ABSTRACT
The black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis) is a vulnerable species, breeding exclusively on the high-altitude wetlands of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Bird species harbor diverse communities of microorganisms within their gastrointestinal tracts, which have important roles in the health, nutrition, and physiology of birds. Hitherto, virtually nothing was known about the gut microbial communities associated with wild black-necked cranes. For the first time, this study characterized the gut microbial community compositions, diversity, and functions of black-necked cranes from six wintering areas in China using the Illumina Miseq platform. The taxonomic results revealed that Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the four most abundant phyla in the gut of black-necked cranes. At the genus level, 11 genera including Lactobacillus, Pseudomonas, Carnobacterium, Pantoea, Enterococcus, Erwinia, Turicibacter, Bacillus, Phenylobacterium, Sanguibacter, and Psychrobacter were dominant. The differences in the gut microbial community alpha and the beta diversities of black-necked cranes among the six wintering areas were investigated. Furthermore, the representative microbial taxa and their predicted functions in each wintering location were also determined. These data represent the first analysis of the gut microbiome of black-necked cranes, providing a baseline for further microbiological studies and a foundation for the conservation of this bird.
Subject(s)
Bacteria/classification , Birds/microbiology , Gastrointestinal Microbiome/genetics , Actinobacteria/classification , Actinobacteria/genetics , Actinobacteria/isolation & purification , Animals , Bacteria/genetics , Bacteria/isolation & purification , Bacteroidetes/classification , Bacteroidetes/genetics , Bacteroidetes/isolation & purification , Birds/physiology , China , Firmicutes/classification , Firmicutes/genetics , Firmicutes/isolation & purification , Gastrointestinal Microbiome/physiology , Microbiota , Proteobacteria/classification , Proteobacteria/genetics , Proteobacteria/isolation & purification , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics , Seasons , Tibet , WetlandsABSTRACT
As one of the dominant waterfowl species of wetland areas in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, since 2003, artificial rearing of bar-headed geese (Anser indicus) has increased in several provinces of China for the purpose of conservation and economic development. In this study, we systematically characterized the microbial community diversity, compositions and predicted functions of semi-artificially reared bar-headed geese by sampling five different gut locations (the oropharynxs, crops, gizzards, ceca, and cloacae) along the gastrointestinal tracts of three individuals. Alpha diversity analyses showed that the gizzards had the richest species diversity and that the ceca had the least. Beta diversity analyses showed that the cecal samples formed their own cluster, while samples from the oropharynxs, crops, gizzards, and cloacae overlapped with each other. At the phylum level, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Fusobacteria constituted the top five dominant phyla among all five gastrointestinal sections. At the genus level, a total of 10 genera with proportions above 2.5% were found to be significantly different among the gastrointestinal sections. Furthermore, 53 genera were detected in all gastrointestinal sections of bar-headed geese. PICRUSt data also predicted a group of microbial functions overrepresented in the different segments of the gastrointestinal tracts. Understanding the microbiota along the bar-headed geese gastrointestinal tracts is essential for future microbiological study of this bird and may contribute to the development of geese husbandry.
Subject(s)
Bacteria/classification , Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Geese/microbiology , Animals , China , Farms , Gastrointestinal Tract/microbiology , Genetic Variation , PhylogenyABSTRACT
Lung cancer is the deadliest of all human cancers worldwide. The role of microRNA (miR)-383 has been controversial in the initiation and progression of different cancers. We aimed to investigate the function of miR-383 in human lung cancer both in vitro and in vivo. MicroRNA-383 levels were analyzed in noncancerous versus cancerous human lung tissues and in normal versus lung cancer cell lines. Effect of miR-383 on cell migration and invasion was examined in vitro and on tumor growth by using a xenograft mouse model in vivo. Potential mRNA target of miR-383 was predicted, and underlying mechanism was explored as well. MicroRNA-383 was downregulated in lung cancer tissue and cell lines. Expression of miR-383 inhibited migration and invasion of human lung cancer cell lines in vitro and tumorigenesis of lung cancer xenografts in vivo. MicroRNA-383 directly targeted 3' untranslated region of endothelial PAS domain-containing protein 1 (EPAS1) messenger RNA and inhibited both its mRNA and protein expressions. Reintroduction of EPAS1 could bypass the inhibition by miR-383 on tumorigenesis of human lung cancer cell lines. MicroRNA-383 is a tumor suppressor in human lung cancer by inhibiting EPAS1, both of which could serve as potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of lung cancer. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: MicroRNA-383 is a tumor suppressor in human lung cancer, which functions to inhibit tumorigenesis of lung cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. This inhibitory effect is mediated by direct targeting of EPAS1 mRNA and subsequent repressing of its expression. Both microRNA-383 and EPAS1 could serve as potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of lung cancer.
