Objective To evaluate the effects of medium concentration, soil suspension dilution, and soil type on bacterial high-throughput cultivation outcomes, providing a reference for the exploration of bacterial resources in soda saline-alkali soils. Methods High-throughput cultivation and identification of bacteria from soda saline-alkali wildland and maize field soils were conducted. Three medium concentrations (1×TSB, 1/5×TSB, and 1/10×TSB), two soil suspension dilutions (optimal dilution and 2× optimal dilution), and two soil types (wildland and maize field) were set as experimental factors to analyze bacterial cultivation preferences under different treatments. Results The dominant bacterial phyla in both soils were Pseudomonadota, Actinomycetota, Acidobacteriota, Bacillota, and Chloroflexota. Among the top 10 dominant genera, only Bacillus and Rubrobacter were cultivable. A total of 2 256 positive cultures were obtained through high-throughput cultivation, with pure cultures accounting for 79.3%. A total of 153 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were identified, belonging to 52 genera of 4 phyla. On average, every 100 pure cultures yielded 6.8 ASVs or 2.3 genera. The 1/10×TSB medium resulted in the highest proportion of pure culture wells, while the 1×TSB medium showed the highest ASVs isolation efficiency. Cultivation with 2× optimal soil suspension dilution achieved higher pure culture ratios and isolation efficiency than the optimal dilution. The proportion of pure cultures, ASVs isolation efficiency, and genus isolation efficiency were all higher in wildland soil than in maize field soil, with more unique ASVs detected in wildland. The most frequently isolated genera via high-throughput cultivation were Pseudomonas, Hydrogenophaga, Bacillus, Paenibacillus, Acidovorax, and Arthrobacter, among which only Bacillus was a dominant genus in the soda saline-alkali soils. Conclusion High-throughput cultivation is an efficient method for obtaining numerous pure bacterial strains from soda saline-alkali soils within a short period. Natural wildland soil yielded more diverse cultivable bacteria than dryland soil. Moderately reducing medium concentration and soil suspension dilution improved pure culture isolation efficiency and diversity. However, most dominant soil taxa could not be cultivated via a single medium type, underscoring the need to diversify cultivation conditions to enhance the cultivability of dominant soil bacteria.

Objective To construct high-yield engineering strains of Halomonas campaniensis XH26 by introducing five recombinant plasmids (pHX01-pHX05), each carrying the P _tac promoter and combinations of the genes asd, lysC, ectA, ectB, and ectC. This metabolic engineering strategy was coupled with the response surface methodology (RSM) for optimization of the culture conditions, thereby enhancing ectoine accumulation. Methods The recombinant plasmids were conjugally transferred from Escherichia coli S17-1(λ-pir) into H. campaniensis XH26, with positive transconjugants selected via gentamicin (50 μg/mL). Recombinant strains were induced with 0.2 mmol/L IPTG, and ectoine accumulation was quantified by HPLC. Critical nutritional variables—NaCl, peptone, l-glutamate, and glucose—were optimized through one-factor-at-a-time experiments, Plackett-Burman design, and Box-Behnken design. Results Five recombinant strains (XH26/pHX01-XH26/pHX05) were successfully constructed. Culture in the MG medium revealed that strain XH26/pHX04 (overexpressing asd-lysC-ectA-ectB) achieved the highest ectoine titer of (1.32±0.04) g/L. Strains XH26/pHX05 and XH26/pHX03 achieved the ectoine titer of (1.19±0.07) g/L and (1.07±0.08) g/L, respectively, while XH26/pHX02 yielded a lower titer of (1.02±0.14) g/L. The medium composition optimized by RSM was composed of 116.08 g/L NaCl, 16.30 g/L peptone, 169.57 g/L l-glutamate, and 15.53 g/L glucose. Under these optimized conditions, the titer of ectoine produced by XH26/pHX04 increased to (1.81±0.02) g/L, representing a significant increase of 301.56% compared with that of the wild-type strain XH26. Conclusion This study demonstrates that using H. campaniensis as a chassis and overexpressing a key gene combination (asd, lysC, ectA, ectB) under a strong promoter, synergized with culture medium optimization via RSM, can significantly boost the ectoine yield of recombinant strains. The findings provide a robust technical framework for the subsequent industrial production of ectoine.

Interferon gamma-inducible protein 16 (IFI16), a pivotal member of the pyrin and hematopoietic expression, interferon-inducible nature, and nuclear localization (HIN) domain-containing protein (PYHIN) family, possesses a unique molecular structure that enables it to recognize diverse nucleic acid molecules within cells. As a key immunoregulatory factor, IFI16 participates in the transduction of innate immune signaling through multiple pathways and plays a significant role in host antiviral defense. This review systematically summarized the molecular characteristics of IFI16 and its regulatory mechanisms in innate immunity and viral infection, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the development of therapeutic targets and antiviral drugs.

Soil-borne diseases are currently the most significant type of plant disease restricting crop production and threatening food safety. The rhizosphere microbiome, often regarded as the “second genome of plants”, has shown considerable potential in controlling soil-borne crop diseases. The use of rhizosphere microbes to control soil-borne diseases offers many advantages, such as being environmentally friendly, efficient, and broadly applicable, which makes it a hot topic in rhizosphere microbe research. In this review, we first introduced rhizosphere microbes and their potential for controlling soil-borne crop diseases. Subsequently, by integrating the latest research advances, we systematically summarized seven mechanisms of microbial control against soil-borne diseases and categorized them into three pathways: (1) direct interactions between microbes and pathogens; (2) direct and indirect interactions between microbes and plants; (3) indirect interactions among microbes. Furthermore, we reviewed the current applications of the rhizosphere microbes in controlling soil-borne crop diseases. Finally, we analyzed the key research challenges in using rhizosphere microbes for soil-borne disease control and discussed potential solutions, aiming to provide references for advancing the green control of soil-borne diseases.

Peptidoglycan as a key component of the bacterial cell wall is essential for maintaining bacterial morphology and osmotic stability. During normal bacterial growth, peptidoglycan is continuously remodeled through synthesis and hydrolysis, achieving a dynamic equilibrium. Peptidoglycan hydrolases play a central role in regulating peptidoglycan homeostasis, and the hydrolysis products (peptidoglycan fragments) are recycled for biosynthesis via the peptidoglycan recycling pathway. Growing evidence indicates that peptidoglycan fragments function as important signaling molecules to regulate critical physiological processes such as antibiotic resistance, endospore germination, and interspecies interactions, greatly expanding our understanding of bacterial physiological regulation. This review summarizes the major classes of bacterial peptidoglycan hydrolases and highlights recent advances in the role of peptidoglycan fragments as signaling molecules in regulating cellular processes, providing a theoretical foundation for further exploration of the multifaceted physiological functions of bacterial peptidoglycan.

Soil colloidal phosphorus (CP) is an active component that cannot be overlooked in the soil phosphorus cycle. Its occurrence forms and migration behavior significantly influence phosphorus bioavailability and environmental risks. This paper systematically reviews the multiscale regulatory mechanisms of microbial actions in CP transformation and migration. It focuses on chemical effects (e.g., proton secretion, iron reduction, and organic acid coordination), physical effects (e.g., extracellular polymer trapping and biofilm pore remodeling), and microbial community dynamics and molecular ecology three dimensions to elucidate how microbes drive CP activation, immobilization, and migration through interfacial reactions, functional gene expression, and community interactions. The paper further explores the synergistic effects of multiple factors on microbial regulation processes, including soil physicochemical properties, agricultural management practices, and emerging pollutants. It identifies current research gaps in cross-scale coupling, in situ characterization, and mechanism modeling, while providing theoretical foundations and research directions for enhancing soil phosphorus utilization and pollution control.

Hyperuricemia is a pathological phenomenon in which the metabolism of uric acid in the human body is disrupted and blood uric acid levels remain above normal. In recent years, gut microbiota has become a research hotspot for various metabolic diseases, serving as a potential new target for the prevention and treatment of hyperuricemia. This article reviews the metabolic pathways and physiological effects of uric acid in the human body and elucidates the regulatory mechanisms of gut microbiota on hyperuricemia. Such mechanisms include inhibiting uric acid synthesis by the breakdown and internalization of purines, degrading uric acid and promoting uric acid excretion, repairing intestinal barriers, influencing intestinal metabolites, and regulating intestinal immunity. In addition, this article summarizes the potential applications of optimizing dietary structure, taking probiotics and prebiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation in the treatment of hyperuricemia, providing new ideas and references for the prevention and treatment of hyperuricemia.

The gut structure and functional performance rely on the stable type and quantity of gut mucosal epithelial cells, whose stability depends on continuous proliferation, differentiation, and migration of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) located in the crypts. Interactions between gut microbiota and ISCs support the homeostasis of the gut ecosystem. Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) differentiated from ISCs influence the composition and function of gut microbiota through secreting immunoglobulins, mucins, etc. Meanwhile, the microorganism-associated molecular patterns (such as lipoteichoic acid and lipopolysaccharides) and metabolites (such as short-chain fatty acids and bile acids) from gut microbiota form the unique gut microenvironment to regulate the activity of ISCs and the homeostasis of IECs. Regulating the activity of ISCs and gut health by modifying gut microbiota has become a focus of current research. Thus, this review elaborates on the impact of ISCs on the gut microbiota as well as the regulatory roles of gut microbiota and related metabolites on the proliferation and differentiation fate of ISCs, aiming to broaden the understanding of the interaction between gut microbiota and ISCs. It is expected to provide strategies and targets for the regulation on gut health.

In recent years, microbially mediated mineralization, a widespread form of biomineralization in nature, has emerged as a research hotspot. This process not only exerts profound influences on mineral formation and global biogeochemical cycling but also contributes to mineral deposition within living organisms, thereby holding significant ecological and biological importance. Among microorganisms, bacteria—characterized by high metabolic activity and remarkable environmental adaptability—represent the most prominent agents in microbial mineralization. This review summarizes the mechanisms of bacteria-mediated mineralization and their applications in the biomedical field, with a particular emphasis on three principal mechanisms: bacteria-controlled mineralization, bacteria-induced mineralization, and bacteria-influenced mineralization. Furthermore, the potential applications of these processes in medical imaging, targeted therapy, and tissue engineering are discussed. The overarching aim is to provide valuable references and scientific insights to inform future research and facilitate their translation into practical applications.

Antibiotic resistance (AR) in microorganisms has become a crucial challenge to global public health security. The acquirement of AR in microorganisms is often accompanied by a fitness cost. Typically, in an environment without antibiotics, the bacterial community with AR shows weaker competitiveness than susceptible bacteria, which makes antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) a burden for bacteria. This article elaborates on the mechanisms underlying the generation of fitness costs and the corresponding measurement methods, provides examples to illustrate the fitness costs mediated by ARGs under different acquisition methods, and introduces the differences in fitness costs between chromosome-mediated and plasmid-mediated ARGs as well as their molecular mechanisms. Finally, it proposes prevention and control strategies for antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) based on fitness costs. This article reveals the biological law of the trade-off between antibiotic resistance and bacterial fitness and provides ideas for preventing and controlling the global public health security issues caused by ARB and ARGs.