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A growing body of evidence suggests that microbial α-diversity (local species richness) may have positive effects on ecosystem function. However, less attention has been paid to β-diversity (the variation among local microbial assemblages). Here we studied the impact of microbial α-diversity on stochastic/deterministic microbial community assembly processes, which are related to β-diversity, and the consequences for community function. Bacterial communities differing in α-diversity were generated and their structures and potential community functional traits were inferred from DNA sequencing. Phylogenetic null modeling analysis suggests that stochastic assembly processes are dominant in high-diversity communities. However, in low-diversity communities, deterministic assembly processes are dominant, associating with the reduction of specialized functions that are correlated with specific bacterial taxa. Overall, we suggest that the low-diversity-induced deterministic community assembly processes may constrain community functions, highlighting the potential roles of specialized functions in community assembly and in generating and sustaining the function of soil ecosystems. The role of microbial β-diversity in soil ecosystem function is not well-studied. Here, the authors use genetic data to show that microbial α-diversity levels may have impacts on stochastic/deterministic assembly processes and functions of soil microbiome.

Trophic interactions play a central role in driving microbial community assembly and function. In gut or soil ecosystems, successful inoculants are always facilitated by efficient colonization; however, the metabolite exchanges between inoculants and resident bacteria are rarely studied, particularly in the rhizosphere. Here, we used bioinformatic, genetic, transcriptomic, and metabonomic analyses to uncover syntrophic cooperation between inoculant ( Bacillus velezensis SQR9) and plant-beneficial indigenous Pseudomonas stutzeri in the cucumber rhizosphere. We found that the synergistic interaction of these two species is highly environmental dependent, the emergence of syntrophic cooperation was only evident in a static nutrient-rich niche, such as pellicle biofilm in addition to the rhizosphere. Our results identified branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) biosynthesis pathways are involved in syntrophic cooperation. Genome-scale metabolic modeling and metabolic profiling also demonstrated metabolic facilitation among the bacterial strains. In addition, biofilm matrix components from Bacillus were essential for the interaction. Importantly, the two-species consortium promoted plant growth and helped plants alleviate salt stress. In summary, we propose a mechanism in which synergic interactions between a biocontrol bacterium and a partner species promote plant health.

Background The relationship between biodiversity and soil microbiome stability remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the impacts of bacterial phylogenetic diversity on the functional traits and the stability of the soil microbiome. Communities differing in phylogenetic diversity were generated by inoculating serially diluted soil suspensions into sterilized soil, and the stability of the microbiome was assessed by detecting community variations under various pH levels. The taxonomic features and potential functional traits were detected by DNA sequencing. Results We found that bacterial communities with higher phylogenetic diversity tended to be more stable, implying that microbiomes with higher biodiversity are more resistant to perturbation. Functional gene co-occurrence network and machine learning classification analyses identified specialized metabolic functions, especially “nitrogen metabolism” and “phosphonate and phosphinate metabolism,” as keystone functions. Further taxonomic annotation found that keystone functions are carried out by specific bacterial taxa, including Nitrospira and Gemmatimonas , among others. Conclusions This study provides new insights into our understanding of the relationships between soil microbiome biodiversity and ecosystem stability and highlights specialized metabolic functions embedded in keystone taxa that may be essential for soil microbiome stability. 71g_gU7sXqyRUXVnTuv-FB Video abstract

Plant health is strongly impacted by beneficial and pathogenic plant microbes, which are themselves structured by resource inputs. Organic fertilizer inputs may thus offer a means of steering soil-borne microbes, thereby affecting plant health. Concurrently, soil microbes are subject to top-down control by predators, particularly protists. However, little is known regarding the impact of microbiome predators on plant health-influencing microbes and the interactive links to plant health. Here, we aimed to decipher the importance of predator-prey interactions in influencing plant health. To achieve this goal, we investigated soil and root-associated microbiomes (bacteria, fungi and protists) over nine years of banana planting under conventional and organic fertilization regimes differing in Fusarium wilt disease incidence. We found that the reduced disease incidence and improved yield associated with organic fertilization could be best explained by higher abundances of protists and pathogen-suppressive bacteria (e.g. Bacillus spp.). The pathogen-suppressive actions of predatory protists and Bacillus spp. were mainly determined by their interactions that increased the relative abundance of secondary metabolite Q genes (e.g. nonribosomal peptide synthetase gene) within the microbiome. In a subsequent microcosm assay, we tested the interactions between predatory protists and pathogen-suppressive Bacillus spp. that showed strong improvements in plant defense. Our study shows how protistan predators stimulate disease-suppressive bacteria in the plant microbiome, ultimately enhancing plant health and yield. Thus, we suggest a new biological model useful for improving sustainable agricultural practices that is based on complex interactions between different domains of life.

Species of the genus Bacillus have been widely used for the biocontrol of plant diseases in the demand for sustainable agricultural development. New mechanisms underlying Bacillus biocontrol activity have been revealed with the development of microbiome and microbe‐plant interaction research. In this review, we first briefly introduce the typical Bacillus biocontrol mechanisms, such as the production of antimicrobial compounds, competition for niches/nutrients, and induction of systemic resistance. Then, we discussed in detail the new mechanisms of pathogen quorum sensing interference and reshaping of the soil microbiota. The “cry for help” mechanism was also introduced, in which plants can release specific signals under pathogen attack to recruit biocontrol Bacillus for root colonization against invasion. Finally, two emerging strategies for enhancing the biocontrol efficacy of Bacillus agents, including the construction of synthetic microbial consortia and the application of rhizosphere‐derived prebiotics, were proposed. In this review, we first briefly introduced the typical Bacillus biocontrol mechanisms. Then, we discussed in detail the new mechanisms of pathogen QS interference and reshaping of the soil microbiota, and the “cry for help” mechanism was also introduced. Finally, two emerging strategies for enhancing the biocontrol efficacy of Bacillus agents, including the construction of synthetic microbial consortia and the application of rhizosphere‐derived prebiotics, were proposed.

To systematically evaluate the intervention effect of music therapy on anxiety and depression in breast cancer patients. Randomised controlled trial (RCT) on music therapy for anxiety and depression in breast cancer patients was searched from 7 major databases, PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, WOS, CNIC, Wanfang, and Wipro, spanning the period of library construction to 23 October 2023, and the literature screening of music therapy for anxiety or depression in breast cancer patients was carried out by 2 experimentalists, each of whom conducted a literature screening RCT independently of the other anxiety or depression in a RCT. Methodological quality was evaluated using the PEDro scale; GRADE profiler software for quality of evidence; and RevMan 5.4 was used for effect size merging and forest plots; publication bias tests and sensitivity analyses were performed using Stata 17.0; and standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% CI were used as the effect statistics. A total of 13 RCTs with 1326 subjects (aged 18–70 years) were included in the literature, with a mean PEDro score of 6.8, and the literature was overall of good methodological quality. Meta-analysis showed that music therapy improved anxiety in breast cancer patients (841 cases), with a combined effect size (SMD = − 0.82, 95% CI [− 1.03, − 0.61] and P  < 0.001); and improved depression in breast cancer patients (387 cases) with a combined effect size (SMD = − 0.76, 95% CI [− 1.15, − 0.38], P  < 0.001). Subgroup analyses showed that music intervention with off-site music (757 cases) and music choice of non-self-selected music (537 cases) had the best effect on anxiety improvement, with corresponding combined effect sizes (SMD = − 0.88, P  < 0.001; SMD = − 0.83, P  < 0.001), respectively; followed by an intervention length of < 30 min (589 cases), a frequency of 2 times/day (382 cases), and intervention period of 2–3 weeks (101 cases) had the best effect on anxiety improvement, and the corresponding combined effect sizes were (SMD = − 0.80, P  < 0.001; SMD = − 0.91, P  < 0.001; SMD = − 1.02, P  < 0.001), respectively; and the music selection was the choice of one's own favourite music among the expert recommendations (219 cases) (270 cases) had the best effect on the improvement of depressed mood, with combined effect sizes of (SMD = − 1.15, P  < 0.001; SMD = − 0.71, P  < 0.001) and music with an intervention duration of 30 min (287 cases), an intervention frequency of 1 time/day (348 cases), and an intervention period of 2–4 weeks (120 cases), respectively, with corresponding combined effect sizes of (SMD = − 0.75, P  < 0.001; SMD = − 0.86, P  < 0.001; SMD = − 1.06, P  < 0.001), respectively. Music therapy can improve anxiety and depression in breast cancer patients, and the level of evidence is moderate. Although the heterogeneity between studies is high, which may lead to bias in the results, we explored the source of heterogeneity through subgroup and sensitivity analyses, providing a good evidence-based basis for clinical practice. The heterogeneity of anxiety and depression was explored by subgroup analysis, with anxiety due to music duration and music cycle; and depression due to intervention cycles and music duration. Sensitivity analyses also identified music duration and music cycle as contributing to the heterogeneity. Also, this study has some limitations since the included literature did not take into account the duration of the disease, education, and family economic status and did not categorize the age stages. This study found that music therapy improves anxiety and depression in breast cancer patients and the results can be used as a basis for clinical practice and researcher enquiry. This research has been registered on the INPLASY platform ( https://inplasy.com/contact/ ) under the number: INPLASY2023100057.

Understanding the driving forces and intrinsic mechanisms of microbial competition is a fundamental question in microbial ecology. Despite the well-established negative correlation between exploitation competition and phylogenetic distance, the process of interference competition that is exemplified by antagonism remains controversial. Here, we studied the genus Bacillus , a commonly recognized producer of multifarious antibiotics, to explore the role of phylogenetic patterns of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in mediating the relationship between antagonism and phylogeny. Comparative genomic analysis revealed a positive association between BGC distance and phylogenetic distance. Antagonistic tests demonstrated that the inhibition phenotype positively correlated with both phylogenetic and predicted BGC distance, especially for antagonistic strains possessing abundant BGCs. Mutant-based verification showed that the antagonism was dependent on the BGCs that specifically harbored by the antagonistic strain. These findings highlight that BGC-phylogeny coherence regulates the positive correlation between congeneric antagonism and phylogenetic distance, which deepens our understanding of the driving force and intrinsic mechanism of microbial interactions. Interference competition exemplified by antagonism remains controversial. Using comparative genomic analysis and antagonistic assessments, this study shows that the distribution profile of biosynthetic gene clusters within Bacillus genomes is consistent with their phylogenetic relationship and that congeneric antagonism among Bacillus strains is positively correlated with phylogenetic distance.

Background Plant residue microbial decomposition, subject to significant environmental regulation, represents a crucial ecological process shaping and cycling the largest terrestrial soil organic carbon pool. However, the fundamental understanding of the functional dynamics and interactions between the principal participants, fungi and bacteria, in natural habitats remains limited. Results In this study, the evolution of fungal and bacterial communities and their functional interactions were elucidated during the degradation of complexity-gradient plant residues. The results reveal that with increasing residue complexity, fungi exhibit heightened adaptability, while bacterial richness declines sharply. The differential functional evolution of fungi and bacteria is driven by residue complexity but follows distinct trajectories. Fundamentally, fungi evolve towards promoting plant residue degradation and so consistently act as the dominant decomposers. Conversely, bacteria predominantly increase expression of genes of glycosidases to exploit fungal degradation products, thereby consistently acting as exploiters. The presence of fungi enables and endures bacterial exploitation. Conclusions This study introduces a novel framework of fungal decomposers and bacterial exploiters during plant residue microbial decomposition, advancing our comprehensive understanding of microbial processes governing the organic carbon cycling.

Porphyrin iron molecules (hemin) were successfully grafted on the channeled mesoporous silica of SBA-15 (FeIX-SBA-15), in which attached hemin molecules acted as the enzyme mimic for catalyzing oxidation reactions. In the presence of H2O2, the prepared FeIX-SBA-15 composite effectively degraded industrial dye Orange II and catalyzed tetramethylbenzidine hydrochloride (TMB) both in the solution and on the membrane, from which the colorimetric H2O2 detection was achieved. Moreover, the hemin-grafted composites showed high loading content of anticancer drug of doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) displaying the sustained releasing behavior as monitored by real-time cell analysis, which resulted in improved inhibitory effect on cancer cells growth compared with that DOX/SBA-15. The hemin-modified mesoporous silica nanocomposite provides an integrated nanoplatform with promising biomedical applications.

PurposeThis meta-analysis was conducted to investigate whether usage of corticosteroids was associated with an increased risk of central serous chorioretinopathy by summarizing all available evidence.MethodsPubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched for all relevant studies published from inception to April 2019. Studies investigating the association between corticosteroids and the risk of central serous chorioretinopathy were included.ResultsSix case-control studies were finally included for the meta-analysis after study selection. The results of the analysis showed that there was a significantly higher risk of central serous chorioretinopathy among patients who once used corticosteroids (N = 707) compared with individuals without the usage of corticosteroids (N = 1927) (OR 4.050, 95% CI 2.270 to 7.220, I2 = 59%, P < 0.001). Results were the same for taking corticosteroids orally (OR 1.650, 95% CI 1.510 to 1.810, I2 = 47%, P < 0.001), through injection (OR 1.660, 95% CI 1.440 to 1.910, I2 = 0%, P < 0.001), and through nasal spray (OR 1.910, 95% CI 1.500 to 2.420, I2 = 17%, P < 0.001), but not for inhaled usage (OR 1.340, 95% CI 0.900 to 1.990, I2 = 0%, P = 0.160).ConclusionsIn conclusion, this meta-analysis demonstrated that patients with the usage of corticosteroids had an increased risk of central serous chorioretinopathy. Patients who were prescribed with corticosteroids need greater attention to their retina health. Also, all central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) patients should avoid the use of corticosteroids as much as they possibly can.