Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a major global health challenge closely related to diseases such as cervical cancer. At present, there is no effective treatment for HPV, and thus it is essential to develop new antiviral biological agents to reduce the harm of HPV infection. Recent studies have revealed a complex relationship between HPV infection and the human microbiome, suggesting that HPV infection can disrupt the balance of the microbiome and cause immune dysfunction in the body. In recent years, studies have found that oral or topical use of specific probiotic strains can reduce HPV titers in patients and prevent viral infection-related cancers, demonstrating probiotics as a new class of anti-HPV preparations with a development value. From the molecular biological characteristics of HPV, this article systematically summarizes the pathogenic mechanism of HPV infection and explains the antiviral mechanisms of probiotics from four perspectives: inhibiting virus replication, regulating immune responses, enhancing the mucosal barrier function, and reshaping the human microbiome. This review aims to provide theoretical references for the efficient breeding and mechanism analysis of anti-HPV probiotics.

chitooligosaccharide (COS) are degradation products of chitin or chitosan, demonstrating good biocompatibility, degradability, non-toxicity, and multiple bioactivities. COS have been widely used in food, cosmetics, composite materials, wastewater treatment, and biomedical industries. Currently, researchers mainly use physical, chemical, and biological enzyme methods to prepare COS. Physical and chemical methods have large limitations, and it is difficult to synthesize the target products with specific requirements in an efficient and green way. Bio-enzymatic preparation of COS shows a mild, controllable, and environmental friendly reaction process, overcoming the drawbacks of physical and chemical methods. The purity of COS can be improved by separation and purification techniques such as membrane separation, gel filtration chromatography, CM-SephadexC-25 ion-exchange column chromatography, and immobilized metal affinity chromatography. This review summarized the research progress in COS preparation using bio-enzymatic technology, aiming to lay theoretical foundation for high-quality industrial COS preparation. It also gave an overview of the structure, properties, and application of COS, contributing for the research on COS preparation and isolation.

Succinic acid is an important four-carbon dicarboxylic acid widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. Compared with petrochemical-based chemical synthesis methods, microbial fermentation offers an economical and environmentally friendly alternative for succinic acid production, presenting significant potential for industrial applications. Due to the robust environmental tolerance, yeast cell factories for succinic acid production have gradually become a research focus. This review centers on succinic acid production in yeast, providing an overview of metabolic engineering and regulatory strategies for constructing yeast cell factories. The research hotspots in this field include the development of succinic acid biosynthetic pathways, optimization of cofactor supply, and modification of transmembrane transport systems. Additionally, recent advances in cost-effective succinic acid biosynthesis and approaches to enhance yeast strain robustness are discussed. Finally, the review provides the prospects of yeast in succinic acid biosynthesis.

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.

Interactions between microbial symbionts and insects are essential for the growth, development, and reproduction of insects. This review focuses on how microbial symbionts regulate lipid metabolism in insects via signaling pathways. Microbial symbionts affect lipid metabolism in insects through a variety of mechanisms. Microbial symbionts provide lipids or lipid precursors such as steroids to their insect hosts. Microbial symbionts can also modulate host insulin signaling pathway by producing short-chain fatty acids or activating immune signaling pathways, thereby changing the lipid content of insects. In addition, microbial symbionts can activate target of rapamycin and adipokinetic hormone signaling pathways to regulate lipid metabolism in insects. Further research in the similarities and differences of these signaling pathways in different insect species is of great significance for comprehension of insect ecological adaptability and reproductive strategies, and development of new pest management strategies.

Plants require a large amount of phosphorus for metabolic processes. However, the available phosphorus in the soil is typically less than 0.1% of total phosphorus, which is difficult to meet the growth and development of plants. The symbiosis system of ectomycorrhizal fungi and mycorrhizal helper bacteria can significantly improve the availability of soil phosphorus and promote the efficient uptake of phosphorus by plants. In this review, we discussed the solubilization and mineralization of chelated inorganic phosphorus, soluble organic phosphorus, and chelated organic phosphorus by ectomycorrhizal fungi and mycorrhizal helper bacteria. Ectomycorrhizal fungi mainly promote the solubilization of chelated inorganic phosphorus by regulating the organic acid and proton metabolism of mycorrhizal helper bacteria. They accelerate the mineralization of soluble organic phosphorus by enhancing the activities of related phosphatases in themselves and in mycorrhizal helper bacteria. Ectomycorrhizal fungi may first stimulate the mycorrhizal helper bacteria to secrete organic acids for solubilizing chelated organic phosphorus into soluble phosphorus before mineralization. Moreover, we explored the molecular mechanisms of metabolite signal exchange and secretion in the symbiosis system and outlined the prospects for studying the interactions between ectomycorrhizal fungi and mycorrhizal helper bacteria in promoting plant phosphorus uptake.

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.

Cryptococcus, a genus of invasive fungi with global distribution, have caused serious public health problems. Notably, Cryptococcus neoformans (Cryptococcus neoformans, C. neoformans) represents the main pathogenic species of Cryptococcus. The infection of C. neoformans can cause pulmonary cryptococcosis and cryptococcal meningitis with high mortality rates. The commonly used antifungal drugs are polyenes, flucytosine, echinocandins, and azoles, which have limited efficacy and may induce resistance when being used alone in clinical practice. Therefore, researchers have studied combined therapy. They have discovered that the combinations of some traditional Chinese medicines and natural plant extracts and derivatives with the commonly used antifungal drugs demonstrate synergistic effects in the treatment of cryptococcosis. This paper reviews the research progress in the combined application of antifungal drugs and traditional Chinese medicines.

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.

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.