Current Research in Microbial Sciences最新文献

{"title":"Disentangling non-specific and condition-specific transcriptomic responses: A framework from heat stress in yeast","authors":"Stéphane Guyot,&nbsp;Lucie Bertheau,&nbsp;Jennifer Dumont,&nbsp;Jean Demarquoy,&nbsp;Hazel Marie Davey,&nbsp;Patrick Gervais","doi":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100649","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100649","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A central challenge in biology is to distinguish transcriptional responses that recur across heterogeneous stress conditions from those that are specific to particular experimental contexts. Here, using <em>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</em> as a model system, we present an integrative transcriptomic framework to address this issue from bulk population-level datasets. We combined 13 carefully curated public transcriptomes with two in-house datasets generated under controlled heat ramp and heat shock conditions. By integrating co-expression network analysis, functional enrichment, and promoter motif discovery, we identified gene modules associated either with recurrent non-specific stress responses or with condition-specific responses linked to gradual heating.</div><div>Because bulk transcriptomic measurements capture an integrated signal across cells that may differ in physiological status, including viable, injured, and non-cultivable subpopulations, our conclusions are intentionally framed at the population level rather than at the level of individual cells. Within this framework, heat ramp, in contrast to sudden heat shock, was associated with a broader and more structured population-level transcriptional program enriched in stress-response genes and regulatory motifs linked to increased survival.</div><div>Differential transcriptomic responses were associated with ribosome biogenesis, RNA processing, mitochondrial function, and proteostasis, while also showing that stress-responsive gene clusters displayed limited overlap with evolutionarily young genes. To summarize these findings, we propose conceptual models of the transcriptional organizations associated with heat ramp and heat shock and highlight their dependence on heating kinetics. Although developed in yeast, this framework provides a broadly applicable strategy for distinguishing recurrent from condition-specific transcriptomic patterns in heterogeneous stressed populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34305,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Microbial Sciences","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100649"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148642124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bacterial neurotoxins: The snake venoms of the microbial world—a clinical and bioengineering approach","authors":"Hanieh Banaeyoun,&nbsp;Yaser Solhi Digehsara,&nbsp;Behrouz Golichenari","doi":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100651","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100651","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The central and peripheral nervous systems constitute highly organized and dynamic networks that rely on precise regulation of synaptic transmission, membrane integrity, cytoskeletal stability, and intracellular signaling. Disruption of these tightly controlled processes can lead to a wide range of neurological disorders. Among the various modulators of neural function, bacterial neurotoxins represent a unique class of exotoxins that selectively target key neuronal components with remarkable molecular specificity. Traditionally studied in the context of infectious pathogenesis, bacterial neurotoxins are now increasingly recognized as powerful molecular probes of synaptic machinery and intracellular signaling pathways. In addition to their direct effects on neurons, accumulating evidence indicates that bacterial neurotoxins also participate in neuroimmune interactions, contribute to neuroinflammatory cascades, and may impact gut-brain axis signaling and long-term neurodegenerative vulnerability.</div><div>Advances in structural biology and protein engineering have shifted the field from descriptive toxicology to translational neurobiology. Engineered toxin derivatives and attenuated catalytic variants are being investigated as tools for neural circuit modulation, targeted drug delivery, and the treatment of movement disorders, chronic pain, and other neurological conditions. This review offers a comprehensive and critical synthesis of bacterial neurotoxins, integrating molecular mechanisms of action with their pathological consequences, emerging research and therapeutic applications. By combining insights from infectious disease biology and systems neuroscience, we seek to outline both the opportunities and the unresolved challenges that shape the future direction of bacterial neurotoxin research in precision neurology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34305,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Microbial Sciences","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100651"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148656724","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Post-harvest microbiome dynamics and their impact on the safety and quality of Lupinus mutabilis sweet (Chocho)","authors":"Gabriela N. Tenea,&nbsp;Carlos Flores","doi":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2025.100536","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2025.100536","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chocho (Lupinus mutabilis Sweet), a traditional Andean legume, undergoes diverse post-harvest handling and processing steps that can influence its microbial composition and physicochemical properties. To understand how these factors shape food safety and consumer health, we characterized the chocho microbiome across the farm-to-table chain, including field-dried grains (Group C), open-market ready-to-eat products (Group A), and supermarket grains (Group K). Bacterial and fungal communities were profiled using 16S rRNA and ITS amplicon sequencing, and moisture, pH, titratable acidity, and total alkaloids were quantified and correlated with microbial patterns. High-depth 16S rRNA sequencing (60,000–140,000 reads/sample) showed the highest bacterial diversity in Group A (Shannon = 5.23), followed by Group K (4.69) and Group C (4.08). Richness and evenness differed significantly (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) among groups, and beta-diversity analyses (Bray–Curtis, Jaccard, UniFrac) revealed clear clustering by grain source (PERMANOVA, <em>p</em> ≤ 0.005). Market grains were enriched in handling-associated genera such as Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, and Enterococcus, whereas field grains contained soil-associated taxa including Paenibacillus and Arthrobacter. Fungal profiling showed the greatest richness and phylogenetic diversity in local-producer samples, with supermarket grains displaying lower but more even communities. Xerophilic Wallemia dominated dry grains, whereas moisture-exposed market grains were enriched in spoilage yeasts (Debaryomyces, Candida, Rhodotorula). Physicochemical traits varied widely: moisture (3.7–8.7%), titratable acidity (0.09–0.59%), pH (4.9–6.2), and alkaloids (&lt;0.5% in processed grains vs. 5–7% in field samples). PCA explained 90.6% of the variance, with alkaloids strongly correlating with acidity (<em>r</em> = 0.94). Several processed samples exceeded national alkaloid limits (&lt;0.02%), indicating incomplete debittering. These findings demonstrate that environmental exposure and handling strongly influence the microbial and toxicological safety of chocho along its supply chain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34305,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Microbial Sciences","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100536"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A novel self-transmissible mega plasmid from extensively drug-resistant Klebsiella oxytoca carries multiple antimicrobial resistance genes and acts as a resistance reservoir","authors":"Yu Wang,&nbsp;Sylvia A. Sapula,&nbsp;Bradley J. Hart,&nbsp;Henrietta Venter","doi":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100587","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100587","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Klebsiella oxytoca</em> is an opportunistic pathogen linked to hospital-acquired infections, with extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains posing serious treatment challenges. Here, an XDR <em>K. oxytoca</em> 611 isolated from hospital wastewater was found to carry 59 antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) compared to the average of six ARGs for <em>K. oxytoca</em>. Twenty-eight of these ARGs were on a mega hybrid plasmid (pKO611.1) carrying C, HI2 and HI2A replicons. Among the resistance genes carried on pKO611.1 was a new tetracycline efflux pump <em>tet</em>(E) variant and an uncharacterised AmpC β-lactamase gene. Cloning and characterising of these genes in <em>Escherichia coli</em> confirmed their ability to confer resistance to tetracyclines and β-lactams, respectively. Conjugation between <em>K. oxytoca</em> and <em>E. coli</em> transferred pKO611.1 with high efficiency. Propagation of plasmid pKO611.1 conferred multi-drug resistance to <em>E. coli</em>. Attempts to cure pKO611.1 from <em>K. oxytoca</em> produced a shortened version of the plasmid where a 63,815 bp segment, containing several resistance genes, was excised. Accordingly, <em>K. oxytoca</em> harbouring the shortened version of the plasmid, did not display resistance to the associated antibiotics. The ease of inter-genera transmission of pKO611.1 and its ability to recombine indicates its potential role as a reservoir for dissemination of multiple ARGs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34305,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Microbial Sciences","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100587"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147599941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"One-year multicenter surveillance of Fosfomycin resistance Enterobacterales: the rise of FosA3-producing P. mirabilis","authors":"Katerina Chudejova ,&nbsp;Vittoria Mattioni Marchetti ,&nbsp;Vita Zaccaria ,&nbsp;Stepanka Kanova ,&nbsp;Anna Sramkova ,&nbsp;Marcela Krutova ,&nbsp;Lenka Ryskova ,&nbsp;Gabriela Kroneislova ,&nbsp;Beata Horvathova ,&nbsp;Renata Tejkalova ,&nbsp;Eva Krejci ,&nbsp;Iva Vagnerova ,&nbsp;Zuzana Zemanova ,&nbsp;Ibrahim Bitar","doi":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100582","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100582","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global rise of antimicrobial resistance has renewed interest in fosfomycin (FOS), an old antibiotic with activity against multidrug-resistant <em>Enterobacterales</em>. However, resistance to FOS is increasing, driven by impaired drug uptake, target modification, and by <em>fosA</em>-encoded enzymatic inactivation. This study assessed the prevalence and molecular basis of FOS resistance among <em>Enterobacterales</em> collected in Czech tertiary care hospitals in 2024. A total of 211 preliminary FOS-resistant isolates were obtained from nine hospitals across the Czech Republic, predominantly <em>Proteus mirabilis</em> (n=149) and <em>Escherichia coli</em> (n=57). All isolates showed elevated FOS MICs, and the PPF test identified FosA activity in 34/211 isolates. Carbon-source growth testing demonstrated widespread impairment of GlpT and UhpT transporters (93.8 % affecting both). PCR confirmed <em>fosA</em> genes in 14 isolates (9 <em>P. mirabilis</em>, 5 <em>E. coli</em>). WGS revealed <em>fosA3</em> as the dominant variant (85.7 %), followed by <em>fosA4</em> (14.3 %). <em>P. mirabilis</em> isolates primarily belonged to ST185 and ST135, forming two Czech-specific <em>fosA3</em> clusters with limited relatedness to international genomes. FosA-producing <em>E. coli</em> displayed broader diversity (ST69, ST58, ST550, ST1308). <em>FosA4</em> was detected exclusively in <em>E. coli</em>. Most <em>fosA</em>-positive strains co-harbored ESBL genes, predominantly <em>bla</em>_CTX-M-65. SNP-based phylogenies indicated local clonal circulation of <em>fosA3</em>-positive <em>P. mirabilis</em> ST185, whereas <em>E. coli</em> isolates showed heterogeneous international linkages. Analysis of GlpT/UhpT/MurA identified numerous amino acid substitutions, though only a minority were predicted to affect protein function. This study documents the first broader emergence of plasmid-mediated FOS resistance in Czech <em>Enterobacterales</em> and underscores the importance of continuous genomic surveillance of <em>fosA</em>-mediated resistance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34305,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Microbial Sciences","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100582"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147599943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-omics analysis-based insights into the microbial community composition and flavor development potentiality of different varieties of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) fermented into Sesame flavor Baijiu","authors":"Meina Jiang ,&nbsp;Jiaxin Tang ,&nbsp;Angui Lai ,&nbsp;Wei Sun ,&nbsp;Xue Liu ,&nbsp;Zhichao Shang ,&nbsp;Zuzhong Zheng ,&nbsp;Xiaoxue Chen ,&nbsp;Yansong Xue ,&nbsp;Bei-Zhong Han","doi":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100606","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100606","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sorghum is a key raw ingredient in the fermentation of Sesame-flavor <em>Baijiu</em> (SFB). However, studies on the microbial and metabolic dynamics of sorghum varieties on SFB fermentation is limited. In this study, microbial and flavor differences during SFB fermentation of three sorghum varieties (<em>Hongyingzi, Hei’e</em>, and <em>Shandong</em>) were analyzed and compared. The physicochemical factors of sorghums influencing bacterial communities were greater than those affecting fungal communities. This is consistent with the finding that bacteria play a dominant role in shaping the differences in microbial community structures during fermentation with different sorghum varieties. In addition, the microbial interactions and their relationship with volatile compounds varied across different sorghum varieties. Meanwhile, the physicochemical factors that govern microbial succession also differed among these sorghum varieties. These variations collectively contribute to the observed differences in fermentation outcomes and product quality. These findings offer insights into the role of raw materials in solid-state fermentation. Specifically, they highlight how microbial dynamics and physicochemical conditions influence the consistency and quality of SFB production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34305,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Microbial Sciences","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100606"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147995791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Smolstatin1, a unique cystatin-like stefin of Sphaerospora molnari, is essential for parasite development","authors":"Pavla Bartošová-Sojková ,&nbsp;Tamás Dobai ,&nbsp;Jiří Kyslík ,&nbsp;Petra Havlíčková ,&nbsp;Marie Vancová ,&nbsp;Maria Amparo Picard-Sánchez ,&nbsp;Syed Shariq Nazir Qadiri ,&nbsp;Larissa Almeida Martins ,&nbsp;Veronika Urbanová ,&nbsp;Anush Kosakyan ,&nbsp;Tomáš Bílý ,&nbsp;Deepika Kale ,&nbsp;Jan Kotál ,&nbsp;Justin T. H. Chan ,&nbsp;Tomáš Korytář ,&nbsp;Jost Ludwig ,&nbsp;Ivana Kutá Smatanová ,&nbsp;Astrid S. Holzer ,&nbsp;Daniel Sojka","doi":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100611","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100611","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stefins, members of the cystatin superfamily, regulate cysteine proteases, yet their roles in early-branching metazoans remain poorly defined. Here, we characterize Smolstatin1, a cystatin-like stefin from the myxozoan <em>Sphaerospora molnari</em>, a common carp pathogen. Phylogenetic analysis places Smolstatin1 within a monophyletic clade of myxozoan cystatin-like stefins that groups with homologues from foodborne flukes and canonical metazoan stefins. Smolstatin1 is expressed throughout intrapiscine development, is upregulated during sporogony, and localizes to membrane-bound compartments and the blood-stage surface. Recombinant Smolstatin1 inhibits parasite and host cysteine proteases, with strongest activity toward cathepsin L-like enzymes and weaker activity against legumain, while showing negligible effects on serine proteases. RNAi-mediated knockdown reduces parasite motility and alters cell integrity, suggesting a role in parasite fitness and development. Structural analysis reveals an unusual domain-swapped dimer. Although antigenic, Smolstatin1 vaccination does not protect fish from infection. Together, these findings identify Smolstatin1 as a key protease regulator and expand our understanding of cystatin evolution and function.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34305,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Microbial Sciences","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100611"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148178232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Organic acid-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are potent antimicrobial agents against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and viruses","authors":"Mohamed Abdelfattah Maky ,&nbsp;Yanath Belguesmia ,&nbsp;Chérifa Obone Opimba ,&nbsp;Magloire Pandoua Nekoua ,&nbsp;Toluwani Oshinowo ,&nbsp;Mélissa Tourret ,&nbsp;Rabah Boukherroub ,&nbsp;Didier Hober ,&nbsp;Djamel Drider","doi":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100612","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100612","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The escalating threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, biofilms and viral contamination in the healthcare and food industries threatens global health and requires the development of innovative antimicrobials. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have attracted attention as antimicrobial candidates, but there is little data on their effectiveness against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and viruses. This study evaluated the effectiveness of two organic acid-based DESs (T-glycoline and oxaline) and two non-organic acid-based DESs (reline and glyceline) against antibiotic-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as enveloped and non-enveloped viruses. Organic acid-based deep eutectic solvents outperformed their non-organic counterparts, achieving minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 0.20–0.83% v/v. T-glycoline and oxaline demonstrated synergy against colistin-resistant <em>Enterobacterales</em>, reducing the expression of the mobilised colistin resistance (<em>mcr</em>) gene. Combining T-glycoline with alginate/starch nanoparticles increased effectiveness against methicillin-resistant <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> (MRSA). Organic DESs eradicated mature biofilms. Confocal microscopy revealed large numbers of dead bacterial cells, while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed cytoplasmic disruption. Combining alginate NPs with T-glycoline increased Caco-2 viability to 95% (compared to 15% with T-glycoline alone). T-glycoline and oxaline drastically reduced the infectious titres of both enveloped and non-enveloped viruses. Overall, these findings suggested that selected DES formulations may have potential as antimicrobial candidates, although their safety should be considered in practical applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34305,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Microbial Sciences","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100612"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148178237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pathogenesis and genome characterization of translucent post-larvae disease-causing Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Litopenaeus vannamei","authors":"Ramya Kumar,&nbsp;Athiya Azzahidah,&nbsp;Yik How Teoh,&nbsp;Shin-Jen Lin,&nbsp;Arun K. Dhar,&nbsp;Shih-Shun Lin,&nbsp;Hao-Ching Wang,&nbsp;Chu-Fang Lo,&nbsp;Han-Ching Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100634","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100634","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Emerging infectious diseases threaten shrimp aquaculture, causing economic losses and challenging disease preparedness. Translucent Post-larvae Disease (TPD) is associated with <em>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</em> strains harboring a virulence plasmid encoding <em>Vibrio</em> high virulent proteins (VHVP). TPD causes translucent or pale body coloration, and high mortality. In this study, shrimp exhibiting TPD-like signs were obtained from local farms. A pathogenic <em>V. parahaemolyticus</em> strain (P40) was isolated from cephalothorax homogenates and screened for TPD-associated virulence genes (<em>vhvp1, vhvp2–1</em>, and <em>vhvp2–2</em>) by colony PCR. Immersion challenge assays confirmed the pathogenicity of strain P40, reproduced TPD signs and high mortality. A single-colony isolate designated P40.49, was used for subsequent analyses. Based on quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis, stomach, hepatopancreas, and intestine were primary tissues for early detection of TPD-associated bacterial genome copies. Histopathological examination demonstrated epithelial sloughing, necrosis and hemocytic infiltration in both hepatopancreas and intestine. TPD infection significantly modulated host responses, including upregulation of innate immune genes (<em>proPO, PPAE1, Toll-like, Serpin7</em>, and <em>Pen3a</em>) and antioxidative response genes (<em>MnSOD2</em> and <em>ROS modulator</em>). Dietary supplementation with perilla powder attenuated TPD-associated clinical manifestations and reduced detection of <em>vhvp</em> genes in stomach tissue. Whole-genome sequencing confirmed a TPD-associated virulence plasmid, and phylogenetic analysis clustered the strain with reported TPD isolates from China and Southeast Asia. Comparative genomic analysis further identified four unique plasmid-associated genes specific to TPD-causing strains and infected samples, suggesting their potential as additional molecular markers for TPD diagnosis. These findings provided mechanistic insights into TPD pathogenesis and support improved diagnostics, nutritional and biosecurity strategies for sustainable shrimp aquaculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34305,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Microbial Sciences","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100634"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13316279/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148362807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interbacterial antagonism mediates plant growth modulation by rhizosphere synthetic communities in barley","authors":"Md Asif Mahamud,&nbsp;Rungnapa Pichaikarn,&nbsp;Muhammad Ammar Latif,&nbsp;Takakazu Matsuura,&nbsp;Izumi C Mori,&nbsp;Daisuke Saisho,&nbsp;Pakpimol Ungcharoenwiwat,&nbsp;Akio Tani","doi":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100639","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100639","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microbial communities in plant roots are shaped by complex interbacterial interactions, yet how these interactions translate into plant fitness remains poorly understood. In this study, 127 bacterial isolates were obtained from barley (<em>Hordeum vulgare</em> L.) roots of two cultivars grown in a non-fertilized field, representing 45 genera and 72 species. Screening identified isolates with growth-promoting, growth-reducing, and neutral phenotypes. Co-inoculation experiments using synthetic communities (SynComs) demonstrated that growth-promoting isolates effectively cancelled the inhibitory effects of growth-reducing isolates on barley seedling growth. Mechanistic investigation revealed that growth-promoting isolates <em>Variovorax</em> sp<em>.</em> 14F-2.1 and <em>Pseudomonas</em> sp. 37A kill growth-reducing isolates <em>Flavobacterium</em> sp<em>.</em> 2D-1 through direct cell-to-cell contact. Deletion of the Type VI secretion system (T6SS) gene <em>tssA</em> in <em>Variovorax</em> sp<em>.</em> 14F-2.1 substantially reduced this activity, implicating T6SS as a key antagonistic mechanism. Phytohormone profiling revealed that growth-promoting and neutral isolates, but not growth-reducing isolates, produce cytokinins, and only <em>Variovorax</em> sp<em>.</em> 14F-2.1 could degrade IAA, suggesting a potential hormonal basis for differential growth effects. A two-year field microbiome study showed that fertilization regimen and seasonal sampling times were dominant drivers of rhizosphere community composition, while bacterial inoculation had limited and inconsistent effects on microbial diversity and plant growth under field conditions. These results demonstrate that interbacterial antagonism is a key determinant of community-level plant growth outcomes and highlight the complexity of translating laboratory inoculant effects to field settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34305,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Microbial Sciences","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100639"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13351102/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148424887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}