Project description:Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are cyanobacteria-dominated microbial communities that cover extensive portions of the world’s arid and semi-arid deserts. The infrequent periods of hydration are often too short to allow for dormancy strategies based on sporulation; consequently, survival is based on the unique capabilities of vegetative cells to resuscitate from and re-enter a stress resistant dormant state, one of which is migration within the crust layers in response to hydration. In this study, we sought to characterize the events that govern the emergence of the dominant cyanobacterium from dormancy, its subsequent growth, and the events triggered by re-desiccation and a transition back to dormant state. We performed a 48 hour laboratory wetting experiment of a desert BSC and tracked the response of Microcoleus vaginatus using a whole genome transcriptional time-course including night/day periods. This allowed the identification of genes with a diel expression pattern, genes involved uniquely in the signaling after hydration and those that contribute primarily to desiccation preparation. Desert BSC samples collected from Moab, UT, were hydrated over a period of 48 hours followed by drying induced by removal of water. At periodic times soil samples were harvested and used for RNA extraction and whole genome expression analysis using an expression array representing genes from two strains of M. vaginatus (PCC 9802 and FGP-2)
Project description:Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are cyanobacteria-dominated microbial communities that cover extensive portions of the world’s arid and semi-arid deserts. The infrequent periods of hydration are often too short to allow for dormancy strategies based on sporulation; consequently, survival is based on the unique capabilities of vegetative cells to resuscitate from and re-enter a stress resistant dormant state, one of which is migration within the crust layers in response to hydration. In this study, we sought to characterize the events that govern the emergence of the dominant cyanobacterium from dormancy, its subsequent growth, and the events triggered by re-desiccation and a transition back to dormant state. We performed a 48 hour laboratory wetting experiment of a desert BSC and tracked the response of Microcoleus vaginatus using a whole genome transcriptional time-course including night/day periods. This allowed the identification of genes with a diel expression pattern, genes involved uniquely in the signaling after hydration and those that contribute primarily to desiccation preparation.
Project description:D-galactose orally intake ameliorate DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis by modulating microbiota composition and quorum sensing. The increased abundance of bacteroidetes and decreased abundance of firmicutes was confirmed. By D-galactose treatment, Bacteroides population was increased and prevotella, ruminococcus was decreased which is related to atopic dermatitis.
Project description:This is a comparative experiments of three barley genotypes harbouring allelic differences at a locus designated QRMC-3HS putatively implicated in the assembly of the microbial communities thriving at the root-soil interface, the so called rhizosphere microbiota. The RNA-seq experiment aimed at identify genes differentially regulated among the genotypes at the locus of interest. As the selected genotypes host contrasting microbiotas, we hypothesised that differentially expressed genes at the locus represent primary candidates for the trait of interest (i.e., microbiota recruitment).
Project description:The experiment at three long-term agricultural experimental stations (namely the N, M and S sites) across northeast to southeast China was setup and operated by the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences. This experiment belongs to an integrated project (The Soil Reciprocal Transplant Experiment, SRTE) which serves as a platform for a number of studies evaluating climate and cropping effects on soil microbial diversity and its agro-ecosystem functioning. Soil transplant serves as a proxy to simulate climate change in realistic climate regimes. Here, we assessed the effects of soil type, soil transplant and landuse changes on soil microbial communities, which are key drivers in Earth’s biogeochemical cycles.
Project description:To study the soil mcirobial functional communities and the nutrient cycles couplings changes after exposure to different contaminant