Senescence, a complex process involving multiple physiological and biochemical processes accompanied by degradation of cellular and organ functions and physiological damage, is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. Filamentous fungi have been widely used in the study of senescence mechanism because of the easy genetic manipulation, short life cycle, and easy qualification of senescence characteristics. In this paper, we reviewed the senescence characteristics of filamentous fungi and summarized the factors influencing aging, such as environmental factors, mitochondrial stability, oxidative stress, and metabolic level. This review is expected to give new insights into the industrial application of filamentous fungi and the research on human senescence.

The antibiotic resistance and virulence of Acinetobacter baumannii are increasingly serious. Studies have shown that the CRISPR-Cas system in A. baumannii attenuates the antibiotic resistance and virulence, while the effects of CRISPR-Cas system components on A. baumannii remain unclear. [Objective] Investigation of the role of components of the CRISPR-Cas system in the modulation of bacterial drug resistance and virulence in A. baumannii. [Methods] The impact of cas1 overexpression on bacterial growth, serum resistance, bacterial drug resistance, biofilm formation ability, and survival rate of mice in a mouse model of bacterial infection was investigated by constructing cas1 overexpression strains and corresponding with them to detect the aforementioned changes. [Results] The resistance of the bacterial strain AB26::cas1 to 22 commonly used antibiotics was determined using the paper diffusion method. Of these antibiotics, six were found to have an effect on the strain, causing it to change from resistant to sensitive. The capacity of the bacterial strain AB26::cas1 to form biofilms was evaluated through the use of crystal violet staining, which revealed a reduction in biofilm formation ability when compared to the AB26 strain. The intraperitoneal injection of the infected mice model demonstrated that no mortality occurred in the AB26::cas1 strain in vivo infected group in comparison to the AB26 strain in vivo infected group. The fluorescence quantitative PCR assay demonstrated a reduction in mRNA expression of the majority of resistance and toxicity genes. The survival assay, which involved incubating normal human serum with inactivated serum, revealed no statistically significant difference in serum resistance between the wild strains and the overexpression strains. [Conclusion] The cas1 gene, derived from strain AB43, was observed to exert an inhibitory effect on the drug resistance and biofilm-forming ability of A. baumannii, as well as the pathogenicity of the bacteria in mice.

Phaseolus vulgaris L. is one of the key edible legumes in the world. Rhizosphere microorganisms have mutually beneficial interactions with plants, being important factors promoting crop growth and health. However, studies are limited regarding how to utilize the microbiomes of legumes to promote crop growth. [Objective] To investigate the structural and functional differences of microbial communities in the rhizosphere and root nodules between two varieties (‘Ziguan' and ‘Juguan') of P. vulgaris, screen rhizobial strains, and evaluate their nitrogen-fixing and growth-promoting properties. [Methods] We employed 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze the bacterial community structures in the rhizosphere and root nodules of the two varieties. The rhizobial strains were screened by the plate streaking method. Pot experiments with nitrogen-free vermiculite were carried out to evaluate the nitrogen-fixing performance of the 11 rhizobial strains screened out. [Results] The bacterial diversity in the rhizosphere soil of ‘Juguan' was significantly lower than that of ‘Ziguan', and the bacterial diversity in the rhizosphere soil samples of both varieties was significantly higher than that in the root nodule samples. In addition, the rhizosphere of P. vulgaris harbored beneficial bacterial genera such as Rhizobium, Sphingomonas, Burkholderia, among which Rhizobium was dominant in the root nodules of both varieties. Gephi network analysis showed that bacterial communities in the rhizosphere and root nodules had positive correlations, with the relative abundance of 75.52% and 86.67%, respectively. PICRUSt2 function prediction indicated that the bacteria in the rhizosphere mainly had the functions related to carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid metabolism, with abundant genes involved in nitrogen metabolism. Pot experiments showed that Rhizobium lusitanum NZ5 and R. etli GLJ10 increased the underground dry weight of ‘Ziguan' by 43.21% and 48.15%, respectively. R. lusitanum NZ5, R. etli GLZ1, and R. changzhiense GLJ12 increased the underground dry weight of ‘Juguan' by 77.37%, 68.42%, and 67.37%, respectively. [Conclusion] P. vulgaris possesses ability to selectively enrich a variety of microorganisms in the soil, establishing a closely coordinated and highly functional microbial community in the rhizosphere. Moreover, different rhizobial strains exerted varied growth-promoting effects on P. vulgaris.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have extensive applications in food and medicine fields. They are used as starters and functional probiotics in food fermentation. The activity and performance of LAB are influenced by various environmental stresses involving osmotic pressure, temperature, oxygen, acidity, and bile salts. Edible LAB can provide numerous health benefits. However, their viable counts decrease during production, storage, and digestion. This paper systematically discusses the different stressful environments faced by LAB during production, storage, and digestion, as well as their stress responses. Furthermore, this paper summarizes existing high activity protection strategies and mechanisms from two aspects: isolating from stressful environments and enhancing strain resistance. This review aims to provide theoretical support for LAB strain engineering and product development.

Kinases are the major category of proteins that regulate intracellular signal transduction by phosphorylating target proteins. They catalyze the transfer of phosphate groups of high-energy donor molecules to specific substrates, serving as the key regulators of cell functions. Host kinases constitute a large protein family with diverse functions, guiding the activation, subcellular localization, and conformational changes of target proteins. In recent years, more and more studies have shown that host kinases play a regulatory role in the processes of picornavirus infections. Picornaviruses can cause a variety of diseases in human and animals. They lead to serious public health problems and huge economic burden in a global scope. A comprehensive understanding of the infection processes of picornaviruses is helpful for the prevention and treatment of these diseases. This paper reviews the research progress in the regulation of picornavirus infections by host kinases, aiming to comprehensively elucidate the mechanisms for interactions between host kinases and picornaviruses. At the same time, we discuss the potential of host kinases as effective treatments and drug targets against picornaviruses infection, aiming to provide implications for the development of new anti-picornavirus agents and vaccines in the future.

Due to the unique spatial and functional relationship with the host, plant endophytes are known as the second genome of plants and have become a research hotspot of plant sciences and microbiology. According to the origins, plant endophytes can be classified into horizontally transmitted endophytes (HTE) and vertically transmitted endophytes (VTE). Among them, VTEs have the potential to be further transmitted into later-generation plants through propagules (both sexual and asexual propagules) to produce host effects. The behaviors and functions of VTE along host generations are likely to be an acquired “heritable” trait of the host that can be applied in agricultural practices for plant trait improvement. Therefore, in-depth understanding and research on plant VTEs are of great theoretical and practical importance. We reviewed the research advances in the diversity, transmission, and physiological and ecological functions of plant VTEs and provide perspectives for future research and application of VTE resources.

Salmonella as common zoonotic pathogens can cause a variety of foodborne diseases. Salmonella Typhimurium (STM) is one of the key serotypes, and the research, prevention, and control of STM are of great significance to public health. [Objective] To investigate the effects of greA and greB on the biological characteristics and pathogenicity of STM. [Methods] Red homologous recombination was employed to construct the greA- and greB-deleted STM strains well as the complemented strains. The strains were then characterized in terms of growth characteristics, biofilm formation, and adhesion and invasion in Caco-2 cells. Mouse models were used to evaluate the effects of greA and greB deletion on STM pathogenicity. [Results] The mutant strains STM LT2ΔgreA and STM LT2ΔgreB were successfully constructed. Compared with the wild-type strain, the deletion of greA and greB did not affect the cell growth rate, while inhibiting the biofilm formation, adhesion, and invasion of STM. In addition, the deletion of greA and greB decreased the colonization of STM in the liver and spleen of mice, increasing the LD₅₀ of STM by 39.81 times and 2.5 times, respectively. [Conclusion] The deletion of greA and greB could reduce the pathogenicity of STM. This finding provides a theoretical basis for further revealing the pathogenicity of Salmonella.

[Objective] To investigate the invitro inhibitory activity of Gan Dan oral liquid (GD) against Vibrioparahaemolyticus and decipher the inhibition mechanism at the transcriptome level. [Methods] The invitro inhibitory activity of GD against V. parahaemolyticus was evaluated based on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and growth curve. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were employed to analyze the effect of GD on the cellular structure of V. parahaemolyticus. Transcriptome sequencing coupled with bioinformatics methods were employed to investigate the effect of GD at 1/4MIC on the transcriptome of V. parahaemolyticus, and the obtained results were examined by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). [Results] GD exhibited high invitro inhibitory activity against V. parahaemolyticus, with the MIC and MBC of 7.6 mg/mL and 15.2 mg/mL, respectively. The GD treatment at a concentration of 1/4MIC disrupted the cell wall integrity and increased cell membrane permeability of the pathogen, and leading to the leakage of intracellular macromolecules. The results of transcriptome sequencing showed that GD treatment significantly altered the transcriptome profile of V. parahaemolyticus, resulting in significant upregulation of 1 074 genes and significant downregulation of 1 179 genes. The downregulated genes were mainly enriched in pathways related to the synthesis of inosinate and ribonucleoside, whereas the upregulated genes were primarily categorized into pathways associated with transcription factor activity and cell wall synthesis. [Conclusion] GD may inhibit V. parahaemolyticus by disrupting cell structure and inhibiting cellular energy metabolism and biosynthesis.

[Objective] To understand the microbial community structure and its relationship with soil quality in the rhizosphere of the dominant plant Xanthium sibiricum in the water-level-fluctuation zone (WLFZ) of the Three Gorges Reservoir. [Methods] We collected the rhizosphere soil samples of X. sibiricum exposed to different flooding stress conditions in a typical WLFZ in Yunyang County, the heart of the Three Gorges Reservoir area. High-throughput sequencing was carried out to analyze the microbial diversity and community structure, and the redundancy analysis was then conducted. [Results] Proteobacteria was the dominant bacterial phylum in the rhizosphere bacteria of X. sibiricum under strong flooding stress (XaRLL) and weak flooding stress (XaRHL), while Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the dominant fungal phyla in the two types of soil, respectively. Regardless of bacteria or fungi, the linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) showed that XaRLL always had more key biomarkers than XaRHL. Functional prediction revealed that PWY-3781 associated with aerobic respiration was a dominant metabolic pathway enriched by microorganisms from both XaRLL and XaRHL. Overall, the bacteria and fungi in the rhizosphere of X. sibiricum had strong responses to changes in soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activity. [Conclusion] The results provide a theoretical basis for understanding the relationship between plants and their rhizosphere microorganisms in the WLFZ, as well as their adaptability to strong flooding stress.

Oudemansiella raphanipes is a rare edible and medicinal mushroom, while it is highly susceptible to cobweb disease caused by Cladobotryum varium. [Objective] To obtain bacteria capable of controlling cobweb disease and promoting the mycelial growth of O. raphanipes from casing soil. [Methods] Bacteria were isolated from the casing soil of O. raphanipes, and their antagonistic activity against the mycelial growth of both O. raphanipes and C. varium was evaluated. The strains with disease-preventing and growth-promoting properties were screened out, and their functioning mechanisms were studied based on genome data. [Results] A total of 90 bacterial strains were isolated from the casing soil, of which 38 strains showed significant inhibitory activity against the mycelial growth of C. varium and no inhibitory activity against that of O. raphanipes. The supernatants of two strains significantly inhibited the mycelial growth of C. varium and promoted that of O. raphanipes. Based on the genome data, the above two strains were identified as Peribacillus simplex and Ochrobactrum rhizosphaerae, respectively, and they carried multiple functional genes and biosynthetic gene clusters of secondary metabolites. [Conclusion] Two bacterial strains capable of controlling the disease and promoting the growth of edible fungi were obtained, providing valuable microbial resources for the future biocontrol of cobweb disease.