Project description:Evidence shows that bacteria contribute actively to the decomposition of cellulose and hemicellulose in forest soil; however, their role in this process is still unclear. Here we performed the screening and identification of bacteria showing potential cellulolytic activity from litter and organic soil of a temperate oak forest. The genomes of three cellulolytic isolates previously described as abundant in this ecosystem were sequenced and their proteomes were characterized during the growth on plant biomass and on microcrystalline cellulose. Pedobacter and Mucilaginibacter showed complex enzymatic systems containing highly diverse carbohydrate-active enzymes for the degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose, which were functionally redundant for endoglucanases, -glucosidases, endoxylanases, -xylosidases, mannosidases and carbohydrate-binding modules. Luteibacter did not express any glycosyl hydrolases traditionally recognized as cellulases. Instead, cellulose decomposition was likely performed by an expressed GH23 family protein containing a cellulose-binding domain. Interestingly, the presence of plant lignocellulose as well as crystalline cellulose both trigger the production of a wide set of hydrolytic proteins including cellulases, hemicellulases and other glycosyl hydrolases. Our findings highlight the extensive and unexplored structural diversity of enzymatic systems in cellulolytic soil bacteria and indicate the roles of multiple abundant bacterial taxa in the decomposition of cellulose and other plant polysaccharides.
Project description:Comprehensive understanding of venom compositions and in-depth characterisation of the various proteoforms are necessary to aid the development of targeted antivenom strategies. This work utilises an integrated 'omics' and intact mass spectrometry-based approach to profile the diversity within the venom of the forest cobra.
Project description:Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition may affect soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition, thus affecting the global terrestrial carbon (C) cycle. However, it remains unclear how the level of N deposition affects SOC decomposition by regulating microbial community composition and function, especially C-cycling functional genes structure. We investigated the effects of short-term N addition on soil microbial C-cycling functional gene composition, SOC-degrading enzyme activities, and CO2 emission in a 5-year field experiment established in an artificial Pinus tabulaeformis forest on the Loess Plateau, China.
Project description:Pneumonia can seriously threaten the life of forest musk deer (an endangered species). To gain a comprehensive understanding of pneumonia pathogenesis in forest musk deer, iTRAQ-based proteomics analysis was performed in diseased (Phe group) and normal (Ctrl group) lung tissues of forest musk deer that died of pneumonia. Results showed that 355 proteins were differentially expressed (fold change ≥ 1.2 and Q < 0.05) in Phe vs Ctrl experiments. GO/KEGG annotation and enrichment analyses showed that dysregulated proteins might play vital roles in bacterial infection and immunity. Given the close association of bacterial infection and pneumonia, 32 dysregulated proteins related to Staphylococcus aureus infection, bacterial invasion of epithelial cells, and pathogenic Escherichia coli infection were screened out. Among these 32 proteins, 13 proteins were mapped to the bovine genome. Given the close phylogenetic relationships of forest musk deer and bovine, the protein-protein interaction networks of the above-ment
