Nutritional ingredients and prevention of chronic diseases by fermented koumiss: a comprehensive review.

Koumiss, a traditional fermented dairy product made from fresh mare milk, is a sour beverage that contains an abundance of microbial communities, including lactic acid bacteria, yeast and others. Firstly, probiotics such as Lacticaseibacillus in koumiss can induce the secretion of immunoglobulin G in serum and interleukin-2 in the spleen while beneficial Saccharomyces can secrete antibacterial compounds such as citric acid and ascorbic acid for specific immunopotentiation. Additionally, more isoflavone in koumiss can regulate estrogen levels by binding to its receptors to prevent breast cancer directly. Bile salts can be converted into bile acids such as taurine or glycine by lactic acid bacteria to lower cholesterol levels in vivo. Butyric acid secretion would be increased to improve chronic gastrotis by regulating intestinal flora with lactic acid bacteria. Finally, SCFA and lCFA produced by Lacticaseibacillus inhibit the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms for diarrhea prevention. Therefore, exploring the mechanisms underlying multiple physiological functions through utilizing microbial resources in koumiss represents promising avenues for ameliorating chronic diseases.

Genetic divergence among Bradyrhizobium strains nodulating wild and cultivated Kummerowia spp. in China.

Distribution of rhizobial species is affected by geographical isolation and selected by leguminous hosts, however, little is known about the molecular evolution of rhizobia nodulating the same legume in different eco-environments. In present study, the microevolution of Bradyrhizobium associated with the leguminous grass Kummerowia grown in exurban areas and cultivated in urban areas in China was investigated. Total 14 genospecies, including seven new groups, were identified based on a concatenated sequence analysis of taxonomic markers (SMc00019, truA and thrA) for 94 representative strains. Results demonstrated that lower levels of nucleotide diversity were found in the strains isolated from urban areas compared with those isolated from exurban areas, based on the evolutional analyses of three housekeeping genes (atpD, glnII and recA), two symbiosis-related genes (nodC and nifH), and the taxonomic markers. Moreover, compared with urban areas, gene exchange and recombination occurred more frequently among the genospecies isolated from exurban areas, regardless of the geographical distribution. Finally, the evolutionary lineage of Bradyrhizobium strains isolated from urban areas was independent of that of the strains isolated from exurban areas. In summary, the evolutionary history of Kummerowia bradyrhizobia may have been gradually segregated to different evolutionary lineages, irrespective of distinct biogeography.

Genetic divergence and gene flow among Mesorhizobium strains nodulating the shrub legume Caragana.

Although the biogeography of rhizobia has been investigated extensively, little is known about the adaptive molecular evolution of rhizobia influenced by soil environments and selected by legumes. In this study, microevolution of Mesorhizobium strains nodulating Caragana in a semi-fixing desert belt in northern China was investigated. Five core genes-atpD, glnII, gyrB, recA, and rpoB, six heat-shock factor genes-clpA, clpB, dnaK, dnaJ, grpE, and hlsU, and five nodulation genes-nodA, nodC, nodD, nodG, and nodP, of 72 representative mesorhizobia were studied in order to determine their genetic variations. A total of 21 genospecies were defined based on the average nucleotide identity (ANI) of concatenated core genes using a threshold of 96% similarity, and by the phylogenetic analyses of the core/heat-shock factor genes. Significant genetic divergence was observed among the genospecies in the semi-fixing desert belt (areas A-E) and Yunnan province (area F), which was closely related to the environmental conditions and geographic distance. Gene flow occurred more frequently among the genospecies in areas A-E, and three sites in area B, than between area F and the other five areas. Recombination occurred among strains more frequently for heat-shock factor genes than the other genes. The results conclusively showed that the Caragana-associated mesorhizobia had divergently evolved according to their geographic distribution, and have been selected not only by the environmental conditions but also by the host plants.

[Symbiotic matching between soybean cultivar Luhuang No. 1 and different rhizobia].

Soybean plants could establish symbiosis and fix nitrogen with different rhizobial species in the genera of Sinorhizobium and Bradyrhizobium. Studies on the symbiotic matching between soybean cultivars and different rhizobial species are theoretically and practically important for selecting effective strains used to inoculate the plants and improve the soybean production and quality. A total of 27 strains were isolated and purified from a soil sample of Huanghuaihai area by using the soybean cultivar Luhang No. 1, a protein-rich cultivar grown in that area, as the trapping plants. These strains were identified as members of Sinorhizobium (18 strains) and Bradyrhizobium (9 strains) based on the sequence analysis of housekeeping gene recA. Two representative strains (Sinorhizobium fredii S6 and Bradyrhizobium sp. S10) were used to inoculate the seeds of Luhang No. 1 alone or mixed, in pots filled with vermiculite or soil, and in the field trial to investigate their effects on soybean growth, nodulation, nitrogen fixation activity, yield, contents of protein and oil in seeds. The results demonstrated that strain S6 showed better effects on growth-promotion, yield of seeds and seed quality than strain S10. Thus strain S6 was finally regarded as the effective rhizobium matching to soybean Luhuang No. 1, which could be the candidate as a good inoculant for planting the soybean Luhuang No. 1 at a large scale in the Huanghuaihai area.

A highly sensitive and selective fluorescent chemodosimeter for Hg2+ in neutral aqueous solution.

A fluorescent assay of Hg(2+) in neutral aqueous solution was developed using N-[p-(dimethylamino)benzamido]-N'-phenylthiourea (1). 1's fluorogenic chemodosimetric behaviors towards various metal ions were studied and a high sensitivity as well as selectivity was achieved for Hg(2+). It was because of a strongly fluorescent 1,3,4-oxadiazoles which was produced by the Hg(2+) promoted desulfurization reaction. The spectra of ESI mass and IR provided evidences for this reaction. According to fluorescence titration, a good linear relationship ranging from 1.0 x 10(-7) to 2.0 x 10(-5) mol l(-1) was obtained with the limit of detection as 3.1 x 10(-8) mol l(-1).

Fluoride-selective colorimetric sensor based on thiourea binding site and anthraquinone reporter.

A structurally simple colorimetric sensor, N-4-nitrobenzene-N'-1'-anthraquinone-thiourea (1), for anions was synthesized and characterized by (1)H NMR, ESI mass and IR methods. In acetonitrile, the addition of F(-) changed 1 solution from colorless to yellow. In the presence of other anions such as CH(3)CO(2)(-), H(2)PO(4)(-), HSO(4)(-) and Cl(-), however, the absorption spectrum of 1 was slightly red shifted with no obvious color changes observed. The association constants of anionic complexes followed the order of F(-)>>CH(3)CO(2)(-)>H(2)PO(4)(-)>HSO(4)(-)>Cl(-)>Br(-), which was different from the order of anion basicity. AM1 calculation results indicated that the most stable configuration of 1 existed in the Z-E-conformation with a six-membered ring via intramolecular hydrogen bond. This made thiourea moiety of 1 in an unfavorable conformation to bond with oxygen-anionic substrates such as CH(3)CO(2)(-) and H(2)PO(4)(-), thus leading to a high selectivity and sensitivity for the detection of F(-).