Microbiome-mediated alleviation of tobacco replant problem via autotoxin degradation after long-term continuous cropping.

Continuous cropping often results in severe "replant problem," across various crops due to the autotoxins accumulation, soil acidification, pathogens proliferation, and microbial dysfunction. We unveiled a groundbreaking phenomenon that long-term continuous cropping (LTCC) can alleviate the tobacco replant problem. This mitigation occurs through the enrichment of autotoxin-degrading microbes, and the transformative impact is evident with even a modest application (10%) of LTCC soil to short-term continuous cropping (STCC) soil. Our investigation has pinpointed specific autotoxin-degrading bacteria, particularly the Pseudomonas and Burkholderia species, which exhibit the capacity to alleviate the tobacco replant problem in STCC soil. Their autotoxin-degrading mechanism using axenic culture and soil samples was also conducted via comprehensive analyses of microbiome and transcriptome approach. This research sheds light on the potential of LTCC as a strategic approach for sustainable agriculture, addressing replant problems and promoting the health of cropping systems. UV, ultraviolet; OD, optical density.

Semaglutide combined with empagliflozin vs. monotherapy for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in type 2 diabetes: Study protocol for a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is strongly associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Lifestyle intervention remains a preferred treatment modality for NAFLD. The glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) receptor agonists and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors have been developed as new glucose-lowering drugs, which can improve fatty liver via an insulin-independent glucose-lowering effect. However, studies exploring the efficacy of GLP-1 receptor agonists combined with SGLT-2 inhibitors in patients with NAFLD and T2DM are scanty. Thus, the present randomised controlled trial aims at comparing the efficacy and safety of semaglutide plus empagliflozin with each treatment alone in patients with NAFLD and T2DM. METHODS: This 52-week double-blinded, randomised, parallel-group, active-controlled trial evaluates the effects of semaglutide, empagliflozin and semaglutide + empagliflozin in 105 eligible overweight/obese subjects with NAFLD and T2DM. The primary outcome will be a change from baseline to week 52 in the controlled attenuation parameter, free fatty acid and glucagon. Secondary endpoints include changes in liver stiffness measurement, liver enzymes, blood glucose, lipid levels, renal function, electrolyte balances, minerals and bone metabolism, cytokines, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, ferritin, anthropometric indicators, nonalcoholic fatty liver fibrosis score, fibrosis 4 score and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance. In addition, intention-to-treat, interim analysis and safety analysis will be performed. DISCUSSION: This double-blinded, randomised, clinical trial involves a multi-disciplinary approach and aims to explore the synergistic effects of the combination of semaglutide and empagliflozin. The results can provide important insights into mechanisms of GLP-1 receptor agonists and/or SGLT-2 inhibitors in patients with NAFLD and T2DM. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study has been registered with Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2300070674).

Adaptive liquid lens with a tunable field of view.

In this paper, we demonstrate an adaptive liquid lens with a tunable field of view (FOV). The proposed liquid lens consists of an actuator and a lens chamber, the annular sheet is just placed on the liquid-liquid (L-L) interface in order to change the curvature and steer the tilt angle of the interface. Different from the conventional FOV adjustable lens combined with a liquid lens and a liquid prism, the proposed lens requires only one L-L interface to achieve the focal length change and FOV deflection. Moreover, the proposed lens reduces aberrations while maintaining high resolution. The experiments show that the optical power range is -27 m-1 to 30 m-1. It can realize the FOV deflection while tuning the focal length, with an angular resolution of 37"05. The proposed lens can be applied to telescopic system and microscopic system.

Homogeneous selection is stronger for fungi in deeper peat than in shallow peat in the low-temperature fens of China.

Peatlands have accumulated enormous amounts of carbon over millennia, and climate changes threatens the release of this carbon into the atmosphere. Fungi are crucial drivers of global carbon cycling because they are the principal decomposer of organic matter in peatlands. However, the fungal community composition and ecological preferences in peat remain unclear, which restricts our ability to evaluate the role of the fungal community in peat biogeochemical functions. We investigated 54 soils from 6 low-temperature peatlands across China to fill this knowledge gap. The peat was divided into above-water table (AWT) and below-water table (BWT) layers based on the water table fluctuation. We investigated fungal community assembly processes and drivers for each peat layer. The results showed that fungal communities differed significantly among peat layers. The relative abundance of symbiotrophs was significantly higher in the AWT (17.4%) than in the BWT (9.0%), while the abundances of yeast and litter saprotrophs were obviously lower in the AWT than in the BWT. Our results revealed that the assemblage of both fungal taxonomic and phylogenetic communities was mainly governed by stochastic processes in both AWT (87.8%) and BWT (58.6%) layers. However, in the BWT, the relative importance of deterministic processes (28.4%) significantly increased, indicating a potential deterministic environmental selection induced by permanently anaerobic condition. Mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature were the most critical drives for the assemblage of the fungal community in the BWT. These observations collectively indicate that fungal community assembly is depth-dependent, implying different community assembly mechanisms and ecological functions along the peat profile. These findings highlight the importance of climate driven deep peat fungal community composition assemblages and suggest the potential to project the changes in fungal diversity with ongoing climate change.

Visceral Adipose Tissue Indices Independently Correlated with Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

AIMS: We aimed to explore whether visceral adiposity indices were significantly associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients. METHODS: 100 patients with T2DM who underwent overnight polysomnography were analyzed in this study. Anthropometric data, lipid profiles, and glycemic parameters were recorded. Body fat percentage (BFP) and visceral adipose tissue area (VAT area) were collected from a whole body scan using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the associations of AHI with BFP, VAT area, and CVAI. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of OSA was 80%, and the mean (±SD) of age was 47.0 ± 13.6 years. Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was significantly and positively associated with either VAT area (r = 0.433, p ≤ 0.001) or Chinese visceral adiposity index (CVAI) (r = 0.355, p ≤ 0.001) but not for BFP (r = 0.107, p = 0.294). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that VAT area and CVAI were significantly associated with increased risk of OSA, and the adjusted ORs were (95% CI) 1.025 (1.003-1.047, p = 0.023) and 1.018 (1.002-1.034, p = 0.030), respectively. However, there was no significant association between BFP and increased risk of OSA. CONCLUSIONS: VAT area and CVAI were independent risk factors of OSA in the patients with T2DM.

Methane emissions respond to soil temperature in convergent patterns but divergent sensitivities across wetlands along altitude.

Among the global coordinated patterns in soil temperature and methane emission from wetlands, a declining trend of optimal soil temperature for methane emissions from low to high latitudes has been witnessed, while the corresponding trend along the altitudinal gradient has not yet been investigated. We therefore selected two natural wetlands located at contrasting climatic zones from foothill and mountainside of Nepal Himalayas, to test: (1) whether the optimal temperature for methane emissions decreases from low to high altitude, and (2) whether there is a difference in temperature sensitivity of methane emissions from those wetlands. We found significant spatial and temporal variation of methane emissions between the two wetlands and seasons. Soil temperature was the dominant driver for seasonal variation in methane emissions from both wetlands, though its effect was perplexed by the level of standing water, aquatic plants, and dissolved organic carbon, particularly in the deep water area. When integrative comparison was conducted by adding the existing data from wetlands of diverse altitudes, and the latitude-for-altitude effect was taken into account, we found the baseline soil temperatures decrease whilst the altitude rises with respect to a rapid increase in methane emission from all wetlands, however, remarkably higher sensitivity of methane emissions to soil temperature (apparent Q10 ) was found in mid-altitude wetland. We provide the first evidence of an apparent decline in optimal temperature for methane emissions with increasing elevation. These findings suggest a convergent pattern of methane emissions with respect to seasonal temperature shifts from wetlands along altitudinal gradient, while a divergent pattern in temperature sensitivities exhibits a single peak in mid-altitude.

A novel compound heterozygous mutation of SLC12A3 gene in a pedigree with Gitelman syndrome and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Gitelman syndrome (GS) is a tubulopathy characterized by hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, hypocalciuria and metabolic alkalosis, which is caused by mutations in SLC12A3 gene. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the mutation of SLC12A3 gene in a pedigree with GS and analyzed the clinical manifestations. METHODS: Next-generation sequencing and Sanger sequencing were performed to explore the mutations of SLC12A3 gene in a GS pedigree that included a 59-year-old male GS patient and a total of 11 family members within three generations. RESULTS: A novel compound heterozygous mutation of SLC12A3 gene (c.1712T > C in exon14 and c.2986_2987ins GCT in exon26) was identified by genetic testing in the proband. Moreover, we demonstrated that two brothers shared the same heterozygous mutation with the proband, but only one brother had the GS related symptoms. His nephew was the carrier of one mutation (c.1712T > C), and one of his brother, his sister and niece were carriers of the other (c.2986_2987ins GCT). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to report the novel pathogenic compound heterozygous mutation of SLC12A3 gene in GS. Our result further supports the lack of phenotype-genotype correlations in GS. Further functional studies are required to investigate pathophysiologic mechanisms of GS.

[Research advances in ham microorganisms].

Microbial communities of fermented foods have provided a tool for humans to preserve and develop flavor for long history. And they can also provide opportunities to study microbial community formation because of their reproducible and easy-to-manipulate feature. Dry-cured ham is one of the traditional fermented products. Some of the compounds produced during the hydrolysis and oxidation of proteins and fats in ham processing form a distinctive flavor of ham. Many microbes are involved in this process and biochemical reactions. In this review, we describe the ham microbial communities in different regions and their role in the formation of ham quality, and prospect the future research of ham microbiology.

Bacterial community assemblages in the rhizosphere soil, root endosphere and cyst of soybean cyst nematode-suppressive soil challenged with nematodes.

In disease-suppressive soil, plants rely upon mutualistic associations between roots and specific microbes for nutrient acquisition and disease suppression. Notably, the transmission of suppressiveness by the cysts of sugar beet cyst nematode from suppressive to conducive soils has been previously observed in greenhouse trials. However, our current understanding of the bacterial assemblages in the cyst, root endosphere and rhizosphere soil is still limited. To obtain insights into these bacterial microbiota assemblages, the bacterial communities inhabiting the plant-associated microhabitats and cysts in soybean cyst nematode (SCN)-suppressive soil were characterized by deep sequencing, using soybean grown under growth room conditions with additional SCN challenge. Clustering analysis revealed that the cyst bacterial community was closer to the root endosphere community than to the rhizosphere and bulk soil communities. Interestingly, the cyst bacterial community was initially established by the consecutive selection of bacterial taxa from the soybean root endosphere. We found a set of potential microbial consortia, such as Pasteuria, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, and other taxa, that were consistently enriched in the rhizocompartments under SCN challenge, and more abundant in the cysts than in the bulk soil. Our results suggest that the soybean root-associated and cyst microbiota may cause the suppressiveness of SCN in suppressive soil.

Environmental factors driving fungal distribution in freshwater lake sediments across the Headwater Region of the Yellow River, China.

Dispersal limitation and environmental filtering are two primary processes involved in shaping microbial community structure. The pristine environmental and geographical relatively isolation of small lakes distributed in the Headwater Region of Yellow River (HRYR) offer a unique opportunity to test the relative roles of these two processes on fungal communities. Here, we investigated the fungal community in sediment samples from 10 lakes located in the HRYR using high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the fungal community was dominated by Sordariomycetes, Leotiomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycetes and Agaricomycetes. The results revealed that altitude, mean annual temperature, C/N ration, dissolve organic carbon and total nitrogen were the best predictors for shaping fungal community structure in these lakes. Significant spatial and environmental distance decay relationships in the fungal community were detected. The partial Mantel test indicated that the fungal community structure was significantly correlated with environmental distance but not with geographic distance. Overall, environmental filtering plays a more important role than dispersal limitation in fungal community structure at a local scale in such an pristine and isolated region.

Ecological Succession Pattern of Fungal Community in Soil along a Retreating Glacier.

Accelerated by global climate changing, retreating glaciers leave behind soil chronosequences of primary succession. Current knowledge of primary succession is mainly from studies of vegetation dynamics, whereas information about belowground microbes remains unclear. Here, we combined shifts in community assembly processes with microbial primary succession to better understand mechanisms governing the stochastic/deterministic balance. We investigated fungal succession and community assembly via high-throughput sequencing along a well-established glacier forefront chronosequence that spans 2-188 years of deglaciation. Shannon diversity and evenness peaked at a distance of 370 m and declined afterwards. The response of fungal diversity to distance varied in different phyla. Basidiomycota Shannon diversity significantly decreased with distance, while the pattern of Rozellomycota Shannon diversity was unimodal. Abundance of most frequencies OTU2 (Cryptococcus terricola) increased with successional distance, whereas that of OTU65 (Tolypocladium tundrense) decreased. Based on null deviation analyses, composition of the fungal community was initially governed by deterministic processes strongly but later less deterministic processes. Our results revealed that distance, altitude, soil microbial biomass carbon, soil microbial biomass nitrogen and [Formula: see text]-N significantly correlated with fungal community composition along the chronosequence. These results suggest that the drivers of fungal community are dynamics in a glacier chronosequence, that may relate to fungal ecophysiological traits and adaptation in an evolving ecosystem. The information will provide understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of microbial community assembly during ecosystem succession under different scales and scenario.

Living strategy of cold-adapted fungi with the reference to several representative species.

Our planet is dominant with cold environments that harbour enormously diverse cold-adapted fungi comprising representatives of all phyla. Investigation based on culture-dependent and independent methods has demonstrated that cold-adapted fungi are cosmopolitan and occur in diverse habitants and substrates. They live as saprobes, symbionts, plant and animal parasites and pathogens to perform crucial functions in different ecosystems. Pseudogymnoascus destructans caused bat white-nose syndrome and Ophiocordyceps sinensis as Chinese medicine are the representative species that have significantly ecological and economic significance. Adaptation to cold niches has made this group of fungi a fascinating resource for the discovery of novel enzymes and secondary metabolites for biotechnological and pharmaceutical uses. This review provides the current understanding of living strategy and ecological functions of cold-adapted fungi, with particular emphasis on how those fungi overcome the extreme low temperature and perform their ecological function.

CHIP promotes thyroid cancer proliferation via activation of the MAPK and AKT pathways.

The carboxyl terminus of Hsp70-interacting protein (CHIP) is a U box-type ubiquitin ligase that plays crucial roles in various biological processes, including tumor progression. To date, the functional mechanism of CHIP in thyroid cancer remains unknown. Here, we obtained evidence of upregulation of CHIP in thyroid cancer tissues and cell lines. CHIP overexpression markedly enhanced thyroid cancer cell viability and colony formation in vitro and accelerated tumor growth in vivo. Conversely, CHIP knockdown impaired cell proliferation and tumor growth. Notably, CHIP promoted cell growth through activation of MAPK and AKT pathways, subsequently decreasing p27 and increasing cyclin D1 and p-FOXO3a expression. Our findings collectively indicate that CHIP functions as an oncogene in thyroid cancer, and is therefore a potential therapeutic target for this disease.

miR-486-5p inhibits cell growth of papillary thyroid carcinoma by targeting fibrillin-1.

Previous studies have demonstrated that miR-486-5p functions as a tumor suppressor or oncogene in various types of cancer. In the present study, we showed that miR-486-5p was significantly down-regulated in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) tissues and cell lines, whereas miR-486-5p down-regulation inhibited PTC cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. Conversely, under-expression of miR-486-5p enhanced PTC cell proliferation and decreased apoptosis. Fibrillin-1 (FBN1) was shown to be a direct target of miR-486-5p and inversely regulated by miR-486-5p. FBN1 silencing led to decreased PTC cell proliferation and enhanced apoptosis in vitro, similar to that mediated by miR-486-5p. Furthermore, miR-486-5p over-expression or FBN1 knock-down inhibited, while up-regulation of FBN1 boosted xenograft tumor formation in vivo. Our data suggest that miR-486-5p induces PTC cell growth inhibition and apoptosis by targeting and suppressing FBN1. Thus, miR-486-5p/FBN1 might provide a promising therapeutic target for PTC treatment.

Pullulanibacillus pueri sp. nov., isolated from Pu'er tea.

A novel Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, endospore-forming, rod-shaped bacterial strain YN3(T) was isolated from ripened Pu'er tea. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the strain belonged to the family Sporolactobacillaceae and was closely related to Pullulanibacillus naganoensis DSM 10191(T) (95.8% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and Pullulanibacillus uraniitolerans DSM 19429(T) (95.4%). Growth of the strain was observed at 20-50 °C (optimum 30-37 °C), at pH 4.0-8.0 (optimum pH 5.0-6.0). The strain had a cell-wall type A1γ peptidoglycan with meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid. The predominant menaquinone was menaquinone-7 (MK-7). The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0, anteiso-C17:0 and C18:1ω7c. The DNA G+C content of strain YN3(T) was 38.7 mol%. Strain YN3(T) could be differentiated from recognized species of the genus Pullulanibacillus based on phenotypic characteristics, chemotaxonomic differences, phylogenetic analysis and DNA-DNA hybridization data. On the basis of polyphasic evidence from this study, Pullulanibacilluspueri sp. nov., is proposed, with strain YN3(T) ( = CGMCC 1.12777(T ) = JCM 30075(T)) as the type strain.

Farming of a defensive fungal mutualist by an attelabid weevil.

The mutualism between fungus-growing animals and fungi is a classic example of a complex interspecies association. A handful of insects, notably the well-recognized fungus-farming ants, termites and beetles, have developed advanced agriculture, which includes seeding new gardens with crop propagules, improving growth conditions and protecting and harvesting the fungal crop. More examples, which could be called 'proto-fungiculture', involve fewer adaptations, as exemplified by marine snails that farm intertidal fungi on marsh grass. Recent work has indicated that the solitary leaf-rolling weevil Euops chinensis (family Attelabidae) has a protofarming symbiosis with the mycangial fungus Penicillium herquei (family Trichocomaceae). In this study, we investigated how the weevils create cradles (leaf-rolls) for their offspring and protect the fungal garden. We describe new specialized structures and behaviors that E. chinensis females use for leaf-rolling and fungus inoculation. The fungus P. herquei produces the antibiotic (+)-scleroderolide in laboratory culture and in leaf-rolls, which can serve to inhibit microbial 'weeds' and pests, thus protecting the fungal garden against potential infection. The fungiculture of E. chinensis differs from other advanced insect fungiculture systems because female weevils do not continuously tend the inoculated microbe and do not depend nutritionally on the fungus. The defensive role of the cultivated fungus makes the attelabid weevils exceptional in 'proto-fungiculture' animals.

Effect of Soybean Monoculture on the Bacterial Communities Associated with Cysts of Heterodera glycines.

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, can cause significant reductions in soybean yield and quality in many parts of the world. Natural biological control may play an important role in regulating SCN population. In this study the bacterial communities associated with SCN cysts obtained from fields under different lengths of soybean monoculture were explored. Soil samples were collected in 2010 and 2011 from six fields that had been used for soybean monoculture for 2 to 41 yr. SCN population densities were determined and bacterial communities from SCN cysts were investigated by Biolog and PCR-DGGE methods. SCN population densities initially increased in the first 5 yr of soybean monoculture but then declined steeply as years of soybean monoculture increased. Catabolic diversity of bacterial communities associated with cysts tended to decline as number of years of monoculture increased. Some specific PCR-DGGE bands, mainly representing Streptomyces and Rhizobium, were obtained from the cysts collected from the long-term monoculture fields. Principal component analysis of Biolog and PCR-DGGE data revealed that bacterial communities associated with cysts could be divided into two groups: those from cysts obtained from shorter (< 8 yr) vs. longer (> 8 yr) monoculture. This research demonstrates that the composition of the bacterial communities obtained from SCN cysts changes with length of soybean monoculture; the suppressive impact of these bacterial communities to SCN is yet to be determined.

Bacterial and fungal communities in Pu'er tea samples of different ages.

Pu'er is a major kind of postfermented tea and is made with a "large leaf" variety of Camellia sinensis (C. sinensis assamica), whose distribution is limited to the mountains of southern Yunnan, China. The quality of Pu'er tea is believed to increase with storage (aging, maturing) because of postfermentation by microbes. The effect of storage period (from < 1 to 192 mo) on the bacteria and fungi in Pu'er tea was investigated by a culture-dependent and a PCR-DGGE method. The individual numbers of fungi and bacteria decreased with increasing storage time and were significantly greater in ripened tea than in raw Pu'er tea. Both methods indicated that yeast, Aspergillus spp., and Penicillium spp. were the dominant fungi in almost all the samples. However, the common bacteria detected by the culture-dependent method were species of Pseudomonas, Achromobacter, Alcaligenes, Sporosarcina, and Bacillus, whereas those detected by PCR-DGGE were species of Staphylococcus, Arthrobacter, and Streptomyces. According to ordination analysis, bacterial community structure differed between ripened and raw Pu'er tea. Bacterial diversity was positively correlated with aging time, while fungal diversity in both raw and ripened tea increased during the first 60 mo of aging and then decreased. Changes in polyphenol content were correlated with the changes in fungal diversity. These results suggest that the relationship between storage time and the quality of Pu'er tea is complex and involves changes in polyphenol content and microbial abundance and diversity.