Succession and interrelationships of microorganisms on painted surfaces

Early colonization of intestinal microbiota plays an important role in intestinal development. However, the microbial succession at an embryonic stage and its assembly patterns induced by prenatal nutrition are unknown. In the present study, we used a chick embryo model to investigate the effects of in ovo feeding (IOF) of L-arginine (Arg) on the intestinal development and microbial succession of embryos. A total of 216 fertile eggs were randomly distributed into 2 groups including the non-injected control group and IOF of Arg group with 7 mg/egg. The results showed that IOF Arg increased the intestinal index, absolute weight of jejunum, and improved jejunal morphology in terms of villus width and surface area (p < 0.05). The relative mRNA expressions of mTOR and 4E-BP1 were up-regulated and accompanied by higher contents of Mucin-2 in the Arg group (p < 0.05). There was a significant elevation in contents of serum glucose and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, whereas there was a decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the Arg group (p < 0.05). Additionally, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were major intestinal bacteria species at the embryonic stage. However, Arg supplementation targeted to shape assembly patterns of microbial succession and then changed microbial composition (p = 0.05). Meanwhile, several short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing bacteria, such as Roseburia, Blautia, and Ruminococcus were identified as biomarkers in the Arg group (LDA > 3, p < 0.05). Accordingly, significant elevated concentrations of SCFAs, including lactic acid and formic acid, were observed in the Arg group (p < 0.05), accompanied by the higher concentration of butyric acid (0.05 < p < 0.10). In conclusion, prenatal Arg supplementation improved embryonic intestine development by regulating glucose and lipid homeostasis to supply more energy for chick embryos. The possible mechanism could be the roles of Arg in shaping the microbial assembly pattern and succession of the embryonic intestine, particularly the enrichment of potential probiotics. These findings may contribute to exploring nutritional strategies to establish health-promoting microbiota by manipulating prenatal host-microbe interactions for the healthy development of neonates.

The enzymic basis of plant litter decomposition: emergence of an ecological process

Dynamics of the plastisphere microbiome in agricultural soils under changing climatic conditions.

A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of diet, stocking density and environmental factors on the growth, survival and metamorphosis of short neck clam Paphia malabarica larvae. These experiments examined the following factors: diet [Isochrysis galbana, Nannochloropsis salina and a mixture of I. galbana and N. salina (1:1 w/w)], stocking density (1, 3, 5 and 7 larvae mL−1), light intensity (unshaded, partially shaded and fully shaded) and water filtration (unfiltered and sand filtered). Results indicated that N. salina could replace 50% of I. galbana as a food source for the clam larvae with an increase in growth, survival (47.2%), metamorphosis (33.5%) and early settlement. Larval growth decreased significantly with increasing stocking density. A density of 1–3 larvae mL−1 appeared to be optimal for normal growth of clam larvae. Neither diet nor stocking density used in the study had a significant effect on larval survival. Under partially shaded (light intensity=1000–5000 lx) and fully shaded (light intensity <1000 lx) conditions, larval growth was significantly faster than under direct sunlight (unshaded). Larvae grew significantly faster in the unfiltered water than in the filtered water.

The root system of a plant is known to host a wide diversity of microbes that can be essential or detrimental to the plant. Microbial ecologists have long struggled to understand what factors structure the composition of these communities. An overlooked part of the microbial community succession in root systems has been the potential for individual variation among plants shaped by early colonisation events such as microbial exposure of the seed inside the parent plant and during dispersal. In this review we outline life events of the plant that can affect the composition of its root microbiota and relate ecological theory of community assembly to the formation of the root microbiota. All plants are exposed to environmental conditions and events throughout their lifetime that shape their phenotype. The microbial community associated with the plant is ultimately an extension of this phenotype. Therefore, only by following a plant from its origin inside the flower to senescence, can we fully understand how the associated microbial community was assembled and what determined its composition.

Co-occurrence of early gut colonization in neonatal piglets with microbiota in the maternal and surrounding delivery environments

Early microbial colonization plays a foundational role in shaping the infant's immune, metabolic, and neurological development. The mode of delivery significantly influences this process. Vaginal birth enables physiological exposure to maternal microbiota, while elective cesarean section disrupts this transfer and results in delayed colonization and reduced microbial diversity. This review examines how different delivery modes affect neonatal gut microbiota composition and evaluates their long-term implications for health, with a focus on immune regulation, metabolic programming, allergic conditions, and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Relevant literature from 2010 to 2024 was reviewed using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Human studies comparing elective cesarean section and vaginal delivery were included if they analyzed microbiota profiles and at least one long-term clinical parameter. Out of 245 initially screened articles, 36 were selected based on methodological quality and relevance. Evidence indicates that cesarean section is associated with altered microbial succession patterns that may increase the risk of autoimmune diseases, allergies, obesity, and cognitive or behavioral disturbances. Proposed mechanisms include impaired development of regulatory T cells, reduced production of short-chain fatty acids, and dysregulated immune responses. Although a few studies suggest transient protective effects in specific clinical scenarios, these findings are inconsistent and population-dependent. Supportive interventions such as exclusive breastfeeding and microbiota-based therapies may help restore microbial balance and mitigate adverse outcomes. Future research should focus on identifying biomarkers of dysbiosis and developing personalized strategies to promote microbiota-driven health from birth.

Influence of sludge treatment methods on behaviors of microplastics adsorbed cadmium and its driving factors

The interactions of copper substrate with titanium-alloyed Sn-Zn eutectic solders have been studied. Two series of experiments have been performed. The first one consisted in differential thermal analyses of Sn-Zn nearly eutectic alloys containing from 1.3 to 2.2 wt. % Ti. Diffusion couples consisted of Cu-wires and Sn-Zn-Ti liquid solders, produced at 250 and 275 OC have been prepared in the second series,. The contact times were up to 3600 s. The contact zones have been characterized by optical and scanning electron microscope. Two layers have been found along the interfaces solid/liquid. The first and the second layers are identical, respectively, with ? and ? phases of the Cu-Zn system. No changes of the chemical compositions were detected for the tested temperatures and reaction times. Continuous parabolic growth of the total diffusion zone thickness with the time of diffusion is observed. The growth is due mainly to one the formed layers (? ) while the thickness of the ?-phase layer, stays almost constant for all tested diffusion times and temperatures.

During last decades there has been a continuous growth of aquaculture industries all over the world and taking into consideration the spurt in freshwater ornamental fish aquaculture and trade in Kerala, the present study was aimed to assess the prevalence of various motile Aeromonas spp. in fresh water ornamental fishes and associated carriage water. The extracellular virulence factors and the antibiogram of the isolates were also elucidated. Various species of motile aeromonads such as Aeromonas caviae, A. hydrophila , A. jandaei , A. schubertii , A. sobria , A. trota and A. veronii were detected. Aeromonas sobria predominated both fish and water samples. Extracellular enzymes and toxins produced by motile aeromonds are important elements of bacterial virulence. The production of extracellular virulence factors-proteases, lipase, DNase and haemolysin by the isolates were studied. All the isolates from both fish and water samples produced gelatinase and nuclease but the ability to produce lipase, caseinase and haemolysins was found to vary among isolates from different sources. Among the 15 antibiotics to which the isolates were tested, all the isolates were found to be sensitive to chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin and resistant to amoxycillin. Local aquarists maintain the fish in crowded stressful conditions, which could trigger infections by the obligate/ opportunistic pathogenic members among motile aeromonads.

The use of the terms “auto,”“homio,” and“hetero” transplantation has been general and of great value in the long series of experiments which have dealt with the transplantation of normal and of neoplastic tissues in vertebrates. Following a number of experiments in this field, covering a wide range of material, it has become generally recognized by biological investigators that the closer the genetic relationship between the host and the donor of the graft tissue, the greater is the likelihood of persistent and progressive growth of an implant of tissue from one to the other. Similary it has been found that in the ordinary“laboratory” races of mammals, inbreeding has not been intensive enough to have produced a close degree of genetic resemblance between individuals within the race. IVitliout this resemblance the continued growth of tissue transplants made from one animal to another is impossible. When close relatives such as parent and offspring or litter nates are picked for this interchange of implants, there is, as Loeb and others have pointed out, more chance of persistence of the implants than when unrelated animals are used. Loeb has proposed the term“syngenesio-plastic transplantation” for experiments involving the closc relatives referred to. When, however, closely inbred races of known genetic constitution are used, results are obtained Which show that the distinctions between“homio,”“syngenesio,” and “auto” transplantations are only relative and may delibrately broken down by picking animals of certain definite genetic constitutions for experirnentation. Thus in animals of a closely inbred and genetically homogeneous strain of Japanese waltzing mice [already described in connection with experiments on the inheritance of susceptibility to transplanted tumors], the general reactions of an individual to subcutancous transplants of bit of its own spleen (autotransplants), or to bits of the spleen of another Japarlesc waltzing mouse of the same inbred race (honziotransplanlts) were the same.

The objectives of this study were to examine the effect of different water activities (aw; 0.99, 0.96 and 0.94) and time (up to 120 h) on quantitative and specific enzyme production during germination and initial growth of Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus strains at 25 °C. This is an important early indicator of potential for aflatoxin production under conducive conditions. Qualitative API ZYM generic enzyme strips were used to identify key hydrolytic enzymes produced. Subsequently, the temporal effects of aw on the total/specific activity of the key 4-5 hydrolytic enzymes were determined using 4-nitrophenyl substrates in a 96-well microtitre plate assay. The main enzymes produced by germinating conidia of A. flavus were esterase, lipase, acid phosphatase, β-glucosidase and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase, while for A. parasiticus these were alkaline phosphatase, lipase, acid phosphatase and β-fucosidase for both total (µmol 4-nitrophenol/min/g) and specific activity (nmol 4-nitrophenol/min/µg protein). There were significant increases in the specific activity of all these enzymes of germinating spores of A. flavus (0-120 h) except for β-glucosidase which was maximum at 72 h. The total/specific activities of the enzymes produced by A. flavus were maximum at 0.99 aw, with the exception of acid phosphatase and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase at 0.94 aw. For A. parasiticus, maximum total activity occurred at 0.99 aw for fucosidase activity, while specific activity was found to be higher at lower aw levels. These enzymes are important in early colonisation of food matrices by these species and single factors (aw, time) and two-way interactions were all statistically significant for the enzymes assayed for both species. These enzymes could be used as an early and rapid indicator of the activity of Aspergillus section flavi species and suggests that rapid infection may occur over a wide range of aw conditions.

N-terminal domains of the Wilson's and Menkes disease proteins (N-WND and N-MNK) were overexpressed in a soluble form in Escherichia coli as fusions with maltose-binding protein, purified, and their metal-binding properties were characterized. Both N-MNK and N-WND bind copper specifically as indicated by the results of metal-chelate chromatography, direct copper-binding measurements, and chemical modification of Cys residues in the presence of different heavy metals. When E. coli cells are grown in the presence of copper, N-MNK and N-WND bind copper in vivo with stoichiometry of 5-6 nmol of copper/nmol of protein. Copper released from the copper-N-MNK and copper-N-WND complexes reacts with the Cu(I)-selective chelator bicinchoninic acid in the absence of reducing agents. This suggests that in proteins, it is bound in reduced Cu(I) form, in agreement with the spectroscopic properties of the copper-bound domains. Copper bound to the domains in vivo or in vitro specifically protects the N-MNK and N-WND against labeling with the cysteine-directed probe; this indicates that Cys residues in the repetitive motifs GMTCXXCXXXIE are involved in coordination of copper. Direct involvement of the N-terminal domains in the binding of copper suggests their important role in copper-dependent functions of human copper-transporting adenosine triphosphatases (Wilson's and Menkes disease proteins).

Adoption of microbial consortia as plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) instead of single-strain inoculants is discussed as an approach to increase the efficiency and flexibility of PGPM-assisted production strategies. This study provides the functional characterisation of a commercial microbial consortia product (MCP) in a series of greenhouse experiments with maize on a silty-loam field soil (pH 5.9). A 60%-increased abundance of bacteria that could be cultivated after rhizosphere extraction was measured after MCP inoculation at the end of the 42-days culture period. MCP inoculation did not stimulate shoot biomass production of maize fertilised with nitrate, but growth improvement was recorded in combination with stabilised ammonium, especially with reduced phosphorus (P) supply. The MCP inoculant improved the acquisition of ammonium-N but also increased shoot-P. MCP inoculation stimulated root length development under reduced P supply with stabilised ammonium by 52%. This was accompanied by the increased auxin production capacity of rhizosphere bacteria. C-, N-, and P-turnover in the rhizosphere were little affected by the MCP inoculation, as deduced from the analysis of activities of extracellular soil enzymes. The findings suggest that the form of N supply is crucial for the efficiency of plant-MCP interactions.

Biocontrol potential and mode of action of entomopathogenic bacteria Xenorhabdus budapestensis C72 against Bipolaris maydis