In Vivo Microbial Coevolution Favors Host Protection and Plastic Downregulation of Immunity

Microbiota can protect their hosts from infection. The short timescales in which microbes can evolve presents the possibility that “protective microbes” can take-over from the immune system of longer-lived hosts in the coevolutionary race against pathogens. Here, we found that coevolution between a protective bacterium (Enterococcus faecalis) and a virulent pathogen (Staphylococcus aureus) within an animal population (Caenorhabditis elegans) resulted in more disease suppression than when the protective bacterium adapted to uninfected hosts. At the same time, more protective E. faecalis populations became costlier to harbor and altered the expression of 134 host genes. Many of these genes appear to be related to the mechanism of protection, reactive oxygen species production. Crucially, more protective E. faecalis populations downregulated a key immune gene, , known to be effective against S. aureus infection. These results suggest that a microbial line of defense is favored by microbial coevolution and may cause hosts to plastically divest of their own immunity.     

Prelude to oral microbes and chronic diseases: past,present and future

Associations between oral and systemic health are ancient. Oral opportunistic bacteria, particularly, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, have recently been deviated from their traditional roles as periodontal pathogens and arguably ascended to central players based on their participations in complex co-dependent mechanisms of diverse systemic chronic diseases risk and pathogenesis, including cancers, rheumatoid-arthritis, and diabetes.     

The influence of moisture on microbial transport, survival and 2,4-D biodegradation with a genetically marked Burkholderia cepacia in unsaturated soil columns

The influence of moisture on the survival, movement anddegradation activity of a 2,4-D degrading bacterium,Burkholderia cepacia strain BRI6001L, geneticallyengineered to contain bioluminescent and lactoseutilization genes, was studied in unsaturated soil columns.The distance traveled by BRI6001L was dependent on theclay content of the soil, higher clay contents beingresponsible for higher filtration coefficients. Long termsurvival, in excess of one year, was attributed to strainBRI6001L's ability to survive dry conditions. Changes inthe 2,4-D biodegradation rate showed a better correlationwith the BRI6001L population density than with the totalviable bacterial population. At moisture levels betweenfield capacity and 40% moisture (– 33 kPa to –100 kPa)2,4-D degradation was attributed mainly to BRI6001L. Atmoisture levels between 6 and 15%, 2,4-D disappearancewas attributed to the indigenous microbial population,with no degradation occurring at moisture levels below6%. Returning the moisture to above 40% led to anincrease of 4 orders of magnitude in the BRI6001Lpopulation density and to a 10-fold increase in the 2,4-Ddegradation rate. The ability to monitor a specificmicrobial population using reporter genes hasdemonstrated the importance of controlling moisturelevels for maximizing biodegradation rates in unsaturatedsoil environments.     

混交对亚热带针叶树根际土壤氮矿化和微生物特性的影响

混交阔叶树是退化红壤区针叶林改造的重要措施之一，土壤养分供应和转化是评价混交效应的重要参数，但混交后针叶树根际土壤氮矿化特征及其影响因素还不清楚。选取退化红壤区马尾松（Pinus massoniana Lamb.）纯林、湿地松（Pinus elliottii Engelmann）纯林及其补植木荷（Schima superba Gardn.et Champ.）形成的马-木混交林和湿-木混交林为研究对象，采集4种林分下针叶树根际土壤，测定速效养分含量、氮矿化速率、氮水解酶活性和微生物磷脂脂肪酸含量，探究混交对针叶树根际土壤氮供应及微生物特性的影响，分析土壤氮矿化和微生物特性间的相关性。结果表明：混交显著增加了针叶树根际土壤铵态氮，矿质氮和有效磷含量，而对硝态氮影响不显著。根际土壤氮矿化以硝化作用为主，混交后针叶树根际土壤氨化速率降低了27.0%，硝化速率增加了55.4%，而最终净氮矿化速率增加了24.1%。两个树种间，马尾松根际土壤矿质氮含量和净氮矿化速率显著高于湿地松。针叶树根际土壤真菌、丛枝菌根真菌，总微生物生物量及真菌/细菌比在混交后显著增加，且马尾松根际土壤总微生物和真菌生物量分别比湿地松高18.9%和27.0%。同时，针叶树根际土壤β-N-乙酰氨基葡萄糖苷酶活性在混交后显著增强，且根际土壤硝化速率和净氮矿化速率与微生物指标和酶活性正相关。总的来说，混交阔叶树显著提高了针叶树根际土壤氮供应，以此应对阔叶树混交后带来的养分竞争压力，而马尾松倾向于积极性的应对策略，通过增加土壤氮矿化以适应外界环境改变。     

洞察景观环境影响蜜蜂之新视角: 肠道微生物

作为生态服务提供者的传粉蜜蜂与景观生态息息相关, 而以农田为主的景观组成显著降低了传粉蜜蜂的多样性。目前调查研究显示, 农田的扩张与蜜蜂多样性下降相关, 且农药残留对蜜蜂损害严重。景观中的开花植物决定了蜜蜂的食物(营养)组成, 其中花粉蛋白含量与蜜蜂的生长发育紧密相关。尽管研究已证实景观环境会显著影响蜜蜂蜂群的发展和个体的生长繁殖能力, 但未来还需要加强景观组成变化直接作用于蜜蜂的机制研究。另一方面, 大量研究表明蜜蜂肠道共生菌是影响宿主健康的重要因素: 可促进宿主吸收营养和抵抗病原菌。作为传粉者, 蜜蜂接触到的主要外部环境——花粉和花蜜都含有特殊的微生物, 很多研究暗示花源微生物是蜜蜂肠道菌来源之一。研究表明景观环境相关的食物(营养)、农药残留以及环境微生物都会显著影响肠道微生物。现有少量的研究证明不同景观的蜜蜂肠道微生物有差异, 景观环境可能通过作用于蜜蜂肠道微生物进而影响蜜蜂健康。然而不同景观环境中的微生物, 尤其是花源微生物和蜜蜂肠道菌之间的关联有待证明。景观对蜜蜂肠道微生物的影响值得研究, 希望可以从肠道菌的视角鉴别对蜜蜂友好的景观环境, 进而指导土地合理利用和蜜蜂保护。     

Soil microbes alter plant fitness under competition and drought

Plants exist across varying biotic and abiotic environments, including variation in the composition of soil microbial communities. The ecological effects of soil microbes on plant communities are well known, whereas less is known about their importance for plant evolutionary processes. In particular, the net effects of soil microbes on plant fitness may vary across environmental contexts and among plant genotypes, setting the stage for microbially mediated plant evolution. Here, we assess the effects of soil microbes on plant fitness and natural selection on flowering time in different environments. We performed two experiments in which we grew Arabidopsis thaliana genotypes replicated in either live or sterilized soil microbial treatments, and across varying levels of either competition (isolation, intraspecific competition or interspecific competition) or watering (well‐watered or drought). We found large effects of competition and watering on plant fitness as well as the expression and natural selection of flowering time. Soil microbes increased average plant fitness under interspecific competition and drought and shaped the response of individual plant genotypes to drought. Finally, plant tolerance to either competition or drought was uncorrelated between soil microbial treatments suggesting that the plant traits favoured under environmental stress may depend on the presence of soil microbes. In summary, our experiments demonstrate that soil microbes can have large effects on plant fitness, which depend on both the environment and individual plant genotype. Future work in natural systems is needed for a complete understanding of the evolutionary importance of interactions between plants and soil microorganisms.