Article
Environmental Sciences
Ming-Juan Cui, Aloysius Teng, Jian Chu, Bin Cao
Summary: This study presented a quantitative, high-throughput urease activity assay based on a 96-well plate, which can be used for comparing and rapidly screening urease-producing bacteria. The assay revealed bacterial strains with high urease activity and showed the inhibitory effect of calcium on urease activity. The method has potential wide applications in environmental, civil, and medical research.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kahui Lim, Matthew Rolston, Samantha Barnum, Cara Wademan, Harold Leverenz
Summary: This study examined the bacterial community associated with ureolytic biomineralization in urine drainage systems. The results showed significant differences in microbial profiles and diversity among different sampling locations and urinal types. Biomineral samples from waterless urinals had the highest ureC/16S gene copy ratios and the lowest diversity.
Article
Microbiology
Laxmi Leeprasert, Duenrut Chonudomkul, Chanita Boonmak
Summary: Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a promising technique for its applications in civil engineering, environmental, and geotechnical fields. This study identified two bacterial isolates, Lysinibacillus fusiformis 5.1 and Lysinibacillus xylanilyticus 4.3, which showed high urease activity and calcium carbonate formation capabilities, making them potential candidates for MICP in engineering applications.
Review
Soil Science
Safaa M. Ezzat
Summary: Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a new technology that can provide green and cost-effective solutions to some geotechnical engineering problems. This article critically reviews the technology and discusses the key factors influencing its performance. The global experiences and national participation from Egypt, as well as real life applications, are presented. The review highlights the practical steps taken to mitigate limitations and gaps in MICP application. Integrating MICP with existing technologies and providing effective solutions to its limitations would benefit engineering needs and market requirements. Recommendations include global collaboration for knowledge transfer and financial support from industrial entities to facilitate scientific research and large-scale applications.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yunsoo Chang, Tae-Eon Park, Seung-Woo Lee, Eun-Hee Lee
Summary: In this study, a PDMS-based colorimetric film sensor was used for the detection of urease-producing microbes. The sensor showed excellent sensitivity and selectivity towards different bacterial strains, and could be used multiple times for detecting bacterial urease activity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhengjun Yan, Jie Zhou, Jiangwen Nie, Yadong Yang, Jie Zhao, Zhaohai Zeng, Miles R. Marshall, Leanne Peixoto, Huadong Zang
Summary: The study assessed the impact of different cropping systems and N fertilization levels on soil aggregate-associated C and N, finding that medium N fertilization can increase SOC and TN stocks, promote water-stable aggregates formation.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Li Wang, Xiang Xiong
Summary: In this study, the responses of ureolytic microbial communities in agricultural soils to manure application were examined using high-throughput sequencing. The results showed significant differences in ureolytic communities between the two locations. The variation in community structure was influenced by the rates of manure application and the microbial communities were driven by total C and C/N ratio. The abundance of ureC genes was positively correlated with total phosphorus and the urease activity was positively correlated with soil available NH4+, total phosphorus, and the abundance of ureC genes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Weila Li, Ayelet Fishman, Varenyam Achal
Summary: Ureolytic bacteria isolated from an E-waste area exhibited significant heavy metal resistance and potential for immobilizing toxic elements. The study revealed a novel metabolic system in these bacteria for heavy metal resistance and offered insights into the mechanism of heavy metal immobilization. The results indicate the promising environmental applications of these bacteria for addressing heavy metal contamination in electronic waste sites.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Aysan Farajnia, Ali Shafaat, Safar Farajnia, Mohsen Sartipipour, Hamed Khodadadi Tirkolaei
Summary: This study introduces ureolytic bacterial strains with high urease activity found in historical adobe structures and deserts in Iran, which were evaluated for the production of biologically cemented bricks. The produced bio-bricks showed satisfactory compressive strength, water absorption percentage, and durability. These findings are valuable for future sustainable construction.
CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jun Chen, Baolei Liu, Ming Zhong, Chuan Jing, Baoyou Guo
Summary: Biomineralization is a common phenomenon in nature, and it can be divided into authigenic and artificially induced mineralization. In recent years, artificially induced mineralization technology has been applied in major engineering fields, showing promising prospects in sandy soil curing, building improvement, heavy metal fixation, oil reservoir dissection, and CO2 capture.
Article
Soil Science
Menghui Dong, George A. Kowalchuk, Hongjun Liu, Wu Xiong, Xuhui Deng, Na Zhang, Rong Li, Qirong Shen, Francisco Dini-Andreote
Summary: The assembly of soil bacterial communities is influenced by both stochastic and deterministic processes, with differences observed in patterns based on fertilization and aggregate size. Evaluating community assembly at the fine-scale levels of soil aggregates is crucial for understanding community structure.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Weila Li, Ayelet Fishman, Varenyam Achal
Summary: This study identified a ureolytic bacterium, Lysinibacillus sp. GY3, isolated from an E-waste site, as a promising catalyst for remediation of heavy metals through the Microbially Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) process. The bacterium produced significant amounts of urease and showed high stability in the presence of potentially toxic elements. Compared to the reference strain, Bacillus megaterium VS1, Lysinibacillus sp. GY3 demonstrated higher extracellular urease activity. Additionally, the isolated microorganism exhibited the most stable urease activity under metal pressure conditions. These findings suggest that Lysinibacillus sp. GY3 has potential for stabilizing complex heavy metal pollutants in the MICP process.
MICROBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Justyna Bzura, Dorota Korsak, Robert Koncki
Summary: This study proposes an alternative approach to investigating bacterial growth based on enzyme activity detection, allowing for real-time and online monitoring of microbial ureolytic activity. The developed bioanalytical flow system enables discrete assaying of microbial urease with high sensitivity and relatively high throughput.
ENZYME AND MICROBIAL TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Marwa Eltarahony, Ayman Kamal, Sahar Zaki, Desouky Abd-El-Haleem
Summary: This study successfully removed lead and mercury using fungal and bacterial strains with high ureolytic activity, and characterized the precipitates using EDX, SEM and XRD, achieving detoxification and sequestration of heavy metals.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhaojun Wu, Yang Li, Hao Chen, Jixiang Rao, Qingye Sun
Summary: This study analyzed the effect of straw mulching on the composition of myxobacterial community and found that straw mulching did not significantly influence the alpha-diversity of myxobacteria, but had a significant impact on the community composition. Total organic carbon was identified as the most important factor affecting the myxobacterial community structure. Furthermore, the study revealed that the myxobacterial community structure contributed to the alpha- and beta-diversity of soil bacterial community, particularly in specific soil aggregate fractions.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hao Liao, Xiuli Hao, Fei Qin, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Yurong Liu, Jizhong Zhou, Peng Cai, Wenli Chen, Qiaoyun Huang
Summary: Microbial communities have critical roles in fixing carbon from the atmosphere and fixing it in the soils, but their large-scale variations and drivers are poorly understood. This study conducted a large-scale survey in China and found that soil autotrophic organisms, such as bacteria and protists, are crucial for explaining CO2 fluxes from the atmosphere to soils. The fixation rates of CO2 were significantly correlated to the variations in autotrophic bacteria and phototrophic protists.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Ming Zhang, Ying Xu, Ke-Qing Xiao, Chun-Hui Gao, Shuang Wang, Di Zhu, Yichao Wu, Qiaoyun Huang, Peng Cai
Summary: Quantification and characterization of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) exuded by microbes in soil are crucial for understanding their ecological functions. However, there is limited research on the extraction steps and chemical characteristics of soil EPS. This study examined the C and N contents, biopolymer contents, and optical properties of EPS in soil using different pre-treatment methods and tracked the compositional changes during the extraction process. The results showed that the second extraction step released more dissolved organic carbon and biopolymers from soils, and the extracted EPS exhibited higher aromaticity, molecular weight, and humification degree. Spectral analysis indicated that tryptophan-like and tyrosine-like substances were key components of EPS extracted from all soils regardless of pre-treatment.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shuai Du, Jiao Feng, Li Bi, Hang-Wei Hu, Xiuli Hao, Qiaoyun Huang, Yu-Rong Liu
Summary: Rice-crayfish co-culture system has the potential to spread and cause pathogenicity of resistance and virulence genes, posing a potential threat to human health. The system selectively enriched certain subtypes of these genes and showed a higher horizontal transfer potential.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Achen Wang, Xiuli Hao, Wenli Chen, Xuesong Luo, Qiaoyun Huang
Summary: This study compared enzymatic stoichiometry, microbial necromass, and microbial community between rice-crayfish co-culture and rice monoculture systems. The results showed that after conversion to the co-culture system for about three years, the availability of ammonium nitrogen increased, leading to a decrease in relative N-acquiring enzyme production. Microbial necromass content increased approximately twofold in the co-culture system, with microbial necromass contributing up to 46.72% of soil nitrogen. The elevation in NH4+ decreased N-acquiring enzyme production, while a more effective C acquisition likely promoted microbial necromass retention and production in the co-culture system. This study highlights the modification of the N pool in the surface paddy soil by the rice-crayfish co-culture.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Qiong Huang, Jiaojiao Zhu, Chenchen Qu, Yunhao Wang, Xiuli Hao, Wenli Chen, Peng Cai, Qiaoyun Huang
Summary: This study reveals the mechanisms by which different mineral-humic acid composites influence the transformation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soils. The findings provide insights into the fate of ARGs in soil systems and suggest the potential of utilizing soil components to mitigate the spread of ARGs.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Jiao Feng, Dailin Yu, Robert L. L. Sinsabaugh, Daryl L. L. Moorhead, Mathias Neumann Andersen, Pete Smith, Yanting Song, Xinqi Li, Qiaoyun Huang, Yu-Rong Liu, Ji Chen
Summary: Biochar amendment is a promising agricultural approach to combat climate change by enhancing soil carbon sequestration. It was found that biochar addition increased soil ligninase activity targeting complex phenolic macromolecules, but suppressed cellulase activity degrading simpler polysaccharides. These shifts in enzyme activities explained variations in soil carbon sequestration in different conditions, and the ligninase:cellulase ratio correlated negatively with soil C sequestration. Short-term biochar addition reduced cellulase activity and increased soil organic C sequestration, while long-term addition enhanced ligninase activity and ligninase:cellulase ratio, resulting in a smaller increase in soil organic C sequestration. This research provides evidence for the diminished long-term soil C sequestration with biochar addition.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yunyun Li, Shu-Shen Dai, Jiating Zhao, Zhi-Cheng Hu, Qin Liu, Jiao Feng, Qiaoyun Huang, Yuxi Gao, Yu-Rong Liu
Summary: This study explored the effects of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) on microbial production of methylmercury (MeHg) in two different paddy soils. Results showed that the addition of C alone significantly increased MeHg production, but this effect was mitigated when N and C were added together. S had a buffering effect on C-facilitated MeHg production in one soil type but not the other. MeHg production was correlated with the abundance of specific bacteria in both soils, and changes in the Hg methylating community influenced MeHg production. The study provides important insights into microbe-driven Hg conversion in paddy and wetland ecosystems.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuchen Zhang, Andrew Plymale, Jiyoung Son, Qiaoyun Huang, Wenli Chen, Xiao-Ying Yu
Summary: The interactions between soil microorganisms and soil minerals are crucial for mineral formation, evolution, and soil stability. However, our understanding of the functions of bacterial biofilms in soil minerals at the microscale is limited. This study used a soil mineral-bacterial biofilm system as a model and analyzed it using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to obtain molecular level information. The results showed that a dynamic flow-cell culture of biofilms in microfluidics provided better observation of characteristic molecules compared to static culture in multi-wells. These findings suggest that using flow-cell culture and advanced mass spectral imaging techniques like ToF-SIMS can enhance the study of the interaction mechanism between biofilms and soil minerals at the molecular level.
FRONTIERS IN CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Tianyuan Zhang, Hanzhou Li, Silin Ma, Jian Cao, Hao Liao, Qiaoyun Huang, Wenli Chen
Summary: This study evaluated the performance of ONT R10.4.1 16S amplicon and found that it had a lower error rate and better results in synthetic communities. Moreover, the analysis of environmental samples using ONT R10.4.1 showed a similar composition to Pacbio data. Based on these findings, ONT R10.4.1 16S amplicon can also be used for environmental samples.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Li Wang, Chunang Lian, Wenjie Wan, Zhiguang Qiu, Xuesong Luo, Qiaoyun Huang, Ye Deng, Tong Zhang, Ke Yu
Summary: Climate change and human activities have led to the gradual salinization of inland waters worldwide, impacting prokaryotic plankton communities and biogeochemical cycles. This study analyzed the prokaryotic plankton communities of 11 lakes in northwest China and found that salinity was the most important driver of beta-diversity. Under low salinity, prokaryotic plankton employed diverse halotolerant strategies, while under high salinity, only organisms with energetically favorable halotolerant strategies survived. High salinity decreased taxonomic diversity and impaired functional diversity related to substance metabolism. The study also revealed a precarious microbial network with increasing salinity.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jinzhao Chen, Chenchen Qu, Man Lu, Ming Zhang, Yichao Wu, Chunhui Gao, Qiaoyun Huang, Peng Cai
Summary: Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are important in controlling the mobility and bioavailability of heavy metal(loid)s in natural environments, but the adsorption and redox mechanisms of arsenate (As(V)) in EPS and EPS-mineral complexes are not well understood. In this study, we investigated the reaction sites, valence state, thermodynamic parameters, and distribution of As in the complexes. We found that EPS could reduce As(V) to As(III) and the EPS coating on minerals influenced the reactivity to As(V), with different effects on goethite and montmorillonite.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yun-Yun Hao, Hui -Wen Liu, Jiating Zhao, Jiao Feng, Xiuli Hao, Qiaoyun Huang, Baohua Gu, Yu-Rong Liu
Summary: Microplastics (MPs) in agricultural ecosystems can influence the conversion of mercury (Hg) to neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg), but the mechanism is poorly understood. This study evaluated the effects of MPs on Hg methylation in paddy soils and found that MPs significantly increased MeHg production. The microbial communities associated with Hg methylation were different in the plastisphere (region around the MPs) compared to the bulk soil, and these differences could contribute to the distinct MeHg production ability.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hailing Nie, Liang Nie, Yujie Xiao, Miaomiao Song, Tiantian Zhou, Jinzhi He, Wenli Chen, Qiaoyun Huang
Summary: In this study, the function and mechanism of a phosphodiesterase DibA in Pseudomonas putida bacteria were characterized. DibA inhibits biofilm formation by modulating the level of cell surface adhesin LapA. The interaction between DibA and LapD enhances the enzyme activity of DibA. Additionally, LapD interacts with 11 different potential diguanylate cyclases/phosphodiesterases, including the conserved phosphodiesterase BifA.
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jiao Feng, Rong Pan, Hang-Wei Hu, Qiaoyun Huang, Jiaoli Zheng, Wenfeng Tan, Yu-Rong Liu, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Liang Nie, Yujie Xiao, Tiantian Zhou, Haoqi Feng, Meina He, Qingyuan Liang, Kexin Mu, Hailing Nie, Qiaoyun Huang, Wenli Chen
Summary: This study reveals that the bacterial second messenger c-di-GMP regulates nitrate assimilation by binding to NasT, which inhibits the expression of key enzymes involved in nitrate assimilation, leading to nitrite accumulation in cells. The c-di-GMP-binding ability of NasT is conserved in other Pseudomonas species.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
