Vibrio sp. ArtGut-C1, a polyhydroxybutyrate producer isolated from the gut of the aquaculture live diet Artemia (Crustacea)

BackgroundVibrio species display variable and plastic fitness strategies to survive and interact with multiple hosts, including marine aquaculture species that are severely affected by pathogenic Vibrios. The culturable Vibrio sp. strain ArtGut-C1, the focus of this study, provides new evidence of such phenotypic plasticity as it accumulates polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a biodegradable polymer with anti-pathogen activity, particularly in the marine larviculture phase. The strain was isolated from the gut of laboratory-reared Artemia individuals, the live diet and PHB carrier used in larviculture. Its main phenotypic properties, taxonomic status and genomic properties are reported based on the whole-genome sequencing.ResultsVibrio sp. ArtGut-C1 yielded 72.6% PHB of cells’ dry weight at 25°C. The genomic average nucleotide identity (ANI) shows it is closely related to V. diabolicus (ANI: 88.6%). Its genome contains 5,236,997-bp with 44.8% GC content, 3,710 protein-coding sequences, 96 RNA, 9 PHB genes functionally related to PHB metabolic pathways, and several genes linked to competing and colonizing abilities.ConclusionsThis culturable PHB-accumulating Vibrio strain shows high genomic and phenotypic variability. It may be used as a natural pathogen biocontrol in the marine hatchery and as a potential cell factory for PHB production.How to cite: Yévenes M, Quiroz M, Maruyama F, et al. Vibrio sp. ArtGut-C1, a polyhydroxybutyrate producer isolated from the gut of the aquaculture live diet Artemia (Crustacea). Electron J Biotechnol 2021;49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2020.10.003     

Influence of the microbiota on epigenetics in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignancies and is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Generally, there are three categories of colorectal cancer development mechanism—genetic, epigenetic and aberrant immunological signaling pathways—all of which may be initiated by an imbalanced gut microbiota. Epigenetic modifications enable host cells to change gene expression without modifying the gene sequence. The microbiota can interact with the host genome dynamically through the interface presented by epigenetic modifications. In particular, bacterially derived short-chain fatty acids have been identified as one clear link in the interaction of the microbiota with host epigenetic pathways. This review discusses recent findings relating to the cross talk between the microbiota and epigenetic modifications in colorectal cancer.     

用周丛原生动物群落监测水污染的研究

本文根据1983～1985年，用周丛原生动物群落对珠江广州河段、广州市内两个人工湖和广州市郊流溪水库等3种水体进行生物监测，通过分析周丛原生动物的群落结构特征．以及用模式识别法评价，识别这些水体的污染程度，并与1982年和1989年的研究结果对比，进一步说明不同污染类型水体的周丛原生动物的群落结构是稳定的，以及这两种方法对水污染的评价和识别是有效可行的．     

Phenolic profile of jujube fruit subjected to gut microbiota fermentation and its antioxidant potential against ethyl carbamate-induced oxidative damage

Objective: To evaluate the composition of bioactive substances and the antioxidant effects of jujube fruit under gut microbiota fermentation(GMF), and the inhibitory effect on cytotoxicity caused by ethyl carbamate(EC). Methods: Changes in the contents of flavonoids, polyphenols, total sugars, and reducing sugars of jujube fruit after GMF(0, 2, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h)were determined. The oxidation resistance of fermented jujube fruits(from 0 to 48 h fermentation) was evaluated using in vitro2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate)(ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power(FRAP) assays. Inhibitory effects of 48 h-fermented jujube fruit at various concentrations(0.25, 0.50, 1.00, and 2.00 mg/m L) on EC-treated toxicity and DNA damage of Caco-2 cells were estimated using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2 H-tetrazolium bromide(MTT)and nuclear staining assays, respectively. Effects of different concentrations of jujube fruit on EC-treated Caco-2 cells' intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS), glutathione(GSH) levels, and mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP) were also evaluated. Results: Jujube fruit has rich bioactive components after GMF and shows strong antioxidant capacity. Fermented jujube fruit can inhibit the cytotoxicity and DNA damage of Caco-2 cells caused by EC and reduce intracellular ROS generation, as well as restoring GSH and MMP. Conclusions: Fermented jujube fruit extracts produced by GMF still contain biologically active substances which retain biological activity and antioxidation capabilities.