基于性别二分类的青海天峻藏民肠道菌群差异分析

目的 对青海省天峻县的藏族牧民健康志愿者肠道菌群进行研究,探讨青海藏民肠道菌群结构及性别对肠道菌群组成的影响。方法 以28例藏族牧民志愿者的粪便样品作为研究对象,应用基于16S rDNA V3+V4可变区的高通量测序技术测定肠道菌群组成及核心菌群;通过db-RDA和菌群多样性分析,探索性别因素对肠道菌群结构的影响。结果 在门水平上,厚壁菌门和拟杆菌门是青海藏族志愿者的优势菌群。在属水平上,优势菌属是普氏菌属、Lachnospiracea_incertae_sedis、Faecalibacterium和拟杆菌属;特有优势菌属是Lachnospiracea_incertae_sedis。db-RDA结果显示性别因素对肠道微生物群结构有一定分离趋势,多样性结果进一步证实性别差异显著影响菌群结构。男性和女性存在12种差异菌群,包括普氏菌属、Acidaminobacter属等。结论 性别差异对青海藏民肠道菌群影响显著。     

抑郁症患者肠道菌群研究

目的研究抑郁症患者肠道微生物群落分布情况。方法选择2017年1月-2018年1月在本院临床心理科就诊的确诊为抑郁症的患者79例,以及同时期在本院体检的健康者80例。收集患者新鲜粪便,利用16SrRNA基因测序技术分析患者肠道菌群。结果对159例粪便标本进行16SrRNA基因测序,共获得1 276 841条有效16SrRNA基因序列,抑郁组Shannon指数明显高于对照组。在门水平,共发现20个细菌门,抑郁患者肠道菌群丰度前3位的分别是厚壁菌门、拟杆菌门、梭杆菌门;在科水平,前3位主要为拟杆菌科、普雷沃氏菌科和瘤胃菌科;在属水平,前3位分别是多形杆菌属、普氏菌属、另枝菌属。对照组肠道菌群丰度前3位的分别是厚壁菌门、拟杆菌门、梭杆菌门;在科水平,前3位主要是拟杆菌科,普雷沃氏菌科和瘤胃菌科;在属水平,前3位分别是多形拟杆菌属、普氏菌属、另枝菌属。抑郁组多形杆菌属、普氏菌属、另枝菌属、栖粪杆菌属、考拉杆菌属丰度明显低于对照组,抑郁组毛螺菌属、副杆菌属、布劳特氏菌属、巨单胞菌属丰度明显高于对照组。抑郁组拟杆菌属和栖粪杆菌属丰度与SDS评分成负相关,毛螺菌属丰度与SDS评分成正相关。结论抑郁症患者病情严重程度与抗炎性细菌拟杆菌属和栖粪杆菌属丰度成反比,与毛螺菌属丰度成正比。     

高通量测序研究浓香型酒醅的细菌菌群多样性及共变性

高通量测序研究河南三个不同酒厂的浓香型酒醅的细菌微生物菌群,逐次在门、纲、目、科和属5个水平上分析入窖酒醅和出窖酒醅的菌群多样性,探究酒醅发酵后菌群的共性变化规律.结果表明:浓香型酒醅在门水平上的优势菌为厚壁菌门、变形菌门、放线菌门、拟杆菌门、异常球菌-栖热菌门.在属水平上的优势菌有乳杆菌属、肠杆菌属、短波单胞菌属、克...     

基于16S rRNA基因扩增子测序分析日本囊对虾肠道菌群结构与功能的特征

【背景】肠道菌群在对虾的生理活动中起关键作用。日本囊对虾是我国海水养殖虾类中的主要品种之一,迄今为止有关其肠道菌群结构与功能的研究还鲜有报道。【目的】利用高通量测序技术探究日本囊对虾肠道菌群的组成结构与功能作用,揭示虾体肠道菌群与外源菌群结构间的相关性。【方法】60 d的养殖周期结束后,分别采集日本囊对虾肠道样品(归为虾肠组,n=3)、养殖水体样品(归为水体组,n=3)和对虾饲料样品(归为饲料组,n=3),提取各样品总DNA进行16SrRNA基因扩增子测序,基于生物信息学方法分析与比较样品间的菌群结构特征,并使用PICRUSt软件预测日本囊对虾肠道菌群功能。【结果】3组样品测序共获得822 713条有效序列,抽平处理后可聚类为3 416个OTU。虾肠组样品中有28.49%、59.30%的OTU可以依次在水体组、饲料组样品中检测到。门水平上,虾肠组样品中的优势菌门为变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)、厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)和梭杆菌门(Fusobacteria)。水体组、饲料组与虾肠组样品中的优势菌门结构不尽相同,但均由变形菌门和拟杆菌门组成。属水平上,虾肠组样品中的优势菌属包括弧菌属(Vibrio)、另类弧菌属(Aliivibrio)、假交替单胞菌属(Pseudoalteromonas)、假黄棕杆菌属(Pseudofulvibacter)、科尔韦尔氏菌属(Colwellia)、小纺锤状菌属(Fusibacter)、发光杆菌属(Photobacterium)、脱硫弧菌属(Desulfovibrio)、嗜冷杆菌属(Psychrobacter)以及弓形杆菌属(Arcobacter)。水体组和饲料组中检出的核心菌属结构与虾肠组相比有明显差异,其中海命菌属(Marivita)和假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)分别为养殖水体及对虾饲料样品中的最优势菌属。PICRUSt预测结果显示,日本囊对虾肠道菌群的基因功能主要与新陈代谢类功能有关,包含氨基酸代谢、碳水化合物代谢与能量代谢等。【结论】日本囊对虾肠道菌群与其他种类对虾肠道菌群的结构间存在共性,其形成在一定程度上受到了外源菌群的干预,并在虾体的日常代谢活动中发挥了一定的作用。     

不同饲料饲育的家蚕幼虫肠道细菌的多样性分析

【目的】为研究饲料对不同家蚕Bombyx mori品种肠道微生物菌群的影响。【方法】以筛选到的家蚕广食性品种GS和普通品种1015为研究对象,收集从收蚁开始分别饲育桑叶(GS. m和C1015. m组)和人工饲料(GS. b组)至4龄盛时期的家蚕肠道样本,采用高通量测序的方法对其肠道微生物16S r DNA的V3-V4区进行测序分析,比较它们之间肠道微生物的差异。【结果】在门水平上,所测家蚕肠道样本的优势菌为厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)和变形杆菌门(Proteobacteria);在科水平上,所测样本主要优势菌为明串珠菌科(Leuconostocaceae)、乳酸杆菌科(Lactobacillaceae)、肠杆菌科(Enterobacteriaceae)等;在属水平上,所测样本主要的优势菌为魏斯氏属Weissella、乳酸菌属Lactobacillus、布赫纳氏菌属Buchnera、甲基杆菌属Methylobacterium、叶瘤菌属Phyllobacterium、肠球菌属Enterococcus和脆弱拟杆菌属Bacteroides等。家蚕品种GS经桑叶和人工饲料饲育后,甲基杆菌属Methylobacterium、布赫纳氏菌属Buchnera等菌属仅在桑叶饲育的GS肠道内出现,而魏斯氏菌Weissella、短芽孢杆菌属Brevibacillus等菌属只在人工饲料饲育的GS肠道内出现。同是桑叶饲育的家蚕品种GS和1015,其肠道内相同的优势菌有叶瘤菌属Phyllobacterium、脆弱拟杆菌属Bacteroides、不动细菌属Acinetobacter等。相较于广食性蚕品种GS的肠道菌群,肠球菌属Enterococcus、草螺菌属Herbaspirillum、丝硫菌属Thiothrix等菌属仅在普通蚕品种1015肠道中被检测到。GS. b组家蚕肠道细菌的物种多样性低于GS. m和C1015. m。GS. m肠道中丰度差异显著性最高的菌群为变形菌门(Proteobacteria),GS. b肠道中丰度差异显著性最高的菌群为杆菌纲(Bacilli)和乳杆菌目(Lactobacillales),而C1015. m肠道中丰度差异显著性最高的菌群为粪肠球菌属Enterococcus和肠球菌科(Enterococcaceae)。【结论】经桑叶饲育的不同蚕品种(GS和1015)的肠道微生物比人工饲料饲育的家蚕肠道微生物更趋于一致;经桑叶饲育的广食性家蚕肠道微生物物种多样性较高于经人工饲料饲育的广食性家蚕。     

罗伊乳杆菌DSM 17938对生命早期抗生素暴露大鼠肠道菌群的影响

目的探讨预防性应用罗伊乳杆菌DSM 17938对生命早期抗生素暴露大鼠肠道菌群的影响。方法将24只新生SD大鼠随机分为抗生素暴露组(A组)和益生菌干预组(B组),每组12只。A组在出生后第2天(postnatal day 2,PND2)～PND6给予罗氏芬灌胃,2 h后给予生理盐水灌胃;B组同期给予罗氏芬灌胃,2 h后给予罗伊乳杆菌DSM 17938灌胃。PND7及PND42,2组大鼠中各处死6只,取空肠、结肠黏膜及其肠内容物进行16S rDNA V4区二代测序;PND42空肠、结肠组织进行病理检测,用Image Pro Plus 6.0测量绒毛长度和隐窝深度。结果PND42时,A组大鼠体质量明显低于B组。2组大鼠空肠、结肠未见明显炎症等改变,2组间空肠、结肠黏膜绒毛及隐窝深度差异无统计学意义。PND7时,2组大鼠空肠、结肠菌群多样性及门水平菌群组成差异无统计学意义;属水平上,A组、B组大鼠空肠菌属差异无统计学意义,而B组大鼠结肠菌群中乳杆菌属明显增加。PND42时,与A组大鼠比较,B组空肠菌群Alpha多样性指数明显降低,Beta多样性差异明显,门水平上拟杆菌门、变形菌门、柔膜菌门及广古菌门比例明显降低,厚壁菌门比例明显增加,属水平上假单胞菌属、乳球菌属、厌氧芽胞杆菌属、芽胞杆菌属、瘤胃球菌属、Dechloromonas及普氏菌属比例明显降低,乳杆菌属比例明显增加;结肠菌群Shannon指数明显增加,Beta多样性差异明显,门水平上拟杆菌门、疣微菌门比例明显增加,厚壁菌门比例明显降低,属水平上不动杆菌属、葡萄球菌属、金黄杆菌属及Facklamia比例明显降低,Akkermansia、瘤胃球菌属、普氏菌属及拟杆菌属比例明显增高。结论预防性应用罗伊乳杆菌DSM 17938可纠正生命早期抗生素暴露对大鼠发育期肠道菌群的影响。     

基于16S rRNA高通量测序技术分析福州地区慢传输型便秘患者肠道菌群的变化

运用16S rRNA高通量测序技术分析福州地区慢传输型便秘(STC)患者肠道菌群变化的特征。

纳入60例STC患者和健康志愿者20例, 留取新鲜粪便样本, 冰块运送至实验室并存放于-80度冰箱, 应用16S rRNA高通量测序技术, 分析各组肠道菌群的生物多样性与结构组成。

测序后共得到1 702 004 524条有效序列, 样本序列平均有效长度为414.1 bp, 总样本平均序列条数为2 127 505.7条。与对照组比较, STC患者肠道菌群丰度指数Ace指数、Chao指数和肠道菌群多样性指数Shannon指数下降(P < 0.05), 肠道菌群多样性指数Simpson指数显著升高(P < 0.05)。在门水平上, STC组以拟杆菌门、放线菌门为主, 正常对照组以厚壁菌门为主。在属水平上, STC组以拟杆菌属(Bacteroides)、肠杆菌科(Enterobacteriaceae)、丹毒杆菌属(Erysipelatoclostridium)、巨单胞菌属(Megamonas)为主, 正常对照组以乳酸杆菌属(Lactobacillus)、双歧杆菌属(Bifidobacterium)、布劳特菌属(Blautia)为主。

STC患者肠道菌群发生紊乱, 表现为丰度及多样性下降, 菌群结构发生改变, 可能与慢传输型便秘的发生发展有关。

     

光唇鱼仔稚幼鱼肠道菌群与养殖水体细菌群落的相关性

采用16S rRNA高通量测序,系统研究了光唇鱼(Acrossocheilus fasciatus)仔鱼、稚鱼和幼鱼肠道菌群组成及与同时期养殖水体细菌群落的相关性。研究结果表明,光唇鱼仔鱼、稚鱼和幼鱼的肠道菌群中Chao1指数和Shannon指数均没有显著变化(P>0.05);而随着光唇鱼幼体的发育,养殖水体中Chao1指数和Shannon指数呈现显著下降趋势(P<0.05)。光唇鱼仔鱼和稚鱼肠道菌群中的优势菌门由变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)和厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)组成,而同时期养殖水体中优势菌门为变形菌门;光唇鱼幼鱼肠道菌群中的优势菌门为梭杆菌门(Fusobacteria)和变形菌门,同时期养殖水体中优势菌门由变形菌门、拟杆菌门和梭杆菌门组成。线性回归分析结果显示,随光唇鱼幼体发育,在光唇鱼肠道菌群中变形菌门、厚壁菌门和梭杆菌门相对丰度的时序变化趋势与其在养殖水体中相同。在属水平上,光唇鱼仔鱼、稚鱼肠道菌群中优势菌属均为醋酸杆菌属(Acetobacter),而幼鱼肠道菌群中优势菌属为鲸杆菌属(Cetobacte...     

人工饲养恒河猴幼猴不同肠段微生物宏基因组学研究

目的以恒河猴幼猴为模型,采用16S rRNA宏基因组方法探讨十二指肠、盲肠、直肠的菌群组成。方法收集4例健康幼猴十二指肠、盲肠、直肠样本,提取细菌总DNA,采用新一代高通量测序技术对16S rRNA基因的V3-V4高变区测序,分析比较菌群结构及多样性。结果 (1)门水平各肠段微生物优势菌群主要为硬壁菌门、变形菌门及拟杆菌门,在各肠段中的占比总和超过88%;(2)属水平,十二指肠中以芽胞杆菌属等为优势菌属,盲肠中以螺杆菌属、颤杆菌属、孢杆菌属等为优势菌属,直肠中以乳酸菌属、链球菌属、颤杆菌属等为优势菌属;(3)各肠段微生物功能差异较大,十二指肠主要承担营养物质的消化吸收,盲肠主要承担细胞及遗传物质的合成,直肠主要承担调节机体免疫力、抗感染等功能。结论各肠段菌群组成差异较大;各肠段细菌功能差异较大,且与其生理功能有一定关联;在肠道菌群研究中,应充分考虑粪便样品微生物的组成是否能够完全代表肠道微生物的组成。     

湿疹患儿肠道菌群高通量测序初步探索

目的为了解湿疹患儿肠道菌群的结构与湿疹之间的关系,通过对湿疹患儿和健康儿童粪便样本细菌总DNA提取,利用高通量测序技术,比较健康儿童和湿疹患儿肠道菌群的异同。方法 10例年龄在2个月~2岁婴幼儿由皮肤科门诊确诊为湿疹伴有过敏性疾病家族史作为研究对象,年龄和性别相当健康儿童10例作为对照,分别收集其粪便标本并提取所有样本中细菌的总DNA,对16SrRNA基因进行高通量测序,获得两组的肠道菌群结构数据并进行菌群差异性分析。结果通过Roche 454高通量测序,两组肠道微生物菌群多样性指数比较差异无统计学意义。两组主要由Firmicutes(厚壁菌门)、Bacteroidetes(拟杆菌门)、Proteobacteria(变形菌门)和Actinobacteria(放线菌门)4个门组成;两组在门水平上进行菌群结构比较,差异无统计学意义。两组样本在属水平上共获得200个不同属的细菌,其中Bacillus(芽孢杆菌属)、Bilophila(噬胆菌属)、Christensenella(纺锤状细菌属)、Coprobacillus、Eikenella(艾肯菌属)、Enterobacter(肠杆菌属)、Eubacterium(真杆菌属)、Lactococcus(乳球菌属)、Megamonas(巨单胞菌属)、Leuconostoc(明串珠菌属)、Morganella(摩根菌属)、Rhizobacter(根杆菌属)、Proteus(变形菌属)、Sutterella(萨特菌属)、Veillonella(韦荣球菌属)、Akkermansia、Anaeroglobus、Anaerotruncus、Butyricicoccus、Epulopiscium、Gordonibacter、Lachnospiraceae uncultured、Robinsoniella和Varibaculum共24个属在两组间差异具有统计学意义。结论湿疹患儿肠道菌群与健康儿童相比,菌群多样性指数(Shannon指数和Simpson指数)未见明显差异,但在菌群结构上发生了一些变化,某些特别的细菌菌属存在显著性差异。     

小龙虾肠道细菌群落多样性及产蛋白酶细菌的筛选

[背景]养殖动物对饲料的消化利用往往与肠道菌群密切相关.[目的]揭示小龙虾肠道细菌群落组成,并从小龙虾肠道筛选产蛋白酶细菌.[方法]在Illumina MiSeq PE300平台对细菌16S rRNA基因V3-V4区进行高通量测序,分析小龙虾肠道细菌群落多样性;通过酪蛋白平板法筛选产蛋白酶细菌并进行分子生物学鉴定.[结...     

典型草原区不同生境反硝化菌群的空间特征

【背景】锡林河-河滨湿地-阶地草原是蒙古高原典型草原区代表性的水生-湿生-陆生生境,但不同生境中反硝化菌群的空间分布特征尚不明晰。【目的】阐明典型草原区不同生境反硝化菌群的组成、丰度、空间分布特征及异质性成因。【方法】利用16S rRNA基因测序研究锡林河流域水生、湿生、陆生生境6个样带沉积物/土壤细菌群落组成及相对丰度。基于2014年及以前文献报道的反硝化细菌及16S rRNA基因信息构建参比菌库,筛选生境关联的反硝化菌属。通过典范对应分析等探究反硝化菌群空间异质性成因。【结果】参比菌库包含80种反硝化细菌(65个属),6个样带测序获得的469个细菌属中36个为反硝化细菌属。3种生境共存的反硝化细菌有14个属,其中黄杆菌属(1.65%-14.17%)和噬氢菌属(1.56%-1.69%)是水生和湿生生境共有的优势菌,假单胞菌属(1.85%)是低河漫滩样带的优势菌。空间分布特征显示反硝化菌群沿水生-湿生-陆生生境呈现先升后降的分布趋势,在低河漫滩湿地达到最高值。典范对应分析表明:黄杆菌属、噬氢菌属、气单胞菌属、鞘氨醇单胞菌属等与pH值、水分及沙粒含量呈正相关关系,而芽孢杆菌属、链霉菌属、马杜拉放线菌属等与粘粒、粉粒、有机质、总氮含量等呈正相关关系。【结论】典型草原区反硝化菌群组成及丰度具有明显的生境异质性,低河漫滩湿地是反硝化细菌生长繁殖的最佳生境,由颗粒组成、水分含量和pH等环境因子共同驱动。     

Variation in the intestinal microbiota at different developmental stages of Hynobius maoershanensis

Intestinal microbiota play an important role in the life of amphibians and its composition may vary by developmental stage. In this study, 16S rRNA high‐throughput sequencing was used to profile the intestinal microbiota of Hynobius maoershanensis, which exclusively inhabit the Maoer Mountain swamp at an altitude of approximately 2,000 m. We characterized the bacterial composition, structure, and function of the microbiota of H. maoershanensis at different developmental stages. The alpha diversity was not markedly different for the Simpson, Shannon, Ace, and Sobs indices of microbes. The beta diversity revealed that there were age‐related differences in the structure of the intestinal microbes of H. maoershanensis, specifically, at the phylum level. Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria were the dominant bacteria present in the adult stage, and the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes was significantly higher compared with that of tadpoles. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the dominant phylum during the tadpole stage and their relative abundance was significantly higher compared with the adult period. Functional analysis revealed that the pathways associated with organismal systems and metabolism were significantly enriched in the adults, whereas human diseases, genetic information processing, and cellular processes were more enriched in the hindlimb bud stage. Human diseases and environmental information processing were more enriched in the forelimb bud stage at KEGG pathway level 1. Possibilities for the observed discrepancies include the adaptation to eating habits and the remodeling of the intestines during development. We speculated that H. maoershanensis adults may be more suitable to a high‐fiber diet, whereas the tadpoles are associated with a carnivorous diet. Our study provides evidence of variations in the intestinal microbiota during development in amphibians, highlighting the influence of historical developments on the intestinal microbiota and an increased understanding of the importance of physiological characteristics in shaping the intestinal microbiota of amphibians. These data will help us formulate more effective protection measures for H. maoershanensis.     

不同健康状态的棘胸蛙肠道菌群结构分析

为探究不同健康状态下棘胸蛙(Paa spinosa, David)肠道菌群结构, 文章对13个健康(Health组)、19个患歪头病(WHD组)和18个患蓝眼病(BED组)的棘胸蛙肠道微生物总DNA进行16S rRNA V4—V5高变区测序。结果显示: 共获得3984个总操作分类单元(Operational taxonomic units, OTUs), 35个门, 80个纲, 155个目, 283个科, 501个属。α多样性结果表明, 健康组的菌群丰富度显著高于患病组(P<0.05), 患病组间的菌群丰富度差异不显著(Chao1指数: Health: 1232.92; WHD: 975.57; BED: 1048.76); 健康和患病组间微生物群落均匀度无显著差异(Shannon指数: 5.27; 5.20; 5.41)。门分类水平分析发现: 厚壁菌门(Firmicutes; 52.08%; 49.57%; 26.48%)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes; 30.55%; 21.93%; 43.02%)和变形菌门(Proteobacteria; 15.55%;10.42%; 5.25%)是棘胸蛙肠道菌群的优势菌门。患病蛙肠道中的优势菌门及其丰度均发生变化, 特别是脱铁菌门(Deferribacteres)在歪头病组和蓝眼病组棘胸蛙肠道中丰度显著上升(0.18%; 14.05%; 22.16%; P<0.05)。属分类水平分析发现: 拟杆菌属(Bacteroides; 29.70%; 16.09%; 21.76%)、丹毒丝菌科中未定义的一个属(An unclassified Erysipelotrichaceae; 21.38%; 6.92%; 4.94%)、毛螺科中未定义的一个属(An unclassified Lachnospiraceae; 12.23%; 15.98%; 4.43%)、柠檬杆菌属(Citrobacter; 10.31%; 6.19%; 1.10%)和真杆菌属(Eubacterium; 9.09%; 4.88%; 0.54%) 是棘胸蛙肠道菌群优势菌属, 但各组间的丰度差异显著; 脱铁菌门的Mucispirillum在患病棘胸蛙肠道中丰度显著上升(0.17%; 13.89%; 21.94% ; P<0.05)。研究表明: 棘胸蛙肠道菌群结构与健康状态相关, 且健康与患病棘胸蛙肠道菌群结构差异显著。     

Towards the human intestinal microbiota phylogenetic core

The paradox of a host specificity of the human faecal microbiota otherwise acknowledged as characterized by global functionalities conserved between humans led us to explore the existence of a phylogenetic core. We investigated the presence of a set of bacterial molecular species that would be altogether dominant and prevalent within the faecal microbiota of healthy humans. A total of 10 456 non-chimeric bacterial 16S rRNA sequences were obtained after cloning of PCR-amplified rDNA from 17 human faecal DNA samples. Using alignment or tetranucleotide frequency-based methods, 3180 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected. The 16S rRNA sequences mainly belonged to the phyla Firmicutes (79.4%), Bacteroidetes (16.9%), Actinobacteria (2.5%), Proteobacteria (1%) and Verrumicrobia (0.1%). Interestingly, while most of OTUs appeared individual-specific, 2.1% were present in more than 50% of the samples and accounted for 35.8% of the total sequences. These 66 dominant and prevalent OTUs included members of the genera Faecalibacterium , Ruminococcus , Eubacterium , Dorea , Bacteroides , Alistipes and Bifidobacterium . Furthermore, 24 OTUs had cultured type strains representatives which should be subjected to genome sequence with a high degree of priority. Strikingly, 52 of these 66 OTUs were detected in at least three out of four recently published human faecal microbiota data sets, obtained with very different experimental procedures. A statistical model confirmed these OTUs prevalence. Despite the species richness and a high individual specificity, a limited number of OTUs is shared among individuals and might represent the phylogenetic core of the human intestinal microbiota. Its role in human health deserves further study.     

A putative G protein-coupled receptor involved in innate immune defense of Procambarus clarkii against bacterial infection

The immune functions of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) were widely investigated in mammals. However, limited researches on immune function of GPCRs were reported in invertebrates. In the present study, the immune functions of HP1R gene, a putative GPCR identified from red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii were reported. Expression of HP1R gene was significant up-regulated in response to heat-killed Aeromonas hydrophila challenge. HP1R gene silencing mediated by RNA interference significantly enhanced the susceptibility of red swamp crayfish to A. hydrophila and Vibrio alginolyticus, indicating that HP1R was required for red swamp crayfish to defend against bacterial challenge. In HP1R-silenced crayfish, increased bacterial burden and decreased THC in response to bacterial challenge were observed when compared with control crayfish. No significant difference of proPO gene expression was observed between HP1R-silenced and control crayfish after challenge with heat-killed A. hydrophila. However, PO activity in response to bacterial challenge was significantly reduced in HP1R-silenced crayfish. The results collectively indicated that HP1R was an important immune molecule which was required for red swamp crayfish to defend against bacterial infection.     

Impact of biochar application to soil on the root-associated bacterial community structure of fully developed greenhouse pepper plants

Adding biochar to soil has environmental and agricultural potential due to its long-term carbon sequestration capacity and its ability to improve crop productivity. Recent studies have demonstrated that soil-applied biochar promotes the systemic resistance of plants to several prominent foliar pathogens. One potential mechanism for this phenomenon is root-associated microbial elicitors whose presence is somehow augmented in the biochar-amended soils. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of biochar amendment on the root-associated bacterial community composition of mature sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants. Molecular fingerprinting (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism) of 16S rRNA gene fragments showed a clear differentiation between the root-associated bacterial community structures of biochar-amended and control plants. The pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons from the rhizoplane of both treatments generated a total of 20,142 sequences, 92 to 95% of which were affiliated with the Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes phyla. The relative abundance of members of the Bacteroidetes phylum increased from 12 to 30% as a result of biochar amendment, while that of the Proteobacteria decreased from 71 to 47%. The Bacteroidetes-affiliated Flavobacterium was the strongest biochar-induced genus. The relative abundance of this group increased from 4.2% of total root-associated operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in control samples to 19.6% in biochar-amended samples. Additional biochar-induced genera included chitin and cellulose degraders (Chitinophaga and Cellvibrio, respectively) and aromatic compound degraders (Hydrogenophaga and Dechloromonas). We hypothesize that these biochar-augmented genera may be at least partially responsible for the beneficial effect of biochar amendment on plant growth and viability.     

Comparison of the Cecal Microbiota of Domestic and Wild Turkeys

The extent to which production methods alter intestinal microbial communities of livestock is currently unknown. As the intestinal microbiota may affect animal health, nutrition, and food safety, a baseline comparison of the cecal communities of domestic and wild turkeys was performed. Oligonucleotide fingerprinting of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes (OFRG) of 2,990 16S rRNA clones and dot blot quantification of dominant populations were used to identify the dominant bacterial taxa. Seventy-three percent of all the clones belonged to as yet uncultured genera. However, at a higher phylogenetic level, the OFRG library was composed of 54% Bacteroidetes clones (52% of the domestic library clones, 56% of the wild library clones), 30% Firmicutes clones (33% of the domestic library clones, 32% of the wild library clones), 3% Proteobacteria clones (5% domestic, 2% wild), and 3% Deferribacteres clones (4% domestic, 1% wild). Seven percent of the clones were unidentifiable (6% domestic, 9% wild). Bacteroidetes clones included the genera Alistipes, Prevotella, Megamonas, and Bacteroides. Of the Clostridiales clones, groups IV, IX, and XIV including genera Faecalibacterium, Megasphaera, Phascolarctobacterium, and Papillibacter were predominant. Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, and Streptococcus bacilli were also identified. beta- delta- and gamma-proteobacterial genera included Acinetobacter, Sutterella, and Escherichia. Deferribacteres clones showed high similarity to Mucispirillum schaedleri. Statistical comparison of the domestic and wild turkey clone libraries indicated similar levels of community richness and evenness despite the fact that the two libraries shared only 30% of the total clone operational taxonomic units. Together these results indicate that although high level taxonomic community structure is similar, high-density turkey production causes considerable divergence of the genera found in the ceca of commercial birds from those of their wild counterparts.     

Broad Diversity and Newly Cultured Bacterial Isolates from Enrichment of Pig Feces on Complex Polysaccharides

One of the fascinating functions of mammalian intestinal microbiota is fermentation of plant cell wall components. Eight-week continuous culture enrichments of pig feces with cellulose and xylan/pectin were used to isolate bacteria from this community. A total of 575 bacterial isolates were classified phylogenetically using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Six phyla were represented in the bacterial isolates: Firmicutes (242), Bacteroidetes (185), Proteobacteria (65), Fusobacteria (55), Actinobacteria (23), and Synergistetes (5). The majority of the bacterial isolates had ≥97 % similarity to cultured bacteria with sequences in the RDP, but 179 isolates represent new species and/or genera. Within the Firmicutes isolates, most were classified in the families of Lachnospiraceae, Enterococcaceae, Staphylococcaceae, and Clostridiaceae I. The majority of the Bacteroidetes were most closely related to Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides ovatus, and B. xylanisolvens. Many of the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes isolates were identified as species that possess enzymes that ferment plant cell wall components, and the rest likely support these bacteria. The microbial communities that arose in these enrichment cultures had broad bacterial diversity. With over 30 % of the isolates not represented in culture, there are new opportunities to study genomic and metabolic capacities of these members of the complex intestinal microbiota.