This study investigates A. mellifera gut microbiota diversity and enzymatic activities, aiming to utilize identified isolates for practical applications in sustainable crop residue management and soil health enhancement. This study sampled honey bees, analyzed gut bacterial diversity via 16S rRNA gene, and screened isolates for cellulolytic, hemicellulolytic, and pectinolytic activities, with subsequent assessment of enzymatic potential. The study reveals that cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic bacterial isolates, mainly from γ-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes, have significant potential for crop residue management. Some genera, like Aneurinibacillus, Bacillus, Clostridium, Enterobacter, Serratia, Stenotrophomonas, Apilactobacillus, Lysinibacillus, and Pseudomonas, are very good at breaking down cellulose and hemicellulase. Notable cellulose-degrading genera include Cedecea (1.390 ± 0.57), Clostridium (1.360 ± 0.86 U/mg), Enterobacter (1.493 ± 1.10 U/mg), Klebsiella (1.380 ± 2.03 U/mg), and Serratia (1.402 ± 0.31 U/mg), while Aneurinibacillus (1.213 ± 1.12 U/mg), Bacillus (3.119 ± 0.55 U/mg), Enterobacter (1.042 ± 0.14 U/mg), Serratia (1.589 ± 0.05 U/mg), and Xanthomonas (1.156 ± 0.08 U/mg) excel in hemicellulase activity. Specific isolates with high cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic activities are identified, highlighting their potential for crop residue management. The research explores gut bacterial compartmentalization in A. mellifera, emphasising gut physiology's role in cellulose and hemicellulose digestion. Pectinolytic activity is observed, particularly in the Bacillaceae clade (3.229 ± 0.02), contributing to understanding the honey bee gut microbiome. The findings offer insights into microbiome diversity and enzymatic capabilities, with implications for biotechnological applications in sustainable crop residue management. The study concludes by emphasizing the need for ongoing research to uncover underlying mechanisms and ecological factors influencing gut microbiota, impacting honey bee health, colony dynamics, and advancements in crop residue management.
Plasmids pNP40 and pUC11B encode two prevalent yet divergent conjugation systems, which have been characterized in detail recently. Here, we report the elucidation of the putative adhesins of the pNP40 and pUC11B conjugation systems, encoded by traAd and trsAd, respectively. Despite their significant sequence divergence, TraAd and TrsAd represent the most conserved component between the pNP40- and the pUC11B-encoded conjugation systems and share similar peptidoglycan-hydrolase domains. Protein structure prediction using AlphaFold2 highlighted the structural similarities between their predicted domains, as well as the potential homo-dimeric state of both proteins. Expression of the putative surface adhesins resulted in a cell clumping phenotype not only among cells expressing these surface adhesins but also between adhesin-expressing and non-producing cells. Furthermore, mutant derivatives of plasmids pNP40 or pUC11B carrying a mutation in traAd or trsAd, respectively, were shown to act as efficient donors provided the corresponding recipient expresses either traAd or trsAd, thus demonstrating in trans reciprocal complementarity of these proteins in conjugation systems.
Microbial genetic resources, as part of world's biodiversity, are the backbone of all ecosystems. Their application in agri-food and industrial production has proven to be vital for the advancement of humankind. Today, amidst challenges stemming from population growth, climate change, shrinking arable land and increasing pollution, high-impact research on microbial genetic resources with the potential to strengthen the resilience of world agricultural production and safeguard human food security have been developed. Specifically, research on microbial genetic resources has focused on enhancing plant growth and health, improving soil quality and pollutant degradation, among other functions. Thus, this special issue will seek to bring together the advances and current state-of-the-art science in the search for, characterization, identification, evaluation, transfer and innovation of microbial genetic resources as key elements in migrating towards sustainable agriculture.
Plants have a microbiome, a diverse community of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, living inside and on their tissues. Versatile endophytic microorganisms inhabited in every plant part without causing disease and develop endophytic microbiome or endo-microbiome. Plant endo-microbiome are drawn by the nutrient rich micro-environment, and in turn some microbes mutualistically endorse and protect plant from adverse environmental stresses. Plant endo-microbiome interact within well-designed host equilibrium containing xylem, phloem, nutrients, phytohormones, metabolites and shift according to environmental and nutritional change. Plant endo-microbiome regulate and respond to environmental variations, pathogens, herbivores by producing stress regulators, organic acids, secondary metabolites, stress hormones as well as unknown substances and signalling molecules. Endomicrobiome efficiently synthesizes multiple bioactive compounds, stress phytohormones with high competence. The technological innovation as next generation genomics biology and high-throughput multiomics techniques stepping stones on the illumination of critical endo-microbiome communities and functional characterization that aid in improving plant physiology, biochemistry and immunity interplay for best crop productivity. This review article contains deeper insight in endomicrobiome related research work in last years, recruitment, niche development, nutrient dynamics, stress removal mechanisms, bioactive services in plant health development, community architecture and communication, and immunity interplay in producing stress resilient future crop.
Bambusa bambos (B.B) biomass is cellulose rich lignocellulosic material, containing 47.49% cellulose, 17.49% hemicellulose, 23.56% lignin was used as a potential substrate for bioethanol production. The research paper investigates the use of B.B biomass as a substrate for bio-ethanol production through a two-phase catalytic conversion process. Four water-regulated regimes were identified to optimize the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to biofuel precursors. The catalytic hydrolysis of B.B using CuCl2 was conducted for 10 hours at 110˚C, in aprotic ionic liquid (1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride) medium. The concentrations of glucose and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) were measured while varying the amount of water addition. Water played a crucial role in the conversion of cellulose to glucose and 5-HMF by influencing product yields through the interplay of transport properties like heat conduction and viscosity. The highest glucose yield was achieved at 60.82% when operating at a water inclusion rate of 115.72 µL water/h for a duration of 6 hours at 110˚C. On the other hand, the maximum HMF yield was observed as 5.84% at water inclusion rate of 77.15 µL water/h for 5 hours at 110˚C. Yeast mediated glucose fermentation resulted in a bioethanol concentration of 5.5 mg/mL utilizing 15 mg/mL of catalytically produced glucose at a temperature of 30°C. After catalytic hydrolysis, the ionic liquid was also efficiently recycled for a sustainable economy.
Rhizopus oryzae is one of the major causative agents of mucormycosis. The disease has a poor prognosis with a high mortality rate, and resistance towards current antifungal drugs poses additional concern. The disease treatment is complicated with antifungals; therefore, surgical approach is preferred in many cases. A comprehensive understanding of the pathogenicity-associated virulence factors of R. oryzae is essential to develop new antifungals against this fungus. Virulence factors in R. oryzae include cell wall proteins, spore germination proteins and enzymes that evade host immunity. The spore coat protein (CotH3) and high-affinity iron permease (FTR1) have been identified as promising therapeutic targets in R. oryzae. In-silico screening is a preferred approach to identify hit molecules for further in-vitro studies. In the present study, twelve bioactive molecules were docked within the active site of CotH3 and FTR1. Further, molecular dynamics simulation analysis of best-docked protein-ligand structures revealed the dynamics information of their stability in the biological system. Eugenol and isoeugenol exhibited significant binding scores with both the protein targets of R. oryzae and followed the Lipinski rule of drug-likeness. To corroborate the in-silico results, in-vitro studies were conducted using bioactive compounds eugenol, isoeugenol, and myristicin against R. oryzae isolated from the soil sample. Eugenol, isoeugenol exhibited antifungal activity at 156 µg/mL whereas myristicin at 312 µg/mL. Hence, the study suggested that eugenol and isoeugenol could be explored further as potential antifungal molecules against R. oryzae.