bacteria
Environmental MicrobiologyLuxR Solos in the Plant Endophyte Kosakonia sp. Strain KO348Cell-cell signaling in bacteria allows a synchronized and coordinated behavior of a microbial community. LuxR solos represent a subfamily of proteins in proteobacteria which most commonly detect and respond to signals produced exogenously by other microbes or eukaryotic hosts. Here, we report that a plant-beneficial bacterial endophyte belonging to the novel genus of Kosakonia possesses two LuxR solos; one is involved in the...
Environmental MicrobiologyGenomic Landscape of Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale in Commercial Turkey Production in the United StatesThe whole-genome approach enhances our understanding of evolutionary relationships between clinical Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale isolates from different commercial turkey producers and allows for identification of genes associated with virulence, antimicrobial resistance, or mobile genetic elements that are often excluded using traditional typing methods....
Microbial EcologyCore Rhizosphere Microbiomes of Dryland Wheat Are Influenced by Location and Land Use HistoryPlant-associated microbiomes are critical for plant health and other important agroecosystem processes. We assessed the bacterial and fungal microbiomes of wheat grown in soils from across a dryland wheat cropping systems in eastern Washington to identify the core microbiome on wheat roots that is consistent across soils from different locations and land use histories. Moreover, cross-domain co-occurrence network analysis identified...
Environmental MicrobiologyStructural and Functional Dynamics of Soil Microbes following Spruce Beetle InfestationBelowground impacts of bark beetle infestation have not been explored as thoroughly as their aboveground counterparts. In order to accurately model impacts of bark beetle-induced tree mortality on carbon and nutrient cycling and forest regeneration, the intricacies of soil microbial communities must be examined. In this study, we investigated the structure and function of soil bacterial and fungal communities following bark beetle...
Evolutionary and Genomic Microbiology | SpotlightComparative Genomics of Rumen Butyrivibrio spp. Uncovers a Continuum of Polysaccharide-Degrading CapabilitiesFeeding a global population of 8 billion people and climate change are the primary challenges facing agriculture today. Ruminant livestock are important food-producing animals, and maximizing their productivity requires an understanding of their digestive systems and the roles played by rumen microbes in plant polysaccharide degradation. Members of the genera Butyrivibrio and Pseudobutyrivibrio are a phylogenetically...
Environmental Microbiology | SpotlightBiological Ice-Nucleating Particles Deposited Year-Round in Subtropical PrecipitationThe particles most effective at inducing the freezing of water in the atmosphere are microbiological in origin; however, information on the species harboring this phenotype, their environmental distribution, and ecological sources are very limited. Analysis of precipitation collected over 2 years in Louisiana showed that INPs active at the warmest temperatures were sourced from terrestrial ecosystems and displayed behaviors that...
Environmental MicrobiologyUse of a Fluorescent Analog of Glucose (2-NBDG) To Identify Uncultured Rumen Bacteria That Take Up GlucoseWe introduce a method for identifying what substrates are consumed by bacteria in natural communities. Our method offers significant improvement over existing methods for studying this characteristic. Our method uses a fluorescently labeled substrate which clearly labels target bacteria (glucose consumers in our case). Previous methods use isotope-labeled substrates, which are notorious for off-target labeling (due to cross-feeding of...
Environmental MicrobiologyButyrivibrio hungatei MB2003 Competes Effectively for Soluble Sugars Released by Butyrivibrio proteoclasticus B316T during Growth on Xylan or PectinFeeding a future global population of 9 billion people and climate change are the primary challenges facing agriculture today. Ruminant livestock are important food-producing animals, and maximizing their productivity requires an understanding of their digestive systems and the roles played by rumen microbes in plant polysaccharide degradation. Butyrivibrio species are a phylogenetically diverse group of bacteria and are...
Environmental MicrobiologyFocused Metabolism of β-Glucans by the Soil Bacteroidetes Species Chitinophaga pinensisIt is well known that the forest litter layer is inhabited by a complex microbial community of bacteria and fungi. However, while the importance of fungi in the turnover of natural biomass is well established, the role of their bacterial counterparts is less extensively studied. We show that Chitinophaga pinensis, a prominent member of an important bacterial genus, is...
Food Microbiology | SpotlightThe Interior Surfaces of Wooden Barrels Are an Additional Microbial Inoculation Source for Lambic Beer ProductionAlthough the coolship step is generally regarded as the main contributor to the spontaneous inoculation by environmental air of fresh worts for lambic beer production, it is known that microorganisms often associate with specific surfaces present in a brewery. However, knowledge about the association of microorganisms with the interior surfaces of wooden lambic barrels is limited. To clarify the role of casks and foeders as additional...