Exposure to fluoride is strongly associated with impaired intestinal function. Probiotics are widely regarded as an effective strategy to maintain microbial homeostasis and to mitigate the progression of fluoride-induced intestinal injury. This study aimed to evaluate the measurable protective effects of the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. animalis (B. animalis subsp. animalis) GY007 in reversing high fluoride-induced ileal injury. The results showed that GY007 (1 × 109 CFU/mL, once/daily) attenuated intestinal barrier disruption and alleviated ileal mucosal abnormalities in mice receiving fluoride (24 mg/kg) by gavage for eight consecutive weeks. GY007 attenuated elevated oxidative stress and modulated the inflammatory response associated with the TLR9/NF-κb/IRF7 signaling pathway. Microbiome and metabolomic analyses showed that GY007 reversed the dysregulation of the ileal microbial community structure and metabolite profiles. Spearman's rank correlation analysis further supported a regulatory role for Bifidobacterium in this protective process and identified three key functional metabolites meriting further investigation: isocytosine (ISO), 7α,24S-dihydroxy-3-oxocholest-4-en-26-oic acid (OIC-7α), and sinapinic acid (SIA). Our findings demonstrate that GY007 protects against fluoride-induced ileal injury and elucidate the associated changes in the intestinal microbial community and metabolite profiles. This study provides new evidence clarifying the restorative effect of the probiotic GY007 on the ileum under environmental fluoride exposure, offering an integrative perspective on the interaction between microorganisms and their host.
Microbial volatile organic compounds (VOCs) mediate rhizosphere plant-microbe interactions, yet their integrated effects on plant microbiome assembly and host transcriptional regulation remain unresolved. Here we address this gap by investigating how two common VOCs, acetoin (AC) and 2,3-butanediol (BD), influence growth, rhizosphere communities, and root gene expression in the medicinal plant Pseudostellaria heterophylla using a split-pot system. Bacterial and fungal communities were monitored across three developmental stages via amplicon sequencing, alongside root transcriptome profiling during tuber enlargement. Contrasting with widely reported growth-promoting effects of microbial VOCs, both compounds significantly reduced tuber number and biomass. Bacterial communities remained taxonomically stable, shaped primarily by species replacement, with modest VOC responses but clear shifts across developmental stages. Fungal communities exhibited marked compositional restructuring and greater treatment sensitivity, particularly under BD. Neutral community modeling indicated predominantly stochastic bacterial assembly, while fungal assembly-especially under BD-showed stronger influence of deterministic processes. BD associated with broader transcriptional reprogramming than AC, including downregulation of photosynthesis, specialized metabolism, and defense pathways. Cross-omics network analysis revealed discriminant genera (e.g., Granulicella, Harposporium) that correlated strongly with host genes involved in stress response, development, and epigenetic regulation, with fungal taxa showing tighter associations with host expression than bacteria. Together, these findings establish a mechanistic framework for how microbial VOCs shape rhizosphere communities and host responses, with implications for microbiome-based strategies in medicinal plant cultivation.
The potential of Rhodotorula yeast culture (RYC) in animal production remains underexplored. This study investigated the effects of RYC supplementation on nutrient apparent digestibility, rumen tissue morphology, fermentation parameters, and fungal microbiota in sheep. Twenty-four three-month-old male Dorper × Han crossbred sheep (weight 36 ± 4 kg) were selected and randomly divided into four groups, with six sheep in each group: the control group (CON) was fed a basal diet, and the three treatment groups were supplemented with 10, 20, or 40 g/d of RYC (RYC10, RYC20, RYC40), respectively. The results showed that RYC supplementation significantly increased (p < 0.05) the apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber, and the apparent digestibility of CP and ADF was significantly higher in the RYC20 than in the other groups (p < 0.05). Rumen papillae length and muscular layer thickness were significantly greater (p < 0.05) in RYC-treated groups compared to the CON group, and the RYC20 group exhibited significantly greater rumen papilla length and muscularis propria thickness than the other experimental groups (p < 0.05). Furthermore, ruminal pH and bacterial crude protein content were significantly elevated (p < 0.05), while ammonia nitrogen concentration was significantly reduced (p < 0.05). The RYC40 group exhibited significantly higher rumen pH and BCP concentrations, and significantly lower NH3-N concentration, compared to the other experimental groups (p < 0.05). The concentrations of acetate, propionate, butyrate, and total volatile fatty acids were also significantly higher (p < 0.05) in RYC groups. For RYC20, rumen acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, total volatile fatty acid content and the acetate-to-propionate ratio were significantly higher than those of the other experimental groups (p < 0.05). Analysis of fungal community revealed that RYC increased the relative abundance of fibrolytic fungi (e.g., Neocallimastix, Caecomyce, Piromyces). Supplementation of RYC at 20 g/d optimizes apparent nutrient digestibility and rumen tissue development in ruminants, while maintaining favorable rumen fermentation characteristics and selectively enhancing the growth of core fibrolytic fungi; this dosage achieves the optimal balance of biological performance and economic feasibility, and is thus recommended as the optimal practical supplementation dosage for ruminant production.
Morchella is a nutritious and artificially cultivable rare ascomycete, and its growth and development regulation mechanisms are a current research hotspot. High-temperature stress severely limits the annual yield of Morchella, and this challenge is intensifying with global warming. However, previous studies have lacked systematic screening for heat-tolerant Morchella strains, and their molecular response mechanisms to heat stress remain unclear. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of phenotypic characteristics, physiological metabolism, and transcriptomics on 19 Morchella strains under normal (25 °C) and high-temperature (30 °C) conditions. The heat-tolerant strain HLM exhibited superior performance in mycelial growth, morphology, and field cultivation. It maintained cell homeostasis under heat stress through mild osmotic regulation (elevated levels of proline, soluble sugars, and proteins), a robust antioxidant system (increased activities of CAT, POD, and SOD), and reduced malondialdehyde accumulation. Transcriptomic analysis identified a novel regulatory model of "stress perception-metabolic preparation-terminal detoxification" in the heat-tolerant strain HLM under heat stress. The rapid upregulation of the SMPD1 gene may mediate ceramide signal generation, promoting G6PDH expression to drive carbon flow into the pentose phosphate pathway, thereby increasing NADPH output. As the detoxification terminal, AKR4C uses this reducing power to eliminate toxic carbonyl end products like malondialdehyde, completing the defense loop. These findings offer new insights into the heat-tolerance mechanisms of large ascomycetes, provide a theoretical foundation for stress-resistant Morchella breeding and cultivation in high-temperature areas, and serve as valuable resources for exploring heat-tolerance mechanisms and molecular breeding in other edible fungi.
Frataxin is a highly conserved mitochondrial protein that plays a key role in iron homeostasis and metabolism, and its deficiency leads to oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neurodegeneration. Hypomagnetic fields (HMF) can lead to various biological effects including increased oxidative stress, neurological and developmental disorders; yet, their effects acting as environmental stressors that exacerbate the inherent metabolic vulnerabilities in frataxin-deficient Drosophila melanogaster flies are still unknown. In this study, the bio-effects of HMF on growth, development, reproduction, and temperature stress resistance of frataxin-silenced flies were investigated. The results showed that HMF extended egg-to-adult and pupa developmental durations of both the control line of repo-GAL4; tub-GAL80^ts>GFP-RNAi (GFP-RNAi) and frataxin-deficient line of repo-GAL4; tub-GAL80^ts>fh RNAi (fh-RNAi) compared to those reared under a geomagnetic field (GMF). Compared with GMF, HMF significantly increased offspring fecundity in fh-RNAi flies, whereas the change in GFP-RNAi controls was not significant, while showing no significant effects on the adult weight of fh-RNAi flies. The impact of HMF on temperature stress resistance was particularly specific: it enhanced recovery from chill coma in control (GFP-RNAi) flies, while it accelerated recovery from heat shock in frataxin-silenced (fh-RNAi) flies. The mechanisms through which HMF modulate frataxin-associated phenotypes at a fundamental physical level warrant further investigation.
The species Halamphora kolbei is a rarely reported diatom, and information on its distribution and characteristics is limited. The original taxonomic description of this species is inaccurate and insufficient for identification, as the available literature contains scarce and scattered data. In the present study, we summarised the available data on this species and provided a detailed description of the strain isolated from Sevastopol Bay of the Black Sea. Findings from a phylogenetic analysis of two genes, 18S rRNA and rbcL, are presented. The process of isolation, identification and establishment of a monoculture of the H. kolbei is described in detail. In addition, the productivity and biochemical characteristics were evaluated to assess the biotechnological potential of the strain. The growth rate, biomass productivity and protein, carbohydrate, lipid and fatty acid composition of this species were determined in this study, under controlled conditions. The high content of C14-C16 acids in H. kolbei has been revealed to make it a promising source of eicosapentaenoic acid. The detailed description of the species, its photographs and phylogeny, as well as additional morphological keys presented in the paper, will enable scientists around the world to study this species as a promising biological resource.
Androgen receptor (AR) signaling is crucial for mediating male-typical behaviors across vertebrates. Enzalutamide (ENZ) and apalutamide (APA) are two second-generation androgen receptor inhibitors (SGARIs) that have been primarily used in the treatment of prostate cancer. However, these drugs still possess side effects, and there remains limited information regarding their behavioral and neurophysiological impacts following chronic exposure in non-mammalian animal models, particularly in fish. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the behavioral alterations in adult male zebrafish (Danio rerio) following exposure to specific AR blockers (ENZ and APA) and an activator, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), to provide a comprehensive comparison between each tested drug. Adult male zebrafish were exposed via aqueous immersion to each compound at a 1 ppm concentration for ~2 weeks and were subjected to a battery of behavioral tests. From the results, both AR blockers were found to slightly compromise fish locomotion, with contrary results observed in DHT-treated fish, which displayed an increased locomotor activity together with slight alterations in fish exploratory behaviors. Furthermore, ENZ also caused a tightened shoal formation in zebrafish, while exposure to APA was observed to slightly diminish the fear response of fish. On the other hand, the DHT-treated group displayed a higher level of aggression compared to the vehicle control group. In conclusion, functional modulation of androgen receptor signaling leads to significant alterations in male zebrafish behavior, particularly affecting fear responses, aggression, and anxiety-related behaviors. We believe that these findings could contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between androgens and behaviors in vertebrates, especially zebrafish.
Plant SNAREs (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors) constitute a large superfamily and play pivotal roles in diverse biological processes and responses to various abiotic stresses. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa wild.) is a nutritionally superior crop endowed with robust tolerance to environmental stresses. In this study, we identified 88 CqSNARE genes in quinoa, which are unevenly distributed across 18 chromosomes and classified into 23 subfamilies. We systematically analyzed their physicochemical properties, phylogenetic relationships, gene and protein structures, and cis-acting elements. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis of quinoa leaves under saline-alkaline stress revealed that CqSNAP30a was the most significantly upregulated. This gene is predominantly expressed in leaves and localized on the plasma membrane. Constitutive expression of CqSNAP30a enhanced plant stress resistance by regulating ion homeostasis and antioxidant capacity. Our findings provide valuable insights into the SNARE genes of stress-tolerant crops and lays a theoretical foundation for the genetic improvement of stress resilience.
Alveolar macrophages orchestrate phagocytosis and inflammatory programs during respiratory infection. CD2-associated protein (CD2AP) and BTB and CNC homology 2 (BACH2) are immune-related genes involved in cytoskeletal organization/vesicular trafficking and transcriptional regulation, respectively, but the coding-level constraints shaping their synonymous-site architecture remain unclear. Here, we profiled codon usage bias (CUB) of CD2AP and BACH2 across 49 vertebrate species using nucleotide composition, relative synonymous codon usage, and complementary codon bias diagnostics. Across species, BACH2 preferentially used G/C-ending codons with higher GC3s, whereas CD2AP was enriched for A/T-ending codons with lower GC3s. Both genes showed weak-to-moderate CUB (high ENC and modest CAI). ENC-GC3s and PR2 analyses indicated a strong compositional background at third codon positions, while neutrality analysis yielded shallow GC12-GC3 slopes, suggesting overall coding constraints, with compositional effects acting as a background influence and selective constraints possibly contributing to GC1/GC2 patterns. CD2AP deviated more from composition-only expectations than BACH2, suggesting greater gene-specific modulation. Phylogenetic reconstruction placed Sus scrofa within mammalian clades for both genes. In conclusion, CD2AP and BACH2 display opposite third-base codon-ending preferences across vertebrates, with CD2AP favoring A/T-ending codons and BACH2 favoring G/C-ending codons. This provides a comparative baseline for codon usage analyses of macrophage-relevant immune genes.
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：