The degradation of arsenobetaine to inorganic arsenic by sedimentary microorganisms

Two growth media containing arsenobetaine [(CH₃)₃ As⁺ CH₂COO^–] were mixed with coastal marine sediments, the latter providing a source of microorganisms. The mixtures were kept at 25 °C in the dark and shaken for several weeks under an atmosphere of air. The disappearance of arsenobetaine and the appearance of two metabolites were followed by HPLC. The HPLC-retention time of the first metabolite agreed with that of trimethylarsine oxide [(CH₃)₃AsO]. The second metabolite was identified as arsenate (As(V)) using hydride generation/cold trap/GC MS analysis and thin layer chromatography. This is the first scientific evidence showing that arsenobetaine is degraded by microorganisms to inorganic arsenic via trimethylarsine oxide. The degradation of arsenobetaine to inorganic arsenic completes the marine arsenic cycle that begins with the methylation of inorganic arsenic on the way to arsenobetaine.     

Effects of electroconductive heat treatment and electrical pretreatment on thermal death kinetics of selected microorganisms

Suspensions of yeast cell (zygo Saccharomyces bailii) in a phosphate buffer solution were subjected to conventional (hot water) and ohmic (electric current) heating under identical temperature histories. Experiments were also conducted with cells of Escherichia coli to compare the lethal effect of combination of sublethal electrical preteatment and conventional heating with conventional heating. The kinetic parameters (D,Z,K and E(a)) were determined for both organisms during different treatments. There was no significant difference in the death rate of yeast cells during conventional and ohmic heating at the voltage range used in this study. Results of electrical pretreatment and conventional heating on E. coli indicated differences under certain conditions when compared with pure conventional heating. Thus it is concluded that microbial death during ohmic heating was due primarily to thermal effects with no significant effect of electric current per se. Sublethal electrical pretreatment appears to offer potential for increased bacterial inactivation in certain cases.     

Variations of soil structure and microbial population in a compost amended soil

Changes in soil structure and in microbial population were recorded in a long term field experiment over the growing season of maize (June–November). Determinations were made on samples from plots which had received, for two years, the following treatments: mineral fertilizers, farmyard manure and three rates of compost. Seasonal variations were observed for the stability of soil aggregates, total porosity, pore size distribution, mycorrhizal infection and aerobic cellulolytic microorganisms. The stability of the soil aggregates changed in a similar way to that found for both mycorrhizal infection and the number of aerobic cellulolytic microorganisms. Physical characteristics were not affected in any instance by the organic dressings and microbiological populations were generally influenced only by the higher doses of compost.     

三种淡水鱼类在中国南北两个地区的肠道菌群差异比较

山东省德州市禹城市和湖南省长沙市望城区分别属于我国北方和南方地区,环境和气候差异明显。本试验以禹城市和望城区两地的草鱼(Ctenopharyngodon idella)、鲫鱼(Carassius auratus)和鲤鱼(Cyprinus carpio)为研究对象,对肠道中的菌群进行16s rRNA V4高变区扩增,基于IonS5 TM XL测序平台进行测序,并对相关数据进行分析。结果表明,在门水平上鲫鱼、鲤鱼、草鱼的肠道优势菌主要为变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、梭杆菌门(Fusobacteria)、硬壁菌门(Firmicutes),拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes),各组中这四种菌门所占比之和均在80%以上;基于Bray-Curtis距离值的秩次进行组间差异显著性检验,山东草鱼组和湖南草鱼组比较中组间差异大于组内差异(R=0.307,P<0.05),且线性判别分析显示湖南草鱼组的特征性菌群为弧菌属,而山东草鱼组的为梭菌纲,推测特征性菌群差异与环境的影响有关;有害菌种的统计分析表明,湖南鲫鱼组和鲤鱼组的嗜水气单胞菌属相对丰度明显高于对应的山东鲫鱼组和鲤鱼组,山东草鱼组和鲤鱼组的弧菌属相对丰度高于对应的湖南草鱼组和鲤鱼组,可能受外界环境的影响,不同地区抵御外来有害细菌的能力也不一样。本研究对两地的淡水鱼类肠道微生物群落结构进行了比较和分析,为进一步的鱼类发育研究奠定基础。     

Microbial carbon limitation: The need for integrating microorganisms into our understanding of ecosystem carbon cycling

Numerous studies have demonstrated that fertilization with nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium increases plant productivity in both natural and managed ecosystems, demonstrating that primary productivity is nutrient limited in most terrestrial ecosystems. In contrast, it has been demonstrated that heterotrophic microbial communities in soil are primarily limited by organic carbon or energy. While this concept of contrasting limitations, that is, microbial carbon and plant nutrient limitation, is based on strong evidence that we review in this paper, it is often ignored in discussions of ecosystem response to global environment changes. The plant‐centric perspective has equated plant nutrient limitations with those of whole ecosystems, thereby ignoring the important role of the heterotrophs responsible for soil decomposition in driving ecosystem carbon storage. To truly integrate carbon and nutrient cycles in ecosystem science, we must account for the fact that while plant productivity may be nutrient limited, the secondary productivity by heterotrophic communities is inherently carbon limited. Ecosystem carbon cycling integrates the independent physiological responses of its individual components, as well as tightly coupled exchanges between autotrophs and heterotrophs. To the extent that the interacting autotrophic and heterotrophic processes are controlled by organisms that are limited by nutrient versus carbon accessibility, respectively, we propose that ecosystems by definition cannot be ‘limited’ by nutrients or carbon alone. Here, we outline how models aimed at predicting non‐steady state ecosystem responses over time can benefit from dissecting ecosystems into the organismal components and their inherent limitations to better represent plant–microbe interactions in coupled carbon and nutrient models.     

肠道微生物与性激素相关疾病研究进展

数以万亿计的微生物生活在人类肠道中,形成了一个复杂的微生态群落。肠道微生物可为宿主提供营养和能量,并与人类疾病的发生发展密切相关。随着研究的不断深入,越来越多的证据表明肠道微生物的改变可引起性激素水平变化,进而导致一系列相关的疾病发生。本文就肠道微生物与多囊卵巢综合征、乳腺癌、卵巢癌等性激素相关疾病之间的关系进行阐述,旨在为人类疾病诊疗提供新思路。     

增温和外源碳输入对泥炭地土壤碳氮循环关键微生物功能基因丰度的影响

为探讨温度升高和外源碳输入对泥炭地土壤碳氮循环关键微生物的影响,于2017年7月采集多年冻土区泥炭地表层(0—10 cm和10—20 cm)土壤样品,在10、15℃两个温度下开展为期42d的增温模拟试验,同时设置葡萄糖添加处理,利用荧光定量PCR技术分析泥炭地土壤碳氮循环关键微生物丰度变化,同时分析增温和外源碳输入对泥炭地土壤活性碳组分和无机氮含量的影响。结果表明:温度升高可导致北方泥炭地表层土壤微生物丰度以及群落结构变化,0—10 cm土壤微生物比10—20 cm土壤微生物更加敏感。增温条件下微生物首先快速分解活性有机碳,同时温度升高加快土壤氮周转速率,增加有效氮含量。外源碳输入整体提高了深层土壤微生物丰度,使得10—20 cm土壤细菌、产甲烷菌、甲烷氧化菌、氨氧化细菌以及反硝化细菌丰度显著增加,说明外源碳输入可能会促进10—20 cm土壤甲烷氧化过程、氨氧化过程和反硝化过程。温度和葡萄糖的交互作用对泥炭地表层土壤碳氮循环关键微生物丰度均有显著影响。在增温和外源碳输入条件下,北方泥炭地表层土壤微生物丰度受土壤碳氮活性基质的影响。     

南亚热带混交人工林树种丰富度与土壤微生物多样性和群落组成的关系

森林植被与土壤微生物作为森林生态系统的重要组成部分,它们之间的相互作用对维持森林生态系统功能和稳定性起着重要作用。以往多在天然草地和森林生态系统开展植物多样性与土壤微生物多样性关系的研究,但人工构建的多树种混交林生态系统中树种多样性对土壤微生物群落组成的影响及其机制尚不完全清楚。因此,以南亚热带人工块状造林后自然恢复形成的多树种混交森林生态系统为研究对象,利用高通量测序技术研究了随树种丰富度（1-10种）变化土壤细菌和真菌多样性的变化规律及主要影响因子。结果表明,随树种丰富度增加,土壤真菌α多样性显著提高,但土壤细菌α多样性差异不显著;不同树种丰富度梯度间土壤细菌和真菌的群落结构组成均差异显著;Pearson相关分析表明土壤细菌α多样性主要受土壤pH和土壤铵态氮影响,而土壤pH和有效磷是土壤真菌α多样性的主要影响因子。距离冗余分析（db-RDA）表明,对土壤细菌群落组成产生显著影响的环境因子分别为土壤pH、硝态氮和芳香碳组分,而土壤有机碳、硝态氮、细根生物量和氧烷基碳组分是影响土壤真菌群落组成的主要因子。本研究的结果说明了南亚热带人工林不同树种混交后形成多树种混交林生态系统的过程中,树种组成和多样性的变化通过改变土壤理化性状和根系生物量对土壤微生物群落组成有显著影响,为制定该区域人工林通过树种丰富度合理组配调控提升地下生物多样性及生态系统功能的经营策略提供了科学依据。     

高寒草地土壤温室气体排放对放牧的响应研究进展

高寒草地生态系统具有独特的地理环境和气候特征,对放牧干扰十分敏感,在全球温室气体通量中贡献突出,研究高寒草地放牧对土壤温室气体排放的影响机制具有重要意义。本文总结高寒草地温室气体源/汇特征、不同放牧方式对土壤微环境和微生物群落结构的影响,发现高寒草地主要是CO₂源、CH₄汇、N₂O源。放牧通过家畜选择性采食、践踏和排泄物返还等多重机制作用于地上植物、土壤结构、温度、湿度和养分,进而影响地下微生物及温室气体通量。本文旨在为高寒草地生态系统健康发展和管理及缓解全球气候变化提供科学依据,并对未来研究方向进行展望。     

一株海洋链霉菌MMHS020的抗菌活性代谢产物

【背景】海洋微生物因其生存环境的多样性与独特性,已成为天然产物研究的重要来源。【目的】以一株太平洋海泥来源链霉菌MMHS020为出发菌株,筛选可促进其产生丰富代谢产物的发酵条件,挖掘菌株在抗菌抗肿瘤方面的潜力。【方法】采用单菌株多次级代谢产物策略对MMHS020菌株进行培养诱导,使其产生更丰富的活性代谢产物。双层平板法测定发酵产物对6种指示菌的抑菌活性。以硅胶柱层析、葡聚糖凝胶层析和制备层析等方法对代谢产物进行分离纯化,再通过质谱技术和~1H-NMR和~(13)C-NMR对化合物进行结构解析。【结果】链霉菌属MMHS020菌株可在较高浓度盐离子环境中产生丰富的抑菌活性代谢产物,显示出对枯草芽孢杆菌、结核分枝杆菌和藤黄微球菌等多种指示菌的抑制活性。从发酵产物中分离鉴定了3个化合物,分别是诺卡胺素(1)、麦角甾醇(2)和星形孢菌素(3)。其中星形孢菌素表现出白色念珠菌的抑制活性,而诺卡胺素则对其他几个指示菌表现出较强的抑制活性。【结论】海洋链霉菌MMHS020菌株可代谢产生丰富多样的生物活性物质,具有开发成为新型抑菌生物制剂的潜力。