Changes in assembly processes in soil bacterial communities following a wildfire disturbance

Although recent work has shown that both deterministic and stochastic processes are important in structuring microbial communities, the factors that affect the relative contributions of niche and neutral processes are poorly understood. The macrobiological literature indicates that ecological disturbances can influence assembly processes. Thus, we sampled bacterial communities at 4 and 16 weeks following a wildfire and used null deviation analysis to examine the role that time since disturbance has in community assembly. Fire dramatically altered bacterial community structure and diversity as well as soil chemistry for both time-points. Community structure shifted between 4 and 16 weeks for both burned and unburned communities. Community assembly in burned sites 4 weeks after fire was significantly more stochastic than in unburned sites. After 16 weeks, however, burned communities were significantly less stochastic than unburned communities. Thus, we propose a three-phase model featuring shifts in the relative importance of niche and neutral processes as a function of time since disturbance. Because neutral processes are characterized by a decoupling between environmental parameters and community structure, we hypothesize that a better understanding of community assembly may be important in determining where and when detailed studies of community composition are valuable for predicting ecosystem function.     

Toward defining the autoimmune microbiome for type 1 diabetes

Several studies have shown that gut bacteria have a role in diabetes in murine models. Specific bacteria have been correlated with the onset of diabetes in a rat model. However, it is unknown whether human intestinal microbes have a role in the development of autoimmunity that often leads to type 1 diabetes (T1D), an autoimmune disorder in which insulin-secreting pancreatic islet cells are destroyed. High-throughput, culture-independent approaches identified bacteria that correlate with the development of T1D-associated autoimmunity in young children who are at high genetic risk for this disorder. The level of bacterial diversity diminishes overtime in these autoimmune subjects relative to that of age-matched, genotype-matched, nonautoimmune individuals. A single species, Bacteroides ovatus, comprised nearly 24% of the total increase in the phylum Bacteroidetes in cases compared with controls. Conversely, another species in controls, represented by the human firmicute strain CO19, represented nearly 20% of the increase in Firmicutes compared with cases overtime. Three lines of evidence are presented that support the notion that, as healthy infants approach the toddler stage, their microbiomes become healthier and more stable, whereas, children who are destined for autoimmunity develop a microbiome that is less diverse and stable. Hence, the autoimmune microbiome for T1D may be distinctly different from that found in healthy children. These data also suggest bacterial markers for the early diagnosis of T1D. In addition, bacteria that negatively correlated with the autoimmune state may prove to be useful in the prevention of autoimmunity development in high-risk children.     

A generation‐time effect on the rate of molecular evolution in bacteria

Molecular evolutionary rate varies significantly among species and a strict global molecular clock has been rejected across the tree of life. Generation time is one primary life‐history trait that influences the molecular evolutionary rate. Theory predicts that organisms with shorter generation times evolve faster because of the accumulation of more DNA replication errors per unit time. Although the generation‐time effect has been demonstrated consistently in plants and animals, the evidence of its existence in bacteria is lacking. The bacterial phylum Firmicutes offers an excellent system for testing generation‐time effect because some of its members can enter a dormant, nonreproductive endospore state in response to harsh environmental conditions. It follows that spore‐forming bacteria would—with their longer generation times—evolve more slowly than their nonspore‐forming relatives. It is therefore surprising that a previous study found no generation‐time effect in Firmicutes. Using a phylogenetic comparative approach and leveraging on a large number of Firmicutes genomes, we found sporulation significantly reduces the genome‐wide spontaneous DNA mutation rate and protein evolutionary rate. Contrary to the previous study, our results provide strong evidence that the evolutionary rates of bacteria, like those of plants and animals, are influenced by generation time.     

精神分裂症患者肠道菌群特征与认知损害的关系

观察精神分裂症患者肠道菌群特征,并分析其与认知损害的关系。

选择2020年3月至2022年3月我院收治的175例精神分裂症患者作为研究对象。所有患者入院时均接受轻度认知损害筛查量表（sMCI）评估,根据认知损害发生情况,分为认知损害组和非认知损害组。统计两组患者一般资料和肠道菌群特征,分析精神分裂症患者肠道菌群特征与认知损害的关系。

175例精神分裂症患者中出现认知损害91例（52.00%）,未出现认知损害84例（48.00%）。认知损害组患者sMCI评分低于非认知损害组（P＜0.05）。两组患者肠道菌群α多样性比较差异无统计学意义（均P＞0.05）。两组对象肠道菌群的特征性物种在门水平为拟杆菌门（LDA = 2.54）,厚壁菌门（LDA = 4.25）;在纲水平为拟杆菌纲（LDA = 3.57）,梭菌纲（LDA = 4.31）;在科水平为产碱杆菌科（LDA = 4.23）和梭菌科（LDA = 2.76）;在属水平为萨特菌属（LDA = 3.18）。认知损害组患者肠道拟杆菌门丰度高于非认知损害组,厚壁菌门丰度低于非认知损害组;拟杆菌纲丰度高于非认知损害组,梭菌纲丰度低于非认知损害组;产碱杆菌科丰度高于非认知损害组,梭菌科丰度低于非认知损害组;萨特菌属丰度高于非认知损害组（均P＜0.05）。Logistics回归分析显示,高丰度的拟杆菌门、拟杆菌纲、产碱杆菌科、萨特菌属是精神分裂症患者发生认知损害的危险因素（OR＞1,均P＜0.05）;高丰度的厚壁菌门、梭菌纲是精神分裂症患者发生认知损害的保护因素（OR＜1,均P＜0.05）。

精神分裂症患者肠道菌群结构显著失衡,且部分菌群丰度与认知损害密切相关。