Article
Microbiology
Zhou Song, Lei Zuo, Cui Li, Yiming Tian, Hongning Wang
Summary: Copper ions can significantly accelerate the conjugative transfer of SXT/R391 ICE, enhancing DNA transfer between bacteria, with the production of ROS and cell membrane permeability playing critical roles, and influencing the expression of related genes.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yi Guo, Jingfeng Gao, Yingchao Cui, Zhiqi Wang, Ziqiao Li, Wanjun Duan, Yuwei Wang, Zejie Wu
Summary: This study investigated the abilities and mechanisms of chloroxylenol (PCMX) in accelerating intergeneric conjugative transfer. The results showed that exposure to environmental concentrations of PCMX significantly increased the frequency of conjugative transfer. PCMX exposure induced damage to cell walls and membranes, resulting in excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and promoting conjugative transfer. Gene Ontology analysis revealed the impact of cell membrane permeability, pili, chemical compound transport, and energy metabolism on conjugative transfer.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mikhail Dubinin, Vyacheslav A. Sharapov, Alena A. Semenova, Lyudmila Parfenova, Anna I. Ilzorkina, Ekaterina Khoroshavina, Natalia Belosludtseva, Sergey Gudkov, Konstantin N. Belosludtsev
Summary: This paper demonstrates the membranotropic effect of modified levopimaric acid diene adducts on liver mitochondria and lecithin liposomes. The derivatives reduced the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria and affected the membrane potential in organelle energization. The compounds also exhibited surface-active properties and induced nonspecific permeabilization of mitochondrial membranes and swelling of the organelles.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mikhail V. Dubinin, Anna I. Ilzorkina, Elena V. Salimova, Manish S. Landage, Ekaterina I. Khoroshavina, Sergey V. Gudkov, Konstantin N. Belosludtsev, Lyudmila V. Parfenova
Summary: This paper assesses the membranotropic action of fusidic acid and its derivatives. The authors found that a derivative with ethylenediamine moiety can increase the mobility of lipid bilayer and induce permeabilization of liposome membranes. A similar effect was observed in rat liver mitochondrial membranes. Moreover, the derivatives reduced mitochondrial Delta psi and OXPHOS efficiency, leading to a decrease in mitochondrial calcium retention capacity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ivo Iavicoli, Luca Fontana, Evgenios Agathokleous, Carolina Santocono, Francesco Russo, Ilaria Vetrani, Mauro Fedele, Edward J. Calabrese
Summary: Environmental contamination of antibiotics due to over or inappropriate use can promote antimicrobial resistance and have adverse impacts on ecosystems and human health. Bacteria exposed to low concentrations of antibiotics in the environment may exhibit hormetic effects, enhancing their resistance to antibiotics.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Ang Li, Jianxun Yi, Xuejun Li, Li Dong, Lyle W. Ostrow, Jianjie Ma, Jingsong Zhou
Summary: The sarcolemma of skeletal muscle myofibers is susceptible to injury, and the repair mechanisms are compromised in ALS. Mitochondrial dysfunction near neuromuscular junctions leads to oxidative stress and worsens the fragility of sarcolemma. Enhancing membrane repair mechanisms could be a viable therapeutic strategy for ALS.
Article
Microbiology
Boris Parra, Bastiaan Cockx, Veronika T. Lutz, Lone Brondsted, Barth F. Smets, Arnaud Dechesne
Summary: Two plasmid-dependent phages with broad host range have been discovered, which are capable of infecting bacteria carrying different conjugative plasmids and recognize plasmids carrying resistance genes.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
You Che, Yu Yang, Xiaoqing Xu, Karel Brinda, Martin F. Polz, William P. Hanage, Tong Zhang
Summary: The study found that plasmid-borne antimicrobial resistance genes are mainly enriched in conjugative plasmids. Scientists reported the discovery of a massive insertion sequence-associated antimicrobial resistance gene transfer network, suggesting a general evolutionary mechanism for horizontal gene transfer mediated by the interaction between conjugative plasmids and ISs. Experimental results confirmed the importance of these interactions in aiding the horizontal transfer and expanding the genetic range of antimicrobial resistance genes within complex microbial communities.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xi Li, Chang Wen, Chen Liu, Shiyun Lu, Zhongbing Xu, Qiue Yang, Zhi Chen, Hanpeng Liao, Shungui Zhou
Summary: This study analyzed the underlying mechanism associated with herbicide-promoted horizontal gene transfer (HGT) by detecting intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, extracellular polymeric substance composition, cell membrane integrity, and proton motive force combined with genome-wide RNA sequencing. The study found that exposure to herbicides induced bacterial responses that promote HGT, including enhancing pilus-encoded gene expression and decreasing cell surface charge, increasing cell membrane permeability, and enhancing the proton motive force. This study provides a mechanistic understanding of the risk of bacterial resistance spread promoted by herbicides, revealing a new perspective on non-antibiotic agrochemical acceleration of the HGT of antibiotic resistance genes.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Ruben L. L. Sanchez-Nieves, Changyi Zhang, Rachel J. J. Whitaker
Summary: This study investigates a plasmid-mediated mechanism of gene transfer in Sulfolobus islandicus that leads to high frequency recombination within the chromosome. Through genomic analysis, the researchers establish the distribution of recombinant tracts and identify distal non-selected recombination events. This study reveals the molecular factors governing gene transfer and recombination in crenarchaea.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Laura Ortiz-Miravalles, Manuel Sanchez-Angulo, Jesus M. Sanz, Beatriz Maestro
Summary: A collection of 1200 compounds from a repurposing drugs library was screened for their antimicrobial effects against Streptococcus pneumoniae. After four rounds of screening, seven compounds were selected and found to inhibit pneumococcal growth and reduce bacterial viability by 90.0% to 99.9% at a concentration of 25 mu M. All compounds, except one, also increased bacterial membrane permeability and shared a common chemical structure. These findings offer new possibilities for combating pneumococcal diseases through drug repositioning and provide insights for the design of membrane-targeted antimicrobials.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Deepinder Kaur, Pratima Verma, Mahendra Singh, Arpita Sharma, Kusum Lata, Arunika Mukhopadhaya, Kausik Chattopadhyay
Summary: This study reveals that VCC can induce apoptotic cell death and cytotoxicity, even without its pore-forming ability. These findings have significant implications for understanding the pathogenicity and functionality of VCC.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhao Jiang, Ning An, Yuxin Chu, Bo Cao, Fengxue Wu, Yue Zhang, Yuxin Zhang, Yu Li, Ying Zhang
Summary: The interaction between Arthrobacter sp. DNS10 and different soil minerals was studied, with a focus on growth, biofilm formation, and survival, as well as the strain's expression of the atrazine degradation gene. The results showed that the different minerals had varying effects on the strain, with montmorillonite promoting growth, goethite inhibiting growth, and goethite promoting biofilm formation. Electrostatic repulsion and attraction played a role in these interactions. This research highlights the importance of understanding the impact of different minerals on bacterial behavior in soil.
Article
Microbiology
Sida Yi, Jinhu Huang, Xiao Hu, Li Chen, Xingyang Dai, Junjie Sun, Peiyu Liu, Xiaoming Wang, Jia Wen, Liping Wang
Summary: Resistance to macrolide and tetracycline in streptococci is primarily caused by the acquisition of specific gene elements. A new ICE was identified in this study which may contribute to bacterial resistance, and this resistance could persist within the bacterial chromosome at multiple attachment sites.
VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Thermodynamics
Xiaoming Zhou, Jie Liu, Xin M. Liang
Summary: The study introduces a new numerical method for optimizing the design and application of membrane devices, which calculates mass transport equations through connected flow networks, improving numerical stability and efficiency. Experimental data validates the superiority of this method, allowing for accurate assessment of mass transport characteristics of membrane devices under different conditions.
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS IN HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER
(2021)
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
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
Engineering, Environmental
Cheng Yu, Xiaoxi Zhu, Abdelkader Mohamed, Ke Dai, Peng Cai, Shilin Liu, Qiaoyun Huang, Baoshan Xing
Summary: This study investigated the effects of biochar and chitosan modified biochar (CBC) on the bioreduction of Cr(VI) by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. The results showed that both biochar and CBC increased the bioreduction rate, with CBC having a more significant effect. Furthermore, a lower pH was found to promote the bioreduction of Cr(VI).
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiping Hu, Chenchen Quab, Yafeng Hana, Pan Suna, Peng Cai, Wenli Chen, Qiaoyun Huang
Summary: Heavy metal contamination of soils is a global environmental issue threatening food security and human health. Little research has been done on the impact of elevated temperatures on the migration and distribution of heavy metals in soils. This study reveals that higher temperatures increase the solubility and transformation of copper (Cu) in soils, with proteinaceous components playing a significant role in the dissolution of Cu. The findings provide a better understanding of the fate of Cu in soils and its implications for risk assessment and remediation in the context of global warming.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Shuhai Wen, Jiaying Chen, Ziming Yang, Lei Deng, Jiao Feng, Wen Zhang, Xiao-Min Zeng, Qiaoyun Huang, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Yu-Rong Liu
Summary: Microbial residues play a crucial role in stabilizing carbon in the soil profile and regulating global climate. However, their sensitivity to climatic seasonality, particularly in deep soils, remains largely unknown. In this study, we examined the changes of microbial residues along soil profiles across China and found that they contribute to a larger proportion of soil carbon in deeper soils. Climate has a significant impact on the accumulation of microbial residues, especially in deep soils, while soil properties also influence residue accumulation in surface soils. Summer precipitation is identified as a key factor regulating microbial-driven carbon stability in deep soils. These findings challenge the notion that deep soils can serve as long-term carbon reservoirs to mitigate climate change.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(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
Microbiology
Hui Cao, Suying Li, Huan He, Yaoqin Sun, Yichao Wu, Qiaoyun Huang, Peng Cai, Chun-Hui Gao
Summary: Soil microbial diversity, especially rare and abundant bacterial diversity, plays a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem functions, but its linkage with carbon decomposition is poorly understood. This study investigated the establishment and maintenance of rare and abundant bacterial diversity and their relationship with soil carbon decomposition in four Chinese woodlands. The results showed that rare bacteria had higher community diversity, stronger phylogenetic signals, and higher functional redundancy compared to abundant bacteria. The assembly of the bacterial subcommunities was governed by both stochastic and deterministic processes, with the rare bacterial subcommunity mainly dominated by deterministic processes. Furthermore, the alpha-diversities of rare taxa, rather than abundant taxa, were significantly related to carbon decomposition.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(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
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)
