Project description:RNA-Seq analysis of bacterial cultures of Nautella italica R11, Wild type strain and a RaiR gene disruption strain in the presence and absence of the red macroalga Delisea pulchra
Project description:Background: The soil environment is responsible for sustaining most terrestrial plant life on earth, yet we know surprisingly little about the important functions carried out by diverse microbial communities in soil. Soil microbes that inhabit the channels of decaying root systems, the detritusphere, are likely to be essential for plant growth and health, as these channels are the preferred locations of new root growth. Understanding the microbial metagenome of the detritusphere and how it responds to agricultural management such as crop rotations and soil tillage will be vital for improving global food production. Methods: The rhizosphere soils of wheat and chickpea growing under + and - decaying root were collected for metagenomics sequencing. A gene catalogue was established by de novo assembling metagenomic sequencing. Genes abundance was compared between bulk soil and rhizosphere soils under different treatments. Conclusions: The study describes the diversity and functional capacity of a high-quality soil microbial metagenome. The results demonstrate the contribution of the microbiome from decaying root in determining the metagenome of developing root systems, which is fundamental to plant growth, since roots preferentially inhabit previous root channels. Modifications in root microbial function through soil management, can ultimately govern plant health, productivity and food security.
Project description:Hypnea musciformis is a red macroalga that is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. It is known to contain various bioactive compounds, including sulfated polysaccharides, flavonoids, and phlorotannins. Recent studies have investigated the potential anticancer effects of extracts from Hypnea musciformis demonstrating their have cytotoxic effects on various cancer cell lines. The anticancer effects of these extracts are thought to be due to the presence of bioactive compounds, which have been shown to have antitumor and immunomodulatory effects. However, further studies are needed to fully understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie these anticancer effects and to determine their potential as therapeutic agents for cancer treatment. We have performed transcriptome and proteome analysis in liver and colon cancer human cell lines following treatment with Hypnea musciformis macroalgae extracts to characterize its anti-tumor effect in detail at the molecular level and to link transcriptome and proteome responses to the observed phenotypes in vitro. We have identified that treatment with the macroalgae extract triggers p53-mediated response at the transcriptional and protein level in liver cancer cells, in contrast to colon cancer cells in which the effects are associated with metabolic changes. Overall, the available evidence suggests that extracts from Hypnea musciformis have the potential to serve as a source of anticancer agents in liver cancer cells through the activation of a p53-mediated anti-tumor response that is linked to inhibition of cellular proliferation and induction of apoptosis.
Project description:Sequencing the metatranscriptome can provide information about the response of organisms to varying environmental conditions. We present a methodology for obtaining random whole-community mRNA from a complex microbial assemblage using Pyrosequencing. The metatranscriptome had, with minimum contamination by ribosomal RNA, significant coverage of abundant transcripts, and included significantly more potentially novel proteins than in the metagenome. Keywords: metatranscriptome, mesocosm, ocean acidification