Article
Engineering, Environmental
Avani Bharatkumar Patel, Toral Manvar, Kunal R. Jain, Chirayu Desai, Datta Madamwar
Summary: The study focused on eight bacterial consortia developed from PAH-contaminated sediments, with consortium ACDMRT-8 showing efficient degradation of naphthalene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene within a short period. While Proteobacteria dominated the bacterial communities in all consortia, the diversity varied based on enrichment conditions and types of PAHs provided. Pseudomonas species were found to be abundant in four consortia, facilitating degradation of all four PAHs.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Review
Agronomy
Gustavo Santoyo, Paulina Guzman-Guzman, Fannie Isela Parra-Cota, Sergio de los Santos-Villalobos, Ma. del Carmen Orozco-Mosqueda, Bernard R. Glick
Summary: Plant-associated microorganisms play a crucial role in promoting plant growth, especially when microbial consortia are involved, leading to additive or synergistic effects. Research focuses on understanding the mechanisms by which different microorganisms interact to enhance plant growth.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Chengda Cui, Mengke Jiang, Chengxiao Zhang, Naxue Zhang, Feng-Jie Jin, Taihua Li, Hyung-Gwan Lee, Long Jin
Summary: Rubber biodegradation is still understudied due to its high stability and the lack of well-defined pathways and efficient enzymes. However, eco-friendly solutions are required in light of the environmental issues caused by rubber products. Extensive studies have been conducted on the enzymes and cleavage mechanisms involved in poly (cis-1,4-isoprene) rubber degradation, but relatively few studies have been conducted on natural rubber (NR) degrading bacterial consortia. Using multi-omics tools is proposed as a primary research direction to understand the mechanisms of rubber degradation and develop synthesized microbial consortia.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yanfang Wang, Theo Elzenga, Jan Dirk van Elsas
Summary: The study found that Coniochaeta sp. 2T2.1 played a key role in the degradation of wheat straw, with the two bacteria having additional roles. Temperature had minor effects on degradation, while pH and shaking speed were key determinants of organismal growth and wheat straw degradation levels.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Jesus Salinas, Victor Carpena, Maria R. Martinez-Gallardo, Martin Segado, Maria J. Estrella-Gonzalez, Ana J. Toribio, Macarena M. Jurado, Juan A. Lopez-Gonzalez, Francisca Suarez-Estrella, Maria J. Lopez
Summary: This study focuses on the selection and characterization of plastic-degrading microbial consortia using sequential and induced enrichment techniques from artificially contaminated microcosms. The results showed that the consortium selected from enrichment cultures with LLDPE in powder form was more effective compared to the consortium selected in cultures with LLDPE in film form, resulting in a reduction of microplastic weight between 2.5 and 5.5%. These findings contribute to our understanding of the degradation of recalcitrant plastics of anthropogenic origin accumulated in natural environments.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Ruikai Han, Shunshun Xu, Jiaguang Zhang, Yuanzhen Liu, Aijuan Zhou
Summary: This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of using microbial consortia-enhanced recycled concrete aggregates (RCAs) to immobilize bacteria and form self-healing cracks. Experimental results showed that the physical and mechanical properties of RCAs could be significantly enhanced with the extension of biodeposition enhancement time, and concrete incorporated with enhanced RCAs or ceramsite particle-immobilized mixed cultures exhibited self-healing cracks.
CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING MATERIALS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alvaro Sanchez, Djordje Bajic, Juan Diaz-Colunga, Abigail Skwara, Jean C. C. Vila, Seppe Kuehn
Summary: Quantitatively linking the composition and function of microbial communities is challenging. Inspired by genetics, an ecological community-function landscape could be defined to map community composition and function. Exploiting the parallels between both landscapes could improve our ability to engineer and optimize microbial consortia.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Katherine E. Duncker, Zachary A. Holmes, Lingchong You
Summary: Applications of microbial synthetic biology are becoming more complex, and engineering microbial consortia has shown progress in distributing tasks, preventing overgrowth, and reducing competition among populations.
MICROBIAL CELL FACTORIES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiuli Chen, Yanchu Ke, Ying Zhu, Mingbang Xu, Chao Chen, Shuguang Xie
Summary: Two TC-degrading microbial consortia were enriched from activated sludge and soil, showing high degradation capabilities under a wide pH range and at moderate/high temperatures. Metagenomic sequencing revealed genes related to TC biodegradation.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yao Zhang, Jingyi Yu, Xuan Wang, Daniel M. Durachko, Sulin Zhang, Daniel J. Cosgrove
Summary: Plants have evolved complex nanofibril-based cell walls to meet diverse biological and physical constraints, with cellulose and matrix polysaccharides playing important mechanical roles. By simulating the assembly and tensile mechanics of cell walls, researchers found that fibril-fibril sliding in cellulose networks leads to plasticity, revealing design principles of biomaterials.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ran Xu, Yiqiong Bao, Mengrong Li, Yan Zhang, Lili Xi, Jingjing Guo
Summary: In this study, computational approaches were used to investigate the molecular mechanisms behind the improved activity of a phthalate-degrading enzyme with three distal mutations. The mutations caused changes in the enzyme's conformational states and key functional regions, facilitating substrate binding and catalytic efficiency. Furthermore, the introduction of a distal disulfide bond improved the thermostability of the enzyme. Overall, this work provides insights into the rational design of esterases for industrial applications.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mostafa E. Elshobary, Hossain M. Zabed, Junhua Yun, Guoyan Zhang, Xianghui Qi
Summary: The usage of microbial fuel cells (MFC) for power generation from renewable biomass sources and the efficient utilization of chemical energy stored in microalgae biomass for the production of biofuels and other bioproducts have attracted significant attention. Incorporating microalgae into MFC can enhance efficiency and provide a cost-effective renewable approach for electricity generation. While microalgae-assisted MFCs (MA-MFCs) show promise in sustainability, further research is needed to optimize performance and achieve large-scale application.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2021)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Baoyong Zhang, Hao Sun, Na Wang, Yan Sun, Lihua Zang, Rong Xue
Summary: This study investigated the effect of nitrogen-doped graphene (N-G) on anammox microbial guild through metagenomics. The results showed that adding N-G significantly improved the nitrogen removal efficiency and promoted the growth of dominant anammox bacteria. Metagenomic analysis revealed that N-G enriched the abundance of genes involved in nitrogen metabolism and also upregulated genes related to microbial functionality and sludge settleability. This study provides a novel perspective for the enrichment of anammox biomass and has practical implications for anammox engineering applications.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tao Ya, Junyu Liu, Minglu Zhang, Yulin Wang, Yan Huang, Reti Hai, Tingting Zhang, Xiaohui Wang
Summary: This study found that reducing the temperature promoted the production of larger granular sludge in a laboratory-scale anammox reactor. The researchers also discovered potential interactions between AnAOB and heterotrophic bacteria through network analysis and metagenomics. These interactions help maintain the stability of the anammox reactor.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qi Zhang, Jiaqi Zhang, Leizhen Zhao, Wenru Liu, Liwei Chen, Tianming Cai, Xiao-Ming Ji
Summary: This study investigated the ecological niche of anammox bacteria under mainstream conditions and identified two distinct anammox genera (Ca. Kuenenia and Ca. Brocadia) occupying different ecological niches. Dissolved oxygen and microbial structures were found to be the main factors affecting their niche differentiation. Coexistence of comammox bacteria in the system was also observed.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Panji Cahya Mawarda, Sarah L. Lakke, Jan Dirk van Elsas, Joana Falcao Salles
Summary: The introduction of microbial inoculants into the soil can affect the succession process of native soil communities, especially in highly diverse communities. Even if the invader is not successful, the resident bacterial communities exhibit patterns of secondary succession.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xipeng Liu, Xavier Le Roux, Joana Falcao Salles
Summary: Microbial inoculations have indirect and cascading effects on the reshaping of soil microbiome, which are often overlooked. Understanding the legacy effects of inoculants on the soil microbiome and their impacts on agroecosystem functions and services relevant to climate change is a key challenge in microbial inoculation.
Article
Entomology
Kiran Gurung, Stefanie Nicoline Vink, Joana Falcao Salles, Bregje Wertheim
Summary: The bacterial and fungal communities of the invasive fly D. suzukii and the fruits it infests vary, with fruit types showing different microbial compositions. Bacteria communities of flies remain relatively uniform regardless of fruit source, while fungal communities show a larger resemblance between wild flies and the fruits they develop on. The flies may have formed persistent associations with some bacteria and transmit these across generations.
JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xingang Zhou, Xianhong Zhang, Changli Ma, Fengzhi Wu, Xue Jin, Francisco Dini-Andreote, Zhong Wei
Summary: Biochar amendment can reduce cadmium uptake in plants and alter the rhizosphere microbiome, thus alleviating cadmium toxicity through modulating and activating specific PGPR populations.
Review
Plant Sciences
Henry W. G. Birt, Courtney L. Tharp, Gordon F. Custer, Francisco Dini-Andreote
Summary: Plant roots are influenced by a variety of microbial taxa, and the interactions between plants and microbes at the root-soil interface are affected by variations in root phenotypes. Manipulating root phenotypes allows for targeted manipulation of plant-associated microbes, which can have significant impacts on plant health.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ademir Sergio Ferreira Araujo, Xiu Jia, Ana Roberta Lima Miranda, Arthur Prudencio de Araujo Pereira, Vania Maria Maciel Melo, Sandra Mara Barbosa Rocha, Romario Martins Costa, Talyta Carine da Silva Saraiva, Lucas William Mendes, Joana Falcao Salles
Summary: This study investigated the impact of different concentrations of composted tannery sludge on bacterial communities. It found that rare bacterial communities were more sensitive to the sludge application, with certain genera increasing in abundance under higher concentrations.
Article
Microbiology
Lu Luan, Guangping Shi, Guofan Zhu, Jie Zheng, Jianbo Fan, Francisco Dini-Andreote, Bo Sun, Yuji Jiang
Summary: This study investigates the geographical distribution and assembly mechanisms of different bacterial sub-communities in paddy soils across East Asia. The results show significant distance-decay relationships (DDRs) in the geographical patterns of four bacterial sub-communities. Niche breadth and dispersal rates contribute to the differences in community assembly of abundant and rare taxa, directly affecting the strength of DDRs.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jian-Hong Li, Mehtab Muhammad Aslam, Yang-Yang Gao, Lei Dai, Ge-Fei Hao, Zhong Wei, Mo-Xian Chen, Francisco Dini-Andreote
Summary: Microorganisms in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere of plants play important roles in plant growth and health. Recent research has shown that specific plant-associated microbes contribute to systemic plant responses that enhance plant health and performance against various stresses. However, there is still limited understanding of the mechanisms involved in microbiome-mediated signal transduction in plants. This review provides an overview of long-distance signaling mechanisms in plants mediated by plant-associated microbiomes, exploring the concept of plants and microbes as a holobiont and discussing the key molecules and mechanisms associated with plant-microbe interactions and signal transduction-induced changes in plant physiology.
TRENDS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Gordon F. Custer, Maya Gans, Linda T. A. van Diepen, Francisco Dini-Andreote, C. Alex Buerkle
Summary: The concept of core microbiome refers to the consistent presence of a set of microorganisms in multiple samples within a habitat. Different methods based on abundance and occupancy have been used to assign taxa to core microbiomes, but these methods have led to inconsistencies in ecological interpretation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xingang Zhou, Jingyu Zhang, Muhammad Khashi U. Rahman, Danmei Gao, Zhong Wei, Fengzhi Wu, Francisco Dini-Andreote
Summary: Terrestrial plants can influence the recruitment of rhizosphere microbiome in adjacent plants through root exudates, potentially affecting their growth and health. This study demonstrated that intercropping with potatoonion can create a disease-suppressive rhizosphere microbiome that protects tomato plants against Verticillium wilt disease. The root exudates from potatoonion promoted the colonization of Bacillus sp., which inhibited the growth of the pathogen and induced resistance in tomato plants.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francisco Dini-Andreote, Gordon F. Custer
Summary: Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a procedure to treat microbiome imbalances in diseases, and ecological principles can inform FMT clinical trials and contribute to data interpretation. This effort will enhance the understanding of microbiome engraftment and assist in developing clinical protocols.
TRENDS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lu Luan, Francisco Dini-Andreote, Bo Sun, Yuji Jiang
TRENDS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Yuji Jiang, Shuzhen Li, Andrew D. Barnes, Jia Liu, Guofan Zhu, Lu Luan, Francisco Dini-Andreote, Stefan Geisen, Bo Sun
Summary: The soil microbiome is affected by both bottom-up and top-down processes at the local soil aggregate level. Predation plays an important role in shaping the diversity and stability of soil bacterial communities, with a greater impact on macroaggregates. Predation also alters the abundance of microbial genes associated with carbon and nitrogen metabolisms.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lijun Chen, Francisco Dini-Andreote, Hongqiang Liu, Huaxiang Wang, Alex Dumbrell, Zhengye Wang, Xingyu Chen, Fangfang Chen, Xiaolong Chen, Lichao Wu, Yuji Jiang
Summary: Bacteria and fungi play important roles in diverse ecosystems, and their interactions influence the structure and functioning of microbiomes. However, the impact of bacterial-fungal interactions on soil organic carbon dynamics in artificial forest ecosystems is not well understood. In this study, the soil bacterial and fungal communities were characterized in Eucalyptus plantations, and the effects of successive planting on soil carbon dynamics were investigated. The results showed that successive planting of Eucalyptus significantly altered the diversity and structure of soil bacteria and fungi, and increased the negative bacterial-fungal associations. The negative associations were associated with a decrease in soil organic carbon content and other nutrients. The study suggests that promoting short-term successive planting can mitigate the negative impact of bacterial-fungal associations on soil organic carbon decomposition.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Pengfa Li, Leho Tedersoo, Thomas W. Crowther, Alex J. Dumbrell, Francisco Dini-Andreote, Mohammad Bahram, Lu Kuang, Ting Li, Meng Wu, Yuji Jiang, Lu Luan, Muhammad Saleem, Franciska T. de Vries, Zhongpei Li, Baozhan Wang, Jiandong Jiang
Summary: Exploiting the potential benefits of plant-associated microbes can enhance crop productivity in a sustainable way. However, little is known about the biogeography and community structure of these microbes. This study constructs a database to analyze the global distribution of potential plant-beneficial bacteria (PBB) and shows that PBB diversity peaks in low-latitude regions. The distribution of potential PBB is primarily influenced by environmental filtering, mainly determined by local climate. Projections suggest that fossil-fuel-dependent scenarios could lead to a significant decline in PBB abundance by 2100, posing a potential threat to global food production and agroecosystem services.
