{"title":"Hemolymph microbiota and host immunity of crustaceans and mollusks","authors":"Rohit Rathour, Yingxue Ma, Jinbo Xiong, Xian-Wei Wang, Jillian Petersen, Xinxu Zhang","doi":"10.1093/ismejo/wraf133","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf133","url":null,"abstract":"None declared.Conflicts of interestCrustaceans and mollusks have major economic importance and are also key players in aquatic biogeochemical cycles. However, disease outbreaks, temperature fluctuations, pollutants, and other stressors have severely threatened their global production. Invertebrates generally rely on their innate immune system as the primary defence mechanism, operating at cellular and humoral levels to protect against pathogens. The hemolymph plays a vital role in immune responses, containing microbial communities that interact with the host’s immune processes. Significant advances in molecular methods such as metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metaproteomics, and metabolomics have revealed the presence of a resident hemolymph microbiome and delineated its potentially vital role in immune homeostasis and overall host health. Accordingly, understanding the composition and role of the hemolymph microbiota, alongside innate immune responses, has become a key focus in recent research aimed at unravelling disease resistance mechanisms and supporting sustainable aquaculture practices. Here, we summarize the latest advancements in understanding the host and environmental factors that shape hemolymph microbiota diversity in various crustaceans and mollusks species. We also consider the innate immune responses of the hosts, as these modulate interactions between hosts, microbes, and environments. Interactions within the hemolymph microbiome significantly affect host health, providing critical insights for advancing sustainable aquaculture.","PeriodicalId":516554,"journal":{"name":"The ISME Journal","volume":"643 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144503388","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}
The ISME JournalPub Date : 2025-06-27DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wraf055
Elliot M Lee, Sujatha Srinivasan, Samuel O Purvine, Tina L Fiedler, Owen P Leiser, Sean C Proll, Samuel S Minot, Danijel Djukovic, Daniel Raftery, Christine Johnston, David N Fredricks, Brooke L Deatherage Kaiser
{"title":"Syntrophic bacterial and host–microbe interactions in bacterial vaginosis","authors":"Elliot M Lee, Sujatha Srinivasan, Samuel O Purvine, Tina L Fiedler, Owen P Leiser, Sean C Proll, Samuel S Minot, Danijel Djukovic, Daniel Raftery, Christine Johnston, David N Fredricks, Brooke L Deatherage Kaiser","doi":"10.1093/ismejo/wraf055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf055","url":null,"abstract":"Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common, polymicrobial condition of the vaginal microbiota that is associated with symptoms such as malodor and excessive discharge, along with increased risk of various adverse sequelae. Host–bacteria and bacteria–bacteria interactions are thought to contribute to the condition, but many of these functions have yet to be elucidated. Using untargeted metaproteomics, we identified 1068 host and 1418 bacterial proteins in a set of cervicovaginal lavage samples collected from 20 participants with BV and 9 who were negative for the condition. We identified Dialister micraerophilus as a major producer of malodorous polyamines and identified a syntrophic interaction between this organism and Fannyhessea vaginae that leads to increased production of putrescine, a metabolite characteristic of BV. Although formate synthesis has not previously been noted in BV, we discovered diverse bacteria associated with the condition express pyruvate formate-lyase enzymes in vivo and confirm these organisms secrete formic acid in vitro. Sodium hypophosphite efficiently inhibited this function in multiple taxa. We also found that the fastidious organism Coriobacteriales bacterium DNF00809 can metabolize formic acid secreted by Gardnerella vaginalis, representing another syntrophic interaction. We noted an increased abundance of the host epithelial repair protein transglutaminase 3 in the metaproteomic data, which we confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Other proteins identified in our samples implicate Finegoldia magna and Parvimonas micra in the production of malodorous trimethylamine. Some bacterial proteins identified represent novel targets for future therapeutics to disrupt BV communities and promote vaginal colonization by commensal lactobacilli.","PeriodicalId":516554,"journal":{"name":"The ISME Journal","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144503378","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}
The ISME JournalPub Date : 2025-06-27DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wraf126
Sarah J N Duxbury, Sebastien Raguideau, Kelsey Cremin, Luke Richards, Matej Medvecky, Jerko Rosko, Mary Coates, Kieran Randall, Jing Chen, Christopher Quince, Orkun S Soyer
{"title":"Niche formation and metabolic interactions contribute to stable diversity in a spatially structured cyanobacterial community","authors":"Sarah J N Duxbury, Sebastien Raguideau, Kelsey Cremin, Luke Richards, Matej Medvecky, Jerko Rosko, Mary Coates, Kieran Randall, Jing Chen, Christopher Quince, Orkun S Soyer","doi":"10.1093/ismejo/wraf126","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf126","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding how microbial communities maintain stable compositional diversity is a key question in microbial ecology. Studies from pairwise interactions and synthetic communities indicate that metabolic interactions and spatial organisation can influence diversity, but the relevance of these factors in more complex communities is unclear. Here we used a cyanobacterial enrichment community that consistently forms millimetre-scale granular structures, to investigate compositional diversity and its stability. Over a year of passaging in media without significant carbon source, we found stable co-existence of 17 species belonging to diverse bacterial phyla. Metagenomic analysis revealed polysaccharide breakdown genes and complementary vitamin biosynthesis pathways in these species. Supporting these findings, we show growth of several isolated species on cyanobacterial slime components and experimentally verify vitamin exchanges between two members of the community. Several species had genes for (an)oxygenic photosynthesis and sulfur cycling, the expression of which we verified via meta transcriptomics. Consistent with this, we found that the granular structures displayed oxygen gradients with anoxic interiors. Cyanobacteria and other bacteria were distributed on the periphery and insides of these structures, respectively. Perturbation of the community via glucose addition resulted in fold increases of the heterotrophs, whereas disturbing the community by continual shaking led to fold reductions in several heterotrophs, including anoxygenic phototrophs. In contrast, removal of vitamins supplementation did not consistently alter species coverages, due to predicted vitamin sharing amongst community members. Taken together, these findings indicate that spatial organisation, microenvironment niche formation and metabolic interactions contribute to community compositional diversity and stability.","PeriodicalId":516554,"journal":{"name":"The ISME Journal","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144503746","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}
The ISME JournalPub Date : 2025-06-27DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wraf118
Zijian Wang, I L Han, Jangho Lee, Guangyu Li, Peisheng He, Mathew T Baldwin, Jenny Kao-Kniffin, Liyou Wu, Jizhong Zhou, April Z Gu
{"title":"Climate Warming Enhances Biodiversity and Stability of Grassland Soil Phosphorus-Cycling Microbial Communities","authors":"Zijian Wang, I L Han, Jangho Lee, Guangyu Li, Peisheng He, Mathew T Baldwin, Jenny Kao-Kniffin, Liyou Wu, Jizhong Zhou, April Z Gu","doi":"10.1093/ismejo/wraf118","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf118","url":null,"abstract":"Climate warming poses significant challenges to global phosphorus sustainability, an essential component of Earth biogeochemistry cycling and water-food-energy nexus. Despite the crucial role of polyphosphate-accumulating organism as key functional microbial agents in phosphorus cycling, the impacts of global climate warming on polyphosphate accumulating organism communities remain largely enigmatic. This study investigates the effects of climate warming on the taxonomic, network, and functional profiles of soil bacterial polyphosphate-accumulating organisms, leveraging fluorescence-activated cell sorting and single-cell Raman spectroscopy. Climate warming enhances both taxonomic and functional biodiversity of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms via biotic interactions and environmental filtering, with observed functionality-biodiversity relationships supporting the functional redundancy theory. Furthermore, polyphosphate-accumulating organism network complexity and stability rise under warming with strengthened positive relationships, supporting stress gradient hypothesis and the belief that complexity begets stability. Finally, polyphosphate-accumulating organisms are significantly correlated to key ecosystem functioning in carbon and phosphorus cycling under warming. Our study suggests that preserving polyphosphate-accumulating organism communities is crucial for maintaining soil ecosystem functioning and sustainable phosphorus management in a warming world and opens avenues for predicting the responses of other functional microbial groups to climate change, beneficially or maliciously.","PeriodicalId":516554,"journal":{"name":"The ISME Journal","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144503739","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":"Eubacterium limosum modulates tumor microenvironments and produces antitumor metabolites active against colorectal cancer.","authors":"Yao Lu,Ruiting Lan,Qianhua Fan,Huijing Tang,Dalong Hu,Shuwei Zhang,Xiaoying Lin,Ruoshi Wang,Ruiqing Zhao,Hui Sun,Liyun Liu,Jianguo Xu","doi":"10.1093/ismejo/wraf130","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf130","url":null,"abstract":"None declared.Conflicts of interestGut microbiota play a key role in ameliorating colorectal cancer (CRC). Eubacterium limosum is a potential probiotic with anti-CRC functions. However, the mechanistic basis of the anti-CRC effect remains largely unknown. In vitro, we detected the effects of the E. limosum strain El1405 on cell proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle, and apoptosis of CRC cells, and found that El1405CS specifically suppressed cell proliferation by altering cell cycle distribution and inducing apoptosis. In the CT26 syngeneic mouse model, daily gavage with live El1405, inactivated El1405, culture supernatant of El1405, and El1405-derived indole derivatives, including indole-3-lactic acid (ILA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), L-arginine, and butyrate, inhibited tumor growth. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that El1405 altered the microbiota compositions within tumors, primarily reducing the abundance of Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, and Staphylococcus. Staphylococcus succinus isolated from the tumors of CT26 syngeneic mice promoted abdominal metastasis of tumors. Moreover, El1405 intervention significantly increased the levels of TNF-α, INF-γ, and CD8 in the tumor microenvironment, while decreasing the levels of CD4, IL-6, IL-10, and TGF-β. Metabolomic analysis indicated that El1405 induced antitumor effects through changing the serum metabolome of mice by producing indole derivatives such as ILA and IAA. Furthermore, 16S rRNA gene sequencing demonstrated that El1405 intervention changed the composition of intestinal flora, significantly increasing the abundance of Roseburia and Eubacterium while decreasing the abundance of Staphylococcus and Enterococcus. These findings suggest that E. limosum El1405 is a potential probiotic candidate for the prevention of CRC.","PeriodicalId":516554,"journal":{"name":"The ISME Journal","volume":"55 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144488223","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}
The ISME JournalPub Date : 2025-06-26DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wraf131
Olivia F Schakel,Ryan K Fritts,Anthony J Zmuda,Sima Setayeshgar,James B McKinlay
{"title":"Microbial cross-feeding stabilized by segregation of a dependent mutant from its independent ancestor.","authors":"Olivia F Schakel,Ryan K Fritts,Anthony J Zmuda,Sima Setayeshgar,James B McKinlay","doi":"10.1093/ismejo/wraf131","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf131","url":null,"abstract":"Microbial gene loss is hypothesized to be beneficial when gene function is costly, and the gene product can be replaced via cross-feeding from a neighbor. However, cross-fed metabolites are often only available at low concentrations, limiting the growth rates of gene-loss mutants that are dependent on those metabolites. Here we define conditions that support a loss of function mutant in a three-member bacterial community of (i) N2-utilizing Rhodopseudomonas palustris as an NH4+-excreting producer, (ii) N2-utilizing Vibrio natriegens as the ancestor, and (iii) a V. natriegens N2-utilizaton mutant that is dependent on the producer for NH4+. Using experimental and simulated cocultures, we found that the ancestor outcompeted the mutant due to low NH4+ availability under uniform conditions where both V. natriegens strains have equal access to nutrients. However, spatial structuring that increasingly segregated the mutant from the ancestor, while maintaining access to NH4+ from the producer, allowed the mutant to avoid extinction. Counter to predictions, mutant enrichment under spatially structured conditions did not require a growth rate advantage from gene loss and the mutant coexisted with its ancestor. Thus, cross-feeding can originate from loss-of-function mutations that are otherwise detrimental, provided that the mutant can segregate from a competitive ancestor.","PeriodicalId":516554,"journal":{"name":"The ISME Journal","volume":"243 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144488224","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}
The ISME JournalPub Date : 2025-06-26DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wraf132
Maria Valadez-Ingersoll, Hanny E Rivera, Jeric Da-Anoy, Matthew R Kanke, Kelly Gomez-Campo, M Isabel Martinez-Rugerio, Sebastian Metz, Michael Sweet, Julian Kwan, Ryan Hekman, Andrew Emili, Thomas D Gilmore, Sarah W Davies
{"title":"Cell type-specific immune regulation under symbiosis in a facultatively symbiotic coral","authors":"Maria Valadez-Ingersoll, Hanny E Rivera, Jeric Da-Anoy, Matthew R Kanke, Kelly Gomez-Campo, M Isabel Martinez-Rugerio, Sebastian Metz, Michael Sweet, Julian Kwan, Ryan Hekman, Andrew Emili, Thomas D Gilmore, Sarah W Davies","doi":"10.1093/ismejo/wraf132","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf132","url":null,"abstract":"Many cnidarians host single-celled algae within gastrodermal cells, yielding a mutually beneficial exchange of nutrients between host and symbiont, and dysbiosis can lead to host mortality. Previous research has uncovered symbiosis tradeoffs, including suppression of immune pathways in hosts, and correlations between symbiotic state and pathogen susceptibility. Here, we used a multiomic approach to characterize symbiotic states of the facultatively symbiotic coral Oculina arbuscula by generating genotype-controlled fragments of symbiotic and aposymbiotic tissue. 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed no difference in bacterial communities between symbiotic states. Whole-organism proteomics revealed differential abundance of proteins related to immunity, confirming immune suppression during symbiosis. Single-cell RNAseq identified diverse cell clusters within seven cell types across symbiotic states. Specifically, the gastrodermal cell clusters containing algal-hosting cells from symbiotic tissue had higher expression of nitrogen cycling and lipid metabolism genes than aposymbiotic gastrodermal cells. Furthermore, differential enrichment of immune system gene pathways and lower expression of genes involved in immune regulation were observed in these gastrodermal cells from symbiotic tissue. However, there were no differences in gene expression in the immune cell cluster between symbiotic states. We conclude that there is growing evidence for compartmentalization of immune system regulation in specific gastrodermal cells in symbiosis. This compartmentalization may limit symbiosis tradeoffs by dampening immunity in algal-hosting cells while simultaneously maintaining general organismal immunity.","PeriodicalId":516554,"journal":{"name":"The ISME Journal","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144488630","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}
The ISME JournalPub Date : 2025-06-26DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wraf129
Jianshu Zhao,Genevieve Brandt,Jessica L Gronniger,Zhao Wang,Jiaqian Li,Dana E Hunt,Luis M Rodriguez-R,Janet K Hatt,Konstantinos T Konstantinidis
{"title":"Quantifying the contribution of the rare biosphere to natural disturbances.","authors":"Jianshu Zhao,Genevieve Brandt,Jessica L Gronniger,Zhao Wang,Jiaqian Li,Dana E Hunt,Luis M Rodriguez-R,Janet K Hatt,Konstantinos T Konstantinidis","doi":"10.1093/ismejo/wraf129","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf129","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding how populations respond to disturbances represents a major goal for microbial ecology. While several hypotheses have been advanced to explain microbial community compositional changes in response to disturbance, appropriate data to test these hypotheses is scarce, due to the challenges in delineating rare vs. abundant taxa and generalists vs. specialists, a prerequisite for testing the theories. Here, we operationally define these two key concepts by employing the patterns of coverage of a (target) genome by a metagenome to identify rare populations, and by borrowing the proportional similarity index (PS index) from macroecology to identify generalists. We applied these concepts to time-series (field) metagenomes from the Piver's Island Coastal Observatory (PICO) to establish that coastal microbial communities are resilient to major perturbations such as tropical cyclones and (uncommon) cold or warm temperature events, in part due to the response of rare populations. Therefore, these results provide support for the insurance hypothesis [i.e., the rare biosphere has the buffering capacity to mitigate the effects of disturbance]. Additionally, generalists appear to contribute proportionally more than specialists to community adaptation to perturbations like warming, supporting the disturbance-specialization hypothesis [i.e., disturbance favors generalists]. Several of these findings were also observed in replicated laboratory mesocosms that aimed to simulate disturbances such as a rain-driven washout of microbial cells and a labile organic matter release from a phytoplankton bloom. Taken together, our results advance understanding of the mechanisms governing microbial population dynamics under changing environmental conditions and have implications for ecosystem modeling.","PeriodicalId":516554,"journal":{"name":"The ISME Journal","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144488222","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}
The ISME JournalPub Date : 2025-06-14DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wraf125
Cely T González, Christian Martin, Maddey Crane, Karen Gutierrez, Jacob Thomas, Lacy Remisoski, Maxwell Okros, Yousi Fu, Douglas V Guzior, Dustin Finkhouse, Christopher Bridges, Jenna Mielke, Gabriel Querido, Lienwil Padillo, Reda Girgis, Marc McClelland, Douglas Conrad, Xiaopeng Li, Robert A Quinn
{"title":"Microenvironmental Effects of a Non-Antibiotic Therapy for a Chronic Polymicrobial Infection Alter Microbial Physiology, Competition, and Virulence","authors":"Cely T González, Christian Martin, Maddey Crane, Karen Gutierrez, Jacob Thomas, Lacy Remisoski, Maxwell Okros, Yousi Fu, Douglas V Guzior, Dustin Finkhouse, Christopher Bridges, Jenna Mielke, Gabriel Querido, Lienwil Padillo, Reda Girgis, Marc McClelland, Douglas Conrad, Xiaopeng Li, Robert A Quinn","doi":"10.1093/ismejo/wraf125","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf125","url":null,"abstract":"People with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) have reduced mucociliary clearance in their airways, leading to the build-up of thick, sticky mucus susceptible to opportunistic infection. A new treatment, comprised of three small molecule drugs called Elexacaftor/Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor (ETI), has improved mucociliary clearance and lung function in pwCF, but how this therapy alters lung infections is poorly understood. This study experimentally modeled the biochemical changes in airway mucus caused by ETI to determine its effect on the CF lung microbiome structure and function. We prepared Artificial Sputum Medium (ASM) with reduced primary carbon sources (amino acids, deoxyribonucleic acid DNA, and mucin) to mimic the effects of ETI on mucus biochemistry due to improved mucociliary clearance and reduced pulmonary inflammation. The control and modified ASM were inoculated with pure CF pathogens or mixed-species communities and then grown in oxic and anoxic conditions, followed by multi-omics data analysis. Although oxygen strongly altered the community structure, the nutrient depletions in ASM had little effect. Instead, the reduced carbon sources altered the physiology of the collective community and its individual pathogens. This included modified growth kinetics in addition to altered nitrogen and nucleotide metabolism. Under reduced amino acid concentrations, a known effect of ETI on the sputum metabolome, the production of both Pseudomonas aeruginosa’s quinolones and rhamnolipids was significantly reduced. This indirect effect of ETI translates to reduced killing of competing pathogens and reduced toxicity to epithelial cells isolated from the airways of explanted human lung tissues. These findings indicate that ETI may provide further benefit to pwCF by reducing the competition and virulence of its principal pathogen and highlight how microenvironmental effects can have powerful impacts on polymicrobial infections.","PeriodicalId":516554,"journal":{"name":"The ISME Journal","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144289802","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}
The ISME JournalPub Date : 2025-06-13DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wraf111
Jamiema Sara Philip, Sehhaj Grewal, Jacob Scadden, Caroline Puente-Lelievre, Nicholas J Matzke, Luke McNally, Matthew A B Baker
{"title":"Mapping the loss of flagellar motility across the tree of life","authors":"Jamiema Sara Philip, Sehhaj Grewal, Jacob Scadden, Caroline Puente-Lelievre, Nicholas J Matzke, Luke McNally, Matthew A B Baker","doi":"10.1093/ismejo/wraf111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf111","url":null,"abstract":"Bacterial swimming is mostly powered by the bacterial flagellar motor and the number of proteins involved in the flagellar motor can vary. Quantifying the proteins present in flagellar motors from a range of species delivers insight into how motility has changed throughout history and provides a platform for estimating from its genome whether a species is likely to be motile. We conducted sequence and structural homology searches for 54 flagellar pathway proteins across 11 365 bacterial genomes and developed a classifier with up to 95% accuracy that could predict whether a strain was motile or not. We then mapped the evolution of flagellar motility across the GTDB bacterial tree of life. We confirmed that the last common bacterial ancestor had flagellar motility and that the rate of loss of this motility was four-fold higher than the rate of gain. We showed that the presence of filament protein homologues was highly phylogenetically correlated with motility and that all species classified as motile contained at least one filament homologue. We calculated the rate of gain and loss for each flagellar protein and that the filament protein FliC was highly correlated with motility across the tree of life. We then measured the correlation of each flagellar motor protein with FliC and showed that the filament, rotor, and rod and hook proteins were all highly correlated with FliC, and thus with motility. We calculated the differential rates of gain and loss for each flagellar protein and quantified which genomes encoded for partial sets of flagellar proteins, indicating potential pathways by which motility could be lost. Overall, we show that filament, rod and hook and rotor proteins are conserved when flagellar motility is preserved and that the presence or absence of a FliC homologue is a good, simple predictor of whether or not a species has flagellar motility.","PeriodicalId":516554,"journal":{"name":"The ISME Journal","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144278285","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}