responses were analysed using the structural equation modelling considering Consumers' socio-economic background as exogenous variables and Consumers' changing way of life and Adaptation in consumers' buying behaviour as endogenous variables. The study reveals that COVID-19 has affected the consumers in the unorganised sectors more than others and induced an increase in the demand for affordable substitutes for daily necessities. The demand for wellness and entertainment products is found to depend upon the occupation and family earning status of consumers which is jointly mediated by affordability and lifestyle changes. Further, the findings show that the demand for health and hygiene products depends on the current employment status and family earning status of consumers which is jointly mediated by affordability and awareness towards health and hygiene. The model developed in the present study allows the decision-makers to identify which segments of the population with certain socio-economic backgrounds could be targeted for wellness products and which ones could be targeted for health and hygiene products. In addition, the model provides rich insights to the managers as to what kind of product substitution would be viable in the market during the pandemic.}, } @article {pmid35602532, year = {2022}, author = {Vishnu, RA and Alamelu, S and Arun, KV and Sujitha, P and Ganesh, PR}, title = {Comparative evaluation of subgingival microbiome in healthy periodontium and gingivitis using next-generation sequencing technology: A case-control study.}, journal = {Journal of Indian Society of Periodontology}, volume = {26}, number = {3}, pages = {224-229}, doi = {10.4103/jisp.jisp_837_20}, pmid = {35602532}, issn = {0972-124X}, abstract = {Background: Human dental plaque is a complex microbial community containing millions of species. Gingivitis is a dysregulated immune-inflammatory response induced by dysbiotic plaque biofilm that interrupts symbiosis. The emergence of next-generation sequencing with 16S rRNA gene has greatly contributed in understanding the complexity of microbiota. However, studies focusing on microbiome in gingivitis are limited. The whole bacterial community is important in causing periodontal disease than a small number of periodontal pathogens. In this study, we attempted to profile the subgingival microbiome from individuals with healthy gingiva and in patients with gingivitis using next-generation sequencing technology.

Materials and Methods: Subgingival plaque samples from 15 healthy periodontium (Group I) and 15 gingivitis (Group II) were collected and 16s rRNA sequencing was done in Illumina Solexa Sequencer. Data analysis using 16s metagenomics tool from BaseSpace onsite operational taxonomic units was assigned to each sequence using HOMD database. Individual variation in the microbiome of the subgingival samples between the two groups was also evaluated.

Results: The comparison of top 20 species between Group I and Group II revealed no significant species group between them. Synergistetes was absent in Group I samples but found in Group II. At the genus level, HACEK group species were found in both the groups, while Dialister and Aneroglobus were found abundantly in the Group II.

Conclusion: The presence of unique genera and species seen in Group II samples could point toward a dysbiotic shift that could be taking place in the subgingival environment leading to gingivitis.}, } @article {pmid35602150, year = {2022}, author = {Mishra, S and Shaw, K and Mishra, D and Patil, S and Kotecha, K and Kumar, S and Bajaj, S}, title = {Improving the Accuracy of Ensemble Machine Learning Classification Models Using a Novel Bit-Fusion Algorithm for Healthcare AI Systems.}, journal = {Frontiers in public health}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {858282}, doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2022.858282}, pmid = {35602150}, issn = {2296-2565}, abstract = {Healthcare AI systems exclusively employ classification models for disease detection. However, with the recent research advances into this arena, it has been observed that single classification models have achieved limited accuracy in some cases. Employing fusion of multiple classifiers outputs into a single classification framework has been instrumental in achieving greater accuracy and performing automated big data analysis. The article proposes a bit fusion ensemble algorithm that minimizes the classification error rate and has been tested on various datasets. Five diversified base classifiers k- nearest neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), Decision Tree (D.T.), and Naïve Bayesian Classifier (N.B.), are used in the implementation model. Bit fusion algorithm works on the individual input from the classifiers. Decision vectors of the base classifier are weighted transformed into binary bits by comparing with high-reliability threshold parameters. The output of each base classifier is considered as soft class vectors (CV). These vectors are weighted, transformed and compared with a high threshold value of initialized δ = 0.9 for reliability. Binary patterns are extracted, and the model is trained and tested again. The standard fusion approach and proposed bit fusion algorithm have been compared by average error rate. The error rate of the Bit-fusion algorithm has been observed with the values 5.97, 12.6, 4.64, 0, 0, 27.28 for Leukemia, Breast cancer, Lung Cancer, Hepatitis, Lymphoma, Embryonal Tumors, respectively. The model is trained and tested over datasets from UCI, UEA, and UCR repositories as well which also have shown reduction in the error rates.}, } @article {pmid35602056, year = {2022}, author = {Ren, CG and Kong, CC and Liu, ZY and Zhong, ZH and Yang, JC and Wang, XL and Qin, S}, title = {A Perspective on Developing a Plant 'Holobiont' for Future Saline Agriculture.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {763014}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.763014}, pmid = {35602056}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Soil salinity adversely affects plant growth and has become a major limiting factor for agricultural development worldwide. There is a continuing demand for sustainable technology innovation in saline agriculture. Among various bio-techniques being used to reduce the salinity hazard, symbiotic microorganisms such as rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi have proved to be efficient. These symbiotic associations each deploy an array of well-tuned mechanisms to provide salinity tolerance for the plant. In this review, we first comprehensively cover major research advances in symbiont-induced salinity tolerance in plants. Second, we describe the common signaling process used by legumes to control symbiosis establishment with rhizobia and AM fungi. Multi-omics technologies have enabled us to identify and characterize more genes involved in symbiosis, and eventually, map out the key signaling pathways. These developments have laid the foundation for technological innovations that use symbiotic microorganisms to improve crop salt tolerance on a larger scale. Thus, with the aim of better utilizing symbiotic microorganisms in saline agriculture, we propose the possibility of developing non-legume 'holobionts' by taking advantage of newly developed genome editing technology. This will open a new avenue for capitalizing on symbiotic microorganisms to enhance plant saline tolerance for increased sustainability and yields in saline agriculture.}, } @article {pmid35600742, year = {2022}, author = {Talwar, N and Holden, NM}, title = {The limitations of bioeconomy LCA studies for understanding the transition to sustainable bioeconomy.}, journal = {The international journal of life cycle assessment}, volume = {27}, number = {5}, pages = {680-703}, doi = {10.1007/s11367-022-02053-w}, pmid = {35600742}, issn = {0948-3349}, abstract = {Purpose: Transition to bioeconomy requires all actors and stakeholders to measure the impact of systems that use bioresources and technologies to provision society. There are however some challenges with integrating LCA into business development and management, which have important implications for bioeconomy. There have been many LCA studies published in the twenty-first century, but the question must be answered: how useful are these LCA studies to help understand and manage transition to sustainable bioeconomy?

Method: This research used a structured literature review to identify 83 bioeconomy LCA studies published from January 2006 to June 2021 (excluding bioenergy). The studies were analysed for compliance with the ISO 14044 standard, with specific reference to the goal, commissioning perspective, system boundary, function and functional unit, impact methods and categories.

Results and discussions: It was found that more than 85% of the studies reviewed failed to present the required goal statement and a description of the function of the system. Nearly 13% of the studies did not define the system boundary, and only 17% included a full life cycle including raw material extraction, production, use and end-of-life stages. The majority of the LCA studies surveyed from 2006 to 2021 were either (i) not in compliance with the ISO standards or (ii) space and style limitations of the publication process prevented competent practitioners from properly conveying their work. This suggests that the value and integrity of the literature are undermined by not rigorously addressing the first and most important stage of an LCA study.

Conclusion: When interpreting the results, a major shortcoming noted was that most studies did not consider the industrial symbiosis needed between feedstock, technology, primary products, side streams, downstream valorisation and long-term circularity in order to properly understand the transition pathways required. Bioeconomy technologies were imagined as displacers for feedstocks and processes to adapt business as usual, rather than as transformers of the system to a sustainable footing.

Recommendation: If LCA studies are going to provide meaningful information for actors and stakeholders to assess whether a system will be able to operate sustainably, studies should include a full, integrated system, standards should be adhered to and approaches should perhaps go beyond mere eco-efficiency, or doing less harm, as these are not necessarily indicative of sustainability. Historical bioeconomy LCA studies do not provide great insight into the transition to sustainable bioeconomy.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11367-022-02053-w.}, } @article {pmid35599880, year = {2022}, author = {Khatri, R and Pant, SR and Sharma, K and Niraula, PM and Lawaju, BR and Lawrence, KS and Alkharouf, NW and Klink, VP}, title = {Glycine max Homologs of DOESN'T MAKE INFECTIONS 1, 2, and 3 Function to Impair Heterodera glycines Parasitism While Also Regulating Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Expression.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {842597}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.842597}, pmid = {35599880}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {Glycine max root cells developing into syncytia through the parasitic activities of the pathogenic nematode Heterodera glycines underwent isolation by laser microdissection (LM). Microarray analyses have identified the expression of a G. max DOESN'T MAKE INFECTIONS3 (DMI3) homolog in syncytia undergoing parasitism but during a defense response. DMI3 encodes part of the common symbiosis pathway (CSP) involving DMI1, DMI2, and other CSP genes. The identified DMI gene expression, and symbiosis role, suggests the possible existence of commonalities between symbiosis and defense. G. max has 3 DMI1, 12 DMI2, and 2 DMI3 paralogs. LM-assisted gene expression experiments of isolated syncytia under further examination here show G. max DMI1-3, DMI2-7, and DMI3-2 expression occurring during the defense response in the H. glycines-resistant genotypes G.max [Peking/PI548402] and G.max [PI88788] indicating a broad and consistent level of expression of the genes. Transgenic overexpression (OE) of G. max DMI1-3, DMI2-7, and DMI3-2 impairs H. glycines parasitism. RNA interference (RNAi) of G. max DMI1-3, DMI2-7, and DMI3-2 increases H. glycines parasitism. The combined opposite outcomes reveal a defense function for these genes. Prior functional transgenic analyses of the 32-member G. max mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) gene family has determined that 9 of them act in the defense response to H. glycines parasitism, referred to as defense MAPKs. RNA-seq analyses of root RNA isolated from the 9 G. max defense MAPKs undergoing OE or RNAi reveal they alter the relative transcript abundances (RTAs) of specific DMI1, DMI2, and DMI3 paralogs. In contrast, transgenically-manipulated DMI1-3, DMI2-7, and DMI3-2 expression influences MAPK3-1 and MAPK3-2 RTAs under certain circumstances. The results show G. max homologs of the CSP, and defense pathway are linked, apparently involving co-regulated gene expression.}, } @article {pmid35592653, year = {2022}, author = {Verhoeve, VI and Fauntleroy, TD and Risteen, RG and Driscoll, TP and Gillespie, JJ}, title = {Cryptic Genes for Interbacterial Antagonism Distinguish Rickettsia Species Infecting Blacklegged Ticks From Other Rickettsia Pathogens.}, journal = {Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {880813}, pmid = {35592653}, issn = {2235-2988}, mesh = {Animals ; Antidotes ; Humans ; *Ixodes/microbiology ; Mammals ; Phylogeny ; *Rickettsia/genetics ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Background: The genus Rickettsia (Alphaproteobacteria: Rickettsiales) encompasses numerous obligate intracellular species with predominantly ciliate and arthropod hosts. Notable species are pathogens transmitted to mammals by blood-feeding arthropods. Mammalian pathogenicity evolved from basal, non-pathogenic host-associations; however, some non-pathogens are closely related to pathogens. One such species, Rickettsia buchneri, is prevalent in the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis. While I. scapularis transmits several pathogens to humans, it does not transmit Rickettsia pathogens. We hypothesize that R. buchneri established a mutualism with I. scapularis, blocking tick superinfection with Rickettsia pathogens.

Methods: To improve estimates for assessing R. buchneri infection frequency in blacklegged tick populations, we used comparative genomics to identify an R. buchneri gene (REIS_1424) not present in other Rickettsia species present throughout the I. scapularis geographic range. Bioinformatic and phylogenomics approaches were employed to propose a function for the hypothetical protein (263 aa) encoded by REIS_1424.

Results: REIS_1424 has few analogs in other Rickettsiales genomes and greatest similarity to non-Proteobacteria proteins. This cohort of proteins varies greatly in size and domain composition, possessing characteristics of Recombination hotspot (Rhs) and contact dependent growth inhibition (CDI) toxins, with similarity limited to proximal C-termini (~145 aa). This domain was named CDI-like/Rhs-like C-terminal toxin (CRCT). As such proteins are often found as toxin-antidote (TA) modules, we interrogated REIS_1423 (151 aa) as a putative antidote. Indeed, REIS_1423 is similar to proteins encoded upstream of CRCT domain-containing proteins. Accordingly, we named these proteins CDI-like/Rhs-like C-terminal toxin antidotes (CRCA). R. buchneri expressed both REIS_1423 and REIS_1424 in tick cell culture, and PCR assays showed specificity for R. buchneri over other rickettsiae and utility for positive detection in three tick populations. Finally, phylogenomics analyses uncovered divergent CRCT/CRCA modules in varying states of conservation; however, only R. buchneri and related Tamurae/Ixodes Group rickettsiae carry complete TA modules.

Conclusion: We hypothesize that Rickettsia CRCT/CRCA modules circulate in the Rickettsia mobile gene pool, arming rickettsiae for battle over arthropod colonization. While its functional significance remains to be tested, R. buchneri CRCT/CRCA serves as a marker to positively identify infection and begin deciphering the role this endosymbiont plays in the biology of the blacklegged tick.}, } @article {pmid35597849, year = {2022}, author = {Zarka, J and De Wint, FC and De Bruyn, L and Bonte, D and Parmentier, T}, title = {Dissecting the costs of a facultative symbiosis in an isopod living with ants.}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35597849}, issn = {1432-1939}, support = {1203020N//Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek/ ; 30257865//Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS/ ; }, abstract = {The balance between costs and benefits is expected to drive associations between species. While these balances are well understood for strict associations, we have no insights to which extent they determine facultative associations between species. Here, we quantified the costs of living in a facultative association, by studying the effects of red wood ants on the facultatively associated isopod Porcellio scaber. Porcellio scaber frequently occurred in and near hostile red wood ant nests and might outnumber obligate nest associates. The facultative association involved different costs for the isopod. We found that the density of the isopod decreases near the nest with higher ant traffic. Individuals in and near the nest were smaller than individuals further away from the nest. Smaller individuals were also found at sites with higher ant traffic. A higher proportion of wounded individuals was found closer to the nest and with higher ant traffic. We recorded pregnant females and juveniles in the nest suggesting that the life cycle can be completed inside the nests. Lab experiments showed that females died sooner and invested less in reproduction in presence of red wood ants. Porcellio scaber rarely provoked an aggression response, but large numbers were carried as prey to the nest. These preyed isopods were mainly dried out corpses. Our results showed that the ant association incurred several costs for a facultative associate. Consequently, red wood ant nests and their surrounding territory act as an alternative habitat where demographic costs are offset by a stable resource provisioning and protection.}, } @article {pmid35597531, year = {2022}, author = {Boubakri, H and Najjar, E and Jihnaoui, N and Chihaoui, SA and Barhoumi, F and Jebara, M}, title = {Genome-wide identification, characterization and expression analysis of glutaredoxin gene family (Grxs) in Phaseolus vulgaris.}, journal = {Gene}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {146591}, doi = {10.1016/j.gene.2022.146591}, pmid = {35597531}, issn = {1879-0038}, abstract = {Glutaredoxins (Grxs) are ubiquitous oxidoreductase proteins implicated in development and abiotic stress response mainly through maintaining redox homoeostasis. Here, we conducted the first systematic analysis of the Grx gene family (PvGrx) in the most popular legume Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean). A total of 50 PvGrx genes were identified, and divided into four classes (CC-type, CGFS-type, CPYC-type and Grl-type) based on the phylogenetic analysis. The different classes have different introns-exons structures and conserved motifs, indicating functional divergence in the PvGrx family. Both tandem and segmental duplications were found to be involved in the expansion of PvGrx family that underwent a purifying selection by excluding the deleterious loss-of-function mutations. Cis-acting regulatory elements and gene ontology analyses predicted their role of distinctive members in abiotic stress response and hormonal signalling. RNA-seq based expression analysis revealed their differential expression pattern during plant development. On the other hand, RT q-PCR analysis revealed that target PvGrx isoforms were associated with nodule organogenesis and symbiosis based on their expression profiles. In addition, a battery of PvGrx candidates were markedly upregulated by different abiotic stressors suggesting their broad spectrum of functions. These findings serve as a reference for functional analysis and genetic improvement in P. vulgaris and related legume species.}, } @article {pmid35597380, year = {2022}, author = {Nisar, A and Ajabia, DK and Agrawal, SB and Varma, S and Chaudhari, BP and Tupe, RS}, title = {Mechanistic insight into differential interactions of iron oxide nanoparticles with native, glycated albumin and their effect on erythrocytes parameters.}, journal = {International journal of biological macromolecules}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.05.106}, pmid = {35597380}, issn = {1879-0003}, abstract = {Nanoparticles and protein bioconjugates have been studied for multiple biomedical applications. We sought to investigate the interaction and structural modifications of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs). The IONPs were green synthesized using E. crassipes aqueous leaf extract following characterization using transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and X-Ray Diffraction. Two different concentrations of native/glycated albumin (0.5 and 1.5 mg/ml) with IONPs were allowed to interact for 1 h at 37 °C. Glycation markers, protein modification markers, cellular antioxidant, and hemolysis studies showed structural modifications and conformational changes in albumin due to the presence of IONPs. UV-Visible absorbance resulted in hyperchromic and bathochromic effects of IONPs-BSA conjugates. Fluorescence measurements of tyrosine, tryptophan, advanced glycated end products, and ANS binding assay were promising and quenching effects proved IONPs-BSA conjugate formation. In FTIR of BSA-IONPs, transmittance was increased in amide A and B bands while decreased in amide I and II bands. In summary, native PAGE, HPLC, and FTIR analysis displayed a differential behaviour of IONPs with native and glycated BSA. These results provided an understanding of the interaction and structural modifications of glycated and native BSA which may provide fundamental repercussions in future studies.}, } @article {pmid35596782, year = {2022}, author = {Watts-Williams, SJ}, title = {Track and trace: how soil labelling techniques have revealed the secrets of resource transport in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis.}, journal = {Mycorrhiza}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35596782}, issn = {1432-1890}, support = {DE210100908//Australian Research Council/ ; }, abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi colonise plant roots, and by doing so forge the 'mycorrhizal uptake pathway(s)' (MUP) that provide passageways for the trade of resources across a specialised membrane at the plant-fungus interface. The transport of nutrients such as phosphorus (P), nitrogen and zinc from the fungus, and carbon from the plant, via the MUP have mostly been quantified using stable or radioactive isotope labelling of soil in a specialised hyphae-only compartment. Recent advances in the study of AM fungi have used tracing studies to better understand how the AM association will function in a changing climate, the extent to which the MUP can contribute to P uptake by important crops, and how AM fungi trade resources in interaction with plants, other AM fungi, and friend and foe in the soil microbiome. The existing work together with well-designed future experiments will provide a valuable assessment of the potential for AM fungi to play a role in the sustainability of managed and natural systems in a changing climate.}, } @article {pmid35591984, year = {2022}, author = {Quach, QN and Gardner, DR and Clay, K and Cook, D}, title = {Phylogenetic Patterns of Swainsonine Presence in Morning Glories.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {871148}, pmid = {35591984}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Endosymbionts play important roles in the life cycles of many macro-organisms. The indolizidine alkaloid swainsonine is produced by heritable fungi that occurs in diverse plant families, such as locoweeds (Fabaceae) and morning glories (Convolvulaceae) plus two species of Malvaceae. Swainsonine is known for its toxic effects on livestock following the ingestion of locoweeds and the potential for pharmaceutical applications. We sampled and tested herbarium seed samples (n = 983) from 244 morning glory species for the presence of swainsonine and built a phylogeny based on available internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of the sampled species. We show that swainsonine occurs only in a single morning glory clade and host species are established on multiple continents. Our results further indicate that this symbiosis developed ∼5 mya and that swainsonine-positive species have larger seeds than their uninfected conspecifics.}, } @article {pmid35590396, year = {2022}, author = {Unzueta-Martínez, A and Scanes, E and Parker, LM and Ross, PM and O'Connor, W and Bowen, JL}, title = {Microbiomes of the Sydney Rock Oyster are acquired through both vertical and horizontal transmission.}, journal = {Animal microbiome}, volume = {4}, number = {1}, pages = {32}, pmid = {35590396}, issn = {2524-4671}, support = {1938052//National Science Foundation/ ; 1451070//National Science Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The term holobiont is widely accepted to describe animal hosts and their associated microorganisms. The genomes of all that the holobiont encompasses, are termed the hologenome and it has been proposed as a unit of selection in evolution. To demonstrate that natural selection acts on the hologenome, a significant portion of the associated microbial genomes should be transferred between generations. Using the Sydney Rock Oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) as a model, we tested if the microbes of this broadcast spawning species could be passed down to the next generation by conducting single parent crosses and tracking the microbiome from parent to offspring and throughout early larval stages using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. From each cross, we sampled adult tissues (mantle, gill, stomach, gonad, eggs or sperm), larvae (D-veliger, umbo, eyed pediveliger, and spat), and the surrounding environment (water and algae feed) for microbial community analysis.

RESULTS: We found that each larval stage has a distinct microbiome that is partially influenced by their parental microbiome, particularly the maternal egg microbiome. We also demonstrate the presence of core microbes that are consistent across all families, persist throughout early life stages (from eggs to spat), and are not detected in the microbiomes of the surrounding environment. In addition to the core microbiomes that span all life cycle stages, there is also evidence of environmentally acquired microbial communities, with earlier larval stages (D-veliger and umbo), more influenced by seawater microbiomes, and later larval stages (eyed pediveliger and spat) dominated by microbial members that are specific to oysters and not detected in the surrounding environment.

CONCLUSION: Our study characterized the succession of oyster larvae microbiomes from gametes to spat and tracked selected members that persisted across multiple life stages. Overall our findings suggest that both horizontal and vertical transmission routes are possible for the complex microbial communities associated with a broadcast spawning marine invertebrate. We demonstrate that not all members of oyster-associated microbiomes are governed by the same ecological dynamics, which is critical for determining what constitutes a hologenome.}, } @article {pmid35589814, year = {2022}, author = {Drury, C and Bean, NK and Harris, CI and Hancock, JR and Huckeba, J and H, CM and Roach, TNF and Quinn, RA and Gates, RD}, title = {Intrapopulation adaptive variance supports thermal tolerance in a reef-building coral.}, journal = {Communications biology}, volume = {5}, number = {1}, pages = {486}, pmid = {35589814}, issn = {2399-3642}, abstract = {Coral holobionts are multi-species assemblages, which adds significant complexity to genotype-phenotype connections underlying ecologically important traits like coral bleaching. Small scale heterogeneity in bleaching is ubiquitous in the absence of strong environmental gradients, which provides adaptive variance needed for the long-term persistence of coral reefs. We used RAD-seq, qPCR and LC-MS/MS metabolomics to characterize host genomic variation, symbiont community and biochemical correlates in two bleaching phenotypes of the vertically transmitting coral Montipora capitata. Phenotype was driven by symbiosis state and host genetic variance. We documented 5 gene ontologies that were significantly associated with both the binary bleaching phenotype and symbiont composition, representing functions that confer a phenotype via host-symbiont interactions. We bred these corals and show that symbiont communities were broadly conserved in bulk-crosses, resulting in significantly higher survivorship under temperature stress in juveniles, but not larvae, from tolerant parents. Using a select and re-sequence approach, we document numerous gene ontologies selected by heat stress, some of which (cell signaling, antioxidant activity, pH regulation) have unique selection dynamics in larvae from thermally tolerant parents. These data show that vertically transmitting corals may have an adaptive advantage under climate change if host and symbiont variance interact to influence bleaching phenotype.}, } @article {pmid35583775, year = {2022}, author = {Passarge, A and Doehlemann, G and Misas Villamil, JC}, title = {Detection of Apoplastic Protease Inhibitors Using Convolution Activity-Based Protein Profiling.}, journal = {Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)}, volume = {2447}, number = {}, pages = {95-104}, pmid = {35583775}, issn = {1940-6029}, mesh = {*Cysteine Proteases ; Enzyme Inhibitors ; *Lolium ; Protease Inhibitors/pharmacology ; Proteome ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) is a powerful tool in biological chemistry to monitor protein activity using chemical probes that bind covalently and irreversible to active site of enzymes such as proteases. To date, there are three different ways to experimentally use ABPP: comparative, competitive, and convolution ABPP. Here we use and describe the convolution ABPP approach, a method used to detect changes in protease inhibitor abundance in different proteomes. We have applied this method to monitor the activity of Lolium perenne apoplastic cysteine proteases during the interaction with the fungal endophyte Epichloë festucae. We describe the method to isolate apoplastic fluids from infected and uninfected L. perenne ryegrass leaves and the protocol to perform a convolution ABPP experiment. Furthermore, we report how to quantify and analyze fluorescent gels obtained from the ABPP labeling.}, } @article {pmid35576077, year = {2022}, author = {Sarkar, I and Sen, G and Bhattacharyya, S and Gtari, M and Sen, A}, title = {Inter-cluster competition and resource partitioning may govern the ecology of Frankia.}, journal = {Archives of microbiology}, volume = {204}, number = {6}, pages = {326}, pmid = {35576077}, issn = {1432-072X}, mesh = {*Frankia/genetics ; *Microbiota ; Phylogeny ; Plants ; Symbiosis/genetics ; }, abstract = {Microbes live in a complex communal ecosystem. The structural complexity of microbial community reflects diversity, functionality, as well as habitat type. Delineation of ecologically important microbial populations along with exploration of their roles in environmental adaptation or host-microbe interaction has a crucial role in modern microbiology. In this scenario, reverse ecology (the use of genomics to study ecology) plays a pivotal role. Since the co-existence of two different genera in one small niche should maintain a strict direct interaction, it will be interesting to utilize the concept of reverse ecology in this scenario. Here, we exploited an 'R' package, the RevEcoR, to resolve the issue of co-existing microbes which are proven to be a crucial tool for identifying the nature of their relationship (competition or complementation) persisting among them. Our target organism here is Frankia, a nitrogen-fixing actinobacterium popular for its genetic and host-specific nature. According to their plant host, Frankia has already been sub-divided into four clusters C-I, C-II, C-III, and C-IV. Our results revealed a strong competing nature of CI Frankia. Among the clusters of Frankia studied, the competition index between C-I and C-III was the largest. The other interesting result was the co-occurrence of C-II and C-IV groups. It was revealed that these two groups follow the theory of resource partitioning in their lifestyle. Metabolic analysis along with their differential transporter machinery validated our hypothesis of resource partitioning among C-II and C-IV groups.}, } @article {pmid35522718, year = {2022}, author = {Smith, TE and Li, Y and Perreau, J and Moran, NA}, title = {Elucidation of host and symbiont contributions to peptidoglycan metabolism based on comparative genomics of eight aphid subfamilies and their Buchnera.}, journal = {PLoS genetics}, volume = {18}, number = {5}, pages = {e1010195}, pmid = {35522718}, issn = {1553-7404}, mesh = {Animals ; *Aphids/genetics/microbiology ; *Buchnera/genetics/metabolism ; Genes, Bacterial ; Genomics ; Peptidoglycan/genetics/metabolism ; Phylogeny ; Symbiosis/genetics ; }, abstract = {Pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) are insects containing genes of bacterial origin with putative functions in peptidoglycan (PGN) metabolism. Of these, rlpA1-5, amiD, and ldcA are highly expressed in bacteriocytes, specialized aphid cells that harbor the obligate bacterial symbiont Buchnera aphidicola, required for amino acid supplementation of the host's nutrient-poor diet. Despite genome reduction associated with endosymbiosis, pea aphid Buchnera retains genes for the synthesis of PGN while Buchnera of many other aphid species partially or completely lack these genes. To explore the evolution of aphid horizontally-transferred genes (HTGs) and to elucidate how host and symbiont genes contribute to PGN production, we sequenced genomes from four deeply branching lineages, such that paired aphid and Buchnera genomes are now available for 17 species representing eight subfamilies. We identified all host and symbiont genes putatively involved in PGN metabolism. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that each HTG family was present in the aphid shared ancestor, but that each underwent a unique pattern of gene loss or duplication in descendant lineages. While four aphid rlpA gene subfamilies show no relation to symbiont PGN gene repertoire, the loss of aphid amiD and ldcA HTGs coincides with the loss of symbiont PGN metabolism genes. In particular, the coincident loss of host amiD and symbiont murCEF in tribe Aphidini, in contrast to tribe Macrosiphini, suggests either 1) functional linkage between these host and symbiont genes, or 2) Aphidini has lost functional PGN synthesis and other retained PGN pathway genes are non-functional. To test these hypotheses experimentally, we used cell-wall labeling methods involving a d-alanine probe and found that both Macrosiphini and Aphidini retain Buchnera PGN synthesis. Our results imply that compensatory adaptations can preserve PGN synthesis despite the loss of some genes considered essential for this pathway, highlighting the importance of the cell wall in these symbioses.}, } @article {pmid35586129, year = {2022}, author = {Rosani, U}, title = {Tracing RNA viruses associated with Nudibranchia gastropods.}, journal = {PeerJ}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {e13410}, doi = {10.7717/peerj.13410}, pmid = {35586129}, issn = {2167-8359}, abstract = {Background: Nudibranchia is an under-studied taxonomic group of gastropods, including more than 3,000 species with colourful and extravagant body shapes and peculiar predatory and defensive strategies. Although symbiosis with bacteria has been reported, no data are available for the nudibranch microbiome nor regarding viruses possibly associated with these geographically widespread species.

Methods: Based on 47 available RNA sequencing datasets including more than two billion reads of 35 nudibranch species, a meta-transcriptome assembly was constructed. Taxonomic searches with DIAMOND, RNA-dependent-RNA-polymerase identification with palmscan and viral hallmark genes identification by VirSorter2 in combination with CheckV were applied to identify genuine viral genomes, which were then annotated using CAT.

Results: A total of 20 viral genomes were identified as bona fide viruses, among 552 putative viral contigs resembling both RNA viruses of the Negarnaviricota, Pisuviricota, Kitrinoviricota phyla and actively transcribing DNA viruses of the Cossaviricota and Nucleocytoviricota phyla. The 20 commonly identified viruses showed similarity with RNA viruses identified in other RNA-seq experiments and can be putatively associated with bacteria, plant and arthropod hosts by co-occurence analysis. The RNA samples having the highest viral abundances showed a heterogenous and mostly sample-specific distribution of the identified viruses, suggesting that nudibranchs possess diversified and mostly unknown viral communities.}, } @article {pmid35582011, year = {2021}, author = {Chetta, P and Zadra, G}, title = {Metabolic reprogramming as an emerging mechanism of resistance to endocrine therapies in prostate cancer.}, journal = {Cancer drug resistance (Alhambra, Calif.)}, volume = {4}, number = {1}, pages = {143-162}, pmid = {35582011}, issn = {2578-532X}, abstract = {Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the US. Androgen receptor (AR) signaling is the driver of both PCa development and progression and, thus, the major target of current in-use therapies. However, despite the survival benefit of second-generation inhibitors of AR signaling in the metastatic setting, resistance mechanisms inevitably occur. Thus, novel strategies are required to circumvent resistance occurrence and thereby to improve PCa survival. Among the key cellular processes that are regulated by androgens, metabolic reprogramming stands out because of its intricate links with cancer cell biology. In this review, we discuss how cancer metabolism and lipid metabolism in particular are regulated by androgens and contribute to the acquisition of resistance to endocrine therapy. We describe the interplay between genetic alterations, metabolic vulnerabilities and castration resistance. Since PCa cells adapt their metabolism to excess nutrient supply to promote cancer progression, we review our current knowledge on the association between diet/obesity and resistance to anti-androgen therapies. We briefly describe the metabolic symbiosis between PCa cells and tumor microenvironment and how this crosstalk might contribute to PCa progression. We discuss how tackling PCa metabolic vulnerabilities represents a potential approach of synthetic lethality to endocrine therapies. Finally, we describe how the continuous advances in analytical technologies and metabolic imaging have led to the identification of potential new prognostic and predictive biomarkers, and non-invasive approaches to monitor therapy response.}, } @article {pmid35581301, year = {2022}, author = {Kawarai, S and Taira, K and Shimono, A and Takeshita, T and Takeda, S and Mizunoya, W and Yamazaki, Y and Moriya, S and Minami, M}, title = {Author Correction: Seasonal and geographical differences in the ruminal microbial and chloroplast composition of sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Japan.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {8219}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-022-12520-x}, pmid = {35581301}, issn = {2045-2322}, } @article {pmid35580031, year = {2022}, author = {Yoshikawa, A and Izumi, T and Moritaki, T and Kimura, T and Yanagi, K}, title = {Carcinoecium-Forming Sea Anemone Stylobates calcifer sp. nov. (Cnidaria, Actiniaria, Actiniidae) from the Japanese Deep-Sea Floor: A Taxonomical Description with Its Ecological Observations.}, journal = {The Biological bulletin}, volume = {242}, number = {2}, pages = {127-152}, doi = {10.1086/719160}, pmid = {35580031}, issn = {1939-8697}, mesh = {Animals ; *Anomura/physiology ; Japan ; Phylogeny ; *Sea Anemones/physiology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {AbstractHere we describe Stylobates calcifer sp. nov. (Cnidaria, Actiniaria, Actiniidae), a new carcinoecium-forming sea anemone from the deep-sea floor of Japan. Stylobates produces a carcinoecium that thinly covers the snail shells inhabited by host hermit crabs Pagurodofleinia doederleini. The new species is distinct from other species by the shape of the marginal sphincter muscle, the distribution of cnidae, the direction of the oral disk, and host association. The species' novelty is supported by the data of its mitochondrial genes 12S, 16S, and COIII and nuclear genes 18S and 28S. Also, we conducted behavioral observation of this new species, focusing on the feeding behavior and interaction with the specific host hermit crab. Our observations suggest that this sea anemone potentially feeds on the suspended particulate organic matter from the water column or the food residuals of hermit crabs. When the host's shell changed, intensive manipulation for transference of S. calcifer sp. nov. was recorded. However, although the hermit crab detached and transferred the sea anemone to the new shell after shell change, the sea anemone did not exhibit active or cooperative participation. Our data suggest that the sea anemone may not produce a carcinoecium synchronously to its host's growth, contrary to the anecdotal assumption about carcinoecium-forming sea anemones. Conversely, the host hermit crab's growth may not depend entirely on the carcinoecium produced by the sea anemone. This study is perhaps the first observation of the behavioral interaction of the rarely studied carcinoecium-forming mutualism in the deep sea.}, } @article {pmid35584884, year = {2022}, author = {Busby, PE and Newcombe, G and Neat, AS and Averill, C}, title = {Facilitating Reforestation Through the Plant Microbiome: Perspectives from the Phyllosphere.}, journal = {Annual review of phytopathology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1146/annurev-phyto-021320-010717}, pmid = {35584884}, issn = {1545-2107}, abstract = {Tree planting and natural regeneration contribute to the ongoing effort to restore Earth's forests. Our review addresses how the plant microbiome can enhance the survival of planted and naturally regenerating seedlings and serve in long-term forest carbon capture and the conservation of biodiversity. We focus on fungal leaf endophytes, ubiquitous defensive symbionts that protect against pathogens. We first show that fungal and oomycetous pathogen richness varies greatly for tree species native to the United States (n = 0-876 known pathogens per US tree species), with nearly half of tree species either without pathogens in these major groups or with unknown pathogens. Endophytes are insurance against the poorly known and changing threat of tree pathogens. Next, we reviewed studies of plant-phyllosphere feedback, but knowledge gaps prevented us from evaluating whether adding conspecific leaf litter to planted seedlings promotes defensive symbiosis, analogous to adding soil to promote positive feedback. Finally, we discuss research priorities for integrating the plant microbiome into efforts to expand Earth's forests. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Phytopathology, Volume 60 is August 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.}, } @article {pmid35584674, year = {2022}, author = {Shao, TY and Kakade, P and Witchley, JN and Frazer, C and Murray, KL and Ene, IV and Haslam, DB and Hagan, T and Noble, SM and Bennett, RJ and Way, SS}, title = {Candida albicans oscillating UME6 expression during intestinal colonization primes systemic Th17 protective immunity.}, journal = {Cell reports}, volume = {39}, number = {7}, pages = {110837}, doi = {10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110837}, pmid = {35584674}, issn = {2211-1247}, abstract = {Systemic immunity is stringently regulated by commensal intestinal microbes, including the pathobiont Candida albicans. This fungus utilizes various transcriptional and morphological programs for host adaptation, but how this heterogeneity affects immunogenicity remains uncertain. We show that UME6, a transcriptional regulator of filamentation, is essential for intestinal C. albicans-primed systemic Th17 immunity. UME6 deletion and constitutive overexpression strains are non-immunogenic during commensal colonization, whereas immunogenicity is restored by C. albicans undergoing oscillating UME6 expression linked with β-glucan and mannan production. In turn, intestinal reconstitution with these fungal cell wall components restores protective Th17 immunity to mice colonized with UME6-locked variants. These fungal cell wall ligands and commensal C. albicans stimulate Th17 immunity through multiple host pattern recognition receptors, including Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), TLR4, Dectin-1, and Dectin-2, which work synergistically for colonization-induced protection. Thus, dynamic gene expression fluctuations by C. albicans during symbiotic colonization are essential for priming host immunity against disseminated infection.}, } @article {pmid35568404, year = {2022}, author = {Chen, Y and Pan, T and Chai, G and Li, Z}, title = {Complete genome of Mycetocola spongiae MSC19T isolated from deep-sea sponge Cacospongia mycofijiensis indicates the adaptation to deep-sea environment and sponge-microbe symbioses.}, journal = {Marine genomics}, volume = {63}, number = {}, pages = {100955}, doi = {10.1016/j.margen.2022.100955}, pmid = {35568404}, issn = {1876-7478}, mesh = {*Actinomycetales ; Animals ; Bacteria ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Phylogeny ; *Porifera/microbiology ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Genome of Mycetocola spongiae MSC19T, a novel marine sponge-associated Actinobacteria isolated from the Mariana Trench sponge Cacospongia mycofijiensis, was sequenced. The genome has one circular chromosome of 3,196,754 bp, with an average GC content of 66.43 mol%, and 2887 coding sequences. Gene annotation shows that M. spongiae MSC19T possesses series of genes related to adaptation to deep-sea environmental stresses including cold shock, heat shock, osmotic stress and oxidative stress. Genes encoding for heavy metal resistance, multidrug resistance and multiple natural product biosynthesis which are crucial for survival in the extreme environment are also detected in the genome. The potentials to synthesize kinds of vitamins and eukaryotic-like proteins indicates the possible nutrient exchange and mutual recognization between M. spongiae MSC19T and its sponge host. The genome provides insights into the stress resistance and ecological fitness of bacterial symbionts in the deep-sea sponge holobionts.}, } @article {pmid35563659, year = {2022}, author = {Monroy-Morales, E and Dávila-Delgado, R and Ayala-Guzmán, E and Gamboa-deBuen, A and Sánchez-López, R}, title = {Visualization of the Crossroads between a Nascent Infection Thread and the First Cell Division Event in Phaseolus vulgaris Nodulation.}, journal = {International journal of molecular sciences}, volume = {23}, number = {9}, pages = {}, pmid = {35563659}, issn = {1422-0067}, mesh = {Cell Division ; *Phaseolus/microbiology ; Plant Proteins/genetics ; Plant Root Nodulation ; Plant Roots/genetics ; *Rhizobium/genetics ; Root Nodules, Plant/microbiology ; Symbiosis/genetics ; }, abstract = {The development of a symbiotic nitrogen-fixing nodule in legumes involves infection and organogenesis. Infection begins when rhizobia enter a root hair through an inward structure, the infection thread (IT), which guides the bacteria towards the cortical tissue. Concurrently, organogenesis takes place by inducing cortical cell division (CCD) at the infection site. Genetic analysis showed that both events are well-coordinated; however, the dynamics connecting them remain to be elucidated. To visualize the crossroads between IT and CCD, we benefited from the fact that, in Phaseolus vulgaris nodulation, where the first division occurs in subepidermal cortical cells located underneath the infection site, we traced a Rhizobium etli strain expressing DsRed, the plant cytokinesis marker YFP-PvKNOLLE, a nuclear stain and cell wall auto-fluorescence. We found that the IT exits the root hair to penetrate an underlying subepidermal cortical (S-E) cell when it is concluding cytokinesis.}, } @article {pmid35563303, year = {2022}, author = {Buerger, P and Vanstone, RT and Maire, J and van Oppen, MJH}, title = {Long-Term Heat Selection of the Coral Endosymbiont Cladocopium C1acro (Symbiodiniaceae) Stabilizes Associated Bacterial Communities.}, journal = {International journal of molecular sciences}, volume = {23}, number = {9}, pages = {}, pmid = {35563303}, issn = {1422-0067}, support = {FL180100036//Australian Research Council/ ; Research Office Postdoctoral Fellowship//CSIRO/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Anthozoa/genetics ; Bacteria/genetics ; Coral Reefs ; *Dinoflagellida/genetics ; Hot Temperature ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Heat-tolerant strains of the coral endosymbiont, Cladocopium C1acro (Symbiodiniaceae), have previously been developed via experimental evolution. Here, we examine physiological responses and bacterial community composition (using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding) in cultures of 10 heat-evolved (SS) and 9 wild-type (WT) strains, which had been exposed for 6 years to 31 °C and 27 °C, respectively. We also examine whether the associated bacterial communities were affected by a three-week reciprocal transplantation to both temperatures. The SS strains had bacterial communities with lower diversities that showed more stability and lower variability when exposed to elevated temperatures compared with the WT strains. Amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) of the bacterial genera Labrenzia, Algiphilus, Hyphobacterium and Roseitalea were significantly more associated with the SS strains compared with the WT strains. WT strains showed higher abundance of ASVs assigned to the genera Fabibacter and Tropicimonas. We hypothesize that these compositional differences in associated bacterial communities between SS and WT strains also contribute to the thermal tolerance of the microalgae. Future research should explore functional potential between bacterial communities using metagenomics to unravel specific genomic adaptations.}, } @article {pmid35563250, year = {2022}, author = {Li, YH and Yang, YY and Wang, ZG and Chen, Z}, title = {Emerging Function of Ecotype-Specific Splicing in the Recruitment of Commensal Microbiome.}, journal = {International journal of molecular sciences}, volume = {23}, number = {9}, pages = {}, pmid = {35563250}, issn = {1422-0067}, support = {2017YFD0200308//National Key Research Development Program of China/ ; }, mesh = {*Ecotype ; *Microbiota ; Plants/genetics ; Symbiosis/genetics ; }, abstract = {In recent years, host-microbiome interactions in both animals and plants has emerged as a novel research area for studying the relationship between host organisms and their commensal microbial communities. The fitness advantages of this mutualistic interaction can be found in both plant hosts and their associated microbiome, however, the driving forces mediating this beneficial interaction are poorly understood. Alternative splicing (AS), a pivotal post-transcriptional mechanism, has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in plant development and stress responses among diverse plant ecotypes. This natural variation of plants also has an impact on their commensal microbiome. In this article, we review the current progress of plant natural variation on their microbiome community, and discuss knowledge gaps between AS regulation of plants in response to their intimately related microbiota. Through the impact of this article, an avenue could be established to study the biological mechanism of naturally varied splicing isoforms on plant-associated microbiome assembly.}, } @article {pmid35555001, year = {2022}, author = {Hatzios, S}, title = {Metabolic Adaptation to Oxidative Stress at the Host-Microbe Interface.}, journal = {FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology}, volume = {36 Suppl 1}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1096/fasebj.2022.36.S1.0I177}, pmid = {35555001}, issn = {1530-6860}, support = {R35GM137952/GF/NIH HHS/United States ; T32GM067543/GF/NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Acclimatization ; *Adaptation, Physiological ; Bacteria ; Oxidative Stress ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Bacteria that chronically colonize the host must adapt to various forms of stress in the host environment. The molecular mechanisms bacteria use to sense and respond to these environmental signals are crucial for maintaining symbiotic associations with host cells. My laboratory uses chemical and biological tools to uncover new molecular mechanisms of bacterial adaptation to oxidative stress. In this talk, I will describe our recent discovery of a widely conserved transporter that enables microbial uptake of a diet-derived antioxidant from the host.}, } @article {pmid35552800, year = {2022}, author = {Rideb, JR and Varghese, A and Nguyen, T and Pham, K and Nguyen, I and Herrera, N and Bagnall, RA and Rosell, R}, title = {Thermal Stress and Antioxidant Activity in Sea Anemones, Exaiptasia pallida.}, journal = {FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology}, volume = {36 Suppl 1}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1096/fasebj.2022.36.S1.R6315}, pmid = {35552800}, issn = {1530-6860}, mesh = {Animals ; Antioxidants ; *Dinoflagellida/metabolism ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; *Sea Anemones/metabolism ; Seawater ; Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism ; Symbiosis ; Ultraviolet Rays ; }, abstract = {When exposed to stress, coral reefs undergo bleaching, a process in which the host-symbiont relationship is disrupted. Stressors can be environmental including ocean acidification, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, or rising ocean temperatures due to global warming. The sea anemone, Exaiptasia pallida, serves as a model organism of coral reef biology since both species share symbiotic relationships with their algal symbionts and can undergo bleaching resulting in the expulsion of algal symbionts. This is the ultimate phenotypic result of high levels of stress experienced by the coral reef. Stress factors can lead to an increase in free radicals, like reactive oxygen species (ROS), that will adversely alter lipids, proteins, and DNA and trigger bleaching events. Although oxygen free radicals are natural by-products of metabolic processes in most organisms, they are closely regulated through endogenous systems, such as antioxidants like superoxide dismutase (SOD). We hypothesized that as temperatures increase, the levels of SOD activity in the sea anemone will increase over time. We used commercially available E. pallida to establish a 'stock' aquaria to rear anemones under optimal conditions for at least two weeks before use. The stock aquaria were maintained at 28-30% salinity at 22℃ during a 12-hour light/dark period, at a pH of approximately 8.4, with low levels nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia (checked weekly). E. pallida were moved from the stock tank and placed into one of three identical tanks, maintained at increasing temperatures of 22℃ (control), 24℃, and 29℃. We sampled 5 anemones from each tank at two-week intervals for 8 weeks. Seawater was removed by aspiration, anemones were weighed, flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at -80℃. We extracted proteins from each sample by homogenization on ice. For each sample, total protein concentrations were established with a Bradford assay and SOD concentration in units of activity was established with a commercially available SOD assay. By observation, the anemones reared at in the higher range of thermal stress appeared smaller and individuals tended to die faster during the trial. E. pallida reared under increased temperatures of 24℃ and 29℃ showed an increase in SOD activity from week 6 to week 8 compared to the control tank at 22℃. These data are based on two replicates and further trials are currently in progress. Our findings describe the outcome of elevated temperature on levels of metabolism and increased levels of superoxide dismutase activity as a byproduct of stress. In addition, disruption of a host-symbiont relationship was suggested by the decrease in size and death of anemones at higher temperatures. Additional evidence is necessary to support our hypothesis and future experiments will focus on increasing the rearing time, increased temperatures, and other antioxidant defenses like xanthine oxidase or cyclooxygenases.}, } @article {pmid35551207, year = {2022}, author = {Davison, HR and Pilgrim, J and Wybouw, N and Parker, J and Pirro, S and Hunter-Barnett, S and Campbell, PM and Blow, F and Darby, AC and Hurst, GDD and Siozios, S}, title = {Genomic diversity across the Rickettsia and 'Candidatus Megaira' genera and proposal of genus status for the Torix group.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {2630}, pmid = {35551207}, issn = {2041-1723}, support = {NE/L002450/1//RCUK | Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)/ ; BB/J017698/1//RCUK | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Arthropods ; Genomics ; Mammals ; Phylogeny ; *Rickettsia/genetics ; Symbiosis/genetics ; }, abstract = {Members of the bacterial genus Rickettsia were originally identified as causative agents of vector-borne diseases in mammals. However, many Rickettsia species are arthropod symbionts and close relatives of 'Candidatus Megaira', which are symbiotic associates of microeukaryotes. Here, we clarify the evolutionary relationships between these organisms by assembling 26 genomes of Rickettsia species from understudied groups, including the Torix group, and two genomes of 'Ca. Megaira' from various insects and microeukaryotes. Our analyses of the new genomes, in comparison with previously described ones, indicate that the accessory genome diversity and broad host range of Torix Rickettsia are comparable to those of all other Rickettsia combined. Therefore, the Torix clade may play unrecognized roles in invertebrate biology and physiology. We argue this clade should be given its own genus status, for which we propose the name 'Candidatus Tisiphia'.}, } @article {pmid35551196, year = {2022}, author = {Shimura, H and Kim, H and Matsuzawa, A and Akino, S and Masuta, C}, title = {Coat protein of partitiviruses isolated from mycorrhizal fungi functions as an RNA silencing suppressor in plants and fungi.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {7855}, pmid = {35551196}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {JP17K19253//JSPS KAKENHI/ ; }, mesh = {Fungi ; *Mycorrhizae/genetics ; *Orchidaceae/microbiology ; Phylogeny ; Plants ; RNA Interference ; *RNA Viruses/genetics ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Orchid seeds depend on colonization by orchid mycorrhizal (OM) fungi for their germination; therefore, the orchids and OM fungi have long maintained a close relationship (e.g., formation of the hyphal mass structure, peloton) during their evolution. In the present study, we isolated new partitiviruses from OM fungi; partitivirus were separately found in different subcultures from the same fungi. Partitiviruses have been believed to lack an RNA silencing suppressor (RSS), which is generally associated with viral pathogenicity, because most partitiviruses isolated so far are latent in both plants and fungi. However, we found that the coat protein (CP) of our partitiviruses indeed had RSS activity, which differed among the virus isolates from OM fungi; one CP showed RSS activity in both plants and fungi, while another CP showed no activity. The family Partitiviridae include viruses isolated from plants and fungi, and it has been suggested that these viruses may occasionally be transmitted between plant and fungal hosts. Given that there are several reports showing that viruses can adapt to nonhost using strong RSS, we here discussed the idea that partitiviruses may be better able to migrate between the orchid and fungus probably through the pelotons formed in the orchid cells, if host RNA silencing is suppressed by partitivirus RSS.}, } @article {pmid35546173, year = {2022}, author = {Song, L and Pan, L and Jiang, N and Fu, J and Wan, L and Wei, S}, title = {Effects of endophytic fungi on parasitic process of Taxillus chinensis.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {7744}, pmid = {35546173}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {(Nos. 2021GXNSFBA075037, 2018GXNSFAA281089, 2017GXNSFDA198026, and 2016GXNSFDA380012)//Guangxi Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; (Nos. 81960695, 82173933, 81703649 and 81860672)//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; (No. GYCH2019008)//Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants Research and Innovation Team Building Project/ ; (No. GYJ202012)//Scientific Research Funding Project of Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants/ ; }, mesh = {*Colletotrichum ; Endophytes/physiology ; Fungi ; Laccase/metabolism ; *Loranthaceae ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Taxillus chinensis (DC.) Danser is an extensively used medicinal shrub in the traditional as well as modern systems of medicines. It is a perennial hemiparasitic plant, which is difficult to propagate artificially because of its low parasitic rate. Successful parasitism of parasitic plants is to fuse their tissues and connect their vasculature to the host vasculature building a physiological bridge, which can efficiently withdraw water, sugars and nutrients from their host plants. It is reported that endophytic fungi play an important role in cell wall degradation and fusion, which is the key forming process of the physiological bridge. Therefore, in this study, the endophytic fungi from T. chinensis of different hosts were isolated, and then the organisms that could degrade the main components of the cell walls were screened out using a medium consisting of guaihuol and cellulose degradation capacity. The results showed that five strains were screened out from 72 endophytic fungi of T. chinensis which with high enzyme activities for lignocellulosic degradation. The laccase and cellulase activities of five strains reached their peaks at day 7, and the highest enzyme activities of these two enzymes were found in strain P6, which was 117.66 and 1.66 U/mL, respectively. Manganese peroxidase of strain 4 and lignin peroxidase of strain N6 also reached their peaks at day 7 and were the highest among the 5 strains, with enzyme activities of 11.61 and 6.64 U/mL, respectively. Strains 4, 15, 31, N6 and P6 were identified as Colletotrichum sp., Nigerrospora sphaerica, Exserohilum sp., Diaporthe phaseolorum and Pestalotiopsis sp., respectively, according to their morphological and molecular biology properties. The endophytic fungi may secrete efficient cell wall degradation enzymes, which promote the dissolution and relaxation of the cell wall between T. chinensis and host, thus contributing to the parasitism of T. chinensis.}, } @article {pmid35577487, year = {2022}, author = {Vandegrift, MA and Taylor-Piliae, RE}, title = {Selecting a theoretical framework for chronic cardiovascular disease self-management among rural dwelling adults.}, journal = {Applied nursing research : ANR}, volume = {65}, number = {}, pages = {151585}, doi = {10.1016/j.apnr.2022.151585}, pmid = {35577487}, issn = {1532-8201}, abstract = {A paucity of research has examined the factors and perceptions of self-management among individuals living rurally with chronic cardiovascular disease (CCVD). Exploration of this population is prudent as CCVD continues to be the leading cause of mortality within the United States (US). As the US population ages, increased rates of CCVD and the process of managing the disease will continue to challenge patients and the health care system. Rural dwelling adults are faced with additional complexities to manage a chronic disease, resulting in higher rates of chronic disease as compared to urban dwellers. It is essential for nurses working with adults living with CCVD in rural areas to promote self-management strategies derived from a theoretical perspective. The purpose of this paper is to examine theories and models that facilitate self-management of CCVD among rural dwelling adults. Three established self-management theories and models from psychology and public health were evaluated using Walker and Avant's framework for theory analysis. Social cognitive theory was selected as a best fit for self-management of CCVD among rural dwelling adults, due to the symbiosis of chronic disease, and applicability of ruralness within the triadic reciprocal causation of person-behavior-environment of the model.}, } @article {pmid35572656, year = {2022}, author = {Um, S and Lee, J and Kim, SH}, title = {Lobophorin Producing Endophytic Streptomyces olivaceus JB1 Associated With Maesa japonica (Thunb.) Moritzi & Zoll.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {881253}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.881253}, pmid = {35572656}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {In this study, we focused on endophytes of Maesa japonica (Thunb.) Moritzi & Zoll. and the plant-microbe interaction at metabolite levels. We isolated seven endophytes associated with M. japonica (JB1-7), and focused on Streptomyces olivaceus JB1 because of antibacterial activities of its secondary metabolites. We confirmed lobophorin analogs production from the bacterial strain JB1 by using spectroscopic techniques such as NMR, UV, and LC/Q-TOF-MS. In the LC/MS system, thirteen reported lobophorin analogs and twelve unreported analogs were detected. Among metabolites, lobophorin A was clearly detected in the dried foliar residues of M. japonica which implies that JB1 resides in the host and accumulates its secondary metabolites likely interacting with the plant. Antimicrobial activity tests of the secondary metabolites against undesirable contaminants isolated from the external surface of M. japonica supported the host and microbe mutualistic relationship. In the meantime, lobophorin producing Streptomyces spp. were isolated from marine environments such as marine sediments, algae, corals, and sponges. As lobophorin producing Streptomyces is isolated commonly from marine environments, we conducted a saline water stress tolerance test with JB1 showing saline medium does not accelerate the growth of the bacterium.}, } @article {pmid35572647, year = {2022}, author = {Grossman, AS and Escobar, CA and Mans, EJ and Mucci, NC and Mauer, TJ and Jones, KA and Moore, CC and Abraham, PE and Hettich, RL and Schneider, L and Campagna, SR and Forest, KT and Goodrich-Blair, H}, title = {A Surface Exposed, Two-Domain Lipoprotein Cargo of a Type XI Secretion System Promotes Colonization of Host Intestinal Epithelia Expressing Glycans.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {800366}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.800366}, pmid = {35572647}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {The only known required component of the newly described Type XI secretion system (TXISS) is an outer membrane protein (OMP) of the DUF560 family. TXISSOMPs are broadly distributed across proteobacteria, but properties of the cargo proteins they secrete are largely unexplored. We report biophysical, histochemical, and phenotypic evidence that Xenorhabdus nematophila NilC is surface exposed. Biophysical data and structure predictions indicate that NilC is a two-domain protein with a C-terminal, 8-stranded β-barrel. This structure has been noted as a common feature of TXISS effectors and may be important for interactions with the TXISSOMP. The NilC N-terminal domain is more enigmatic, but our results indicate it is ordered and forms a β-sheet structure, and bioinformatics suggest structural similarities to carbohydrate-binding proteins. X. nematophila NilC and its presumptive TXISSOMP partner NilB are required for colonizing the anterior intestine of Steinernema carpocapsae nematodes: the receptacle of free-living, infective juveniles and the anterior intestinal cecum (AIC) in juveniles and adults. We show that, in adult nematodes, the AIC expresses a Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA)-reactive material, indicating the presence of N-acetylglucosamine or N-acetylneuraminic acid sugars on the AIC surface. A role for this material in colonization is supported by the fact that exogenous addition of WGA can inhibit AIC colonization by X. nematophila. Conversely, the addition of exogenous purified NilC increases the frequency with which X. nematophila is observed at the AIC, demonstrating that abundant extracellular NilC can enhance colonization. NilC may facilitate X. nematophila adherence to the nematode intestinal surface by binding to host glycans, it might support X. nematophila nutrition by cleaving sugars from the host surface, or it might help protect X. nematophila from nematode host immunity. Proteomic and metabolomic analyses of wild type X. nematophila compared to those lacking nilB and nilC revealed differences in cell wall and secreted polysaccharide metabolic pathways. Additionally, purified NilC is capable of binding peptidoglycan, suggesting that periplasmic NilC may interact with the bacterial cell wall. Overall, these findings support a model that NilB-regulated surface exposure of NilC mediates interactions between X. nematophila and host surface glycans during colonization. This is a previously unknown function for a TXISS.}, } @article {pmid35572398, year = {2022}, author = {Elhaissoufi, W and Ghoulam, C and Barakat, A and Zeroual, Y and Bargaz, A}, title = {Phosphate bacterial solubilization: A key rhizosphere driving force enabling higher P use efficiency and crop productivity.}, journal = {Journal of advanced research}, volume = {38}, number = {}, pages = {13-28}, doi = {10.1016/j.jare.2021.08.014}, pmid = {35572398}, issn = {2090-1224}, abstract = {Background: Increasing crop production to feed a growing population has driven the use of mineral fertilizers to ensure nutrients availability and fertility of agricultural soils. After nitrogen, phosphorus (P) is the second most important nutrient for plant growth and productivity. However, P availability in most agricultural soils is often limited because P strongly binds to soil particles and divalent cations forming insoluble P-complexes. Therefore, there is a constant need to sustainably improve soil P availability. This may include, among other strategies, the application of microbial resources specialized in P cycling, such as phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB). This P-mediating bacterial component can improve soil biological fertility and crop production, and should be integrated in well-established formulations to enhance availability and efficiency in use of P. This is of importance to P fertilization, including both organic and mineral P such as rock phosphate (RP) aiming to improve its agronomic efficiency within an integrated crop nutrition system where agronomic profitability of P and PSB can synergistically occur.

Aim of Review: The purpose of this review is to discuss critically the important contribution of PSB to crop P nutrition in concert with P fertilizers, with a specific focus on RP. We also highlight the need for PSB bioformulations being a sustainable approach to enhance P fertilizer use efficiency and crop production.

We first recognize the important contribution of PSB to sustain crop production, which requires a rational approach for both screening and evaluation of PSB enabling an accurate assessment of the bacterial effects both alone and in intertwined interaction with plant roots. Furthermore, we propose new research ideas about the development of microbial bioformulations based on PSB with a particular focus on strains exhibiting synergetic effects with RP.}, } @article {pmid35572359, year = {2022}, author = {Wilta, F and Chong, ALC and Selvachandran, G and Kotecha, K and Ding, W}, title = {Generalized Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered model and its contributing factors for analyzing the death and recovery rates of the COVID-19 pandemic.}, journal = {Applied soft computing}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {108973}, doi = {10.1016/j.asoc.2022.108973}, pmid = {35572359}, issn = {1568-4946}, abstract = {COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease that has infected over 136 million people worldwide with over 2.9 million deaths as of 11 April 2021. In March 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 as a pandemic and countries began to implement measures to control the spread of the virus. The spread and the death rates of the virus displayed dramatic differences among countries globally, showing that there are several factors affecting its spread and mortality. By utilizing the cumulative number of cases from John Hopkins University, the recovery rate, death rate, and the number of active, recovered, and death cases were simulated to analyze the trends and patterns within the chosen countries. 10 countries from 3 different case severity categories (high cases, medium cases, and low cases) and 5 continents (Asia, North America, South America, Europe, and Oceania) were studied. A generalized SEIR model which considers control measures such as isolation, and preventive measures such as vaccination is applied in this study. This model is able to capture not only the dynamics between the states, but also the time evolution of the states by using the fourth-order-Runge-Kutta process. This study found no significant patterns in the countries under the same case severity category, suggesting that there are other factors contributing to the pattern in these countries. One of the factors influencing the pattern in each country is the population's age. COVID-19 related deaths were found to be notably higher among older people, indicating that countries comprising of a larger proportion of older age groups have an increased risk of experiencing higher death rates. Tighter governmental control measures led to fewer infections and eventually reduced the number of death cases, while increasing the recovery rate, and early implementations were found to be far more effective in controlling the spread of the virus and produced better outcomes.}, } @article {pmid35571859, year = {2022}, author = {Cho, G and Gang, GH and Jung, HY and Kwak, YS}, title = {Exploration of Mycobiota in Cypripedium japonicum, an Endangered Species.}, journal = {Mycobiology}, volume = {50}, number = {2}, pages = {142-149}, doi = {10.1080/12298093.2022.2064409}, pmid = {35571859}, issn = {1229-8093}, abstract = {Orchids live with mycorrhizal fungi in mutualism. This symbiotic relationship plays an essential role in the overall life cycle of orchids from germination, growth, settlement, and reproduction. Among the 1000 species of the orchid, the Korean lady's slipper, Cypripedium japonicum, is known as an endangered species. Currently, only five natural habitats of the Korean lady's slipper remain in South Korea, and the population of Korean lady's slipper in their natural habitat is not increasing. To prevent extinction, this study was designed to understand the fungal community interacting in the rhizosphere of the Korean lady's slipper living in the native and artificial habitats. In-depth analyses were performed to discover the vital mycorrhizal fungi contributing to habitat expansion and cultivation of the endangered orchid species. Our results suggested that Lycoperdon nigrescens contributed most to the increase in natural habitats and Russula violeipes as a characteristic of successful cultivation. And the fungi that helped L. nigrescens and R. violeipes to fit into the rhizosphere community in Korean lady's slipper native place were Paraboeremia selaginellae and Metarhizium anisopliae, respectively. The findings will contribute to restoring and maintaining the endangered orchid population in natural habitats.}, } @article {pmid35571858, year = {2022}, author = {Gwon, JH and Park, H and Eom, AH}, title = {Mycorrhization of Quercus spp. with Tuber huidongense and T. himalayense Collected in Korea.}, journal = {Mycobiology}, volume = {50}, number = {2}, pages = {104-109}, doi = {10.1080/12298093.2022.2065717}, pmid = {35571858}, issn = {1229-8093}, abstract = {Fungi of the genus Tuber are ectomycorrhizal fungi that form a symbiotic relationship mainly with oak and hazel trees. Tuber spp. exhibit a highly selective host plant preference; thus, for cultivation purposes it is important to select an appropriate host plant for successful mycorrhization. In addition, as mycorrhizal characteristics differ according to Tuber spp., it is necessary to understand the differences in mycorrhizae according to the fungal species. Tuber huidongense and Tuber himalayense were recently discovered in Korea; therefore, we used spore suspensions from these two species to inoculate two species of oak trees, Quercus acutissima and Quercus dentata, to compare colonization rates and morphologies of the mycorrhizae. The colonization rates demonstrated that the different Tuber spp. favored different host plant species. In addition, unique morphological and anatomical characteristics were observed for T. huidongense and T. himalayense depending on the host species. These findings can lead to new economically important agricultural activities related to truffle cultivation in Korea.}, } @article {pmid35570076, year = {2022}, author = {Cummins, NW and Badley, AD}, title = {Could proteasome inhibition improve therapeutic vaccine response in HIV?.}, journal = {Vaccine}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.05.008}, pmid = {35570076}, issn = {1873-2518}, } @article {pmid35569939, year = {2022}, author = {Matsubara, A and Nomura, A and Yamaguchi, T}, title = {[THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALLERGIC RHINITIS AND GUT MICROBIOTA].}, journal = {Arerugi = [Allergy]}, volume = {71}, number = {3}, pages = {191-194}, doi = {10.15036/arerugi.71.191}, pmid = {35569939}, issn = {0021-4884}, } @article {pmid35568972, year = {2022}, author = {Xu, L and Wang, J and Xiao, Y and Han, Z and Chai, J}, title = {Structural insight into chitin perception by chitin elicitor receptor kinase 1 of Oryza sativa.}, journal = {Journal of integrative plant biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/jipb.13279}, pmid = {35568972}, issn = {1744-7909}, abstract = {Plants have developed innate immune systems to fight against pathogenic fungi by monitoring pathogenic signals known as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP) and have established endo symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi through recognition of mycorrhizal (Myc) factors. Chitin elicitor receptor kinase 1 of Oryza sativa subsp. Japonica (OsCERK1) plays a bifunctional role in mediating both chitin-triggered immunity and symbiotic relationships with AM fungi. However, it remains unclear whether OsCERK1 can directly recognize chitin molecules. In this study, we show that OsCERK1 binds to the chitin hexamer ((NAG)6) and tetramer ((NAG)4) directly and determine the crystal structure of the OsCERK1-(NAG)6 complex at 2 Å. The structure shows that one OsCERK1 is associated with one (NAG)6 . Upon recognition, chitin hexamer binds OsCERK1 by interacting with the shallow groove on the surface of LysM2. These structural findings, complemented by mutational analyses, demonstrate that LysM2 is crucial for recognition of both (NAG)6 and (NAG)4 . Altogether, these findings provide structural insights into the ability of OsCERK1 in chitin perception, which will lead to a better understanding of the role of OsCERK1 in mediating both immunity and symbiosis in rice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.}, } @article {pmid35567176, year = {2022}, author = {Feng, J and Lv, W and Xu, J and Huang, Z and Rui, W and Lei, X and Ju, X and Li, Z}, title = {Overlapping Root Architecture and Gene Expression of Nitrogen Transporters for Nitrogen Acquisition of Tomato Plants Colonized with Isolates of Funneliformis mosseae in Hydroponic Production.}, journal = {Plants (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {9}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/plants11091176}, pmid = {35567176}, issn = {2223-7747}, support = {Beijing Innovation Consortium of Ag-riculture Research Systems project (project number: BAIC01-2022).//Beijing Innovation Consortium of Ag-riculture Research Systems project (project number: BAIC01-2022)./ ; }, abstract = {Understanding the impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) upon the nitrogen (N) uptake of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum L.) plants is crucial for effectively utilizing these beneficial microorganisms in industrial hydroponic tomato production. Yet it remains unknown whether, besides fungal delivery, the AMF also affects N uptake via altered plant root growth or whether, together with changed N transporters expression of hosts, this impact is isolate-specific. We investigated tomato root architecture and the expression of LeAMT1.1, LeAMT1.2, and LeNRT2.3 genes in roots inoculated with five isolates of Funneliformis mosseae, these collected from different geographical locations, under greenhouse conditions with nutritional solution in coconut coir production. Our results revealed that isolate-specific AMF inoculation strongly increased the root biomass, total root length, surface area, and volume. Linear relationships were found between the total root length and N accumulation in plants. Furthermore, expression levels of LeAMT1.1, LeAMT1.2, and LeNRT2.3 were significantly up-regulated by inoculation with F. mosseae with isolate-specific. These results implied N uptake greater than predicted by root growth, and N transporters up-regulated by AMF symbiosis in an isolate-specific manner. Thus, an overlap in root biomass, architecture and expression of N transporters increase N acquisition in tomato plants in the symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35567168, year = {2022}, author = {Flores-Duarte, NJ and Mateos-Naranjo, E and Redondo-Gómez, S and Pajuelo, E and Rodriguez-Llorente, ID and Navarro-Torre, S}, title = {Role of Nodulation-Enhancing Rhizobacteria in the Promotion of Medicago sativa Development in Nutrient-Poor Soils.}, journal = {Plants (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {9}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/plants11091164}, pmid = {35567168}, issn = {2223-7747}, support = {PDC2021-120951-I00//Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Gobierno de España/ ; US-1262036//Junta de Andalucía (Consejería de Economía y Conocimiento)/ ; P20_00682//Junta de Andalucía (Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad)/ ; }, abstract = {Legumes are usually used as cover crops to improve soil quality due to the biological nitrogen fixation that occurs due to the interaction of legumes and rhizobia. This symbiosis can be used to recover degraded soils using legumes as pioneer plants. In this work, we screened for bacteria that improve the legume-rhizobia interaction in nutrient-poor soils. Fourteen phosphate solubilizer-strains were isolated, showing at least three out of the five tested plant growth promoting properties. Furthermore, cellulase, protease, pectinase, and chitinase activities were detected in three of the isolated strains. Pseudomonas sp. L1, Chryseobacterium soli L2, and Priestia megaterium L3 were selected to inoculate seeds and plants of Medicago sativa using a nutrient-poor soil as substrate under greenhouse conditions. The effects of the three bacteria individually and in consortium showed more vigorous plants with increased numbers of nodules and a higher nitrogen content than non-inoculated plants. Moreover, bacterial inoculation increased plants' antioxidant activities and improved their development in nutrient-poor soils, suggesting an important role in the stress mechanisms of plants. In conclusion, the selected strains are nodulation-enhancing rhizobacteria that improve leguminous plants growth and nodulation in nutrient-poor soils and could be used by sustainable agriculture to promote plants' development in degraded soils.}, } @article {pmid35567142, year = {2022}, author = {Jēkabsone, A and Andersone-Ozola, U and Karlsons, A and Neiceniece, L and Romanovs, M and Ievinsh, G}, title = {Dependence on Nitrogen Availability and Rhizobial Symbiosis of Different Accessions of Trifolium fragiferum, a Crop Wild Relative Legume Species, as Related to Physiological Traits.}, journal = {Plants (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {9}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/plants11091141}, pmid = {35567142}, issn = {2223-7747}, support = {lzp-2020/2-0349//Latvian Council of Science/ ; }, abstract = {Biological nitrogen fixation by legume-rhizobacterial symbiosis in temperate grasslands is an important source of soil nitrogen. The aim of the present study was to characterize the dependence of different accessions of T. fragiferum, a rare crop wild relative legume species, from their native rhizobia as well as additional nitrogen fertilization in controlled conditions. Asymbiotically cultivated, mineral-fertilized T. fragiferum plants gradually showed signs of nitrogen deficiency, appearing as a decrease in leaf chlorophyll concentration, leaf senescence, and a decrease in growth rate. The addition of nitrogen, and the inoculation with native rhizobia, or both treatments significantly prevented the onset of these symptoms, leading to both increase in plant shoot biomass as well as an increase in tissue concentration of N. The actual degree of each type of response was genotype-specific. Accessions showed a relatively similar degree of dependence on nitrogen (70-95% increase in shoot dry mass) but the increase in shoot dry mass by inoculation with native rhizobia ranged from 27 to 85%. In general, there was no correlation between growth stimulation and an increase in tissue N concentration by the treatments. The addition of N or rhizobial inoculant affected mineral nutrition at the level of both macronutrient and micronutrient concentration in different plant parts. In conclusion, native rhizobial strains associated with geographically isolated accessions of T. fragiferum at the northern range of distribution of the species represent a valuable resource for further studies aimed at the identification of salinity-tolerant N2-fixing bacteria for the needs of sustainable agriculture, as well as in a view of understanding ecosystem functioning at the level of plant-microorganism interactions.}, } @article {pmid35563675, year = {2022}, author = {Nascimento, LBDS and Tattini, M}, title = {Beyond Photoprotection: The Multifarious Roles of Flavonoids in Plant Terrestrialization.}, journal = {International journal of molecular sciences}, volume = {23}, number = {9}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/ijms23095284}, pmid = {35563675}, issn = {1422-0067}, abstract = {Plants evolved an impressive arsenal of multifunctional specialized metabolites to cope with the novel environmental pressures imposed by the terrestrial habitat when moving from water. Here we examine the multifarious roles of flavonoids in plant terrestrialization. We reason on the environmental drivers, other than the increase in UV-B radiation, that were mostly responsible for the rise of flavonoid metabolism and how flavonoids helped plants in land conquest. We are reasonably based on a nutrient-deficiency hypothesis for the replacement of mycosporine-like amino acids, typical of streptophytic algae, with the flavonoid metabolism during the water-to-land transition. We suggest that flavonoids modulated auxin transport and signaling and promoted the symbiosis between plants and fungi (e.g., arbuscular mycorrhizal, AM), a central event for the conquest of land by plants. AM improved the ability of early plants to take up nutrients and water from highly impoverished soils. We offer evidence that flavonoids equipped early land plants with highly versatile "defense compounds", essential for the new set of abiotic and biotic stressors imposed by the terrestrial environment. We conclude that flavonoids have been multifunctional since the appearance of plants on land, not only acting as UV filters but especially improving both nutrient acquisition and biotic stress defense.}, } @article {pmid35563511, year = {2022}, author = {Parejo, S and Cabrera, JJ and Jiménez-Leiva, A and Tomás-Gallardo, L and Bedmar, EJ and Gates, AJ and Mesa, S}, title = {Fine-Tuning Modulation of Oxidation-Mediated Posttranslational Control of Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens FixK2 Transcription Factor.}, journal = {International journal of molecular sciences}, volume = {23}, number = {9}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/ijms23095117}, pmid = {35563511}, issn = {1422-0067}, support = {AGL2015-63651-P//Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain/ ; PID2020-114330GB-100//Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain/ ; P12-AGR-1968//Junta de Andalucía/ ; P18-RT-1401//Junta de Andalucía/ ; FPU2015/04716//Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte/ ; BB/M00256X/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; BB/S008942/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; }, abstract = {FixK2 is a CRP/FNR-type transcription factor that plays a central role in a sophisticated regulatory network for the anoxic, microoxic and symbiotic lifestyles of the soybean endosymbiont Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens. Aside from the balanced expression of the fixK2 gene under microoxic conditions (induced by the two-component regulatory system FixLJ and negatively auto-repressed), FixK2 activity is posttranslationally controlled by proteolysis, and by the oxidation of a singular cysteine residue (C183) near its DNA-binding domain. To simulate the permanent oxidation of FixK2, we replaced C183 for aspartic acid. Purified C183D FixK2 protein showed both low DNA binding and in vitro transcriptional activation from the promoter of the fixNOQP operon, required for respiration under symbiosis. However, in a B. diazoefficiens strain coding for C183D FixK2, expression of a fixNOQP'-'lacZ fusion was similar to that in the wild type, when both strains were grown microoxically. The C183D FixK2 encoding strain also showed a wild-type phenotype in symbiosis with soybeans, and increased fixK2 gene expression levels and FixK2 protein abundance in cells. These two latter observations, together with the global transcriptional profile of the microoxically cultured C183D FixK2 encoding strain, suggest the existence of a finely tuned regulatory strategy to counterbalance the oxidation-mediated inactivation of FixK2 in vivo.}, } @article {pmid35561671, year = {2022}, author = {Ahlawat, A and Khan, AA and Deshmukh, P and Bhartiya, S and Satapathy, S and Shirolkar, M and Wang, H and Choudhary, RJ}, title = {Strain assisted magnetoelectric coupling in ordered nanomagnets of CoFe2O4/SrRuO3/(Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3) hetrostructures.}, journal = {Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1088/1361-648X/ac6fa6}, pmid = {35561671}, issn = {1361-648X}, abstract = {We have explored the electric field controlled magnetization in the nanodot CoFe2O4/SrRuO3/PMN-PT heterostructures. Ordered ferromagnetic CFO nanodots (~300 nm lateral dimension) are developed on the PMN-PT substrate (ferroelectric as well as piezoelectric) using a nanostencil-mask pattering method during pulsed laser deposition. The nanostructures reveal electric field induced magnetization reversal in the single domain CFO nanodots through transfer of the piezostrains from the piezoelectric PMN-PT substrate to the CFO. Further, electric field modulated spin structure of CFO nanomagnets is analysed by using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). The XMCD analysis divulge cations (Fe3+/Co2+) redistribution on octahedral and tetrahedral site in the electric field poled CoFe2O4 nanodots, establishing the strain induced magneto-electric coupling effects.The CoFe2O4/SrRuO3/PMN-PT nanodots structure demonstrate multilevel switching of ME coupling coefficient (α) by applying selective positive and negative electric fields in a non-volatile manner. The retention of two stable states of α is illustrated for ~106seconds, which can be employedto store digital datain non-volatile memory devices. Thus the voltage controlled magnetization in the nanodot structures leads a path towards the invention of energy efficient high-density memory devices.}, } @article {pmid35559088, year = {2018}, author = {Shahid, M and Ahmed, B and Zaidi, A and Khan, MS}, title = {Toxicity of fungicides to Pisum sativum: a study of oxidative damage, growth suppression, cellular death and morpho-anatomical changes.}, journal = {RSC advances}, volume = {8}, number = {67}, pages = {38483-38498}, doi = {10.1039/c8ra03923b}, pmid = {35559088}, issn = {2046-2069}, abstract = {Considering the fungicidal threat to the sustainable agro-environment, the toxicological impacts of three fungicides, namely kitazin, hexaconazole and carbendazim, on the biological, chemical and morpho-anatomical changes of peas were assessed. Fungicide applications in general caused a slow but gradual reduction in growth, symbiosis and yields of peas, which, however, varied appreciably among species and concentrations of the three fungicides. Of the three fungicides, carbendazim had the most lethal effect, in which it delayed seed germination and also diminished the overall pea growth. Carbendazim at 3000 μg kg-1 maximally reduced the germination, SVI, size of roots and shoots and total dry matter accumulation in roots, shoots and whole plants distinctly by 40%, 84%, 72%, 73%, 68%, 75% and 73% (p ≤ 0.05), respectively. Hexaconazole at 120 μg kg-1 significantly (p ≤ 0.05) declined total chlorophyll, carotenoids, grain yields, grain protein, root P and shoot N by 19%, 28%, 46%, 69%, 48% and 51%, respectively, over the control. The synthesis of stress biomarkers and oxidative stress were increased with increasing dosage rates of fungicides. Proline content in roots, shoots, leaves and grains, MDA, electrolyte leakage and H2O2 of plants grown in soil treated with 288 μg kg-1 kitazin were increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) by 73%, 52%, 41%, 24%, 59%, 40% and 27%, respectively, relative to the control. Antioxidant defence enzymes were greater in pea foliage. The SEM and CLSM images revealed an obvious alteration in root tips, enhanced cellular damage and cell death when plants were raised under fungicide stress. Also, morpho-anatomical variations in fungicide-treated foliage were visible in the SEM images. Overall, the present study suggests that a careful and secure strategy should be adopted before fungicides are chosen for enhancing pulse production in different agro-climatic regions.}, } @article {pmid35557719, year = {2022}, author = {Kitaeva, AB and Gorshkov, AP and Kusakin, PG and Sadovskaya, AR and Tsyganova, AV and Tsyganov, VE}, title = {Tubulin Cytoskeleton Organization in Cells of Determinate Nodules.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {823183}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.823183}, pmid = {35557719}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {Plant cell differentiation is based on rearrangements of the tubulin cytoskeleton; this is also true for symbiotic nodules. Nevertheless, although for indeterminate nodules (with a long-lasting meristem) the organization of microtubules during nodule development has been studied for various species, for determinate ones (with limited meristem activity) such studies are rare. Here, we investigated bacteroid morphology and dynamics of the tubulin cytoskeleton in determinate nodules of four legume species: Glycine max, Glycine soja, Phaseolus vulgaris, and Lotus japonicus. The most pronounced differentiation of bacteroids was observed in G. soja nodules. In meristematic cells in incipient nodules of all analyzed species, the organization of both cortical and endoplasmic microtubules was similar to that described for meristematic cells of indeterminate nodules. In young infected cells in developing nodules of all four species, cortical microtubules formed irregular patterns (microtubules were criss-crossed) and endoplasmic ones were associated with infection threads and infection droplets. Surprisingly, in uninfected cells the patterns of cortical microtubules differed in nodules of G. max and G. soja on the one hand, and P. vulgaris and L. japonicus on the other. The first two species exhibited irregular patterns, while the remaining two exhibited regular ones (microtubules were oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis of cell) that are typical for uninfected cells of indeterminate nodules. In contrast to indeterminate nodules, in mature determinate nodules of all four studied species, cortical microtubules formed a regular pattern in infected cells. Thus, our analysis revealed common patterns of tubulin cytoskeleton in the determinate nodules of four legume species, and species-specific differences were associated with the organization of cortical microtubules in uninfected cells. When compared with indeterminate nodules, the most pronounced differences were associated with the organization of cortical microtubules in nitrogen-fixing infected cells. The revealed differences indicated a possible transition during evolution of infected cells from anisotropic growth in determinate nodules to isodiametric growth in indeterminate nodules. It can be assumed that this transition provided an evolutionary advantage to those legume species with indeterminate nodules, enabling them to host symbiosomes in their infected cells more efficiently.}, } @article {pmid35557718, year = {2022}, author = {Lo, R and Dougan, KE and Chen, Y and Shah, S and Bhattacharya, D and Chan, CX}, title = {Alignment-Free Analysis of Whole-Genome Sequences From Symbiodiniaceae Reveals Different Phylogenetic Signals in Distinct Regions.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {815714}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.815714}, pmid = {35557718}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {Dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae are predominantly essential symbionts of corals and other marine organisms. Recent research reveals extensive genome sequence divergence among Symbiodiniaceae taxa and high phylogenetic diversity hidden behind subtly different cell morphologies. Using an alignment-free phylogenetic approach based on sub-sequences of fixed length k (i.e. k-mers), we assessed the phylogenetic signal among whole-genome sequences from 16 Symbiodiniaceae taxa (including the genera of Symbiodinium, Breviolum, Cladocopium, Durusdinium and Fugacium) and two strains of Polarella glacialis as outgroup. Based on phylogenetic trees inferred from k-mers in distinct genomic regions (i.e. repeat-masked genome sequences, protein-coding sequences, introns and repeats) and in protein sequences, the phylogenetic signal associated with protein-coding DNA and the encoded amino acids is largely consistent with the Symbiodiniaceae phylogeny based on established markers, such as large subunit rRNA. The other genome sequences (introns and repeats) exhibit distinct phylogenetic signals, supporting the expected differential evolutionary pressure acting on these regions. Our analysis of conserved core k-mers revealed the prevalence of conserved k-mers (>95% core 23-mers among all 18 genomes) in annotated repeats and non-genic regions of the genomes. We observed 180 distinct repeat types that are significantly enriched in genomes of the symbiotic versus free-living Symbiodinium taxa, suggesting an enhanced activity of transposable elements linked to the symbiotic lifestyle. We provide evidence that representation of alignment-free phylogenies as dynamic networks enhances the ability to generate new hypotheses about genome evolution in Symbiodiniaceae. These results demonstrate the potential of alignment-free phylogenetic methods as a scalable approach for inferring comprehensive, unbiased whole-genome phylogenies of dinoflagellates and more broadly of microbial eukaryotes.}, } @article {pmid35554263, year = {2022}, author = {Patel, SU and Hauser, P and Ronan, J}, title = {Metabolomic Signatures of Ocean Acidification Stress in the Coral Acropora millepora.}, journal = {FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology}, volume = {36 Suppl 1}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1096/fasebj.2022.36.S1.R6327}, pmid = {35554263}, issn = {1530-6860}, support = {//The Nueva School/ ; }, abstract = {The rapid acidification of seawater poses a significant threat to the persistence of coral reefs. However, taxa-specific, mechanistic understandings of holobiont responses to ocean acidification (OA) stress remain largely unknown. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial to uncovering predictive markers of OA stress. This could subsequently be used to assist field-based conservation efforts. We hypothesized that exposure to elevated pCO2 levels would decrease the abundance of primary metabolites such as amino acids and carbohydrates and increase the production of secondary metabolites, specifically those involved in cnidarian-symbiodinium cell signaling. In this study, we applied untargeted capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE-TOFMS) to profile changes in the intracellular polar and semi-polar metabolite composition of the coral holobiont after exposure to elevated pCO2 concentrations. Nubbins of Acropora millepora were exposed to ambient (410 µatm) or elevated (805 µatm) pCO2 levels under controlled conditions over a period of 10 days. Measurement of treatment-induced bleaching was performed by quantification of symbiodinium cell density and chlorophyll a concentration. We hope to identify molecules in the metabolite profiles associated with the individual cellular responses of holobiont members to osmotic stress. Additionally, we hope to provide further insight into unknown roles of secondary and tertiary metabolite pools in cellular homeostasis and acclimation to thermal stress in the coral holobiont, and specifically the cnidarian-symbiodinium symbiosis. Our goal is for these findings to assist conservation efforts, specifically in the development of rapid tests for field-based conservation efforts.}, } @article {pmid35552771, year = {2022}, author = {Toyoda, HC and Chen, S and Berkmen, MB}, title = {Role of ConE's ATPase Motifs in Protein-Protein Interactions within the Conjugation Machinery of Bacillus subtilis.}, journal = {FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology}, volume = {36 Suppl 1}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1096/fasebj.2022.36.S1.R2001}, pmid = {35552771}, issn = {1530-6860}, support = {//National Science Foundation Research/ ; }, abstract = {Conjugation is the transfer of DNA from one bacterial cell to another. Conjugation is a major form of horizontal gene transfer, resulting in the spread of genes that play roles in antibiotic resistance, virulence, symbiosis and metabolism. ICEBs1 is an integrative and conjugative element of Bacillus subtilis. The conjugation machinery that transfers DNA is a Type 4 Secretion System (T4SS). The ICEBs1 T4SS includes the proteins ConB, ConC, ConD, ConE, ConG, ConQ, and CwlT. The focus of our work is the ConE peripheral membrane protein, which belongs to the VirB4 family of ATPases. We analyzed whether ConE interacts with any of the other ICEBs1 T4SS proteins using bacterial two hybrid (BACTH). We found that ConE interacts with itself, ConB, and ConQ. We used site-directed mutagenesis of the conE gene to make alanine substitutions within five conserved residues within ATPase motifs of the ConE protein that have previously been shown to be critical for mating. We used BACTH to determine if these mutations affect ConE's protein interactions. We discovered that interaction of ConE with itself or ConB is unaffected by mutations in any of the ATPase residues tested, but that the ConE-ConQ interaction depends on two conserved residues within the ATPase motifs. Our research sheds new light on the role of conserved residues within the ATPase motifs of ConE.}, } @article {pmid35552446, year = {2022}, author = {Chakraborty, S and Valdés-López, O and Stonoha-Arther, C and Ané, JM}, title = {Transcription Factors Controlling the Rhizobium-Legume Symbiosis: Integrating Infection, Organogenesis, and the Abiotic Environment.}, journal = {Plant & cell physiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/pcp/pcac063}, pmid = {35552446}, issn = {1471-9053}, support = {2010789//U.S. National Science Foundation/ ; A1-S-9454//Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología/ ; IN201320//Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigación e Inovación Tecnológica/ ; DE-SC0018247//U.S. Department of Energy/ ; }, abstract = {Legume roots engage in a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia leading to the development of nitrogen-fixing nodules. Nodule development is a sophisticated process and is under the tight regulation of the plant. The symbiosis initiates with a signal exchange between the two partners, followed by the development of a new organ colonized by rhizobia. Over two decades of study have shed light on the transcriptional regulation of rhizobium-legume symbiosis. A large number of transcription factors (TFs) have been implicated in one or more stages of this symbiosis. Legumes must monitor nodule development amidst a dynamic physical environment. Some environmental factors are conducive to nodulation, whereas others are stressful. The modulation of rhizobium-legume symbiosis by the abiotic environment adds another layer of complexity and is also transcriptionally regulated. Several symbiotic TFs act as integrators between symbiosis and the response to the abiotic environment. In this review, we trace the role of various TFs involved in rhizobium-legume symbiosis along its developmental route and highlight the ones that also act as communicators between this symbiosis and the response to the abiotic environment. Finally, we discuss contemporary approaches to study TF-target interactions in plants and probe their potential utility in the field of rhizobium-legume symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35552099, year = {2022}, author = {Ji, X and Xia, Y and Zhang, H and Cui, JL}, title = {The microscopic mechanism between endophytic fungi and host plants: From recognition to building stable mutually beneficial relationships.}, journal = {Microbiological research}, volume = {261}, number = {}, pages = {127056}, doi = {10.1016/j.micres.2022.127056}, pmid = {35552099}, issn = {1618-0623}, abstract = {Growing research suggests that endophytic fungi deeply affect plant physiology, development, and metabolism, which has become an indispensable subject in plant research. However, the micromolecular mechanisms remain vague due to the complexity of the interactions. This article summarizes the latest progress in the mechanism studies of the symbiotic relationships between endophytic fungi and plants. We address the aspects from signal generation, plant defense, to fungal coping strategies to establish the balanced constraint relationships between fungi and their hosts that finally form "a community of shared future." These processes do not occur in isolation but in synergy. Both endophytic fungi and their host plants contribute to establishing the stable symbiosis. New insights have been provided into a deeper understanding of the occurrence of species interactions and their applications to solving practical problems.}, } @article {pmid35551901, year = {2022}, author = {Teli, P and Kale, V and Vaidya, A}, title = {Mesenchymal stromal cells-derived secretome protects Neuro-2a cells from oxidative stress-induced loss of neurogenesis.}, journal = {Experimental neurology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {114107}, doi = {10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114107}, pmid = {35551901}, issn = {1090-2430}, abstract = {Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) are characterized by debilitating medical conditions that principally affect the neuronal cells in the human brain. One of the major reasons that there are no effective drugs for the treatment of ND is because researchers face technical challenges while conducting studies to understand the molecular mechanism behind ND. Although various studies have established in vitro neurodegenerative model systems, we feel that these model systems are not physiologically relevant, as they do not mimic the in vivo situation of chronic insult. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to establish an in vitro neurodegenerative model system by inducing oxidative stress in such a way that the neuronal cells remain viable, but lose their structural and functional characteristics. Using a murine neuroblastoma cell line, Neuro-2a, we demonstrate that induction of oxidative stress significantly affects various neurite outgrowth parameters and reduces the expression of neuronal and autophagy markers without causing apoptosis in them. Previously, we have discussed the possible therapeutic applications of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and their secretome in the treatment of ND. Here, using two distinct approaches, we show that when Neuro-2a cells subjected to oxidative stress are exposed to MSC-derived conditioned medium (secretome), they exhibit a significant improvement in various neuronal parameters and in the expression of neuronal markers. Overall, our findings support the salutary role of MSC-derived secretome in rescuing the oxidative stress-induced loss of neurogenesis using a physiologically relevant in vitro model system. Our data underscore the propensity of the MSC-secretome in reversing ND.}, } @article {pmid35549698, year = {2022}, author = {Cui, G and Liew, YJ and Konciute, MK and Zhan, Y and Hung, SH and Thistle, J and Gastoldi, L and Schmidt-Roach, S and Dekker, J and Aranda, M}, title = {Nutritional control regulates symbiont proliferation and life history in coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis.}, journal = {BMC biology}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {103}, pmid = {35549698}, issn = {1741-7007}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The coral-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis is fundamental for the coral reef ecosystem. Corals provide various inorganic nutrients to their algal symbionts in exchange for the photosynthates to meet their metabolic demands. When becoming symbionts, Symbiodiniaceae cells show a reduced proliferation rate and a different life history. While it is generally believed that the animal hosts play critical roles in regulating these processes, far less is known about the molecular underpinnings that allow the corals to induce the changes in their symbionts.

RESULTS: We tested symbiont cell proliferation and life stage changes in vitro in response to different nutrient-limiting conditions to determine the key nutrients and to compare the respective symbiont transcriptomic profiles to cells in hospite. We then examined the effects of nutrient repletion on symbiont proliferation in coral hosts and quantified life stage transitions in vitro using time-lapse confocal imaging. Here, we show that symbionts in hospite share gene expression and pathway activation profiles with free-living cells under nitrogen-limited conditions, strongly suggesting that symbiont proliferation in symbiosis is limited by nitrogen availability.

CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that nitrogen limitation not only suppresses cell proliferation but also life stage transition to maintain symbionts in the immobile coccoid stage. Nutrient repletion experiments in corals further confirmed that nitrogen availability is the major factor limiting symbiont density in hospite. Our study emphasizes the importance of nitrogen in coral-algae interactions and, more importantly, sheds light on the crucial role of nitrogen in symbiont life history regulation.}, } @article {pmid35548876, year = {2022}, author = {Bastías, DA and Gundel, PE and Johnson, RD and Gianoli, E}, title = {How and when fungal endophytes can eliminate the plant growth-defence trade-off: mechanistic perspectives: A response to Atala et al. (2022) 'Fungal endophytes improve the performance of host plants but do not eliminate the growth/defence trade-off'.}, journal = {The New phytologist}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/nph.18161}, pmid = {35548876}, issn = {1469-8137}, support = {PICT-2018-1593//Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica/ ; 1180334//Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico/ ; LVLX1702//Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment/ ; }, } @article {pmid35548513, year = {2022}, author = {Saura, JR and Dwivedi, YK and Palacios-Marqués, D}, title = {Editorial: Online User Behavior and User-Generated Content.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {895467}, doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2022.895467}, pmid = {35548513}, issn = {1664-1078}, } @article {pmid35547840, year = {2022}, author = {Thakur, H and Pareek, P and Sayyad, MG and Otiv, S}, title = {Association of Premenstrual Syndrome with Adiposity and Nutrient Intake Among Young Indian Women.}, journal = {International journal of women's health}, volume = {14}, number = {}, pages = {665-675}, doi = {10.2147/IJWH.S359458}, pmid = {35547840}, issn = {1179-1411}, abstract = {Abstract: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to a heterogenous group of symptoms occurring in luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Women of childbearing age are affected by PMS, and it may impact their quality of life. Various factors related to the biology of menstruation, hormones, and lifestyle are associated with PMS.

Purpose: To explore the incidence and severity of PMS among students in India and its correlation with nutrient intake, adiposity, and lifestyle factors.

Methods: A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on menstrual pattern, nutrient intake, dietary habits, and physical activity. Moose's Menstrual Distress Questionnaire and Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool were employed for the identification and classification of PMS. Anthropometric indices included height, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and four-site skinfold thickness-tricep, bicep, subscapular, and suprailiac.

Results: Of the 330 participants, 71.3% reported to have experienced at least one symptom of PMS. Furthermore, 46.9% had mild PMS, 31.5% had moderate PMS, 8.3% had strong PMS, and 13.3% had no symptoms. Anxiety and irritability were the most observed symptoms. The mean body mass index (BMI) of the participants was within the normal range (21.76 ± 4.81 kg/m2); however, body fat percentage was above the normal range (33.95% ± 4.89%). PMS severity was significantly correlated with body fat percentage and BMI. Nutrient intake was significantly lower than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA), but dietary fat consumption was higher than the RDA. Protein intake was higher in participants with mild PMS than those with moderate and severe PMS (p<0.05). An inverse association between oilseed consumption and PMS was observed.

Conclusion: PMS was associated with anthropometric parameters, nutrient intake, and dietary preference. PMS showed correlation with the intake of calorie-rich foods, sweets, and fried salted snacks, whereas consumption of oilseeds alleviated its incidence.}, } @article {pmid35547153, year = {2022}, author = {Chen, W and Ma, J and Jiang, Y and Deng, L and Lv, N and Gao, J and Cheng, J and Liang, JB and Wang, Y and Lan, T and Liao, X and Mi, J}, title = {Selective Maternal Seeding and Rearing Environment From Birth to Weaning Shape the Developing Piglet Gut Microbiome.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {795101}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.795101}, pmid = {35547153}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {The acquisition and development of the mammalian microbiome early in life are critical to establish a healthy host-microbiome symbiosis. Despite recent advances in understanding microbial sources in infants, the relative contribution of various microbial sources to the colonization of the gut microbiota in pigs remains unclear. Here, we longitudinally sampled the microbiota of 20 sow-piglet pairs (three piglets per sow) reared under identical conditions from multiple body sites and the surrounding weaning environment from birth to 28 days postpartum (1,119 samples in total). Source-tracking analysis revealed that the contribution of various microbial sources to the piglet gut microbiome gradually changed over time. The neonatal microbiota was initially sparsely populated, and the predominant contribution was from the maternal vaginal microbiota that increased gradually from 69.0% at day 0 to 89.3% at day 3 and dropped to 0.28% at day 28. As the piglets aged, the major microbial community patterns were most strongly associated with the sow feces and slatted floor, with contributions increasing from 0.52 and 9.6% at day 0 to 62.1 and 33.8% at day 28, respectively. The intestinal microbial diversity, composition, and function significantly changed as the piglets aged, and 30 age-discriminatory bacterial taxa were identified with distinctive time-dependent shifts in their relative abundance, which likely reflected the effect of the maternal and environmental microbial sources on the selection and adaptation of the piglet gut microbiota. Overall, these data demonstrate that the vaginal microbiota is the primary source of the gut microbiota in piglets within 3 days after birth and are gradually replaced by the sow fecal and slatted floor microbiota over time. These findings may offer novel strategies to promote the establishment of exogenous symbiotic microbes to improve piglet gut health.}, } @article {pmid35546483, year = {2022}, author = {Atala, C and Acuña-Rodríguez, IS and Torres-Díaz, C and Molina-Montenegro, MA}, title = {Fungal endophytes improve the performance of host plants but do not eliminate the growth/defence trade-off.}, journal = {The New phytologist}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/nph.18160}, pmid = {35546483}, issn = {1469-8137}, } @article {pmid35546182, year = {2022}, author = {Moriyama, M and Hayashi, T and Fukatsu, T}, title = {A mucin protein predominantly expressed in the female-specific symbiotic organ of the stinkbug Plautia stali.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {7782}, pmid = {35546182}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {JP17K15399//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; JPMJER1902//Japan Science and Technology Agency/ ; }, abstract = {Diverse insects are obligatorily associated with microbial symbionts, wherein the host often develops special symbiotic organs and vertically transmits the symbiont to the next generation. What molecular factors underpin the host-symbiont relationship is of great interest but poorly understood. Here we report a novel protein preferentially produced in a female-specific symbiotic organ of the stinkbug Plautia stali, whose posterior midgut develops numerous crypts to host a Pantoea-allied bacterial mutualist. In adult females, several posteriormost crypts are conspicuously enlarged, presumably specialized for vertical symbiont transmission. We detected conspicuous protein bands specific to the female's swollen crypts by gel electrophoresis, and identified them as representing a novel mucin-like glycoprotein. Histological inspections confirmed that the mucin protein is localized to the female's swollen crypts, coexisting with a substantial population of the symbiotic bacteria, and excreted from the swollen crypts to the midgut main tract together with the symbiotic bacteria. Using RNA interference, we successfully suppressed production of the mucin protein in adult females of P. stali. However, although the mucin protein was depleted, the symbiont population persisted in the swollen crypts, and vertical symbiont transmission to the next generation occurred. Possible biological roles and evolutionary trajectory of the symbiosis-related mucin protein are discussed.}, } @article {pmid35543735, year = {2022}, author = {Merlin, BL and Moraes, GJ and Cônsoli, FL}, title = {The Microbiota of a Mite Prey-Predator System on Different Host Plants Are Characterized by Dysbiosis and Potential Functional Redundancy.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35543735}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {2018/24768-9//Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo/ ; 2017/12004-1//Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo/ ; }, abstract = {Microbiota has diverse roles in the life cycles of their hosts, affecting their growth, development, behavior, and reproduction. Changes in physiological conditions of the host can also impact the assemblage of host-associated microorganisms. However, little is known of the effects of host plant-prey-predatory mite interactions on mite microbiota. We compared the microbial communities of eggs and adult females of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), and of adult females of the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on four different host plants (cotton, maize, pinto bean, and tomato) by metabarcoding sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene (16S rRNA), using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Only the egg microbiota of T. urticae was affected by the host plant. The microbiota of the predatory mite N. californicus was very different from that of its prey, and the predator microbiota was unaffected by the different host plant-prey systems tested. Only the microbiota of the eggs of T. urticae carried Serratia as a high fidelity-biomarker, but their low abundance in T. urticae adult females suggests that the association between Serratia and T. urticae is accidental. Biomarker bacteria were also detected in the microbiota of adult females of T. urticae and N. californicus, with different biomarkers in each host plant species. The microbiota associated with eggs and adult females of T. urticae and adult females of N. californicus differed in their functional potential contributions to the host mite.}, } @article {pmid35543503, year = {2022}, author = {Khan, A and Wadood, SF and Chen, M and Wang, Y and Xie, ZP and Staehelin, C}, title = {Effector-triggered inhibition of nodulation: a rhizobial effector protease targets soybean kinase GmPBS1-1.}, journal = {Plant physiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/plphys/kiac205}, pmid = {35543503}, issn = {1532-2548}, abstract = {Type III protein secretion systems of nitrogen-fixing rhizobia deliver effector proteins into leguminous host cells to promote or inhibit the nodule symbiosis. However, mechanisms underlying effector-triggered inhibition of nodulation remain largely unknown. Nodulation outer protein T (NopT) of Sinorhizobium sp. NGR234 is an effector protease related to the Pseudomonas effector AvrPphB (Avirulence protein Pseudomonas phaseolicola B). Here, we constructed NGR234 mutants producing different NopT variants and found that protease activity of NopT negatively affects nodulation of smooth crotalaria (Crotalaria pallida). NopT variants lacking residues required for autocleavage and subsequent lipidation showed reduced symbiotic effects and were not targeted to the plasma membrane. We further noticed that Sinorhizobium fredii strains possess a mutated nopT gene. S. fredii USDA257 expressing nopT of NGR234 induced considerably fewer nodules in soybean (Glycine max) cv. Nenfeng 15 but not in other cultivars. Effector perception was further examined in NopT-expressing leaves of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and found to be dependent on the target protein AtPBS1 (Arabidopsis AvrPphB susceptible 1) and the associated resistance protein AtRPS5 (Arabidopsis Resistance to Pseudomonas Syringae 5). Experiments with Nicotiana benthamiana plants indicated that the soybean homolog GmPBS1-1 associated with AtRPS5 can perceive NopT. Further analysis showed that NopT cleaves AtPBS1 and GmPBS1-1 and thus can activate these target proteins. Insertion of a DKM motif at the cleavage site of GmPBS1-1 resulted in increased proteolysis. Nodulation tests with soybeans expressing an autoactive GmPBS1-1 variant indicated that activation of a GmPBS1-1-mediated resistance pathway impairs nodule formation in cv. Nenfeng 15. Our findings suggest that legumes face an evolutionary dilemma of either developing effector-triggered immunity against pathogenic bacteria or establishing symbiosis with suboptimally adapted rhizobia producing pathogen-like effectors.}, } @article {pmid35543104, year = {2022}, author = {Mucci, NC and Jones, KA and Cao, M and Wyatt, MR and Foye, S and Kauffman, SJ and Richards, GR and Taufer, M and Chikaraishi, Y and Steffan, SA and Campagna, SR and Goodrich-Blair, H}, title = {Apex Predator Nematodes and Meso-Predator Bacteria Consume Their Basal Insect Prey through Discrete Stages of Chemical Transformations.}, journal = {mSystems}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0031222}, doi = {10.1128/msystems.00312-22}, pmid = {35543104}, issn = {2379-5077}, abstract = {Microbial symbiosis drives physiological processes of higher-order systems, including the acquisition and consumption of nutrients that support symbiotic partner reproduction. Metabolic analytics provide new avenues to examine how chemical ecology, or the conversion of existing biomass to new forms, changes over a symbiotic life cycle. We applied these approaches to the nematode Steinernema carpocapsae, its mutualist bacterium, Xenorhabdus nematophila, and the insects they infect. The nematode-bacterium pair infects, kills, and reproduces in an insect until nutrients are depleted. To understand the conversion of insect biomass over time into either nematode or bacterium biomass, we integrated information from trophic, metabolomic, and gene regulation analyses. Trophic analysis established bacteria as meso-predators and primary insect consumers. Nematodes hold a trophic position of 4.6, indicative of an apex predator, consuming bacteria and likely other nematodes. Metabolic changes associated with Galleria mellonella insect bioconversion were assessed using multivariate statistical analyses of metabolomics data sets derived from sampling over an infection time course. Statistically significant, discrete phases were detected, indicating the insect chemical environment changes reproducibly during bioconversion. A novel hierarchical clustering method was designed to probe molecular abundance fluctuation patterns over time, revealing distinct metabolite clusters that exhibit similar abundance shifts across the time course. Composite data suggest bacterial tryptophan and nematode kynurenine pathways are coordinated for reciprocal exchange of tryptophan and NAD+ and for synthesis of intermediates that can have complex effects on bacterial phenotypes and nematode behaviors. Our analysis of pathways and metabolites reveals the chemistry underlying the recycling of organic material during carnivory. IMPORTANCE The processes by which organic life is consumed and reborn in a complex ecosystem were investigated through a multiomics approach applied to the tripartite Xenorhabdus bacterium-Steinernema nematode-Galleria insect symbiosis. Trophic analyses demonstrate the primary consumers of the insect are the bacteria, and the nematode in turn consumes the bacteria. This suggests the Steinernema-Xenorhabdus mutualism is a form of agriculture in which the nematode cultivates the bacterial food sources by inoculating them into insect hosts. Metabolomics analysis revealed a shift in biological material throughout progression of the life cycle: active infection, insect death, and conversion of cadaver tissues into bacterial biomass and nematode tissue. We show that each phase of the life cycle is metabolically distinct, with significant differences including those in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and amino acid pathways. Our findings demonstrate that symbiotic life cycles can be defined by reproducible stage-specific chemical signatures, enhancing our broad understanding of metabolic processes that underpin a three-way symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35539007, year = {2022}, author = {Pfab, F and Brown, AL and Detmer, AR and Baxter, EC and Moeller, HV and Cunning, R and Nisbet, RM}, title = {Timescale separation and models of symbiosis: state space reduction, multiple attractors and initialization.}, journal = {Conservation physiology}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {coac026}, doi = {10.1093/conphys/coac026}, pmid = {35539007}, issn = {2051-1434}, abstract = {Dynamic Energy Budget models relate whole organism processes such as growth, reproduction and mortality to suborganismal metabolic processes. Much of their potential derives from extensions of the formalism to describe the exchange of metabolic products between organisms or organs within a single organism, for example the mutualism between corals and their symbionts. Without model simplification, such models are at risk of becoming parameter-rich and hence impractical. One natural simplification is to assume that some metabolic processes act on 'fast' timescales relative to others. A common strategy for formulating such models is to assume that 'fast' processes equilibrate immediately, while 'slow' processes are described by ordinary differential equations. This strategy can bring a subtlety with it. What if there are multiple, interdependent fast processes that have multiple equilibria, so that additional information is needed to unambiguously specify the model dynamics? This situation can easily arise in contexts where an organism or community can persist in a 'healthy' or an 'unhealthy' state with abrupt transitions between states possible. To approach this issue, we offer the following: (a) a method to unambiguously complete implicitly defined models by adding hypothetical 'fast' state variables; (b) an approach for minimizing the number of additional state variables in such models, which can simplify the numerical analysis and give insights into the model dynamics; and (c) some implications of the new approach that are of practical importance for model dynamics, e.g. on the bistability of flux dynamics and the effect of different initialization choices on model outcomes. To demonstrate those principles, we use a simplified model for root-shoot dynamics of plants and a related model for the interactions between corals and endosymbiotic algae that describes coral bleaching and recovery.}, } @article {pmid35534897, year = {2022}, author = {Zakeri, Z and Junne, S and Jäger, F and Dostert, M and Otte, V and Neubauer, P}, title = {Lichen cell factories: methods for the isolation of photobiont and mycobiont partners for defined pure and co-cultivation.}, journal = {Microbial cell factories}, volume = {21}, number = {1}, pages = {80}, pmid = {35534897}, issn = {1475-2859}, mesh = {*Ascomycota ; Biodiversity ; *Lichens/microbiology ; Spores, Fungal ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Due to their huge biodiversity and the capability to produce a wide range of secondary metabolites, lichens have a great potential in biotechnological applications. They have, however, hardly been used as cell factories to date, as it is considered to be difficult and laborious to cultivate lichen partners in pure or co-culture in the laboratory. The various methods used to isolate lichen fungi, based on either the ascospores, the conidia, or the thallus, have so far not been compared or critically examined. Therefore, here we systematically investigate and compare the known methods and two new methods to identify the most suitable technology for isolation of fungi from lichens.

RESULTS: Within this study six lichen fungi species were isolated and propagated as pure cultures. All of them formed colonies within one month. In case of lichens with ascocarps the spore discharge was the most suitable method. Spores were already discharged within 2 days and germinated within only four days and the contamination rate was low. Otherwise, the soredia and thallus method without homogenization, as described in this work, are also well suited to obtain pure fungal cultures. For the isolation of algae, we were also successful with the thallus method without homogenization.

CONCLUSION: With the methods described here and the proposed strategic approach, we believe that a large proportion of the lichen fungi can be cultivated within a reasonable time and effort. Based on this, methods of controlled cultivation and co-cultivation must now be developed in order to use the potential of lichens with regard to their secondary metabolites, but also for other applications.}, } @article {pmid35534538, year = {2022}, author = {de Raad, J and Päckert, M and Irestedt, M and Janke, A and Kryukov, AP and Martens, J and Red'kin, YA and Sun, Y and Töpfer, T and Schleuning, M and Neuschulz, EL and Nilsson, MA}, title = {Speciation and population divergence in a mutualistic seed dispersing bird.}, journal = {Communications biology}, volume = {5}, number = {1}, pages = {429}, pmid = {35534538}, issn = {2399-3642}, mesh = {Animals ; Ecosystem ; *Passeriformes/genetics ; *Pinus ; *Seed Dispersal ; Seeds/genetics ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Bird-mediated seed dispersal is crucial for the regeneration and viability of ecosystems, often resulting in complex mutualistic species networks. Yet, how this mutualism drives the evolution of seed dispersing birds is still poorly understood. In the present study we combine whole genome re-sequencing analyses and morphometric data to assess the evolutionary processes that shaped the diversification of the Eurasian nutcracker (Nucifraga), a seed disperser known for its mutualism with pines (Pinus). Our results show that the divergence and phylogeographic patterns of nutcrackers resemble those of other non-mutualistic passerine birds and suggest that their early diversification was shaped by similar biogeographic and climatic processes. The limited variation in foraging traits indicates that local adaptation to pines likely played a minor role. Our study shows that close mutualistic relationships between bird and plant species might not necessarily act as a primary driver of evolution and diversification in resource-specialized birds.}, } @article {pmid35533278, year = {2022}, author = {Koltz, AM and Civitello, DJ and Becker, DJ and Deem, SL and Classen, AT and Barton, B and Brenn-White, M and Johnson, ZE and Kutz, S and Malishev, M and Preston, DL and Vannatta, JT and Penczykowski, RM and Ezenwa, VO}, title = {Sublethal effects of parasitism on ruminants can have cascading consequences for ecosystems.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {119}, number = {20}, pages = {e2117381119}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.2117381119}, pmid = {35533278}, issn = {1091-6490}, support = {Living Earth Collaborative//Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Ecosystem ; Food Chain ; *Helminths ; Herbivory ; *Parasites ; Ruminants ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {SignificanceWe found that pervasive parasitic infections reduce herbivory rates and can trigger trophic cascades. Lethal parasites clearly have cascading impacts on ecosystems, but whether common sublethal infections have similar effects is largely unknown. Using a mathematical model, we probed how parasites that reduce host survival, fecundity, or feeding rates can indirectly alter producer biomass in a helminth-ruminant system. We found that both lethal and sublethal infections triggered trophic cascades by altering the biomass of ruminant herbivore hosts and their resources. However, a global meta-analysis revealed that helminths tend to have pervasive sublethal effects on free-living ruminants, including by reducing host feeding rates. Our findings suggest there are widespread, but overlooked, ecological consequences of sublethal infections in natural ecosystems.}, } @article {pmid35416244, year = {2022}, author = {Zaw, M and Rathjen, JR and Zhou, Y and Ryder, MH and Denton, MD}, title = {Rhizobial diversity is associated with inoculation history at a two-continent scale.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology ecology}, volume = {98}, number = {5}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/femsec/fiac044}, pmid = {35416244}, issn = {1574-6941}, support = {//Australia Awards/ ; SMCN/2011/047//Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research/ ; }, mesh = {Australia ; *Cicer ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal ; *Mesorhizobium ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; *Rhizobium/genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Soil ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {A total of 120 Mesorhizobium strains collected from the central dry zone of Myanmar were analyzed in a pot experiment to evaluate nodulation and symbiotic effectiveness (SE%) in chickpea plants. Phylogenetic analyses revealed all strains belonged to the genus Mesorhizobium according to 16-23S rDNA IGS and the majority of chickpea nodulating rhizobia in Myanmar soils were most closely related to M. gobiense, M. muleiense, M. silamurunense, M. tamadayense and M. temperatum. Around two-thirds of the Myanmar strains (68%) were most closely related to Indian strain IC-2058 (CA-181), which is also most closely related to M. gobiense. There were no strains that were closely related to the cognate rhizobial species to nodulate chickpea: M. ciceri and M. mediterraneum. Strains with diverse 16S-23S rDNA IGS shared similar nodC and nifH gene sequences with chickpea symbionts. Detailed sequence analysis of nodC and nifH found that the strains in Myanmar were somewhat divergent from the group including M. ciceri and were more closely related to M. muleiense and IC-2058. A cross-continent analysis between strains isolated in Australia compared with Myanmar found that there was little overlap in species, where Australian soils were dominated with M. ciceri, M. temperatum and M. huakuii. The only co-occurring species found in both Myanmar and Australia were M. tamadayense and M. silumurunense. Continued inoculation with CC1192 may have reduced diversity of chickpea strains in Australian soils. Isolated strains in Australian and Myanmar had similar adaptive traits, which in some cases were also phylogenetically related. The genetic discrepancy between chickpea nodulating strains in Australia and Myanmar is not only due to inoculation history but to adaptation to soil conditions and crop management over a long period, and there has been virtually no loss of symbiotic efficiency over this time in strains isolated from soils in Myanmar.}, } @article {pmid35404419, year = {2022}, author = {Adjei, JA and Aserse, AA and Yli-Halla, M and Ahiabor, BDK and Abaidoo, RC and Lindstrom, K}, title = {Phylogenetically diverse Bradyrhizobium genospecies nodulate Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc) and soybean (Glycine max L. Merril) in the northern savanna zones of Ghana.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology ecology}, volume = {98}, number = {5}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/femsec/fiac043}, pmid = {35404419}, issn = {1574-6941}, support = {//Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education/ ; }, mesh = {*Bradyrhizobium ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; *Fabaceae/microbiology ; Genes, Bacterial ; Ghana ; Grassland ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Root Nodules, Plant/microbiology ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Soybeans ; Symbiosis/genetics ; *Vigna/microbiology ; }, abstract = {A total of 102 bacterial strains isolated from nodules of three Bambara groundnut and one soybean cultivars grown in nineteen soil samples collected from northern Ghana were characterized using multilocus gene sequence analysis. Based on a concatenated sequence analysis (glnII-rpoB-recA-gyrB-atpD-dnaK), 54 representative strains were distributed in 12 distinct lineages, many of which were placed mainly in the Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Bradyrhizobium elkanii supergroups. Twenty-four of the 54 representative strains belonged to seven putative novel species, while 30 were conspecific with four recognized Bradyrhizobium species. The nodA phylogeny placed all the representative strains in the cosmopolitan nodA clade III. The strains were further separated in seven nodA subclusters with reference strains mainly of African origin. The nifH phylogeny was somewhat congruent with the nodA phylogeny, but both symbiotic genes were mostly incongruent with the core housekeeping gene phylogeny indicating that the strains acquired their symbiotic genes horizontally from distantly related Bradyrhizobium species. Using redundancy analysis, the distribution of genospecies was found to be influenced by the edaphic factors of the respective sampling sites. In general, these results mainly underscore the high genetic diversity of Bambara groundnut-nodulating bradyrhizobia in Ghanaian soils and suggest a possible vast resource of adapted inoculant strains.}, } @article {pmid35536989, year = {2022}, author = {Chen, KH and Nelson, J}, title = {A Scoping Review of Bryophyte Microbiota: Diverse Microbial Communities in Small Plant Packages.}, journal = {Journal of experimental botany}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/jxb/erac191}, pmid = {35536989}, issn = {1460-2431}, abstract = {Plant health depends not only on the condition of the plant itself but also on its diverse community of microbes, or microbiota. Just like the better-studied angiosperms, bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) harbor diverse communities of bacteria, archaea, fungi, and other microbial eukaryotes. Bryophytes are increasingly recognized as important model systems for understanding plant evolution, development, physiology, and symbiotic interactions. Much of the work on bryophyte microbiota in the past focused on specific symbiont types for each bryophyte group, but more recent studies have started to expand the view. Therefore, this review integrates studies of bryophyte microbes from both scopes to provide a holistic view of the existing research for each bryophyte group and on key themes. The systematic search also reveals the taxonomic and geographic biases in this field, including a severe underrepresentation of the tropics, very few studies on viruses or eukaryotic microbes beyond fungi, and overrepresentation of mycorrhizal fungi studies in liverworts. Such gaps may lead to errors in conclusions about evolutionary patterns in symbiosis. This analysis points to a wealth of future research directions that promise to reveal how the distinct life cycles and physiology of bryophytes interact with their microbiota.}, } @article {pmid35535030, year = {2022}, author = {Kumar, H and Kumar, N and Kaur, N}, title = {Non-Standardized Terminology in Healthcare: Shortcomings and Subsequent Rectifications [Letter].}, journal = {Infection and drug resistance}, volume = {15}, number = {}, pages = {2369-2370}, doi = {10.2147/IDR.S370670}, pmid = {35535030}, issn = {1178-6973}, } @article {pmid35534441, year = {2022}, author = {Zhang, H and Mascher, M and Abbo, S and Jayakodi, M}, title = {Advancing Grain Legumes Domestication and Evolution Studies with Genomics.}, journal = {Plant & cell physiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/pcp/pcac062}, pmid = {35534441}, issn = {1471-9053}, support = {the Leibniz Junior Research groups (J118/2021/REPL//Leibniz-Gemeinschaft/ ; }, abstract = {Grain legumes were domesticated in parallel with cereals in several regions of the world and formed the economic basis of early farming cultures. Since then, legumes have played a vital role in human and animal diets and in fostering agrobiodiversity. Increasing grain legume cultivation will be crucial to safeguard nutritional security and the resilience of agricultural ecosystems across the globe. A better understanding of the molecular underpinnings of domestication and crop evolution of grain legumes may be translated into practical approaches in modern breeding programs to stabilize yield, which is threatened by evolving pathogens and changing climates. During recent decades, domestication research in all crops has greatly benefitted from the fast progress in genomics technologies. Yet still, many questions surrounding the domestication and diversification of legumes remain unanswered. In this review, we assess the potential of genomic approaches in grain legume research. We describe the centers of origin and the crucial domestication traits of grain legumes. In addition, we survey the effect of domestication on both above-ground and below-ground traits that have economic importance. Finally, we discuss open questions in grain legume domestication and diversification and outline how to bridge the gap between the preservation of historic crop diversity and their utilization in modern plant breeding.}, } @article {pmid35534356, year = {2022}, author = {Pang, L and Khan, F and Dunterman, M and Chen, P}, title = {Pharmacological targeting of the tumor-immune symbiosis in glioblastoma.}, journal = {Trends in pharmacological sciences}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.tips.2022.04.002}, pmid = {35534356}, issn = {1873-3735}, abstract = {Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and highly lethal form of primary brain tumor in adults. The median survival of GBM patients is approximately 14-16 months despite multimodal therapies. Emerging evidence has substantiated the critical role of symbiotic interactions between GBM cells and noncancerous immune cells (e.g., myeloid cells and T cells) in regulating tumor progression and therapy resistance. Approaches to target the tumor-immune symbiosis have emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for GBM. Here, we review the recent developments for pharmacological targeting of the GBM-immune symbiosis and highlight the role of such strategies to improve the effectiveness of immunotherapies in GBM.}, } @article {pmid35526996, year = {2021}, author = {Fujita, R}, title = {[Osugoroshi virus, a male-killer virus].}, journal = {Uirusu}, volume = {71}, number = {1}, pages = {63-70}, doi = {10.2222/jsv.71.63}, pmid = {35526996}, issn = {0042-6857}, mesh = {Animals ; DNA Viruses ; Male ; *Moths/microbiology ; *RNA Viruses ; Sex Ratio ; *Spiroplasma ; Symbiosis ; *Viruses, Unclassified ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {In insects, sex ratio bias is sometimes introduced by feminization, parthenogenesis, cytoplasmic incompatibility, or male-killing. Some intracellular bacteria such as Wolbachia or Spiroplasma has been known as male-killing agents. Here I introduce an example of non-bacterial male-killing agent, Osugoroshi virus found in oriental tea tortrix.}, } @article {pmid35522100, year = {2022}, author = {}, title = {David J. Lynn.}, journal = {Cell reports. Medicine}, volume = {3}, number = {4}, pages = {100611}, doi = {10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100611}, pmid = {35522100}, issn = {2666-3791}, mesh = {Australia ; *Biomedical Research ; Humans ; South Australia ; Symbiosis ; Universities ; }, abstract = {In this Q&A we speak with David Lynn, an EMBL Australia Group Leader at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute and a professor at Flinders University, about his research applying systems immunology approaches to better understand how pathogen and commensal microbes regulate our immune system in different contexts.}, } @article {pmid35134909, year = {2022}, author = {Foster-Nyarko, E and Pallen, MJ}, title = {The microbial ecology of Escherichia coli in the vertebrate gut.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology reviews}, volume = {46}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {35134909}, issn = {1574-6976}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria ; *Escherichia coli ; *Escherichia coli Infections/microbiology ; Symbiosis ; Vertebrates ; }, abstract = {Escherichia coli has a rich history as biology's 'rock star', driving advances across many fields. In the wild, E. coli resides innocuously in the gut of humans and animals but is also a versatile pathogen commonly associated with intestinal and extraintestinal infections and antimicrobial resistance-including large foodborne outbreaks such as the one that swept across Europe in 2011, killing 54 individuals and causing approximately 4000 infections and 900 cases of haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Given that most E. coli are harmless gut colonizers, an important ecological question plaguing microbiologists is what makes E. coli an occasionally devastating pathogen? To address this question requires an enhanced understanding of the ecology of the organism as a commensal. Here, we review how our knowledge of the ecology and within-host diversity of this organism in the vertebrate gut has progressed in the 137 years since E. coli was first described. We also review current approaches to the study of within-host bacterial diversity. In closing, we discuss some of the outstanding questions yet to be addressed and prospects for future research.}, } @article {pmid35124068, year = {2022}, author = {Alonso, AC and Stein, M and Matías Hisgen, C and Micieli, MV}, title = {Abiotic factors affecting the prevalence of Wolbachia (Rickettsiaceae) in immature Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Culicidae).}, journal = {Journal of invertebrate pathology}, volume = {189}, number = {}, pages = {107730}, doi = {10.1016/j.jip.2022.107730}, pmid = {35124068}, issn = {1096-0805}, mesh = {*Aedes/microbiology ; Animals ; Prevalence ; *Rickettsiaceae ; Symbiosis ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is a genus of gram-negative endosymbiotic bacterium of maternal transmission, located mainly in the gonads of arthropods, including mosquitoes such as Aedes albopictus. The current distribution of Ae. albopictus in Argentina is restricted to the subtropical northeastern region of the country. Here, we studied the seasonal prevalence of Wolbachia detected in Ae. albopictus larvae and the relationship between the abiotic factors of the larval microhabitat and the infection status, in Eldorado city, Misiones province, subtropical region. The prevalence of Wolbachia infection found was 76.89% (n = 312). From the total samples examined, 52.80% (n = 214) showed double infection with the wAlbA/wAlbB strains, 23.84% (n = 97) infection only with wAlbB, and 0.25% (n = 1) only with wAlbA. The prevalence of double infection did not present statistically significant differences between the sites studied. For single infection, the lowest prevalence value of the wAlbB strain (13.33%) was found in the natural park, whereas the highest was found in the family dwellings and cemeteries. Tire repair shops showed an intermediate value. The wAlbA single infection was identified once. Our results also showed an association between temperature and slightly turbid waters with exposure to the sun in the larval habitats and the probability of infection by Wolbachia.}, } @article {pmid35531676, year = {2022}, author = {Yuan, QS and An, JC and Wang, H and Xu, J and Gao, YP and Yang, Y and Jang, WK and Zhang, JQ and Li, LY and Zhou, T}, title = {[Construction of protoplast genetic transformation system for Mycena--symbiont of Gastrodia elata].}, journal = {Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica}, volume = {47}, number = {9}, pages = {2304-2308}, doi = {10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20220218.102}, pmid = {35531676}, issn = {1001-5302}, abstract = {Mycena, a symbiont of Gastrodia elata, promotes seed germination of G. elata and plays a crucial role in the sexual reproduction of G. elata. However, the lack of genetic transformation system of Mycena blocks the research on the interaction mechanism of the two. In order to establish the protoplast transformation system of Mycena, this study analyzed the protoplast enzymatic hydrolysis system, screened the resistance markers and regeneration medium, and explored the transient transformation. After hydrolysis of Mycena hyphae with complexes enzymes for 8 h and centrifugation at 4 000 r·min~(-1), high-concentration and quality protoplast was obtained. The optimum regeneration medium for Mycena was RMV, and the optimum resistance marker was 50 mg·mL~(-1) hygromycin. The pLH-HygB-HuSHXG-GFP-HdSHXG was transformed into the protoplast of Mycena which then expressed GFP. The established protoplast transformation system of Mycena laid a foundation for analyzing the functional genes of Mycena and the molecular mechanism of the symbiosis of Mycena and G. elata.}, } @article {pmid35529952, year = {2022}, author = {Chang, D and Gao, S and Zhou, G and Deng, S and Jia, J and Wang, E and Cao, W}, title = {The chromosome-level genome assembly of Astragalus sinicus and comparative genomic analyses provide new resources and insights for understanding legume-rhizobial interactions.}, journal = {Plant communications}, volume = {3}, number = {2}, pages = {100263}, doi = {10.1016/j.xplc.2021.100263}, pmid = {35529952}, issn = {2590-3462}, abstract = {The legume species Astragalus sinicus (Chinese milk vetch [CMV]) has been widely cultivated for centuries in southern China as one of the most important green manures/cover crops for improving rice productivity and preventing soil degeneration. In this study, we generated the first chromosome-scale reference genome of CMV by combining PacBio and Illumina sequencing with high-throughput chromatin conformation capture (Hi-C) technology. The CMV genome was 595.52 Mb in length, with a contig N50 size of 1.50 Mb. Long terminal repeats (LTRs) had been amplified and contributed to genome size expansion in CMV. CMV has undergone two whole-genome duplication (WGD) events, and the genes retained after the WGD shared by Papilionoideae species shaped the rhizobial symbiosis and the hormonal regulation of nodulation. The chalcone synthase (CHS) gene family was expanded and was expressed primarily in the roots of CMV. Intriguingly, we found that resistance genes were more highly expressed in roots than in nodules of legume species, suggesting that their expression may be increased to bolster plant immunity in roots to cope with pathogen infection in legumes. Our work sheds light on the genetic basis of nodulation and symbiosis in CMV and provides a benchmark for accelerating genetic research and molecular breeding in the future.}, } @article {pmid35511933, year = {2022}, author = {Lin, CA and Bates, TC}, title = {Free to choose: Mutualist motives for partner choice, proportional division, punishment, and help.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {17}, number = {5}, pages = {e0266735}, pmid = {35511933}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Motivation ; *Punishment ; Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Mutualism-the disposition to cooperate in ways that benefit both actor and recipient-has been proposed as a key construct in the evolution of cooperation, with distinct adaptations for 1) partner choice, 2) division, 3) punishment, and 4) helping. However, no psychological validation of this 4-fold psychological structure exists, and no measure of the trait is available. To fill this need, in two pre-registered studies (total N = 902), we: (A) Develop and administer items assessing each of the four mutualist adaptations; (B) Show good fit to the predicted four factor model; (C) Demonstrate reliability and stability across time; (D) Evidence discriminant validity from existing constructs, including compassion and utilitarianism; (E) Establish external validity by predicting proportional choices in catch division, opposition to partner coercion, and reduced support for redistribution; and (F) Replicate each of these findings. Jointly, these results support the validity of mutualism, including a motive to maintain the freedom to choose, and provide reliable scales for use in integrating, further developing, and applying mutualism.}, } @article {pmid35239459, year = {2022}, author = {Zhao, Q and Maynard, CL}, title = {Mucus, commensals, and the immune system.}, journal = {Gut microbes}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {2041342}, pmid = {35239459}, issn = {1949-0984}, support = {R01 AI162736/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R21 DK118386/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Colon/microbiology ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans ; Immune System ; Inflammation ; Intestinal Mucosa/microbiology ; Mucus/microbiology ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The immune system in the large intestine is separated from commensal microbes and comparatively rare enteric pathogens by a monolayer of diverse epithelial cells overlaid with a compact and adherent inner mucus layer and a looser outer mucus layer. Microorganisms, collectively referred to as the mucus-associated (MA) microbiota, physically inhabit this mucus barrier, resulting in a dynamic and incessant dialog to maintain both spatial segregation and immune tolerance. Recent major findings reveal novel features of the crosstalk between the immune system and mucus-associated bacteria in health and disease, as well as disease-related peripheral immune signatures indicative of host responses to these organisms. In this brief review, we integrate these novel observations into our overall understanding of host-microbiota mutualism at the colonic mucosal border and speculate on the significance of this emerging knowledge for our understanding of the prevention, development, and progression of chronic intestinal inflammation.}, } @article {pmid35043947, year = {2022}, author = {Oberleitner, L and Perrar, A and Macorano, L and Huesgen, PF and Nowack, ECM}, title = {A bipartite chromatophore transit peptide and N-terminal protein processing in the Paulinella chromatophore.}, journal = {Plant physiology}, volume = {189}, number = {1}, pages = {152-164}, pmid = {35043947}, issn = {1532-2548}, mesh = {*Chromatophores/metabolism ; Peptides/metabolism ; Plastids/metabolism ; Protein Transport ; *Proteome/metabolism ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The amoeba Paulinella chromatophora contains photosynthetic organelles, termed chromatophores, which evolved independently from plastids in plants and algae. At least one-third of the chromatophore proteome consists of nucleus-encoded (NE) proteins that are imported across the chromatophore double envelope membranes. Chromatophore-targeted proteins exceeding 250 amino acids (aa) carry a conserved N-terminal extension presumably involved in protein targeting, termed the chromatophore transit peptide (crTP). Short imported proteins do not carry discernable targeting signals. To explore whether the import of proteins is accompanied by their N-terminal processing, here we identified N-termini of 208 chromatophore-localized proteins by a mass spectrometry-based approach. Our study revealed extensive N-terminal acetylation and proteolytic processing in both NE and chromatophore-encoded (CE) fractions of the chromatophore proteome. Mature N-termini of 37 crTP-carrying proteins were identified, of which 30 were cleaved in a common processing region. Surprisingly, only the N-terminal ∼50 aa (part 1) become cleaved upon import. This part contains a conserved adaptor protein-1 complex-binding motif known to mediate protein sorting at the trans-Golgi network followed by a predicted transmembrane helix, implying that part 1 anchors the protein co-translationally in the endoplasmic reticulum and mediates trafficking to the chromatophore via the Golgi. The C-terminal part 2 contains conserved secondary structural elements, remains attached to the mature proteins, and might mediate translocation across the chromatophore inner membrane. Short imported proteins remain largely unprocessed. Finally, this work illuminates N-terminal processing of proteins encoded in an evolutionary-early-stage organelle and suggests host-derived posttranslationally acting factors involved in regulation of the CE chromatophore proteome.}, } @article {pmid35525886, year = {2022}, author = {Camus, MF and Alexander-Lawrie, B and Sharbrough, J and Hurst, GDD}, title = {Inheritance through the cytoplasm.}, journal = {Heredity}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35525886}, issn = {1365-2540}, support = {NE/V014307/1//RCUK | Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)/ ; NE/S012346/1//RCUK | Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)/ ; RPG-2019-109//Leverhulme Trust/ ; IOS - 182917//National Science Foundation (NSF)/ ; DEB - 1753695//National Science Foundation (NSF)/ ; DEB - 1753851//National Science Foundation (NSF)/ ; }, abstract = {Most heritable information in eukaryotic cells is encoded in the nuclear genome, with inheritance patterns following classic Mendelian segregation. Genomes residing in the cytoplasm, however, prove to be a peculiar exception to this rule. Cytoplasmic genetic elements are generally maternally inherited, although there are several exceptions where these are paternally, biparentally or doubly-uniparentally inherited. In this review, we examine the diversity and peculiarities of cytoplasmically inherited genomes, and the broad evolutionary consequences that non-Mendelian inheritance brings. We first explore the origins of vertical transmission and uniparental inheritance, before detailing the vast diversity of cytoplasmic inheritance systems across Eukaryota. We then describe the evolution of genomic organisation across lineages, how this process has been shaped by interactions with the nuclear genome and population genetics dynamics. Finally, we discuss how both nuclear and cytoplasmic genomes have evolved to co-inhabit the same host cell via one of the longest symbiotic processes, and all the opportunities for intergenomic conflict that arise due to divergence in inheritance patterns. In sum, we cannot understand the evolution of eukaryotes without understanding hereditary symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35524305, year = {2022}, author = {Carrier, TJ and Maldonado, M and Schmittmann, L and Pita, L and Bosch, TCG and Hentschel, U}, title = {Symbiont transmission in marine sponges: reproduction, development, and metamorphosis.}, journal = {BMC biology}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {100}, pmid = {35524305}, issn = {1741-7007}, abstract = {Marine sponges (phylum Porifera) form symbioses with diverse microbial communities that can be transmitted between generations through their developmental stages. Here, we integrate embryology and microbiology to review how symbiotic microorganisms are transmitted in this early-diverging lineage. We describe that vertical transmission is widespread but not universal, that microbes are vertically transmitted during a select developmental window, and that properties of the developmental microbiome depends on whether a species is a high or low microbial abundance sponge. Reproduction, development, and symbiosis are thus deeply rooted, but why these partnerships form remains the central and elusive tenet of these developmental symbioses.}, } @article {pmid35521555, year = {2022}, author = {Moustafa, MAM and Mohamed, WMA and Lau, ACC and Chatanga, E and Qiu, Y and Hayashi, N and Naguib, D and Sato, K and Takano, A and Matsuno, K and Nonaka, N and Taylor, D and Kawabata, H and Nakao, R}, title = {Novel symbionts and potential human pathogens excavated from argasid tick microbiomes that are shaped by dual or single symbiosis.}, journal = {Computational and structural biotechnology journal}, volume = {20}, number = {}, pages = {1979-1992}, doi = {10.1016/j.csbj.2022.04.020}, pmid = {35521555}, issn = {2001-0370}, abstract = {Research on vector-associated microbiomes has been expanding due to increasing emergence of vector-borne pathogens and awareness of the importance of symbionts in the vector physiology. However, little is known about microbiomes of argasid (or soft-bodied) ticks due to limited access to specimens. We collected four argasid species (Argas japonicus, Carios vespertilionis, Ornithodoros capensis, and Ornithodoros sawaii) from the nests or burrows of their vertebrate hosts. One laboratory-reared argasid species (Ornithodoros moubata) was also included. Attempts were then made to isolate and characterize potential symbionts/pathogens using arthropod cell lines. Microbial community structure was distinct for each tick species. Coxiella was detected as the predominant symbiont in four tick species where dual symbiosis between Coxiella and Rickettsia or Coxiella and Francisella was observed in C. vespertilionis and O. moubata, respectively. Of note, A. japonicus lacked Coxiella and instead had Occidentia massiliensis and Thiotrichales as alternative symbionts. Our study found strong correlation between tick species and life stage. We successfully isolated Oc. massiliensis and characterized potential pathogens of genera Ehrlichia and Borrelia. The results suggest that there is no consistent trend of microbiomes in relation to tick life stage that fit all tick species and that the final interpretation should be related to the balance between environmental bacterial exposure and endosymbiont ecology. Nevertheless, our findings provide insights on the ecology of tick microbiomes and basis for future investigations on the capacity of argasid ticks to carry novel pathogens with public health importance.}, } @article {pmid35521409, year = {2019}, author = {Sardelli, L and Pacheco, DP and Ziccarelli, A and Tunesi, M and Caspani, O and Fusari, A and Briatico Vangosa, F and Giordano, C and Petrini, P}, title = {Towards bioinspired in vitro models of intestinal mucus.}, journal = {RSC advances}, volume = {9}, number = {28}, pages = {15887-15899}, doi = {10.1039/c9ra02368b}, pmid = {35521409}, issn = {2046-2069}, abstract = {Intestinal mucus is a biological structure that acts as a barrier between the external environment and the epithelium. It actively selects nutrient and drug intake, regulates the symbiosis with the intestinal microbiota and keeps the epithelium protected from the attack of pathogens. All these functions are closely connected to the chemical and structural complexity of this biological material, on which its viscoelastic and diffusive properties depend. Many models have been proposed to replicate these characteristics using glycoproteins in solution and possibly the addition of other mucus components, such as lipids and other proteins. In the field of mucus modelling, an overall view of the mucus as a material, having its own viscous, rheological and diffusive characteristics, has been undersized with respect to a pure biological-functional analysis. In this review, we propose a description of the mucus as a biomaterial, including a presentation of its chemical and structural complexity, and of its main viscoelastic-diffusive properties, in order to provide a synthesis of the characteristics necessary for the engineering of more advanced mucus models.}, } @article {pmid35519507, year = {2022}, author = {Li, H and Seneviratne, CJ and Jin, L}, title = {Human Oral Keratinocytes Challenged by Streptococcus sanguinis and Porphyromonas gingivalis Differentially Affect the Chemotactic Activity of THP-1 Monocytes.}, journal = {International journal of microbiology}, volume = {2022}, number = {}, pages = {9112039}, doi = {10.1155/2022/9112039}, pmid = {35519507}, issn = {1687-918X}, abstract = {Periodontal diseases are initiated by the shift from microbe-host symbiosis to dysbiosis, and the disrupted host response predominantly contributes to tissue destruction. This study investigated whether and to what extent human oral keratinocytes (HOKs) challenged by a periodontal commensal or pathogen could differentially affect the chemotactic activity of THP-1 monocytes. A selected periodontal commensal (Streptococcus sanguinis ATCC 10556) and a pathogen (Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC 33277) were cultured and inoculated, respectively, into the lower chamber of Transwell® Permeable Supports with HOKs and incubated for 2 h or 18 h at 37°C under appropriate cell growth conditions. HOKs alone served as the control for the transwell migration assay. Well-stained THP-1 monocytes were seeded in the top chamber of the device, incubated for 2 h and then collected from the lower well for quantitation of the migrated fluorescence-labeled cells by the FACSCalibur™ flow cytometer. The statistical significance was determined using one-way ANOVA. The HOKs challenged by S. sanguinis attracted a significantly higher number of THP-1 cell migration as compared with the control after 2 h or 18 h interaction (p < 0.01). By contrast, P. gingivalis-treated HOKs exhibited a markedly reduced chemotactic effect on THP-1 cells (p < 0.01, 2 h; p < 0.05, 18 h). There was no significant difference in THP-1 cell migration among the groups with either S. sanguinis or P. gingivalis alone. The current findings on P. gingivalis-HOKs interactions with resultant paralysis of THP-1 cell chemotaxis provide further evidence that the keystone periodontopathogen P. gingivalis can evade innate defense and contribute to periodontal pathogenesis.}, } @article {pmid35517707, year = {2019}, author = {Bao, H and Zhang, X and Su, H and Li, L and Lv, Z and Zhang, X}, title = {Study on the hydrogen production ability of high-efficiency bacteria and synergistic fermentation of maize straw by a combination of strains.}, journal = {RSC advances}, volume = {9}, number = {16}, pages = {9030-9040}, doi = {10.1039/c9ra00165d}, pmid = {35517707}, issn = {2046-2069}, abstract = {Based on the principle of reciprocal symbiosis and co-metabolism of mixed culture microorganisms, a group of high-efficiency maize straw-degrading hydrogen-producing complex bacteria X9 + B2 was developed by a strain matching optimization experiment. Systematic research and optimization experiments were carried out on the mechanism of the main controlling factors affecting the hydrogen production of the complex bacteria. The results showed that the optimum conditions for the acid blasting pre-treatment of maize straw as a substrate were as follows: when the inoculation amount was 6% and the inoculum ratio was 1 : 1, at which point, we needed to simultaneously inoculate, the initial pH was 6, the substrate concentration was 12 g L-1, and the culture time was 40 h. The complex bacteria adopted the variable temperature and speed regulation hydrogen production operational mode; after the initial temperature of 37 °C for 8 hours, the temperature was gradually increased to 40 °C for 3 hours. The initial shaker speed was 90 rpm for 20 hours, and the speed was gradually increased to 130 rpm. The maximum hydrogen production rate obtained by the complex bacteria under these conditions was 12.6 mmol g-1, which was 1.6 times that of the single strain X9 with a maximum hydrogen production rate of 5.7 mmol g-1. Through continuous subculturing and the 10th, 20th, 40th, 60th, 80th, 100th and 120th generation fermentation hydrogen production stability test analysis, no significant difference was observed between generations; the maximum difference was not more than 5%, indicating better functional properties and stability.}, } @article {pmid35515378, year = {2020}, author = {Yu, M and Wang, Q and Tao, W and Liu, G and Liu, W and Wang, L and Ma, L}, title = {Interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and soil properties jointly influence plant C, N, and P stoichiometry in West Lake, Hangzhou.}, journal = {RSC advances}, volume = {10}, number = {65}, pages = {39943-39953}, doi = {10.1039/d0ra08185j}, pmid = {35515378}, issn = {2046-2069}, abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play important roles in terrestrial plants via mutualistic symbiosis. However, knowledge about the functions of AMF in aquatic plants remains limited. Here, four dominate emergent plant communities in West Lake, Hangzhou were chosen, the characteristics of AMF, plant C, N, and P stoichiometry, and soil properties were investigated. The results showed that both AMF infection rates and the number of AMF spore species increased, suggesting a great mutualism between AMF and emergent plants. Contents of C, N, and P in aboveground biomass and roots and their ratios varied greatly among these four emergent plants. Moreover, AMF infection frequency showed a significant negative correlation with aboveground biomass N (p < 0.05), whereas the rates of arbuscular mycorrhiza formation and vesicular formation after root infection showed significant negative correlations with root N and root N/P. Soil total C, soil total N, soil total P, and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) were significantly associated with AMF infection characteristics. Our main findings are that the results of redundancy analysis and path analysis further indicated that soil C, N, and P contents, and ORP affected plant C, N, and P contents and their stoichiometry directly. Meanwhile, soil properties can also regulate plant ecological stoichiometry indirectly via altering AMF mycorrhiza. Our findings highlight that interactions between AMF and soil play crucial roles in regulating plant ecological stoichiometry and can be treated as a whole in investigating the relationships between plant and soil.}, } @article {pmid35515005, year = {2022}, author = {Sheehy, L and Cutler, J and Weedall, GD and Rae, R}, title = {Microbiome Analysis of Malacopathogenic Nematodes Suggests No Evidence of a Single Bacterial Symbiont Responsible for Gastropod Mortality.}, journal = {Frontiers in immunology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {878783}, doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2022.878783}, pmid = {35515005}, issn = {1664-3224}, abstract = {Nematodes and bacteria are prevalent in soil ecosystems, and some have evolved symbiotic relationships. In some cases, symbionts carry out highly specialized functions: a prime example being entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), which vector bacteria (Xenorhabdus or Photorhabdus) into insect hosts, killing them to provide a food source for the nematodes. It is thought that the commercially available malacopathogenic (kills slugs and snails) biocontrol nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita vectors a bacterium (Moraxella osloensis) into slugs to kill them. To investigate this further we used a metagenomic approach to profile the bacteria present in the commercial strain of P. hermaphrodita, a wild strain of P. hermaphrodita and two other Phasmarhabditis species (P. californica and P. neopapillosa), after they had killed their slug host (Deroceras invadens). We show that these nematodes do not exclusively associate with one bacterium but a range of species, with members of the phyla Pseudomonadota, Bacillota, Actinobacteriota and Bacteroidota the most prevalent. The commercial strain of P. hermaphrodita had the least diverse bacterial community. Furthermore, we found that the bacterium P. hermaphrodita has been cultured on for 25 years is not the expected species M. osloensis but is Psychrobacter spp. and the only strain of the Phasmarhabditis species to associate with Psychrobacter spp. was the commercial strain of P. hermaphrodita. In summary, we found no evidence to show that P. hermaphrodita rely exclusively on one bacterium to cause host mortality but found variable and diverse bacterial communities associated with these nematodes in their slug hosts.}, } @article {pmid35513812, year = {2022}, author = {Ferreira, EGC and Gomes, DF and Delai, CV and Barreiros, MAB and Grange, L and Rodrigues, EP and Henning, LMM and Barcellos, FG and Hungria, M}, title = {Revealing potential functions of hypothetical proteins induced by genistein in the symbiosis island of Bradyrhizobium japonicum commercial strain SEMIA 5079 (= CPAC 15).}, journal = {BMC microbiology}, volume = {22}, number = {1}, pages = {122}, pmid = {35513812}, issn = {1471-2180}, support = {001//Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior/ ; CNPq 465133/2014-4, Fundação Araucária-STI 043/2019, CAPES//INCT-Plant-Growth Promoting Microorganisms for Agricultural Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility/ ; CNPq 465133/2014-4, Fundação Araucária-STI 043/2019, CAPES//INCT-Plant-Growth Promoting Microorganisms for Agricultural Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility/ ; CNPq 465133/2014-4, Fundação Araucária-STI 043/2019, CAPES//INCT-Plant-Growth Promoting Microorganisms for Agricultural Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility/ ; CNPq 465133/2014-4, Fundação Araucária-STI 043/2019, CAPES//INCT-Plant-Growth Promoting Microorganisms for Agricultural Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain SEMIA 5079 (= CPAC 15) is a nitrogen-fixing symbiont of soybean broadly used in commercial inoculants in Brazil. Its genome has about 50% of hypothetical (HP) protein-coding genes, many in the symbiosis island, raising questions about their putative role on the biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) process. This study aimed to infer functional roles to 15 HP genes localized in the symbiosis island of SEMIA 5079, and to analyze their expression in the presence of a nod-gene inducer.

RESULTS: A workflow of bioinformatics tools/databases was established and allowed the functional annotation of the HP genes. Most were enzymes, including transferases in the biosynthetic pathways of cobalamin, amino acids and secondary metabolites that may help in saprophytic ability and stress tolerance, and hydrolases, that may be important for competitiveness, plant infection, and stress tolerance. Putative roles for other enzymes and transporters identified are discussed. Some HP proteins were specific to the genus Bradyrhizobium, others to specific host legumes, and the analysis of orthologues helped to predict roles in BNF.

CONCLUSIONS: All 15 HP genes were induced by genistein and high induction was confirmed in five of them, suggesting major roles in the BNF process.}, } @article {pmid35322415, year = {2022}, author = {Burgos, T and Fedriani, JM and Escribano-Ávila, G and Seoane, J and Hernández-Hernández, J and Virgós, E}, title = {Predation risk can modify the foraging behaviour of frugivorous carnivores: Implications of rewilding apex predators for plant-animal mutualisms.}, journal = {The Journal of animal ecology}, volume = {91}, number = {5}, pages = {1024-1035}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.13682}, pmid = {35322415}, issn = {1365-2656}, support = {CGL2017-84633-P//Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades/ ; FPU17/04375//Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Carnivora ; Ecosystem ; Food Chain ; Foxes ; *Lynx ; *Mustelidae ; Predatory Behavior ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Apex predators play key roles in food webs and their recovery can trigger trophic cascades in some ecosystems. Intra-guild competition can reduce the abundances of smaller predators and perceived predation risk can alter their foraging behaviour thereby limiting seed dispersal by frugivorous carnivores. However, little is known about how plant-frugivore mutualisms could be disturbed in the presence of larger predators. We evaluated the top-down effect of the regional superpredator, the Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus, on the number of visits and fruits consumed by medium-sized frugivorous carnivores, as well as the foraging behaviour of identified individuals, by examining the consumption likelihood and the foraging time. We carried out a field experiment in which we placed Iberian pear Pyrus bourgaeana fruits beneath fruiting trees and monitored pear removal by frugivorous carnivores, both inside and outside lynx ranges. Using camera traps, we recorded the presence of the red fox Vulpes vulpes, the Eurasian badger Meles meles and the stone marten Martes foina, as well as the number of fruits they consumed and their time spent foraging. Red fox was the most frequent fruit consumer carnivore. We found there were fewer visits and less fruit consumed by foxes inside lynx ranges, but lynx presence did not seem to affect badgers. We did not observe any stone marten visits inside lynx territories. The foraging behaviour of red foxes was also altered inside lynx ranges whereby foxes were less efficient, consuming less fruit per unit of time and having shorter visits. Local availability of fruit resources, forest coverage and individual personality also were important variables to understand visitation and foraging in a landscape of fear. Our results show a potential trophic cascade from apex predators to primary producers. The presence of lynx can reduce frugivorous carnivore numbers and induce shifts in their feeding behaviour that may modify the seed dispersal patterns with likely consequences for the demography of many fleshy-fruited plant species. We conclude that knowledge of the ecological interactions making up trophic webs is an asset to design effective conservation strategies, particularly in rewilding programs.}, } @article {pmid35316155, year = {2022}, author = {Arifin, AR and Reiter, NH and May, TW and Linde, CC}, title = {New species of Tulasnella associated with Australian terrestrial orchids in the subtribes Megastylidinae and Thelymitrinae.}, journal = {Mycologia}, volume = {114}, number = {2}, pages = {388-412}, doi = {10.1080/00275514.2021.2019547}, pmid = {35316155}, issn = {1557-2536}, mesh = {Adenosine Triphosphate ; Australia ; *Basidiomycota ; DNA, Ribosomal/genetics ; *Mycorrhizae/genetics ; *Orchidaceae/microbiology ; Phylogeny ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Tulasnella (Tulasnellaceae) is a genus of fungus that can form mycorrhizal associations with orchids (Orchidaceae). Here we used molecular phylogenetic analyses and morphological characteristics of pure cultures across four different media to support the description of five new Tulasnella species associated with commonly occurring and endangered Australian orchids. Tulasnella nerrigaensis associates with Calochilus; T. subasymmetrica and T. kiataensis with Thelymitra; and T. korungensis and T. multinucleata with Pyrorchis and Rimacola respectively. The newly described species were primarily delimited by analyses of five loci: nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS), C14436 (adenosine triphosphate [ATP] synthase), C4102 (glutamate synthase), C3304 (ATP helicase), and mt large subunit 16S rDNA (mtLSU). Tulasnella subasymmetrica is introduced for some isolates previously identified as T. asymmetrica, and this latter species is characterized from multilocus sequencing of a new isolate that matches ITS sequences from the ex-type culture. Morphological differences between the new species are slight. Tulasnella multinucleata has 6-12 nuclei per hyphal compartment which is the first instance of multinucleate rather than binucleate or trinucleate hyphal compartments in Tulasnella. The formal description of these species of Tulasnella will aid in future evolutionary and ecological studies of orchid-fungal interactions.}, } @article {pmid35512631, year = {2022}, author = {Roossinck, MJ}, title = {The Ups and Downs of an Out-of-the-Box Scientist with a Curious Mind.}, journal = {Annual review of virology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1146/annurev-virology-100520-013446}, pmid = {35512631}, issn = {2327-0578}, abstract = {My early life was challenging, and not conducive to the study of science, but my first introduction to viruses was an epiphany for me. I spent the whole of my career dedicated to understanding viruses, driven largely by curiosity. This led me down many different avenues of study, and to work with many wonderful colleagues, most of whom remain friends. Some highlights of my career include the discovery of a mutualistic three-way symbiosis involving a virus, a fungus, and a plant; genetic mapping of a pathogenicity gene in tomato; uncovering a virus in 1,000-year-old corncobs; exploring virus biodiversity in wild plants; and establishing a system to use a fungal virus to understand the epidemiology of its host. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Virology, Volume 9 is September 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.}, } @article {pmid35512354, year = {2022}, author = {Che, XR and Lai, WZ and Wang, SJ and Wang, XY and Hu, WT and Chen, H and Xie, XA and Tang, M}, title = {Multiple PHT1 family phosphate transporters are recruited for mycorrhizal symbiosis in Eucalyptus grandis and conserved PHT1;4 is a requirement for the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis.}, journal = {Tree physiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/treephys/tpac050}, pmid = {35512354}, issn = {1758-4469}, abstract = {Eucalypts engage in a mutualistic endosymbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi to acquire mineral nutrients from soils, particularly inorganic phosphate (Pi). In return, the host plant provides organic carbons to its fungal partners. However, the mechanism by which the Eucalyptus plants acquire Pi released from the AM fungi has remained elusive. In this study, we investigated the characterization of potential PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTER1 (PHT1) family Pi transporters in AM symbiosis in Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden. We show that multiple PHT1 family Pi transporters were recruited for AM symbiosis in E. grandis. We further report that EgPT4, an E. grandis member of the PHT1 family, is conserved across angiosperms and is exclusively expressed in AM roots with arbuscule-containing cells and localizes to the peri-arbuscular membrane. EgPT4 was able to complement a yeast mutant strain defective in all inorganic Pi transporters and mediate Pi uptake. Importantly, EgPT4 is essential for improved E. grandis growth, total phosphorous (P) concentration and arbuscule development during symbiosis. Moreover, silencing of EgPT4 led to the induction of polyphosphate accumulation relevant genes of Rhizophagus irregularis DAOM 197198. Collectively, our results unravel a pivotal role for EgPT4 in symbiotic Pi transport across the periarbuscular membrane (PAM) required for arbuscule development in E. grandis.}, } @article {pmid35510290, year = {2022}, author = {Zhang, L and Li, N and Wang, Y and Zheng, W and Shan, D and Yu, L and Luo, L}, title = {Sinorhizobium meliloti ohrR genes affect symbiotic performance with alfalfa (Medicago sativa).}, journal = {Environmental microbiology reports}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/1758-2229.13079}, pmid = {35510290}, issn = {1758-2229}, support = {31370277//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, abstract = {Sinorhizobium meliloti infects the host plant alfalfa to induce formation of nitrogen-fixation root nodules, which inevitably elicit reactive oxygen species (ROS) bursts and organic peroxide generation. The MarR family regulator OhrR regulates the expression of chloroperoxidase and organic hydrogen resistance protein, which scavenge organic peroxides in free-living S. meliloti cells. The single mutant of ohrR genes SMc01945 (ohrR1) and SMc00098 (ohrR2) lacked symbiotic phenotypes. In this work, we identified the novel ohrR gene SMa2020 (ohrR3) and determined that ohrR genes are important for rhizobial infection, nodulation and nitrogen fixation with alfalfa. By analysing the phenotypes of the single, double and triple deletion mutants of ohrR genes, we demonstrate that ohrR1 and ohrR3 slightly affect rhizobial growth, but ohrR2 and ohrR3 influence cellular resistance to the organic peroxide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide. Deletion of ohrR1 and ohrR3 negatively affected infection thread formation and nodulation, and consequently, plant growth. Correspondingly, the expression of the ROS detoxification genes katA and sodB as well as that of the nitrogenase gene nifH was downregulated in bacteroids of the double and triple deletion mutants, which may underlie the symbiotic defects of these mutants. These findings demonstrate that OhrR proteins play a role in the S. meliloti-alfalfa symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35509306, year = {2022}, author = {Campos, C and Gomes, L and Rei, FT and Nobre, T}, title = {Olive Fruit Fly Symbiont Population: Impact of Metamorphosis.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {868458}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.868458}, pmid = {35509306}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {The current symbiotic view of the organisms also calls for new approaches in the way we perceive and manage our pest species. The olive fruit fly, the most important olive tree pest, is dependent on an obligate bacterial symbiont to its larvae development in the immature fruit. This symbiont, Candidatus (Ca.) Erwinia dacicola, is prevalent throughout the host life stages, and we have shown significant changes in its numbers due to olive fruit fly metamorphosis. The olive fruit fly microbiota was analyzed through 16S metabarcoding, at three development stages: last instar larvae, pupae, and adult. Besides Ca. E. dacicola, the olive fruit flies harbor a diverse bacterial flora of which 13 operational taxonomic units (grouped in 9 genera/species) were now determined to persist excluding at metamorphosis (Corynebacterium sp., Delftia sp., Enhydrobacter sp., Kocuria sp., Micrococcus sp., Propionibacterium sp., Pseudomonas sp., Raoultella sp., and Staphylococcus sp.). These findings open a new window of opportunities in symbiosis-based pest management.}, } @article {pmid35504748, year = {2022}, author = {Chaudhary, VB and Holland, EP and Charman-Anderson, S and Guzman, A and Bell-Dereske, L and Cheeke, TE and Corrales, A and Duchicela, J and Egan, C and Gupta, MM and Hannula, SE and Hestrin, R and Hoosein, S and Kumar, A and Mhretu, G and Neuenkamp, L and Soti, P and Xie, Y and Helgason, T}, title = {What are mycorrhizal traits?.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.tree.2022.04.003}, pmid = {35504748}, issn = {1872-8383}, abstract = {Traits are inherent properties of organisms, but how are they defined for organismal networks such as mycorrhizal symbioses? Mycorrhizal symbioses are complex and diverse belowground symbioses between plants and fungi that have proved challenging to fit into a unified and coherent trait framework. We propose an inclusive mycorrhizal trait framework that classifies traits as morphological, physiological, and phenological features that have functional implications for the symbiosis. We further classify mycorrhizal traits by location - plant, fungus, or the symbiosis - which highlights new questions in trait-based mycorrhizal ecology designed to charge and challenge the scientific community. This new framework is an opportunity for researchers to interrogate their data to identify novel insights and gaps in our understanding of mycorrhizal symbioses.}, } @article {pmid35508250, year = {2022}, author = {Miyamoto, H and Asano, F and Ishizawa, K and Suda, W and Miyamoto, H and Tsuji, N and Matsuura, M and Tsuboi, A and Ishii, C and Nakaguma, T and Shindo, C and Kato, T and Kurotani, A and Shima, H and Moriya, S and Hattori, M and Kodama, H and Ohno, H and Kikuchi, J}, title = {A potential network structure of symbiotic bacteria involved in carbon and nitrogen metabolism of wood-utilizing insect larvae.}, journal = {The Science of the total environment}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {155520}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155520}, pmid = {35508250}, issn = {1879-1026}, abstract = {Effective biological utilization of wood biomass is necessary worldwide. Since several insect larvae can use wood biomass as a nutrient source, studies on their digestive microbial structures are expected to reveal a novel rule underlying wood biomass processing. Here, structural inferences for inhabitant bacteria involved in carbon and nitrogen metabolism for beetle larvae, an insect model, were performed to explore the potential rules. Bacterial analysis of larval feces showed enrichment of the phyla Chroloflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, and Planctomycetes, and the genera Bradyrhizobium, Chonella, Corallococcus, Gemmata, Hyphomicrobium, Lutibacterium, Paenibacillus, and Rhodoplanes, bacteria potential involved in plant growth promotion, nitrogen cycle modulation, and/or environmental protection. The fecal abundances of these bacteria were not necessarily positively correlated with their abundances in the habitat, indicating that they were selectively enriched in the feces of the larvae. Association analysis predicted that common fecal bacteria might affect carbon and nitrogen metabolism. Based on these hypotheses, structural equation modeling (SEM) statistically estimated that inhabitant bacterial groups involved in carbon and nitrogen metabolism were composed of the phylum Gemmatimonadetes and the genera Bradyrhizobium, Corallococcus, and Gemmata, which were among the fecal-enriched bacteria. Nevertheless, the selected common bacteria, i.e., the phyla Acidobacteria, Armatimonadetes, and Bacteroidetes and the genera Candidatus Solibacter, Fimbriimonas, Gemmatimonas, Sphingobium, and Methanobacterium, were necessary to obtain good fit indices in the SEM. In addition, the composition of the bacterial groups differed depending upon metabolic targets, carbon and nitrogen, and their stable isotopes, δ13C and δ15N, respectively. Thus, the statistically derived causal structural models highlighted that the larval fecal-enriched bacteria and common symbiotic bacteria might selectively play a role in wood biomass carbon and nitrogen metabolism. This information could confer a new perspective that helps us use wood biomass more efficiently and might stimulate innovation in environmental industries in the future.}, } @article {pmid35506571, year = {2022}, author = {Wendlandt, CE and Roberts, M and Nguyen, KT and Graham, ML and Lopez, Z and Helliwell, EE and Friesen, ML and Griffitts, JS and Price, P and Porter, SS}, title = {Negotiating mutualism: A locus for exploitation by rhizobia has a broad effect size distribution and context-dependent effects on legume hosts.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/jeb.14011}, pmid = {35506571}, issn = {1420-9101}, support = {DEB-1355216//US National Science Foundation/ ; DEB-1943239//US National Science Foundation/ ; IOS-1755454//US National Science Foundation/ ; DEB-1943239//US National Science Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {In mutualisms, variation at genes determining partner fitness provides the raw material upon which coevolutionary selection acts, setting the dynamics and pace of coevolution. However, we know little about variation in the effects of genes that underlie symbiotic fitness in natural mutualist populations. In some species of legumes that form root nodule symbioses with nitrogen-fixing rhizobial bacteria, hosts secrete nodule-specific cysteine-rich (NCR) peptides that cause rhizobia to differentiate in the nodule environment. However, rhizobia can cleave NCR peptides through the expression of genes like the plasmid-borne Host range restriction peptidase (hrrP), whose product degrades specific NCR peptides. Although hrrP activity can confer host exploitation by depressing host fitness and enhancing symbiont fitness, the effects of hrrP on symbiosis phenotypes depend strongly on the genotypes of the interacting partners. However, the effects of hrrP have yet to be characterised in a natural population context, so its contribution to variation in wild mutualist populations is unknown. To understand the distribution of effects of hrrP in wild rhizobia, we measured mutualism phenotypes conferred by hrrP in 12 wild Ensifer medicae strains. To evaluate context dependency of hrrP effects, we compared hrrP effects across two Medicago polymorpha host genotypes and across two experimental years for five E. medicae strains. We show for the first time in a natural population context that hrrP has a wide distribution of effect sizes for many mutualism traits, ranging from strongly positive to strongly negative. Furthermore, we show that hrrP effect size varies across host genotypes and experiment years, suggesting that researchers should be cautious about extrapolating the role of genes in natural populations from controlled laboratory studies of single genetic variants.}, } @article {pmid35505991, year = {2022}, author = {Wang, Y and He, X and Yu, F}, title = {Non-host plants: Are they mycorrhizal networks players?.}, journal = {Plant diversity}, volume = {44}, number = {2}, pages = {127-134}, doi = {10.1016/j.pld.2021.06.005}, pmid = {35505991}, issn = {2468-2659}, abstract = {Common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) that connect individual plants of the same or different species together play important roles in nutrient and signal transportation, and plant community organization. However, about 10% of land plants are non-mycorrhizal species with roots that do not form any well-recognized types of mycorrhizas; and each mycorrhizal fungus can only colonize a limited number of plant species, resulting in numerous non-host plants that could not establish typical mycorrhizal symbiosis with a specific mycorrhizal fungus. If and how non-mycorrhizal or non-host plants are able to involve in CMNs remains unclear. Here we summarize studies focusing on mycorrhizal-mediated host and non-host plant interaction. Evidence has showed that some host-supported both arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EM) hyphae can access to non-host plant roots without forming typical mycorrhizal structures, while such non-typical mycorrhizal colonization often inhibits the growth but enhances the induced system resistance of non-host plants. Meanwhile, the host growth is also differentially affected, depending on plant and fungi species. Molecular analyses suggested that the AMF colonization to non-hosts is different from pathogenic and endophytic fungi colonization, and the hyphae in non-host roots may be alive and have some unknown functions. Thus we propose that non-host plants are also important CMNs players. Using non-mycorrhizal model species Arabidopsis, tripartite culture system and new technologies such as nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry and multi-omics, to study nutrient and signal transportation between host and non-host plants via CMNs may provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying benefits of intercropping and agro-forestry systems, as well as plant community establishment and stability.}, } @article {pmid35358690, year = {2022}, author = {Knutson, VL and Gosliner, TM}, title = {The first phylogenetic and species delimitation study of the nudibranch genus Gymnodoris reveals high species diversity (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia).}, journal = {Molecular phylogenetics and evolution}, volume = {171}, number = {}, pages = {107470}, doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107470}, pmid = {35358690}, issn = {1095-9513}, mesh = {Animals ; Bayes Theorem ; *Gastropoda/genetics ; Phylogeny ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Nudibranchs are charismatic marine gastropods that lack a shell in the adult stage. While most nudibranchs feed on sessile animals such as sponges, bryozoans, and cnidarians, the nudibranch genus Gymnodoris Stimpson, 1855 evolved a more active and predatory lifestyle, including sea slug predation, cannibalism, and oddly enough, fish-fin parasitism. At the beginning of our work, no phylogenetic hypothesis existed for the genus, nor a clear picture of how Gymnodoris is related to other nudibranchs. Here we set out to reconstruct Gymnodoris phylogeny, investigate species diversity, and clarify the status of the genus name Analogium, which had been proposed for members of the genus with a linear gill filament arrangement. We present the first phylogenetic hypothesis for Gymnodoris, reconstructed by maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference using two mitochondrial and two nuclear loci, with gill filament arrangement plotted on the phylogeny. The backbone of the phylogeny remains unresolved with theseloci, however, we found that Gymnodoris comprises three main well-supported clades, which we refer to as the "subornata", "citrina" and "varied" clade, the latter two clades being comprised of several well-supported subclades. The sister group to Gymnodoris is a clade including the genera Vayssierea and Lecithophorus. Based on ABGD and PTP species delimitation methods, we conservatively estimate 65-70 species comprise our dataset. We further estimate that approximately 81% of the species we sampled are undescribed, and note that a linear gill filament arrangement has evolved multiple times within the genus. Gymnodoris is only monophyletic when the species with a linear gill arrangement are included. Therefore, at this time, we agree with the synonymy of Analogium striata with Gymnodoris striata by Rudman and Darvell (1990) and that the genus name Analogium is warranted as a junior synonym of Gymnodoris. Given the extensive undescribed diversity, and lack of resolution at some of the nodes in the phylogeny, patterns of diversification in diet are impossible to discern at this time and will require a large effort to both describe Gymnodoris species diversity and the diets of these candidate species.}, } @article {pmid35318404, year = {2022}, author = {Sousa, KKA and Camargo, RS and Caldato, N and Farias, AP and Calca, MVC and Dal Pai, A and Matos, CAO and Zanuncio, JC and Santos, ICL and Forti, LC}, title = {The ideal habitat for leaf-cutting ant queens to build their nests.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {4830}, pmid = {35318404}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/microbiology ; Ecosystem ; Fungi ; Humans ; Soil ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Queens of Atta sexdens Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) face biotic and abiotic environmental factors in the environment while establishing their nests. Biotic factors such as predation, microbial pathogens, successful symbiotic fungus regurgitation, excavation effort and abiotic factors such as radiant sunlight, temperature, density, and soil moisture exert selection pressures on ant queens. Biotic factors such as temperature and solar irradiation affect the survival of the initial colony differently, in different environments in the field. Queens of the leaf-cutting ant A. sexdens, were installed in sunny and shaded conditions to test this hypothesis. Two hundred A. sexdens queens were collected and individualized in two experimental areas (sunny and shaded), each in an experimental area (25 m2) in the center of a square (50 × 50 cm). Temperature, irradiance, nest depth, rainfall and queen mortality were evaluated. Atta sexdens colony development was better in the shaded environment, and the depth and volume of the initial chamber, fungus garden biomass and number of eggs, larvae, pupae and workers were greater. The queen masses were similar in both environments but mortality was higher in the sunny environment. The worse parameter values for A. sexdens nests in the sunny environment are due to the greater solar irradiance, increasing the variation range of the internal temperature of the initial chamber of the nest. On the other hand, the more stable internal temperature of this chamber in the shaded environment, is due to the lower incidence of solar irradiance, which is also more advantageous for queen survival and the formation and development of A. sexdens colonies. Shaded environments are a better micro habitat for nesting A. sexdens than sunny ones.}, } @article {pmid34881775, year = {2022}, author = {Cunning, R}, title = {Will coral reefs survive by adaptive bleaching?.}, journal = {Emerging topics in life sciences}, volume = {6}, number = {1}, pages = {11-15}, doi = {10.1042/ETLS20210227}, pmid = {34881775}, issn = {2397-8554}, mesh = {Animals ; *Anthozoa/physiology ; Coral Reefs ; Ecosystem ; Symbiosis ; *Thermotolerance ; }, abstract = {Some reef-building corals form symbioses with multiple algal partners that differ in ecologically important traits like heat tolerance. Coral bleaching and recovery can drive symbiont community turnover toward more heat-tolerant partners, and this 'adaptive bleaching' response can increase future bleaching thresholds by 1-2°C, aiding survival in warming oceans. However, this mechanism of rapid acclimatization only occurs in corals that are compatible with multiple symbionts, and only when the disturbance regime and competitive dynamics among symbionts are sufficient to bring about community turnover. The full scope of coral taxa and ecological scenarios in which symbiont shuffling occurs remains poorly understood, though its prevalence is likely to increase as warming oceans boost the competitive advantage of heat-tolerant symbionts, increase the frequency of bleaching events, and strengthen metacommunity feedbacks. Still, the constraints, limitations, and potential tradeoffs of symbiont shuffling suggest it will not save coral reef ecosystems; however, it may significantly improve the survival trajectories of some, or perhaps many, coral species. Interventions to manipulate coral symbionts and symbiont communities may expand the scope of their adaptive potential, which may boost coral survival until climate change is addressed.}, } @article {pmid34800848, year = {2022}, author = {Cerrano, C and Giovine, M and Steindler, L}, title = {Petrosia ficiformis (Poiret, 1789): an excellent model for holobiont and biotechnological studies.}, journal = {Current opinion in biotechnology}, volume = {74}, number = {}, pages = {61-65}, doi = {10.1016/j.copbio.2021.10.022}, pmid = {34800848}, issn = {1879-0429}, mesh = {Animals ; Biotechnology ; *Petrosia ; Phylogeny ; *Porifera ; Symbiosis ; }, } @article {pmid35504283, year = {2022}, author = {Jinkerson, RE and Russo, JA and Newkirk, CR and Kirk, AL and Chi, RJ and Martindale, MQ and Grossman, AR and Hatta, M and Xiang, T}, title = {Cnidarian-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis establishment is independent of photosynthesis.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.021}, pmid = {35504283}, issn = {1879-0445}, abstract = {Photosynthesis shapes the symbiotic relationships between cnidarians and Symbiodiniaceae algae-with many cnidarian hosts requiring symbiont photosynthate for survival-but little is known about how photosynthesis impacts symbiosis establishment. Here, we show that during symbiosis establishment, infection, proliferation, and maintenance can proceed without photosynthesis, but the ability to do so is dependent on specific cnidarian-Symbiodiniaceae relationships. The evaluation of 31 pairs of symbiotic relationships (five species of Symbiodiniaceae in sea anemone, coral, and jellyfish hosts) revealed that infection can occur without photosynthesis. A UV mutagenesis method for Symbiodiniaceae was established and used to generate six photosynthetic mutants that can infect these hosts. Without photosynthesis, Symbiodiniaceae cannot proliferate in the sea anemone Aiptasia or jellyfish Cassiopea but can proliferate in the juvenile polyps of the coral Acropora. After 6 months of darkness, Breviolum minutum is maintained within Aiptasia, indicating that Symbiodiniaceae maintenance can be independent of photosynthesis. Manipulating photosynthesis provides insights into cnidarian-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis.}, } @article {pmid35502929, year = {2022}, author = {Sweany, RR and DeRobertis, CD and Kaller, MD and Damann, KE}, title = {Intra-specific growth and aflatoxin inhibition responses to atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus: evidence of secreted, inhibitory substance(s) in biocontrol.}, journal = {Phytopathology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1094/PHYTO-01-21-0022-R}, pmid = {35502929}, issn = {0031-949X}, abstract = {The fungus Aspergillus flavus infects corn, peanut and cottonseed, and contaminates seeds with acutely poisonous and carcinogenic aflatoxin. Aflatoxin contamination is a perennial threat in tropical and sub-tropical climates. Non-aflatoxin producing isolates (atoxigenic) are deployed in fields to mitigate aflatoxin contamination. The biocontrol competitively excludes toxigenic A. flavus via direct replacement and thigmoregulated (touch) toxin inhibition mechanisms. To understand the broad-spectrum toxin inhibition, toxigenic isolates representing different mating types and sclerotia sizes were individually co-cultured with different atoxigenic biocontrol isolates. To determine if more inhibitory isolates had a competitive advantage to displace or touch inhibit toxigenic isolates, biomass accumulation rates were determined for each isolate. Finally, to determine if atoxigenic isolates could inhibit aflatoxin production without touch, atoxigenic isolates were grown separated from a single toxigenic isolate by a membrane. Atoxigenic isolates 17, Af36 and K49 had superior abilities to inhibit toxin production. Small (<400 µm) sclerotial, Mat1-1 isolates were not as completely inhibited as others by most atoxigenic isolates. As expected for both direct replacement and touch inhibition, the fastest growing atoxigenic isolates inhibited aflatoxin production the most, except for atoxigenic Af36 and K49. Aflatoxin production was inhibited when toxigenic and atoxigenic isolates were grown separately, especially by slow growing atoxigenic Af36 and K49. Additionally, fungus-free filtrates from atoxigenic cultures inhibited aflatoxin production. Toxin production inhibition without direct contact revealed secretion of diffusible chemical(s) as an additional biocontrol mechanism. Biocontrol formulations should be improved by identifying isolates with broad-spectrum, high inhibition capabilities and production of secreted inhibitory chemical(s).}, } @article {pmid35491593, year = {2022}, author = {Balbuena, MS and Broadhead, GT and Dahake, A and Barnett, E and Vergara, M and Skogen, KA and Jogesh, T and Raguso, RA}, title = {Mutualism has its limits: consequences of asymmetric interactions between a well-defended plant and its herbivorous pollinator.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {377}, number = {1853}, pages = {20210166}, doi = {10.1098/rstb.2021.0166}, pmid = {35491593}, issn = {1471-2970}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; Ecosystem ; Female ; Flowers ; *Herbivory ; *Pollination ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Concern for pollinator health often focuses on social bees and their agricultural importance at the expense of other pollinators and their ecosystem services. When pollinating herbivores use the same plants as nectar sources and larval hosts, ecological conflicts emerge for both parties, as the pollinator's services are mitigated by herbivory and its larvae are harmed by plant defences. We tracked individual-level metrics of pollinator health-growth, survivorship, fecundity-across the life cycle of a pollinating herbivore, the common hawkmoth, Hyles lineata, interacting with a rare plant, Oenothera harringtonii, that is polymorphic for the common floral volatile (R)-(-)-linalool. Linalool had no impact on floral attraction, but its experimental addition suppressed oviposition on plants lacking linalool. Plants showed robust resistance against herbivory from leaf-disc to whole-plant scales, through poor larval growth and survivorship. Higher larval performance on other Oenothera species indicates that constitutive herbivore resistance by O. harringtonii is not a genus-wide trait. Leaf volatiles differed among populations of O. harringtonii but were not induced by larval herbivory. Similarly, elagitannins and other phenolics varied among plant tissues but were not herbivore-induced. Our findings highlight asymmetric plant-pollinator interactions and the importance of third parties, including alternative larval host plants, in maintaining pollinator health. This article is part of the theme issue 'Natural processes influencing pollinator health: from chemistry to landscapes'.}, } @article {pmid35132627, year = {2022}, author = {Hays, BR and Riginos, C and Palmer, TM and Doak, DF and Gituku, BC and Maiyo, NJ and Mutisya, S and Musila, S and Goheen, JR}, title = {Demographic consequences of mutualism disruption: Browsing and big-headed ant invasion drive acacia population declines.}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {103}, number = {5}, pages = {e3655}, doi = {10.1002/ecy.3655}, pmid = {35132627}, issn = {1939-9170}, mesh = {*Acacia ; Animals ; *Ants ; *Coleoptera ; Demography ; Ecosystem ; Kenya ; Mammals ; Symbiosis ; Trees ; }, abstract = {Across the globe, biological invasions have disrupted mutualisms, producing reverberating consequences for ecosystems. Although invasive species frequently trigger mutualism disruptions, few studies have quantified the demographic mechanisms by which mutualism breakdown may generate population effects. In a Kenyan savanna, the invasive big-headed ant (Pheidole megacephala) has disrupted a foundational mutualism between the monodominant whistling-thorn tree (Acacia drepanolobium) and native ants (Crematogaster spp.) that deter browsing by large mammalian herbivores. We conducted experiments to quantify the demographic consequences of this mutualism disruption in the presence and absence of large mammalian herbivores. Invasion by P. megacephala exacerbated population declines of A. drepanolobium, primarily through decreased survival and reproduction of adult trees. However, these fitness reductions were small compared to those resulting from the presence of large mammalian herbivores, which negatively impacted growth and survival. Contrary to expectation, the expulsion of metabolically costly Crematogaster mutualists by P. megacephala did not result in higher population growth rates for trees protected from large mammalian herbivores. Our results suggest that invasive P. megacephala may impose a direct metabolic cost to trees exceeding that of native mutualists while providing no protection from browsing by large mammalian herbivores. Across landscapes, we expect that invasion by P. megacephala will reduce A. drepanolobium populations, but that the magnitude and demographic pathways of this effect will hinge on the presence and abundance of browsers.}, } @article {pmid35129842, year = {2022}, author = {Weaver, SA and Mallinger, RE}, title = {A specialist bee and its host plants experience phenological shifts at different rates in response to climate change.}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {103}, number = {5}, pages = {e3658}, doi = {10.1002/ecy.3658}, pmid = {35129842}, issn = {1939-9170}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; *Climate Change ; *Plants ; Seasons ; Symbiosis ; Temperature ; }, abstract = {Changes in climate can alter the phenology of organisms, potentially decoupling partners within mutualisms. Previous studies have shown that plant and pollinator phenologies are shifting over time, but these shifts have primarily been documented for generalists and within small geographic regions, and the specific climatic cues regulating these shifts are not well understood. We examined phenological shifts in a specialist pollinator and its host plant species over a 117-year study period using a digitized data set of more than 4000 unique collection records. We assessed how climatic cues regulate these organisms' phenologies using PRISM weather data associated with each record. We tested the hypothesis that rates of phenological change would be greater at northern latitudes. We found that the phenology of the specialist bee pollinator Habropoda laboriosa is changing over time, but at different rates across its range. Specifically, phenology is advancing to a greater degree in more northern populations, with increasing phenological advances of 0.04 days/year with each degree of latitude, and with a delay in phenology in more southern populations. In contrast, only one species in the host plant genus Vaccinium is experiencing phenological change over time. For this plant, rates of change are also variable across latitudes, but in a pattern opposite that of the bee; while phenology is advancing across its range, rates of advance are highest in more southern populations, with decreasing phenological advances of 0.01 days/year with each degree of latitude. The phenologies of both the bee and three of four Vaccinium spp. were regulated primarily by spring temperature, with phenologies overall advancing with increasing temperature, and with the strongest responses shown by the bee in northern populations. Our study provides partial support for the hypothesis that phenologies advance most at northern latitudes, but demonstrates that pollinators and plants do not adhere similarly to this prediction. Additionally, we illustrate the potential for phenological mismatch between a specialist pollinator and its host plants by showing that plants and pollinators are advancing their phenologies at different rates across space and time and with differing responses to changing climatic cues.}, } @article {pmid34974625, year = {2022}, author = {Mueller, TL and Karlsen-Ayala, E and Moeller, DA and Bellemare, J}, title = {Of mutualism and migration: will interactions with novel ericoid mycorrhizal communities help or hinder northward Rhododendron range shifts?.}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {198}, number = {4}, pages = {839-852}, pmid = {34974625}, issn = {1432-1939}, mesh = {*Mycorrhizae/physiology ; Plants ; *Rhododendron ; Soil ; Soil Microbiology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Rapid climate change imperils many small-ranged endemic species as the climate envelopes of their native ranges shift poleward. In addition to abiotic changes, biotic interactions are expected to play a critical role in plant species' responses. Below-ground interactions are of particular interest given increasing evidence of microbial effects on plant performance and the prevalence of mycorrhizal mutualisms. We used greenhouse mesocosm experiments to investigate how natural northward migration/assisted colonization of Rhododendron catawbiense, a small-ranged endemic eastern U.S. shrub, might be influenced by novel below-ground biotic interactions from soils north of its native range, particularly with ericoid mycorrhizal fungi (ERM). We compared germination, leaf size, survival, and ERM colonization rates of endemic R. catawbiense and widespread R. maximum when sown on different soil inoculum treatments: a sterilized control; a non-ERM biotic control; ERM communities from northern R. maximum populations; and ERM communities collected from the native range of R. catawbiense. Germination rates for both species when inoculated with congeners' novel soils were significantly higher than when inoculated with conspecific soils, or non-mycorrhizal controls. Mortality rates were unaffected by treatment, suggesting that the unexpected reciprocal effect of each species' increased establishment in association with heterospecific ERM could have lasting demographic effects. Our results suggest that seedling establishment of R. catawbiense in northern regions outside its native range could be facilitated by the presence of extant congeners like R. maximum and their associated soil microbiota. These findings have direct relevance to the potential for successful poleward migration or future assisted colonization efforts.}, } @article {pmid34520122, year = {2022}, author = {Zhu, W and Shi, X and Qi, Y and Wang, X and Chang, L and Zhao, C and Zhu, L and Jiang, J}, title = {Commensal microbiota and host metabolic divergence are associated with the adaptation of Diploderma vela to spatially heterogeneous environments.}, journal = {Integrative zoology}, volume = {17}, number = {3}, pages = {346-365}, doi = {10.1111/1749-4877.12590}, pmid = {34520122}, issn = {1749-4877}, support = {2019QZKK05010503//Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program/ ; 2019QZKK04020202//Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program/ ; 31900327//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Acclimatization ; Adaptation, Physiological ; Animals ; *Lizards ; *Microbiota ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Heterogeneous environment adaptation is critical to understand the species evolution and response to climate change. However, how narrow-range species adapt to micro-geographic heterogeneity has been overlooked, and there is a lack of insights from metabolism and commensal microbiota. Here, we studied the environmental adaptation for 3 geographic populations (>40 km apart) of Diploderma vela, a lizard endemic to dry-hot valleys of the Hengduan Mountain Region. The climatic boundary caused a cooler, droughtier, and barren environment for northernmost population (RM) than the middle (QZK) and southernmost populations (FS). Correspondingly, significant divergences in liver and muscle metabolism and commensal microbiota were detected between RM and QZK or FS individuals, but not between QZK and FS individuals. Phospholipid composition, coenzyme level (i.e. pyridoxal and NAD+), and cholesterol metabolism (e.g. androgen and estriol synthesis) constituted the major metabolic difference between RM and QZK/FS groups. FS and QZK individuals kept abundant Proteobacteria and antifungal strains, while RM individuals maintained more Firmicutes and Bacteroidota. Strong associations existed between varied host metabolite and gut microbes. How were these interpopulation variations associated to the environment adaptation were discussed. These results provided some novel insights into the environmental adaptation and implicated the consequence of climate change on narrow-range species.}, } @article {pmid35496595, year = {2020}, author = {Sapre, N and Chakraborty, R and Purohit, P and Bhat, S and Das, G and Bajpe, SR}, title = {Enteric pH responsive cargo release from PDA and PEG coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles: a comparative study in Drosophila melanogaster.}, journal = {RSC advances}, volume = {10}, number = {20}, pages = {11716-11726}, doi = {10.1039/c9ra11019d}, pmid = {35496595}, issn = {2046-2069}, abstract = {Physiological stimulus-specific cargo release from nanoparticle carriers is a holy grail of drug delivery research. While the majority of such work is carried out in vitro with cell lines, widespread use of common mammalian model systems - mice and rats - is difficult due to the associated cost and regulatory restrictions. Here we use the inexpensive, easily reared, excellent genetic model system Drosophila melanogaster to test pH responsive cargo release from widely used mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) coated with pH sensitive polydopamine (PDA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymers. We synthesized 650 ± 75 nm diameter PDA or PEG coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with a fluorescent dye and fed to individual adult flies. Subsequently, the passage of the particles were monitored through the fly gut. As in mammals, the fly intestine has multiple pH specific zones that are easily accessible for imaging and also genetic, biochemical or physiological manipulations. We observed that both the species of MSNs ruptured around the acidic (pH < 4.0) middle midgut of the flies. PEG coated particles showed sharper specificity of release in the acidic middle midgut of flies than the PDA coated ones and had less tendency to clump together. Our results clearly show that the Drosophila gut can be used as a model to test pH responsive biocompatible materials in vivo. Our work paves the way for greater use of Drosophila as an in vivo complete systemic model in drug delivery and smart materials research. It also suggests that such specific delivery of chemical/biological cargo can be exploited to study basic biology of the gut cells and their communication with other organs.}, } @article {pmid35495712, year = {2022}, author = {Oleńska, E and Małek, W and Sujkowska-Rybkowska, M and Szopa, S and Włostowski, T and Aleksandrowicz, O and Swiecicka, I and Wójcik, M and Thijs, S and Vangronsveld, J}, title = {An Alliance of Trifolium repens-Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii-Mycorrhizal Fungi From an Old Zn-Pb-Cd Rich Waste Heap as a Promising Tripartite System for Phytostabilization of Metal Polluted Soils.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {853407}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.853407}, pmid = {35495712}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {The Bolesław waste heap in South Poland, with total soil Zn concentrations higher than 50,000 mg kg-1, 5,000 mg Pb kg-1, and 500 mg Cd kg-1, is a unique habitat for metallicolous plants, such as Trifolium repens L. The purpose of this study was to characterize the association between T. repens and its microbial symbionts, i.e., Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii and mycorrhizal fungi and to evaluate its applicability for phytostabilization of metal-polluted soils. Rhizobia originating from the nutrient-poor waste heap area showed to be efficient in plant nodulation and nitrogen fixation. They demonstrated not only potential plant growth promotion traits in vitro, but they also improved the growth of T. repens plants to a similar extent as strains from a non-polluted reference area. Our results revealed that the adaptations of T. repens to high Zn-Pb-Cd concentrations are related to the storage of metals predominantly in the roots (excluder strategy) due to nodule apoplast modifications (i.e., thickening and suberization of cell walls, vacuolar storage), and symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi of a substantial genetic diversity. As a result, the rhizobia-mycorrhizal fungi-T. repens association appears to be a promising tool for phytostabilization of Zn-Pb-Cd-polluted soils.}, } @article {pmid35495676, year = {2022}, author = {Eardly, B and Meor Osman, WA and Ardley, J and Zandberg, J and Gollagher, M and van Berkum, P and Elia, P and Marinova, D and Seshadri, R and Reddy, TBK and Ivanova, N and Pati, A and Woyke, T and Kyrpides, N and Loedolff, M and Laird, DW and Reeve, W}, title = {The Genome of the Acid Soil-Adapted Strain Rhizobium favelukesii OR191 Encodes Determinants for Effective Symbiotic Interaction With Both an Inverted Repeat Lacking Clade and a Phaseoloid Legume Host.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {735911}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.735911}, pmid = {35495676}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Although Medicago sativa forms highly effective symbioses with the comparatively acid-sensitive genus Ensifer, its introduction into acid soils appears to have selected for symbiotic interactions with acid-tolerant R. favelukesii strains. Rhizobium favelukesii has the unusual ability of being able to nodulate and fix nitrogen, albeit sub-optimally, not only with M. sativa but also with the promiscuous host Phaseolus vulgaris. Here we describe the genome of R. favelukesii OR191 and genomic features important for the symbiotic interaction with both of these hosts. The OR191 draft genome contained acid adaptation loci, including the highly acid-inducible lpiA/acvB operon and olsC, required for production of lysine- and ornithine-containing membrane lipids, respectively. The olsC gene was also present in other acid-tolerant Rhizobium strains but absent from the more acid-sensitive Ensifer microsymbionts. The OR191 symbiotic genes were in general more closely related to those found in Medicago microsymbionts. OR191 contained the nodA, nodEF, nodHPQ, and nodL genes for synthesis of polyunsaturated, sulfated and acetylated Nod factors that are important for symbiosis with Medicago, but contained a truncated nodG, which may decrease nodulation efficiency with M. sativa. OR191 contained an E. meliloti type BacA, which has been shown to specifically protect Ensifer microsymbionts from Medicago nodule-specific cysteine-rich peptides. The nitrogen fixation genes nifQWZS were present in OR191 and P. vulgaris microsymbionts but absent from E. meliloti-Medicago microsymbionts. The ability of OR191 to nodulate and fix nitrogen symbiotically with P. vulgaris indicates that this host has less stringent requirements for nodulation than M. sativa but may need rhizobial strains that possess nifQWZS for N2-fixation to occur. OR191 possessed the exo genes required for the biosynthesis of succinoglycan, which is required for the Ensifer-Medicago symbiosis. However, 1H-NMR spectra revealed that, in the conditions tested, OR191 exopolysaccharide did not contain a succinyl substituent but instead contained a 3-hydroxybutyrate moiety, which may affect its symbiotic performance with Medicago hosts. These findings provide a foundation for the genetic basis of nodulation requirements and symbiotic effectiveness with different hosts.}, } @article {pmid35492215, year = {2022}, author = {Damle, M and Krishnamoorthy, B}, title = {Identifying critical drivers of innovation in pharmaceutical industry using TOPSIS method.}, journal = {MethodsX}, volume = {9}, number = {}, pages = {101677}, doi = {10.1016/j.mex.2022.101677}, pmid = {35492215}, issn = {2215-0161}, abstract = {Insights in understanding critical growth drivers of innovation are essential for industrial development and economic growth for competitive advantage. This study identifies indicators from the world's major indexes and industry-level concerns. The indicators are mapped to these concerns using expert opinions and then treated mathematically using technique of order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS). This mapping ranks and identifies the most favorable indicators for several concerns. It, thus, identifies the critical role the indicators play for the drivers to the most effective advantage using the TOPSIS method as a comprehensive ranking of indicators effectively facilitates decision-making for estimated levels. The method highlights are as follows: • The most prevailing indicators for innovation are considered from the major innovation indexes for industries for mapping with concerns within the industry. • Industry-specific concerns for the pharmaceutical industry are selected for the study. • The mapping of indicators to concerns using expert opinion and using the TOPSIS method generated a matrix of the ranked indicators, aids in prioritizing resources and existing knowledge to resolve the concerns.}, } @article {pmid35491843, year = {2022}, author = {Horrocks, V and Hind, CK and Wand, ME and Fady, PE and Chan, J and Hopkins, JC and Houston, GL and Tribe, RM and Sutton, JM and Mason, AJ}, title = {Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Metabolomics of Symbioses between Bacterial Vaginosis-Associated Bacteria.}, journal = {mSphere}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0016622}, doi = {10.1128/msphere.00166-22}, pmid = {35491843}, issn = {2379-5042}, abstract = {Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a dysbiosis of the vaginal microbiome, characterized by low levels of lactobacilli and overgrowth of a diverse group of bacteria, associated with higher risk of a variety of infections, surgical complications, cancer, and preterm birth (PTB). Despite the lack of a consistently applicable etiology, Prevotella spp. are often associated with both BV and PTB, and Pr. bivia has known symbiotic relationships with both Peptostreptococcus anaerobius and Gardnerella vaginalis. Higher risk of PTB can also be predicted by a composite of metabolites linked to bacterial metabolism, but their specific bacterial source remains poorly understood. Here, we characterize diversity of metabolic strategies among BV-associated bacteria and lactobacilli and the symbiotic metabolic relationships between Pr. bivia and its partners and show how these influence the availability of metabolites associated with BV/PTB and/or pro- or anti-inflammatory immune responses. We confirm a commensal relationship between Pe. anaerobius and Pr. bivia, refining its mechanism, which sustains a substantial increase in acetate production. In contrast, the relationship between Pr. bivia and G. vaginalis strains, with sequence variant G2, is mutualistic, with outcome dependent on the metabolic strategy of the G. vaginalis strain. Taken together, our data show how knowledge of inter- and intraspecies metabolic diversity and the effects of symbiosis may refine our understanding of the mechanism and approach to risk prediction in BV and/or PTB. IMPORTANCE Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal infection for women of childbearing age. Although 50% of women with BV do not have any symptoms, it approximately doubles the risk of catching a sexually transmitted infection and also increases the risk of preterm delivery in pregnant women. Recent studies of the vaginal microbiota have suggested that variation between species in the same genus or between strains of the same species explain better or poorer outcomes or at least some coexistence patterns for bacteria of concern. We tested whether such variation is manifested in how vaginal bacteria grow in the laboratory and whether and how they may share nutrients. We then showed that this affected the overall cocktail of chemicals they produce, including bacterially derived chemicals that we have previously shown are linked to a higher risk of preterm delivery.}, } @article {pmid35491828, year = {2022}, author = {Feng, XY and Tian, Y and Cui, WJ and Li, YZ and Wang, D and Liu, Y and Jiao, J and Chen, WX and Tian, CF}, title = {The PTSNtr-KdpDE-KdpFABC Pathway Contributes to Low Potassium Stress Adaptation and Competitive Nodulation of Sinorhizobium fredii.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e0372121}, doi = {10.1128/mbio.03721-21}, pmid = {35491828}, issn = {2150-7511}, abstract = {The rhizobium-legume symbiosis is essential for sustainable agriculture by reducing nitrogen fertilizer input, but its efficiency varies under fluctuating soil conditions and resources. The nitrogen-related phosphotransferase system (PTSNtr) consisting of PtsP, PtsO, and PtsN is required for optimal nodulation and nitrogen fixation efficiency of the broad-host-range Sinorhizobium fredii CCBAU45436 associated with diverse legumes, though the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. This work characterizes the PtsN-KdpDE-KdpFABC pathway that contributes to low potassium adaptation and competitive nodulation of CCBAU45436. Among three PtsN, PtsN1 is the major functional homolog. The unphosphorylated PtsN1 binds the sensory kinase KdpD through a non-canonical interaction with the GAF domain of KdpD, while the region covering HisKA-HATPase domains mediates the interaction of KdpD with the response regulator KdpE. KdpE directly activates the kdpFABC operon encoding the conserved high-affinity potassium uptake system. Disruption of this signaling pathway leads to reduced nodule number, nodule occupancy, and low potassium adaptation ability, but without notable effects on rhizoplane colonization. The induction of key nodulation genes NIN and ENOD40 in host roots during early symbiotic interactions is impaired when inoculating the kdpBC mutant that shows delayed nodulation. The nodulation defect of the kdpBC mutant can be rescued by supplying replete potassium. Potassium is actively consumed by both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and components of the PTSNtr-KdpDE-KdpFABC pathway are widely conserved in bacteria, highlighting the global importance of this pathway in bacteria-host interactions. IMPORTANCE In all ecological niches, potassium is actively consumed by diverse prokaryotes and their interacting eukaryote hosts. It is only just emerging that potassium is a key player in host-pathogen interactions, and the role of potassium in mutualistic interactions remains largely unknown. This work is focused on the mutualistic symbiosis between rhizobia and legumes. We report that the nitrogen-related phosphotransferase system PTSNtr, the two-component system KdpDE, and the high-affinity potassium uptake system KdpFABC constitute a pathway that is important for low potassium adaptation and optimal nodulation of rhizobia. Given the widely conserved PTSNtr, KdpDE, and KdpFABC in bacteria and increasing knowledge on microbiome for various niches, the PTSNtr-KdpDE-KdpFABC pathway can be globally important in the biosphere.}, } @article {pmid35491290, year = {2022}, author = {Hector, TE and Hoang, KL and Li, J and King, KC}, title = {Symbiosis and host responses to heating.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.tree.2022.03.011}, pmid = {35491290}, issn = {1872-8383}, abstract = {Virtually all organisms are colonized by microbes. Average temperatures are rising because of global climate change - accompanied by increases in extreme climatic events and heat shock - and symbioses with microbes may determine species persistence in the 21st century. Although parasite infection typically reduces host upper thermal limits, interactions with beneficial microbes can facilitate host adaptation to warming. The effects of warming on the ecology and evolution of the microbial symbionts remain understudied but are important for understanding how climate change might affect host health and disease. We present a framework for untangling the contributions of symbiosis to predictions of host persistence in the face of global change.}, } @article {pmid35257370, year = {2022}, author = {Sanders, WB}, title = {The photoaerogens: algae and plants reunited conceptually.}, journal = {American journal of botany}, volume = {109}, number = {3}, pages = {363-365}, doi = {10.1002/ajb2.1828}, pmid = {35257370}, issn = {1537-2197}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Gene Transfer, Horizontal ; Photosynthesis ; Phylogeny ; *Plants ; Plastids ; Symbiosis ; }, } @article {pmid35202673, year = {2022}, author = {Tougeron, K}, title = {Homeostasis theory: What can we learn from dormancy and symbiotic associations?.}, journal = {Physiology & behavior}, volume = {249}, number = {}, pages = {113749}, doi = {10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113749}, pmid = {35202673}, issn = {1873-507X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Diapause/physiology ; Homeostasis ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {In this letter, I discuss the notion of dormancy that De Luca Jr. relies on to criticize the theory of homeostasis. In particular, I try to qualify the issues related to the fact that dormancy is not always a free behavior but is in most situations under the influence of environmental factors. To this end, I discuss diapause in arthropods, which can be obligatory (under the influence of endogenous commands) but which is in most cases facultative (under external command). I emphasize that the notion of stability of a dormant organism must be taken with caution. I briefly mention what the study of sleep in animals can contribute to the notion of homeostasis. Finally, I focus on the role of microbial symbionts and the notion of holobiont. Through this, I question the future of the notions of internal environment and homeostasis and I propose to revisit them in the context of the effects of species interactions on the physiology of organisms.}, } @article {pmid35157080, year = {2022}, author = {Wang, D and Dong, W and Murray, J and Wang, E}, title = {Innovation and appropriation in mycorrhizal and rhizobial Symbioses.}, journal = {The Plant cell}, volume = {34}, number = {5}, pages = {1573-1599}, pmid = {35157080}, issn = {1532-298X}, support = {32088102//National Science Foundation/ ; YSBR-011//Chinese Academy of Sciences Project for Young Scientists in Basic Research/ ; }, mesh = {*Fabaceae ; *Mycorrhizae/physiology ; Nitrogen Fixation ; Phosphates ; Plants/microbiology ; *Rhizobium/physiology ; Symbiosis/physiology ; }, abstract = {Most land plants benefit from endosymbiotic interactions with mycorrhizal fungi, including legumes and some nonlegumes that also interact with endosymbiotic nitrogen (N)-fixing bacteria to form nodules. In addition to these helpful interactions, plants are continuously exposed to would-be pathogenic microbes: discriminating between friends and foes is a major determinant of plant survival. Recent breakthroughs have revealed how some key signals from pathogens and symbionts are distinguished. Once this checkpoint has been passed and a compatible symbiont is recognized, the plant coordinates the sequential development of two types of specialized structures in the host. The first serves to mediate infection, and the second, which appears later, serves as sophisticated intracellular nutrient exchange interfaces. The overlap in both the signaling pathways and downstream infection components of these symbioses reflects their evolutionary relatedness and the common requirements of these two interactions. However, the different outputs of the symbioses, phosphate uptake versus N fixation, require fundamentally different components and physical environments and necessitated the recruitment of different master regulators, NODULE INCEPTION-LIKE PROTEINS, and PHOSPHATE STARVATION RESPONSES, for nodulation and mycorrhization, respectively.}, } @article {pmid35146519, year = {2022}, author = {Misawa, F and Ito, M and Nosaki, S and Nishida, H and Watanabe, M and Suzuki, T and Miura, K and Kawaguchi, M and Suzaki, T}, title = {Nitrate transport via NRT2.1 mediates NIN-LIKE PROTEIN-dependent suppression of root nodulation in Lotus japonicus.}, journal = {The Plant cell}, volume = {34}, number = {5}, pages = {1844-1862}, pmid = {35146519}, issn = {1532-298X}, support = {JP19H03239//Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) KAKENHI/ ; JPMJER1502//Japan Science Technology Agency (JST) Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO)/ ; }, mesh = {Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; *Lotus/genetics/metabolism ; Nitrates/metabolism ; Nitrogen/metabolism ; Plant Proteins/metabolism ; Plant Root Nodulation/genetics ; Root Nodules, Plant/genetics/metabolism ; Soil ; Symbiosis/physiology ; }, abstract = {Legumes have adaptive mechanisms that regulate nodulation in response to the amount of nitrogen in the soil. In Lotus japonicus, two NODULE INCEPTION (NIN)-LIKE PROTEIN (NLP) transcription factors, LjNLP4 and LjNLP1, play pivotal roles in the negative regulation of nodulation by controlling the expression of symbiotic genes in high nitrate conditions. Despite an improved understanding of the molecular basis for regulating nodulation, how nitrate plays a role in the signaling pathway to negatively regulate this process is largely unknown. Here, we show that nitrate transport via NITRATE TRANSPORTER 2.1 (LjNRT2.1) is a key step in the NLP signaling pathway to control nodulation. A mutation in the LjNRT2.1 gene attenuates the nitrate-induced control of nodulation. LjNLP1 is necessary and sufficient to induce LjNRT2.1 expression, thereby regulating nitrate uptake/transport. Our data suggest that LjNRT2.1-mediated nitrate uptake/transport is required for LjNLP4 nuclear localization and induction/repression of symbiotic genes. We further show that LjNIN, a positive regulator of nodulation, counteracts the LjNLP1-dependent induction of LjNRT2.1 expression, which is linked to a reduction in nitrate uptake. These findings suggest a plant strategy in which nitrogen acquisition switches from obtaining nitrogen from the soil to symbiotic nitrogen fixation.}, } @article {pmid35090071, year = {2022}, author = {Satler, JD and Herre, EA and Heath, TA and Machado, CA and Zúñiga, AG and Nason, JD}, title = {Genome-wide sequence data show no evidence of hybridization and introgression among pollinator wasps associated with a community of Panamanian strangler figs.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {31}, number = {7}, pages = {2106-2123}, doi = {10.1111/mec.16373}, pmid = {35090071}, issn = {1365-294X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ficus/genetics ; Hybridization, Genetic ; Phylogeny ; Pollination/genetics ; Symbiosis/genetics ; *Wasps/genetics ; }, abstract = {The specificity of pollinator host choice influences opportunities for reproductive isolation in their host plants. Similarly, host plants can influence opportunities for reproductive isolation in their pollinators. For example, in the fig and fig wasp mutualism, offspring of fig pollinator wasps mate inside the inflorescence that the mothers pollinate. Although often host specific, multiple fig pollinator species are sometimes associated with the same fig species, potentially enabling hybridization between wasp species. Here, we study the 19 pollinator species (Pegoscapus spp.) associated with an entire community of 16 Panamanian strangler fig species (Ficus subgenus Urostigma, section Americanae) to determine whether the previously documented history of pollinator host switching and current host sharing predicts genetic admixture among the pollinator species, as has been observed in their host figs. Specifically, we use genome-wide ultraconserved element (UCE) loci to estimate phylogenetic relationships and test for hybridization and introgression among the pollinator species. In all cases, we recover well-delimited pollinator species that contain high interspecific divergence. Even among pairs of pollinator species that currently reproduce within syconia of shared host fig species, we found no evidence of hybridization or introgression. This is in contrast to their host figs, where hybridization and introgression have been detected within this community, and more generally, within figs worldwide. Consistent with general patterns recovered among other obligate pollination mutualisms (e.g. yucca moths and yuccas), our results suggest that while hybridization and introgression are processes operating within the host plants, these processes are relatively unimportant within their associated insect pollinators.}, } @article {pmid34725900, year = {2022}, author = {Marques Dracxler, C and Kissling, WD}, title = {The mutualism-antagonism continuum in Neotropical palm-frugivore interactions: from interaction outcomes to ecosystem dynamics.}, journal = {Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society}, volume = {97}, number = {2}, pages = {527-553}, doi = {10.1111/brv.12809}, pmid = {34725900}, issn = {1469-185X}, mesh = {Animals ; Birds ; *Ecosystem ; Feeding Behavior ; Fruit ; Humans ; Mammals ; Plants ; *Seed Dispersal ; Seeds ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Frugivory, that is feeding on fruits, pulp or seeds by animals, is usually considered a mutualism when interactions involve seed dispersal, and an antagonism when it results in the predation and destruction of seeds. Nevertheless, most frugivory interactions involve both benefits and disadvantages for plants, and the net interaction outcomes thus tend to vary along a continuum from mutualism to antagonism. Quantifying outcome variation is challenging and the ecological contribution of frugivorous animals to plant demography thus remains little explored. This is particularly true for interactions in which animals do not ingest entire fruits, that is in seed-eating and pulp-eating. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of Neotropical palm-frugivore interactions, with a focus on how frugivore consumption behaviour (i.e. digestive processing, fruit-handling ability and caching behaviour) and feeding types (fruit-eating, pulp-eating and seed-eating) influence interaction outcomes at different demographic stages of palms. We compiled a total of 1043 species-level palm-frugivore interaction records that explicitly captured information on which parts of palm fruits are eaten by animals. These records showed consumption of fruits of 106 Neotropical palm species by 273 vertebrate species, especially birds (50%) and mammals (45%), but also fish (3%) and reptiles (2%). Fruit-eating involved all four taxonomic vertebrate classes whereas seed-eating and pulp-eating were only recorded among birds and mammals. Most fruit-eating interactions (77%) resulted in positive interaction outcomes for plants (e.g. gut-passed seeds are viable or seeds are successfully dispersed), regardless of the digestive processing type of vertebrate consumers (seed defecation versus regurgitation). The majority of pulp-eating interactions (91%) also resulted in positive interaction outcomes, for instance via pulp removal that promoted seed germination or via dispersal of intact palm seeds by external transport, especially if animals have a good fruit-handling ability (e.g. primates, and some parrots). By contrast, seed-eating interactions mostly resulted in dual outcomes (60%), where interactions had both negative effects on seed survival and positive outcomes through seed caching and external (non-digestive) seed dispersal. A detailed synthesis of available field studies with qualitative and quantitative information provided evidence that 12 families and 27 species of mammals and birds are predominantly on the mutualistic side of the continuum whereas five mammalian families, six mammal and one reptile species are on the antagonistic side. The synthesis also revealed that most species can act as partial mutualists, even if they are typically considered antagonists. Our review demonstrates how different consumption behaviours and feeding types of vertebrate fruit consumers can influence seed dispersal and regeneration of palms, and thus ultimately affect the structure and functioning of tropical ecosystems. Variation in feeding types of animal consumers will influence ecosystem dynamics via effects on plant population dynamics and differences in long-distance seed dispersal, and may subsequently affect ecosystem functions such as carbon storage. The quantification of intra- and inter-specific variation in outcomes of plant-frugivore interactions - and their positive and negative effects on the seed-to-seedling transition of animal-dispersed plants - should be a key research focus to understand better the mutualism-antagonism continuum and its importance for ecosystem dynamics.}, } @article {pmid35490231, year = {2022}, author = {Dupin, S and Klein, J and Rutten, L and Huisman, R and Geurts, R}, title = {Pseudogenization of the rhizobium-responsive EXOPOLYSACCHARIDE RECEPTOR in Parasponia is a rare event in nodulating plants.}, journal = {BMC plant biology}, volume = {22}, number = {1}, pages = {225}, pmid = {35490231}, issn = {1471-2229}, support = {819.01.007//NWO/ ; ENSA/GATES/Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/United States ; ENSA/GATES/Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/United States ; ENSA/GATES/Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/United States ; ENSA/GATES/Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/United States ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Nodule symbiosis with diazotrophic Frankia or rhizobium occurs in plant species belonging to ten taxonomic lineages within the related orders Fabales, Fagales, Cucurbitales, and Rosales. Phylogenomic studies indicate that this nitrogen-fixing nodulation trait has a single evolutionary origin. In legume model plants, the molecular interaction between plant and rhizobium microsymbiont is mapped to a significant degree. A specific LysM-type receptor kinase, LjEPR3 in Lotus japonicus and MtLYK10 in Medicago truncatula, was found to act in a secondary identity-based mechanism, controlling intracellular rhizobium infection. Furthermore, LjEPR3 showed to bind surface exopolysaccharides of Mesorhizobium loti, the diazotrophic microsymbiont of L. japonicus. EPR3 orthologous genes are not unique to legumes. Surprisingly, however, its ortholog EXOPOLYSACCHARIDE RECEPTOR (EPR) is pseudogenized in Parasponia, the only lineage of non-legume plants that nodulate also with rhizobium.

RESULTS: Analysis of genome sequences showed that EPR3 orthologous genes are highly conserved in nodulating plants. We identified a conserved retrotransposon insertion in the EPR promoter region in three Parasponia species, which associates with defected transcriptional regulation of this gene. Subsequently, we studied the EPR gene of two Trema species as they represent the sister genus of Parasponia for which it is assumed it lost the nitrogen-fixing nodulation trait. Both Trema species possess apparently functional EPR genes that have a nodulation-specific expression profile when introduced into a Parasponia background. This indicates the EPR gene functioned in nodulation in the Parasponia-Trema ancestor.

CONCLUSION: We conclude that nodule-specific expression of EPR3 orthologous genes is shared between the legume and Parasponia-Trema lineage, suggesting an ancestral function in the nitrogen-fixing nodulation trait. Pseudogenization of EPR in Parasponia is an exceptional case in nodulating plants. We speculate that this may have been instrumental to the microsymbiont switch -from Frankia to rhizobium- that has occurred in the Parasponia lineage and the evolution of a novel crack entry infection mechanism.}, } @article {pmid35488499, year = {2022}, author = {Zhang, W and Luo, X and Mei, YZ and Yang, Q and Zhang, AY and Chen, M and Mei, Y and Ma, CY and Du, YC and Li, M and Zhu, Q and Sun, K and Xu, FJ and Dai, CC}, title = {Priming of rhizobial nodulation signaling in the mycosphere accelerates nodulation of legume hosts.}, journal = {The New phytologist}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/nph.18192}, pmid = {35488499}, issn = {1469-8137}, abstract = {The simultaneous symbiosis of leguminous plants with two root mutualists, endophytic fungi and rhizobia is common in nature, yet how two mutualists interact and coexist before infecting plants and the concomitant effects on nodulation are less understood. Using a combination of metabolic analysis, fungal deletion mutants and comparative transcriptomics, we demonstrated that Bradyrhizobium and a facultatively biotrophic fungus, Phomopsis liquidambaris, interacted to stimulate fungal flavonoid production, and thereby primed Bradyrhizobial nodulation signaling, enhancing Bradyrhizobial responses to root exudates and leading to early nodulation of peanut (Arachis hypogaea), and such effects were compromised when disturbing fungal flavonoid biosynthesis. Stress sensitivity assays and reactive oxygen species (ROS) determination revealed that flavonoid production acted as a strategy to alleviate hyphal oxidative stress during Ph. liquidambaris-Bradyrhizobial interactions. By investigating the interactions between Ph. liquidambaris and a collection of 38 rhizobacteria, from distinct bacterial genera, we additionally showed that the flavonoid-ROS module contributed to the maintenance of fungal and bacterial coexistence, and fungal niche colonization under soil conditions. Our results demonstrate for the first time that rhizobial nodulation signaling can be primed by fungi before symbiosis with host plants and highlight the importance of flavonoid in tripartite interactions between legumes, beneficial fungi and rhizobia.}, } @article {pmid35478267, year = {2022}, author = {Agnihotri, R and Sharma, MP and Bucking, H and Dames, JF and Bagyaraj, DJ}, title = {Methods for assessing the quality of AM fungal bio-fertilizer: Retrospect and future directions.}, journal = {World journal of microbiology & biotechnology}, volume = {38}, number = {6}, pages = {97}, pmid = {35478267}, issn = {1573-0972}, mesh = {Fertilizers ; *Mycorrhizae/genetics ; Plants ; Reproducibility of Results ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {In the recent past, the mass production of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi has bloomed into a large biofertilizer industry. Due to their obligate symbiotic nature, these fungi are propagated on living roots in substrate-based pot cultures and RiTDNA in in vitro or root organ culture systems. The quality assessment of AM inocula remains critical for the production and efficacy evaluation of AM fungi. The vigour of AM inocula are assessed through microscopic methods such as inoculum potential, infectivity potential/infection units, most probable number (MPN) and spore density. These methods marginally depend on the researcher's skill. The signature lipids specific to AM fungi, e.g. 16:1ω5cis ester-linked, phospholipid, and neutral lipid fatty acids provide more robustness and reproducibility. The quantitative real-time PCR of AM fungal taxa specific primers and probes analyzing gene copy number is also increasingly used. This article intends to sensitize AM fungal researchers and inoculum manufacturers to various methods of assessing the quality of AM inocula addressing their merits and demerits. This will help AM producers to fulfil the regulatory requirements ensuring the supply of high-quality AM inocula to end-users, and tap a new dimension of AM research in the commercial production of AM fungi and its application in sustainable plant production systems.}, } @article {pmid35476983, year = {2022}, author = {Serapio-Palacios, A and Woodward, SE and Vogt, SL and Deng, W and Creus-Cuadros, A and Huus, KE and Cirstea, M and Gerrie, M and Barcik, W and Yu, H and Finlay, BB}, title = {Type VI secretion systems of pathogenic and commensal bacteria mediate niche occupancy in the gut.}, journal = {Cell reports}, volume = {39}, number = {4}, pages = {110731}, doi = {10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110731}, pmid = {35476983}, issn = {2211-1247}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria ; Escherichia coli ; Gastrointestinal Tract/microbiology ; Humans ; Mice ; Symbiosis ; *Type VI Secretion Systems ; }, abstract = {The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a contractile nanomachine widely distributed among pathogenic and commensal Gram-negative bacteria. The T6SS is used for inter-bacterial competition to directly kill competing species; however, its importance during bacterial infection in vivo remains poorly understood. We report that the murine pathogen Citrobacter rodentium, used as a model for human pathogenic Escherichia coli, harbors two functional T6SSs. C. rodentium employs its T6SS-1 to colonize the murine gastrointestinal tract by targeting commensal Enterobacteriaceae. We identify VgrG1 as a C. rodentium T6SS antibacterial effector, which exhibits toxicity in E. coli. Conversely, commensal prey species E. coli Mt1B1 employs two T6SSs of its own to counter C. rodentium colonization. Collectively, these data demonstrate that the T6SS is a potent weapon during bacterial competition and is used by both invading pathogens and resident microbiota to fight for a niche in the hostile gut environment.}, } @article {pmid35476294, year = {2022}, author = {Giraldo, C and Chaves-López, C and Tofalo, R and Angrisani, R and Rodrigues, A and Montoya-Lerma, J}, title = {Yeasts associated with the worker caste of the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes under experimental conditions in Colombia.}, journal = {Archives of microbiology}, volume = {204}, number = {5}, pages = {284}, pmid = {35476294}, issn = {1432-072X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/microbiology ; Colombia ; Social Class ; Symbiosis ; Yeasts/genetics ; }, abstract = {Yeasts isolated from the worker caste of the Colombian leaf-cutting ant, Atta cephalotes (Hymenoptera: Myrmicinae) were cultured and identified by molecular methods. Abundant, persistent, and omnipresent species were classified as "prevalent". Experimental data were compared with information gathered from published reports on the yeast species composition in other leaf-cutting ant species. Diversity analysis was conducted using diversity values (q0, q1, and q2) to compare the richness and abundance of yeasts present in different leaf-cutting ant species. Clustering analysis was carried out to assess the similarity of yeast community according to ant species. The yeast species composition was highly variable among the ant species. A. laevigata and A. capiguara showed the highest degree of similarity and differed from the group composed by A. cephalotes, A. sexdens, A. sexdens rubropilosa, and A. texana. The isolation of dominant yeasts in different ant castes within the different compartments of a colony strongly suggests that the identified microorganisms are not transient but are native to the soil surrounding ant colonies and the substrates used by the ants to grow their fungal cultivars. It is apparent that the ant-fungus mutualism does not operate in an environment devoid of other microbes, but rather that the association must be seen within the context of a background of other microorganisms, particularly the dominant yeasts.}, } @article {pmid35080468, year = {2022}, author = {Casadevall, A}, title = {Expanding the Pathogenic Potential Concept To Incorporate Fulminancy, Time, and Virulence Factors.}, journal = {mSphere}, volume = {7}, number = {1}, pages = {e0102121}, pmid = {35080468}, issn = {2379-5042}, support = {R01 AI152078/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI162381/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HL059842/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {*Symbiosis ; Virulence ; *Virulence Factors/genetics ; }, abstract = {The pathogenic potential (PP) concept posits that all microorganisms have some pathogenic potential that can be calculated by an equation that includes the fraction symptomatic, inoculum, and mortality fraction. The PP concept dispenses with characterizing microbes as pathogens, nonpathogens, commensals, pathobionts, etc., by providing an alternative approach to the problem of virulence that considers the contributions of both the host and the microbe. Here, the PP concept is extended to incorporate the role of time in virulence by introducing a new parameter, fulminancy, which is a measure of the rapidity of the pathogenic process. Fulminancy allows PP calculations in situations where all hosts are affected equally, but the process occurs later for attenuated strains. Differences in the PP of wild-type and mutant microbes lacking virulence factors can be used to estimate the contribution of virulence factors to the pathogenic process, thus providing a new quantitative approach to these important pathogenicity parameters.}, } @article {pmid35483149, year = {2022}, author = {Wang, HR and Zhang, JM and Zhao, XY and Feng, F}, title = {N limit as a switch node between positive and negative plant-soil feedback: A meta-analysis based on the covariant diagnosis of plant growth and soil factors.}, journal = {Ecotoxicology and environmental safety}, volume = {237}, number = {}, pages = {113557}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113557}, pmid = {35483149}, issn = {1090-2414}, abstract = {Mounting evidence has confirmed the existence of plant-soil feedback, a reflection of plant-soil interaction. However, analysis of ecological feedback pathways remains a challenge. In this study, single and mixed plant communities in different soil ecosystems were screened using strict control systems in global ecosystems to identify the positive or negative feedback effects in indicator plants. Furthermore, the plant components and biomass were identified in each pathway. The significantly changed components indicated pathway factors. As negative feedback increased, the InRR (Response Ratio) of soil organic matter, soil total N, microbial alpha diversity and the symbiotic fungi proportion were significantly up-regulated (P < 0.05). In contrast, the stoichiometric ratio (C: N), water content, and the pathogenic bacteria proportion were downregulated (P < 0.05). However, the positive feedback showed the opposite trend. Importantly, N limit as a transform node between positive and negative plant-soil feedback predicted by Akaike information criterion (AIC > 0.8). Therefore, it has become an important evaluation standard for the inter-species relationship and ecological environment changes under the background of global N deposition. Finally, the feedback values of each sampling site were recalculated over the next 20 years, 50 years, and 100 years based on the global temperature rise and changing rainfall patterns. We also found that global warming and extreme rainfall may change the distribution of interspecies relationships on a global scale, with global warming having the greatest recognisable effect and decreasing the negative feedback layout by 21.7% (P < 0.05). Therefore, this work promotes the cognition of relationship of soil environment, microbial abundance and function, plant diversity and plant- soil feedback model. Meanwhile, it is of great significance to protect species diversity and restore environmental degradation.}, } @article {pmid35482894, year = {2022}, author = {Cook, TM and Mansuy-Aubert, V}, title = {Communication between the gut microbiota and peripheral nervous system in health and chronic disease.}, journal = {Gut microbes}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {2068365}, doi = {10.1080/19490976.2022.2068365}, pmid = {35482894}, issn = {1949-0984}, abstract = {Trillions of bacteria reside within our gastrointestinal tract, ideally forming a mutually beneficial relationship between us. However, persistent changes in diet and lifestyle in the western diet and lifestyle contribute to a damaging of the gut microbiota-host symbiosis leading to diseases such as obesity and irritable bowel syndrome. Many symptoms and comorbidities associated with these diseases stem from dysfunctional signaling in peripheral neurons. Our peripheral nervous system (PNS) is comprised of a variety of sensory, autonomic, and enteric neurons which coordinate key homeostatic functions such as gastrointestinal motility, digestion, immunity, feeding behavior, glucose and lipid homeostasis, and more. The composition and signaling of bacteria in our gut dramatically influences how our peripheral neurons regulate these functions, and we are just beginning to uncover the molecular mechanisms mediating this communication. In this review, we cover the general anatomy and function of the PNS, and then we discuss how the molecules secreted or stimulated by gut microbes signal through the PNS to alter host development and physiology. Finally, we discuss how leveraging the power of our gut microbes on peripheral nervous system signaling may offer effective therapies to counteract the rise in chronic diseases crippling the western world.}, } @article {pmid35481141, year = {2022}, author = {Liu, CC and Liu, YN and Cheng, JF and Guo, R and Tian, L and Wang, B}, title = {Dual Roles of OsGH3.2 in Modulating Rice Root Morphology and Affecting Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {853435}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.853435}, pmid = {35481141}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {Several angiosperm GRETCHEN HAGEN 3 (GH3) genes, including tomato SlGH3.4 and rice OsGH3.2 are induced during arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis, but their functions remain largely unclear. Recently, tomato SlGH3.4 was suggested to negatively regulate arbuscule incidence via decreasing auxin levels in colonized cells. In this study, by acquiring rice OsGH3.2pro:β-glucuronidase (GUS) transgenic plants and generating Osgh3.2 mutants via CRISPR/Cas9 technique, the roles of OsGH3.2 in modulating rice root morphology and affecting AM symbiosis were investigated through time course experiments. Unlike SlGH3.4, OsGH3.2 showed asymbiotic expression in rice young lateral roots, and its mutation resulted in a "shallow" root architecture. Such root morphological change was also observed under symbiotic condition and it likely promoted AM fungal colonization, as the mutants exhibited higher colonization levels and arbuscule incidence than wild-type at early stages. Similar to SlGH3.4, OsGH3.2 showed symbiotic expression in cortical cells that have formed mature arbuscules. At late stages of symbiosis, Osgh3.2 mutants showed elongated cortical cells and larger arbuscules than wild-type, indicating elevated auxin level in the colonized cells. Together, these results revealed both asymbiotic and symbiotic roles of OsGH3.2 in modulating rice root architecture and controlling auxin levels in arbusculated cells, which further affected colonization rate and arbuscule phenotype.}, } @article {pmid35481136, year = {2022}, author = {Wang, T and Balla, B and Kovács, S and Kereszt, A}, title = {Varietas Delectat: Exploring Natural Variations in Nitrogen-Fixing Symbiosis Research.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {856187}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2022.856187}, pmid = {35481136}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {The nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between leguminous plants and soil bacteria collectively called rhizobia plays an important role in the global nitrogen cycle and is an essential component of sustainable agriculture. Genetic determinants directing the development and functioning of the interaction have been identified with the help of a very limited number of model plants and bacterial strains. Most of the information obtained from the study of model systems could be validated on crop plants and their partners. The investigation of soybean cultivars and different rhizobia, however, has revealed the existence of ineffective interactions between otherwise effective partners that resemble gene-for-gene interactions described for pathogenic systems. Since then, incompatible interactions between natural isolates of model plants, called ecotypes, and different bacterial partner strains have been reported. Moreover, diverse phenotypes of both bacterial mutants on different host plants and plant mutants with different bacterial strains have been described. Identification of the genetic factors behind the phenotypic differences did already and will reveal novel functions of known genes/proteins, the role of certain proteins in some interactions, and the fine regulation of the steps during nodule development.}, } @article {pmid35480053, year = {2022}, author = {Pathak, KN and Sen, S}, title = {Implementing the Updated Guidelines in Routine Clinical Microbiology Reporting [Letter].}, journal = {Infection and drug resistance}, volume = {15}, number = {}, pages = {1945-1946}, doi = {10.2147/IDR.S367337}, pmid = {35480053}, issn = {1178-6973}, } @article {pmid35479719, year = {2021}, author = {Iman, K and Ahamad, MN and Monika, and Ansari, A and Saleh, HAM and Khan, MS and Ahmad, M and Haque, RA and Shahid, M}, title = {How to identify a smoker: a salient crystallographic approach to detect thiocyanate content.}, journal = {RSC advances}, volume = {11}, number = {28}, pages = {16881-16891}, doi = {10.1039/d1ra01749g}, pmid = {35479719}, issn = {2046-2069}, abstract = {There is an increasing demand for monitoring environmental pollutants and the control requires new sensing materials with better sensitivity, selectivity and reliability. In this study, a series of Co7 clusters incorporating various flexible polyhydroxyamine ligands are explored, with the first report of thiocyanate recognition triggered by crystal formation using a Co7 crystal (1). For this, we have fortunately synthesized three new mixed metal Co7 clusters with fascinating structural features. The clusters were characterized by spectroscopic and single crystal X-ray diffraction methods and later by DFT calculations. Due to its better emission spectrum, 1 was further utilized for evaluating its sensing ability towards various anions in water. Surprisingly, 1 shows better quenching ability towards the recognition of SCN- with a better binding constant. The luminescence quenching towards SCN- detection was further verified by the single crystal method, HSAB principle (symbiosis) and theoretical calculations such as DFT studies. The SCXRD data clearly suggest that the Co7 (1) can be converted into Co14 (1a) by direct reaction with NaSCN under ambient conditions. Besides the soft/hard acid-base concept (symbiosis), the energies of formation, and Co-NCS and Co-OH2 bond energies (as unravelled by DFT) are responsible for this transformation. Therefore, 1 can be used as a selective and sensitive sensor for the detection of thiocyanate anions based on the fluorescence amplification and quenching method. Further, the designed cluster has also been utilized to detect anions in human blood samples to differentiate a smoker and a non-smoker. It has been concluded that the samples of smokers have a high degree of thiocyanate (∼12 or 9.5 mg L-1) in comparison to those of non-smokers (2-3 mg L-1). Thus, this kind of cluster material has high potentiality in the field of bio-medical science in future endeavours for identification of the extent of thiocyanate content in smokers.}, } @article {pmid35478327, year = {2022}, author = {Kranner, I and Pichler, G and Grube, M}, title = {The lichen market place.}, journal = {The New phytologist}, volume = {234}, number = {5}, pages = {1541-1543}, doi = {10.1111/nph.18130}, pmid = {35478327}, issn = {1469-8137}, support = {P32092-B32//Austrian Science Fund (FWF)/ ; }, } @article {pmid35474066, year = {2022}, author = {Cournoyer, JE and Altman, SD and Gao, YL and Wallace, CL and Zhang, D and Lo, GH and Haskin, NT and Mehta, AP}, title = {Engineering artificial photosynthetic life-forms through endosymbiosis.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {2254}, pmid = {35474066}, issn = {2041-1723}, support = {R01GM139949//U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)/ ; GBMF9732//Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Gordon E. and Betty I. Moore Foundation)/ ; GBMF9732//Simons Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; Chloroplasts/genetics ; *Cyanobacteria/genetics ; Photosynthesis/genetics ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; *Symbiosis/genetics ; }, abstract = {The evolutionary origin of the photosynthetic eukaryotes drastically altered the evolution of complex lifeforms and impacted global ecology. The endosymbiotic theory suggests that photosynthetic eukaryotes evolved due to endosymbiosis between non-photosynthetic eukaryotic host cells and photosynthetic cyanobacterial or algal endosymbionts. The photosynthetic endosymbionts, propagating within the cytoplasm of the host cells, evolved, and eventually transformed into chloroplasts. Despite the fundamental importance of this evolutionary event, we have minimal understanding of this remarkable evolutionary transformation. Here, we design and engineer artificial, genetically tractable, photosynthetic endosymbiosis between photosynthetic cyanobacteria and budding yeasts. We engineer various mutants of model photosynthetic cyanobacteria as endosymbionts within yeast cells where, the engineered cyanobacteria perform bioenergetic functions to support the growth of yeast cells under defined photosynthetic conditions. We anticipate that these genetically tractable endosymbiotic platforms can be used for evolutionary studies, particularly related to organelle evolution, and also for synthetic biology applications.}, } @article {pmid35404986, year = {2022}, author = {Lemberg, C and Martinez de San Vicente, K and Fróis-Martins, R and Altmeier, S and Tran, VDT and Mertens, S and Amorim-Vaz, S and Rai, LS and d'Enfert, C and Pagni, M and Sanglard, D and LeibundGut-Landmann, S}, title = {Candida albicans commensalism in the oral mucosa is favoured by limited virulence and metabolic adaptation.}, journal = {PLoS pathogens}, volume = {18}, number = {4}, pages = {e1010012}, doi = {10.1371/journal.ppat.1010012}, pmid = {35404986}, issn = {1553-7374}, mesh = {Animals ; *Candida albicans ; *Candidiasis, Oral/microbiology ; Fungal Proteins ; Mice ; Mouth Mucosa/microbiology ; Symbiosis ; Virulence ; }, abstract = {As part of the human microbiota, the fungus Candida albicans colonizes the oral cavity and other mucosal surfaces of the human body. Commensalism is tightly controlled by complex interactions of the fungus and the host to preclude fungal elimination but also fungal overgrowth and invasion, which can result in disease. As such, defects in antifungal T cell immunity render individuals susceptible to oral thrush due to interrupted immunosurveillance of the oral mucosa. The factors that promote commensalism and ensure persistence of C. albicans in a fully immunocompetent host remain less clear. Using an experimental model of C. albicans oral colonization in mice we explored fungal determinants of commensalism in the oral cavity. Transcript profiling of the oral isolate 101 in the murine tongue tissue revealed a characteristic metabolic profile tailored to the nutrient poor conditions in the stratum corneum of the epithelium where the fungus resides. Metabolic adaptation of isolate 101 was also reflected in enhanced nutrient acquisition when grown on oral mucosa substrates. Persistent colonization of the oral mucosa by C. albicans also correlated inversely with the capacity of the fungus to induce epithelial cell damage and to elicit an inflammatory response. Here we show that these immune evasive properties of isolate 101 are explained by a strong attenuation of a number of virulence genes, including those linked to filamentation. De-repression of the hyphal program by deletion or conditional repression of NRG1 abolished the commensal behaviour of isolate 101, thereby establishing a central role of this factor in the commensal lifestyle of C. albicans in the oral niche of the host.}, } @article {pmid35348348, year = {2022}, author = {Casadevall, A and Bonomo, RA and Blaser, MJ and Miller, S and Pirofski, LA}, title = {mBio Welcomes Clinical Research Papers That Advance Our Understanding of Human-Microbe Interactions.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {13}, number = {2}, pages = {e0052722}, doi = {10.1128/mbio.00527-22}, pmid = {35348348}, issn = {2150-7511}, mesh = {Humans ; *Microbial Interactions ; *Symbiosis ; }, } @article {pmid35266814, year = {2022}, author = {Wong, EO and Brownlie, EJE and Ng, KM and Kathirgamanathan, S and Yu, FB and Merrill, BD and Huang, KC and Martin, A and Tropini, C and Navarre, WW}, title = {The CIAMIB: a Large and Metabolically Diverse Collection of Inflammation-Associated Bacteria from the Murine Gut.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {13}, number = {2}, pages = {e0294921}, doi = {10.1128/mbio.02949-21}, pmid = {35266814}, issn = {2150-7511}, support = {GM135102//HHS | National Institutes of Health (NIH)/ ; Microbiome Initiative//W. Garfield Weston Foundation (The W. Garfield Weston Foundation)/ ; 144628//Gouvernement du Canada | Canadian Institutes of Health Research (IRSC)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/genetics ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome/physiology ; Inflammation ; Mice ; *Microbiota ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Gut inflammation directly impacts the growth and stability of commensal gut microbes and can lead to long-lasting changes in microbiota composition that can prolong or exacerbate disease states. While mouse models are used extensively to investigate the interplay between microbes and the inflamed state, the paucity of cultured mouse gut microbes has hindered efforts to determine causal relationships. To address this issue, we are assembling the Collection of Inflammation-Associated Mouse Intestinal Bacteria (CIAMIB). The initial release of this collection comprises 41 isolates of 39 unique bacterial species, covering 4 phyla and containing 10 previously uncultivated isolates, including 1 novel family and 7 novel genera. The collection significantly expands the number of available Muribaculaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Coriobacteriaceae isolates and includes microbes from genera associated with inflammation, such as Prevotella and Klebsiella. We characterized the growth of CIAMIB isolates across a diverse range of nutritional conditions and predicted their metabolic potential and anaerobic fermentation capacity based on the genomes of these isolates. We also provide the first metabolic analysis of species within the genus Adlercreutzia, revealing these representatives to be nitrate-reducing and severely restricted in their ability to grow on carbohydrates. CIAMIB isolates are fully sequenced and available to the scientific community as a powerful tool to study host-microbiota interactions. IMPORTANCE Attempts to explore the role of the microbiota in animal physiology have resulted in large-scale efforts to cultivate the thousands of microbes that are associated with humans. In contrast, relatively few lab mouse-associated bacteria have been isolated, despite the fact that the overwhelming number of studies on the microbiota use laboratory mice that are colonized with microbes that are quite distinct from those in humans. Here, we report the results of a large-scale isolation of bacteria from the intestines of laboratory mice either prone to or suffering from gut inflammation. This collection comprises dozens of novel isolates, many of which represent the only cultured representatives of their genus or species. We report their basic growth characteristics and genomes and are making them widely available to the greater research community.}, } @article {pmid35476277, year = {2022}, author = {Fajal, S and Mandal, W and Mollick, S and More, YD and Torris, A and Saurabh, S and Shirolkar, MM and Ghosh, SK}, title = {Trap Inlaid Cationic Hybrid Composite Material for Efficient Segregation of Toxic Chemicals from Water.}, journal = {Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1002/anie.202203385}, pmid = {35476277}, issn = {1521-3773}, abstract = {Metal-based oxoanions are potentially toxic pollutants that causes serious water pollution. Therefore, the segregation of such species has recently received significant research attention. Even though several adsorbents have been employed for effective management of chemicals, their limited microporous nature along with non-monolithic applicability has thwarted their large-scale real-time application. Herein, we strategized a unique anion exchangeable hybrid composite aerogel material (IPcomp-6), integrating a stable cationic metal-organic polyhedron with a hierarchically porous metal-organic gel. The composite scavenger demonstrated a highly selective and very fast segregation efficiency for various hazardous oxoanions such as, HAsO42-, SeO42-, ReO4-, CrO42-, MnO4-, in water, in the presence of 100-fold excess other coexisting anions. The material was able to selectively eliminate trace HAsO42- even at low-concentration to well below the As(V) limit in drinking water defined by WHO.}, } @article {pmid35476236, year = {2022}, author = {Shamseldin, A}, title = {Future Outlook of Transferring Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) to Cereals and Challenges to Retard Achieving this Dream.}, journal = {Current microbiology}, volume = {79}, number = {6}, pages = {171}, pmid = {35476236}, issn = {1432-0991}, abstract = {BNF is a fascinating phenomenon which contributes to protect the nature from environmental pollution that can be happened as a result of heavy nitrogen applications. The importance of BNF is due to its supply of the agricultural lands with about 200 million tons of N annually. In this biological process, a specific group of bacteria collectively called rhizobia fix the atmospheric N in symbiosis with legumes called symbiotic nitrogen fixation and others (free living) fix nitrogen gas from the atmosphere termed asymbiotic. Several trials were done by scientists around the world to make cereals more benefited from nitrogen gas through different approaches. The first approach is to engineer cereals to form nodulated roots. Secondly is to transfer nif genes directly to cereals and fix N without Rhizobium partner. The other two approaches are maximizing the inoculation of cereals with both of diazotrophs or endophytes. Recently, scientists solved some challenges that entangle engineering cereals with nif genes directly and they confirmed the suitability of mitochondria and plastids as a suitable place for better biological function of nif genes expression in cereals. Fortunately, this article is confirming the success of scientists not only to transfer synthetic nitrogenase enzyme to Escherichia coli that gave 50% of its activity of expression, but also move it to plants as Nicotiana benthamiana. This mini review aims at explaining the future outlook of BNF and the challenges limiting its transfer to cereals and levels of success to make cereals self nitrogen fixing.}, } @article {pmid35474114, year = {2022}, author = {Xiao, L and Johansson, S and Rughöft, S and Burki, F and Sandin, MM and Tenje, M and Behrendt, L}, title = {Photophysiological response of Symbiodiniaceae single cells to temperature stress.}, journal = {The ISME journal}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35474114}, issn = {1751-7370}, support = {2019-04401//Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council)/ ; 757444//EC | EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020 | H2020 Priority Excellent Science | H2020 European Research Council (H2020 Excellent Science - European Research Council)/ ; 757444//EC | EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020 | H2020 Priority Excellent Science | H2020 European Research Council (H2020 Excellent Science - European Research Council)/ ; WAF 2016.0112//Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse (Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation)/ ; WAF 2016.0112//Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse (Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation)/ ; }, abstract = {Photosynthetic dinoflagellates in the family Symbiodiniaceae engage in symbiosis with scleractinian corals. As coral 'bleaching' is partly governed by the thermal sensitivity of different Symbiodiniaceae lineages, numerous studies have investigated their temperature sensitivity. However, the systematic identification of single-cells with increased temperature resistance among these dinoflagellates has remained inaccessible, mostly due to a lack of technologies operating at the microscale. Here, we employed a unique combination of microfluidics, miniaturized temperature control, and chlorophyll fluorometry to characterize the single-cell heterogeneity among five representative species within the Symbiodiniaceae family under temperature stress. We monitored single-cell maximum quantum yields (Fv/Fm) of photosystem (PS) II under increasing temperature stress (22‒39 °C, + 1 °C every 15 min), and detected a significant Fv/Fm reduction at lineage-specific temperatures ranging from 28 °C to 34 °C alongside a 40- to 180- fold increase in intraspecific heterogeneity under elevated temperatures (>31 °C). We discovered that the initial Fv/Fm of a cell could predict the same cell's ability to perform PSII photochemistry under moderate temperature stress (<32 °C), suggesting its use as a proxy for measuring the thermal sensitivity among Symbiodiniaceae. In combination, our study highlights the heterogeneous thermal sensitivity among photosynthetic Symbiodiniaceae and adds critical resolution to our understanding of temperature-induced coral bleaching.}, } @article {pmid35473381, year = {2022}, author = {Pons, I and González Porras, MÁ and Breitenbach, N and Berger, J and Hipp, K and Salem, H}, title = {For the road: calibrated maternal investment in light of extracellular symbiont transmission.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {289}, number = {1973}, pages = {20220386}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2022.0386}, pmid = {35473381}, issn = {1471-2954}, abstract = {Faithful transmission of beneficial symbionts is critical for the persistence of mutualisms. Many insect groups rely on extracellular routes that require microbial symbionts to survive outside the host during transfer. However, given a prolonged aposymbiotic phase in offspring, how do mothers mitigate the risk of symbiont loss due to unsuccessful transmission? Here, we investigated symbiont regulation and reacquisition during extracellular transfer in the tortoise beetle, Chelymorpha alternans (Coleoptera: Cassidinae). Like many cassidines, C. alternans relies on egg caplets to vertically propagate its obligate symbiont Candidatus Stammera capleta. On average, each caplet is supplied with 12 symbiont-bearing spheres where Stammera is embedded. We observe limited deviation (±2.3) in the number of spheres allocated to each caplet, indicating strict maternal control over symbiont supply. Larvae acquire Stammera 1 day prior to eclosion but are unable to do so after hatching, suggesting that a specific developmental window governs symbiont uptake. Experimentally manipulating the number of spheres available to each egg revealed that a single sphere is sufficient to ensure successful colonization by Stammera relative to the 12 typically packaged within a caplet. Collectively, our findings shed light on a tightly regulated symbiont transmission cycle optimized to ensure extracellular transfer.}, } @article {pmid35246656, year = {2022}, author = {Martínez-Romero, E}, title = {Learning from symbioses.}, journal = {Nature microbiology}, volume = {7}, number = {3}, pages = {349-350}, doi = {10.1038/s41564-022-01065-4}, pmid = {35246656}, issn = {2058-5276}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; *Symbiosis ; }, } @article {pmid35046559, year = {2022}, author = {Grupstra, CGB and Howe-Kerr, LI and Veglia, AJ and Bryant, RL and Coy, SR and Blackwelder, PL and Correa, AMS}, title = {Thermal stress triggers productive viral infection of a key coral reef symbiont.}, journal = {The ISME journal}, volume = {16}, number = {5}, pages = {1430-1441}, pmid = {35046559}, issn = {1751-7370}, support = {#1635798//National Science Foundation (NSF)/ ; #2000009651//National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine | National Academy of Sciences (NAS)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Anthozoa ; Coral Reefs ; *Dinoflagellida/genetics ; Symbiosis ; *Virus Diseases ; }, abstract = {Climate change-driven ocean warming is increasing the frequency and severity of bleaching events, in which corals appear whitened after losing their dinoflagellate endosymbionts (family Symbiodiniaceae). Viral infections of Symbiodiniaceae may contribute to some bleaching signs, but little empirical evidence exists to support this hypothesis. We present the first temporal analysis of a lineage of Symbiodiniaceae-infecting positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses ("dinoRNAVs") in coral colonies, which were exposed to a 5-day heat treatment (+2.1 °C). A total of 124 dinoRNAV major capsid protein gene "aminotypes" (unique amino acid sequences) were detected from five colonies of two closely related Pocillopora-Cladocopium (coral-symbiont) combinations in the experiment; most dinoRNAV aminotypes were shared between the two coral-symbiont combinations (64%) and among multiple colonies (82%). Throughout the experiment, seventeen dinoRNAV aminotypes were found only in heat-treated fragments, and 22 aminotypes were detected at higher relative abundances in heat-treated fragments. DinoRNAVs in fragments of some colonies exhibited higher alpha diversity and dispersion under heat stress. Together, these findings provide the first empirical evidence that exposure to high temperatures triggers some dinoRNAVs to switch from a persistent to a productive infection mode within heat-stressed corals. Over extended time frames, we hypothesize that cumulative dinoRNAV production in the Pocillopora-Cladocopium system could affect colony symbiotic status, for example, by decreasing Symbiodiniaceae densities within corals. This study sets the stage for reef-scale investigations of dinoRNAV dynamics during bleaching events.}, } @article {pmid34897280, year = {2022}, author = {Shalev, O and Ashkenazy, H and Neumann, M and Weigel, D}, title = {Commensal Pseudomonas protect Arabidopsis thaliana from a coexisting pathogen via multiple lineage-dependent mechanisms.}, journal = {The ISME journal}, volume = {16}, number = {5}, pages = {1235-1244}, pmid = {34897280}, issn = {1751-7370}, support = {SPP2125 DECRyPT//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/ ; //Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (Max Planck Society)/ ; //Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service)/ ; }, mesh = {*Arabidopsis/genetics/microbiology ; Genes, Bacterial ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Pseudomonas/genetics ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Plants are protected from pathogens not only by their own immunity but often also by colonizing commensal microbes. In Arabidopsis thaliana, a group of cryptically pathogenic Pseudomonas strains often dominates local populations. This group coexists in nature with commensal Pseudomonas strains that can blunt the deleterious effects of the pathogens in the laboratory. We have investigated the interaction between one of the Pseudomonas pathogens and 99 naturally co-occurring commensals, finding plant protection to be common among non-pathogenic Pseudomonas. While protective ability is enriched in one specific lineage, there is also a substantial variation for this trait among isolates of this lineage. These functional differences do not align with core-genome phylogenies, suggesting repeated gene inactivation or loss as causal. Using genome-wide association, we discovered that different bacterial genes are linked to plant protection in each lineage. We validated a protective role of several lineage-specific genes by gene inactivation, highlighting iron acquisition and biofilm formation as prominent mechanisms of plant protection in this Pseudomonas lineage. Collectively, our work illustrates the importance of functional redundancy in plant protective traits across an important group of commensal bacteria.}, } @article {pmid34569668, year = {2022}, author = {Rai, LS and van Wijlick, L and Chauvel, M and d'Enfert, C and Legrand, M and Bachellier-Bassi, S}, title = {Overexpression approaches to advance understanding of Candida albicans.}, journal = {Molecular microbiology}, volume = {117}, number = {3}, pages = {589-599}, doi = {10.1111/mmi.14818}, pmid = {34569668}, issn = {1365-2958}, support = {WT088858MA/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {*Candida albicans/metabolism ; *Fungal Proteins/metabolism ; Morphogenesis ; Phenotype ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that is responsible for infections linked to high mortality. Loss-of-function approaches, taking advantage of gene knockouts or inducible down-regulation, have been successfully used in this species in order to understand gene function. However, overexpression of a gene provides an alternative, powerful tool to elucidate gene function and identify novel phenotypes. Notably, overexpression can identify pathway components that might remain undetected using loss-of-function approaches. Several repressible or inducible promoters have been developed which allow to shut off or turn on the expression of a gene in C. albicans upon growth in the presence of a repressor or inducer. In this review, we summarize recent overexpression approaches used to study different aspects of C. albicans biology, including morphogenesis, biofilm formation, drug tolerance, and commensalism.}, } @article {pmid35472357, year = {2022}, author = {Beltrán-Sanz, N and Raggio, J and Gonzalez, S and Grande, FD and Prost, S and Green, A and Pintado, A and Sancho, LG}, title = {Climate change leads to higher NPP at the end of the century in the Antarctic Tundra: Response patterns through the lens of lichens.}, journal = {The Science of the total environment}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {155495}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155495}, pmid = {35472357}, issn = {1879-1026}, abstract = {Poikilohydric autotrophs are the main colonizers of the permanent ice-free areas in the Antarctic tundra biome. Global climate warming and the small human footprint in this ecosystem make it especially vulnerable to abrupt changes. Elucidating the effects of climate change on the Antarctic ecosystem is challenging because it mainly comprises poikilohydric species, which are greatly influenced by microtopographic factors. In the present study, we investigated the potential effects of climate change on the metabolic activity and net primary photosynthesis (NPP) in the widespread lichen species Usnea aurantiaco-atra. Long-term monitoring of chlorophyll a fluorescence in the field was combined with photosynthetic performance measurements in laboratory experiments in order to establish the daily response patterns under biotic and abiotic factors at micro- and macro-scales. Our findings suggest that macroclimate is a poor predictor of NPP, thereby indicating that microclimate is the main driver due to the strong effects of microtopographic factors on cryptogams. Metabolic activity is also crucial for estimating the NPP, which is highly dependent on the type, distribution, and duration of the hydration sources available throughout the year. Under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, metabolic activity will increase slightly compared with that at present due to the increased precipitation events predicted in MIROC5. Temperature is highlighted as the main driver for NPP projections, and thus climate warming will lead to an average increase in NPP of 167-171% at the end of the century. However, small changes in other drivers such as light and relative humidity may strongly modify the metabolic activity patterns of poikilohydric autotrophs, and thus their NPP. Species with similar physiological response ranges to the species investigated in the present study are expected to behave in a similar manner provided that liquid water is available.}, } @article {pmid35471237, year = {2022}, author = {Jardinaud, MF and Fromentin, J and Auriac, MC and Moreau, S and Pecrix, Y and Taconnat, L and Cottret, L and Aubert, G and Balzergue, S and Burstin, J and Carrère, S and Gamas, P}, title = {MtEFD and MtEFD2: two transcription factors with distinct neofunctionalization in symbiotic nodule development.}, journal = {Plant physiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/plphys/kiac177}, pmid = {35471237}, issn = {1532-2548}, abstract = {Rhizobium-legume nitrogen-fixing symbiosis involves the formation of a specific organ, the root nodule, which provides bacteria with the proper cellular environment for atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Coordinated differentiation of plant and bacterial cells is an essential step of nodule development, for which few transcriptional regulators have been characterized. MtEFD (Medicago truncatula ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR REQUIRED FOR NODULE DIFFERENTIATION) encodes an AP2/ERF (APETALA2/ETHYLENE RESPONSIVE FACTOR) transcription factor, the mutation of which leads to both hypernodulation and severe defects in nodule development. MtEFD positively controls a negative regulator of cytokinin signaling, the MtRR4 (RESPONSE REGULATOR 4) gene. Here we showed that that the Mtefd-1 mutation affects both plant and bacterial endoreduplication in nodules, as well as the expression of hundreds of genes in young and mature nodules, upstream of known regulators of symbiotic differentiation. MtRR4 expressed with the MtEFD promoter complemented Mtefd-1 hypernodulation but not the nodule differentiation phenotype. Unexpectedly, a non-legume homologue of MtEFD, AtERF003 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), could efficiently complement both phenotypes of Mtefd-1, in contrast to the MtEFD paralogue MtEFD2 expressed in the root and nodule meristematic zone. A domain swap experiment showed that MtEFD2 differs from MtEFD by its C-terminal fraction outside the DNA binding domain. Furthermore, CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis of MtEFD2 led to a reduction in the number of nodules formed in Mtefd-1, with down-regulation of a set of genes, including notably MtNF-YA1 (NUCLEAR FACTOR-YA1) and MtNF-YB16, which are essential for nodule meristem establishment. We therefore conclude that nitrogen-fixing symbiosis recruited two proteins originally expressed in roots, MtEFD and MtEFD2, with distinct functions and neofunctionalization processes for each of them.}, } @article {pmid35470091, year = {2022}, author = {Luo, Y and Liu, W and Sun, J and Zhang, ZR and Yang, WC}, title = {Quantitative proteomics reveals key pathways in the symbiotic interface and the likely extracellular property of soybean symbiosome.}, journal = {Journal of genetics and genomics = Yi chuan xue bao}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.jgg.2022.04.004}, pmid = {35470091}, issn = {1673-8527}, abstract = {An effective symbiosis between legumes and rhizobia relies largely on diverse proteins at the plant-rhizobium interface for material transportation and signal transduction during symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Here, we report a comprehensive proteome atlas of the soybean symbiosome membrane (SM), peribacteroid space (PBS), and root microsomal fraction (RMF) using state-of-the-art label-free quantitative proteomic technology. In total, 1759 soybean proteins with diverse functions are detected in the SM, and 1476 soybean proteins and 369 rhizobial proteins are detected in the PBS. The diversity of SM proteins detected suggests multiple origins of the SM. Quantitative comparative analysis highlights amino acid metabolism and nutrient uptake in the SM, indicative of the key pathways in nitrogen assimilation. The detection of soybean secretory proteins in the PBS and receptor-like kinases in the SM provides evidence for the likely extracellular property of the symbiosome and the potential signaling communication between both symbionts at the symbiotic interface. Our proteomic data provide clues for how some of the sophisticated regulation between soybean and rhizobium at the symbiotic interface is achieved, and suggest approaches for symbiosis engineering.}, } @article {pmid35469738, year = {2022}, author = {Najafi, J and Palmgren, M}, title = {Hexose transport reverts the growth penalty of mlo resistance.}, journal = {Trends in plant science}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.tplants.2022.04.003}, pmid = {35469738}, issn = {1878-4372}, abstract = {The Mildew Resistance Locus O (MLO) promotes both symbiosis and biotrophic interactions with fungi. MLO disruption results in powdery mildew resistance but is associated with growth defects. New research by Li et al. demonstrates that they can be rescued by ectopic activation of a vacuolar hexose transporter.}, } @article {pmid35469007, year = {2022}, author = {Shi, YM and Hirschmann, M and Shi, YN and Ahmed, S and Abebew, D and Tobias, NJ and Grün, P and Crames, JJ and Pöschel, L and Kuttenlochner, W and Richter, C and Herrmann, J and Müller, R and Thanwisai, A and Pidot, SJ and Stinear, TP and Groll, M and Kim, Y and Bode, HB}, title = {Global analysis of biosynthetic gene clusters reveals conserved and unique natural products in entomopathogenic nematode-symbiotic bacteria.}, journal = {Nature chemistry}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35469007}, issn = {1755-4349}, support = {835108//EC | EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020 | H2020 Priority Excellent Science | H2020 European Research Council (H2020 Excellent Science - European Research Council)/ ; }, abstract = {Microorganisms contribute to the biology and physiology of eukaryotic hosts and affect other organisms through natural products. Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus (XP) living in mutualistic symbiosis with entomopathogenic nematodes generate natural products to mediate bacteria-nematode-insect interactions. However, a lack of systematic analysis of the XP biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) has limited the understanding of how natural products affect interactions between the organisms. Here we combine pangenome and sequence similarity networks to analyse BGCs from 45 XP strains that cover all sequenced strains in our collection and represent almost all XP taxonomy. The identified 1,000 BGCs belong to 176 families. The most conserved families are denoted by 11 BGC classes. We homologously (over)express the ubiquitous and unique BGCs and identify compounds featuring unusual architectures. The bioactivity evaluation demonstrates that the prevalent compounds are eukaryotic proteasome inhibitors, virulence factors against insects, metallophores and insect immunosuppressants. These findings explain the functional basis of bacterial natural products in this tripartite relationship.}, } @article {pmid35468345, year = {2022}, author = {Gerasimova, EA and Radaykina, LV and Zagumyonnyi, DG and Tikhonenkov, DV and Drachko, D and Zlatogursky, VV}, title = {Morphology and spicules elemental composition of Marophrys nikolaevi spec. nov. (Haptista: Centroplasthelida).}, journal = {European journal of protistology}, volume = {84}, number = {}, pages = {125888}, doi = {10.1016/j.ejop.2022.125888}, pmid = {35468345}, issn = {1618-0429}, abstract = {Marophrys is a genus of spicules-bearing centrohelids belonging to Heterophrys-like organisms (HLO's). Here Marophrys nikolaevi spec. nov. is described. Four strains were isolated from brackish waters (16-22 ppt) of the Tuzlukkol' River, the Tuzluchnoe Lake (South Urals, Russia) and the Black Sea. All the strains were characterised with light microscopy and electron microscopic study of the whole mount preparations. Molecular phylogenetic analysis has put SSU rDNA sequences, obtained for all strains, inside Marophryidae clade sister to M. marina. The organisms have a cell diameter of 4-11 μm and are surrounded with organic spicules of two types. Short (0.6-0.7 μm) and thin (0.01-0.02 μm) mostly tangentially oriented spicules form a lax sheath, surrounding the cell. Longer (3-6 μm) and thicker (0.04-0.05 μm) spicules are embedded in this sheath and are radially or obliquely oriented. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis has shown that the spicules are purely organic. The taxonomy of marine Heterophrys-like organisms is discussed.}, } @article {pmid35467116, year = {2022}, author = {Römer, D and Aguilar, GP and Meyer, A and Roces, F}, title = {Symbiont demand guides resource supply: leaf-cutting ants preferentially deliver their harvested fragments to undernourished fungus gardens.}, journal = {Die Naturwissenschaften}, volume = {109}, number = {3}, pages = {25}, pmid = {35467116}, issn = {1432-1904}, abstract = {Leaf-cutting ants are highly successful herbivores in the Neotropics. They forage large amounts of fresh plant material to nourish a symbiotic fungus that sustains the colony. It is unknown how workers organize the intra-nest distribution of resources, and whether they respond to increasing demands in some fungus gardens by adjusting the amount of delivered resources accordingly. In laboratory experiments, we