{"title":"Professional Dyeing Work Enriches Dye-decolorizing Bacteria in the Fingertip Microbiome.","authors":"Tsukasa Ito","doi":"10.1264/jsme2.ME26026","DOIUrl":"10.1264/jsme2.ME26026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Individuals who regularly handle specific chemicals may harbor microorganisms capable of metabolizing those compounds. Such hands may therefore provide a practical route for obtaining functional microorganisms from easily accessible human-associated environments. In this study, we found that nearly 90% of professional dyers harbored dye-decolorizing bacteria, which were efficiently isolated from their fingertips, with 20% of isolates exhibiting decolorizing activity. These strains showed distinct genus-level profiles. These findings indicate that occupational exposure to dyes strongly enriches dye-decolorizing bacteria, suggesting that the hands of textile workers may serve as a source for isolating microorganisms with potential applications in dye bioremediation.</p>","PeriodicalId":18482,"journal":{"name":"Microbes and Environments","volume":"41 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13293701/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148218336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dominance of Enterobacter spp. in Asymptomatic Sweet Potato Tubers Grown in Foot Rot-infested Fields.","authors":"Chiyomi Kubota, Megumi Hashimoto, Yasutoshi Ougitani, Rinka Yujima, Matsujiro Ishibashi, Hirohito Tsurumaru","doi":"10.1264/jsme2.ME26007","DOIUrl":"10.1264/jsme2.ME26007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Since 2018, foot rot disease caused by Diaporthe destruens has emerged as a serious threat to sweet potato production in Japan. Although plant-associated bacteria have been suggested to contribute to disease suppression, the bacterial community structure of asymptomatic sweet potato tubers in foot rot-infested fields remains unclear. In the present study, we analyzed the bacterial communities of asymptomatic tubers collected adjacent to infected tubers from four foot rot-infested fields. Thirteen bacterial taxa with >1% relative abundance were detected, among which Enterobacter (ASV-129 sequence; 427 bp) was dominant, accounting for an average of 49.4% of total 16S rRNA gene amplicon reads. Forty bacterial strains were isolated from asymptomatic sweet potato tubers using R2A agar plates. Among them, strain 12CK showed 100% sequence identity to ASV-129 and was identified as Enterobacter hormaechei based on a genome anal-ysis (genome size: 4,832,483 bp). In the present study, D. destruens 2YO was also isolated from infected plants, and its pathogenicity was confirmed. In growth inhibition assays (dual culture assay), E. hormaechei 12CK strongly inhibited the growth of D. destruens 2YO. Pot and field trials will be required to examine the applicability of strain 12CK as a microbial biocontrol agent.</p>","PeriodicalId":18482,"journal":{"name":"Microbes and Environments","volume":"41 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13293704/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148157213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Horizontal Chromosome Transfer between Pathogenic and Non-pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum Strains Isolated from Cabbage.","authors":"Yu Ayukawa, Misaki Kaino, Takashi Yaeno","doi":"10.1264/jsme2.ME25078","DOIUrl":"10.1264/jsme2.ME25078","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Horizontal chromosome transfer (HCT) has been demonstrated in Fusarium oxysporum. Several pathogenic F. oxysporum strains have been used as donors in HCT experiments, while the non-pathogenic strain Fo47 has mainly been employed as a recipient. It currently remains unknown whether other non-pathogenic F. oxysporum strains are recipients of mobile chromosomes. In the present study, we investigated whether the non-pathogenic strain 08C-3B, obtained from cabbage, acquired the mobile chromosomes of F. oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans strain Cong:1-1, which infects cabbage. We detected HCT between Cong:1-1 and 08C-3B in a conidial anastomosis tube (CAT) fusion-inductive medium, yielding HCT progeny strains that carried scaffolds (SCs) 8 and 9 of Cong:1-1. These progeny strains exhibited reduced colony growth on potato dextrose agar plates and produced no symptoms on cabbage. These results suggest that SC8 and/or SC9 hinder vegetative growth, but do not confer virulence to 08C-3B. We then conducted HCT experiments to assess whether the HCT progeny strain transfers the acquired chromosomes to other strains. However, no progeny strains were obtained, suggesting that 08C-3B does not function as a donor for mobile chromosomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":18482,"journal":{"name":"Microbes and Environments","volume":"41 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13293700/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147775660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rapid Diversification of a Natural Heterosigma akashiwo Virus Population during a Host Bloom.","authors":"Jun Xia, Lingjie Meng, Yue Fang, Hiroki Ban, Yusuke Okazaki, Takashi Yoshida, Hisashi Endo, Keizo Nagasaki, Hiroyuki Ogata","doi":"10.1264/jsme2.ME26018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1264/jsme2.ME26018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite the ecological importance of viruses, our understanding of their evolutionary dynamics in natural environments remains limited. This gap is particularly pronounced for giant dsDNA viruses of the phyla Nucleocytoviricota and Mirusviricota. Knowledge on their population genetic dynamics is mostly derived from a small number of laboratory-based experiments, while patterns in nature are rarely observed. To overcome this limitation, we traced the genetic structure and transcription status of Heterosigma akashiwo virus (HaV) using high-frequency, time-resolved sampling during a host bloom in a coastal area of Japan by integrating cell counting, metabarcoding, and metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing. The results obtained revealed that HaV dominated the giant virus community in most samples, with relative abundance up to 56%. Despite its high abundance, the HaV population exhibited a low level of microdiversity, but had a higher pN/pS ratio than other giant viruses in the study site. Microdiversity increased during the early sampling period, peaked mid-sampling, and decreased during the later period, consistent with rapid diversification during viral expansion, which may be driven by both in situ mutations and the succession of pre-existing minor variants. Several accessory genes, including a glycosyltransferase and an endonuclease, were highly expressed, providing functional evidence consistent with host interaction-driven selective pressure during the bloom. Collectively, these results indicate that HaV population dynamics during algal blooms are shaped by host-driven selection acting on standing genetic variations.</p>","PeriodicalId":18482,"journal":{"name":"Microbes and Environments","volume":"41 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148430640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Isolation and Genomic Characterization of a Novel Japanese Strain of Pseudomonas protegens and an Evaluation of Its Biocontrol Potential.","authors":"Rohyanti Yuliana, Saki Ikeda, Yuichiro Ikagawa, Kosei Yamauchi, Kotaro Kuwahara, Nur Adliza Baharom, Haruhisa Suga, Masafumi Shimizu","doi":"10.1264/jsme2.ME25086","DOIUrl":"10.1264/jsme2.ME25086","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pseudomonas protegens, a member of the P. fluorescens complex, is a key biocontrol bacterium with well-documented potential to protect plants against diverse pathogens. Although P. protegens strains have been widely exami-ned globally, those originating from Japan have not been well described. In this study, we isolated and characterized a new P. protegens strain, GSF-73, from the rhizosphere of Allium fistulosum in Gifu, Japan, and assessed its performance against several major plant diseases. Draft genome sequencing produced a 7.13-Mbp assembly, and average nucleotide identity values of 97.81-98.26% with reference strains (Cab75, CHA0, and Pf-5) confirmed its species identity. A comparative genomic anal-ysis showed that GSF-73 possessed a larger genome than the reference strains, containing eight conserved biosynthetic gene clusters for antimicrobial compounds and an expanded set of strain-specific genes related to metabolism, regulation, mobilome functions, and secretion. GSF-73 exhibited broad-spectrum antagonistic activity in vitro against fungal, oomycete, and bacterial pathogens. In biocontrol assays, GSF-73 significantly suppressed spinach Fusarium wilt, cucumber anthracnose on detached cotyledons, tomato bacterial wilt, and cucumber downy mildew. In contrast, root and/or seed treatments enhanced Pythium root rot in spinach and anthracnose in pot-grown cucumbers, indicating pathosystem-dependent efficacy. Despite these contrasting outcomes, GSF-73 shows strong biocontrol potential and merits further study to elucidate the mechanisms underlying both beneficial and adverse effects for its optimized use as a locally adapted biocontrol agent for Japanese agriculture.</p>","PeriodicalId":18482,"journal":{"name":"Microbes and Environments","volume":"41 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13293703/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148138572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lin Huang, Jiaji Li, Bohan Zhai, Jiahui Liu, Fuli Li, Runyan Zhu, Ran You, Chaozheng Zhang
{"title":"Biodegradation Mechanism of Thiophene by Candida tropicalis through Electric Field-assisted Technology.","authors":"Lin Huang, Jiaji Li, Bohan Zhai, Jiahui Liu, Fuli Li, Runyan Zhu, Ran You, Chaozheng Zhang","doi":"10.1264/jsme2.ME25081","DOIUrl":"10.1264/jsme2.ME25081","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Electric field-assisted (EFA) technology has been extensively employed in the realm of biodegradation. Candida tropicalis, with a high capability for degrading thiophene, has been successfully screened through electric field-assisted screening (EFAS). The present study investigated the cell density distribution of C. tropicalis at various locations within an electric field. Under an electric field, cells migrated and accumulated toward the cathode plate. Under a loading electric field intensity of 0.6 V cm<sup>-1</sup>, the concentration of cells peaked near the cathode plate and remained stable with a loading time of 10 min. Furthermore, the thiophene degradation efficiency of strain CZ60, which was screened under optimal loading voltage and time conditions, reached 91.4% after a 4-h reaction. These results establish a solid theoretical foundation for utilizing EFAS to identify biodegradable microorganisms, with potential implications for environmental remediation strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18482,"journal":{"name":"Microbes and Environments","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12999726/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147463698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Masayoshi Hashimoto, Kana Ohata, Ryohei Thomas Nakano, Hisae Hirata, Yusuke Katai
{"title":"Distinct and Intermediate Bacterial Community Structure of the Wasabi Rhizome Based on Compartment-resolved 16S rRNA Gene Profiling.","authors":"Masayoshi Hashimoto, Kana Ohata, Ryohei Thomas Nakano, Hisae Hirata, Yusuke Katai","doi":"10.1264/jsme2.ME26005","DOIUrl":"10.1264/jsme2.ME26005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The plant microbiota plays important roles in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Wasabi (Eutrema japonicum), a traditional crop indigenous to Japan, remains poorly characterized in terms of its associated bacterial community. In the present study, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed distinct bacterial community structures across plant and soil compartments. The rhizome microbiota, the edible plant organ used as a spice, exhibited intermediate characteristics between those of the root and leaf microbiota. These results provide fundamental insights into the wasabi-associated bacterial microbiota and identify the rhizome as a distinct microbial niche.</p>","PeriodicalId":18482,"journal":{"name":"Microbes and Environments","volume":"41 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13293706/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148295827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Genome Plasticity Depends on Positions both Inside and Outside of the Symbiosis Island of Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens.","authors":"Haruka Arashida, Hiroko Maita, Shusei Sato, Kiwamu Minamisawa","doi":"10.1264/jsme2.ME25074","DOIUrl":"10.1264/jsme2.ME25074","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Insertion sequences (ISs) are major drivers of genomic plasticity in rhizobia, frequently promoting local recombination events. To quantitatively compare the stability of genomic regions inside and outside of the symbiosis island, we engineered Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens USDA122 mutants carrying a sacB/aadA counter-selectable cassette at four distinct loci-three on symbiosis island A (SymA) and one in the core genome. During 5 days of saprophytic growth, cassette deletion occurred at frequencies of up to 1.77×10<sup>-3</sup> within SymA, whereas the deletion rate in core genomic regions was markedly lower (3.29×10<sup>-6</sup>). Within SymA, cassettes inserted adjacent to the nif and rhc clusters, where IS copies with the same orientation were enriched, were lost more frequently than those placed in other SymA regions, indicating marked intra-island variability in genomic stability. Similar yet overall lower deletion frequencies were observed in B. diazoefficiens USDA110. These results demonstrate that SymA contains genomic loci with greater susceptibility to IS-mediated rearrangements and also that such recombination events may contribute to the diversification of Bradyrhizobium symbiosis islands. Based on our comparative IS mapping in B. japonicum and B. ottawaense, we discuss the potential for the IS-mediated deletion of genome regions harboring nod genes.</p>","PeriodicalId":18482,"journal":{"name":"Microbes and Environments","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12999730/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147326649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Restoration of Nitrate Respiration in Pseudomonas aeruginosa under Growth Limitations.","authors":"Ayaka Uehara, Chunqi Jiang, Susumu Yoshizawa, Kazuhiro Kogure, Nobuhiko Nomura, Toshiki Nagakubo, Masanori Toyofuku","doi":"10.1264/jsme2.ME25064","DOIUrl":"10.1264/jsme2.ME25064","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gene mutations are a fundamental survival strategy in bacteria and often accompany cell growth. We herein demonstrate that Pseudomonas aeruginosa recovered growth under anoxic conditions through a mutation in an essential regulatory gene required for nitrate respiration, overcoming initial growth limitations. Although the open-ocean isolate P. aeruginosa Ocean-1187 possesses denitrification-related genes, it was initially unable to grow under nitrate-respiring conditions due to a defect in the transcriptional regulator NarL, part of the NarX-NarL two-component system that controls the expression of denitrification genes. The growth of this strain was limited by the defective NarL; however, a prolonged incubation under anoxic conditions led to the emergence of spontaneous mutants that regained the ability to grow. Whole-genome sequencing and functional complementation assays revealed that a single amino acid substitution in NarL was sufficient to restore nitrate respiration. Additional variants independently isolated from separate cultures also carried substitutions at the same residue, underscoring its functional importance. The present study shows that a single amino acid substitution in an essential regulatory protein restored metabolic function. These results offer novel insights into the adaptive strategies of bacteria, highlighting the emergence of critical mutations even under restricted growth conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":18482,"journal":{"name":"Microbes and Environments","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12999733/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145917806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Screening of Nonpathogenic Fusarium Species Suppressing Fusarium Crown and Root Rot in Asparagus Using Wheat Bran as an Inoculum Carrier.","authors":"Yosuke Maeda, Seishi Akino, Norio Kondo","doi":"10.1264/jsme2.ME25063","DOIUrl":"10.1264/jsme2.ME25063","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fusarium crown and root rot (FCRR), caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. asparagi, is one of the most destructive diseases affecting asparagus worldwide. Despite evidence of the suppression of FCRR by several nonpathogenic F. oxysporum sensu lato strains in laboratory experiments, biological control trials in FCRR-infested fields have not consistently demonstrated the effectiveness of these strains. Therefore, we screened nonpathogenic Fusarium spp. strains for the biological control of FCRR with the modified inoculation method considering the colonization to soil of biocontrol agents (BCAs). Two strains from different lineages (SM007 and FAoc5), inoculated by irrigating a bud-cell suspension and applying cultured wheat bran medium around the root of the transplants, effectively suppressed FCRR on young asparagus seedlings. These strains also suppressed FCRR on mature second-year plants to some extent by the application of cultured wheat bran medium as an inoculation carrier. Both strains exhibited the capacity to impede chlamydospore germination of the pathogen when glucose was incorporated into soil. Although SM007 sometimes failed to show biocontrol effects, differences in efficiency appeared to be related to the fungal density colonizing wheat bran medium. These results suggest that the screened strains interact with the pathogen and also that the amount of BCAs introduced into soil is closely related to their biocontrol efficacy.</p>","PeriodicalId":18482,"journal":{"name":"Microbes and Environments","volume":"41 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13293699/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147982337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}