Defending the homeland: microbiome molecules provide protection to their vertebrate hosts.

Aim: The resident bacterial microbiome may shape and protect the health of vertebrate host. An array of molecules secreted by microbiome may contribute to the ecological stability of the microbiome itself. Material & methods: ELISA, radioactivity, immunofluorescence and cytokines measurements were used to observe the bioactivity and stability of colicin Ia level in oviparous and viviparous animal circulation. Results: Colicin Ia, a protein antimicrobial produced by Escherichia coli, is not present in animals at birth, but increases in concentration with the establishment of a stable gut microbiome and drops when the microbiome is experimentally disrupted. Colicin introduced in vivo is transported to tissues at concentrations able to prevent or eliminate bacterial infection. Conclusion: Our findings suggest an unexpected benefit provided by the presence of a resident microbiome in the form of active, circulating, bacterially-synthesized antimicrobial molecules.

An engineered multidomain fungicidal peptide against plant fungal pathogens.

Fungal pathogens represent major problems for human health and agriculture. As eukaryotic organisms, fungi share some important features with mammalian cells. Therefore, current anti-fungal antibiotics often can not distinguish between fungi and mammalian cells, resulting in serious side effects in mammalian cells. Accordingly, there is strong impetus to develop antifungal alternatives that are both safe and effective. The E1 family of colicin are channel-forming bacteriocins produced by Escherichia coli, which are bactericidal only to E. coli and related species. To target the channel-forming domain of colicin to fungal cell membrane, we engineered a sexual mating pheromone of Candida albicans, α-factor pheromone to colicin Ia. A peptide was constructed consisting of an α mating pheromone of C. albicans fused to the channel-forming domain of colicin Ia to create a new fusion protein, pheromonicin-CA (PMC-CA). Indirect immunolabeling showed that the PMC-CA bound to fungal cells and inhibited growth in the laboratory and field. In the field, the protective activity of pheromonicin against rice blast disease was significantly greater, on a molar basis, than that of triazoles, tricyclazole or isoprothiolane. These results suggest that fusion peptides may be of value as fungicidal agents under agricultural conditions.

[Experimental study on the induced differentiation of human amnion mesenchymal cells into osteoblasts].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of inducing differentiation of the human amniotic mesenchymal cells (hAMCs) into osteoblasts in vitro, so as to provide the seed cells for bone tissue engineering. METHODS: The hAMCs were isolated from abandoned human amnion and cultured in osteogenic media to induce the osteogenic differentiation in vitro. After hAMCs were induced by osteogenic media for 15 days, morphological observation, immunocytochemistry and western blot were used to study the cellular morphology and expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), type I collagen, osteopontin and osteocalcin. RESULTS: The primary cultured hAMCs had long spindle shape or irregular shape, which were distributed evenly. The cells were usually suheultured in 5 or 7 days. After subculture, the cells became larger. After cultured by osteogenic media for 15 days, the hAMCs were detected to express ALP, osteocalcin and osteopontin, and secrete type I collagen. CONCLUSIONS: The hAMCs are isolated, cultured and amplified easily in vitro. The induced differentiated cells by osteogenic media have typical osteoblast morphological and functional characteristics, which can be used as seed cells for bone tissue engineering.

[Changes of bacterial community structure on reusing domestic sewage of Daoxianghujing Hotel to landscape water].

A 16S rDNA library was used to evaluate the bacterial diversity and identify dominant groups of bacteria in different treatment pools in the domestic sewage system of the Beijing Daoxianghujing Hotel. The results revealed that there were many types of bacteria in the hotel domestic sewage, and the bacterial Shannon-Weaver diversity index was 3.12. In addition, epsilon Proteobacteria was found to be the dominant group with the ratio of 32%. In addition, both the CFB phylum, Fusobacteria, gamma Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were also reached to 9%-15%. After treated with the reclaimed water station, the bacterial Shannon-Weaver diversity index was reduced to 2. 41 and beta Proteobacteria became the dominant group and occupied 73% of the total clones. However, following artificial wetland training, the bacterial Shannon-Weaver diversity index in the sample increased to 3.38, Actinobacteria arrived to 33% and became the most dominant group; Cyanobacteria reached to 26%, and was the second dominant group. But, the control sample comprised 38% Cyanobacteria, and mainly involved in Cyanobium, Synechoccus and Microcystis, with ratios of 47.1%, 17.6% and 8.8%, respectively. Some bacteria of Microcystis aenruginosa were also detected, which probably resulted in the light bloom finally. Therefore, the bacterial diversity and community structures changed in response to treatment of the hotel domestic sewage; there was no cyanobacteria bloom explosion in the treated water. This study will aid in investigation the changes of microbial ecology in different types of water and providing the useful information for enhancing the cyanobacteria blooms control from ecological angle.

[Effect of free surface flow wetland and subsurface flow wetland on bacterial diversity in Beijing Cuihu Wetland Park].

To achieve the effects of artificial wetland on the bacterial diversity, the culturable bacteria and total cell counts of three wetland cells, including sewage pond (SP), free surface wetland (SF) and subsurface flow wetland (SSF), were investigated using the traditional culture-dependent approach and flow cytometry method, based on the detecting the water quality. The bacterial diversity and dominant groups were also compared by PCR-DGGE profiles and 16S rDNA library technique based on its V3 region. Results show that SF and SSF cells can remove the nutrients effectively, the highest removal ratio of COD, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus reach to 42.33%, 52.92% and 41.4%, respectively; The total microbes are increased continuously with the treatment by SF and SSF, and the culturable bacteria clones are decreased after treatment by SF, and increased after further train by SSF. The Shannon-Weaver index is increased to 3.2850 from 3.0819 while the water flowing through SF, but decreased to 3.0181 after flowing through SSF; The dominant groups in SP include Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria and alpha-Proteobacteria, reach to 38%, 18% and 18%, respectively; but the most dominant bacteria is changed to beta-Proteobacteria with the ratio of 32% and 44%, after treatment by SF and SSF, respectively. Cytophagal Flexibacter/Bacteroides (CFB) phylum is also increased to 24% finally. Therefore, while the Cuihu Wetland removing the nutrients,the bacterial counts, diversity and dominant groups are also changed,some beneficial bacteria in beta-Proteobacteria and CFB phylum increased, and part of those deleterious bacteria in Actinobacteria and Cyanobacteria decreased.