Relationships between bacterial productivity and organic carbon at a soil—stream interface

Microbial communities at soil-stream interfaces may be particularly important in regulating amounts and forms of nutrients that leave upland soils and enter stream ecosystems. While microbial communities are thought to be responsible for key nutrient transformations within near-stream sediments, there is relatively little mechanistic information on factors that control microbial activities in these areas. In this study, we examine the roles of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) vs. particulate organic carbon (POC) as potential controls on rates of bacterial productivity (measured as incorporation of [3H]thymidine into bacterial DNA) and amounts of bacterial biomass (measured as fatty acid yield) in sediments along a transect perpendicular to a soil–stream interface. We hypothesized that spatial patterns in bacterial productivity would vary in response to strong and persistent patterns in pore-water concentrations of DOC that were observed along a soil-stream transect throughout a 2-year period. Our results did not support the existence of such a link between pore-water DOC and bacterial productivity. In contrast, we found bacterial productivity and biomass were related to small-scale spatial variations in sediment POC on 3 of 4 sample dates. While our results indicate that total bacterial productivity in near-stream sediments is not consistently linked to spatial variations in pore-water DOC, it is likely that DOC and POC are not mutually exclusive and the relative contribution of DOC and POC to sedimentary microbes varies temporally and spatially in different riparian habitats. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Phosphatidylethanolamine Deficiency Impairs Escherichia coli Adhesion by Downregulating Lipopolysaccharide Synthesis,Which is Reversible by High Galactose/Lactose Cultivation

As the initiation step of bacterial infection or biofouling, bacterial adhesion on cells or substrates is generally an optimal target for antibacterial design. Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) is the principal phospholipid in bacteria, and its function in bacterial adhesion remains unclear. In this study, four E. coli strains including two PE-deficient mutants (PE^?PC^? and PE^?PC^+?strains) and two PE-containing wild-type controls (PE?⁺?PC^? strains) were recruited to investigate the influence of PE deficiency on bacterial adhesion. We found that PE deficiency could impair E. coli adhesion on macrophages (human THP-1-derived and mouse RAW264.7 macrophages) or glass coverslips by downregulating lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis, which could be reversible by high galactose/lactose but not glucose cultivation. The data imply that PE play important role in bacterial adhesion probably via affecting LPS biosynthesis and suggest that targeting PE biosynthesis is also a potential antibacterial strategy.     

山东地区盐碱土花生种子际土壤微生物群落结构的研究

【目的】以不同含盐量的滨海盐土、内陆盐碱土和中等肥力非盐碱土壤为实验对象,探讨花生种子在吸水膨胀与萌发过程中,不同类型盐碱土对种子际土壤微生物多样性变化的影响。【方法】采集不同含盐量的滨海盐土、内陆盐碱土和中等肥力非盐碱土壤,通过对各样品中细菌的16S r RNA基因的V3-V4区进行PCR扩增,利用Illumina Hiseq高通量测序技术对12份V3-V4高变区PCR产物进行测序,并对测序数据进行生物信息学分析。【结果】(1)盐碱土壤的种子际细菌群落多样性高于非盐碱土壤,且以东营青坨滨海盐土种子际土壤细菌群落多样性较高。(2)不同类型土壤样本微生物群落结构在纲水平存在明显差异。4种土壤类型种子际土壤细菌共分属于6个菌纲,分别为Proteobacteria、Actinobacteria、Actinobacteria、Bacteroidetes、Acidobacteria和Firmicutes菌纲,并均以Proteobacteria和Actinobacteria菌纲为主要菌纲。全样本菌落结构分析结果表明,4种类型土壤中不同吸胀时间内种子际微生物菌落在门、属水平上的类型和丰度差异最为显著(P0.05)。(3)beta多样性分析和各样本遗传距离(phylogenetic distances)聚类树图分析表明,4个土壤类型的12个土壤样本种子际土壤中微生物群落均可聚为2大类。【结论】土壤含盐量越高其种子际土壤细菌群落多样性较高。不同类型土壤样本微生物群落结构在纲水平存在明显差异,以Proteobacteria和Actinobacteria菌纲为主要菌纲。种子吸胀萌发时间影响种子际微生物菌落在门、属水平上的类型和丰度,但对相同土壤类型样本间遗传距离无影响。     

火棘不同组织内生细菌群落多样性

为了解火棘不同组织内生细菌群落多样性,该研究采用高通量测序技术对火棘内生细菌16S rRNA V5～V7可变区进行测序,分析火棘不同组织部位内生细菌群落多样性。结果表明:(1)从火棘根、茎、叶组织中共获得内生细菌OTU 1 818个,其中根部754个,茎部 308 个,叶部756个,三者共有 OTU 152 个。(2)物种分类显示,不同火棘组织内生细菌具有丰富的群落多样性,火棘根部内生细菌种类隶属于23门53纲137目216科373属557种,其中异样根瘤菌属(Allorhizobium-Neorhizobium-Pararhizobium-Rhizobium)和链霉菌属(Streptomyces)为优势属,其相对丰度分别为 10.57%和 8.00%; 茎部内生细菌种类隶属于21门32纲76目126科204属270种,其中马赛菌属(Massilia)和未知分类的丛毛单胞菌科属(unclassified_f_Comamonadaceae)为优势属,其相对丰度分别为31.10%和12.82%; 叶部内生细菌种类隶属于21门52纲130目210科380属581种,其中土芽孢杆菌属(Geobacillus)和假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)为优势属,其相对丰度分别为12.31%和9.84%。(3)PICRUSt功能预测表明,根部内生细菌物种最丰富,参与各种代谢调控的细菌丰度最高。该研究结果为进一步探讨植物内生细菌功能,挖掘新的有益微生物资源提供了参考。     

Parasitoids as vectors of facultative bacterial endosymbionts in aphids

Heritable bacterial endosymbionts play an important role in aphid ecology. Sequence-based evidence suggests that facultative symbionts such as Hamiltonella defensa or Regiella insecticola also undergo horizontal transmission. Other than through male-to-female transfer during the sexual generation in autumn, the routes by which this occurs remain largely unknown. Here, we tested if parasitoids or ectoparasitic mites can act as vectors for horizontal transfer of facultative symbionts. Using symbiont-specific primers for diagnostic PCR, we demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, that parasitoids can indeed transfer H. defensa and R. insecticola by sequentially stabbing infected and uninfected individuals of their host, Aphis fabae, establishing new, heritable infections. Thus, a natural route of horizontal symbiont transmission is also available during the many clonal generations of the aphid life cycle. No transmissions by ectoparasitic mites were observed, nor did parasitoids that emerged from symbiont-infected aphids transfer any symbionts in our experiments.     

Biosynthesis and transport of envelope proteins of Escherichia coli

Bacterial protein synthesis takes place in the cytoplasm, thus periplasmic and outer membrane proteins pass through the cytoplasmic membrane during their dispatch to the cell envelope. The exported proteins are synthesized as precursor that contains an extra amino-terminal sequence of amino-acids. This sequence, termed "signal sequence", is essential for transport of the envelope proteins through the inner membrane and is cleaved during the exportation process. Various hypotheses for the mechanism have been presented, and it is likely that no signal model will be suitable to the export of all cell envelope proteins. This review is focused on the relationship between the cytoplasmic membrane and the precursor form. The physiological state of the membrane - fluidity, membrane potential for instance - is the strategic requirement of exportation process. Precursors can be accumulated in whole cells with various treatments which alter the cytoplasmic membrane. This inhibition of processing is obtained by modification of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids ratio or with phenylethyl alcohol which perturbs the membrane fluidity, with uncoupler agents such as carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone which dissipate the proton motive force, or with hybrid proteins which get jamming in the membrane. However, little is known about the early steps of translocation process across the cytoplasmic membrane ; for instance, it is not clear yet whether energy is required for either or both of the first interaction membrane-precursor and the crossing through the membrane. Several studies have recently shown the presence of exportation sites and of proteins which might play a prominent role in the export process, but the mechanism of discrimination between outer membrane proteins and periplasmic proteins is unknown. Considerable work has been done by genetic or biochemical methods and we have now the first lights of the expert mechanism.     

黄河三角洲刺槐白蜡混交对土壤细菌群落结构及多样性的影响

为探讨黄河三角洲刺槐白蜡混交对土壤细菌群落结构及多样性的影响,通过高通量测序技术分析比较了刺槐白蜡混交林及刺槐纯林、白蜡纯林土壤细菌群落结构及多样性。结果表明:(1)混交林与两种纯林土壤细菌群落共36门。酸杆菌门、变形菌门、放线菌门(相对丰度大于10%)为刺槐白蜡混交林与两种纯林土壤中共有的优势菌群;硝化螺旋菌门为刺槐纯林土壤中的优势菌群。不同人工林土壤中各门细菌相对丰度差异显著。(2)混交改变了土壤细菌群落结构,提高了细菌多样性。刺槐白蜡混交林土壤细菌物种数、Chao1指数、Shannon指数分别为1934.5、2629.1、9.1,显著高于两种纯林。(3)相关性分析表明,土壤含水量与放线菌门细菌呈显著正相关;pH与芽单胞菌门细菌呈极显著正相关,与酸杆菌门细菌呈显著负相关。细菌多样性与土壤含水量呈显著正相关,与速效钾、有机质含量呈显著负相关。研究表明,刺槐白蜡混交林土壤细菌群落结构与两种纯林之间有一定差异,多样性差异显著,刺槐白蜡混交改变细菌群落结构,提高细菌多样性。     

Effects of Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) on the spread of the bacterium Pseudomonas tolaasii in mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus)

The effects of mass-produced saprobic rhabditid nematodes, Caenorhabditis elegans on the spread of the bacterial blotch pathogen, Pseudomonas tolaasii , were studied in mushroom growth chambers. C. elegans significantly reduced the intensity of blotch on sporophores. Repeated isolations of the bacterial flora from the gut of C. elegans recovered from mushroom sporophores during cropping, revealed the presence of Pseudomonas fluorescens biovar reactans . All the isolates of P. fluorescens biovar reactans isolated from nematodes were antagonists of P. tolaasii .
C. elegans produced much larger populations in monoxenic cultures with P. fluorescens biovar reactans than with P. tolaasii . It is suggested that as C. elegans selects P. fluorescens biovar reactans rather than P. tolaasii as a food substrate it probably spreads the antagonist in the mushroom crop and may contribute to the control of bacterial blotch.     

Relative importance of the effect of 2,4-D,glyphosate, and environmental variables on the soil microbial biomass

Two post-emergence herbicides (glyphosate and 2,4-D) were applied at field application levels to tilled field plots in a mixed cropping area in south-central Alberta. The effects of these chemicals on certain variables associated with microbial biomass and activity were monitored in these plots (as well as corresponding control plots) for 45 days. Glyphosate did not influence any of the microbial variables tested. Addition of 2,4-D significantly influenced all microbial variables investigated but these effects were transient, being detectable only within the first 1–5 days of herbicide addition. The effects of 2,4-D addition on the microbial variables tested, even when significant, were typically small and probably of little ecological consequence especially when spatial and temporal variation in these variables is taken into account.