{"title":"Association between gut microbiota and male infertility: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study.","authors":"Runpei Deng, Yebao Huang, Zhaohui Tian, Qingqi Zeng","doi":"10.1007/s10123-024-00512-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10123-024-00512-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Previous research has confirmed the significant association between gut microbiota (GM) and male infertility (MI), but the causality between them remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the causal relationship between GM and MI using Mendelian randomization (MR) and provide supplementary information for the optimization of future randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Instrumental variables for 211 GM taxa were obtained from genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the main analysis method for two-sample MR analysis to assess the impact of GM on the risk of MI. Four methods were used to test for horizontal pleiotropy and heterogeneity of MR results to ensure the reliability of the MR findings. A total of 50 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) closely related to GM were included, and ultimately identified 1 family and 4 general are causally associated with MI. Among them, Anaerotruncus (OR = 1.96, 95% CI 1.31-3.40, P = 0.016) is significantly associated with increased MI risk. Furthermore, we used four MR methods to evaluate the causality, and the results supported these findings. The leave-one-out analysis showed stable results with no instrumental variables exerting strong influence on the results. The causal direction indicated a positive effect, and the effects of heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy on the estimation of causal effect were minimized. We confirmed a causal relationship between GM taxa and MI, providing new insights into the mechanisms underlying GM-mediated MI.</p>","PeriodicalId":14318,"journal":{"name":"International Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1655-1663"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140136733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Thermostable bacterial L-asparaginase for polyacrylamide inhibition and in silico mutational analysis.","authors":"Srivarshan Shanmuga Sundaram, Aravind Kannan, Pratham Gour Chintaluri, Aparna Ganapathy Vilasam Sreekala, Vinod Kumar Nathan","doi":"10.1007/s10123-024-00493-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10123-024-00493-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The L-asparaginase (ASPN) enzyme has received recognition in various applications including acrylamide degradation in the food industry. The synthesis and application of thermostable ASPN enzymes is required for its use in the food sector, where thermostable enzymes can withstand high temperatures. To achieve this goal, the bacterium Bacillus subtilis was isolated from the hot springs of Tapovan for screening the production of thermostable ASPN enzyme. Thus, ASPN with a maximal specific enzymatic activity of 0.896 U/mg and a molecular weight of 66 kDa was produced from the isolated bacteria. The kinetic study of the enzyme yielded a Km value of 1.579 mM and a Vmax of 5.009 µM/min with thermostability up to 100 min at 75 °C. This may have had a positive indication for employing the enzyme to stop polyacrylamide from being produced. The current study has also been extended to investigate the interaction of native and mutated ASPN enzymes with acrylamide. This concluded that the M<sub>10</sub> (with 10 mutations) has the highest protein and thermal stability compared to the wild-type ASPN protein sequence. Therefore, in comparison to a normal ASPN and all other mutant ASPNs, M<sub>10</sub> is the most favorable mutation. This research has also demonstrated the usage of ASPN in food industrial applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":14318,"journal":{"name":"International Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1765-1779"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140193817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amira M Baz, Esmat Elwy, Wafaa A Ahmed, Heba El-Sayed
{"title":"Metabolic profiling, antimicrobial, anticancer, and in vitro and in silico immunomodulatory investigation of Aspergillus niger OR730979 isolated from the Western Desert, Egypt.","authors":"Amira M Baz, Esmat Elwy, Wafaa A Ahmed, Heba El-Sayed","doi":"10.1007/s10123-024-00503-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10123-024-00503-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ten fungal species were isolated from soil in the Western Desert and Wadi El-Natron in Egypt. All fungal isolates were morphologically recognized down to the species level. Methanol extracts of fungal mycelia and ethyl acetate extracts of culture filtrate from the isolated fungi were evaluated for antimicrobial activity against six pathogenic bacteria and one pathogenic yeast (Candida albicans ATCC20231). Only ethyl acetate extracts of Fusarium circinatum, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus terreus culture filtrates showed significant antimicrobial activity against the majority of the investigated pathogens. The culture filtrate extract of Aspergillus niger exhibited notable cytotoxicity towards the breast cancer (MCF-7) cell line, with the lowest detected IC<sub>50</sub> recorded at 8 μg/μl. Whereas Fusarium circinatum and Aspergillus terreus had IC<sub>50</sub>s of 15.91 μg/μl and 18 μg/μl, respectively. A gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) investigation of A. niger's potent extract revealed 23 compounds with different biological activities. Glycidyleoleate was found to be the main extract component. Aspergillus niger extract was chosen to study its possible cytotoxic mechanism. The extract was found to induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at the < 2n stage. Despite a significant increase in caspases 8 and 9, the production levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) have shown a significant decrease. The high interaction of glycidyleoleate against the studied cytokines' binding receptors was demonstrated via docking studies. In conclusion, the available data revealed that the culture filtrate extract of A. niger possesses promising antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and immunomodulatory properties.</p>","PeriodicalId":14318,"journal":{"name":"International Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1677-1691"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11611972/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140174646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparative genomics of the genus Halioglobus reveals the genetic basis for the reclassification of Halioglobus pacificus as Parahalioglobus pacificus gen. nov. comb. nov.","authors":"Jake Adolf V Montecillo","doi":"10.1007/s10123-024-00516-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10123-024-00516-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The genus Halioglobus is one of the environmentally relevant members of the family Halieaceae, class Gammaproteobacteria. At present, the genus is composed of three validly published species. However, in the recent study of the family Halieaceae, the species Halioglobus pacificus was observed to branch outside of the main clade formed by the members of Halioglobus, suggesting its distinct taxonomic placement within the family. In the present study, the taxonomic placement of H. pacificus was reassessed using comparative genomics. Phylogenomic analysis revealed the paraphyletic relationship of H. pacificus with the type species of the genus Halioglobus, and further demonstrated its genus-level placement. This phylogenetic relationship was reinforced by the average nucleotide and amino acid identity values shared by H. pacificus with the members of the family Halieaceae. Moreover, the results of the pan-genome analysis, together with the phenotype data, further supported the exclusion of H. pacificus from the genus Halioglobus. Based on these findings, the species H. pacificus is thereby assigned to a new genus Parahalioglobus gen. nov. as Parahalioglobus pacificus comb. nov.</p>","PeriodicalId":14318,"journal":{"name":"International Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1831-1838"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140335571","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"In vitro activity of nanoliposomal amphotericin B against terbinafine-resistant Trichophyton indotineae isolates.","authors":"Mohsen Nosratabadi, Javad Akhtari, Mahmoud Reza Jaafari, Zahra Yahyazadeh, Tahereh Shokohi, Iman Haghani, Pardis Farmani, Robab Ebrahimi Barough, Hamid Badali, Mahdi Abastabar","doi":"10.1007/s10123-024-00617-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10123-024-00617-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The emergence of resistance in dermatophytes underscores the necessity for developing novel and alternative treatment options.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro activity of nanoliposomal amphotericin B against a large panel of terbinafine-resistant Trichophyton indotineae isolates. In vitro susceptibility testing of nanoliposomal amphotericin B and comparators against 50 clinical isolates of terbinafine-resistant T. indotineae strains was performed by broth microdilution according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M38-A3 document.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The highest MIC<sub>90</sub> and widest MIC range were found for terbinafine (4 and ≥ 4 µg/ml) followed by itraconazole (0.5 and 0.016-16 µg/ml). In contrast, the nanoliposomal amphotericin B and conventional amphotericin B exhibited low MIC<sub>90</sub> (0.5 µg/ml) and MIC range (0.25-0.5 µg/ml).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The study findings revealed that nanoliposomal amphotericin B might be a promising candidate against terbinafine-resistant strains of T. indotineae. However, further studies are required to pave the way for developing novel antifungal compounds to combat fungal resistance.</p>","PeriodicalId":14318,"journal":{"name":"International Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142768784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Multifunctional metabolites of Streptomyces kunmingensis BS19 from bamboo rhizosphere soil.","authors":"Murthy Sangeetha, Sivakumar Sasirekha, Jaganathan Mahendran, Anbalmani Sivarajan, Manikkam Radhakrishnan, Kaari Manigundan, Syed G Dastager, Singaravel Sengottuvelu, Ramasamy Balagurunathan","doi":"10.1007/s10123-024-00619-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10123-024-00619-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A pigmented bioactive molecule from Streptomyces kunmingensis BS19 was isolated, characterized, and evaluated for anti-infective, antiproliferative, and wound-healing properties. The yellow-red pigment produced from the strain BS19 showed promising activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Extracellular bioactive pigment from the strain BS19 was produced by agar surface fermentation and purified through bioassay guided preparative HPLC-based purification. Based on the results of UV, FT-IR, GC-MS, <sup>1</sup>H NMR, and <sup>13</sup>C NMR spectral analyses, the purified pigment was identified as a chromopeptide class of molecule with phenoxazinone chromophore. Its molecular weight was determined as the chemical formula C<sub>64</sub>H<sub>90</sub>N<sub>12</sub>O<sub>16</sub> and molecular weight 1283 g/mol. It exhibited promising antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 1720) and antiproliferative activity against 14 types of human cancer cell lines. It showed good in vivo wound-healing activity in the rat model. The present study explored Streptomyces kunmingensis as a newly added source for the isolation of chromopeptide antibiotics for antimicrobial, wound-healing, and anticancer applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":14318,"journal":{"name":"International Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142750874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mahnoor, Noor-Ul-Ain, Fatima Arshad, Taswar Ahsan, Sulaiman Ali Alharbi, Mohammad Javed Ansari, Ismail Khan, Maha Alshiekheid, Amal Abdullah A Sabour
{"title":"Whole genome analysis of Stenotrophomonas geniculata MK2 and antagonism against Botrytis cinerea in strawberry.","authors":"Mahnoor, Noor-Ul-Ain, Fatima Arshad, Taswar Ahsan, Sulaiman Ali Alharbi, Mohammad Javed Ansari, Ismail Khan, Maha Alshiekheid, Amal Abdullah A Sabour","doi":"10.1007/s10123-024-00612-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10123-024-00612-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A novel strain isolated from soil identified as Stenotrophomonas geniculata MK2 could control strawberries' postharvest disease gray mold. An in vitro investigation showed that MK2 had significant bioactivity against Botrytis cinerea, with an observed zone of inhibition of 85%. The strain MK2 was 88% effective in controlling gray mold on detached fruits. De novo whole genome sequencing analysis showed that strain MK2 has a single circular chromosome with a genome size of 736,465 bp, a G + C content of 66.34%, a coding ratio of 89.80%, and a protein-coding gene of 442. The NR database identified about 4284 genes among Stenotrophomonas spp. and S. geniculata, sharing the maximum number of 1277 genes with the MK2 strain. In COG annotation, most gene percentage was linked to general functions. In KEGG annotations, the majority of genes are associated with metabolism. According to the GO analysis, the maximum number of genes involved in the molecular process was linked to catalytic and transporter activity. CAZymes (carbohydrate-active enzymes) showed that enzymes related to glycosyl transferases (48), carbohydrate esterases (54), and glycoside hydrolases (51) are involved in the non-ribosomal synthesis of secondary metabolites. The PHI database showed that in strain MK2, the reduced virulence was 68 protein counts, and similarly unaffected pathogenicity protein counts were 52. AntiSMASH analysis for biosynthesis-related gene clusters involved in the production of secondary metabolites showed ten gene clusters coded for 2,3-dihydroxybenzoylserine, griseobactin, fuscachelin, benarthin, mirubactin, myxochelin, and bacillibactin. The MK2 strain could be a potent biocontrol agent for postharvest diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":14318,"journal":{"name":"International Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142728287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correction to: Imbalanced metabolism induced NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> accumulation and its effect on the central metabolism of Methylomonas sp. ZR1.","authors":"Wei Guo, Ronglin He, Yujie Zhao, Demao Li","doi":"10.1007/s10123-024-00611-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10123-024-00611-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14318,"journal":{"name":"International Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142716148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Samira Pakdel, Ali Beheshti Ale Agha, Rouhallah Sharifi, Alireza Habibi, Firoozeh Gholami
{"title":"Diesel-degradation by indigenous bacteria of petroleum-contaminated soils.","authors":"Samira Pakdel, Ali Beheshti Ale Agha, Rouhallah Sharifi, Alireza Habibi, Firoozeh Gholami","doi":"10.1007/s10123-024-00616-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10123-024-00616-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Relying on native microorganisms is crucial for bioremediating petroleum-contaminated soils within this oil field. This study aimed to isolate native bacteria and investigate their ability to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons in contaminated soils. Flame ionization detector gas chromatography analyzed the capacity of Indigenous bacterial isolates to break down diesel fuel in an aquatic environment. Soil samples were collected from the Naft-Shahr area. Initially, 126 bacterial isolates were obtained from these soils, of which only 48 species could grow on a diesel-containing medium. Further analysis identified the top 8 isolates with high diesel removal potential. Results showed that the diesel removal percentage ranged from 26 to 76% at an initial diesel concentration of 3.7 g. L - <sup>1</sup> after 48 h, without adding any supplementary surface-active agent. Four top isolates were selected based on their degradation activity, removal yield, and biodegradation rate and were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Sequence alignment revealed that isolates B11Pet, B19Pet, B27Pet, and B48Pet belong to Staphylococcus gallinarum, Paenarthrobacter nitroguajacolicus, Arthrobacter citreus, and Bacillus thuringiensis, respectively. Among these, Bacillus thuringiensis (B48Pet), with a specific growth rate of 0.211 h⁻<sup>1</sup>, could uniformly remove all diesel hydrocarbon fractions at 58.81 mg. L⁻<sup>1</sup>. h⁻<sup>1</sup>. This strain, alone or in consortia, represents a promising strategy for the bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated soils.</p>","PeriodicalId":14318,"journal":{"name":"International Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142647600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Diem Hong Tran, Hau Thi Tran, Binh Thi Tu Vo, Le Minh Bui, Huong Thi Thu Phung
{"title":"Rapid on-site detection of viable Vibrio parahaemolyticus in seafood using cis-diamminedichloroplatinum and colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (CDDP-LAMP).","authors":"Diem Hong Tran, Hau Thi Tran, Binh Thi Tu Vo, Le Minh Bui, Huong Thi Thu Phung","doi":"10.1007/s10123-024-00614-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10123-024-00614-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Vibrio parahaemolyticus in seafood and marine environments poses significant health risks, causing gastroenteritis worldwide. Current detection methods fail to differentiate live from dead cells, leading to inaccuracies in food safety assessments. This study introduces a novel method combining cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (CDDP) with direct colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for rapid and accurate detection of viable V. parahaemolyticus cells in seafood samples. CDDP treatment at 37 °C for 30 min selectively inhibits DNA from dead cells, enhancing the specificity of the assay by ensuring only live cell DNA is amplified. The optimized CDDP-LAMP procedure detects alive V. parahaemolyticus within 1 h, with results observable through a color change. The CDDP-LAMP assay demonstrates excellent specificity, identifying live V. parahaemolyticus cells while excluding dead cells and other bacteria. It shows a detection limit of 2.348 CFU per reaction and successfully detects V. parahaemolyticus in seafood samples across different food matrices. This study is the first to combine CDDP with colorimetric LAMP for direct detecting viable bacteria in food, enhancing specificity by eliminating signals from dead cells. The CDDP-LAMP assay provides a rapid, accurate process for detecting viable V. parahaemolyticus cells, especially in resource-limited settings. It also gives a model for screening different bacterial pathogens, speeding up and improving foodborne illness risk assessments.</p>","PeriodicalId":14318,"journal":{"name":"International Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142638960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}