The spatiotemporal variations of microbial community in relation to water quality in a tropical drinking water reservoir, Southmost China.

It is well-known that water quality has great significance on microbial community composition in aquatic environments. In this study, we detected water column indicates the microbial community composition of nine sampling sites over two seasons using Illumina TruSeq sequencing in Songtao Reservoir, Hainan Province, Southmost China. The study indicated that the dominant phylum was Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria. The diversity parameters showed that the microbial community composition had significant spatiotemporal variations, including the significantly higher Shannon index and Simpson index upstream than those midstream and downstream. Besides, there were significantly higher Chao1 index, Shannon index, and Simpson index in winter than in summer. Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) showed the microbial structural composition had significant seasonal differences. The results of microbial community composition further revealed that the eutrophication level upstream was higher than that of midstream and downstream. The redundancy analysis (RDA) diagram indicated that the abundance of microbiology species significantly correlated with temperature, total phosphorus, Se, and Ni. Furthermore, the mantel's test showed that the temperature and total phosphorus significantly affected the community composition of archaea and bacteria. Overall, our finding here partially validated our hypothesis that the spatiotemporal variations of microbial community composition are significantly related to nutrients, physicochemical factors and metals, which has been unknown previously in tropical drinking waterbodies. This study substantially contributed to understanding of the composition of microbial community in tropical drinking water reservoirs and the main environmental driving factors in tropical zones. It also provided a reference for the management of reservoir operation to ensure drinking water safe.

Feed plants, ethnoveterinary medicine, and biocultural values: insights on the Luchuan pig from Hakka communities in China.

BACKGROUND: The Luchuan pig is an indigenous breed from Luchuan County, China, with cultural and genetic significance. However, traditional knowledge and conservation status have not been systematically documented. METHODS: Using ethnobiological methods, we surveyed 72 Luchuan pig farmers in 7 townships during 2021-2023. Semi-structured interviews and participant observation were conducted to document traditional knowledge and management practices. RESULTS: The locals reported 51 plant species used as pig feed, with 30 wild species. Growth-stage-specific feeding and seasonal adjustment practices were documented. We recorded 62 ethnoveterinary plant uses, mainly for treating pigs' heat stress and skin conditions. Luchuan pigs play central roles in local Hakka customs, rituals, and cuisine. Additonally, the new ecological farming models minimize the environmental impacts to the local community. However, there are still some challenges remained for conserving and promoting Luchuan pigs. CONCLUSIONS: The Luchuan Hakka people possess rich traditional knowledge and management experience in raising Luchuan pigs. Our study provides extensive documentation of traditional knowledge and recommends integrating cultural and genetic aspects for sustaining this biocultural heritage. Findings can inform initiatives supporting local breed conservation globally.

Bobai Hakka weaving: plant diversity, traditional culture, and a model for rural revitalization.

The Hakka people, a branch of the Han nationality with their own language, culture, and customs, are one of the largest immigrant groups worldwide, primarily distributed in southern China. Bobai, a county with the largest Hakka population globally, has a thriving weaving industry that is one of the local pillar industries. This study aimed to systematically analyze the plant source, product function, and development model of Bobai Hakka weaving. The study recorded 33 plant species for weaving, which belonged to 17 families and 27 genera. The weaving plants were mainly bamboo, rattan, grass, and wood, with herbs being the most commonly used (15 species, 45.5%). Most weaving plants were obtained locally (16 species, 41.0%) and from wild sources (13 species, 33.3%). Stems were the most commonly used plant parts (66.7%) in local weaving, followed by leaf sheaths, inflorescence stems, leaves, stem bark, leaf rachis, and female bracts. Additionally, wastes from crops such as wheat, rice, bananas, and corn, as well as invasive water hyacinths, were widely used as weaving materials by the local Hakka people. The products' functions ranged from household appliances, cultural and entertainment products, furniture, to production tools, reflecting a range of conventional cultural connotations. The study found that the Bobai Hakka weaving industry had integrated modern elements and additional use value to expand its market appeal. With the participation of the government, enterprises, and farmers, the Bobai weaving industry has formed a development model of "intangible cultural heritage + industry + poverty alleviation," which has become a successful case of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization.

Ultrafast extraction of uranium from seawater using photosensitized biohybrid system with bioinspired cascaded strategy.

The highly effective utilization of uranium resources in global seawater is a viable method to satisfy the rising demands for fueling nuclear energy industry. Herein, inspired by the multi-mechanisms of the marine bacteria for uranium immobilization, CdS nanoparticles are deposited on the cell of marine bacterial strain Bacillus velezensis UUS-1 to create a photosensitized biohybrid system UUS-1/CdS. This system achieves high uranium extraction efficiency using a cascaded strategy, where the bacterial cells guarantee high extraction selectivity and the photosensitive CdS nanoparticles realize cascading photoreduction of high soluble U(VI) to low soluble U(IV) to enhance extraction capacity. As one of the fastest-acting adsorbents in natural seawater, a high extraction capacity for uranium of 7.03 mg g-1 is achieved with an ultrafast extraction speed of 4.69 mg g-1 d-1. The cascaded strategy promisingly improves uranium extraction performance and pioneers a new direction for the design of adsorbents to extract uranium from seawater.

Multi-omics analysis revealed the differences in lipid metabolism of the gut between adult and juvenile yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares).

Introduction: Tuna has a cost-effective energy supply to support the regional endothermic and high-speed swimming performance. The gut symbiotic microbiotas and their metabolites play essential roles in tuna's diet digestion, absorption, and energy acquirement, which are often highly related to the ontogenetic development of tuna. Methods: We compared gut microbial compositions and metabolites, as well as mRNA expression of the intestine between juvenile and adult yellowfin tuna using 16S rRNA sequencing, metabolomic and transcriptomic, respectively. Results and discussion: The results revealed that adults had a significantly higher microbial diversity and abundance of Acinetobacter than juveniles. Regarding the gut microbiota-derived metabolites, fatty acids, especially glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid, were significantly enriched in adults than in juveniles. Moreover, the short-chain fatty acid (butyrate and isobutyrate) contents were significantly higher in adults than in juveniles. To find the relationship between gut microbiotas and host physiology, intestinal transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the enriched pathways of differential expression genes (DEGs) in adult tuna were the lipid metabolism pathway, including "fat digestion and absorption," "cholesterol metabolism," "steroid hormone biosynthesis," "glycerolipid metabolism," and "glycerophospholipid metabolism." However, protein digestion and absorption and pancreatic secretion pathways were significantly enriched in the juveniles. The conjoint analysis indicated that the enriched pathways of both differential metabolites (DMs) and DEGs were remarkably related to the regulation of glycerophospholipids metabolism in adult tunas. This study highlights the role of gut microbiotas in fish nutrition metabolism. These findings provide new insights into the view of ontogenetic shifts of gut microbiotas and their metabolites on host health and gut function in endothermic and high-speed swimming marine fish species.

Bioaccumulation of dietary CrPic, Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in juvenile coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus).

The form of chromium (Cr) is an important factor that influences its bioavailability and potential toxicity, while the difference of Cr bioaccumulation between organic and inorganic Cr has been rarely investigated. The present study compared the bioaccumulation of organic Cr (e.g., chromium picolinate (CrPic)) and inorganic Cr (e.g., trivalent (Cr(III)) and hexavalent (Cr(VI))) in juvenile coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus). The fish were exposed to a gradient level of different forms of dietary Cr for 66 days. Then the Cr bioaccumulation in fish were comparatively quantified between CrPic, Cr(VI) and Cr(III) groups. The results showed that the Cr bioaccumulation was form- and tissue-specific, dose- and time-dependent. Specifically, the newly bioaccumulated Cr in fish generally increased with the increasing dietary Cr level and exposure time, while the CrPic groups accumulated the highest Cr in most cases, followed by Cr(VI) and Cr(III) groups. The highest Cr content was observed in gut for CrPic groups, while it was highest in heart for Cr(VI) and Cr(III) groups, followed by kidney, skin, fin, liver, gill, bone, eyes and muscle in order. Overall, the results here firstly demonstrated that the dietary organic Cr(III) had significantly higher bioaccumulation than inorganic Cr (Cr(III) and Cr(VI)). Our findings suggested the complexity and variability of form-specific Cr bioavailability and toxicity should be cautiously evaluated in aquatic environments, which has been largely overlooked previously.

Waterborne Cr3+ and Cr 6+ exposure disturbed the intestinal microbiota homeostasis in juvenile leopard coral grouper Plectropomus leopardus.

BACKGROUND: Chromium (Cr) mainly has two stable forms: Cr3+ and Cr6+. Cr and its compound are widely used in the printing, dyeing, leather making, and metallurgy industry. They are evitably released into the environment and pose a significant threat to creatures, for instance, the excessive chromium (Cr) burden in the marine ecosystem is often harmful to fish. Intestinal microbiota greatly affects fish performance, but how waterborne Cr affects fish intestinal microbiota is unclear. To test the hypothesis that the waterborne Cr exposure could significantly affect fish' intestinal microbiota homeostasis, and the effect was highly dependent on Cr concentration and speciation, the juvenile leopard coral grouper Plectropomus leopardus were exposed to waterborne Cr3+ and Cr6+ (0.1, 0.5 ppm) for 7 days, and the intestinal microbiota was determined by Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA. RESULTS: In all Cr treatment groups, the alpha diversity of intestinal microbiota communities of P. leopardus was decreased. The phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi and Bacteroidetes were the dominant intestinal microbiota. The Chao index diversity significantly declined in Cr treatment group, indicating the intestinal microbiota community structure was changed. Among the dominant intestinal microbiota, Proteobacteria was most sensitive to Cr exposure, and it increased after xposure. The PICRUSt predicted that 0.5 ppm Cr3+ expousure caused metabolism disordered in the intestinal of P. leopardus. CONCLUSIONS: Waterborne Cr3+ and Cr6+ significantly disturbed intestinal microbiota homeostasis in P. leopardus, including their diversity, composition, and community structure. The metabolism level of intestinal microbiota in P. leopardus was decreased by Cr3+ exposure. High concentrations of Cr3+ may pose potential risks to the intestinal homeostasis of P. leopardus.

Cuttlefish ink loaded polyamidoxime adsorbent with excellent photothermal conversion and antibacterial activity for highly efficient uranium capture from natural seawater.

Owing to the abundant uranium reserves in the oceans, the collection of uranium from seawater has aroused the widespread interest. Compared to the uranium extraction from ore, uranium collection from seawater is a more environmentally friendly strategy. The amidoxime (AO) functional group has been considered as one of the most efficient chelating groups for uranium capture. In this work, by drawing upon the photothermal character and antibacterial activity of cuttlefish ink, a cuttlefish ink loaded polyamidoxime (CI-PAO) membrane adsorbent is developed. Under one-sun illumination, the CI-PAO membrane shows a high extraction capacity of 488.76 mg-U/g-Ads in 500 mL 8 ppm uranium spiked simulated seawater, which is 1.24 times higher than PAO membrane. The adsorption rate of CI-PAO membrane is increased by 32.04%. Furthermore, exhibiting roughly 75% bacteriostatic rate in composite marine bacteria, the CI-PAO shows a dramatically antibacterial activity, which effectively prevents the functional sites on the adsorbent surface from being occupied by the biofouling blocks. After immersing in natural seawater for 4 weeks, light-irradiated CI-PAO gave high uranium uptake capacity of 6.17 mg-U/g-Ads. Hence, the CI-PAO membrane adsorbent can be considered as a potential candidate for the practical application for uranium extraction from seawater.

Waterborne zinc bioaccumulation influences glucose metabolism in orange-spotted grouper embryos.

Fish embryos, as an endogenous system, strictly regulate an energy metabolism that is particularly sensitive to environmental pressure. This study used orange-spotted grouper embryos and stable isotope 67Zn to test the hypothesis that waterborne Zn exposure had a significant effect on energy metabolism in embryos. The fish embryos were exposed to a gradient level of waterborne 67Zn, and then sampled to quantify 67Zn bioaccumulation and mRNA expressions of key genes involved glucose metabolism. The results indicated that the bioaccumulated 67Zn generally increased with increasing waterborne 67Zn concentrations, while it tended to be saturated at waterborne 67Zn > 0.7 mg L-1. As we hypothesized, the expression of PK and PFK gene involved glycolysis pathway was significantly up-regulated under waterborne 67Zn exposure >4 mg L-1. Waterborne 67Zn exposure >2 mg L-1 significantly suppressed PCK and G6PC gene expression involved gluconeogenesis pathway, and also inhibited the AKT2, GSK-3beta and GLUT4 genes involved Akt signaling pathway. Our findings first characterized developmental stage-dependent Zn uptake and genotoxicity in fish embryos. We suggest fish embryos, as a small-scale modeling biosystem, have a large potential and wide applicability for determining cytotoxicity/genotoxicity of waterborne metal in aquatic ecosystem.

[Analysis of the risk factors of radiation-induced caries in patients with head and neck cancer].

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors of radiation-induced caries by using a multiple linear regression equation and to provide the basis for the effective prevention of radioactive caries. METHODS: A total of 166 patients with head and neck cancer who underwent radiotherapy were selected as subjects. The number of decayed, missing or filled surfaces were recorded. Questionnaire contents included age, sex, radiation dose, and radiotherapy techniques. Multiple stepwise regression analyses were performed to identify the risk factors of radiation-induced caries. RESULTS: Multiple stepwise regression analyses indicated that the main risk factors of radiation-induced caries were plaque index, radiotherapy techniques, time after radiotherapy, and radiotherapy dose. CONCLUSIONS: The awareness of dental care and caries treatment should be improved to reduce the occurrence of radiation-induced caries in patients with head and neck cancer. In addition, intensity modulated radiation therapy should be employed to decrease the radiation exposure dose received by teeth.

Mummified Oligocene fruits of Schima (Theaceae) and their systematic and biogeographic implications.

The genus Schima includes about 20 species and is distributed only in southern China and adjacent areas of Asia. The previous molecular phylogenetic analysis suggested Schima is in the tribe Gordoniae, along with Gordonia and Franklinia. However, because few fossils have been reported, the biogeographic origin of Schima is still poorly known. In this paper mummified fossil fruits of Schima are described from the upper Oligocene Yongning Formation of the Nanning Basin, Guangxi, South China. In gross morphology, the new fossil species, Schima kwangsiensis, is similar to the extant S. superba by its pentacarpellate, loculicidally dehiscent capsules, 5 imbricate sepals, pedicels with bracteoles and marginally winged seeds. Due to its excellent preservation, the new species may provide sufficient details for understanding the early evolutionary and phytogeographic history of the genus. Morphological clustering analysis shows that the new fossil species is closely related to two extant species (S. wallichii and S. superba) in the genus, implying that they may belong to an ancient taxon that occurs earlier than the others. More importantly, this discovery represents the earliest record of this genus in Asia and it explicitly moves the fossil record back to the late Oligocene in this region.

Synthesis and characterization of a Mg2+-selective fluorescent probe.

A new Mg2+-selective fluorescent probe P was synthesized and characterized. With optimal conditions, the proposed probe P showed good selectivity to Mg2+ compared to other common metal ions, and worked in a wide linear range of 5.0 × 10(-7)-6.0 × 10(-6) M with a detection limit of 1.7 × 10(-7) M Mg2+ in ethanol-water solution (9:1, v/v, 20 mM HEPES, pH = 10.0).

Prokaryotic expression, identification and bioinformatics analysis of fbpB-esxA fusing gene from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain fbpB-esxA fusing gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), express the encoded fusing protein in Escherichia coli (E. coli), identify protein acquired, and predict the structure and function of the protein utilizing methods of bioinformatics. METHODS: fbpB and esxA gene were amplified from genome of MTB H37Rv by PCR. The fbpB-esxA fusing gene ligated by (Gly(4)Ser)(3) linker was gained by means of Gene Splicing by Overlapping Extension PCR (SOE-PCR), and fusing gene was cloned into expression vector pET-30a. The recombinant plasmid was sequenced and expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3). The protein was identified by Western blot using anti-HIS antibody. Secondary structure and antigenic epitopes of the protein were predicting using tools of bioinformatics. RESULTS: The DNA sequences of fbpB-esxA were identical with that published by GenBank. The Ag85B-ESAT-6 fusion protein about 50 kDa comprised 485 amino acids was efficiently produced from expression system in E. coli BL21(DE3) under the induction of IPTG. Bioinformatics analysis showed the protein contained one transmembrane region and fourteen potential antigenic epitopes. CONCLUSIONS: The Ag85B-ESAT-6 fusion protein is successfully expressed with N-terminal HIS-tag. Gel filtration demonstrated that it exists as insoluble inclusion bodies mainly. The existence of linker doesn't affect immunogenicity of Ag85B and ESAT-6. It will allow for characterization in vitro and establish a foundation of further function research such as vaccine or diagnostic reagent.

Cloning, expression, identification and bioinformatics analysis of Rv3265c gene from Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Escherichia coli.

OBJECTIVE: To clone and express Rv3265c gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Escherichia coli (E. coli) under optimistic conditions, obtain and identify protein expressed, analyze the structure and characteristics of the protein using bioinformatics methods for future applications. METHODS: Rv3265c gene from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and was cloned into the pET-30a vector after purification and recovery. The recombinant plasmid was sequenced and expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3), and then purified and identified by western blotting. The essential physical-chemical properties of the protein were predicated by bioinformatics tools, including subcellular location, secondary structure, domains, antigenic epitopes, etc. Tertiary structure of the protein based on homology modeling was established, while multi-sequence homological alignment and phylogenetic analysis were proformed. RESULTS: The recombinant protein was obtained in soluble fraction from expression system in E. coli BL21(DE3) carrying pET30- Rv3265c plasmid, and Rv3265c gene was expressed correctly. Bioinformatics analysis showed the protein contained no signal peptide and transmembrane helices, located outside of membrane. Secondary structure analysis revealed it contained α-helix, extended strand and random coil, 46.8%, 14.6%, 38.6%, respectively. Furthermore, it possessed six potential antigenic epitopes, one glycosyl transferase domain. A simple three-dimensional model of this protein was constructed by Swiss-model sever. Both sequences and structures were conservative and especial either in gene or in protein. CONCLUSIONS: Rv3265c gene might be a desirable molecular target for anti-tuberculosis drug and vaccine. The purified protein from expression will be utilized to study the kinetics of L-rhamnosyltransferase and to develope an enzyme assay for screening vaccine or drug.

Identification, structure and function of a novel tetraspaninhomologue from Spirometra erinaceieuropaei

OBJECTIVE@#To identify a full length c DNA sequence of a novel tetraspanin (TSP) homologue from Spirometra erinaceieuropaei and to predict the structure and function of its encoding protein using bioinformatics methods.@*METHODS@#Using the NCBI, EMBI, Expasy and other online sites, the open reading frame (ORF), conserved domain, physical and chemical parameters, signal peptide, transmembrane domain, epitope, topological structures of the protein sequences were predicted. And Vector NTI software was used for multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree construction.@*RESULTS@#The target sequence was 1132 bp length with a 681 bpbiggest ORF encoding 226 amino acids protein with typical TSP conserved domain. It was confirmed as full length c DNA of TSP16 from Spirometra erinaceieuropaei and named as SeTSP16 (GenBank accession number: JF728872). The predicted molecular weight and isoelectric point of the deduced protein were 24 750.5 Da and 7.88 Da, respectively. Compared with TSP16s from Schistosoma japonicum and Schistosoma mansoni, it showed similarity of 59% and 59%, respectively. SeTSP16 contained four transmembrane domains (TM1-4), intracellular N and C-termini, one short small extracellular loop and one large extracellular loop. Four major epitopes that were significant different from the corresponding epitope regions of TSP16 from Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma japonicum were predicted.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The full length c DNA sequences of SeTSP16 are identified. It encodes a transmembrane protein which might be an ideal diagnosis antigen and target molecule for antiparasitic drugs.

Cyp2c19 genotype and omeprazole hydroxylation phenotype in Chinese Li population.

1. CYP2C19 is a polymorphism of cytochrome P450, which is responsible for the metabolism of many drugs. The genetic polymorphism shows interethnic variation and it has been demonstrated that the frequency of poor metabolizers (PM) and the distribution of alleles of CYP2C19 vary among Chinese ethnic nationalities. The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of CYP2C19 polymorphism in the Chinese Li population. 2. One hundred and sixty-five unrelated healthy Li subjects were identified with respect to CYP2C19 by genotype and phenotype analysis. A polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method was performed for genotyping. The plasma concentrations of omeprazole and 5-hydroxyomeprazole were assayed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and the omeprazole hydroxylation index (HI) was determined. 3. The frequency distribution of omeprazole HI is bimodal and the antimode for HI was estimated to be 5.6. The prevalence of phenotypic PM in the Li population was 16.6% (13.7-19.5; 95% CI). Genotype analysis revealed that the frequencies of the CYP2C19*1, *2 and *3 alleles in the Li population were 0.617 (0.590-0.644; 95% CI), 0.353 (0.327-0.379; 95% CI) and 0.031 (0.021-0.041; 95% CI), respectively. The frequency of genotypic PM was 14.7% (11.9-17.5; 95% CI), which almost agreed with the frequency of phenotypic PM. Omeprazole HI was significantly different among the different genotype groups (P < 0.05). 4. The present study revealed that the incidence of the CYP2C19*1, *2 and *3 alleles in Chinese Li population is different to that in other ethnic populations of China. There was an obvious relationship between CYP2C19 genotype and omeprazole hydroxylation phenotype, and about 90% of phenotypic PM can be explained by the CYP2C19*2 and *3 alleles.