Microbiology spectrum最新文献

{"title":"Role of antifungal drugs in modulating interaction between <i>Candida glabrata</i> and macrophages: cytokine profiles and TEM analysis.","authors":"Xinyi Wang, Zhenghui Yang, Yuye Li, Tianxiang Dong, Yi-Qun Kuang, Hongbin Li","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.00872-25","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00872-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Candida glabrata</i> often resides within macrophages, creating challenges for antifungal treatment. This study investigates the impact of antifungal agents on the immune response of <i>C. glabrata</i> within macrophages to understand its immune evasion mechanisms. Standard <i>C. glabrata</i> strains ATCC2001 and a clinical strain (17K1152) were pretreated with micafungin (MCF), itraconazole (ICZ), and amphotericin B (AmB) for 24 hours and then co-cultured with macrophages for 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis was performed, and cytokine levels (interleukin [IL]-6, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor [GM-CSF]) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. <i>C. glabrata</i> showed the greatest susceptibility to MCF, followed by AmB, with ICZ having the least effect. TEM analysis revealed MCF-induced damage to both the cell wall and membrane, whereas AmB disrupted only the membrane. ICZ showed less noticeable damage. MCF-pretreated yeast cells were more readily damaged in macrophages than those pretreated with AmB or ICZ. IL-6 secretion patterns were similar in untreated and ICZ-treated groups, while AmB initially decreased IL-6 secretion before recovery, and MCF consistently increased IL-6 levels. GM-CSF secretion showed comparable trends for untreated and ICZ groups, with MCF and AmB exhibiting fluctuations. Echinocandins enhanced macrophage immune activity by modifying <i>C. glabrata</i>'s cell wall and increasing pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, impairing its survival within host cells. Azole pretreatment had minimal impact on yeast replication and survival, reflecting resistance. Polyenes-treated yeast evade innate immunity by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and modulating macrophage recruitment.IMPORTANCE<i>Candida glabrata</i> is a major cause of bloodstream infections and is often resistant to antifungal treatment. Understanding how different antifungal drugs affect its survival within macrophages is critical for improving therapy. This study demonstrates that echinocandins enhance macrophage-mediated killing by damaging the fungal cell wall and increasing pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, whereas azoles have minimal effect, and polyenes may aid immune evasion. These findings provide mechanistic insights into antifungal resistance and host-pathogen interactions, informing strategies for more effective treatment of <i>C. glabrata</i> infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":" ","pages":"e0087225"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145346321","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":"Emergence of <i>Serratia nevei</i> co-producing NDM-1 and CTX-M-15 in urban wastewater.","authors":"João Pedro Rueda Furlan, Giovanna Carrasco Bueno, Rubens Renato Sousa-Carmo, Renan Lourenço Oliveira Silva, Mikaela Renata Funada Barbosa, Maria Ines Zanoli Sato, Nilton Lincopan, Sergio Schenkman","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.01378-25","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01378-25","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":" ","pages":"e0137825"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145346260","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":"Assembly of skin microbiomes is more neutral than gut microbiomes in multiple animal species.","authors":"Killian D Campbell, Brendan J M Bohannan, Karen L Adair","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.02223-25","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02223-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The gut and external tissues of most animals are colonized by communities of microorganisms that can influence the health, development, and fitness of the host. The composition of these communities can vary greatly between individuals within a host species, and both selective factors (e.g., host immune response) and neutral processes (e.g., random loss of microbial cells) have been shown to contribute to this variation. Although it is known that microbiome composition differs between tissues within an individual host, less is known about the ecological processes that underlie these differences. To address this, we investigated whether the contribution of neutral ecological processes to microbiome assembly differs between external (skin and scale) and internal (gut) host tissues for a diverse panel of animal hosts. To do this, we fit a neutral ecological model to microbial communities from external and internal tissues across a variety of animal hosts. Strikingly, we discovered that the neutral model was equally or a better fit to skin or scale microbial communities across all hosts, suggesting that neutral processes play a larger role in the assembly of skin or scale microbiomes compared with gut microbiomes. Furthermore, we observed that this trend is robust to different definitions of the metacommunity (i.e., the microbial taxa available to colonize a host). Finally, we leveraged a simulation framework to compare the model fits of empirical versus simulated microbial communities. We found that neutral model fits to empirical communities can differ from simulated communities, emphasizing the importance of temporal sampling in profiling animal microbiomes.IMPORTANCEAnimal microbiomes are complex assemblages of microorganisms that influence a wide variety of host phenotypes. Despite their importance, we lack a thorough understanding of the processes that guide the formation of microbiomes (i.e., microbiome assembly). Understanding how microbiomes assemble is essential to managing microbiomes for host health, conservation, and other goals. Our work highlights the relatively underappreciated role of neutral ecological processes (the random loss or gain of microbial cells) in the assembly of animal microbiomes. We document a potentially general trend: the microbiomes of external tissues (i.e., skin or scales) tend to be more neutrally assembled than those of internal tissues (i.e., guts). This observation suggests that the commonly reported differences in microbiome composition of external and internal animal tissues may be due in part to different assembly processes. Our work also highlights the dynamic nature of microbiomes and the importance of longitudinal sampling when studying animal microbiomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":" ","pages":"e0222325"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145346283","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":"Correction for Corrales et al., \"Characterization of a selective, iron-chelating antifungal compound that disrupts fungal metabolism and synergizes with fluconazole\".","authors":"Jeanne Corrales, Lucia Ramos-Alonso, Javier González-Sabín, Nicolás Ríos-Lombardía, Nuria Trevijano-Contador, Henriette Engen Berg, Frøydis Sved Skottvoll, Francisco Moris, Oscar Zaragoza, Pierre Chymkowitch, Ignacio Garcia, Jorrit M Enserink","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.00730-25","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00730-25","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":" ","pages":"e0073025"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145337286","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":"Delineating molecular mechanisms on the acquisition of <i>in vitro-</i>adapted colistin-resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> by transcriptomic analysis.","authors":"Su Min Kyung, Jun Ho Lee, Eun-Seo Lee, Xi-Rui Xiang, Han Sang Yoo","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.03428-24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03428-24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The worldwide dissemination of colistin-resistant pathogens, despite global efforts, is a serious public health concern, considering that colistin is regarded as a last-resort antimicrobial agent for the clinical treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacterial infections. Since the development of novel strategies and technologies, such as limiting bacterial adaptation, is essential for our society, adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) was conducted under colistin pressure to uncover poorly understood mechanisms of colistin adaptation and provide a fundamental basis for future technologies. In this study, two isolates of <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> were subjected to ALE under colistin pressure, with each isolate serving as the ancestor of three mutant strains resulting from independently conducted ALE experiments. Consequently, all strains surpassed the resistance threshold, and the resistant ratio of the bacterial population exceeded 60% by at least the seventh day of colistin pressure. Whole-genome resequencing revealed multiple gene variants potentially associated with colistin adaptation, warranting further assessment. The RNA-seq results from each stage of pressure revealed that in the early stage, pathways related to quorum sensing are involved, while in the later stage, pathways related to colistin target modification mechanisms were activated. This suggests that different reactions and pathways contribute to colistin survival at the early and later stages. The findings presented in this study will contribute to a deeper understanding of colistin adaptation in <i>K. pneumoniae</i> and provide valuable insights for further studies aimed at establishing new strategies to prevent the further emergence of colistin-resistant <i>K. pneumoniae</i>.</p><p><strong>Importance: </strong>Nowadays, only a few treatment options remain for widespread multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacterial infections, including the old antibiotic colistin. However, colistin-resistant clinical pathogens are spreading globally, further limiting treatment options. The future does not look promising due to the increasing global use of antibiotics and the uncontrolled spread of MDR pathogens. Moreover, the development of novel antibiotics has been limited in the industrial sector due to the rapid adaptation of the clinical pathogens. Therefore, the hope relies solely on the development of novel strategies and technologies to manage bacterial infections or limit bacterial adaptations. In this study, a new strategy has been proposed based on findings from <i>in vitro</i> colistin pressure to limit bacterial adaptation to colistin. Given the growing future concerns, the novel perspectives proposed in this study could provide a fundamental basis for developing novel materials or measures to limit antimicrobial adaptation in clinical environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":" ","pages":"e0342824"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145337323","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":"SinI and SinR function differently in biofilm formation, rhizosphere colonization, and biocontrol efficacy between <i>Bacillus velezensis</i> and <i>B. subtilis</i>.","authors":"Zhibo Wang, Rui Wang, Shilei Jiang, Yuqing Zheng, Qiankun Jiang, Li Wang, Jun Tan, Xiuyun Zhao, Gaofu Qi","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.02186-24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02186-24","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Numerous &lt;i&gt;Bacillus&lt;/i&gt; species, in particular &lt;i&gt;B. subtilis&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;B. velezensis&lt;/i&gt;, are usually used as effective biocontrol agents against plant diseases, leveraging their ability to form biofilms for robust colonization of the rhizosphere. In &lt;i&gt;B. subtilis&lt;/i&gt;, SinI positively influences biofilm formation, rhizosphere colonization, and biocontrol efficacy, whereas SinR has a negative impact. To boost the biocontrol efficacy of &lt;i&gt;B. velezensis&lt;/i&gt; R9 against tobacco bacterial wilt, we engineered the deletion of &lt;i&gt;sinI&lt;/i&gt; and s&lt;i&gt;inR&lt;/i&gt; genes in this strain, respectively. Contrary to expectations, deleting &lt;i&gt;sinR&lt;/i&gt; impaired biofilm formation, rhizosphere colonization, plant resistance induction, and bacterial wilt control. Conversely, the R9Δ&lt;i&gt;sinI&lt;/i&gt; strain showed notably enhanced biofilm, colonization, and biocontrol efficacy relative to both R9 and R9Δ&lt;i&gt;sinR&lt;/i&gt; strains. Complementing R9Δ&lt;i&gt;sinI&lt;/i&gt; with &lt;i&gt;sinI&lt;/i&gt; and R9Δ&lt;i&gt;sinR&lt;/i&gt; with &lt;i&gt;sinR&lt;/i&gt; confirmed that SinI negatively and SinR positively regulate biofilm formation in R9, regardless of originating from &lt;i&gt;B. velezensis&lt;/i&gt; or &lt;i&gt;B. subtilis&lt;/i&gt;. By contrast, &lt;i&gt;sinI&lt;/i&gt; knockout in &lt;i&gt;B. subtilis&lt;/i&gt; M6 caused a marked decline in biofilm formation but could be partially reversed by complementary expression of &lt;i&gt;sinI&lt;/i&gt; whether it was from &lt;i&gt;B. subtilis&lt;/i&gt; or &lt;i&gt;B. velezensis&lt;/i&gt;. Conversely, &lt;i&gt;sinR&lt;/i&gt; knockout in M6 sharply decreased biofilm formation. In summary, SinI negatively and SinR positively regulate biofilm formation in &lt;i&gt;B. velezensis&lt;/i&gt;, contrasting with their roles in &lt;i&gt;B. subtilis&lt;/i&gt;. Consequently, deleting &lt;i&gt;sinI&lt;/i&gt;, not &lt;i&gt;sinR&lt;/i&gt;, in &lt;i&gt;B. velezensis&lt;/i&gt; enhances biofilm formation, promoting root colonization, plant resistance, and disease control.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Importance: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;Bacillus&lt;/i&gt; species, exemplified by &lt;i&gt;B. subtilis&lt;/i&gt; as a model organism for Gram-positive bacteria, have been extensively studied, particularly regarding biofilm formation. Biofilms represent a form of quorum sensing in microbial communities, and the biocontrol efficacy of &lt;i&gt;Bacillus&lt;/i&gt; species in the rhizosphere, against plant pathogens, hinges on their biofilm-forming capabilities. In &lt;i&gt;B. subtilis&lt;/i&gt;, the regulatory proteins SinI and SinR are known to have opposing functions in biofilm formation, with SinI facilitating and SinR inhibiting biofilm development. Drawing from this foundational knowledge, we endeavored to knock out the &lt;i&gt;sinR&lt;/i&gt; gene in &lt;i&gt;B. velezensis&lt;/i&gt;, a biocontrol bacterium, to enhance biofilm formation and, consequently, its colonization of the rhizosphere and biocontrol efficacy. Unexpectedly, the deletion of &lt;i&gt;sinR&lt;/i&gt; reduced the bacterium's proficiency in biofilm formation and its ability to colonize the rhizosphere, resulting in a decrease in biocontrol effectiveness. On the contrary, the knockout of &lt;i&gt;sinI&lt;/i&gt; promoted biofilm formation, bolstered the strain's colonization capacity in the rhizosphere, and","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":" ","pages":"e0218624"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145337315","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":"Maternal gut microbiota transmission and early-life colonization patterns influence infant CMPA risk.","authors":"Lai Zhang, Xiaomeng Ge, Peiliang Shen, Yirong Zhou, Songnian Hu, Huisong Xu","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.01162-25","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01162-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The establishment of gut microbiota in early life represents a critical window for immune system development and the prevention of cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA). While maternal influence on infant gut colonization is well-documented, the specific relationship between maternal-infant microbiota patterns and CMPA development remains poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed 106 fecal samples from maternal-infant pairs, including 16 complete triads (maternal, newborn, and 3-month infant samples), using 16S rRNA sequencing to identify key bacterial markers associated with CMPA risk. Our findings revealed distinct temporal colonization patterns, with initial <i>Staphylococcus</i> dominance in newborns shifting to <i>Bifidobacterium</i> predominance by three months, a trend particularly pronounced in infants with CMPA. Breastfeeding emerged as a significant factor influencing microbial development, with exclusively breastfed infants showing a lower risk of CMPA. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the vertical transmission of <i>Staphylococcus</i>, <i>Bifidobacterium</i> (such as <i>Bifidobacterium longum</i> and <i>Bifidobacterium breve</i>), <i>Blautia</i>, and <i>Enterococcus</i> between mothers and infants. Furthermore, functional pathway analysis highlighted the role of amino acid metabolism in immune system development, suggesting potential mechanisms through which early microbiota may influence CMPA risk. These findings provide new insights into the interplay between maternal-infant microbiota transmission, feeding practices, and CMPA development, offering potential avenues for early intervention and prevention strategies.</p><p><strong>Importance: </strong>The establishment of intestinal flora in early life is essential for the health and development of living organisms. At birth, the newborn has already established an initial gut microbiota with distinct characteristics. The link between the composition of the gut microbiota and immune-related symptoms such as allergies is a hot topic, and it starts to show up early in life. It is helpful to study the characteristics and developing rules of early life intestinal flora by interpreting the characteristics of early life flora, the relationship with maternal flora, the development law with age, and the correlation with feeding patterns and so on. In this study, we presented and compared the gut microbiota of newborns, 3-month-old infants, and their mothers to provide a preliminary understanding of the establishment of early life microbiota and its correlation with allergies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":" ","pages":"e0116225"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145329267","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":"Influence of breast milk microbiota on the composition of the early intestinal microbial community in goat kids: a study of composition and correlations.","authors":"Lanmuyi Gou, Gan Luo, Zihan Xia, Wentao Zhang, Shenglin Li, Kegu Ji'e, Taichun Gao, Kehamo Abi, Falong Yang","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.02642-24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02642-24","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Colonization of gut microbes in young ruminants plays a fundamental role in their lifelong health. Although the relationship between breast milk (BM) and the gut microbiota of young animals has been reported, its specific impact on goats has yet to be thoroughly explored. Therefore, this study aimed to comprehensively reveal the influence of breast milk feeding on the development of intestinal microorganisms in goat kids and the interactions between breast milk microbiome and fecal microbiome. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the richness of breast milk microbiota between the BMD1, BMD7, and BMD14 groups (&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.05). At the genus level, the bacterial microbiota in breast milk across different days of age was predominantly composed of &lt;i&gt;Pseudomonas&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Asticcacaulis&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Mannheimia&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Sphingomonas&lt;/i&gt;, and &lt;i&gt;Staphylococcus&lt;/i&gt;. In contrast, the fecal microbiota of goat kids was primarily dominated by &lt;i&gt;Escherichia-Shigella&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Butyricicoccus&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Bacteroides&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Lactobacillus&lt;/i&gt;, and &lt;i&gt;Limosilactobacillus&lt;/i&gt;. Significant correlations (&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.05) were observed between the microbial communities of breast milk and the fecal microbiota of goat kids. Specifically, &lt;i&gt;Delftia&lt;/i&gt; in breast milk was positively correlated with &lt;i&gt;Limosilactobacillus&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Lactobacillus&lt;/i&gt; and negatively correlated with &lt;i&gt;Lachnoclostridium&lt;/i&gt; in the rectal feces of goat kids, and &lt;i&gt;Lactobacillus&lt;/i&gt; in breast milk was positively correlated with &lt;i&gt;Ruminococcus_gnavus_group&lt;/i&gt;. These results suggest that the structure of the breast milk microbiota may influence the colonization of the intestinal microbiota in goat kids, especially for some probiotic genera such as &lt;i&gt;Lactobacillus&lt;/i&gt;. In conclusion, this study elucidates the dynamic changes in breast milk microbiota and the shifts in goat kid fecal microbiota following breast milk feeding, as well as the correlations between them. These findings provide a scientific foundation for enhancing goat kid growth, development, and health through early microbiota modulation in practical production.IMPORTANCEThe gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota has a profound effect on host health, especially in resisting pathogen colonization and promoting intestinal function (T. Zhong, Y. Wang, X. Wang, A. Freitas-de-Melo, et al., Front Microbiol 13:1020657, 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1020657). The results show that the stability of rumen microbial communities and their associated functions in lambs is not achieved until they reach at least 20 days of age (B. Brooks, B. A. Firek, C. S. Miller, I. Sharon, et al., Microbiome 2, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1186/2049-2618-2-1). From a nutritional perspective, young animals, such as lambs, can be considered non-ruminants (Y. Li, L. Ren, Y. Wang, J. Li, et al., Nutrients, 14, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731119003148). The gut is not only a key organ for digestion and absorption of nutrients, but also","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":" ","pages":"e0264224"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145329663","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":"Light-responsive transcription factor CmOzf integrates conidiation, fruiting body development, and secondary metabolism in <i>Cordyceps militaris</i>.","authors":"Jin-Feng Chen, Fu-Ling Cheng, Tong-Yue Chen, Yi-Lan Xu, Jia-Mei Song, Hui-Min Wang, Yu Zhang, Xi-Chuan Guo, Jing Luo","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.01057-25","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01057-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Cordyceps militaris</i>, an entomopathogenic fungus, produces diverse bioactive compounds. Conidial fitness and secondary metabolite levels critically influence its morphogenesis and entomopathogenicity, yet the regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, disruption of <i>Cmozf</i> severely impaired conidial development, significantly reducing conidial production. The <i>Cmozf</i>-deficient mutant (<i>ΔCmozf</i>) exhibited elevated polysaccharide and carotenoid accumulation in mycelia and accelerated fruiting body formation. Notably, <i>Cmwc-1</i>, a blue-light photoreceptor gene, was upregulated in <i>ΔCmozf</i>, whereas <i>Cmozf</i> expression was markedly suppressed in the <i>ΔCmwc-1</i> mutant. Overexpressing <i>Cmozf</i> in <i>ΔCmwc-1</i> restored conidial yield but had no effect on fruiting body development or carotenoid content. Further analysis revealed that CmOzf bound to the promoters of both <i>Cmwc-1</i> and <i>CmbrlA</i>, whereas CmWC-1 showed no binding activity to the <i>Cmozf</i> promoter. These results demonstrate that CmOzf modulates conidial development via the BrlA-AbaA-WetA central regulatory pathway and influences fruiting body development and secondary metabolite production through feedback inhibition of <i>Cmwc-1</i> expression. Our findings unveil novel signaling pathways linking conidiation, secondary metabolism, and fruiting body formation in <i>C. militaris</i>.IMPORTANCEThe light-responsive transcription factor CmOzf plays a pivotal role in regulating both conidial formation and secondary metabolite production in <i>Cordyceps militaris</i>, a commercially important medicinal fungus and biocontrol agent. Our study revealed that CmOzf acts as a central regulator in fungal development by (i) directly activating the central conidiation pathway via binding to the <i>CmbrlA</i> promoter, and (ii) forming a feedback loop with the blue-light photoreceptor CmWC-1 to modulate secondary metabolism. This newly identified CmOzf-CmWC-1 regulatory module represents a sophisticated light-responsive mechanism that differentially controls conidial reproduction and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. These findings provide crucial insights into how light signals are transduced to regulate fungal development and metabolism, offering valuable genetic targets for strain improvement in both biological pest control applications and pharmaceutical production.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":" ","pages":"e0105725"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145329689","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":"Ontogenetic variation in the gut microbiota of <i>Kyphosus sydneyanus</i>: a comparative analysis.","authors":"Alessandro Pisaniello, Kim M Handley, W Lindsey White, Esther R Angert, Kendall D Clements","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.02317-25","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02317-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gut microbiota can be shaped by host-related (e.g., species, diet) and environmental (e.g., habitat, geography) factors. Gut microbiota of the herbivorous fish family Kyphosidae vary between individuals and gut sections and can be influenced by diet and geography. Temperate <i>Kyphosus sydneyanus</i> are abundant on rocky reefs of northeastern New Zealand, where adults mainly consume Phaeophyceae, whereas juveniles typically feed on Rhodophyta and Chlorophyceae. We compared the gut microbiota of <i>K. sydneyanus</i> adults and juveniles to investigate the relative effects of ontogeny versus diet on bacterial community composition. We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and ddPCR quantification to determine the following: (i) ontogenetic variation in gut microbiota of <i>K. sydneyanus</i>, (ii) shared microbial taxa, and (iii) processes influencing bacterial community assembly, given the lack of vertical transmission. To further explore dietary effects, we also compared these data to the gut microbiota of adult <i>K. sectatrix</i>, which are rare tropical vagrants to northeastern New Zealand. Juvenile <i>K. sydneyanus</i> exhibited greater dietary similarity to <i>K. sectatrix</i> adults than conspecific adults. Overall, <i>K. sydneyanus</i> gut microbiota diversity increased with fish size, and <i>K. sydneyanus</i> adults had a more diverse gut microbiota than <i>K. sectatrix</i> adults. Estimated absolute abundances and community structure varied considerably across individuals. <i>K. sydneyanus</i> juveniles had relative abundances more similar to those from adult <i>K. sectatrix</i> than adult conspecifics. However, a comparison of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) showed that juveniles of <i>K. sydneyanus</i> shared more ASVs with conspecific adults. This suggests that historical contingency and selection are important drivers of community assembly.IMPORTANCEMost marine animals undergo external fertilization (e.g., fish) and lack mechanisms for vertical transmission of gut microbiota. Consequently, host-related and environmental factors can play important roles in community assembly. The gut microbiota of the herbivorous marine fish family Kyphosidae varies between individual fish, host species, diet, and geographic location. Juvenile <i>Kyphosus sydneyanus</i> shared more dietary similarity with adult <i>K. sectatrix</i> than adult conspecifics. Comparing gut communities of juvenile and adult <i>K. sydneyanus</i> and adult <i>K. sectatrix</i> collected from the same locations differentiates some of the causal factors involved in bacterial community assembly. Results suggest that the host diet has a strong influence on bacterial diversity and composition. In addition, historical contingency and environmental selection play a significant role in shaping gut microbiota through host ontogeny.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":" ","pages":"e0231725"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145329315","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}