Absorption of mulberry root urease to the hemolymph of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Mulberry leaves are the sole diet of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The host urease is incorporated into the larval hemolymph and involved in nitrogen metabolism in the insect. To investigate the selective absorption of the host urease to the larvae, crude urease was prepared from mulberry leaves and roots. Root urease was identical to leaf urease on the basis of electrophoretic analyses: (1) the urease activity appeared in the same migration position in a native gel; (2) There was no difference in molecular mass of the subunit. The root urease was orally injected to the fifth instar larvae of the silkworm. Just before spinning, the larvae absorbed intact urease from the midgut lumen to the hemolymph without the loss of activity. The capacity to absorb urease occurred only at the specific stage. Localization of host urease in midgut tissue was observed using confocal laser scanning microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Based on spatial distribution of immunofluorescent signals and immunogold particles, host urease specifically attached to the surfaces of microvilli existing in the apical side of columnar cells and appeared in the cytoplasm of the cells for transport to the hemolymph. The incorporation efficiency of root urease into the hemolymph was significantly higher than for ureases from jack bean seeds and Bacillus pasteurii. The urease that was transported to the hemolymph was electrophoretically altered, compared with the host urease extracted.     

Exploring the bovine rumen bacterial community from birth to adulthood

The mammalian gut microbiota is essential in shaping many of its host''s functional attributes. One such microbiota resides in the bovine digestive tract in a compartment termed as the rumen. The rumen microbiota is necessary for the proper physiological development of the rumen and for the animal''s ability to digest and convert plant mass into food products, making it highly significant to humans. The establishment of this microbial population and the changes occurring with the host''s age are important for understanding this key microbial community. Despite its importance, little information about colonization of the microbial populations in newborn animals, and the gradual changes occurring thereafter, exists. Here, we characterized the overall bovine ruminal bacterial populations of five age groups, from 1-day-old calves to 2-year-old cows. We describe the changes occurring in the rumen ecosystem after birth, reflected by a decline in aerobic and facultative anaerobic taxa and an increase in anaerobic ones. Some rumen bacteria that are essential for mature rumen function could be detected as early as 1 day after birth, long before the rumen is active or even before ingestion of plant material occurs. The diversity and within-group similarity increased with age, suggesting a more diverse but homogeneous and specific mature community, compared with the more heterogeneous and less diverse primary community. In addition, a convergence toward a mature bacterial arrangement with age was observed. These findings have also been reported for human gut microbiota, suggesting that similar forces drive the establishment of gut microbiotas in these two distinct mammalian digestive systems.     

Alterations and Mechanism of Gut Microbiota in Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

To explore the role of gut microbiota in Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT). Seventy fecal samples were collected, including 27 patients with GD, 27 with HT, and 16 samples from healthy volunteers. Chemiluminescence was used to detect thyroid function and autoantibodies (FT3, FT4, TSH, TRAb, TGAb, and TPOAb); thyroid ultrasound and 16S sequencing were used to analyze the bacteria in fecal samples; KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) and COG (Clusters of Orthologous Groups) were used to analyze the functional prediction and pathogenesis. The overall structure of gut microbiota in the GD and HT groups was significantly different from the healthy control group. Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria contents were the highest in the HT group. Compared to the control group, the GD and HT groups had a higher abundance of Erysipelotrichia, Cyanobacteria, and Ruminococcus_2 and lower levels of Bacillaceae and Megamonas. Further analysis of KEGG found that the “ABC transporter” metabolic pathway was highly correlated with the occurrence of GD and HT. COG analysis showed that the GD and HT groups were enriched in carbohydrate transport and metabolism compared to the healthy control group but not in amino acid transport and metabolism. Our data suggested that Bacillus, Blautia, and Ornithinimicrobium could be used as potential markers to distinguish GD and HT from the healthy population and that “ABC transporter” metabolic pathway may be involved in the pathogenesis of GD and HT.     

The Component and Functional Pathways of Gut Microbiota are Altered in Populations with Poor Sleep Quality – A Preliminary Report

With the development of genome sequencing, many researchers have investigated the mechanism by which the intestinal microbiota influences sleep across the brain-gut axis. However, the relationship between gut microbiota and sleep disorder remains unclear. Thus, we studied the difference in gut microbiota composition between poor sleep quality- and normal populations, which helps set the ground for future research. The recruited college students provided baseline information and stool samples and completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). We compared the two groups’ gut microbiota composition and functional differentiation by using the 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. The main bacterial difference and the most critical effect were mainly concentrated within Tenericutes and Elusimicrobia. Compared with the healthy control group, some functions of the gut microbiota were impaired in the poor sleep quality group, such as butanoate metabolism and propanoate metabolism. Bacterial taxa with significant differences raised the possibility for future diagnosis and treatment of sleep problems.     

Deploying microbes as drivers and indicators in ecological restoration

Ecosystem degradation is a major environmental threat. Beyond conservation, restoration of degraded ecosystems is a prerequisite to reinstate their ability to provide essential services and benefits. Most of the restoration efforts focus on aboveground restoration, that is, plants, under the assumption that establishment of plant species will reestablish the faunal and microbial species. While this may be true for some cases, it is not a general rule. Reestablishment of microbial communities by dedicated efforts is also necessary for successful restoration, as cycling of essential nutrients for plant growth and decomposition of organic matter is dependent on them. The role of microbial fertilizers and efficient organisms used in agriculture needs to be explored in restoration. Testing of symbiotic interactions between potential plant growth-promoting Rhizobacteria and plants native to a degraded ecosystem can be conducted and utilized for successful establishment of plant species. However, utmost care must be taken while introducing new microbial species or non-native plant species to an area, as they can adversely affect the resident microbial community. Techniques like phospholipid fatty-acid analysis can be used for taxonomic identification of large microbial groups in non-degraded reference ecosystems before introducing microbial species into a degraded ecosystem. For use of microbes in restoration, more studies on microbe-plant interactions need to be conducted. For use of Soil Microbial Community (SMC) as indicators of restoration, their role and function in the ecology of the area need to be elucidated by employing all the available techniques.     

天然药物通过重构肠道菌群减少动脉粥样硬化风险的研究进展

动脉粥样硬化（atherosclerosis,AS）是冠心病（coronary atherosclerotic heart disease,CAD）的发病基础。参与AS形成的原因有很多,近年来的研究表明依赖肠道菌群的胆碱代谢物氧化三甲胺（trimethylamine oxide,TMAO）也与AS的发生、发展有关。天然药物具有生物多效性,有研究表明其中的多酚类成分可通过影响肠道菌群的多样性减少AS的风险。本文就天然药物与肠道菌群和AS关系的研究进展进行综述。     

Comparative metagenomics revealed commonly enriched gene sets in human gut microbiomes.

Numerous microbes inhabit the human intestine, many of which are uncharacterized or uncultivable. They form a complex microbial community that deeply affects human physiology. To identify the genomic features common to all human gut microbiomes as well as those variable among them, we performed a large-scale comparative metagenomic analysis of fecal samples from 13 healthy individuals of various ages, including unweaned infants. We found that, while the gut microbiota from unweaned infants were simple and showed a high inter-individual variation in taxonomic and gene composition, those from adults and weaned children were more complex but showed a high functional uniformity regardless of age or sex. In searching for the genes over-represented in gut microbiomes, we identified 237 gene families commonly enriched in adult-type and 136 families in infant-type microbiomes, with a small overlap. An analysis of their predicted functions revealed various strategies employed by each type of microbiota to adapt to its intestinal environment, suggesting that these gene sets encode the core functions of adult and infant-type gut microbiota. By analysing the orphan genes, 647 new gene families were identified to be exclusively present in human intestinal microbiomes. In addition, we discovered a conjugative transposon family explosively amplified in human gut microbiomes, which strongly suggests that the intestine is a 'hot spot' for horizontal gene transfer between microbes.     

Effects of lactoferrin and lactoperoxidase‐containing food on the oral microbiota of older individuals

The oral microbiota influences health and disease states. Some gram‐negative anaerobic bacteria play important roles in tissue destruction associated with periodontal disease. Lactoferrin (LF) and lactoperoxidase (LPO) are antimicrobial proteins found in saliva; however, their influence on the whole oral microbiota currently remains unknown. In this randomized, double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled study, the effects of long‐term ingestion of LF and LPO‐containing tablets on the microbiota of supragingival plaque and tongue coating were assessed. Forty‐six older individuals ingested placebo or test tablets after every meal for 8 weeks. The relative abundance of bacterial species was assessed by 16S rRNA gene high‐throughput sequencing. Most of the bacterial species in supragingival plaque and tongue coating that exhibited significant decreases in the test group were gram‐negative bacteria, including periodontal pathogens. Decreases in the total relative abundance of gram‐negative organisms in supragingival plaque and tongue coating correlated with improvements in assessed variables related to oral health, such as oral malodor and plaque accumulation. Furthermore, there was significantly less microbiota diversity in supragingival plaque at 8 weeks in the test group than in the placebo group and low microbiota diversity correlated with improvements in assessed variables related to oral health. These results suggest that LF and LPO‐containing tablets promote a shift from a highly diverse and gram‐negative‐dominated to a gram‐positive‐dominated community in the microbiota of supragingival plaque and tongue coating. This microbial shift may contribute to improvements in oral health, including oral malodor and state of the gingiva.

     

肠道菌群对耐碳青霉烯类肠杆菌科细菌定殖抗性的研究进展

耐碳青霉烯类肠杆菌科细菌(carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae,CRE)在肠腔中定殖通常先于或并存于CRE的感染.正常情况下,定殖的CRE、肠道菌群和宿主相互作用,处于稳定平衡的状态,当肠道菌群出现失调时,肠道正常菌群失去对定殖CRE的抵抗力,增加CRE感染的风险.大量研究表明...     

铁皮石斛对脾虚便秘小鼠肠道菌群多样性的影响

探讨铁皮石斛对脾虚便秘小鼠肠道菌群的影响,为铁皮石斛对脾虚便秘的疗效机制及临床组方提供依据。

选取12只SPF级昆明小鼠随机分为正常组、模型组、铁皮石斛组和枳术汤组,每组3只。造模阶段正常组灌胃无菌水,模型组和治疗组采用番泻叶水煎液灌胃7 d后,限制饮食饮水8 d,建立脾虚便秘模型。造模成功后,正常组和模型组灌胃无菌水,治疗组分别以铁皮石斛和枳术汤水煎液干预5 d。治疗结束后,收集各组小鼠盲肠内容物样本进行16S rDNA高通量测序。

脾虚便秘小鼠排便量减少,粪便细小,干燥,质硬,呈黄色。铁皮石斛和枳术汤分别治疗后,小鼠排便量增加,粪便软硬适中,呈黑褐色。测序分析发现,正常组与铁皮石斛组的共有OTU数最多,与枳术汤组的共有OTU数最少。α−多样性指数与PCA结果表明,铁皮石斛组菌属结构较其余两组更接近正常组小鼠。物种相对丰度及组成结果表明,铁皮石斛增加了脾虚便秘小鼠双歧杆菌属相对丰度,抑制了乳杆菌属、拟杆菌属相对丰度,但对菌群丰度的调节作用不及枳术汤;LEfSe分析与随机森林分析鉴定出布劳特菌属和活泼瘤胃球菌是铁皮石斛组与其他组别的差异菌群。

铁皮石斛能恢复脾虚便秘小鼠肠道菌群的多样性,可调节肠道菌群相对丰度,布劳特菌属和活泼瘤胃球菌可能是铁皮石斛干预脾虚便秘小鼠的肠道关键指示菌。