{"title":"Ampicillin Exposure and Glutathione Deficiency Synergistically Promote Conjugative Transfer of Plasmid-Borne Antibiotic Resistance Genes","authors":"Shu-Yao Chen, Ke Huang, Ze-Hao He, Fang-Jie Zhao","doi":"10.1111/1462-2920.70106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70106","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Plasmid-mediated conjugation is an important pathway for the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), posing a significant risk to global public health. It has been reported that the conjugative transfer of ARGs could be enhanced by oxidative stress. Whether endogenous glutathione (GSH), a major non-protein thiol compound involved in cellular redox homeostasis, influences conjugative transfer is unknown. In this study, we show that the deletion of the GSH biosynthesis gene <i>gshA</i> and ampicillin exposure synergistically promoted the conjugative transfer of plasmid RP4 bearing multiple ARGs from the soil bacterium <i>Enterobacter</i> sp. CZ-1 to <i>Escherichia coli</i> S17-1λπ in co-culture experiments and to diverse soil bacteria belonging to eight phyla, including some potential human pathogens, in a soil incubation experiment. The deletion of <i>gshA</i> increased ROS generation and cell membrane permeability, and upregulated the expression of the genes involved in intracellular oxidative stress regulation, membrane permeability, plasmid replication, and the SOS response process, especially under ampicillin exposure. These results suggest that endogenous GSH is an important factor affecting the spread of plasmid-borne ARGs. Exposure to antibiotics and environmental stresses that cause a depletion of endogenous GSH in vivo are likely to increase the risk of ARG dissemination in the environment.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":11898,"journal":{"name":"Environmental microbiology","volume":"27 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143930325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stephanie A. Eytcheson, Sarah A. Brown, Huiyun Wu, Christopher T. Nietch, Paul C. Weaver, John A. Darling, Erik M. Pilgrim, S. Thomas Purucker, Marirosa Molina
{"title":"Assessment of Emerging Pathogens and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Biofilm of Microplastics Incubated Under a Wastewater Discharge Simulation","authors":"Stephanie A. Eytcheson, Sarah A. Brown, Huiyun Wu, Christopher T. Nietch, Paul C. Weaver, John A. Darling, Erik M. Pilgrim, S. Thomas Purucker, Marirosa Molina","doi":"10.1111/1462-2920.70103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70103","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Microplastics (MPs) are known vectors for the transport of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), but few studies have examined the long-term (> 30 days) development of MP biofilms. Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) effluents are a significant source of MPs, pathogens, and antibiotics released into the environment. We explored the development of biofilms on high- and low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene incubated in an experimental flow-through stream facility over the course of 10 weeks. Treatments included natural river water (RW) and RW amended with treated wastewater (TWW). Analysis of 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing results revealed that MPs in TWW and RW treatments developed distinct bacterial communities, displaying significant shifts in composition over time. Plastic type had only a minor effect influencing community composition after 10 weeks of incubation. The abundance of the sulfonamide resistance gene <i>sulI</i>, the mobile genetic element <i>intI1</i>, and the emerging pathogens <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> and <i>Stenotrophomonas maltophilia</i> increased significantly during the same time period. Our results indicate that as MPs persist and disperse in the environment, they may actively contribute to an increase in the risk of human exposure to ARGs and pathogens, especially if the system is impacted by wastewater treatment effluents.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":11898,"journal":{"name":"Environmental microbiology","volume":"27 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143925891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gareth B. Jenkins, Eric S. Boyd, Antoine Danchin, Vincent Hervé, Megan J. Huggett, Álvaro Sánchez, Paul Trevorrow
{"title":"Environmental Microbiology and Environmental Microbiology Reports: Two Journals, One Goal","authors":"Gareth B. Jenkins, Eric S. Boyd, Antoine Danchin, Vincent Hervé, Megan J. Huggett, Álvaro Sánchez, Paul Trevorrow","doi":"10.1111/1462-2920.70078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70078","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11898,"journal":{"name":"Environmental microbiology","volume":"27 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143914013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Two Cold-Shock Proteins Characterised as RNA Chaperone of Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Pyrococcus yayanosii","authors":"Huanhuan Zhang, Zhe Gao, Cong Li, Jun Xu","doi":"10.1111/1462-2920.70105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70105","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Cold shock proteins (Csps) play a crucial role in facilitating cellular growth at suboptimal temperatures. In this study, we identified and characterised two Csps, PyCsp and PyTRAM, in the hyperthermophilic archaeon <i>Pyrococcus yayanosii</i> A1. Using bio-layer interferometry (BLI) and molecular beacon assays, we demonstrated that both proteins exhibit RNA binding and unfolding activities in vitro. Heterologously expressed PyCsp and PyTRAM exhibited transcription anti-termination activity in <i>Escherichia coli</i> RL211 and could restore the growth of the cold-sensitive <i>E. coli</i> BX04 at 22°C. Knockout of the coding genes of either PyCsp or PyTRAM impaired the growth of <i>P. yayanosii</i> A1 at 85°C, a comparatively lower temperature to the optimal 95°C. Gene knockout and cross-complementation analyses of the coding genes for these two proteins suggest that PyCsp and PyTRAM functionally complement each other at low temperatures. PyTRAM contains the conserved TRAM domain, which is a typical characteristic of archaeal RNA chaperones. Notably, PyCsp shows low similarity to known archaeal RNA chaperones. Deletion of <i>PYCH_0765</i>, the gene encoding PyCsp, led to 27.5% changes in the transcriptome. This work highlights PyCsp as a non-TRAM class RNA chaperone that globally alters the transcriptome of <i>P. yayanosii</i> under cold shock conditions.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":11898,"journal":{"name":"Environmental microbiology","volume":"27 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143909168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rapid Colonisation of Plastic Surfaces by Marine Alcanivorax Bacteria Is Flagellum-Dependent and Influenced by Polymer Type and Photo-Weathering State","authors":"Keren Davidov, Sheli Itzahri, Aiswarya Kartha, Gilad Orr, Ziv Lang, Shiri Navon-Venezia, Matan Oren","doi":"10.1111/1462-2920.70102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70102","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Marine plastic debris provides stable surfaces for microbial colonisation, forming a unique ecosystem known as the plastisphere. Among the early colonisers are <i>Alcanivorax</i> bacteria, hydrocarbon degraders commonly found in oil-polluted seawater and on marine plastic surfaces. This study examined factors influencing the adhesion and colonisation dynamics of six <i>Alcanivorax</i> species. Flagellated species—<i>A. balearicus</i>, <i>A. dieselolei</i> and <i>A. xenomutans</i>—rapidly colonised plastics, particularly polyethylene and polypropylene, while non-flagellated species did not. Notably, plastic photo-weathering treatments led to the elongation of <i>A. dieselolei</i> cells, secretion of extracellular polymeric substance in some cases, and increased colonisation on UVB-treated polyethylene terephthalate. These changes may be linked to the reduced plastic surface hydrophobicity recorded following photo-weathering. To confirm the role of flagella in <i>Alcanivorax</i> adhesion, we disrupted flagellar activity using sub-concentrations of polymyxin B sulfate, resulting in inhibition of swarming motility and complete disruption of colonisation. These results contribute to our understanding of the interactions between hydrocarbon-degrading <i>Alcanivorax</i> bacteria and their plastic substrate, which in turn contributes to the understanding of the ecological impact of plastic pollution in marine environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":11898,"journal":{"name":"Environmental microbiology","volume":"27 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1462-2920.70102","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143896847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lioba Hilsmann, Lena Wolf, Markus Thamm, Sylvie Vandenabeele, Ricarda Scheiner
{"title":"Towards a Stable Host–Parasite Relationship Between Honey Bees and Varroa Mites Through Innovative Beekeeping","authors":"Lioba Hilsmann, Lena Wolf, Markus Thamm, Sylvie Vandenabeele, Ricarda Scheiner","doi":"10.1111/1462-2920.70101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70101","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Varroa destructor</i> is a major factor in declining honey bee health worldwide. Conventional beekeeping involves multiple <i>Varroa</i> treatments, limiting bees' ability to adapt to the mite. To foster a stable host–parasite relationship, we tested an “innovative” beekeeping method with fewer <i>Varroa</i> treatments, focusing on its impact on honey bee health. We compared <i>Varroa</i> mite fall, immune responses, and seasonal dynamics of Deformed Wing Virus-B (DWV-B) in colonies managed under conventional and innovative practices. Viral loads of newly emerged honey bees and foragers were quantified three times during the season. <i>Varroa</i> mite fall was monitored and immune responses were assessed. In spring, bees managed with the innovative method had significantly lower haemocyte counts 48 h after emergence. DWV-B loads did not differ between groups in spring but were higher in summer in bees managed with the innovative method. After summer treatment, DWV-B loads and <i>Varroa</i> mite fall were similar between groups. Despite higher numbers in <i>Varroa</i> mite fall and DWV-B loads in summer, the innovative method reduced both by fall, ensuring healthy winter bee production and colony survival. These findings suggest that reducing <i>Varroa</i> treatments can support a stable host–parasite relationship while minimising negative effects on honey bee health.</p>","PeriodicalId":11898,"journal":{"name":"Environmental microbiology","volume":"27 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1462-2920.70101","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143897147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Natalia Llopis Monferrer, Sarah Romac, Manon Laget, Yasuhide Nakamura, Tristan Biard, Miguel M. Sandin
{"title":"Is the Gelatinous Matrix of Nassellaria (Radiolaria) a Strategy for Coping With Oligotrophy?","authors":"Natalia Llopis Monferrer, Sarah Romac, Manon Laget, Yasuhide Nakamura, Tristan Biard, Miguel M. Sandin","doi":"10.1111/1462-2920.70098","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70098","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Radiolaria are heterotrophic protists abundant in the world's oceans, playing important roles in biogeochemical cycles. Some host photosynthetic algae, contributing to primary production. Such mixotrophic behaviour is believed to explain their success in oligotrophic waters, notably Collodaria, exclusively mixotrophic radiolarians within a gelatinous matrix. Yet, understanding of Radiolaria ecology is limited to direct observations, as they have so far withstood reproduction in culture and lack genome data. Sampling oligotrophic California Current revealed abundant, rarely observed Nassellaria of the genus <i>Phlebarachnium</i>, characterised to live within a gelatinous matrix. Phylogenetic reconstruction of ribosomal DNA suggests that distantly related Nassellaria lineages independently developed the ability to produce a gelatinous matrix ~150 million years ago. By matching physical samples with genetic data, we identified these rarely observed organisms in global datasets, revealing their affinity for oligotrophic conditions. Co-occurrence networks showed distinct biogeography patterns for gelatinous matrix-forming Radiolaria compared to those without. Results suggest the matrix might be an adaptation to oligotrophic waters, increasing the effective volume, favouring prey capture, and creating a larger microenvironment for symbionts, thus promoting ecological success in nutrient-depleted waters. This study advances our understanding of the adaptation of poorly known eukaryotic groups, specifically when evolution occurs independently across lineages.</p>","PeriodicalId":11898,"journal":{"name":"Environmental microbiology","volume":"27 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1462-2920.70098","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143897146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kevin Royet, Laura Kergoat, Stefanie Lutz, Charlotte Oriol, Nicolas Parisot, Christian Schori, Christian H. Ahrens, Agnes Rodrigue, Erwan Gueguen
{"title":"High-Throughput Tn-Seq Screens Identify Both Known and Novel Pseudomonas putida KT2440 Genes Involved in Metal Tolerance","authors":"Kevin Royet, Laura Kergoat, Stefanie Lutz, Charlotte Oriol, Nicolas Parisot, Christian Schori, Christian H. Ahrens, Agnes Rodrigue, Erwan Gueguen","doi":"10.1111/1462-2920.70095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70095","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Industrial and urban activities release toxic chemical waste into the environment. <i>Pseudomonas putida</i>, a soil bacterium, is known to degrade hydrocarbons and xenobiotics, and possesses numerous genes associated with heavy metal tolerance. Most studies on metal tolerance in <i>P. putida</i> focus solely on over- or underexpressed genes, potentially overlooking important genes with unchanged expression. This study employed a Tn-seq approach to identify the essential genes required for <i>P. putida</i> growth under metal stress. This method enables the identification of mutants with altered fitness in the presence of excess metals. The screen successfully identified a number of known genes implicated in metal resistance, including <i>czcA-1</i>, <i>cadA-3</i>, <i>cadR</i>, and <i>pcoA2</i>, thereby validating the approach. Further analyses using targeted mutagenesis and complementation assays revealed <i>PP_5337</i> as a putative transcriptional regulator involved in copper tolerance and the two-component system RoxSR (<i>PP_0887/PP_0888</i>) as a key determinant of cadmium tolerance. Additionally, PP_1663 and PP_5002 were identified as contributing to cadmium and cobalt tolerance, respectively. This study provides the first evidence linking these genes to metal tolerance, highlighting gaps in our understanding of metal tolerance mechanisms in <i>P. putida</i> and demonstrating the utility of Tn-seq for identifying novel tolerance determinants.</p>","PeriodicalId":11898,"journal":{"name":"Environmental microbiology","volume":"27 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1462-2920.70095","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143889165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Paradox of the Sub-Plankton: Plausible Mechanisms and Open Problems Underlying Strain-Level Diversity in Microbial Communities","authors":"Akshit Goyal, Griffin Chure","doi":"10.1111/1462-2920.70094","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70094","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Microbial communities are often complex and highly diverse, typically with dozens of species sharing spatially-restricted environments. Within these species, genetic and ecological variation often exists at a much finer scale, with closely related strains coexisting and competing. While the coexistence of strains in communities has been heavily explored over the past two decades, we have no self-consistent theory of how this diversity is maintained. This question challenges our conventional understanding of ecological coexistence, typically framed around species with clear phenotypic and ecological differences. In this review, we synthesise plausible mechanisms underlying strain-level diversity (termed microdiversity), focusing on niche-based mechanisms such as nutrient competition, neutral mechanisms such as migration, and evolutionary mechanisms such as horizontal gene transfer. We critically assess the strengths and caveats of these mechanisms, acknowledging key gaps that persist in linking genetic similarity to ecological divergence. Finally, we highlight how the origin and maintenance of microdiversity could pose a major challenge to conventional ecological thinking. We articulate a call-to-arms for a dialogue between well-designed experiments and new theoretical frameworks to address this grand conceptual challenge in understanding microbial biodiversity.</p>","PeriodicalId":11898,"journal":{"name":"Environmental microbiology","volume":"27 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1462-2920.70094","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Metabolic Segregation and Functional Gene Clusters in Anaerobic Digestion Consortia","authors":"Yubo Wang, Ruoqun Zhang, Chunxiao Wang, Weifu Yan, Tong Zhang, Feng Ju","doi":"10.1111/1462-2920.70091","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70091","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A combined enrichment experiment and genome-centric meta-omics analysis demonstrated that metabolic specificity, rather than flexibility, governs the anaerobic digestion (AD) ecosystem. This study provides new insights into interspecies electron transfer in the AD process, highlighting a segregation in the metabolism of H<sub>2</sub> and formate. Our findings show that H<sub>2</sub> acts as the primary electron sink for recycling redox cofactors, including NAD<sup>+</sup> and oxidised ferredoxin (Fd<sub>ox</sub>), during primary fermentation, while formate is the dominant electron carrier in secondary fermentation, especially under conditions with elevated H<sub>2</sub> concentrations. Importantly, no evidence of biochemical interconversion between H<sub>2</sub> and formate was identified in the primary fermenting bacteria or in syntrophs enriched in this study. This segregation of H<sub>2</sub> and formate metabolism likely benefits the anaerobic oxidation of butyrate and propionate with a higher tolerance to H<sub>2</sub> accumulation. Moreover, this study highlights the functional partitioning among microbial populations in key AD niches: primary fermentation, secondary fermentation (syntrophic acetogenesis), hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis, and acetoclastic methanogenesis. Genome-centric analysis of the AD microbiome identified several key functional gene clusters, which could enhance genome-centric genotype–phenotype correlations, particularly for strict anaerobes that are difficult to isolate and characterise in pure culture.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":11898,"journal":{"name":"Environmental microbiology","volume":"27 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143861512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}