Project description:Lactobacillus casei is remarkably adaptive to diverse habitats. To understand the evolution and adaptation of Lb. casei strains isolated from different environments, the gene content of 22 Lb. casei strains isolated from various habitats (cheeses, n=8; plant materials, n=8; and human sources, n=6) were examined by comparative genome hybridization with an Lb. casei ATCC 334-based microarray.
Project description:Lactobacillus casei is remarkably adaptive to diverse habitats. To understand the evolution and adaptation of Lb. casei strains isolated from different environments, the gene content of 22 Lb. casei strains isolated from various habitats (cheeses, n=8; plant materials, n=8; and human sources, n=6) were examined by comparative genome hybridization with an Lb. casei ATCC 334-based microarray. Comparative genome hybridization was performed against an Affymetrix custom microarray designed to include 2,661 (97%) chromosomal and 17 (85%) plasmid CDSs predicted to occur in Lb. casei ATCC 334, as well as all predicted CDSs in the draft Lb. helveticus CNRZ 32 genome. CDSs that were not included in the microarray design were all transposase-encoding genes.
Project description:<p>Microorganisms secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs) that transport bioactive molecules such as proteins, metabolites, and enzymes. While their functions are well studied in model microbes, their ecological contributions to natural ecosystems remain largely unexplored.To address this issue, we performed a year-long, integrative study investigating the role of environmental EVs in shaping microbial community assembly in the Xinglinwan Reservoir (XLR). By combining shotgun metagenomics, genome-scale metabolic modelling, and multi-omics of field EVs, we found that EVs mediated metabolite exchanges mainly through carrying signal molecules, amino acids, disaccharides, and CAZymes. These cargoes could be derived from the metabolisms within EVs or directly sourced from their donors, and were closely linked to the carbon cycle and nitrogen metabolism in aquatic environments. In addition, EVs increased the contribution of stochastic processes to the community assembly and improved the stability of the community by maintaining high functional redundancy. Our study demonstrates that EV-mediated metabolic exchanges are prevalent in aquatic communities and pivotal for shaping community assembly and driving biogeochemical cycles. These results clarify the ecological functions of EVs in natural habitats and provide new insights into manipulating microbial communities through controlling environmental EVs.</p>
Project description:Transcription profile of 12 wt S.paradoxus strains originating from diverse geographical origins and natural habitats. Transcription profiles in two conditioins were compared: growth on glucose and growth on the naturally rare pentose sugar xylulose.
Project description:Transcription profile of 12 wt S.cerevisiae strains originating from diverse geographical origins and natural habitats. Transcription profiles in two conditioins were compared: growth on glucose and growth on the naturally rare pentose sugar xylulose.
Project description:Rapid phenotypic changes in adaptive traits are crucial for organisms to thrive in changing environments. Alternanthera philoxeroides, originally a terrestrial plant from South America, has become an invasive weed in Asia, capable of colonizing both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. The mechanism by which this invasive habitat is rapidly achieved without genetic variation remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that miRNA activity in A. philoxeroides plays a significant role in its high invasive capacity. Our results highlight that an intact miRNA pathway is essential for the survival of A.philoxeroides in aquatic habitats. We identified one key miRNA, Aph-miR162, that promotes rapid elongation of stem in aquatic environments. Upon water submergence, the levels of miR162 significantly increased in stems from 3 hours to 24 hours. TRV based VIGS-mediated knockdown of Aph-miR162 significantly disrupted stem elongation in water submergence condition, ultimately resulting in a failure of plants protruding from the water surface. Interestingly, miR162 was not up-regulated in the non-invasive sibling species Alternanthera pungens, which also originates from South America but has retained its original terrestrial habitats in Asia. More importantly, delivering the antisense RNA oligos complementary to Aph-miR162 via the nanoparticle method significantly impaired stem elongation upon water submergence, causing A. philoxeroides to wither after 2-3 weeks. Thus, our findings reveal that the miRNA pathway can drive rapid phenotypic variation, facilitating adaptation to aquatic environments. Importantly, miR162 has the potential as a bio-pesticide for controlling the invasive capacity of A. philoxeroides.
Project description:Diquat, a bipyridinium aquatic herbicide, targets freshwater weeds but may also affect non-target species, such as the mosquito Aedes albopictus, in shared habitats. These results provide the first molecular insights into the effects of herbicides on aquatic dipterans, with implications for vector ecology, insecticide cross-resistance, and environmental risk assessment.
Project description:Transcription profile of 12 wt S.paradoxus strains originating from diverse geographical origins and natural habitats. Transcription profiles in two conditioins were compared: growth on glucose and growth on the naturally rare pentose sugar xylulose. Two condition experiment, growth on glucose and on xylulose, 12 wt S.paradoxus strains
Project description:Transcription profile of 12 wt S.cerevisiae strains originating from diverse geographical origins and natural habitats. Transcription profiles in two conditioins were compared: growth on glucose and growth on the naturally rare pentose sugar xylulose. Two condition experiment, growth on glucose and on xylulose, 12 wt S. cerevisiae strains, two biological replicates