-
Experimental Dermatology Dec 2018The intestinal microbiota has been known to involve in obesity and host immune response. We aimed to investigate the intestinal microbiota and potential genetic function...
OBJECTIVES
The intestinal microbiota has been known to involve in obesity and host immune response. We aimed to investigate the intestinal microbiota and potential genetic function in relation to clinical presentation in psoriasis patients.
METHODS
Faecal microbiota and predicted genetic function inferred from high-throughput 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing were analysed between psoriasis (n = 32) and age-, gender- and body mass index (BMI)-matched non-psoriasis subjects (n = 64), from a referral medical centre. The correlation between altered microbiota and disease activity, arthritis and systemic anti-psoriatic drugs was also investigated.
RESULTS
We observed a distinct faecal microbial community structure in psoriasis patients, with an increased abundance of phylum Firmicutes and decreased abundance of phylum Bacteroidetes, across different subgroup of subjects. Ruminococcus and Megasphaera, of the phylum Firmicutes, were the top-two genera of discriminant abundance in psoriasis. A number of functional genes and metabolic pathways involving bacterial chemotaxis and carbohydrate transport were predicted over-represented, whereas genes related to cobalamin and iron transport were predicted under-represented in faecal microbiota of psoriasis patients.
CONCLUSIONS
The distinct faecal microbial composition in psoriasis might be associated with altered transport of carbohydrate, cobalamin and iron, as well as chemotaxis.
Topics: Adult; Bacteroidetes; Body Mass Index; Carbohydrates; Chemotaxis; Computational Biology; Discriminant Analysis; Feces; Female; Firmicutes; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Humans; Iron; Male; Megasphaera; Middle Aged; Psoriasis; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Ruminococcus; Vitamin B 12; Young Adult
PubMed: 30238519
DOI: 10.1111/exd.13786 -
Clinical Infectious Diseases : An... Sep 2021The protozoan parasites in the Cryptosporidium genus cause both acute diarrheal disease and subclinical (ie, nondiarrheal) disease. It is unclear if the microbiota can... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
BACKGROUND
The protozoan parasites in the Cryptosporidium genus cause both acute diarrheal disease and subclinical (ie, nondiarrheal) disease. It is unclear if the microbiota can influence the manifestation of diarrhea during a Cryptosporidium infection.
METHODS
To characterize the role of the gut microbiota in diarrheal cryptosporidiosis, the microbiome composition of both diarrheal and surveillance Cryptosporidium-positive fecal samples from 72 infants was evaluated using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Additionally, the microbiome composition prior to infection was examined to test whether a preexisting microbiome profile could influence the Cryptosporidium infection phenotype.
RESULTS
Fecal microbiome composition was associated with diarrheal symptoms at 2 timepoints. Megasphaera was significantly less abundant in diarrheal samples compared with subclinical samples at the time of Cryptosporidium detection (log2 [fold change] = -4.3; P = 10-10) and prior to infection (log2 [fold change] = -2.0; P = 10-4); this assigned sequence variant was detected in 8 children who had diarrhea and 30 children without diarrhea. Random forest classification also identified Megasphaera abundance in the pre- and postexposure microbiota as predictive of a subclinical infection.
CONCLUSIONS
Microbiome composition broadly, and specifically low Megasphaera abundance, was associated with diarrheal symptoms prior to and at the time of Cryptosporidium detection. This observation suggests that the gut microenvironment may play a role in determining the severity of a Cryptosporidium infection. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT02764918.
Topics: Cryptosporidiosis; Cryptosporidium; Diarrhea; Feces; Humans; Infant; Megasphaera; Microbiota
PubMed: 33684930
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab207 -
Biotechnology For Biofuels 2018The production of 1 L of ethanol from sugarcane generates up to 12 L of vinasse, which is a liquid waste containing an as-yet uncharacterized microbial assemblage....
BACKGROUND
The production of 1 L of ethanol from sugarcane generates up to 12 L of vinasse, which is a liquid waste containing an as-yet uncharacterized microbial assemblage. Most vinasse is destined for use as a fertilizer on the sugarcane fields because of the high organic and K content; however, increased NO emissions have been observed when vinasse is co-applied with inorganic N fertilizers. Here we aimed to characterize the microbial assemblage of vinasse to determine the gene potential of vinasse microbes for contributing to negative environmental effects during fertirrigation and/or to the obstruction of bioethanol fermentation.
RESULTS
We measured chemical characteristics and extracted total DNA from six vinasse batches taken over 1.5 years from a bioethanol and sugar mill in Sao Paulo State. The vinasse microbial assemblage was characterized by low alpha diversity with 5-15 species across the six vinasses. The core genus was . The top six represented bacterial genera across the samples were , and (Phylum Firmicutes, 35-97% of sample reads); and (Phylum Proteobacteria, 0-40%); (Phylum Bacteroidetes, 0-53%); and (Phylum Actinobacteria, 0-18%). Potential genes for denitrification but not nitrification were identified in the vinasse metagenomes, with putative K and Z genes the most represented. Binning resulted in 38 large bins with between 36.0 and 99.3% completeness, and five small mobile element bins. Of the large bins, 53% could be classified at the phylum level as Firmicutes, 15% as Proteobacteria, 13% as unknown phyla, 13% as Bacteroidetes and 6% as Actinobacteria. The large bins spanned a range of potential denitrifiers; moreover, the genetic repertoires of all the large bins included the presence of genes involved in acetate, CO, ethanol, HO, and lactose metabolism; for many of the large bins, genes related to the metabolism of mannitol, xylose, butyric acid, cellulose, sucrose, "3-hydroxy" fatty acids and antibiotic resistance were present based on the annotations. In total, 21 vinasse bacterial draft genomes were submitted to the genome repository.
CONCLUSIONS
Identification of the gene repertoires of vinasse bacteria and assemblages supported the idea that organic carbon and nitrogen present in vinasse together with microbiological variation of vinasse might lead to varying patterns of NO emissions during fertirrigation. Furthermore, we uncovered draft genomes of novel strains of known bioethanol contaminants, as well as draft genomes unknown at the phylum level. This study will aid efforts to improve bioethanol production efficiency and sugarcane agriculture sustainability.
PubMed: 29483941
DOI: 10.1186/s13068-018-1036-9 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2021Vaginal dysbiosis, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV) and aerobic vaginitis (AV), is an important cause of premature birth in pregnant women. However, there is very little...
Vaginal dysbiosis, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV) and aerobic vaginitis (AV), is an important cause of premature birth in pregnant women. However, there is very little research on vaginal microbial distribution in AV compared to that in BV. This study aimed to analyze the composition of the vaginal microbiota of pregnant women with AV using microbial community analysis and identify the causative organism using each criterion of the AV scoring system. Also, we compared the quantification of aerobic bacteria using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and their relative abundances (RA) using metagenomics. This prospective case-control study included 228 pregnant Korean women from our previous study. A wet mount test was conducted on 159 women to diagnose AV using the AV scoring system. Vaginal samples were analyzed using metagenomics, Gram staining for Nugent score determination, conventional culture, and qPCR for spp. spp., and . The relative abundances (RAs) of eleven species showed significant differences among the three groups (Normal flora (NF), mild AV, and moderate AV). Three species including were significantly lower in the AV groups than in the NF group, while eight species were higher in the AV groups, particularly moderate AV. The decrease in the RA of was common in three criteria of the AV scoring system (, WBC, and background flora grades), while it did not show a significant difference among the three grade groups of the toxic leukocyte criterion. Also, the RAs of anaerobes, such as and , were higher in the AV groups, particularly moderate AV, while the RAs of aerobes were very low (RA < 0.01). Therefore, qPCR was performed for aerobes ( spp. spp., and ); however, their quantification did not show a higher level in the AV groups when compared to that in the NF group. Therefore, AV might be affected by the RA of spp. and the main anaerobes, such as spp. Activation of leukocytes under specific conditions might convert them to toxic leukocytes, despite high levels of . Thus, the pathogenesis of AV can be evaluated under such conditions.
Topics: Case-Control Studies; Dysbiosis; Female; Humans; Microbiota; Pregnancy; Pregnant Women; Vagina; Vaginitis
PubMed: 34568084
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.677648 -
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta.... Sep 2023Plasmalogens (Pls) are vinyl-ether bond-containing glycerophospholipids or glycosyl diradyl glycerols, and are of great importance in the physiological functions and...
Plasmalogens (Pls) are vinyl-ether bond-containing glycerophospholipids or glycosyl diradyl glycerols, and are of great importance in the physiological functions and stability of cell membrane. Here, we identified and characterized that the plasmalogen synthase MeHAD from anaerobic Megasphaera elsdenii was responsible for vinyl-ether bond formation. Different from the 2-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydratase (HAD) family plasmalogen synthase PlsA-PlsR which are encoded by two genes in Clostridium perfringens, the HAD homolog (MeHAD) encoded by a single gene MELS_0169 was found in M. elsdenii. By heterologous expression of the MeHAD gene into a nonplasmalogen-producing Escherichia coli strain, the expressed MeHAD was found to be located in the cell membrane region. Plasmalogens were detected in the recombinant strain using GC-MS and LC-MS, demonstrating that MeHAD was the key enzyme for plasmalogen synthesis. Moreover, the synthesized plasmalogens could enhance the oxidative stress-resistance and osmotic pressure-resistance of the recombinant strain, probably due to the ROS scavenging and decreased membrane permeability by the plasmalogens, respectively. The four-cysteine (Cys125, Cys164, Cys445 and Cys484) site-mutant of MeHAD, which were predicted binding to the [4Fe-4S] cluster, was unable to synthesize plasmalogens, indicating that the cysteines are important for the catalytic activity of MeHAD. Our results revealed the single gene encoded plasmalogen synthase in M. elsdenii and established a recombinant E. coli strain with plasmalogen production potential.
Topics: Plasmalogens; Megasphaera elsdenii; Escherichia coli; Ethers
PubMed: 37348645
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2023.159358 -
Sexual Medicine Aug 2023The loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) to treat cervical dysplasia (CD) is known to alter the cervical microbiota, the community of bacteria that play a...
BACKGROUND
The loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) to treat cervical dysplasia (CD) is known to alter the cervical microbiota, the community of bacteria that play a central role in female genital health. Perturbations to the microbiota of the female urogenital tract (FUT), including the urethra, vagina, and cervix, have been linked with symptoms of sexual dysfunction (SD), though correlations among LEEP, the microenvironment, and SD have not yet been described.
AIMS
To characterize the FUT microbiota before and after LEEP and investigate possible associations with SD.
METHODS
Females undergoing LEEP for CD were recruited to participate in the study. Urinary samples and vaginal and cervical swabs were collected immediately before and 3 months after treatment. Bacterial communities were characterized by 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing. Self-report surveys assessing demographics, medical history, and sexual function were completed at the same intervals.
OUTCOMES
Microbiota taxonomy and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) scores.
RESULTS
Alpha diversity revealed a significant decrease in species richness in the FUT microbiota post-LEEP. Beta diversity demonstrated significant differences among the cervical, urinary, and vaginal microenvironments pre- and post-LEEP. spp were the dominant microbial genus in the cervical microenvironment pre- and post-LEEP. Although the vaginal and urinary microenvironments were characterized by pre-LEEP, they were colonized by post-LEEP. Following LEEP, some participants experienced a significant increase in proinflammatory bacteria, including the genera , , , , and Others experienced significant decreases in inflammatory and protective bacteria post-LEEP, including , , , and Overall there were no significant changes in pre- and post-LEEP FSFI scores. However, post-LEEP FSFI scores were seemingly associated with changes in inflammatory bacteria in some participants.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
There is an overall reduction in FUT microbiota dysbiosis post-LEEP. However, we show variability as some participants experienced persistent dysbiosis of FUT microbiota and elevated FSFI scores, suggesting that therapies to treat dysbiosis of FUT microbiota may reduce FSFI scores, thereby improving SD symptoms.
STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS
We demonstrate novel associations among urogenital sites, microbiota changes, LEEP, and SD. The small sample size and inability of species classification are limitations.
CONCLUSION
Diverse inflammatory microbiota characterizes CD in the FUT, and LEEP mostly returns microenvironments to a healthy state. However, some participants have persistent inflammatory bacteria post-LEEP, suggesting a non-uniform healing response. This study provides an impetus for future longitudinal studies to monitor and restore FUT microenvironments post-LEEP, aimed at mitigating postoperative SD symptoms.
PubMed: 37588087
DOI: 10.1093/sexmed/qfad039 -
Bioresource Technology Jan 2022Numerous attempts have been made to upscale biohydrogen production via dark fermentation (DF); however, the Achilles' heel of DF, i.e., lactic acid bacteria (LAB)...
Numerous attempts have been made to upscale biohydrogen production via dark fermentation (DF); however, the Achilles' heel of DF, i.e., lactic acid bacteria (LAB) contamination and overgrowth, hinders such upscaling. Key microbes are needed to develop a lactate-driven DF system that can serve as a lactate fermentation platform. In this study, the utility of Megasphaera elsdenii and LAB co-culturing in lactate-driven DF was evaluated. When inoculated simultaneously with LAB or after LAB culture, M. elsdenii achieved a stable hydrogen yield of 0.95-1.49 H-mol/mol-glucose, approximately half that obtained in pure M. elsdenii cultures. Hydrogen production was maintained even at an initial M. elsdenii-to-LAB cell ratio of one-millionth or less. Moreover, M. elsdenii produced hydrogen via lactate-driven DF from unusable sugars such as xylose or cellobiose. Thus, M. elsdenii could be a Game changer instrumental in unlocking the full potential of DF.
Topics: Animals; Fermentation; Hydrogen; Lactic Acid; Lactobacillales; Megasphaera elsdenii; Rumen
PubMed: 34601026
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126076 -
Journal of Industrial Microbiology &... Jul 2019Lactoyl-CoA is critical for the biosynthesis of biodegradable and biocompatible lactate-based copolymers, which have wide applications. However, reports on acetyl-CoA:...
Lactoyl-CoA is critical for the biosynthesis of biodegradable and biocompatible lactate-based copolymers, which have wide applications. However, reports on acetyl-CoA: lactate CoA-transferases (ALCTs) are rare. To exploit novel ALCTs, amino acid sequence similarity searches based on the CoA-transferases from Clostridium propionicum and Megasphaera elsdenii were conducted. Two known and three novel enzymes were expressed, purified and characterized. Three novel ALCTs were identified, one each from Megasphaera sp. DISK 18, Clostridium lactatifermentans An75 and Firmicutes bacterium CAG: 466. ME-PCT from Megasphaera elsdenii had the highest catalytic efficiency for both acetyl-CoA (264.22 s mM) and D-lactate (84.18 s mM) with a broad temperature range for activity and good stability. This study, therefore, offers novel and efficient enzymes for lactoyl-CoA generation. To our best knowledge, this is the first report on the systematic mining of ALCTs, which offers valuable new tools for the engineering of pathways that rely on these enzymes.
Topics: Acetyl Coenzyme A; Acyl Coenzyme A; Clostridium; Coenzyme A-Transferases; Lactic Acid
PubMed: 30963328
DOI: 10.1007/s10295-019-02174-6 -
International Journal of Systematic and... Jul 2017Strain MHT, a strictly anaerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-spore-forming, spherical coccus or coccoid-shaped microorganism, was isolated from a cow rumen during a screen...
Strain MHT, a strictly anaerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-spore-forming, spherical coccus or coccoid-shaped microorganism, was isolated from a cow rumen during a screen for hexanoic acid-producing bacteria. The microorganism grew at 30-40 °C and pH 5.5-7.5 and exhibited production of various short- and medium-chain carboxylic acids (acetic acid, butyric acid, pentanoic acid, isobutyric acid, isovaleric acid, hexanoic acid, heptanoic acid and octanoic acid), as well as H2 and CO2 as biogas. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing demonstrated that MHT represents a member of the genus Megasphaera, with the closest relatives being Megapsphaera indica NMBHI-10T (94.1 % 16S rRNA sequence similarity), Megasphaera elsdenii DSM 20460T (93.8 %) and Megasphaera paucivorans DSM 16981T (93.8 %). The major cellular fatty acids produced by MHT included C12 : 0, C16 : 0, C18 : 1cis 9, and C18 : 0, and the DNA G+C content of the MHT genome is 51.8 mol%. Together, the distinctive phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics of MHT indicate that this microorganism represents a novel species of the genus Megasphaera, for which the name Megasphaera hexanoica sp. nov. is herein proposed. The type strain of this species is MHT (=KCCM 43214T=JCM 31403T).
Topics: Animals; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Base Composition; Carboxylic Acids; Cattle; DNA, Bacterial; Fatty Acids; Female; Megasphaera; Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Rumen; Sequence Analysis, DNA
PubMed: 28742009
DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.001888 -
Journal of Cancer Research and... 2022Gut microbiota plays an important role in the development of different diseases including colorectal cancer. The geography, lifestyle, and dietary habits of Indians are...
BACKGROUND
Gut microbiota plays an important role in the development of different diseases including colorectal cancer. The geography, lifestyle, and dietary habits of Indians are different from Western world, thus microbiome studies of Western population could not be extrapolated to their Indian counterparts.
METHOD
Therefore, we have conducted a study on gut microbiota in Indian healthy subjects and patients of colon cancer using 16S ribosomal RNA Amplicon sequencing. Operational taxonomic units were calculated for different bacterial taxon including phylum, class, order, family, and genus level.
RESULTS
Observed results indicated a considerable difference in the bacterial diversity in both the groups. Phylum Firmicutes was significantly dominated in both the groups followed by Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria which clearly indicates the dominance of phylum Firmicutes in Indian population. Phylum Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were significantly abundant in the healthy group while phylum Bacteroidetes in the colon cancer group. Bacterial genera Megamonas, Megasphaera, Mitsuokella, and Streptococcus were significantly abundant in the healthy group and Veillonella, Prevotella, and Eubacterium in the colon cancer group. Bacterial genus Bradyrhizobium was present in the healthy group and Alistipes, Coprococcus, Dorea, and Rhodococcus were present in the colon cancer group but absent in the healthy group.
CONCLUSION
There was a considerable difference in bacterial diversity in both the study groups indicating dysbiosis in the colon cancer group.
Topics: Colonic Neoplasms; Dysbiosis; Feces; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Microbiota; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
PubMed: 35381769
DOI: 10.4103/0973-1482.341139