@article {pmid42788617,
year = {2026},
author = {Wakabayashi, T and Mihara, H},
title = {From Management to Symbiosis: A Five-Layered Model of Negative Capability in Primary Care.},
journal = {Journal of evaluation in clinical practice},
volume = {32},
number = {6},
pages = {e70620},
doi = {10.1111/jep.70620},
pmid = {42788617},
issn = {1365-2753},
support = {0422005//Japan Community Healthcare Organaization/ ; },
mesh = {Humans ; Focus Groups ; Qualitative Research ; *Physician-Patient Relations ; *Primary Health Care/organization & administration ; Uncertainty ; Japan ; *General Practitioners/psychology ; Group Dynamics ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Burnout, Professional/psychology ; },
abstract = {RATIONALE: Modern medicine has traditionally emphasised certainty, which may contribute to intolerance of uncertainty, physician burnout, and premature diagnostic closure. In recent years, the concept of 'Negative Capability' (NC) has emerged as a novel perspective to address this challenge.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the perspectives of general practitioners (GPs) on the multi-layered roles of NC across individual cognition, the physician-patient relationship, and team dynamics, thereby developing a conceptual framework for clinical practice.

METHOD: We conducted a qualitative study using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach in Japan. Focus group interviews were held with a total of 12 participant-sessions (comprising 11 unique general practitioners and an academic philosopher specialising in NC, including one clinician who participated iteratively across sessions to enrich data depth). The verbatim data were analysed manually using the Steps for Coding and Theorisation (SCAT) method, ensuring credibility through continuous peer debriefing and member checking.

RESULTS: Clinical NC was conceptualised as five interconnected layers: (1) structural limitations of the medical paradigm, (2) individual transformation, (3) cultivation within a secure base, (4) joint engagement with uncertainty, and (5) inheritance of clinical philosophy. NC functions as an internal 'mental cane' for physicians, supporting a shift from managing uncertainty to remaining with it.

CONCLUSION: This perspective reframes clinical uncertainty from an individual cognitive burden to a shared relational space, alleviating the pressure to prematurely resolve it. This multi-layered approach provides a sustainable philosophy for primary care, supporting clinician well-being and helping clinicians move from rapid resolution towards more meaningful engagement with patients by relational care in complex clinical environments.},
}

Humans
Focus Groups
Qualitative Research
*Physician-Patient Relations
*Primary Health Care/organization & administration
Uncertainty
Japan
*General Practitioners/psychology
Group Dynamics
Attitude of Health Personnel
Burnout, Professional/psychology

@article {pmid42790160,
year = {2026},
author = {Kokarev, V and Rimskaya-Korsakova, N and Alfaro, KM and Dufour, SC},
title = {Exploring the applicability of SYBR stains for whole-mount high-resolution confocal microscopy of chemosymbiotic invertebrates.},
journal = {Micron (Oxford, England : 1993)},
volume = {208},
number = {},
pages = {104120},
doi = {10.1016/j.micron.2026.104120},
pmid = {42790160},
issn = {1878-4291},
abstract = {Localization of bacterial symbionts within host tissues and determination of their morphology are essential for unraveling the biology of chemosymbiotic marine invertebrates. Confocal microscopy offers the potential to visualize bacterial symbionts in whole-mount preparations of host animals or tissues with minimal sample preparation. Here, we investigated the applicability of SYBR stains for visualizing the distribution of symbionts in the gills of thyasirid bivalves and in the trophosome of the siboglinid Siboglinum fiordicum. We demonstrate that SYBR stains, particularly SYBR Gold and SYBR Safe, are suitable for visualizing extracellular symbionts in whole mounts of gills, as well as intracellular endosymbionts in cells of the trophosome in whole mounts of S. fiordicum. SYBR stains show potential for confocal microscopy of invertebrates with chemosynthetic symbionts, but their utility may depend on specific experimental design; for instance, in S. fiordicum, counterstaining with DAPI improved the visibility of symbionts. Contrary to previous descriptions, we show that in male S. fiordicum the trophosome is not confined to the posterior trunk but extends anteriorly to envelop the testes. We also document the gill structure of several thyasirid species, including the first published description of gill structure of Parathyasira dunbari. In general, SYBR Gold/Safe staining can be used as a quick screen for potential symbiont-bearing species in chemosynthetic environments or for monitoring symbiont populations in laboratory-maintained symbiont-dependent hosts.},
}

@article {pmid42790682,
year = {2026},
author = {Wang, J and Xiang, Z and Shu, K and Zhu, H and Wang, J},
title = {Targeting extracellular vesicle-mediated tumor-immune symbiosis: From molecular mechanisms to translational implications.},
journal = {Biochimica et biophysica acta. Reviews on cancer},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {189725},
doi = {10.1016/j.bbcan.2026.189725},
pmid = {42790682},
issn = {1879-2561},
abstract = {Symbiotic interactions between tumor cells and immune cells are key drivers of tumor progression and treatment resistance. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are key mediators of intercellular crosstalk within the tumor microenvironment. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that EVs play a significant role in regulating tumor-immune symbiosis. Tumor cell-derived EVs can modulate the function of various immune cells within the microenvironment, mediating immune suppression and promoting tumor growth. Correspondingly, immune cells also produce EVs that promote malignant phenotypes in tumor cells, such as proliferation, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and treatment resistance. Targeting EV-mediated tumor-immune symbiosis has emerged as a promising strategy in cancer therapy. In this review, we introduce the biogenesis and heterogeneity of EVs, highlighting the bidirectional pro-tumoral crosstalk between tumor cells and immune cells. Furthermore, we summarize current therapeutic strategies targeting EVs to break tumor-immune symbiosis and offer perspectives on future directions in this advancing field.},
}

@article {pmid42790771,
year = {2026},
author = {Kamilari, M and Giannatos, G and Bourtzis, K and Tsiamis, G and Augustinos, AA},
title = {Egg-stage desiccation reduces developmental success and reveals line-dependent Wolbachia-associated costs in the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata.},
journal = {Journal of insect physiology},
volume = {174},
number = {},
pages = {105068},
doi = {10.1016/j.jinsphys.2026.105068},
pmid = {42790771},
issn = {1879-1611},
abstract = {The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824) is a major agricultural pest, and egg desiccation is a critical constraint during handling and mass-rearing, as even short periods without moisture may compromise developmental success and downstream adult performance. The Wolbachia-medfly symbiosis is a relatively recently established artificial association, generated less than three decades ago using Rhagoletis cerasi as the Wolbachia donor. In this study, we evaluated the effects of egg-stage desiccation on developmental success and subsequent adult performance in three medfly lines differing in Wolbachia status: the uninfected Benakeion line, the wCer2-infected 88.6 line, and the wCer4-infected S.10.3 line. Eggs were exposed to desiccation for 0-24 h at 4-h intervals before transfer to larval diet, and hatching, pupation, and adult emergence were recorded. Adult survival without food and water provision was also assessed for flies emerging from the 0, 8, and 10 h egg-desiccation treatments. Under control conditions, Benakeion showed the highest hatching and developmental success, S.10.3 the lowest, and 88.6 intermediate performance. Egg-stage desiccation strongly reduced developmental success, with the clearest losses after prolonged exposure. Baseline developmental performance differed among lines, with Benakeion showing the highest egg-based success, S.10.3 the lowest, and 88.6 intermediate values. Baseline-normalized profiles and binomial generalized linear models showed that the strongest evidence for a line-specific proportional response to desiccation occurred at hatching, whereas cumulative pupation and emergence were driven mainly by desiccation duration and baseline line differences. In the adult follow-up, line identity rather than egg-stage desiccation was the main determinant of of survival under starvation-dehydration stress. Among desiccated-origin adults, S.10.3 again showed the weakest performance. These results indicate that egg-stage desiccation primarily acts at the hatching bottleneck and that the wCer4-infected S.10.3 line shows the strongest line-associated performance cost. Beyond providing insight into the Wolbachia-medfly artificial symbiosis, our findings are directly relevant to egg-handling and strain-evaluation protocols in medfly mass-rearing systems for sterile insect technique (SIT), incompatible insect technique (IIT) or other related genetic insect pest control applications.},
}

@article {pmid42792598,
year = {2026},
author = {Zhang, Q and Yang, W and Su, J and Lv, W and Wang, L and Xu, S and Chang, Q and Gong, M},
title = {Transcriptome Analysis of Populus tomentosa Reveals Molecular Mechanisms of Jasmonate Signaling Pathway on Arsenic Tolerance Induced by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi.},
journal = {Biology},
volume = {15},
number = {18},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/biology15181653},
pmid = {42792598},
issn = {2079-7737},
support = {No. 31870093 and No. 31800096//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; No. 242300420144//Henan Academy of Sciences/ ; No. 242102110158, No. 252102110192 and No. 252102110148//Henan University of Science and Technology/ ; },
abstract = {Arsenic (As) pollution poses serious threats to soil ecosystems and plant growth. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been confirmed to enhance As tolerance in host plants, making mycorrhizal-assisted phytoremediation a promising and practical strategy for remediating As-contaminated soils. Populus tomentosa Carr. (Chinese white poplar) is a native fast-growing woody species suitable for phytoremediation in East Asia. However, comprehensive transcriptomic analyses focusing on the molecular mechanisms by which AMF improve As tolerance in this species remain limited. In this study, a pot-based experiment was performed on P. tomentosa seedlings using a two-factor experimental design with four treatments: non-inoculated seedlings under non-As stress (CK0), non-inoculated P. tomentosa seedlings under As stress (CK100), Rhizophagus irregularis-inoculated seedlings under non-As stress (Ri0), and R. irregularis-inoculated seedlings under As stress (Ri100). Plant-growth measurements, root morphological assessment, and Illumina RNA-seq transcriptomic analysis were applied to characterize seedling responses. Our results revealed that As stress significantly inhibited AMF colonization rate, suppressed seedling growth, and disrupted root morphological architecture. Nevertheless, R. irregularis inoculation substantially alleviated As-induced growth repression, increasing plant height, shoot and root dry biomass, as well as key root morphological parameters under As exposure. Transcriptome profiling identified large sets of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) triggered by AMF symbiosis and As stress. Functional enrichment indicated that signal transduction of jasmonate (JA) biosynthesis and metabolism represented the dominant response pathways. AMF symbiosis dynamically rewrote the transcriptional patterns of core JA biosynthesis and metabolism genes in P. tomentosa seedlings under As stress. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis further highlighted hub transcription factors, including GATA5 and WRKY57, which were tightly co-expressed with JA-synthesis-related genes and potentially bridged mycorrhizal symbiotic signals and downstream defense responses. These findings illustrated that AMF enhanced As tolerance in P. tomentosa seedlings by reprogramming JA-associated transcriptional regulatory networks. This study provided novel mechanistic insights for understanding AMF-wood plant-As interactions, and offered theoretical support for developing AMF-assisted poplar phytoremediation technology in As-contaminated soils.},
}

@article {pmid42793314,
year = {2026},
author = {Chasov, V and Mukhametshin, S and Valiullina, A and Skibo, Y and Zhumabekova, M and Zharlyganova, D and Keyer, V and Kydyrbayeva, A and Shustov, A and Bulatov, E},
title = {CAR-T Cell Therapy and Gut Microbiota Modulation in Multiple Sclerosis: Emerging Therapeutic Strategies and Current Limitations.},
journal = {Current issues in molecular biology},
volume = {48},
number = {9},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/cimb48090958},
pmid = {42793314},
issn = {1467-3045},
support = {BR25293293//Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan/ ; FZSM-2025-0001//Ministry of Science and Higher Education/ ; },
abstract = {Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by the destruction of the myelin sheath around nerve cells. The prevalence and serious consequences of MS highlight the shortcomings of existing treatments and the importance of developing innovative therapeutic approaches. Based on successful pilot studies in patients and an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model, CAR-T cells offer a novel therapeutic mechanism by directly targeting and eliminating B cells, overcoming the shortcomings of antibody-mediated B cell depletion, which is unable to penetrate deep into the CNS. Recent discoveries have also revealed an important role for the gut microbiota in maintaining immune homeostasis. In a state of homeostasis, there is a symbiotic relationship between host factors and the microbiota that helps to maintain a healthy state. However, alterations in the composition and function of the gut microbiota, known as gut dysbiosis, can disrupt this homeostasis. The microbiota, through its metabolites, can influence not only internal processes in the gut but also the CNS in MS. Therapeutic interventions that help restore the balance of the gut microbiota may be a promising additional treatment to existing therapies to alleviate symptoms and promote remission in patients with MS.},
}

@article {pmid42795458,
year = {2026},
author = {Pérez-Ferrer, PA and Nishiguchi, MK},
title = {You Talking to Me? Quorum Sensing in Symbiotic Microbes and Their Response to Environmental Variation.},
journal = {Microorganisms},
volume = {14},
number = {9},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/microorganisms14091876},
pmid = {42795458},
issn = {2076-2607},
support = {NSF DBI-2214028//U.S. National Science Foundation/ ; NIH 5T34GM145511-03//NIH 5T34GM145511-03/ ; },
abstract = {Bacterial communication or quorum sensing (QS) is a common yet complex system where multiple factors influence the extent to how this chemical dialog is transferred from a single clone to the larger community of microbes in the population. More often, when bacteria are in large concentrations, their genetic and subsequent biochemical response to different chemical cues is influenced by not only which microorganisms are present but also the environmental variables that surround those individuals. This is especially relevant when symbiotic bacteria are dependent upon host functions yet are in high enough concentrations that can manifest their own behaviors in response to the present host prior, during, and after colonization. This review will examine the various abiotic and biotic factors that regulate QS when bacteria are in the process of detecting, colonizing, and persisting in a host that uptakes its microbial partner from the environment, as well as the consequences of multiple stressors on this dynamic communication process.},
}

@article {pmid42795650,
year = {2026},
author = {Korzekwa, K and Bisak, A and Lepionka, T and Obuch-Woszczatyńska, O and Bylińska, K and Kauc, A and Skuza, K and Zaborski, B and Krzyżowska, M},
title = {Re-Emerging Bacterial Pathogens, Resistance Genes and Promising Bioindicators in Raw and Treated Sewage-Addressing a Known Issue from a Different Angle and Perspective.},
journal = {Microorganisms},
volume = {14},
number = {9},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/microorganisms14092069},
pmid = {42795650},
issn = {2076-2607},
support = {357/2021/DA//Ministry of National Defence/ ; },
abstract = {Municipal wastewater catchments are significant sources of symbiotic, opportunistic, and drug-resistant bacteria that can acquire or enhance their resistance. This "re-emergence of threats" presents a serious public health issue, especially during crisis conditions (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to propose a sampling algorithm, identify strategically important sites within the wastewater catchment, expand the range of bacterial indicators, and rapidly confirm potential threats using in vitro diagnostics in both raw and treated sewage. A parallel objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of sequencing methods in pre-epidemic studies. The research was conducted as part of a long-term surveillance program at transportation hubs, healthcare facilities, residential complexes, and wastewater treatment plants in Warsaw, Poland. Total nucleic acid (TNA) was isolated from samples, amplified using qPCR kits, and selected samples underwent next-generation sequencing. In raw sewage, the most frequently detected regions included sequences complementary to the bacterial vanB gene, the Integron Verona-encoded metallo-β-lactamase (VIM) gene, and markers for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Treated environmental effluents primarily contained DNA fragments complementary to the bacterial vanB sequence, along with genes related to resistance against oxacillin and imipenem, as well as the VIM gene and Legionella sp. 16S rRNA sequencing of the sewage samples revealed the presence of 12 promising bacterial indicators relevant to public health and environmental hygiene. The proposed algorithm aligns with the provisions of EU Directive 2024/3019 and in vitro diagnostic tests demonstrated the potential and utility of rapid screening analyses of wastewater during disruptions or crises, as well as in situations involving equipment shortages and logistical challenges in healthcare. The proposed expanded range of bioindicators could expedite decision-making regarding preventive measures and medical support for various counties, hospitals, and transportation hubs in large urban areas. The sequencing results further emphasized the need to broaden the scope of the bacterial indicators for environmental surveillance.},
}

@article {pmid42795698,
year = {2026},
author = {Song, J and Liu, W and Sun, Y and Shi, J and Liu, M and Dai, Y and Zuo, Y and Yao, Q},
title = {Dynamic Assembly and Multifunctional Roles of Plant Endophytic Microbiomes.},
journal = {Microorganisms},
volume = {14},
number = {9},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/microorganisms14092118},
pmid = {42795698},
issn = {2076-2607},
support = {HT-2026-01-003//Heilongjiang Plant Protection Society of China/ ; XYB202010//Talent Introduction Project of Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University/ ; XYB202005//Talent Introduction Project of Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University/ ; HST2025TR008//Research Project on Ecological Environment Protection in Heilongjiang Province/ ; },
abstract = {Healthy host plants harbor taxonomically structured and diverse endophytic microbial communities that establish sophisticated symbiotic crosstalk with their hosts. These endophytic microbiomes confer multiple beneficial traits, including growth promotion, nutrient acquisition, and enhanced resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and are increasingly recognized as key modulators of plant fitness. The assembly of endophytic communities is not random but shaped by combined effects of environmental cues, host filtering, and microbial-microbial interactions, among which plant immunity constitutes an important host-selection dimension. Beneficial endophytes deploy diverse molecular tactics, such as masking microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) and secreting immune-suppressive compounds, to evade host PAMP-triggered immunity and effector-triggered immunity (PTI-ETI) surveillance for persistent internal colonization. In this review, based on the literature retrieved from Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus (2010-2026), we systematically summarize the colonization process, dynamic assembly rules, and driving factors of plant endophytic microbiomes. We further elaborate their multifaceted physiological functions in regulating plant growth, nutrient utilization, and stress adaptation. Deciphering such multilayered plant-endophyte interactions provides important insights for harnessing beneficial endophytes to advance sustainable agricultural development.},
}

@article {pmid42796595,
year = {2026},
author = {Farid, MS and Sienkiewicz, M and Łopusiewicz, Ł},
title = {Beyond Tea: Kombucha SCOBY as a Starter Culture Across Food Matrices.},
journal = {Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)},
volume = {31},
number = {18},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/molecules31183309},
pmid = {42796595},
issn = {1420-3049},
support = {INT0400128//European Union/ ; },
mesh = {Fermentation ; *Food Microbiology ; *Yeasts/metabolism ; *Tea ; *Kombucha Tea/microbiology ; *Bacteria/metabolism ; },
abstract = {The kombucha symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) is a multispecies microbial consortium distributed between cell-containing fermentation liquid and a cellulose-rich pellicle. Here, "kombucha SCOBY" denotes the viable consortium delivered through either compartment or both compartments. Dominated by fermentative yeasts and acetic acid bacteria, the consortium produces ethanol and organic acids and biotransforms phenolic compounds, enabling fermentation beyond conventional sweetened teas. This review critically evaluates studies in which viable consortia directly fermented food matrices. In dairy systems, kombucha-derived inocula acidify milk and induce casein gelation, although more slowly than yogurt starters, and kombucha broth has also supported fresh cheese production. In soy-based matrices, fermentation converts isoflavone glucosides to aglycones, and fermented soy whey can coagulate tofu. Applications have also been reported in fruit and vegetable juices, agro-industrial by-products, botanical infusions and breadmaking. However, microbial composition and performance vary with the inoculum source, propagation history, and storage. Strain-defined preserved starters remain unvalidated in non-tea matrices, and potential hazards include mycotoxin formation and post-production ethanol accumulation. Therefore, standardized, comprehensively characterized, and matrix-specific starters are required for safe and reproducible translation across food matrices.},
}

Fermentation
*Food Microbiology
*Yeasts/metabolism
*Tea
*Kombucha Tea/microbiology
*Bacteria/metabolism

@article {pmid42796847,
year = {2026},
author = {Tunç, M and Uğurlar, F and Rufaioğlu, SB and İpekeşen, S and Yorulmaz, L and Okur, M and İpekeşen, D and Biçer, BT},
title = {Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Molybdenum Act on Different Components of the Cowpea Plant-Soil System Under Salinity.},
journal = {Plants (Basel, Switzerland)},
volume = {15},
number = {18},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/plants15182816},
pmid = {42796847},
issn = {2223-7747},
support = {ZİRAAT.26.035//Dicle University Scientific Research Projects (DÜBAP) Coordinatorship/ ; },
abstract = {This study evaluated the combined effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and two molybdenum (Mo) doses on cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L., cv. Karnıkara) grown under saline and non-saline soil conditions. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using a 2 × 6 factorial design with three replications, and morphological, physiological, biochemical and mycorrhizal traits were measured. The Mo doses were deliberately set above the agronomic range in order to test how the symbiosis behaves under Mo excess. Salinity reduced fresh root weight by 53% and root length by 30%, whereas stomatal conductance and soil catalase activity increased by 87% and 379%, respectively. None of the treatments changed plant height, plant fresh weight, stomatal conductance, root length or root fresh weight: the main treatment effect and the treatment × soil interaction were not significant for any plant growth trait. Under saline conditions, AMF applied alone produced the highest mycorrhizal density (3.7%), and the addition of Mo reduced it, indicating a dose-dependent suppression of colonization rather than a synergistic enhancement. The AMF × Mo interaction was significant for soil enzyme activities but not for plant biomass, indicating that the combination acted mainly on the soil biochemical compartment. Overall, AMF and Mo influenced largely separable components of the cowpea plant-soil system under salinity. Under the experimental conditions, AMF application under salinity was associated with more favorable responses in terms of root development and stomatal characteristics, whereas the combined application of supra-optimal Mo doses with AMF did not provide a marked improvement in these responses. These results should be interpreted within the context of the application doses and experimental conditions used in this study. Further field studies encompassing different soil properties, salinity levels, Mo doses, and growing conditions are needed before these findings can be directly generalized to broader agronomic conditions.},
}

@article {pmid42796870,
year = {2026},
author = {Liu, W and Meng, F and Rao, D and Yao, X},
title = {Continuous Cropping Differentially Regulates Nitrogen Metabolism and Nodulation in Soybean Cultivars with Contrasting Continuous Cropping Tolerance Under Varied Nitrogen Levels.},
journal = {Plants (Basel, Switzerland)},
volume = {15},
number = {18},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/plants15182839},
pmid = {42796870},
issn = {2223-7747},
support = {2024YB023//Scientific Research Fund of Hebei Normal University of Science & Technology/ ; SJ2025003//Science and Technology Innovation Project of Sanjiang Laboratory of Jilin Province: Breeding and Popularization of New Soybean Varieties with High Oil, High Protein and High Yield Project/ ; CXGC2022RCB002//Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Project of Jilin Province/ ; CXGC2022RCB010//Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Project of Jilin Province/ ; },
abstract = {Continuous cropping obstacles severely restrict soybean production; nitrogen application can alleviate continuous cropping obstacles. However, it remains unclear how nitrogen metabolism and nodulation differ between soybean cultivars with contrasting continuous cropping tolerance under varied nitrogen levels. In this study, two soybean cultivars, Liaodou 14 (L14, continuous-cropping-tolerant) and Liaodou 10 (L10, continuous-cropping-sensitive), were cultivated in a sand culture system. Three nitrogen levels, low (LN), medium (MN), and high (HN), were set with three soybean soil extract treatments, namely continuous cropping (CC), continuous cropping + sodium orthovanadate (CS), and crop rotation (CR). Key nitrogen metabolic enzyme activities and gene expression in leaves and fine roots, nodule number, nitrogenase activity, and nitrogen content were systematically determined. The results show that the CC treatment significantly inhibited nitrogen metabolism enzyme activities, gene expression, and nitrogen accumulation, whereas the HN treatment partially alleviated the growth-related inhibitory effects induced by continuous cropping, although HN treatment did not fully restore symbiotic nitrogen fixation function. Under the CC treatment, L14 exhibited superior performance over L10 for most measured parameters, except for GDH activity and GmNADH-GOGAT expression. Specifically, the leaf NR activity of L14 was 8.51% and 8.47% higher than that of L10 at the R1 and R6 growth stages, respectively. The maximum nodule number was observed under the HN treatment, while the highest nitrogenase activity occurred under the LN treatment. Most indicators under the CS treatment showed intermediate values between the CC and CR treatments. Collectively, through optimized nitrogen management, continuous-cropping-tolerant cultivars maintain higher enzyme activities, stable gene expression and efficient nitrogen translocation and allocation, potentially alleviating continuous cropping obstacles and improving yield potential.},
}

@article {pmid42797671,
year = {2026},
author = {Wang, X and Wang, R and Lin, S and Ma, M and Zhu, S},
title = {Elevated CO2 Drives Cadmium Phytostabilization in the Robinia pseudoacacia-Rhizobia Symbiosis by Altering Cadmium Bioavailability, Nutrient Uptake and Antioxidant Systems.},
journal = {Toxics},
volume = {14},
number = {9},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/toxics14090752},
pmid = {42797671},
issn = {2305-6304},
support = {No. [2025]095//Guizhou Provincial Science and Technology Department/ ; No. ZK[2024]490//Guizhou Provincial Science and Technology Department/ ; },
abstract = {Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (ECO2) is a key climatic factor influencing the resilience of plant-microbial symbiotic systems against heavy metal contamination. Robinia pseudoacacia-rhizobia symbiosis shows great potential for cadmium (Cd) remediation. However, the mechanism by which ECO2 regulates Cd phytostabilization in symbiosis remains unclear. This study conducted a 90-day experiment in growth chambers to investigate the effects of ECO2 on the growth, Cd accumulation and chemical forms, as well as nutrient uptake and antioxidant system in Robinia pseudoacacia-rhizobia symbiosis. Results indicated that ECO2 significantly increased plant biomass and photosynthetic efficiency while significantly raising Cd content in roots (34.5%, p < 0.001) and decreasing it in shoots (31.4%, p < 0.001). This resulted in a significant reduction in Cd translocation factor (TF). Meanwhile, ECO2 markedly increased Cd accumulation in roots (81.2%, p < 0.001) and reduced the bioavailability of Cd in the symbiosis. Moreover, ECO2 promoted the content of nutrients and stimulated the antioxidant system. The random forest model indicated that root weight, Cd and Mn contents are the core factors for ECO2-driven Cd phytostabilization. This study demonstrates that ECO2 enhanced Cd phytostabilization by optimizing the resistance of symbiosis to Cd, offering a novel perspective for predicting plant-microbe joint restoration of heavy metal pollution under global climate change scenarios.},
}

@article {pmid42798385,
year = {2026},
author = {Saghi, M and Van Holm, W and Zayed, N and Lauwens, K and Boon, N and Bernaerts, K and Teughels, W},
title = {Compatibility of toothpastes with probiotics for periodontal health: an in vitro and ex vivo study.},
journal = {Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology},
volume = {16},
number = {},
pages = {1829275},
pmid = {42798385},
issn = {2235-2988},
mesh = {*Probiotics/pharmacology ; *Toothpastes/pharmacology ; Humans ; Biofilms/drug effects/growth & development ; Saliva/microbiology ; Bacterial Adhesion/drug effects ; *Limosilactobacillus reuteri/drug effects/physiology ; Microbial Viability/drug effects ; Microbiota/drug effects ; Periodontitis/microbiology ; },
abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Dental biofilms are associated with oral diseases such as periodontitis, peri-implantitis, halitosis, and tooth decay. These diseases are characterized by dysbiosis, an imbalance between the host and microbiome. Current treatments rely on the mechanical removal of the biofilm and suppressing the microbiome with broad spectrum antimicrobials. However, the antimicrobial componentseliminate bacteria nonselectively, which can also harm beneficial commensalbacteria. Pro-microbial strategies, particularly probiotics, hold promise forrebalancing the oral microbiome toward a symbiotic state rather than eradicatingit. Limosilactobacillus reuteri is one of the most researched strains for modulating the oral microbiome. However, uncertainties persist, particularly regarding the impact of toothpastes on probiotic survival and efficacy.

METHODS: In this study, in vitro experiments assessed the effects of selected toothpastes on L. reuteri viability, adhesion to hydroxyapatite discs, and biofilm incorporation and modulation. In the ex vivo experiment, the survival of L. reuteri was evaluated in saliva samples collected from ten volunteers after brushing with the selected toothpastes.

RESULTS: The results demonstrated that the antimicrobial effect of the selected toothpastes on the probiotics was concentration and strain dependent. The adhesion of probiotics to hydroxyapatite discs was inhibited by some toothpastes. However, compared with the control, the toothpastes did not influence L. reuteri colonization within multi-species biofilms and, additionally, did not influence the effect of the probiotics on multi-species biofilm composition. Saliva taken after brushing with a specific toothpaste did not decrease the probiotic viability.

CONCLUSION: In conclusion, in vitro, colonization and biofilm modulation by probiotics are dependent on the toothpaste used. The survival of the probiotic in saliva was not affected by the toothpaste ex vivo.},
}

*Probiotics/pharmacology
*Toothpastes/pharmacology
Humans
Biofilms/drug effects/growth & development
Saliva/microbiology
Bacterial Adhesion/drug effects
*Limosilactobacillus reuteri/drug effects/physiology
Microbial Viability/drug effects
Microbiota/drug effects
Periodontitis/microbiology

@article {pmid42784505,
year = {2026},
author = {Li, NN and Jiang, S and Hong, JS and Calevro, F and Wei, KH and Lu, KY and Luan, JB},
title = {A transcription factor regulates development of a bacteria-housing eukaryotic cell through DNA damage mitigation.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {123},
number = {39},
pages = {e2618310123},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2618310123},
pmid = {42784505},
issn = {1091-6490},
support = {32225042 and 32530087//MOST | National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)/ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; *DNA Damage ; *Transcription Factors/metabolism/genetics ; *Hemiptera/microbiology/genetics/metabolism ; *Eukaryotic Cells/metabolism/microbiology ; Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; *Insect Proteins/metabolism/genetics ; Symbiosis ; },
abstract = {Intracellular microorganisms are widespread and housed within specialized host cells called bacteriocytes in many invertebrates. Although increasing attention has been devoted to understanding bacteriocyte development, differentiation, and proliferation, the molecular mechanisms that maintain these cells remain poorly understood. We previously showed that the transcription factor Adf-1 suppresses bacteriocyte cell death in whiteflies. Here, DNA affinity purification sequencing identified Adf-1 target genes involved in diverse cellular processes and revealed the DNA damage response kinase ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) as a direct transcriptional target. Dual-luciferase reporter assays and RNA interference confirmed that Adf-1 binds the ATR promoter and positively regulates its expression in bacteriocytes, where ATR is highly expressed. Consistent with this regulatory relationship, silencing either Adf-1 or ATR increased DNA damage in bacteriocytes. ATR knockdown further promoted apoptosis and autophagy, reduced the proportion of dividing bacteriocytes, decreased bacteriocyte abundance, and lowered symbiont titers in whiteflies. In addition, yeast two-hybrid assays identified an interaction between Adf-1 and the ATP-dependent DNA helicase RecQ1, although RecQ1 silencing had no detectable effect on bacteriocyte abundance. Together, our findings demonstrate that Adf-1 preserves bacteriocyte homeostasis by promoting DNA damage repair through transcriptional activation of ATR. Given that bacteriocytes are exposed to persistent genotoxic stress associated with polyploidy and high metabolic activity, this work identifies DNA damage control as a key mechanism underlying bacteriocyte maintenance and symbiosis stability, and suggests that this pathway may represent a conserved feature of bacteriocyte biology.},
}

Animals
*DNA Damage
*Transcription Factors/metabolism/genetics
*Hemiptera/microbiology/genetics/metabolism
*Eukaryotic Cells/metabolism/microbiology
Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins/genetics/metabolism
*Insect Proteins/metabolism/genetics
Symbiosis

@article {pmid42785511,
year = {2026},
author = {Imaizumi, K and Nozaki, R and Kondo, H and Hirono, I},
title = {A dominant, genome-reduced symbiont of the whiteleg shrimp gastric microbiome retains an atypical peptidoglycan biosynthesis pathway: Genomic characterization of Candidatus Penaeiplasma gastricola gen. Nov., sp. nov.},
journal = {Journal of invertebrate pathology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {108754},
doi = {10.1016/j.jip.2026.108754},
pmid = {42785511},
issn = {1096-0805},
abstract = {Symbiotic bacteria belonging to the class Mollicutes are widely associated with arthropods, yet their ecological roles in crustaceans remain poorly understood. Our previous 16S rRNA gene amplicon surveys revealed that Mollicutes consistently dominated the gastric microbiota of the whiteleg shrimp Penaeus vannamei. To characterize this dominant lineage, genome-resolved metagenomic analysis was conducted on Mollicutes-dominated samples from aquaculture ponds in Thailand, where a single lineage accounted for >95% of the community. A high-quality metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) was reconstructed (98.55% completeness, 1.33% contamination), with a small genome (~1.28 Mb) and low GC content (29.7%). Phylogenomic analyses placed this lineage within the order Enteroplasmatales but clearly separated it from Enteroplasma. Genomic relatedness metrics, including average nucleotide identity (~68%), average amino acid identity (~57%), and POCP values (43-46%), support its classification as a novel genus and species. Functional annotation revealed a highly reduced metabolic repertoire consistent with host association, including loss of amino acid biosynthesis and respiratory chain components, while retaining glycolysis and fermentative metabolism and expanded ABC transport systems for nutrient uptake. Notably, genes for nearly complete peptidoglycan biosynthesis were retained, an unusual feature in Mollicutes that may reflect incomplete cell wall loss or functional repurposing of these genes. Overall, this study identifies a previously uncharacterized Enteroplasmatales lineage dominating the shrimp gastric microbiota and exhibiting strong signatures of reductive evolution and host adaptation. This lineage is proposed as Candidatus Penaeiplasma gastricola gen. Nov., sp. nov., representing a distinct crustacean-associated clade within Enteroplasmatales and likely encompassing lineages previously assigned to Candidatus Bacilloplasma based on 16S rRNA gene similarity. These findings provide a genomic framework for understanding the ecological roles and evolutionary history of dominant gastric symbionts in penaeid shrimp, and a foundation for future studies of shrimp microbiome function and health.},
}

@article {pmid42785678,
year = {2026},
author = {Mergaert, P and Jung, M and Kikuchi, Y and Ohbayashi, T},
title = {Assembly by disassembly of the gut microbiota in Riptortus pedestris and other stinkbugs.},
journal = {Current opinion in insect science},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {101622},
doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2026.101622},
pmid = {42785678},
issn = {2214-5753},
abstract = {The gut is one of the largest internal organs in animals and is central to nutrition. Its need to uptake food from the environment implies it is open at both ends, exposing its lumen to the outside world and to colonization by ingested microbial communities. As the primary site of host-associated microbiota, the gut has, over evolutionary time, fostered stable associations with specific microbes to which the host has delegated key biological functions. Insect gut microbiota is of interest both for its impact on this ecologically important animal group and as a simplified model for understanding fundamental features of host-microbiota interactions. Here, we focus on the highly distinctive midgut of phytophagous stinkbugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomomorpha) and its associated microbiota. The most distinctive feature of the midgut is a posterior crypt-bearing region that constitutes a symbiotic organ housing a single specific bacterial symbiont population. The anterior gut harbors a more diverse microbial community. In many species, like Riptortus pedestris, microbe-free newborns ingest bacteria by soil probing and gradually filter them along the anterior to posterior gut axis. The process enriches Burkholderia sensu lato until a single Caballeronia strain is established in the crypt region. We describe the selective conditions in the gut and the reciprocal symbiont traits that precisely and reproducibly shape the gut microbiota from a variable soil community. Even if the process is accurate, it is however not without vulnerabilities because it enriches Burkholderia in the gut comprising many pathogenic strains. The Caballeronia crypt symbionts and some pathogen strains can be exploited by the host to reinforce its immunity, but other strains cause deadly infections.},
}

@article {pmid42785843,
year = {2026},
author = {Nasr Azadani, R and Wachsmann-Hogiu, S},
title = {Challenges and opportunities for engineering of autogenic bionanocellulose: Applications in wearable devices.},
journal = {Carbohydrate polymers},
volume = {391},
number = {},
pages = {125791},
doi = {10.1016/j.carbpol.2026.125791},
pmid = {42785843},
issn = {1879-1344},
mesh = {*Biosensing Techniques/methods ; *Wearable Electronic Devices ; *Cellulose/chemistry ; Humans ; },
abstract = {Bionanocellulose (BNC) produced by symbiotic microbial consortia (SCOBY) has emerged as a biologically-derived material of growing interest for wearable bioelectronics and biosensing technologies. Its hierarchical nanofibrillar architecture combines mechanical compliance, high water affinity, optical transparency, and chemically-addressable surfaces, enabling the formation of stable and functional biointerfaces capable of accommodating diverse recognition and transduction elements. This review establishes a structure-interface-function framework to systematically analyze SCOBY-derived BNC, correlating its multiscale architecture and physicochemical properties with biointerface stability, signal transduction efficiency, and antifouling performance. Within this framework, we critically discuss current strategies for biointerface engineering, including surface chemical modification and the integration of biorecognition elements such as enzymes, antibodies, affinity ligands, and nucleic-acid probes, with particular emphasis on interfacial robustness and resistance to microbial fouling. According to this mechanistic perspective, advances in BNC-based sensing platforms are comparatively evaluated across electrochemical, electrical, optical, and luminescent modalities, including hybrid transduction systems. We further identify key design principles for performance and integration, and assess emerging translational opportunities in wearable, implantable, and point-of-care (POC) systems in view of challenges related to scalability, reproducibility, and system-level integration. Overall, this review provides a unifying framework to guide the rational design of SCOBY-derived BNC for next-generation bioelectronic and biosensing applications.},
}

*Biosensing Techniques/methods
*Wearable Electronic Devices
*Cellulose/chemistry
Humans

@article {pmid42786264,
year = {2026},
author = {Queiss, L and Mercier, C and Alarcón-Schumacher, T and D'Angelo, G and Vignale, FA and Klatt, JM and Liebeke, M and Contreras, M and Farías, ME and Erdmann, S},
title = {Two coinfecting archaeal viruses provide insights into virus-virus interactions.},
journal = {Communications biology},
volume = {9},
number = {1},
pages = {},
pmid = {42786264},
issn = {2399-3642},
mesh = {*Archaeal Viruses/genetics/physiology/isolation & purification ; Genome, Viral ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; *Coinfection/virology ; },
abstract = {Virus-virus interactions can profoundly shape viral ecology and evolution, yet they remain poorly understood, particularly in haloarchaea. Upon characterization of a spindle-shaped virus, Tebenquiche spindle-shaped virus 1 (Tebi-SV1), isolated from Halorubrum strain TLS-6, we detected the presence of a second virus, Tebenquiche pleomorphic virus 1 (Tebi-PV1), that coinfects host cells. Gene sharing network analysis revealed several genomes related to Tebi-SV1 in public databases, most of which also co-occur with pleolipoviruses in their host genomes. Attempts to separate the two viruses were unsuccessful, suggesting a symbiotic relationship between Tebi-SV1 and Tebi-PV1. We discovered that virus abundances may be regulated through a shared operator sequence allowing Tebi-PV1 to keep Tebi-SV1 copy numbers low without excluding Tebi-SV1 from the host genome. Additionally, Tebi-PV1 encodes and expresses a type-4-pilin, that likely plays a role in regulating the interactions between the host and the viruses. Our findings highlight the complexity of virus-virus interactions and that resident viruses are important regulators of virus-host interactions.},
}

*Archaeal Viruses/genetics/physiology/isolation & purification
Genome, Viral
Host-Pathogen Interactions
*Coinfection/virology

@article {pmid42787933,
year = {2026},
author = {Coker, HR and Denvir, AC and Mokhtari, AM and Lewkowicz, A and Grove, P and Mikhailova, K and Lennox, C and López-Pozo, M and Jaumà-Palomeras, A and Whiteley, LG and Rivero, RC and Barbero Barcenilla, B and Howe, JA},
title = {The Elemental Composition of Land Plants: A Global Database and Meta-analysis.},
journal = {ACS environmental Au},
volume = {6},
number = {5},
pages = {814-828},
pmid = {42787933},
issn = {2694-2518},
abstract = {Although plants likely take up all elements present in the soil environment, the elemental composition of land plants remains poorly characterized beyond essential nutrients. A comprehensive global database of plant tissue concentrations spanning 52 elements was compiled from 5,474 samples across 73 countries, 21 climate classes, and 26 soil groups. Robust global means for macronutrients, micronutrients, transition and heavy metals, metalloids, and rare earth elements are reported using mixed-effects models that account for study level variation. Global concentrations are also reported for roots and shoots, domesticated and wild plants, edible and nonedible plants, N-fixation symbiosis, and for various plant types including trees, shrubs, vines, forbs, sedges, grasses, ferns, and mosses. Many nonessential elements (i.e. transition metals, rare earth elements) exist in plant tissues in higher concentrations than micronutrients, with 20 elements higher than Mo. Phylogenetic analyses across major plant lineages revealed strong evolutionary constraints on elemental composition, with Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models indicating stabilizing selection toward lineage-specific optima for most elements. The plant elements most likely to predict taxonomic grouping through unsupervised machine learning (XGBoost) followed S > Ca > N > Zn > Ba > Cu > Pb > Sb > Cd > P. Multivariate ordinations separated domesticated crops from wild species, driven primarily by macronutrient enrichment in crops. Further, key atomic ratios differed between domesticated and wild plants, driven by differences in Zn:Cd, K:Na, N:S, and N:P. Systematic hyperaccumulator identification revealed 53 species across diverse taxa, with high Ni, Cu, and Pb uptake as the most prevalent indicator of hyperaccumulation. The study provides reliable and comprehensive estimates of the elemental composition of land plants and highlights that lesser studied elements constitute a considerable fraction of plant tissues.},
}

@article {pmid42776851,
year = {2026},
author = {Zamir, H and Rauf, F and Jamali, ZH and Khan, S and Zulfiqar, U and Alotaibi, MS and Muminov, M and Abdusamatov, S and Gururani, MA and Korai, SK},
title = {Responses of arbuscular mycorrhizal wheat to salinity: from symbiotic signaling to stress adaptation.},
journal = {Plant signaling & behavior},
volume = {21},
number = {1},
pages = {2733240},
doi = {10.1080/15592324.2026.2733240},
pmid = {42776851},
issn = {1559-2324},
mesh = {*Mycorrhizae/physiology ; *Triticum/microbiology/physiology ; *Symbiosis ; *Signal Transduction ; *Salinity ; *Adaptation, Physiological ; *Stress, Physiological ; },
abstract = {Salinity is a major constraint to wheat productivity, imposing osmotic stress, ionic imbalance, and oxidative pressure that compromise growth and yield. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can improve wheat performance under salinity through effects extending beyond nutrient acquisition. This review examines the context-dependent symbiosis between wheat and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, in which reciprocal signaling and resource exchange influence stress adaptation. Direct studies, particularly in durum and bread wheat, indicate that AM colonization can improve K[+]/Na[+] balance, nutrient acquisition, water relations, membrane stability, antioxidant regulation, osmoprotectant metabolism, and stress-responsive gene expression. By contrast, detailed mechanisms of presymbiotic communication, fungal-signal perception, nuclear Ca[2+] decoding, transcriptional accommodation, arbuscule development, and plant-to-fungus lipid transfer have been characterized mainly in AM model plants and other cereals. These conserved pathways provide a mechanistic framework for interpreting, rather than presuming, their operation in salt-stressed wheat. Integrating these evidence levels indicates that AM-associated benefits arise from coordination among ion and water transport, reactive oxygen species and redox regulation, hormonal crosstalk, carbon allocation, and arbuscule-mediated nutrient exchange rather than from enhancement of a single protective trait. The magnitude and nature of these benefits are context-dependent, influenced by wheat genotype, fungal identity, salinity intensity, nutrient status, and carbon cost-benefit trade-offs. We identify priorities for wheat-specific functional validation, spatial and temporal analysis of Ca[2+], reactive oxygen species, hormones, and transport processes, genotype-fungus matching, and multi-environment field assessment. This evidence-aware framework can support microbiome-informed breeding, targeted inoculant development, and integrated management of wheat in salt-affected agroecosystems.},
}

*Mycorrhizae/physiology
*Triticum/microbiology/physiology
*Symbiosis
*Signal Transduction
*Salinity
*Adaptation, Physiological
*Stress, Physiological

@article {pmid42777213,
year = {2026},
author = {Seto, K and James, TY},
title = {Genomic analysis of Ancylistes closterii, an enigmatic alga parasitic fungus in the arthropod-associated Entomophthoromycotina.},
journal = {Mycologia},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {1-16},
doi = {10.1080/00275514.2026.2719551},
pmid = {42777213},
issn = {1557-2536},
abstract = {Recent advances in fungal genome sequencing have dramatically altered our understanding of the phylogeny and evolution of Fungi. However, there are still many poorly studied obligate parasitic or symbiotic fungi for which we lack any genomic information or knowledge of where they fit in the fungal phylogeny. Ancylistes, an endoparasite of desmid green algae, is such an understudied fungal genus that is classified among Entomophthoromycotina in Zoopagomycota on the basis of morphology. However, this relationship is perplexing, because Zoopagomycota is almost entirely composed of animal-associated fungi. In this study, we found and cultivated Ancylistes closterii with its green algal host Closterium sp. and sequenced its genome to investigate its phylogenetic position and evolution. Phylogenetic analyses using rDNA and genome-scale data sets showed that A. closterii was sister to other Entomophthoromycotina fungi, confirming the taxonomic position of Ancylistes. Despite the ecological distinctiveness between Ancylistes and other Entomophthoromycotina fungi, our comparative genomic analyses revealed shared traits of these fungi such as lineage-specific subtilases and hybrid histidine kinases. Ancylistes also possessed unique genes among Zoopagomycota fungi such as plant cell wall-degrading enzymes that could be important for infection of algae.},
}

@article {pmid42777675,
year = {2026},
author = {Schultz, JC and Stone, GN},
title = {Change of fate: How do gall-inducing insects redirect plant developmental programs to create new organs?.},
journal = {Seminars in cell & developmental biology},
volume = {185-187},
number = {},
pages = {103697},
doi = {10.1016/j.semcdb.2026.103697},
pmid = {42777675},
issn = {1096-3634},
abstract = {Many insects elicit development of unique organs in their host plants called galls while feeding or ovipositing. Galls are organ-like entities that protect against biotic and abiotic stresses and provide a specialized nutrition supply. The signals used by gall-forming insects to elicit and shape galls are unknown, but phytohormones, peptides, small RNAs and arabinogalactan proteins are leading candidates. These four signal categories may work together to elicit galls and guide their development, but evidence of their transfer from insect to plant is incomplete. Galls vary in complexity from simple swellings to elaborate organs and their morphologies are tightly linked to the insect's identity. The attacked host plant tissue also shapes the gall's development, especially via physical constraint. The interaction between insect signaling and tissue constraints on development makes insect behavior important for establishing and shaping the gall. Because plant tissues are heterogeneous mosaics of cells with differing transcriptomes that change with time, galling insects must locate specific plant cells at specific points in their development to initiate their characteristic galls. Experimental evidence of signal transfer and function in planta, time series records of cell behavior during gall development, and single-cell plant tissue transcriptome maps would provide a fuller understanding of the galling phenomenon.},
}

@article {pmid42777871,
year = {2026},
author = {Ruan, Z and Yuan, B and Di, J and Ruan, L and Ruan, L},
title = {How membrane aeration and organic carbon enhanced the performance of algal-bacterial biofilm systems for acid mine drainage treatment?.},
journal = {Bioresource technology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {135932},
doi = {10.1016/j.biortech.2026.135932},
pmid = {42777871},
issn = {1873-2976},
abstract = {Acid mine drainage (AMD), characterized by low pH, high sulfate concentrations, and toxic heavy metals, poses severe ecological and human health risks. This study compared the performance of a conventional aerated algal-bacterial biofilm reactor (CAABR) and a membrane-aerated algal-bacterial biofilm reactor (MAABR) for AMD treatment. Six reactors with different influent COD concentrations (400 ± 11.41, 1400 ± 19.07, and 2800 ± 18.37 mg/L) were operated for 80 days, and pollutant removal, biofilm properties, and microbial community dynamics were systematically analyzed. Results showed that the MAABRs and CAABRs exhibited broadly comparable sulfate-removal performance, whereas the MAABRs maintained greater aqueous DIC availability and more stable heavy-metal removal under shock loading. Kinetic analysis revealed a transition from algal assimilation (first-order) to SRB-mediated reduction (zero-order) as COD increased, confirming that COD/SO4[2-] ratios regulate pathway dominance. Multiscale biofilm characterization and EPS fluorescence analysis demonstrated that membrane aeration improved CO2/O2 mass transfer, enhanced algal biomass, and maintained higher EPS secretion under stress. High-throughput sequencing revealed the simultaneous enrichment of Pseudomonas and the sulfate-reducing genus Desulfosporosinus, indicating that the MAABR supported the coexistence of functionally distinct microbial populations. Overall, this study demonstrates that membrane aeration enhances algal-bacterial symbiosis, improves pollutant removal efficiency, and strengthens system resilience, providing a promising and sustainable approach for AMD remediation.},
}

@article {pmid42780126,
year = {2026},
author = {Cai, H and Tian, C and Yang, Y and Xing, Y and Hong, Z and Chu, H and Wang, J and Ao, Z and Meyer, JS and Friend, J and Tchieu, J and Gu, M and Hyun, I and Mackie, K and Liu, L and Guo, F},
title = {Brain organoid computing for robotic decision-making.},
journal = {bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.09.750426},
pmid = {42780126},
issn = {2692-8205},
abstract = {Biomimicry has inspired the evolution of robotics toward greater autonomy, adaptability, and symbiosis with humans and dynamic environments. However, current robotic systems still face major challenges in recapitulating the high-efficiency decision-making capabilities of the human brain under complex and dynamic conditions. Here, we present Brainobot, a biohybrid robotic system that establishes a brain organoid controller as a high-level robotic decision-making layer for closed-loop embodiment. By leveraging brain organoid reservoir computing, Brainobot interacts with dynamic environments by receiving and processing sensory inputs and generating motor actions. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, Brainobot is implemented in a humanoid robotic system to perform real-world tasks, including object grasping and laser chasing. Interestingly, Brainobot exhibits unique features, including cross-task adaptivity, high computing efficiency, and low energy consumption. Thus, our approach may provide insights for advancing robotic embodiment and understanding biological decision-making.},
}

@article {pmid42782544,
year = {2026},
author = {Liu, Y and Lv, Y and Jian, J and Meng, L and Yan, J},
title = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhance rose resistance to Lymantria dispar through JA-associated regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis.},
journal = {Mycorrhiza},
volume = {36},
number = {5},
pages = {},
pmid = {42782544},
issn = {1432-1890},
support = {NO.31800546//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; },
mesh = {*Mycorrhizae/physiology ; *Cyclopentanes/metabolism ; *Flavonoids/biosynthesis ; *Oxylipins/metabolism ; Animals ; *Lymantria dispar/physiology/microbiology/growth & development ; Larva/growth & development/physiology ; },
abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonization influences plant-insect interactions, but the mechanisms underlying JA-mediated AMF-induced resistance remain unclear. Using rose as the experimental material, Rhizophagus intraradices inoculation combined with the jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis inhibitor SHAM was applied, integrating physiological measurements, hormone quantification, metabolomics, and insect bioassays to elucidate the role of JA-mediated secondary metabolites in AMF-induced resistance. The results showed that AMF colonization significantly increased JA levels and promoted the accumulation of flavonoid (37.21%) and total phenolic (15.38%), whereas SHAM treatment attenuated these responses. Feeding assays showed that larvae of Lymantria dispar exhibited reduced growth on mycorrhizal plants, while SHAM weakened this suppressive effect, suggesting that JA signaling may be involved in AMF-induced resistance. Metabolomic analysis revealed significant enrichment of flavonoid biosynthesis across treatments. Flavonoids, including naringenin, (-)-epicatechin, and kaempferide, were upregulated by AMF but reduced by SHAM. Correlation analysis showed that the contents of these metabolites were significantly positively correlated with JA levels, and negatively correlated with the growth of L. dispar larvae. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) provided statistical support for the hypothesized regulatory pathway, suggesting that AMF-induced resistance of rose against L. dispar may be associated with enhanced flavonoid accumulation in leaves, with JA potentially playing a regulatory role in this process (Goodness-of-fit = 0.79). This study provides a theoretical basis for sustainable pest management through AMF-plant symbiosis.},
}

*Mycorrhizae/physiology
*Cyclopentanes/metabolism
*Flavonoids/biosynthesis
*Oxylipins/metabolism
Animals
*Lymantria dispar/physiology/microbiology/growth & development
Larva/growth & development/physiology

@article {pmid42782603,
year = {2026},
author = {Anderson, RE},
title = {Psychological reparations: Healing the harms of racism.},
journal = {The American psychologist},
volume = {81},
number = {7},
pages = {1017-1033},
doi = {10.1037/amp0001772},
pmid = {42782603},
issn = {1935-990X},
mesh = {Humans ; *Racism/psychology ; *Black or African American/psychology ; Psychologists ; United States ; *Psychology ; },
abstract = {The field of psychology can offer much in the realm of internal healing and symbiotic repair. When I was an early career psychologist, I considered tools, like therapy and racial socialization, or the communication between parent and child about race and racism, which could contribute to redressing racial stress and trauma for Black families. And yet now, as a clinical psychologist who approaches midcareer status interrogating these tools, I am deeply vested in how my training and advocacy can be applied to go beyond solely individual or familial interventions. As such, I am investigating reparations-a policy-oriented tool that can help bring both material and mental health advances to Black Americans-as a fundamentally psychological practice in nature. Through this autoethnographic text, I ask how we can support the reparations movement to benefit more from psychological strategies and how our field can lend tools to advance the current momentum more favorably into public and private sectors. Although my focus on Black American individuals, families, and communities intends for them to be the beneficiaries of psychological reparations in this introductory prose, advancing reparations policies and practices through a psychological lens can provide much-needed pedagogy, research, and programming that purports to generate subsequent change for all Americans. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).},
}

Humans
*Racism/psychology
*Black or African American/psychology
Psychologists
United States
*Psychology

@article {pmid42783432,
year = {2026},
author = {Castañeda-Ruelas, GM and Grijalva-Contreras, LE and Quiñonez-Bastidas, GN},
title = {Cannabigerol at the Interface of the Gut Microbiota and EndoCannabinoidome: Mechanistic Insights into Inflammation and Pain Modulation.},
journal = {Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland)},
volume = {14},
number = {5},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/medsci14050560},
pmid = {42783432},
issn = {2076-3271},
mesh = {Humans ; *Cannabinoids/pharmacology/therapeutic use ; *Inflammation/drug therapy/metabolism ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects ; Animals ; *Endocannabinoids/metabolism ; *Pain/drug therapy/metabolism ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology ; },
abstract = {Recent years have seen growing medical interest in the influence of crosstalk between the gut microbiota and the endocannabinoidome (eCBome) on inflammation and pain modulation. Growing evidence indicates that gut microbiota can modify the effects of several marketed drugs, including analgesics. Cannabigerol (CBG) is an overlooked phytocannabinoid with a broad pharmacological spectrum and no psychotropic effects, which has anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive properties. This review aims to provide a comprehensive exploration of CBG and its role at the intersection of gut microbiota and eCBome, detailing the pharmacological mechanisms by which it acts as a promising therapeutic agent to modulate chronic inflammation and pain. Our data review suggests that CBG could act on the eCBome by activating CB2, PPARs, TRPV1, TRPA1, and α2-adrenergic receptors, while suppressing cellular and molecular mechanisms of inflammation, such as TNFα, COX-2, iNOS, IL-1β, and IL-6, and increasing antioxidant factors. These receptors and enzymes are distributed across neurons, glial, immune, and epithelial cells, which can also positively modulate gut microbiota and its metabolites, producing neurotransmitters, cytokines, and enzymes that regulate eCBome tone, and generating cannabinoid-mimetic compounds as part of pleiotropic functions. Nevertheless, CBG may exert direct effects on gut microbiota, promoting eubiosis and symbiotic bacteria. Moreover, there are no specific preclinical assays that demonstrate how CBG modulates the bidirectional communication between the gut microbiota and eCBome, addressing the specific mechanism involved in eCBome activation, and determining whether its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects are dependent on gut microbiota type. Therefore, studies are required to evaluate this hypothesis to achieve translational medicine impact.},
}

Humans
*Cannabinoids/pharmacology/therapeutic use
*Inflammation/drug therapy/metabolism
*Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects
Animals
*Endocannabinoids/metabolism
*Pain/drug therapy/metabolism
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology

@article {pmid42783905,
year = {2026},
author = {Bettencourt, R},
title = {The Host-Symbiont-Pathogen Triad in Bathymodiolus azoricus: The Multifunctional Gill at the Deep-Sea Interface.},
journal = {Marine drugs},
volume = {24},
number = {9},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/md24090312},
pmid = {42783905},
issn = {1660-3397},
support = {Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P. by project reference UID/05634/2025 (DOI: 10.54499/UID/05634/2025)//Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia/ ; M1.1.A/FUNC.UI&D/014/2025//Regional Government of the Azores. Direção Regional da Ciência, Inovação e Desenvolvimento-Programa PROSCIENTIA/ ; AZORES 2020: ACORES-01-0145-FEDER-000138//European Union-FEDER/ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; *Gills/microbiology/immunology ; *Symbiosis ; *Host-Pathogen Interactions/immunology ; *Mytilidae/microbiology/immunology ; Immunity, Innate ; Hydrothermal Vents/microbiology ; Vibrio ; },
abstract = {Deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold seeps sustain highly productive animal communities through chemosynthetic symbioses, among which bathymodioline mussels are prominent examples. Bathymodioline gill bacteriocytes accommodate intracellular chemosynthetic symbionts, including sulfur- and/or methane-oxidizing bacteria depending on the host species, while remaining sheltered in an epithelium continuously exposed to environmental microorganisms, creating a fundamental immunological problem: how can an innate defense system remain effective without eliminating the microbial partners on which host nutrition depends? This review examines this problem through Bathymodiolus azoricus, integrating two decades of work on its cellular immunity, gill transcriptome, microbial challenge responses and symbiosis biology with recent mechanistic studies from related bathymodiolines. Central to the present synthesis are previously reported B. azoricus observations showing that gill tissue can mount local transcriptional responses to bacterial challenge, while hemolymph serum differentially modulates immune-gene expression following exposure to symbiont preparations or non-symbiotic Vibrio. Immune-gene expression also varies along the anterior-posterior gill axis, with lower expression in the posterior budding zone than in mature anterior filaments. We interpret this zonation primarily as a feature of tissue maturation rather than demonstrated active immune suppression, consistent with evidence that newly formed filaments are initially aposymbiotic and become colonized only after formation. Together, these observations evoke a host-symbiont-pathogen triad in which local gill-tissue responses, systemic humoral modulation and gill development constitute interacting levels of immune organization and compartmentalization. As a working hypothesis, we propose that this triad is reconciled principally through spatial and developmental compartmentalization of immune competence rather than through generalized immune suppression, predicting that immune-gene expression should track gill maturation state rather than symbiont occupancy per se. We consider this tissue-level model alongside comparative evidence for putative symbiont-uptake mechanisms, post-engulfment microbial discrimination, lysosomal regulation, symbiont digestion and bacteriocyte turnover, including the mTORC1-dependent phagosome-digestion checkpoint demonstrated in Bathymodiolus japonicus. Rather than assuming that these mechanisms are conserved across species, we distinguish explicitly between findings established in B. azoricus, evidence from other bathymodiolines and canonical pathways used as mechanistic context. We conclude by identifying unresolved components of B. azoricus immunity, including the prophenoloxidase system, the broader antimicrobial-peptide repertoire and the relationship between cellular checkpoints and tissue-level gill zonation, and consider the prospective biotechnological relevance of mechanisms that tolerate persistent microbial symbiosis without loss of immune vigilance.},
}

Animals
*Gills/microbiology/immunology
*Symbiosis
*Host-Pathogen Interactions/immunology
*Mytilidae/microbiology/immunology
Immunity, Innate
Hydrothermal Vents/microbiology
Vibrio

@article {pmid42783925,
year = {2026},
author = {Betancourt Arango, JP and Taborda Ocampo, G and Valencia-Cardona, YL and Montoya Barreto, S},
title = {Volatilomic Study of the Chemodiversity of Metabolites in Wild Macromycetes of the Lower Montane Humid Forest.},
journal = {Journal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland)},
volume = {12},
number = {9},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/jof12090630},
pmid = {42783925},
issn = {2309-608X},
abstract = {Colombia's rich biodiversity highlights the potential for chemical exploration of plants, animals, and fungi. Fungi play essential ecological roles in organic matter degradation, nutrient cycling, and symbiotic interactions. Fungal volatilomics has emerged as a valuable approach for characterizing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with potential biotechnological, pharmaceutical, and environmental applications. This study aimed to characterize the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) naturally emitted by wild macromycete species collected in the Botanical Garden of the University of Caldas (Manizales, Colombia), contributing to the chemical characterization of their volatilome and providing a basis for future studies on fungal biomarkers and bioactive metabolites. VOCs were extracted using static and dynamic headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME, SHS-SPME, and DHS-SPME) with PDMS/DVB/CARB fibers and Tenax tubes. Samples were analyzed both in situ and under controlled laboratory conditions using GC-MS for qualitative identification. More than 120 VOCs were identified, including alcohols, ketones, terpenoids, aromatic compounds, and branched alkanes. The volatilomic profiles differed among fungal species and according to the extraction methodology employed, highlighting compounds such as 1-octen-3-ol, 3-octanone, D-limonene, caryophyllene, and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol. Multivariate statistical analyses and metabolic pathway annotation revealed distinct volatilomic patterns and suggested associations with lipid metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, and terpenoid biosynthesis. The chemical diversity identified demonstrates that tropical wild macromycetes constitute an important source of structurally diverse volatile metabolites. Furthermore, the complementary use of SHS-SPME, DHS-SPME, and laboratory HS-SPME expanded VOC coverage, providing a comprehensive volatilomic dataset that may support future applications in fungal chemotaxonomy, bioprospecting, ecological studies, and the discovery of candidate bioactive compounds.},
}

@article {pmid42770805,
year = {2026},
author = {Busch, LM and Sheffer, MM and Dombrowski, N and Krehenwinkel, H and Prost, S and Spang, A and Uhl, G and Urich, T and Hoff, KJ and Bengtsson, MM},
title = {Genomic insights into Candidatus Argiopiplasma dusa, a bacterial symbiont of the wasp spider Argiope bruennichi.},
journal = {FEMS microbiology letters},
volume = {373},
number = {},
pages = {},
pmid = {42770805},
issn = {1574-6968},
abstract = {Bacterial symbionts were shown to have diverse but significant impacts on the fitness of their host in insects, but little is known on the symbionts of spiders and their interactions with their hosts. Here, we assembled and investigated the circular 575 kb genome of Candidatus Argiopiplasma dusa, a novel bacterial symbiont of the wasp spider Argiope bruennichi. Phylogenomic analysis placed this species within the phylum Mycoplasmatota, in a poorly characterized clade that may represent a new order-level lineage or affiliate with the Mycoplasmatales order. With 559 predicted genes, the genome is relatively small compared to other Mycoplasmatota genomes (on average 969 genes) and has a low GC content of ∼24%. While the genome encodes genes for proteins involved in glycolysis and fermentative acetate production, it revealed minimal biosynthetic capabilities with pathways for nucleotide, amino acid and vitamin biosynthesis being absent in Ca. Argiopiplasma dusa. This suggests a metabolic dependence and an endosymbiotic lifestyle within the spider host. The symbiont was detected in A. bruennichi populations across the distribution range of the spider but appears to be absent in certain populations.},
}

@article {pmid42771223,
year = {2026},
author = {Yang, Y and Gu, QY and Wu, XH and Zhang, SY and Xu, MH and Dai, C and Dai, CC},
title = {Physiological Mechanisms of the Endophytic Fungus Phomopsis liquidambaris B3 in Enhancing Drought Tolerance in Rice.},
journal = {Current microbiology},
volume = {83},
number = {11},
pages = {},
pmid = {42771223},
issn = {1432-0991},
support = {32071638//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; },
mesh = {*Oryza/microbiology/physiology/growth & development ; Drought Resistance ; *Endophytes/physiology ; *Phomopsis/physiology ; Photosynthesis ; Droughts ; Stress, Physiological ; Plant Leaves/physiology/microbiology ; Symbiosis ; Water/metabolism ; },
abstract = {With the popularization of upland rice cultivation and the intensification of global warming, drought tolerance in rice has become a critical agronomic challenge. Plant endophytes can establish symbiotic relationships with host plants and enhance plant stress tolerance. Previous studies have demonstrated that Phomopsis liquidambaris B3 (P. liquidambaris B3) can form a stable symbiosis with rice and improve plant disease resistance. However, whether this strain can enhance rice drought tolerance remains unclear. In this study, a 7-day water-withholding treatment was imposed on rice at the seedling, tillering, and booting stages. Physiological and biochemical indices related to drought tolerance were determined in plants inoculated with P. liquidambaris B3 and uninoculated control plants.The results showed that drought stress induced obvious leaf rolling in uninoculated rice, whereas no significant leaf rolling was observed in B3-inoculated plants. Under drought conditions, the relative water content, photosynthetic performance (chlorophyll content and net photosynthetic rate), osmotic adjustment substances (proline, soluble protein and soluble sugar), and antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase) in B3-inoculated rice were significantly higher than those in the uninoculated control. Meanwhile, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate were markedly lower in the B3 inoculation group. In addition, plant growth performance and grain yield were significantly improved by B3 inoculation. P. liquidambaris B3 effectively promoted rice photosynthetic capacity under drought stress.Collectively, these findings indicate that P. liquidambaris B3 enhances rice drought tolerance by optimizing physiological performance, promoting plant growth, and ultimately increasing grain yield. This study provides a promising theoretical and application basis for improving drought tolerance in rice.},
}

*Oryza/microbiology/physiology/growth & development
Drought Resistance
*Endophytes/physiology
*Phomopsis/physiology
Photosynthesis
Droughts
Stress, Physiological
Plant Leaves/physiology/microbiology
Symbiosis
Water/metabolism

@article {pmid42772029,
year = {2026},
author = {Hu, Y and Liu, C and Li, Y and Jia, M and Zhang, W and Zhao, Z and Wei, G and Chou, M},
title = {Genome-wide identification of MtTCTPs and functional analysis of MtTCTP3 as a positive regulator of nodulation in Medicago truncatula.},
journal = {Plant physiology and biochemistry : PPB},
volume = {239},
number = {},
pages = {111774},
doi = {10.1016/j.plaphy.2026.111774},
pmid = {42772029},
issn = {1873-2690},
abstract = {The Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein (TCTP) is a conserved eukaryotic regulator of cell proliferation and stress responses, but its function in legume-rhizobium symbiosis remains unclear. Here, we identified five MtTCTP genes in the model legume Medicago truncatula and characterized the role of MtTCTP3 in symbiotic nodulation. MtTCTP3 is highly expressed in root nodules, particularly in the nodule apical meristem. Overexpression of MtTCTP3 significantly enhanced nodule formation, nitrogenase activity, and biomass accumulation, while silencing of MtTCTP3 caused reduced nodule number and nitrogenase activity, premature nodule senescence, and impaired plant growth. Furthermore, MtTCTP3 physically interacts with the ethylene receptors MtETR4 and MtETR5, with MtTCTP3-RNAi roots displaying marked upregulation of ethylene-responsive genes. Together, our findings identify MtTCTP3 as a positive regulator of symbiotic nodulation and nodule longevity, uncovering a functional link between MtTCTP3 and ethylene-related regulatory networks in M. truncatula.},
}

@article {pmid42772770,
year = {2026},
author = {Georgieva, MN and Durand, L and Cambon, MA and Little, CTS and Bribiesca-Contreras, G and Copley, JT and Stewart, ECD and Elies, P and Svavarsson, J and Bogason, E and Glover, AG},
title = {Amphipods associate with epibiotic filamentous bacteria at a shallow-water hydrothermal vent.},
journal = {Biology letters},
volume = {22},
number = {9},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1098/rsbl.2026.0111},
pmid = {42772770},
issn = {1744-957X},
support = {NE/R000670/1//UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)/ ; 220-540/Z/20/A/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; },
mesh = {Animals ; *Hydrothermal Vents/microbiology ; *Symbiosis ; *Amphipoda/microbiology/physiology ; Iceland ; *Bacteria/classification/genetics ; },
abstract = {In the deep ocean, hydrothermal vents sustain remarkable animal-microbial symbioses, in which bacteria colonizing animal external or internal tissues use reduced chemicals from venting fluids to perform chemosynthesis and nourish their host. Hydrothermal vents also occasionally occur within the photic zone, but the prevalence of photosynthesis within these settings is considered to override the development of chemosymbiotic interactions; animal-microbial associations such as those observed at deep-sea vents have rarely been recorded at shallow vents. During 2019 sampling of the Strýtan hydrothermal vent site, Eyjafjörður, Iceland (16-70 m depth), amphipods in the genus Ischyrocerus were opportunistically collected from near the top of the tallest vent chimney. A subset of these were found to have microbial mats specifically colonizing their antennae, with prevalent bacteria in these mats demonstrating genetic similarity to deep-sea hydrothermal vent bacteria, including ectosymbionts of vent-endemic crustaceans. These findings demonstrate the importance of vent productivity to the development of unique associations between animals and putatively chemosynthetic bacteria even in environments where photosynthesis dominates, highlighting a pathway through which more intimate vent symbioses may arise, as well as the influence of vent environments in animal evolution throughout ocean depths.},
}

Animals
*Hydrothermal Vents/microbiology
*Symbiosis
*Amphipoda/microbiology/physiology
Iceland
*Bacteria/classification/genetics

@article {pmid42773099,
year = {2026},
author = {Chen, J and He, A and Zhu, S and Xia, Y and Yang, L},
title = {Lactate and lactylation in cancer: metabolic regulation, immune modulation, and therapeutic opportunities.},
journal = {The Journal of pathology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1002/path.70132},
pmid = {42773099},
issn = {1096-9896},
support = {82573560//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 82272599//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2025ZNSFSC0559//Sichuan Province Science and Technology Support Program/ ; 2024NSFSC0533//Sichuan Province Science and Technology Support Program/ ; },
abstract = {Lactate has emerged from being viewed as a glycolytic byproduct to a central metabolic and signaling hub that coordinates tumor evolution and therapeutic adaptation. This review integrates current evidence on how lactate production, transport, and accumulation reshape cancer biology, with particular emphasis on the lactate-lactylation axis. In tumors, lactate is generated not only by malignant cells through aerobic glycolysis, hypoxia-driven metabolic rewiring, and glutamine-derived carbon flow, but also by stromal cells, immune cells, adipocytes, and tumor-associated microbiota. Through monocarboxylate transporter-mediated shuttling, lactate supports metabolic symbiosis, extracellular acidification, matrix remodeling, angiogenesis, invasion, and immune escape. Beyond these metabolic and signaling functions, lactate acts as a substrate for lysine lactylation, linking altered metabolism to epigenetic and post-translational regulation. Histone and nonhistone lactylation, governed by emerging writers, erasers, and putative readers, regulates transcription, DNA damage repair, cancer stemness, ferroptosis resistance, immune checkpoint expression, and resistance to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. We further discuss the biomarker potential of lactate-related enzymes, transporters, site-specific lactylation marks, and therapeutic strategies targeting lactate production, transport, sensing, depletion, and lactylation machinery. A deeper understanding of lactate flux and lactylation-dependent vulnerabilities may enable biomarker-guided combinations that integrate metabolic intervention, epigenetic modulation, and immuno-oncology for precision cancer therapy. © 2026 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.},
}

@article {pmid42773353,
year = {2026},
author = {Amin, A and Zaman, W},
title = {Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics inform mechanistic physiology in non-model animals.},
journal = {Functional & integrative genomics},
volume = {26},
number = {1},
pages = {},
pmid = {42773353},
issn = {1438-7948},
mesh = {Animals ; Spatial Transcriptomics ; *Single-Cell Analysis/methods ; Single-Cell Gene Expression Analysis ; *Transcriptome ; },
abstract = {Comparative physiology increasingly requires cellular resolution at the level of cell types, tissue microenvironments, and regulatory programs that associate genotype with function under environmental variation. Bulk transcriptomics and tissue-level assays have revealed pathways associated with stress responses, metabolic shifts, and developmental transitions; however, they average signals across heterogeneous cell populations and frequently obscure which cells contribute to physiological phenotypes. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), and spatial transcriptomics (ST) address complementary aspects of this limitation by resolving transcriptional heterogeneity and, for spatial approaches, preserving tissue context. These technologies are extending beyond classical biomedical models to non-model animals, enabling discovery of cell states, comparison of cell-type evolution, and spatially informed hypotheses concerning ionoregulation, respiration, immune defense, endocrine signaling, regeneration, and symbiosis. This review provides a physiology-centered blueprint for applying these approaches to non-model species and critically evaluates dissociation and preservation bias, genome annotation, seasonal and ecological variation, biological replication, pseudoreplication, cross-species integration, and spatial resolution. We distinguish descriptive mapping, replicate-aware association, mechanistic hypothesis generation, and causal validation because expression patterns, colocalization, trajectories, and ligand-receptor predictions do not by themselves demonstrate mechanism. Practical reporting and validation standards are proposed to improve reproducibility and connect cellular maps with independent physiological measurements and perturbation experiments.},
}

Animals
Spatial Transcriptomics
*Single-Cell Analysis/methods
Single-Cell Gene Expression Analysis
*Transcriptome

@article {pmid42773652,
year = {2026},
author = {Lu, S and Liu, D and Chen, Y and Sun, Q and Chen, L and Sun, T and Zhang, W},
title = {[Recent progress in algal-bacterial symbiotic and mutualistic systems].},
journal = {Sheng wu gong cheng xue bao = Chinese journal of biotechnology},
volume = {42},
number = {9},
pages = {3884-3904},
doi = {10.13345/j.cjb.260133},
pmid = {42773652},
issn = {1872-2075},
support = {2025YFA0921700//the National Key Research and Development Program of China/ ; 32371486//the National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; },
mesh = {*Symbiosis/physiology ; *Bacterial Physiological Phenomena ; *Bacteria/metabolism ; Environmental Restoration and Remediation ; },
abstract = {Algal-bacterial symbiotic and mutualistic systems enhance community stability and functional performance through interspecies cooperation and signal exchange, demonstrating considerable potential in environmental remediation and sustainable biomanufacturing. This review systematically summarizes the fundamental interaction types and underlying mechanisms of algal-bacterial symbiosis and mutualism, with a particular focus on enabling technologies for the rational reconstruction of engineered mutualistic consortia and their emerging applications in environmental remediation and biomanufacturing. Different interaction modes, including mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, and endosymbiosis, are comparatively discussed, together with key regulatory mechanisms such as chemical signaling, nutrient exchange, horizontal gene transfer, and homeostasis maintenance under abiotic stress conditions. At the technical level, this paper introduces the recent advances in single-cell dynamic monitoring approaches, artificial intelligence-driven design platforms, and synthetic community engineering strategies integrating both top-down and bottom-up methodologies. Furthermore, this paper discusses the potential applications of algal-bacterial mutualistic systems in wastewater remediation, aquaculture, bioenergy recovery, and sustainable bioproduction and points out the current research challenges related to mechanism understanding, species specificity, long-term system stability, and ecological risk assessment. Finally, this review proposes that interdisciplinary approaches integrating multi-omics analyses, computational modeling, and controllable environmental validation will facilitate the development of efficient, robust, and sustainable algal-bacterial symbiotic systems, thereby providing theoretical guidance and technical support for advancing synthetic biology-driven resource utilization and green biomanufacturing.},
}

*Symbiosis/physiology
*Bacterial Physiological Phenomena
*Bacteria/metabolism
Environmental Restoration and Remediation

@article {pmid42774170,
year = {2026},
author = {Wang, S and Li, Y and Quan, K and Wang, J},
title = {Residual based anomaly detection framework for variant caller dispatch in DNA sequencing data.},
journal = {Frontiers in microbiology},
volume = {17},
number = {},
pages = {1877028},
pmid = {42774170},
issn = {1664-302X},
abstract = {Reliable and scalable variant analysis is an enabling component of genomic studies involving microbial communities, host-associated microorganisms, and their hosts, and may support future investigations of genetic heterogeneity within symbiotic systems. Widely used workflows incorporating BWA and GATK provide standardized default processing routes, but their performance may vary across genomic regions containing repetitive sequences, complex structures, or atypical local sequence characteristics. Applying a context-aware software-recommendation procedure to every genomic region, however, can substantially increase computational demand. Here, we present LSTM-EWMA, a screening-and-dispatch framework designed to identify genomic regions that should be considered for specialized downstream evaluation. The framework represents ordered genomic regions as a sequence of feature vectors, uses a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network trained exclusively on predefined in-control (IC) regions to model baseline patterns, and applies an Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) control chart to standardized prediction residuals. Regions exceeding prespecified control limits are operationally labeled as out-of-control (OC) and designated as candidates for downstream software recommendation, whereas unflagged regions remain on the default processing path. These labels describe computational workflow states and do not independently confirm genomic variants or biological abnormalities. Using simulated sequencing data derived from the human reference genome as an initial methodological benchmark, LSTM-EWMA distinguished predefined OC regions from IC regions while maintaining a low observed false-alarm rate under the evaluated settings. These findings support the feasibility of the dispatch strategy within the current simulation design and provide a defined basis for subsequent evaluation in microbial, metagenomic, and host-associated sequencing contexts. With further validation across taxonomically diverse and biologically characterized datasets, LSTM-EWMA could support scalable variant-analysis workflows for microbial community and symbiosis research. The source code is publicly available at https://github.com/Icarus200110/Lstm-EWMA.},
}

@article {pmid42775288,
year = {2026},
author = {Ciancio, A and Picciotti, U},
title = {Functional diversity and evolutionary strategies in nematophagous fungi and plant parasitic nematodes interactions - a review.},
journal = {Frontiers in plant science},
volume = {17},
number = {},
pages = {1938547},
pmid = {42775288},
issn = {1664-462X},
abstract = {Plant-Parasitic Nematodes (PPNs) cause substantial economic losses globally and severely undermine food security. In this context, nematophagous fungi (NFs) have emerged as promising agents of sustainable biocontrol, owing to their ability to attack, parasitise, and digest nematodes through diverse mechanisms. This review analyses the taxonomic diversity, mechanisms of action, and evolutionary relationships of NFs, highlighting the primary functional groups recognized for their ecosystem services in soil. These include trapping fungi, endoparasites, egg and female parasites, toxin producers, and species possessing mechanical attachment structures. Furthermore, the ecological and biological factors influencing the efficacy of these microorganisms are discussed, including the role of secondary metabolites, interactions with symbiotic bacteria, and the impact of soil micro-environmental conditions. Published phylogenetic frameworks suggest that capture devices represent pivotal traits in the evolutionary history of these organisms, pointing to distinct evolutionary pathways between adhesive and non-adhesive strategies. Overall, the biodiversity of NFs within soil microbial communities constitutes a strategic resource for developing innovative approaches to the sustainable management of PPNs.},
}

@article {pmid42775675,
year = {2026},
author = {Zheng, Z and Liu, Q and Ren, J and Su, C and Pan, H and Zheng, Y and Kong, Z and Gao, C},
title = {Vesicle Trafficking Orchestrates Root Nodule Symbiosis.},
journal = {Plant, cell & environment},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1111/pce.70912},
pmid = {42775675},
issn = {1365-3040},
support = {32270291//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 32470797//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; },
abstract = {The establishment and maintenance of root nodule symbiosis (RNS) are orchestrated by sophisticated vesicle trafficking networks that coordinate rhizobia infection, nodule organogenesis, and symbiosome development. Central players include Rab and ROP GTPases, soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors, synaptotagmins, and exocyst complexes, which mediate spatiotemporal membrane identity transitions and enable the formation of a unique nitrogen-fixing organelle termed symbiosome. Additionally, lineage-specific secreted cargoes, such as nodule-specific cysteine-rich peptides in inverted-repeat-lacking clade legumes, drive irreversible bacteroid differentiation and maintain bacteroid viability. Despite developmental architectures diverge across species, a core set of trafficking components is evolutionarily conserved. This review catalogues and contextualises all of endosomal regulators currently known to be required for RNS. We also discuss potential agricultural applications of vesicle trafficking-based strategies in the RNS.},
}

@article {pmid42775861,
year = {2026},
author = {Cosner, JB and Mudbhari, S and Orebaugh, JA and Hettich, RL and Abraham, PE and Rush, TA},
title = {Genome mining and metabolomics reveal context-dependent biosynthetic potential in a core poplar dark septate endophyte.},
journal = {mSystems},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {e0083826},
doi = {10.1128/msystems.00838-26},
pmid = {42775861},
issn = {2379-5077},
abstract = {Dark septate endophytes (DSEs) are ubiquitous root-colonizing fungi characterized by melanized, septate hyphae and a frequent association with plants in stressful or nutrient-poor environments. Although DSEs are increasingly recognized for context-dependent effects on host stress resilience, the specialized metabolic capacity of many DSE lineages remains poorly resolved. Hyaloscypha finlandica is a recurrent root-associated fungus of Populus and other hosts, making it a useful system for understanding symbiotic mechanisms using multi-omics analyses. Here, we combined comparative biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) prediction across 41 ascomycete genomes with untargeted metabolomics of H. finlandica PMI 746 grown in a defined minimal medium and a complex plant-derived medium. Benchmarking antiSMASH, FunBGCeX, and BGC-Prophet revealed broad conservation of PKS-, NRPS-, and terpene-associated biosynthetic capacity among DSEs. LC-MS/MS profiling detected strong medium-associated shifts in the extracellular chemical footprint of H. finlandica and identified putative terpenoid-, polyketide-, peptide-, siderophore-, and DHN-melanin-related features through spectral matching and in silico chemical-class inference. Authentic-standard comparison supported a probable assignment of 7-oxodehydroabietic acid, whereas most other annotations remain putative or class-level assignments. Integrating genomic and metabolomic evidence identified representative candidate intersections between encoded biosynthetic capacity and observed chemistry, but definitive BGC-product links remain targets for future genetic and structural validation. Together, these results provide a public paired-omics resource for a core Populus-associated DSE and a conservative framework for interpreting fungal multi-omics in non-model endophytes.IMPORTANCEDark septate endophytes (DSEs) are widespread fungal symbionts that influence plant performance, yet their encoded and expressed metabolic capacities remain largely uncharacterized. This study provides a paired comparative genome-mining and untargeted metabolomics resource for Hyaloscypha finlandica, a recurrent Populus-associated DSE. By explicitly distinguishing biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) prediction, spectral annotation, authentic-standard support, and unresolved BGC-Prophet assignment, this work provides a transparent reference for future studies of DSE specialized metabolism. The resulting data sets support comparative analyses across fungal endophytes and help prioritize candidate metabolites and gene clusters for targeted validation.},
}

@article {pmid42766741,
year = {2026},
author = {Panossian, B and Kolp, MR and Wu, T and Tallapragada, K and Patel, V and Goldstein, EB and Oliver, KM and Henry, LM and Parker, BJ},
title = {Phenotypic divergence is driven by mobile genetic elements in a heritable insect symbiont.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {123},
number = {39},
pages = {e2607226123},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2607226123},
pmid = {42766741},
issn = {1091-6490},
support = {IOS2152954//US NSF/ ; R35GM154800//US NIH/ ; BB/W001632/1//UK BBSRC/ ; DBI2109440//US NSF/ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; *Symbiosis/genetics ; *Aphids/microbiology/genetics ; *Interspersed Repetitive Sequences/genetics ; Phenotype ; Plasmids/genetics ; *Enterobacteriaceae/genetics ; Phylogeny ; Gene Transfer, Horizontal ; },
abstract = {Heritable microbes profoundly influence insect biology, yet the traits they confer often evolve rapidly and differ among closely related symbiont strains. Despite their importance, we lack a clear understanding of how novel traits arise in symbionts and how this diversity influences host ecology in nature. The aphid facultative symbiont Regiella insecticola is ideally suited to address this question due to strong lineage-specific variation in host benefits. By generating 20 high-quality genomes, we found that Regiella's evolution is driven largely by gene gains mediated by mobile genetic elements (MGEs). A plasmid (pRILSR1) encoding a type IV secretion system and a highly expressed predicted effector has spread horizontally between distantly related Regiella clades associated with pea aphids. Notably, only pRILSR1-bearing strains confer protection against the fungal pathogen Pandora neoaphidis. Moreover, loss of the plasmid by a protective strain in culture resulted in the loss of protection, indicating that pRILSR1 is required for the defensive phenotype. In a multiyear field study, pRILSR1 frequency varied systematically among host plant-associated pea aphid populations and predicted differences in symbiont-mediated fungal resistance. Together, our results show that gain and loss of a single MGE contributes to divergence in a key adaptive trait, providing a mechanism by which symbiont evolution generates phenotypic differences among host populations.},
}

Animals
*Symbiosis/genetics
*Aphids/microbiology/genetics
*Interspersed Repetitive Sequences/genetics
Phenotype
Plasmids/genetics
*Enterobacteriaceae/genetics
Phylogeny
Gene Transfer, Horizontal

@article {pmid42766755,
year = {2026},
author = {},
title = {Correction for Qu et al., Symbiosis with and mimicry of corals were facilitated by immune gene loss and body remodeling in the pygmy seahorse.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {123},
number = {39},
pages = {e2631662123},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2631662123},
pmid = {42766755},
issn = {1091-6490},
}

@article {pmid42767200,
year = {2026},
author = {Péret, B},
title = {Plant evolution: Building nodules from borrowed parts.},
journal = {Current biology : CB},
volume = {36},
number = {18},
pages = {R982-R985},
doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2026.07.079},
pmid = {42767200},
issn = {1879-0445},
mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Symbiosis ; *Root Nodules, Plant/growth & development/microbiology ; Indoleacetic Acids/metabolism ; Rhizobium/physiology ; },
abstract = {Root nodules are distinct organs assembled from ancient developmental components. A new study shows that rhizobial Nod factors activate a conserved auxin module controlling lateral root formation, revealing how symbiotic signals can recruit pre-existing programmes without reproducing lateral root development.},
}

*Biological Evolution
Symbiosis
*Root Nodules, Plant/growth & development/microbiology
Indoleacetic Acids/metabolism
Rhizobium/physiology

@article {pmid42767301,
year = {2026},
author = {Feng, L and Huang, J and Xu, J and Ma, H and Yao, J and Zhang, Y},
title = {Synergistic regulation of mycorrhizal symbiosis and bacteria in winter nitrogen removal of constructed wetlands: Performance and metabolism.},
journal = {Environmental research},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {125720},
doi = {10.1016/j.envres.2026.125720},
pmid = {42767301},
issn = {1096-0953},
abstract = {Winter temperature decline impairs nitrogen removal performance in constructed wetlands (CWs). Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are known to enhance plant physiological functions and modulate rhizosphere microbial communities. In this study, two constructed wetlands (Control group; AMF-inoculated group) were established to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of AMF on nitrogen removal and ecosystem stability in winter. Results indicated that AMF improved nitrogen removal efficiency: the total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency increased by 2.11%, and ammonia nitrogen (NH4[+]-N) removal efficiency in the AMF group was 17.34% higher than in the CK group. Moreover, AMF exhibited potential for reducing N2O emissions in constructed wetlands. The AMF colonization rate in plant roots reached 62.50%, confirming successful symbiosis. Mycorrhizal symbiosis boosted plant photosynthesis, root activity, nitrogen uptake, and activated the plant antioxidant system. Microbial community analysis revealed that the relative abundance of nitrifying bacteria Nitrospira increased by 2-3 fold. Functional gene prediction further suggested that relative abundances of nitrification-related genes were upregulated. Meanwhile, genes involved in assimilatory and dissimilatory nitrate reduction were enriched. Overall, this study demonstrated that AMF regulated nitrogen metabolism in winter CWs through coordinated plant-microbe interactions.},
}

@article {pmid42769506,
year = {2026},
author = {Karrick, CE and Veglia, AJ and Meiling, S and Maxwell, K and Huebner, LK and Holstein, DM and Mydlarz, L and Brandt, M and Apprill, A and Muller, EM and Correa, AMS},
title = {Key coral symbiont lineages (family Symbiodiniaceae) are differentially associated with stony coral tissue loss disease.},
journal = {ISME communications},
volume = {6},
number = {1},
pages = {ycag228},
pmid = {42769506},
issn = {2730-6151},
abstract = {Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has caused unprecedented coral mortality across the Caribbean, and its etiology remains unresolved. SCTLD affects >30 coral species that differ in their associations with dinoflagellate endosymbionts (family Symbiodiniaceae), and symbiont lineage-level dynamics may underlie variation in holobiont disease response. We analyzed 491 apparently healthy and SCTLD-affected corals in Florida (USA) and the United States Virgin Islands, representing 9 coral species sampled in situ or during an SCTLD transmission experiment. Based on the internal transcribed spacer-2 (ITS-2) region of rDNA, we identified 114 Symbiodiniaceae ITS-2 type profiles spanning 6 genera. Symbiodiniaceae composition varied significantly by coral species, disease susceptibility group, tissue health state, and region. In the corals Orbicella annularis and Colpophyllia natans, lesion-adjacent tissues had enriched relative abundance of a Durusdinium lineage, whereas Symbiodinium and Cladocopium lineages were relatively more abundant in apparently healthy tissues. Accounting for biogeography and host identity, our results suggest that in corals harboring multiple Symbiodiniaceae lineages, more susceptible lineages are lost first, leaving relatively resistant lineages in lesion-adjacent tissue until sloughing occurs. These findings indicate SCTLD acts as a selective filter on coral symbiont assemblages. Our results provide the first multi-species, multi-region evidence of fine-scale associations between Symbiodiniaceae lineages and SCTLD, establishing a framework for testing lineage-specific disease susceptibility in future experiments.},
}

@article {pmid42770348,
year = {2026},
author = {Ani, GN and Sehein, T and Ribeiro, GM and Katz, LA},
title = {Discovery of an Undocumented Symbiosis Between Arcellinida and a Flagellate Using Single-Cell Transcriptomics.},
journal = {The Journal of eukaryotic microbiology},
volume = {73},
number = {5},
pages = {e70119},
doi = {10.1111/jeu.70119},
pmid = {42770348},
issn = {1550-7408},
support = {DEB- 2230391//National Science Foundation/ ; DEB 2439030//National Science Foundation/ ; },
mesh = {*Symbiosis ; *Transcriptome ; Single-Cell Analysis ; *Lobosea/genetics/physiology/classification ; Single-Cell Gene Expression Analysis ; },
abstract = {Symbiotic interactions involving single-celled eukaryotes have been studied for over a century. This is in part because these microbes occupy nearly all environments and have adapted to survive through interactions with other species. Among them, Arcellinida-amoebae enclosed in a test (i.e., shell)-have been studied extensively since the 1800s. The preservability of their tests, and sensitivity to environmental conditions, has made them important in studies of modern and paleoenvironments. However, despite centuries of observation, we have seen no record of protists living within Arcellinida tests. Here, we investigate a symbiosis involving an unknown flagellate found swimming inside the test of multiple Arcellinida species from a site in Acadia National Park (Maine, USA). We analyzed 125 single-cell Arcellinida transcriptomes from five genera, of which 10 individuals had a flagellate living inside the test at the time of sequencing. By combining microscopy, molecular, and bioinformatic methods, we identify this novel flagellate as belonging to the Prokinetoplastid clade. We also make inferences on the nature of the relationship through analysis of the host gene expression. Overall, our results provide a framework for studying microbial symbiosis in uncultivable groups and adds to our knowledge of interspecific interactions at the microbial level.},
}

*Symbiosis
*Transcriptome
Single-Cell Analysis
*Lobosea/genetics/physiology/classification
Single-Cell Gene Expression Analysis

@article {pmid42770702,
year = {2026},
author = {Lemak, S and Khusnutdinova, AN and Stogios, PJ and Evdokimova, E and Savchenko, A and Golyshin, PN and Edwards, EA and Yakunin, AF},
title = {Crystal structure and biochemical analysis of the polyester-degrading carboxylesterase SM0281 from the symbiotic legume-associated rhizobacterium Sinorhizobium (Ensifer) meliloti.},
journal = {The FEBS journal},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1111/febs.70734},
pmid = {42770702},
issn = {1742-4658},
support = {//European Regional Development Fund/ ; OGI-207//Ontario Genomics/ ; BB/Y007972/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; },
abstract = {The microbial degradation of synthetic polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is mediated by diverse α/β-hydrolases, many of which remain poorly characterized. In this study, we investigated SM0281, an uncharacterized α/β-hydrolase from the symbiotic legume-associated rhizobacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti. Sequence analysis revealed that SM0281 shares low similarity with known polyester-degrading enzymes. Biochemical characterization of purified SM0281 demonstrated that it is a carboxylesterase with preference for medium-chain length monoester substrates (C4-C8) and displays broad tolerance to pH, salts, glycerol, and organic solvents, with maximal activity at 30 °C and notable cold tolerance. In addition to monoesters, SM0281 hydrolyzed the PET model substrate bis(benzoyloxyethyl) terephthalate (3PET), producing predominantly mono(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (MHET), and showed detectable activity toward emulsified PET, polycaprolactone (PCL), and poly(D,L-lactide) (PLA). The crystal structure of SM0281 was determined at 2.46 Å resolution and revealed a classical α/β-hydrolase core domain associated with a small lid domain positioned above the catalytic Ser121. Three polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules were observed bound to the lid domain, with one molecule (PEG1) occupying a tunnel-like cavity connecting the protein surface to the active site and suggesting a potential route for polyester binding. Structure-guided mutational analysis identified several residues from both the core domain (Tyr53, Arg54, Asp230) and the lid domain (Phe160, Leu164, Ile165, Phe183, Phe196) that contribute to catalytic activity toward monoester and polyester substrates. Together, these results expand the diversity of structurally characterized polyester-active α/β-hydrolases containing lid domains and provide insights into the molecular determinants of substrate recognition and hydrolysis in these enzymes.},
}

@article {pmid42759905,
year = {2026},
author = {Karathodorou, A and Dushku, E and Spyropoulou, A and Avgousti, K and Mpiliouri, K and Kotzamanidis, C and Staikou, A and Yiangou, M},
title = {Pathogen-specific immune responses in Cornu aspersum maxima reveal hematopoietic activity of the hepatopancreas and innate lymphoid-like functions of hyalinocytes.},
journal = {Developmental and comparative immunology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {105729},
doi = {10.1016/j.dci.2026.105729},
pmid = {42759905},
issn = {1879-0089},
abstract = {Snails depend entirely on innate immunity, primarily mediated by hemolymph amoebocytes and hyalinocytes, which are responsible for pathogen recognition, phagocytosis and immune signaling. While amoebocyte functions are well established, the role of hyalinocytes and the origin of hemolymph cells remain unclear. Hyalinocytes proliferate rapidly during pathogenic infections associated with increased mortality and inflammation. This study investigated snail dysbiosis following oral administration and hemocoel injection of the intracellular Listeria monocytogenes SN3 and the extracellular Pseudomonas baetica 7A snail pathogens and the symbiotic effect of the probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Sgs14. Chemotaxis and necrosis assays revealed that snail pathogens increased amoebocyte and hyalinocyte numbers and induced cell necrosis, whereas the probiotic elicited the so-called "normal" inflammatory response without cell necrosis. Histological analysis showed increased cell accumulation within hepatopancreatic cavities without significant connective tissue damage. Immunohistochemistry indicated elevated expression of the LGR5 receptor homologue in hepatopancreatic cavity cells following pathogenic treatments, while no expression was detected in hemolymph cells. Hemocoel injection of bacteria or hepatopancreatic cell suspensions altered hemolymph cell populations, causing short-term increase in amoebocytes, hyalinocytes, and dead cells. In vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated that L. monocytogenes SN3 strain-activated hyalinocytes adhered to infected amoebocytes and induced necrosis, highlighting their potential cytotoxic role. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence analysis revealed upregulation of immune marker homologues (CD16, CD49b, IFN-γ, IL-17A), mainly in hyalinocytes, following pathogenic challenge. These findings identify the hepatopancreas as a primary hemopoietic organ in snails and demonstrate pathogen-specific immune modulation, elucidating the mechanisms underlying snail responses and the functional activation of hyalinocytes as cytotoxic effectors.},
}

@article {pmid42762361,
year = {2026},
author = {Vohník, M and Delavaux, CS},
title = {One small step for mycorrhiza, one giant leap for ericoid mycorrhizal research.},
journal = {Mycorrhiza},
volume = {36},
number = {5},
pages = {},
pmid = {42762361},
issn = {1432-1890},
support = {RVO 67985939//Akademie Věd České Republiky/ ; },
mesh = {*Mycorrhizae/physiology ; *Symbiosis ; Research ; },
abstract = {The recently concluded 13th International Conference on Mycorrhiza (ICOM 2026; 12-17 July 2026, Cairns, Australia) was the first conference in the series to include a symposium dedicated exclusively to ericoid mycorrhiza (ErM; see Supplementary Material for the symposium programme), arguably the least understood of the four principal types of mycorrhizal symbiosis. The symposium, entitled "Ericoid mycorrhizal fungi worldwide: Linking diversity, biogeography, ecology, and biochemistry to build a global research network", was organized by the authors and brought together speakers from six countries. Related ErM research was also presented in the separate ICOM 2026 symposium "Mycorrhiza and fire: Interactions, recovery, and resilience". The ErM symposium followed the workshop "The 'other' endomycorrhizas: ecology, diversity, molecular biology, and methods of study", organized by Camille Delavaux and Alan Wanke at 12th ICOM (2024, Manchester, UK), which highlighted the need for greater attention to less-studied mycorrhizal systems. The 2026 symposium represented a timely milestone for ErM research by providing a dedicated international platform for discussing methodological challenges, recent advances, and future directions.},
}

*Mycorrhizae/physiology
*Symbiosis
Research

@article {pmid42762419,
year = {2026},
author = {Negi, R and Sharma, B and Darshani, P and Thakur, SS and Ratnasari, A and Barwant, MM and Tomar, P and Yadav, N and Yadav, AN},
title = {Revitalization of plant growth-promoting plant allied microbes: an eco-friendly approach for agricultural and environmental sustainability.},
journal = {Biologia futura},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
pmid = {42762419},
issn = {2676-8607},
abstract = {Plants are increasingly recognized as metaorganisms because they harbor diverse and dynamic microbial communities that establish intricate symbiotic associations and collectively regulate plant growth, development, and adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Plant-associated microorganisms colonize distinct ecological niches, including the rhizosphere, phyllosphere, endosphere, and surrounding soil, where they contribute to nutrient acquisition, phytohormone production, disease suppression, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. These multifunctional interactions have positioned plant growth-promoting (PGP) plant-allied microbes as promising alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides for sustainable agriculture. However, despite significant advances in plant microbiome research, information on the diversity, functional mechanisms, agricultural applications, emerging technologies, and translational challenges of PGP microbes remains dispersed across the literature, limiting a comprehensive understanding of their potential for sustainable crop production. To address this gap, this review synthesizes recent advances in the ecology, functional mechanisms, and agricultural significance of plant growth-promoting plant-allied microbes, with particular emphasis on their roles in improving nutrient availability, enhancing crop productivity, suppressing phytopathogens, and increasing plant resilience to environmental stresses. The review further discusses recent developments in microbial consortia, microbiome engineering, omics-based technologies, and advanced bioformulation strategies, while critically evaluating challenges associated with commercialization, formulation stability, environmental variability, regulatory frameworks, and farmer adoption. Finally, future research priorities and technological innovations required for the successful integration of microbial-based solutions into climate-resilient agricultural systems are highlighted. This review provides a comprehensive and up-to-date perspective that supports the development and sustainable implementation of plant-allied microbial technologies for environmentally responsible agriculture and long-term food security.},
}

@article {pmid42762579,
year = {2026},
author = {Yan, Z and Cao, X and Tang, J and Tang, K and Liu, Z and Zhou, Z},
title = {Microbiota and metabolic disturbance caused by sulfamethoxazole exposure in the scleractinian coral Pocillopora damicornis.},
journal = {Ecotoxicology and environmental safety},
volume = {324},
number = {},
pages = {120815},
doi = {10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120815},
pmid = {42762579},
issn = {1090-2414},
abstract = {The overuse of antibiotics in aquaculture causes severe contamination in the coral reef environments, leading to the degradation of this vulnerable ecosystem. In the present study, 16S rRNA, transcriptomic and physiological approaches were employed to reveal the impacts of sulfamethoxazole (SMX), one of the common and widely distributed antibiotics in South China Sea, on the keystone sclerectinian coral Pocillopora damicornis holobiont. It was revealed that low-concentration SMX exposure (0.1 µg L[-1]) induced immune responses in coral hosts by activating the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway, and the synthesis of heat shock proteins. The symbiotic Symbiodiniaceae also enhanced their stress resistance by up-regulating oxygen metabolism and translation-related genes. Low-concentration SMX could also increase energy reserve and suppress energy allocation in the coral host. Moreover, results from 16S rRNA sequencing suggested that SMX exposure caused broad functional shifts in bacterial communities, including microbial infection, degradation of environmental pollutants, cyanoamino acid metabolism, carbon storage and glutathione metabolism. These findings illustrate that coral holobionts are highly sensitive to SMX exposure, which alters bacterial symbiont community to disturb energy metabolism, triggers immune responses, and ultimately affects corals' survival.},
}

@article {pmid42764283,
year = {2026},
author = {Cunningham, P and Martín-Durán, JM and Oettler, J and Schultner, E and Halitschke, R and Engl, T and Kaltenpoth, M and Henry, LM},
title = {Metabolic plasticity supports a flexible nutritional symbiosis in Cardiocondyla ants.},
journal = {Nature communications},
volume = {17},
number = {1},
pages = {},
pmid = {42764283},
issn = {2041-1723},
support = {BB/W001632/1//RCUK | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)/ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; *Symbiosis/physiology ; *Ants/microbiology/metabolism/genetics/physiology ; Tyrosine/metabolism ; },
abstract = {Nutritional symbioses have repeatedly evolved in insects, yet how hosts regulate these partnerships to balance benefits across development and environments remains unclear. Ants provide an exceptional system to address this question, as several lineages maintain ancient symbionts that can be naturally lost without harming the host. The invasive tramp ant Cardiocondyla obscurior provides a compelling example of this phenomenon, as the vertically transmitted symbiont Candidatus Westeberhardia cardiocondylae can be lost at the species, colony, and even individual level. By implementing a range of molecular techniques, including dual-RNA sequencing, fluorescent in-situ hybridisations of RNA and qPCR, in conjunction with experimental manipulations of diet, we reveal the regulatory dynamics and function of this labile association. Symbionts provide shikimate-derived nutrients that enhance colony resilience under protein limitation, while hosts appear to regulate symbiont abundance during protein scarcity and cuticle formation to optimise resource allocation. In the symbiont's absence, ants compensate by upregulating genes enabling tyrosine acquisition from external sources. This metabolic flexibility allows colonies to exploit symbiont-derived and environmental nutrients, sustaining both growth and survival across nutritional contexts. Our findings reveal dynamic host regulation as a mechanism for sustaining the persistence and adaptability of ancient symbioses.},
}

Animals
*Symbiosis/physiology
*Ants/microbiology/metabolism/genetics/physiology
Tyrosine/metabolism

@article {pmid42765261,
year = {2026},
author = {Ma, YR and Nan, XX and Zhu, LZ and Gao, YM and Wang, F},
title = {[Cover Crop-mediated Regulation of Rhizosphere Microecology and Mechanism of Alleviating Continuous Cropping Obstacles in Lycium barbarum L].},
journal = {Huan jing ke xue= Huanjing kexue},
volume = {47},
number = {9},
pages = {6491-6503},
doi = {10.13227/j.hjkx.202507214},
pmid = {42765261},
issn = {0250-3301},
mesh = {*Rhizosphere ; *Soil Microbiology ; *Lycium/growth & development ; Soil/chemistry ; *Agriculture/methods ; Raphanus/growth & development ; Nitrogen ; Fungi ; Bacteria ; Phosphorus ; Crops, Agricultural/growth & development ; },
abstract = {To address soil degradation caused by long-term continuous cropping in major Lycium barbarum L. （wolfberry） producing regions of Ningxia， this study established an intercropping system of L. barbarum and Raphanus sativus L. var. longipinnatus （oilseed radish）. A 4-year field experiment combined with high-throughput sequencing technology was used to systematically analyze the regulatory effects of cover cropping on soil microbial diversity， symbiotic network stability， and wolfberry fruit quality. The results showed that： ① Cover cropping significantly increased the bacterial Shannon index and the fungal Ace， Sobs， and Chao1 indices （P<0.05） and induced significant differentiation in the microbial community structure （P<0.05）. ② Under cover cropping， the relative abundances of bacterial phyla （Proteobacteria， Actinobacteriota， Chloroflexi， and Acidobacteriota） and the fungal phylum Basidiomycota significantly increased. ③ Cover cropping significantly increased soil available phosphorus （AP）， available nitrogen （AN）， and microbial biomass carbon （MBC） by 29.89%， 74.33%， and 23.60%， respectively， while significantly decreasing soil pH by 4.31% （P<0.05）； pH and available potassium （AK） were identified as key driving factors for the bacterial community. ④ FAPROTAX functional prediction revealed that bacterial functions such as chemoheterotrophy and urea hydrolysis were significantly enhanced under cover cropping； in contrast， FUNGuild analysis indicated a significant reduction in the functional abundance of plant-pathogenic fungi in the cover cropping group. ⑤ Symbiotic network analysis demonstrated that cover cropping promoted cooperative interactions among bacterial species and enhanced the interaction complexity and network stability of the fungal community. ⑥ This intercropping system significantly improved the single-fruit weight and yield of wolfberry by 5.66% and 3.35%， respectively （P<0.05）. Collectively， the findings of this study provide critical theoretical support for the ecological mitigation of continuous cropping obstacles and the sustainable， high-yield cultivation of L. barbarum.},
}

*Rhizosphere
*Soil Microbiology
*Lycium/growth & development
Soil/chemistry
*Agriculture/methods
Raphanus/growth & development
Nitrogen
Fungi
Bacteria
Phosphorus
Crops, Agricultural/growth & development

@article {pmid42765679,
year = {2026},
author = {Gao, N and Owusu, FB and Yu, J and An, FL and Li, XW},
title = {Pyridones and macrocyclic pyrrolidones from marine fungal PKS-NRPS hybrids: biosynthetic origin, bioactivities, and synthetic advances.},
journal = {Natural product reports},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1039/d6np00050a},
pmid = {42765679},
issn = {1460-4752},
abstract = {Covering: 2002-2025Marine fungi have emerged as a prolific source of structurally unprecedented and biologically potent secondary metabolites, and hybrid polyketide synthase-non-ribosomal peptide synthase (PKS-NRPS) enzymes mainly from marine fungi like symbiotic Aspergillus and deep-sea Penicillium, represent an exceptionally fertile source of such complex natural products. Among the diverse products of these mega-enzymes, pyridones and macrocyclic pyrrolidone constitute a unique class of natural products with significant therapeutic potential. This review provides a comprehensive overview on this family of natural products, covering their global distribution and biosynthetic enzymology, chemical ecology, and biosynthesis. The bioactivities of these compounds, ranging from potent anticancer and antibacterial to immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects, are discussed. Furthermore, this review summarises the synthetic strategies developed to access these complex chemical scaffolds. This review provides a roadmap for future genome-guided discovery and the rational design of novel therapeutics inspired by these privileged marine natural products.},
}

@article {pmid42765814,
year = {2026},
author = {Robinson, JC and Berasategui, A and Montoya, QV and Rodrigues, A and Sosa-Calvo, J and Zimmerman, Z and Christoper, Y and Fernández-Marín, H and Read, TD and Gerardo, NM},
title = {Comparative genomics of Sympodiorosea identifies genome evolution mediated through selective pressure on the metabolic gene repertoire.},
journal = {G3 (Bethesda, Md.)},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1093/g3journal/jkag251},
pmid = {42765814},
issn = {2160-1836},
abstract = {Biological interactions involving host-associated fungi are driven by chemistry shaped over evolutionary time. For antagonistic fungi, specialization often involves acquiring genes for novel secretions-including proteins and specialized metabolites-that mediate nutrient acquisition and host defense interactions. Here, we conducted a phylogenomic investigation of Sympodiorosea, ascomycetes commonly found in basal fungus-growing ant gardens. While Sympodiorosea and related genera (Escovopsis, Luteomyces, Manidigitorum, Escovopsioides) are canonically viewed as virulent mycoparasites, non-virulent species may also emerge within these attine-associated fungi. We explored genomic variation in Sympodiorosea to assess potential alternative lifestyles, focusing on the diversity and evolution of metabolic genes. Our study revealed a constrained selective landscape across the Sympodiorosea genome. However, outcomes of in vitro host interactions were diverse and predictable based on the antagonist's ant-species-of-origin, suggesting functional diversification. Phylogenomics indicated that gene gain/loss events in carbohydrate-active enzymes and specialized metabolism drive this diversification. Although selection acts intensely on metabolism-related genes overall, specific metabolic genes experience diversifying selection, indicating their critical role in host associations. Furthermore, Sympodiorosea exhibits protease gene expansions and contractions discordant with a strictly mycoparasitic lifestyle, suggesting either an alternative lifestyle within ant gardens or recent evolution from other niches. These results provide novel insights into fungal genome evolution and the chemistry of the fungus-growing ant symbiosis.},
}

@article {pmid42765946,
year = {2026},
author = {Salguero, JM and Brooks, SP and Keenan, TF and Pabst, DA and McLellan, WA and Freshwater, DW and Buck, JC},
title = {Molecular Characterization and Cophylogenetic Relationships between Crassicauda spp. (Nematoda: Spirurida) and Cetaceans of the Northwest Atlantic.},
journal = {Evolution; international journal of organic evolution},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1093/evolut/qpag164},
pmid = {42765946},
issn = {1558-5646},
abstract = {The evolutionary trajectory of helminth parasites of the genus Crassicauda (Nematoda: Spirurida) is thought to be tightly linked with that of their cetacean hosts. However, due to limitations in sampling these giant (some > 3 meters) worms, their diversity and evolutionary relationships remain poorly understood. In this study, we (1) identify Crassicauda species infecting cetacean hosts from the Northwest Atlantic using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, and nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 and small subunit ribosomal RNA genes; (2) evaluate the phylogenetic relationships among our specimens, augmented with homologous sequences from GenBank, and (3) characterize host-parasite cophylogenetic structure using distance- and event-based methods. Phylogenetic analyses resolved 11 parasite species infecting 15 cetacean species, revealing cryptic and underreported diversity. Distance-based methods detected significant cophylogenetic signal between parasite and host phylogenies, while event-based analyses detected phylogenetic incongruence. This combination supports a complex evolutionary scenario in which Crassicauda lineages colonized and speciated alongside cetaceans, particularly pelagic species within the family Delphinidae, and diversified within odontocetes. Together, these results provide insight into the mosaic of evolutionary processes that shaped the genus Crassicauda and their cetacean hosts, with implications for monitoring health and disease in marine mammal populations.},
}

@article {pmid42766740,
year = {2026},
author = {Doyle, JJ},
title = {Orthology of NFP genes in nodulating plant species is consistent with either single or multiple origins of nodulation symbiosis.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {123},
number = {39},
pages = {e2534917123},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2534917123},
pmid = {42766740},
issn = {1091-6490},
}

@article {pmid42752805,
year = {2026},
author = {Bedwell, SL and Lakis, IM and Megow, AR and Carpenter, AE and Ricks, KD and Fields, CJ and Lau, JA and Whitaker, RJ and Heath, KD},
title = {Concurrent ecological and evolutionary processes contribute to mutualism breakdown between legumes and rhizobia.},
journal = {The ISME journal},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1093/ismejo/wrag228},
pmid = {42752805},
issn = {1751-7370},
abstract = {Though they jointly shape community responses to environmental perturbations, ecology and evolution are often examined separately, even in microorganisms where both occur over short timescales. Here we examine ecological and evolutionary responses to 33 years of nitrogen fertilization using the legume-rhizobium mutualism. Pairing a manipulative inoculation study with full-length 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and structural equation modeling allows us to synthesize across biological scales: whole bacterial community, genus Rhizobium, Rhizobium ASVs, and symbiosis plasmids. Clover's preferred partner decreases in N-addition soils, limiting host growth, while a diverse and largely uncharacterized Rhizobium community increases. This ecological change is compounded by a concurrent evolutionary degradation of symbiont partner quality via changing frequencies of symbiotic plasmids. Ecological (rarer symbionts) and evolutionary (inferior symbionts) processes each accounted for roughly half of this loss of host benefit, revealing that ecology and evolution jointly shape mutualism breakdown over the short timescales typical of microbial systems.},
}

@article {pmid42755648,
year = {2026},
author = {Liu, Y and Guo, X and Zhang, S and Kuang, X and Yan, J and Tian, K and Fan, K and Ma, W and Chen, K},
title = {Mechanistic insights into gut microbiota dysbiosis in osteoarthritis based on the gut-joint axis.},
journal = {Frontiers in immunology},
volume = {17},
number = {},
pages = {1892592},
pmid = {42755648},
issn = {1664-3224},
mesh = {Humans ; *Dysbiosis/immunology/microbiology ; *Osteoarthritis/microbiology/immunology/metabolism/etiology ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome/immunology ; Animals ; *Joints/immunology/microbiology/metabolism ; },
abstract = {Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent degenerative joint disease characterized by articular cartilage degradation, extracellular matrix disruption, subchondral bone sclerosis, and osteophyte formation, pathological features that collectively impair joint function and significantly reduce patients' quality of life. Therefore, elucidating the systemic pathogenic mechanisms of OA is essential for enabling early diagnosis and implementing disease modifying interventions. Recent studies demonstrate that the gut microbiota, as a key regulatory factor, actively participates in OA pathogenesis via the bidirectional "gut-joint axis." Gut microbiota dysbiosis, including depletion of beneficial commensal bacteria, Th17/Treg imbalance, aberrant macrophage polarization, and impaired intestinal barrier integrity, disrupts host microbiota symbiosis and promotes low-grade systemic inflammation, thereby amplifying synovial inflammation, cartilage catabolism, and subchondral bone remodeling. Although accumulating evidence robustly links gut dysbiosis to OA progression, the precise molecular and cellular mechanisms, particularly how specific alterations in gut microbiota composition and metabolites contribute to OA onset and development, remain incompletely defined. This article summarizes current insights into the gut-joint axis in OA and OA-related risk factors, focusing on structural alterations in the gut microbiota and shifts in key metabolites driven by intestinal dysbiosis in OA. Based on this, targeting the gut microbiota is proposed as a promising therapeutic strategy for OA.},
}

Humans
*Dysbiosis/immunology/microbiology
*Osteoarthritis/microbiology/immunology/metabolism/etiology
*Gastrointestinal Microbiome/immunology
Animals
*Joints/immunology/microbiology/metabolism

@article {pmid42757640,
year = {2026},
author = {Anselmini, AM and Lorandi, G and Peruzzolo, M and Gonçalves, IL and Cansian, RL and Zeni, J and Valduga, E and Hsu, AKW and Zanardo, VPS and Toniazzo Backes, G},
title = {Physicochemical, Bioactive, and Clinical Evaluation of Blueberry-Enriched Kombucha as a Functional Beverage.},
journal = {Journal of food science},
volume = {91},
number = {9},
pages = {e71337},
doi = {10.1111/1750-3841.71337},
pmid = {42757640},
issn = {1750-3841},
support = {//National Council for Scientific and Technological Development/ ; //Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior/ ; },
mesh = {*Blueberry Plants/chemistry ; Humans ; Fermentation ; Adult ; Antioxidants/analysis ; Female ; Male ; *Kombucha Tea/analysis/microbiology ; Anthocyanins/analysis ; *Functional Food/analysis ; Flavonoids/analysis ; Middle Aged ; Phenols/analysis ; Young Adult ; *Beverages/analysis ; },
abstract = {This study aimed to develop a blueberry-flavored kombucha and evaluate its functional properties and effects on human intestinal health. The beverage was produced from green tea and sucrose, fermented with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY), followed by the addition of blueberry syrup and a second fermentation stage. Active formulations (with viable microbiota) and sterilized control formulations were prepared. Physicochemical, microbiological, and bioactive analyses were performed, along with a controlled clinical trial involving 39 adults who consumed 100 mL of the beverage daily for 28 days. The active kombucha exhibited high microbial viability, with appropriate levels of yeasts, lactic acid bacteria, and acetic acid bacteria, as well as a low pH and safe alcohol content (0.20%). It also presented higher antioxidant activity (IC50 = 10.66 µL/mL) and elevated levels of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and anthocyanins compared to the control. Clinically, participants consuming the active kombucha were associated with improvements in intestinal function, including normalization of stool consistency (Bristol scale type 4) and reductions in self-reported abdominal symptoms such as bloating and pain. Approximately 90% of participants reported a perceived improvement in bowel function. The results suggest that blueberry kombucha is a promising functional beverage with favorable bioactive characteristics and the potential to support gastrointestinal health. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the exploratory nature of the clinical evaluation and warrant confirmation in larger clinical studies involving clinically characterized populations. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This research can be applied by the food industry to create a ready-to-drink kombucha enriched with blueberry, combining good taste with ingredients that have the potential to support digestive health. It offers consumers a natural beverage option with antioxidant compounds and live cultures that may help maintain regular intestinal function. This product could be positioned as a functional drink for everyday consumption as part of a balanced diet.},
}

*Blueberry Plants/chemistry
Humans
Fermentation
Adult
Antioxidants/analysis
Female
Male
*Kombucha Tea/analysis/microbiology
Anthocyanins/analysis
*Functional Food/analysis
Flavonoids/analysis
Middle Aged
Phenols/analysis
Young Adult
*Beverages/analysis

@article {pmid42751019,
year = {2026},
author = {Muñoz Puebla, D and Mindiola-Reyes, K and Nieto-Wigby, J and Cevallos-Cevallos, JM},
title = {Mangrove microbiomes: diversity, ecological functions, and applications.},
journal = {Frontiers in microbiology},
volume = {17},
number = {},
pages = {1908615},
pmid = {42751019},
issn = {1664-302X},
abstract = {Mangrove ecosystems are dynamic coastal environments that offer essential ecological services, socioeconomic benefits, and resilience against climate change. Central to their functionality there are complex microbial communities-primarily bacteria and fungi-that drive key biogeochemical processes such as organic matter decomposition, nitrogen fixation, carbon sequestration, and sulfur cycling. This review aims to synthesize current knowledge on mangrove microbiomes, focusing on microbial taxonomic diversity, ecological roles, and environmental responsiveness. The effect of abiotic factors such as salinity, tidal regimes, vegetation type, and anthropogenic pressures on microbial community structure and function is also assessed. Key findings highlight the presence of both conserved microbial taxa across biogeographic regions and functional adaptations to local conditions, underscoring the global ecological significance of these microbial assemblages. Particular attention is given to microbe-mediated nutrient cycling, symbiotic plant-microbe interactions, and microbial contributions to pollutant degradation, including microplastics and heavy metals. Additionally, recent advances in omics-based approaches have expanded our understanding of microbial functionality and unveiled promising avenues for biotechnological applications, such as enzyme production and bioactive compound discovery. The review also identifies critical knowledge gaps, including the need for long-term monitoring, methodological standardization, and integrated multi-omics frameworks. Overall, recognizing microbial communities as foundational components of mangrove health is essential for effective conservation, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable resource management in the face of accelerating global environmental change.},
}

@article {pmid42751434,
year = {2026},
author = {Wu, C and Wu, Z and Cao, S and Tu, S and Zhang, Y and Li, N and Wang, M and Ren, H and Gao, Q and Chen, S and Xing, R},
title = {Structural and Functional Responses of Root Endophytic Fungi to Fairy Ring Expansion in Alpine Meadows on the Tibetan Plateau.},
journal = {Ecology and evolution},
volume = {16},
number = {9},
pages = {e74301},
pmid = {42751434},
issn = {2045-7758},
abstract = {Fairy rings (FRs) are potent ecosystem engineers that reshape soil environments, yet the response of root endophytic fungi (REF) to these perturbations remains less understood. Here, we characterized REF communities in Kobresia humilis across three FR types-Type I (injurious Agrocybe sp.), Type II (promoting Agaricus campestris), and Type III (neutral Clitocybe sp.)-on the Tibetan Plateau. Our data suggest that, unlike rhizosphere microbial communities that are often influenced by host recruitment, REF communities may be more strongly shaped by interactions among fungal taxa. Specifically, we observed a consistent decline in the relative abundance of putatively beneficial fungal groups, including Glomeromycetes and Archaeorhizomycetes, within fungal-active (ON) zones. We propose the term "Symbiotic Decoupling" as a conceptual hypothesis to describe this pattern, whereby FR expansion may be associated with a reduced representation of these taxa in root endophytic fungal communities. This pattern may be consistent with different ecological trade-offs associated with contrasting FR environments. In promoting Type II rings, elevated nutrient availability (e.g., phosphorus) coincided with a simplified network topology. This pattern is consistent with the hypothesis that increased nutrient availability may reduce the relative importance of certain symbiotic associations, a concept we tentatively refer to as "Resource-driven Intensification". Conversely, the T1 network displayed a comparatively denser topology; however, because the inferred networks differed in node and edge numbers, these differences should not be interpreted as direct quantitative evidence of greater connectivity. This pattern may indicate increased coordination among community members under stressful conditions and is consistent with a conceptual framework that we term "Defensive Complexity". However, the functional significance of this network configuration remains to be experimentally validated. Collectively, these findings suggest that FR expansion may alter the balance between host-associated filtering processes and fungal community interactions, potentially resulting in community configurations that favor rapid resource acquisition or persistence over the maintenance of previously dominant symbiotic taxa.},
}

@article {pmid42752796,
year = {2026},
author = {Yang, J and Deng, X and Sheng, X and Li, Y and Tang, X},
title = {Deoxycholate induces proline provision from Escherichia coli to enhance Clostridioides difficile virulence.},
journal = {The ISME journal},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1093/ismejo/wrag249},
pmid = {42752796},
issn = {1751-7370},
abstract = {Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a refractory enteritis. A key indicator of successful treatment and microbial restoration is the elevation of intestinal deoxycholate (DCA) levels. Nevertheless, a small proportion of patients experience disease recurrence despite this apparent metabolic recovery, the underlying mechanisms of which remain poorly understood. We investigated the ecological dynamics of Clostridioides difficile (CD) and Escherichia coli (EC) under DCA exposure, revealing that DCA exacerbates the severity of co-infection. Specifically, DCA promotes the formation of a robust and dense symbiotic biofilm that confers a substantial survival advantage to CD. Through a combination of in vitro co-culture and validation in a murine infection model, we demonstrated that EC produces substantial quantities of L-proline in response to DCA. This amino acid is converted to D-proline by the proline racemase and subsequently catabolized by the D-proline reductase in CD, thereby enhancing its environmental fitness and pathogenicity within the gut. The indispensable nature of this tripartite interaction was further corroborated using additional EC or CD strains, including isogenic mutants deficient in D-proline reductase, in subsequent murine infection models. These experiments collectively confirm that EC, proline, and the D-proline reductase are all essential components mediating the DCA-induced exacerbation of CDI. In summary, our study elucidates a mechanism by which a DCA environment promotes the exacerbation of CDI through a metabolic cross-feeding interaction between CD and EC. Specifically, EC-derived L-proline serves as a critical nutrient that enhances the fitness and pathogenicity of CD. This finding provides a plausible explanation for the paradoxical phenomenon of CDI recurrence in patients exhibiting elevated intestinal DCA levels.},
}

@article {pmid42746048,
year = {2026},
author = {Kong, D and Zhang, Y and Li, Z and Chen, L and Nie, J and Jiang, X and Cao, H and Ma, Y},
title = {Microbial diversity, antimicrobial resistance and zoonotic implications of the reptile gut microbiota: an updated review.},
journal = {Frontiers in microbiology},
volume = {17},
number = {},
pages = {1913228},
pmid = {42746048},
issn = {1664-302X},
abstract = {The reptilian gastrointestinal tract harbors a complex and dynamic ecosystem of microorganisms that plays a fundamental and multifaceted role in host nutrition, immune function, and overall physiological homeostasis. This gut microbiome exhibited remarkable phylogenetic and functional diversity, intricately shaped by a confluence of host evolutionary history, dietary strategy, environmental context, captive status, and life history traits. Beyond its critical importance for reptilian health and fitness, this internal microbial reservoir is of significant and growing concern from a public health perspective, serving as a major source of zoonotic pathogens, most notably non-typhoidal Salmonella, and as a critical and underexplored hotspot for the emergence, amplification, and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), a dimension that forms the central theme of this review and is systematically examined across host ecology, captive management, and the global pet trade continuum. This comprehensive review synthesizes contemporary research on the gut microbiota across key reptilian taxa, including popular companion species such as lizards such as Eublepharis macularius and Tiliqua scincoides, snakes such as Pantherophis guttatus, Python regius and chelonians. We undertake a detailed analysis of the foundational drivers shaping microbial community structure, assembly and stability, exploring the delicate balance between core symbiotic residents, putatively beneficial probiotic candidates, and pathogenic entities. A critical and extensive focus is placed on the distribution, ecological drivers, and transmission pathways of antimicrobial resistance genes within this ecosystem, highlighting its underappreciated role in the global One Health continuum. The review further elaborates on the indispensable metabolic contributions of the microbiota to host fitness, the complex tripartite interactions involving host, microbiome and parasitic helminths or protozoa, and the implications of dysbiosis. Finally, we evaluated practical and emerging strategies for targeted microbiome modulation aimed at enhancing captive management, supporting conservation breeding outcomes, mitigating zoonotic risks and promoting sustainable herpetoculture.},
}

@article {pmid42747345,
year = {2026},
author = {Saati-Santamaría, Z and Veselská, T and Švec, K and Kostovčík, M and Peral-Aranega, E and Křížková, B and García-Fraile, P and Kolařík, M},
title = {Cross-domain cooperation drives nutrient acquisition and metabolism in the bark beetle holobiont.},
journal = {The ISME journal},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1093/ismejo/wrag227},
pmid = {42747345},
issn = {1751-7370},
abstract = {Microbial symbiosis underpins host adaptation, yet mechanisms of metabolic integration in holobionts remain unclear. Using metatranscriptomics, genomics, and metabolic assays, we investigated gut microbiome interactions in the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus). We observed metabolic complementarity among symbionts and host, forming cross-domain networks that support nutrient acquisition. Nitrogen recycling revealed strong interdependence: no single partner possessed a complete uric acid degradation pathway, but combined evidence supports a distributed pathway spanning beetle, Bacteria, and fungi. Additionally, bacterial nitrate reduction to ammonia indicates a potential nitrogen influx, making otherwise inaccessible inorganic nitrogen available to the host. Shaped by microbial interactions, symbionts also likely supply specific amino acids, while vitamin metabolism showed cross-domain co-metabolism, with Bacteria as main producers of B vitamins, while host and fungi modulated interconversion. Carbohydrate degradation was highly partitioned; bacteria target xylan and pectin, while fungi contribute to glucan breakdown. Crucially, our data provide indirect evidence that the beetle may contribute to complete cellulose degradation, highlighting an underappreciated host role in lignocellulose processing. In terms of enzymatic functional diversity, the bacteriome emerged as the most important microbiome component-an observation that contrasts with the traditional focus on fungi and underscores the need to consider bacterial contributions in insect symbioses. Despite life-stage variation, core metabolic functions remained stable. Overall, metabolic interdependence, rather than microbial composition alone, structures holobiont function. These results highlight functional redundancy and ecological resilience, emphasizing the importance of microbial cooperation and host-microbe metabolic evolution.},
}

@article {pmid42747879,
year = {2026},
author = {Korai, M and Korai, SK and Khan, S and Li, S and Zulfiqar, U and Alotaibi, MS and Abdusamatov, S and Rakhmatov, A and Shah, MA and Sun, Y},
title = {From invitation to eviction: How plants control arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis.},
journal = {Plant signaling & behavior},
volume = {21},
number = {1},
pages = {2733232},
doi = {10.1080/15592324.2026.2733232},
pmid = {42747879},
issn = {1559-2324},
mesh = {*Mycorrhizae/physiology ; *Symbiosis/physiology ; *Plants/microbiology/metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; },
abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is often presented as a linear sequence of fungal recognition, root colonization, arbuscule formation, and nutrient exchange. This view underrepresents the repeated regulatory transitions through which plants influence symbiotic establishment, function, and persistence. Here, we propose a checkpoint framework organized around invitation, admission, accommodation, investment, maintenance, and termination and renewal. We examine how nutrient status, carbon availability, hormonal and immune signaling, systemic root-shoot communication, and environmental context regulate fungal recruitment, intracellular entry, interface construction, resource exchange, and arbuscule turnover. We distinguish strong mechanistic evidence from correlative observations and emphasize that gene expression, colonization abundance, or arbuscule degeneration alone do not demonstrate resource flux, performance-sensitive evaluation, partner-level sanction, or selective interface termination. Evidence is strongest for plant control of presymbiotic signaling, cellular accommodation, interface construction and resourcing, nutrient acquisition, and regulated arbuscule turnover. By contrast, direct performance-sensitive evaluation of individual fungal interfaces remains insufficiently demonstrated. AM fungi also providing regulatory inputs: fungal signals, secreted molecules, and small RNAs can modify host processes, while fungal physiology and extraradical networks influence nutrient acquisition and allocation. Plant control is therefore substantial but not absolute, operating through asymmetrical, reciprocal regulation across interface, whole-plant, and fungal-network scales. We conclude by outlining experiments that link fungal nutrient contribution, plant response or allocation, and subsequent fate at the same interface, with fungal fitness additionally required for claims of partner-level sanction. Such experiments provide tests for distinguishing developmental and physiological regulation from performance-sensitive interface maintenance.},
}

*Mycorrhizae/physiology
*Symbiosis/physiology
*Plants/microbiology/metabolism
Signal Transduction

@article {pmid42748126,
year = {2026},
author = {Dellaert, Z and Putnam, HM},
title = {Spatially resolved gene expression analysis illuminates location-specific functions in the reef-building coral Pocillopora acuta.},
journal = {PloS one},
volume = {21},
number = {9},
pages = {e0358454},
pmid = {42748126},
issn = {1932-6203},
mesh = {Animals ; *Anthozoa/genetics/metabolism ; Coral Reefs ; *Gene Expression Profiling ; Symbiosis/genetics ; Transcriptome ; Gene Expression Regulation ; },
abstract = {Reef-building coral polyps contain multiple specialized tissue types with distinct functions, from feeding and defense to symbiosis and skeleton formation. While these cell types have been characterized microscopically and more recently via single-cell RNA sequencing, spatially resolved high-throughput gene expression profiling remains limited in corals. Here we combine Laser Capture Microdissection with RNA sequencing to characterize tissue-specific gene expression in the reef building coral Pocillopora acuta. Oral tissues, adjacent to the seawater, exhibited 1,253 upregulated genes enriched for amino acid synthesis, transmembrane transport, signaling, environmental sensing, and secretion. These tissues showed high expression of immune and microbial-recognition genes consistent with their interface with seawater microbiota: mucins, lectins, toll-like receptors (TLRs), and MyD88 that connects TLRs to the NF-κB pathway. Aboral tissues, which build the coral's skeleton, exhibited 552 upregulated genes enriched for developmental processes, cell adhesion, and stimulus response. We identified strong differential expression of biomineralization- associated genes, including Chitin Synthase and Wnt pathway members, suggesting previously underdescribed roles in skeleton formation. Critically, many genes implicated in specialized functions were expressed in multiple tissues. This lack of location specificity suggests functional biomarkers will likely entail multi-gene expression patterns rather than single genes. Collectively, we highlight the need for greater spatial resolution (e.g., single cell/nuclei and spatial transcriptomics) to fully resolve coral responses within their native tissue complexity. As anthropogenic climate change increasingly threatens coral reefs, spatially resolved molecular insight into coral biology will be critical for interpreting stress response mechanisms, forecasting their limits, and applying human interventions.},
}

Animals
*Anthozoa/genetics/metabolism
Coral Reefs
*Gene Expression Profiling
Symbiosis/genetics
Transcriptome
Gene Expression Regulation

@article {pmid42749996,
year = {2026},
author = {Yang, H and Shi, J and Wang, J and Jin, S and Lin, Y and Zheng, Y},
title = {Differential Responses of Tree Phyllosphere and Rhizosphere Microbiomes to Mycorrhizal Types and Planting Patterns in a Young Subtropical Forest Plantation.},
journal = {Environmental microbiology},
volume = {28},
number = {9},
pages = {e70425},
doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.70425},
pmid = {42749996},
issn = {1462-2920},
support = {32371595//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2022J02025//Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province/ ; },
mesh = {*Mycorrhizae/physiology/classification ; *Rhizosphere ; *Microbiota ; *Trees/microbiology/growth & development ; Forests ; Plant Leaves/microbiology ; Soil Microbiology ; Plant Roots/microbiology ; Bacteria/classification/isolation & purification/genetics ; Fungi/classification/isolation & purification ; Symbiosis ; Seasons ; },
abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EM) tree species are ubiquitous in subtropical forests and have distinctive root colonisation characteristics and leaf traits, resulting in differences in nutrient acquisition strategies and ecological functions. Here, we investigated the responses of bacteria, fungi and protists inhabiting tree phyllosphere and rhizosphere to tree mycorrhizal types (AM vs. EM) and planting patterns (single or double tree species planting with the same or different mycorrhizal type) in two seasons. Both leaf- and root-associated fungal richness and community composition were strongly structured by tree mycorrhizal type, whereas the bacterial community was primarily influenced by leaf habit. Protistan communities, however, exhibited weak host specificity and were dominated by stochastic processes, with seasonal variation acting as the main influencing factor. Overall, the phyllosphere microbiomes were jointly shaped by leaf traits and seasonal effects, but rhizosphere fungal communities were directly and indirectly regulated by tree mycorrhizal type via root nutrient and colonisation statuses. Altogether, tree phyllosphere and rhizosphere microbiomes differ from the interaction of mycorrhizal symbiosis, planting pattern and seasonality, with distinct ecological processes manipulating across bacteria, fungi and protists. This study highlights the necessity of integrating tree mycorrhizal types and above- and belowground habitats perspectives to better understand forest microbiomes.},
}

*Mycorrhizae/physiology/classification
*Rhizosphere
*Microbiota
*Trees/microbiology/growth & development
Forests
Plant Leaves/microbiology
Soil Microbiology
Plant Roots/microbiology
Bacteria/classification/isolation & purification/genetics
Fungi/classification/isolation & purification
Symbiosis
Seasons

@article {pmid42750157,
year = {2026},
author = {Syukur, S and Nappi, J and Majzoub, ME and Thomas, T and Egan, S},
title = {Not All Children Are the Same: Differences in the Microbiome Assembly During Early Development of Seaweeds.},
journal = {Environmental microbiology},
volume = {28},
number = {9},
pages = {e70418},
doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.70418},
pmid = {42750157},
issn = {1462-2920},
support = {//Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade/ ; },
mesh = {*Microbiota ; *Seaweed/microbiology/growth & development ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; *Bacteria/classification/genetics/isolation & purification ; Symbiosis ; *Rhodophyta/microbiology/growth & development ; *Phaeophyceae/microbiology/growth & development ; *Ulva/microbiology/growth & development ; Chlorophyta/microbiology/growth & development ; },
abstract = {Microbial symbionts play key roles in macroalgal development, yet the processes structuring early-life microbiomes remain poorly understood. Using laboratory outgrowth experiments and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing we compared microbiome acquisition and assembly during the early development of three distinct macroalgae: Ulva australis (Chlorophyta), Hormosira banksii (Phaeophyceae) and Delisea pulchra (Rhodophyta). All species established distinct bacterial communities within the first week of outgrowth, with significant shifts in community composition and structure associated with major developmental stages. Stage-enriched taxa included Phaeobacter, Roseobacter and Maribacter, which include members reported to influence algal growth or morphogenesis. Vertical inheritance contributed unevenly to the microbiome assembly across hosts. U. australis recruited low-abundance environmental bacteria, possibly via strong host filtering. H. banksii selectively retained a small, consistent subset of adult-derived bacteria, whereas D. pulchra retained fewer of its inherited bacteria. These results suggest that macroalgae can employ diverse transmission and recruitment strategies to assemble early microbiomes, combining selective inheritance with stage-specific retention and/or environmental acquisition.},
}

*Microbiota
*Seaweed/microbiology/growth & development
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics
*Bacteria/classification/genetics/isolation & purification
Symbiosis
*Rhodophyta/microbiology/growth & development
*Phaeophyceae/microbiology/growth & development
*Ulva/microbiology/growth & development
Chlorophyta/microbiology/growth & development

@article {pmid42742264,
year = {2026},
author = {Keller-Costa, T and Tignat-Perrier, R and Marques, M and Ferrier-Pagès, C and Pogoreutz, C},
title = {Symbiotic interactions and climate change implications of the octocoral microbiome.},
journal = {The ISME journal},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1093/ismejo/wrag246},
pmid = {42742264},
issn = {1751-7370},
abstract = {Octocorals are vital components of tropical, temperate, and cold-water benthic marine ecosystems. Their associated microbiomes, comprising microeukaryotes, prokaryotes, and viruses, are increasingly recognised as central to host health, nutrient cycling, and chemical defence. Metagenomics and amplicon sequencing have uncovered taxonomic and functional complexity within these microbial communities, revealing patterns of host specificity and health status, along with seasonality and geographic structuring. However, anthropogenic stressors, particularly those associated with global climate change, exert intense pressure on coral-dominated ecosystems, leading to complex and poorly understood local and regional patterns of octocoral expansion and mortality. Microbial interactions may be a main driver of these contrasting outcomes by mediating the ecological resilience of octocorals to environmental stress. We synthesise the current state of research on the diversity, organisation, and function of the octocoral microbiome, and identify critical knowledge gaps on octocoral holobionts relative to scleractinian corals. Our meta-analysis of 79 publicly available bacterial genomes from octocorals reveals group-specific specialisation in denitrification and nitrate assimilation, along with widespread capacities for essential amino acid, cofactor, and vitamin production, suggesting important contributions to nutrient cycling in the holobiont. While sampling efforts between cultured and uncultured lineages are even, our genomic survey reveals strong sampling bias toward the Atlantic Ocean, temperate gorgonians, and healthy host states, whereas bacterial genomes representing the pathobiome, tropical and/or deep-sea regions, and other octocoral taxa remain underrepresented. Accordingly, we propose future research directions to advance understanding of octocoral microbiome ecology and its role in the resilience of tropical, temperate and cold-water coral reefs.},
}

@article {pmid42742911,
year = {2026},
author = {Yamamoto, S and Shimomura, A and Watanabe, S and Hasan, N and Suzuki, A},
title = {Rhizobial inoculation promotes glycyrrhizic acid production through jasmonic acid signaling in Glycyrrhiza uralensis.},
journal = {Journal of natural medicines},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
pmid = {42742911},
issn = {1861-0293},
support = {JPJ011937//Bio-oriented Technology Research Advancement Institution/ ; },
abstract = {We previously found that inoculation with rhizobia tends to increase both biomass production and glycyrrhizic acid (GL) production in the medicinal plants Glycyrrhiza uralensis and G. glabra. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which rhizobial inoculation promotes GL production. Transcriptome analysis of plants grown for 3, 6, 9, and 13 weeks after rhizobial inoculation revealed significant enrichment of GO terms related to root tissue differentiation and reorganization in inoculated plants. In addition, jasmonic acid (JA)-mediated signaling pathway, fatty acid biosynthetic process, and isoprenoid biosynthetic process were specifically enriched in inoculated plants, and these terms included Jasmonate ZIM-domain protein (JAZ)-like, MYC-related transcription factor 2 (MYC2)-like, Allene oxide cyclase (AOC)-like, Allene oxide synthase (AOS)-like, and Squalene synthase 2 (SQS2)-like genes. Time-course analysis of the expression patterns of these genes showed that JAZ-like genes were upregulated at the early growth stages in inoculated plants, whereas at 13 weeks after inoculation, expression of JAZ-like genes decreased while MYC2b and CYP88D6 expression increased. These results suggest that CYP88D6 expression may be regulated by MYC2. These results suggest that activation of JA biosynthesis and JA signaling is involved in the promotion of GL production by rhizobial inoculation, thereby supporting our previously proposed hypothesis at the transcriptome level. Further studies, including JA quantification, elucidation of transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, and functional analyses, will be necessary.},
}

@article {pmid42744014,
year = {2026},
author = {Ji, R and Kaste, JAM and Matthews, ML},
title = {Kinetic model of a determinate legume root nodule reveals plant metabolic characteristics for more efficient nitrogen fixation symbiosis.},
journal = {Metabolic engineering},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {102553},
doi = {10.1016/j.ymben.2026.102553},
pmid = {42744014},
issn = {1096-7184},
abstract = {While nitrogen fertilizers are widely used in agricultural production, their application incurs significant environmental and energetic costs. In contrast, some crops are less dependent on these fertilizers because they engage in symbioses with rhizobia, nitrogen-fixing bacteria that provide ammonium to the plant in exchange for carbon. However, the carbon cost associated with nitrogen fixation can negatively impact crop yields. Improving the efficiency of this metabolic process could alleviate this impact on crop productivity. Mathematical models can help us quantitatively explore metabolic behavior and identify potential targets for metabolic engineering. In this work, we developed a kinetic model of determinate root nodule metabolism, where this symbiotic exchange of carbon from the plant and nitrogen from the bacteria occurs. We used this model to evaluate how the predicted metabolic behavior differs between inefficient and efficient nodules, and to identify potential engineering targets for improving nitrogen fixation efficiency and rate. We show that the enzymes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and pyruvate kinase have significant influence on the predicted rate and efficiency of nitrogen fixation, especially when their expression is varied in combination with oxidative Pentose Phosphate Pathway enzymes like glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconolactonase. The model predicts that pairing a 3-fold decrease in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity along with either a 3-fold increase in phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity or decrease in pyruvate kinase activity could increase nitrogen fixation rate by 8.82% while improving nitrogen fixation efficiency by 10.99%.},
}

@article {pmid42744105,
year = {2026},
author = {Miner, CS and Kahn, C and Cayelli, E and Martindale, MQ},
title = {Phagocytes in the mesoglea of the scyphozoan Cassiopea sp.},
journal = {Developmental and comparative immunology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {105722},
doi = {10.1016/j.dci.2026.105722},
pmid = {42744105},
issn = {1879-0089},
abstract = {Cells specialized for the phagocytosis of pathogens and foreign particles, i.e. phagocytes, have been identified across diverse animal lineages. In addition to being widespread in Bilateria, they have also been reported in early-diverging groups such as cnidarians and ctenophores. Cnidarians are of particular interest for investigating the development of the innate immune system because of their close evolutionary proximity to bilaterians. Recent single cell sequencing studies have described specialized immune cells in many cnidarian lineages; however most functional work has focused on the Anthozoa, highlighting the need for a medusozoan model to gain a more comprehensive understanding of cnidarian immunity. The upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea sp., already a model for cnidarian symbiosis, is well-positioned to fill this gap. Here, we describe a selective dissociation technique that enables the live isolation of mesoglea from the Cassiopea polyp, which we have found to contain large numbers of symbiotic and non-symbiotic cells. We further show that amoebocytes, defined here as the non-symbiotic mesogleal cells, are phagocytically active against pHrodo heat-killed E. coli bioparticles, similarly to phagocytes found in anthozoans and ctenophores. By challenging these cells with the pharmacological agents cytochalasin D and nocodazole, we also demonstrate that this phagocytic activity is dependent upon actin polymerization, but not microtubule polymerization. The presence of mesenchymal phagocytes in a medusozoan supports the hypothesis that these cells represent an ancestral feature of cnidarians. The ability to isolate large numbers of viable amoebocytes without requiring advanced techniques positions Cassiopea as a powerful model for investigating cnidarian immunity.},
}

@article {pmid42744867,
year = {2026},
author = {Domingues, V},
title = {Symbiosis without codiversification.},
journal = {Nature ecology & evolution},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1038/s41559-026-03201-3},
pmid = {42744867},
issn = {2397-334X},
}

@article {pmid42731453,
year = {2026},
author = {Li, X and Chen, J and Zhang, Y and Liu, X and Wang, F},
title = {Exogenous cyclic di-GMP promotes multilevel functional restoration of algal-bacterial symbiotic system under prolonged ciprofloxacin stress.},
journal = {Journal of hazardous materials},
volume = {517},
number = {},
pages = {143532},
doi = {10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.143532},
pmid = {42731453},
issn = {1873-3336},
abstract = {Elevated concentrations of antibiotics exert significant stress on algal-bacterial interactions, thereby threatening the functional stability of biological wastewater treatment systems. However, robust and scalable strategies for restoring the functionality of such impaired systems remain inadequately developed. In this study, an algal-bacterial symbiotic system (ABSS) was subjected to continuous ciprofloxacin (CIP) stress at 50 mg/L, followed by exogenous supplementation of cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) at 100 μg/L. Exposure to a high concentration of CIP significantly decreased intracellular c-di-GMP and autoinducer-2 (AI-2) levels, concomitantly reducing extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) synthesis, microalgal photosynthetic efficiency, inorganic carbon assimilation, and overall pollutant removal performance. Following exogenous c-di-GMP supplementation, intracellular c-di-GMP and AI-2 levels in algal-bacterial symbionts increased by 156.8% and 137.4%, respectively, concomitant with recovery of EPS, IAA, chlorophyll a (Chl a) content, maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm), carbonic anhydrase activity, and inorganic carbon assimilation. Piecewise regression analysis revealed significantly positive slope differences for 16 of 17 functional indicators relative to the non-c-di-GMP-treated control, demonstrating coordinated functional restoration across microbial signaling, extracellular matrix regulation, and system-level performance. Metatranscriptomic analysis further revealed that the ABSS exhibited a transcriptionally distinct community state. The transcriptional response was functionally selective, with positive responses in biofilm formation, EPS biosynthesis, photosynthesis, and carbon fixation rather than global enhancement of quorum sensing (QS). These findings indicate that exogenous c-di-GMP supplementation conferred coordinated restoration of interfacial communication and metabolic functionality in the ABSS, thereby offering a promising intervention strategy to enhance system resilience under high-concentration antibiotic stress.},
}

@article {pmid42732918,
year = {2026},
author = {Maoze, D and da Graça, M and Nhamussua, N and Jije-Gonçalves, M and Matimbe, T and Sardinha, C and Kalashnikova, E and Raghavan, R and Buschmann, J and Lebrato, M},
title = {Revealing undocumented cleaning behavior in the vulnerable pink whipray in southern Mozambique.},
journal = {Ecology},
volume = {107},
number = {9},
pages = {e70508},
pmid = {42732918},
issn = {1939-9170},
support = {//Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies (BCSS)-Kisawa Sanctuary (Mozambique)/ ; },
}

@article {pmid42733074,
year = {2026},
author = {Zhu, S and Yang, X and He, D and Zhang, Y and Liu, H and Zhou, X and Su, D and Wang, G and Wang, T and Wang, C},
title = {Carbon-rich carbon nitride for singlet-oxygen-driven photocatalytic degradation of benzophenone-3 and coral vitality recovery.},
journal = {Nature communications},
volume = {17},
number = {1},
pages = {},
pmid = {42733074},
issn = {2041-1723},
support = {No. 22472145//National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)/ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; *Benzophenones/chemistry/toxicity ; Catalysis ; *Anthozoa/physiology/drug effects ; *Nitriles/chemistry ; *Singlet Oxygen/chemistry ; Carbon/chemistry ; *Water Pollutants, Chemical/chemistry/toxicity ; Coral Reefs ; Seawater/chemistry ; Graphite/chemistry ; },
abstract = {Coral reefs, vital marine ecosystems, are increasingly threatened by global warming and chemical pollutants such as benzophenone-3 (BP-3), a widely used UV filter. To address this challenge, we present a carbon-doped graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) photocatalyst with efficient singlet oxygen ([1]O2) generation for BP-3 degradation and coral vitality restoration under simulated seawater conditions. The photocatalyst exhibits improved stability and photocatalytic performance in complex seawater environments, with enhanced charge separation and an approximately eightfold increase in the apparent degradation rate of BP-3 compared with pristine g-C3N4. Toxicity assessments indicate reduced ecological risks of degradation intermediates and significant recovery of zooxanthellae density and coral-algal symbiosis. Immobilized catalyst architectures further minimize material loss and provide a suitable substrate for coral attachment. In this work, we demonstrate a seawater-stable, [1]O2-driven photocatalytic strategy that enables efficient BP-3 removal and promotes coral vitality recovery, thereby offering a scalable approach for marine environmental remediation and coral ecosystem restoration.},
}

Animals
*Benzophenones/chemistry/toxicity
Catalysis
*Anthozoa/physiology/drug effects
*Nitriles/chemistry
*Singlet Oxygen/chemistry
Carbon/chemistry
*Water Pollutants, Chemical/chemistry/toxicity
Coral Reefs
Seawater/chemistry
Graphite/chemistry

@article {pmid42734344,
year = {2026},
author = {Ishigami, K and Lirette, A-O and Shimoji, H and Kikuchi, Y},
title = {Chemotaxis promotes early colonization and microbiogeography of Caballeronia insecticola in the gut symbiotic organ of Riptortus pedestris.},
journal = {Applied and environmental microbiology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {e0136426},
doi = {10.1128/aem.01364-26},
pmid = {42734344},
issn = {1098-5336},
abstract = {Many plants and animals form specific symbioses with microorganisms, relying on bidirectional host-bacteria interactions. However, knowledge about the evolution of symbiont traits enabling such specificity remains limited. The bean bug Riptortus pedestris acquires Caballeronia from environmental soil and harbors it in its gut symbiotic organ. This bug-Caballeronia symbiosis is an ideal model to clarify the evolutionary process of symbiotic bacteria because members of outgroups, such as Paraburkholderia and Pandoraea, can also colonize the host symbiotic organ but are outcompeted when co-inoculated with the native symbiont, Caballeronia. Here, we investigated mechanisms underlying the competitive performance of Caballeronia within the insect gut. Spatial analyses revealed that wild-type Caballeronia showed directional localization toward the symbiotic organ and colonized the M4 region faster than related bacteria. A cheA insertion mutant exhibited delayed early colonization and reduced competitive performance in co-infection assays although both strains ultimately reached similar levels of crypt colonization. In addition, microscopic observations revealed strain-specific aggregation patterns within the symbiotic organ, providing additional insight into bacterial spatial organization during host colonization. Together, these findings suggest that chemotaxis accelerates early symbiotic organ colonization and enhances competitive performance during the initial stages of symbiont establishment. More broadly, our results highlight the importance of spatial and temporal dynamics in shaping host-microbe associations and provide a framework for understanding how bacterial traits contribute to the evolution of symbiotic specificity.IMPORTANCERiptortus pedestris, a major soybean pest in East Asia, acquires symbiotic bacteria from the environment every generation, yet its gut is consistently and specifically colonized by Caballeronia species. The evolutionary traits that underlie this strong symbiotic specificity remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that chemotaxis accelerates early colonization of the symbiotic organ by Caballeronia and enhances its competitive performance relative to closely related bacteria. Using comparative colonization assays with wild-type, chemotaxis-deficient mutants, closely related bacteria, and an out-group species, we show that chemotaxis contributes to competitive performance during the initial stages of symbiotic organ colonization. Our findings indicate that ecological and behavioral traits, including chemotaxis, contribute to the establishment of exclusive symbiotic associations, providing new insight into how symbiotic specificity may evolve in horizontally transmitted systems.},
}

@article {pmid42737492,
year = {2026},
author = {Martínez-Fenoll, S and González Ortega-Villaizán, A and Rodríguez-Dobreva, E and Morales-Quintana, L and Ramos, P and Vicente-Carbajosa, J and Haro, R and Benito, B and Pollmann, S},
title = {Habitat-Adapted Fungal Symbionts Promote Salt Stress Tolerance Through Distinct Root Mechanisms and Shared Shoot Regulatory Networks in Arabidopsis thaliana.},
journal = {International journal of molecular sciences},
volume = {27},
number = {17},
pages = {},
pmid = {42737492},
issn = {1422-0067},
support = {PID2020-119441RB-I00//Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades/ ; PID2023-151327OB-I00//Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades/ ; },
mesh = {*Arabidopsis/microbiology/genetics/physiology/growth & development ; *Plant Roots/microbiology/genetics ; *Symbiosis ; *Plant Shoots/microbiology/genetics/metabolism ; *Salt Tolerance/genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; *Salt Stress ; Oryza/microbiology ; Endophytes/physiology ; *Fungi/physiology ; Ecosystem ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; },
abstract = {Salinity is a major constraint to crop productivity. Beneficial plant-fungus interactions represent a promising strategy to enhance stress resilience. Here, we investigated fungal endophytes isolated from the roots of Oryza sativa cultivated in saline-prone marshlands of the Guadalquivir River, Spain. From a collection of 38 isolates, five salt-tolerant strains exhibiting plant growth-promoting activity were identified, including a previously uncharacterized Reticulascus sp. strain S5. Co-cultivation assays with the non-native host plant Arabidopsis thaliana demonstrated that S5 increased the root and shoot biomass under salt stress. To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms, a comprehensive RNA-Seq analysis of the roots and shoots under control and saline conditions was performed. Fungal colonization induced pronounced transcriptomic changes, particularly in the shoots, including rewiring of the auxin- and abscisic acid-related pathways and the induction of genes associated with cell wall remodeling. Concurrently, defense-related processes, including glucosinolate biosynthesis and ethylene signaling, were broadly repressed, suggesting attenuated stress perception in colonized plants. In the roots, S5 inoculation suppressed the expression of genes involved in root hair development and cell wall organization, indicating a fungus-driven reconfiguration of root development. Moreover, comparative analysis with Fusarium sp. K-23, a fungus that has previously been demonstrated to promote plant growth under salinity stress, revealed distinct root-associated mechanisms but convergence on a shared regulatory module in shoots involving ABA-responsive transcription factors and osmotic stress regulators. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that Reticulascus sp. S5 enhances plant salt stress tolerance through the coordinated transcriptional reprogramming of growth, hormone signaling, and stress responses, highlighting a possible potential of habitat-adapted endophytes for sustainable crop improvement.},
}

*Arabidopsis/microbiology/genetics/physiology/growth & development
*Plant Roots/microbiology/genetics
*Symbiosis
*Plant Shoots/microbiology/genetics/metabolism
*Salt Tolerance/genetics
Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
*Salt Stress
Oryza/microbiology
Endophytes/physiology
*Fungi/physiology
Ecosystem
Gene Regulatory Networks

@article {pmid42737650,
year = {2026},
author = {Yurkov, AP and Puzanskiy, RK and Bogdanova, EM and Kryukov, AA and Vavulina, TR and Belyaeva, AI and Kosulnikova, AI and Kosulnikov, YV and Laktionov, YV and Yemelyanov, VV and Shavarda, AL and Shishova, MF},
title = {The Effect of Mycorrhization with Fungi of Different Efficiency on the Root Metabolome of Medicago lupulina Within Development.},
journal = {International journal of molecular sciences},
volume = {27},
number = {17},
pages = {},
pmid = {42737650},
issn = {1422-0067},
support = {22-16-00064-π//Russian Science Foundation/ ; },
mesh = {*Mycorrhizae/physiology ; *Metabolome ; Symbiosis ; *Plant Roots/microbiology/metabolism/growth & development ; *Medicago/microbiology/metabolism/growth & development ; *Glomeromycota/physiology ; Metabolomics/methods ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Fatty Acids/metabolism ; Amino Acids/metabolism ; Fungi ; },
abstract = {The mechanisms underlying the symbiotic efficiency of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are actively debated, but comparative metabolomic studies with fungi of contrasting efficiency are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of effective (Rhizophagus irregularis RCAM00320) and ineffective (Glomus sp. 129.1Te) AM fungal strains on the root metabolome of the responsive Medicago lupulina line MlS-1 at two vegetative and two reproductive stages. Using GC-MS, over 150 metabolites (amino acids, carboxylic and fatty acids, sugars, etc.) were annotated. Effective AM symbiosis was associated with increased levels of phosphoric acid, trehalose, and free fatty acids 16:1, as well as a decreased pool of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates (citrate, malate, succinate) and a reduction in γ-aminobutyric acid from the branching stage to fruiting. The comparison revealed that the branching initiation stage, characterized by low arbuscule abundance in ineffective treatment, is likely a main critical metabolic transition determining symbiosis efficiency. Novel metabolic markers of effective AM were identified. Network analysis revealed a divergence of amino acid and fatty acid clusters under effective mycorrhization, whereas under ineffective mycorrhization these clusters were less separated and closely linked in the control. Thus, inoculation with strains of contrasting efficiency generates distinct phenotypes, with effective AM inducing the most pronounced metabolome rearrangements in development.},
}

*Mycorrhizae/physiology
*Metabolome
Symbiosis
*Plant Roots/microbiology/metabolism/growth & development
*Medicago/microbiology/metabolism/growth & development
*Glomeromycota/physiology
Metabolomics/methods
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
Fatty Acids/metabolism
Amino Acids/metabolism
Fungi

@article {pmid42737884,
year = {2026},
author = {Wei, D and Liu, TJ and Yan, XK and Wang, XF and Huang, GH and Xu, Y and Wu, X and Ge, XJ and Hao, G and Yan, HF},
title = {The Evolutionary Significance of Leaf Nodulation: Evidence from Ardisia and Its Relatives (Primulaceae: Myrsinoideae).},
journal = {Biology},
volume = {15},
number = {17},
pages = {},
pmid = {42737884},
issn = {2079-7737},
support = {32470223//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2023B0303050001//Guangdong Flagship Project of Basic and Applied Basic Research/ ; },
abstract = {Interactions between plants and microorganisms have long been a central topic in biological research. Bacterial symbiosis on leaf surfaces represents a distinctive and mutually beneficial system within the phyllosphere microbiome. Leaf nodules are the visible manifestation of the symbiosis and confer ecological advantages to host plants by enhancing host resistance against pathogens and herbivores. It has been hypothesized that these advantages promote higher diversification rates in host lineages, but this remains uncertain. Ardisia subg. Crispardisia and its close relatives (Amblyanthopsis and Amblyanthus) within Primulaceae are typical plant groups with leaf nodule symbiosis, making them an ideal system for testing this hypothesis. In this study, we conducted extensive sampling of "Ardisioids" (Ardisia and its allies) and reconstructed their phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history using plastid genomes and nuclear datasets (i.e., nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)). We clarified the phylogenetic positions of several "Ardisioids" genera (e.g., Sadiria, Tapeinosperma, Amblyanthus, and Amblyanthopsis) and multiple subgenera within Ardisia. We further detected a rapid radiation during the middle Miocene in Ardisia and its allies. Notably, we found that the leaf-nodulated clade appears to have originated during this period, approximately 11-8 Ma. BAMM (Bayesian Analysis of Macroevolutionary Mixtures) analyses revealed elevated diversification rates in leaf-nodulated lineages, while HiSSE (Hidden State Speciation and Extinction) analyses indicated that leaf nodule symbiosis might have increased speciation rates without significantly affecting extinction rates. These results provide strong evidence that leaf nodule symbiosis, together with other abiotic and biotic factors, represents a key evolutionary innovation that has promoted diversification in Ardisia and its close relatives.},
}

@article {pmid42738621,
year = {2026},
author = {Alva-De-La-Cruz, K and Silvera-Otañe, GP and Moreno-Rojo, C and Schmiele, M and Paucar-Menacho, LM},
title = {Amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus L.): Nutritional Composition, Bioactive Compounds, Processing Technologies, Food Applications, and Future Perspectives.},
journal = {Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)},
volume = {31},
number = {17},
pages = {},
pmid = {42738621},
issn = {1420-3049},
support = {E033-2023-01-BM Fase 2, Contract No. PE501084298-2023//PROCIENCIA/ ; },
mesh = {*Amaranthus/chemistry ; *Nutritive Value ; Antioxidants/chemistry ; *Food Handling/methods ; Functional Food ; *Phytochemicals/chemistry/analysis ; Humans ; },
abstract = {Amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus L.) is an Andean pseudocereal with a nutritional profile characterized by its protein, dietary fiber, and bioactive compound content, adequate balance of essential amino acids, and the presence of bioactive compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardiometabolic properties. This review analyzes the main processing methods applied to amaranth, including milling, roasting, popping, rolling, extrusion, germination, fermentation, encapsulation, and component isolation, describing how these technologies modify its nutritional, functional, and technological properties. It also examines its applications in various food categories, such as baked goods, extruded snacks, fermented beverages, symbiotic foods, and gluten-free formulations, highlighting its potential as a functional food ingredient for developing functional foods and nutraceuticals. Furthermore, this study discusses the technological and industrial challenges associated with its processing, including structural, sensory, and scalability limitations, within the context of the growing global demand for healthy and sustainable foods. Finally, the study identifies knowledge gaps and research priorities to optimize processing conditions, improve sensory acceptability, and enhance industrial value, thereby supporting further evaluation of its integration into food production systems.},
}

*Amaranthus/chemistry
*Nutritive Value
Antioxidants/chemistry
*Food Handling/methods
Functional Food
*Phytochemicals/chemistry/analysis
Humans

@article {pmid42739407,
year = {2026},
author = {Yang, L and Wu, Q and Liang, H and Liu, M and Shen, P},
title = {Integrative Multi-Omics Analysis Reveals Transcriptomic and Metabolic Remodeling Associated with Enhanced Peanut Nodulation Under Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Inoculation and Calcium Application.},
journal = {Plants (Basel, Switzerland)},
volume = {15},
number = {17},
pages = {},
pmid = {42739407},
issn = {2223-7747},
support = {32401759//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2025TZXD002//Shandong Province Rural Revitalization Science and Technology Innovation Stimulation Action Plan Project/ ; CXGC2026D33//Research Project of Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Engineering of Shandong Academy of Agricultural/ ; },
abstract = {Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) yield depends on biological nitrogen fixation, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the combined effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and calcium fertilizer on nodulation remain unclear. Here, we used integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to investigate potential mechanisms in peanut roots. Compared with the non-inoculated control, AMF inoculation alone was associated with a 22.1% higher nodule number per plant. The combined application of AMF and CaO showed a 35.9% higher nodulation than AMF alone, and a 30.9% higher AMF colonization rate than AMF alone was also observed. Mechanistically, AMF colonization was associated with enhanced carbon-nitrogen metabolic profiles and up-regulation of phenylpropanoid metabolism-related pathways, suggesting a potential role in providing energy, carbon skeletons, and signaling molecules for nodule formation. Calcium fertilizer correlated with strengthening of the glyoxylate cycle and pentose phosphate pathway, possibly contributing to the energy supply for nodulation. It also affected genes related to protein secretion and lipid metabolism, with observed changes in membrane lipids and transport metabolites, which may enhance symbiotic interface function. This study reveals the multi-level mechanisms through which AMF and calcium fertilizer collectively promote peanut nodulation, providing a systems-level perspective on plant-microbe-nutrient relationships during symbiosis. Our findings offer new insights for sustainable agriculture by reducing chemical nitrogen inputs and promoting nodulation in legumes.},
}

@article {pmid42741083,
year = {2026},
author = {Stiblíková, P and Jansa, J and Rozmoš, M and Kotianová, M and Brindzák, M and Šašek, J and Weiser, M},
title = {Root-fungal interactions upon resource foraging in heterogeneous soils.},
journal = {Frontiers in plant science},
volume = {17},
number = {},
pages = {1899078},
pmid = {42741083},
issn = {1664-462X},
abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Plants respond to soil resource heterogeneity by foraging with their roots. The root foraging precision of plant species varies; and some species (especially those with low precision) may rely on symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi to access nutrient-rich patches, thereby improving nutrient acquisition. However, the way herbaceous plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) interact during nutrient foraging is poorly understood.

METHODS: We tested nine mycorrhizal herbaceous plant species in a greenhouse experiment by exposing them to soil with heterogeneous or homogeneous nutrient distribution and with or without AMF inoculation. Root-foraging precision, shoot and root biomass production, and root-associated AMF gene copy number were quantified using plant biomass measurements and qPCR analyses of AMF.

RESULTS: Root foraging precision (in terms of roots placement) differed between species. Although foraging was evident in the heterogeneous nutrient treatment, it was largely unaffected by mycorrhizal inoculation. The exception was Melilotus officinalis which showed reduced root foraging precision with increasing root-associated AMF gene copy number. Plant biomass responses to AMF were species-specific, with overall root and shoot biomass declining slightly with increasing root-associated AMF gene copy number.

DISCUSSION: These results suggest that AMF inoculation generally does not alter root foraging precision across species, supporting the view that foraging precision is a species-specific trait independent of the collaboration gradient in the root economic spectrum. The balance between root foraging and mycorrhizal symbiosis may depend on other factors such as nutrient stoichiometry and forms. Future studies should thus examine root foraging, extraradical hyphal development and nutrient transfer under varying levels of nutrient limitation and spatial heterogeneity to better understand plants' nutrient acquisition strategies.},
}

@article {pmid42741369,
year = {2026},
author = {Bi, Y and Guo, W and Xiao, L and Zhang, J and Zhang, Y and Wang, D and Hu, X},
title = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi modulate litter decomposition dynamics through alterations in stoichiometry, chemical composition, and microbial communities.},
journal = {Frontiers in microbiology},
volume = {17},
number = {},
pages = {1925104},
pmid = {42741369},
issn = {1664-302X},
abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are primarily recognized for their obligate symbiotic associations with the majority of terrestrial plants; however, an emerging body of research indicates their potential capacity to accelerate litter decomposition and facilitate the sequestration of soil organic carbon. Previous studies on AMF-mediated litter decomposition have primarily focused on the colonization of plant root systems, whereas mycorrhizal colonization of leaves has received comparatively limited attention. The effects of AMF leaf colonization on leaf substrate and microbial community structure remains largely understood due to limited direct evidence.

METHODS: In this study, a Petri dish experiment was conducted using in-situ soil, AMF inoculum and litter derived from Amorpha fruticosa, encompassing four treatments: CK (non-mycorrhizal substrate + surface-sterilized leaves), S (mycorrhizal substrate + surface-sterilized leaves), L (non-mycorrhizal substrate + non-surface-sterilized leaves), and SL (mycorrhizal substrate + non-surface-sterilized leaves).

RESULTS: With respect to litter decomposition and substrate stoichiometry, AMF specifically promoted the decomposition of aliphatic components in leaves, as reflected by a 12.75-24.58% reduction in the C-H/C=O ratio in AMF inoculation compared with AMF- treatments. Regarding microbial community shifts, AMF substantially elevated the abundance of Hypocreales (21.71- to 35.59-fold), Sordariales (2.79- to 12.57-fold) within the fungal community, and Rhizobiales (1.52- to 2.36-fold) within the bacterial community, facilitating the breakdown of recalcitrant carbon sources. In terms of carbon cycling implications, these findings suggest that AMF accelerated litter conversion into labile, high-quality material (lower C/N ratio), enhancing microbial utilization of aliphatic compounds and promoting saprophytic functional group proliferation, ultimately expediting litter decomposition.

DISCUSSION: Although this short-term experiment primarily captures the decomposition phase, the observed shifts in substrate chemistry and microbial processing provide a mechanistic basis for understanding how AMF may influence the quality and potential long-term stabilization of soil organic carbon.},
}

@article {pmid42742211,
year = {2026},
author = {Harrison, TL and Pandher, US and Dixon, A and Esme, O and Gagnon, EMH and Naranjo-Robayo, N and Doyle, RT and Oresnik, IJ and diCenzo, GC},
title = {Isolation of rhizobia from Ontario soils that are effective at fixing nitrogen with common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris).},
journal = {Applied and environmental microbiology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {e0091226},
doi = {10.1128/aem.00912-26},
pmid = {42742211},
issn = {1098-5336},
abstract = {UNLABELLED: Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is an important crop in Canada and globally. Like other legumes, common bean establishes symbiotic interactions with nitrogen-fixing bacteria called rhizobia. However, nitrogen fixation by rhizobia in association with common bean is often suboptimal, constraining its productivity and necessitating the application of nitrogen fertilizer. To support the development of high-performing, locally adapted rhizobial inoculants for Ontario common bean growers, we isolated 216 common bean-nodulating rhizobia from southern Ontario soils using a nodule trapping approach with four common bean cultivars. Whole genome sequencing followed by phylogenomic analyses of all rhizobial isolates revealed substantial diversity, assigning them to 11 Rhizobium species, including two novel species. Nearly all isolates belong to the symbiovar phaseoli, spanning the nodC γ-a, γ-b, and α alleles, with four isolates belonging to the symbiovar gallica. Soil origin had a significant impact on the species-level community composition recovered during the nodule trapping experiments. In contrast, host trapping cultivar had only a minor influence on the recovered Rhizobium population. Greenhouse assays demonstrated that one of the novel Rhizobium species exhibited the highest average symbiotic effectiveness, although high-quality isolates were found across multiple species. Together, these results revealed a diverse and genomically variable Rhizobium community capable of forming effective symbioses with common bean in southern Ontario soils. Importantly, our genome-sequenced Rhizobium collection will serve as a valuable resource for identifying competitive and high-quality strains for the development of inoculants tailored to Ontario common bean production.

IMPORTANCE: Common bean is a globally important food crop, yet its productivity is often limited by suboptimal nitrogen fixation, forcing growers to rely on synthetic fertilizers. Consequently, identifying high‑performing, locally adapted inoculant strains is essential for reducing dependence on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and improving the sustainability of temperate agroecosystems. Our study provides a genome‑sequenced collection of common bean-nodulating Rhizobium from southern Ontario, revealing substantial species and genomic diversity across sampling locations. Greenhouse studies allowed us to identify multiple isolates that consistently fix nitrogen with, and enhance the growth of, common bean plants. Our findings highlight strong biogeographical structuring of the effective and competitive subpopulations of rhizobial communities and demonstrate that Ontario soils already harbor strains with high symbiotic potential. In addition, our Rhizobium collection represents a foundational resource to support future inoculant development and enables future work on the ecology, evolution, and applied optimization of legume-rhizobium symbioses.},
}

@article {pmid42730694,
year = {2026},
author = {Gil-Polo, A and Bledsoe, RB and Clouse, KM and DePew, CL and Harris, JE and Sydow, P and Guha, S and Mercurio, KC and Paillan, EL and Burghardt, LT},
title = {Estimating Rhizobial Fitness During Legume Symbiosis: Enriching Viable Undifferentiated Bacteria from Root Nodules.},
journal = {Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE},
volume = {},
number = {235},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3791/71871},
pmid = {42730694},
issn = {1940-087X},
mesh = {*Symbiosis/physiology ; *Root Nodules, Plant/microbiology ; *Medicago truncatula/microbiology ; *Sinorhizobium meliloti/physiology ; *Fabaceae/microbiology ; },
abstract = {Advances in understanding the evolutionary ecology of the rhizobia-legume mutualism have been constrained by methodological limitations in efficiently measuring relative strain frequencies alongside measurements of absolute population sizes of rhizobia living in nodules. To examine strain competition in natural and agricultural ecosystems that harbor multiple strains of rhizobia, an increasing number of manipulative and observational studies have recently begun to examine dozens or hundreds of strains simultaneously. Assessing the competitive fitness of multiple strains in legume nodules requires, first, processing pools of dozens to hundreds of nodules to overcome the stochasticity of nodule formation; second, focusing on the reproductively viable rhizobial population, since this trait represents rhizobia's reproductive success in nodules and is pivotal for evolutionary interpretations. Our approach has been optimized in the Medicago truncatula-Sinorhizobium meliloti system, where rhizobia induce the formation of indeterminate nodules that harbor two subpopulations: terminally-differentiated bacteroids and undifferentiated rhizobia that retain reproductive viability. This protocol has also been used for other legumes with terminally-differentiated bacteroids, such as pea and vetch, as well as for those with non-terminally differentiated bacteroids, such as soybean and cowpeas. The protocol we present enables rapid and reproducible homogenization of pools containing hundreds of nodules using a tissue homogenizer. We also enrich for undifferentiated rhizobia using two centrifugation steps: first, a low-speed centrifugation to deplete nodule debris and large, endoreduplicated, terminally-differentiated bacteroids, followed by a high-speed centrifugation to pellet the remaining undifferentiated rhizobia. The pellet can later be used for DNA extraction, followed by whole-genome or amplicon sequencing, and then downstream analysis to estimate strain fitness. Finally, we include an optional step for a reliable, reproducible system for nodule imaging, which is especially useful for quantifying nodule abundance and studying morphological variation. .},
}

*Symbiosis/physiology
*Root Nodules, Plant/microbiology
*Medicago truncatula/microbiology
*Sinorhizobium meliloti/physiology
*Fabaceae/microbiology

@article {pmid42731368,
year = {2026},
author = {Hishikura, N and Horikawa, A and Kurashima-Ito, K and Okubo, R and Watanabe, R and Sayeesh, PM and Inomata, K and Mishima, M and Mikawa, T and Koteishi, H and Sawai, H and Shiro, Y and Ikeya, T and Ito, Y},
title = {A dynamic homodimer structure of the response regulator FixJ from Bradyrhizobium japonicum in its phosphorylated state in aqueous solution.},
journal = {Biochemical and biophysical research communications},
volume = {836},
number = {},
pages = {154554},
doi = {10.1016/j.bbrc.2026.154554},
pmid = {42731368},
issn = {1090-2104},
abstract = {The symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacterium Bradyrhizobium japonicum possess a two component regulatory system comprising FixL, a histidine kinase with O2-sensor, and FixJ, a response regulator controlling the expression of nitrogen fixation-related genes. The phosphotransfer from FixL to the N-terminal receiver domain (REC) of FixJ promote the association of the C-terminal DNA-binding domain (DBD) to DNA. To understand the structural basis of the activation, solution NMR approaches were employed to FixJ in the acetyl phosphate-mediated phosphorylated and the BeF3[-]-bound states. The backbone resonance assignments indicated the formation of symmetric homodimer in the activated states. Chemical shift changes caused by the activation were distributed on a half surface of REC as well as on a limited region in DBD, indicating that the phosphorylation propagates to DBD. Cross saturation experiments revealed a major dimerisation interface comprising helix α4 and strand β5, which is common to the Sinorhizobium meliloti FixJ, and additional dimerisation interfaces located on helices α3 and α5 of REC and on helices α7 and α10 on DBD. Considering that REC and DBD tumble separately both in the unphosphorylated and the phosphorylated states, the activation of FixJ can be delineated as the transition of one "inactive" ensemble structure to another "active" ensemble.},
}

@article {pmid42729679,
year = {2026},
author = {McKee, H and Arellano, AA and Young, EB and Coon, KL},
title = {Crosstalk in the cold: host-microbe interactions in insect diapause.},
journal = {Annals of the Entomological Society of America},
volume = {119},
number = {5},
pages = {327-342},
pmid = {42729679},
issn = {0013-8746},
abstract = {Despite the overwhelming diversity and ecological impact of insects across most ecosystems, their responses to environmental stress remain underexplored. To survive temperate seasonal stressors, particularly winter cold conditions and nutrient and water shortage, insects undergo physiological changes and overwinter in a diapause state. During diapause, cessation of development is coupled with reduced metabolic activity, analogous to hibernation in mammals, in which gut microbiota help manage waste and recycle nitrogen. Similarly, many insects have obligate symbiotic relationships with microbes that support nutrient acquisition. However, unlike mammals, many insects have open or transient gut communities, making it more likely that microbial dynamics are strongly shaped by environmental microbes acquired through food or habitat. This review synthesizes recent literature on the roles of host-associated microbial communities in insect diapause, spanning nutrient provisioning, nitrogen recycling, and host immunity, including how associated microbes contribute to pathogen defense during dormancy. We propose future research avenues for more mechanistic understanding of host-microbe interactions involved in diapause, drawing on conceptual parallels established from mammalian hibernation research.},
}

@article {pmid42720534,
year = {2026},
author = {Barricelli, NA and Bianchi, G and Taylor, T},
title = {Numerical Examples of Evolutionary Processes [English Translation of "Esempi Numerici di Processi di Evoluzione" (1954)].},
journal = {Artificial life},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {1-15},
doi = {10.1162/ARTL.a.485},
pmid = {42720534},
issn = {1530-9185},
abstract = {Some consequences of the Darwinian principle of evolution by survival of the fittest are analyzed. Considering that this principle reduces evolution to a purely statistical phenomenon, we draw the conclusion that it may apply not only to living organisms but also to elements of any kind able to reproduce and to undergo hereditary changes (mutations). By applying the Darwinian principle to the most primitive elements with the required properties, viruses or artificially constructed elements (for instance, numbers), we show that the Darwinian principle alone is not sufficient to explain the origin of an evolutionary process like the biological one. At least one additional principle is needed in order to explain the origin of such an evolutionary process. We suggest that the theory of gene symbiosis may serve as this complementary principle. By using numerical elements with reproduction rules that make symbiosis (or utilitarian association) necessary, we show that evolutionary processes with promising properties are likely to arise. In the last part of the paper, we describe an evolutionary process obtained with numerical elements during a series of experiments performed by the electronic computer at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ, USA, in the spring of 1953.},
}

@article {pmid42721037,
year = {2026},
author = {Wu, J and Fan, Z and Yang, L and Liu, J and Tian, J and Zhang, X and Kong, Z},
title = {Proteomic and metabolomic profiling depicts the functional landscape of the Medicago truncatula symbiosome.},
journal = {Cell reports},
volume = {45},
number = {9},
pages = {117972},
doi = {10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117972},
pmid = {42721037},
issn = {2211-1247},
abstract = {The symbiosome, a temporary plant organelle enabling nitrogen fixation in legume-rhizobia symbiosis, consists of a plant-derived symbiosome membrane (SM), symbiosome space (SS), and enclosed bacteroid. Here, we isolate and purify symbiosomes from Medicago truncatula-Sinorhizobium meliloti root nodules and perform label-free quantitative mass spectrometry to profile protein abundances in the symbiosomes. We identify 1,018 M. truncatula proteins, including 829 in the SM and 457 in the SS. Combined with transport assays, our data reveal multiple dicarboxylate transporters in the SM that potentially deliver carbon sources to bacteroids. The SM is enriched in membrane trafficking proteins, lipid raft-associated components, and receptor-like proteins, together with numerous cell wall-associated proteins, highlighting the extracellular properties of the symbiosome. Proteomic and metabolomic analyses reveal the SS as a metabolically active compartment enriched in both plant and rhizobial proteins involved in carbon and amino acid metabolism. These findings offer insights into the molecular basis of symbiotic nitrogen fixation.},
}

@article {pmid42721180,
year = {2026},
author = {Aksoy, S and Weiss, BL and Bruzzese, DJ and Gstöttenmayer, F and Echodu, R and Fiorenza, G and Piccinno, R and Malacrida, AR and Abd-Alla, AMM},
title = {Friends or foes: Unraveling the tsetse fly-Spiroplasma symbiosis.},
journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases},
volume = {20},
number = {9},
pages = {e0014698},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0014698},
pmid = {42721180},
issn = {1935-2735},
mesh = {Animals ; *Tsetse Flies/microbiology/physiology ; *Symbiosis ; *Spiroplasma/physiology/genetics ; Insect Vectors/microbiology ; Trypanosomiasis, African/transmission ; Humans ; Phylogeny ; Trypanosoma ; },
abstract = {Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) transmit African trypanosomes, the causative agents of human African and African animal trypanosomiases (HAT and AAT, respectively). These neglected tropical diseases impose significant public health and economic burdens across sub-Saharan Africa. Trypanosome transmission by tsetse flies is influenced by multiple factors, including host genetic background, ecological factors, and interactions with heritable microbial endosymbionts. Spiroplasma glossinidia has recently emerged as an important modulator of tsetse reproductive fitness and vector competence, making it a potential target for symbiont-based vector control strategies. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the tsetse-Spiroplasma symbiosis. We detail Spiroplasma's spatial and temporal infection dynamics in laboratory-reared and natural populations. Additionally, we highlight key aspects of the bacterium's genomics, phylogenetics, and physiological interactions with its tsetse host, including influences on host gene expression reproductive physiology, and vector competence. Finally, we discuss how the tsetse-Spiroplasma symbiosis could be harnessed to develop innovative, biological-based vector control and trypanosome transmission-blocking strategies, and we identify critical gaps that must be addressed to translate these findings into effective disease control interventions.},
}

Animals
*Tsetse Flies/microbiology/physiology
*Symbiosis
*Spiroplasma/physiology/genetics
Insect Vectors/microbiology
Trypanosomiasis, African/transmission
Humans
Phylogeny
Trypanosoma

@article {pmid42725802,
year = {2026},
author = {Li, W and Qu, D and Pang, Q and Zhou, J and Wang, H and Li, S and Lv, M and Yang, L and Tian, W and Wu, F and Su, H},
title = {The Dark Septate Endophyte S16 Enhances Drought Tolerance in Sweet Cherry by Coordinating Metabolic Reprogramming and the Transcription Factor PaHB12.},
journal = {Tree physiology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1093/treephys/tpag131},
pmid = {42725802},
issn = {1758-4469},
abstract = {Drought severely limits growth and productivity of sweet cherry, a fruit crop highly sensitive to water deficit. Beneficial root-associated fungi, particularly dark septate endophytes (DSEs), have emerged as potential modulators of stress tolerance, yet their underlying mechanisms in perennial fruit trees remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of the DSE fungus Helotiales sp. S16 on drought responses of sweet cherry rootstock Gisela 5 seedlings. Fungal symbiosis was established by homogenizing fungal suspension with sterile growth substrate, and drought stress treatment was implemented four weeks after inoculation. Under drought conditions, inoculated seedlings accumulated markedly higher soluble sugar contents, which coincided with up-regulated expression of carbohydrate-metabolism-related genes. Lipidomic and transcriptomic data demonstrated that fungal inoculation activated fatty-acid biosynthetic pathways and reshaped overall fatty-acid profiles. Hormone profiling showed elevated abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA), and salicylic acid (SA) levels, accompanied by suppression of auxin (IAA), and cytokinins (6-BA), indicating a reprogramming of hormonal crosstalk. Co-expression network analysis further identified the transcription factor PaHB12 as a regulatory hub in the S16-mediated drought response. These findings demonstrate that DSE fungus S16 enhances drought tolerance through integrated reprogramming of carbon allocation, membrane lipid composition, and hormone crosstalk, providing a mechanistic basis for its potential application in sustainable orchard management.},
}

@article {pmid42727490,
year = {2026},
author = {Joel, JM and Johnson, R and Puthur, JT},
title = {Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses reveal coordinated molecular responses associated with nano-enabled arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis for salt stress tolerance in rice.},
journal = {Plant physiology and biochemistry : PPB},
volume = {238},
number = {},
pages = {111744},
doi = {10.1016/j.plaphy.2026.111744},
pmid = {42727490},
issn = {1873-2690},
abstract = {Salinity stress is a major environmental constraint limiting rice growth and yield. Seed nanopriming with calcium oxide nanomaterials (CaO NMs) in combination with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) has recently emerged as an effective strategy to enhance resilience, although the underlying responses remain unexplored. In the present study, rice seeds primed with CaO NMs (80 ppm) and inoculated with the AMF Claroideoglomus claroideum at transplanting were evaluated under 175 mM NaCl stress to assess their effects on plant performance and metabolic responses. The combined treatment significantly enhanced mycorrhizal colonization under non-stress conditions, with arbuscule abundance exceeding 40%, whereas AMF colonization was reduced under salinity stress in the corresponding SMN treatment. Despite this reduction, SMN improved physiological performance under salinity, chlorophyll stability index increased by 71% and also improved several yield-related parameters. Untargeted metabolomic profiling of leaves identified 391 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) in response to the combined treatment under salinity stress, predominantly enriched in pathways associated with amino acid metabolism (glycine-serine-threonine and alanine-aspartate-glutamate), sulfur metabolism (cysteine and methionine), and aromatic amino acid metabolism (phenylalanine and tryptophan). These metabolic changes suggest enhanced osmoprotection, improved redox homeostasis, and activation of secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Transcriptomic analysis further identified the upregulation of genes associated with photosynthetic antenna complexes, peroxidase-mediated redox regulation, and Ca[2+] signaling components including two-pore Ca[2+] channel 1 (TPC1) and EF-hand proteins, together with reduced expression of lipid peroxidation-associated oxidative stress markers, suggesting coordinated molecular responses associated with salinity tolerance. Collectively, the metabolomic and transcriptomic findings suggest coordinated metabolic and transcriptional adjustments that may contribute to improved photosynthetic performance, redox homeostasis, and grain yield under saline conditions. Overall, this study provides new insights into nano-enabled AMF symbiosis and suggests that CaO NM seed priming combined with AMF inoculation represents a promising strategy for improving rice resilience under saline conditions.},
}

@article {pmid42728453,
year = {2026},
author = {Makita, N and Masumoto, T and Dalkhsuren, D and Sukhbaatar, G and Nachin, B and Shirota, T and Yasue, K},
title = {Species-specific patterns in fine-root traits and their coordination in the multidimensional root economics space at the Mongolian forest-steppe ecotone.},
journal = {Oecologia},
volume = {208},
number = {10},
pages = {},
pmid = {42728453},
issn = {1432-1939},
mesh = {*Plant Roots ; Mongolia ; Forests ; Species Specificity ; Mycorrhizae ; Symbiosis ; },
abstract = {In the bioclimatically sensitive forest-steppe ecotone of northern Mongolia, belowground strategies can be elucidated using an integrated approach that considers root functional traits and symbiotic associations. We elucidated how three dominant tree species, namely Larix sibirica, Pinus sylvestris, and Betula platyphylla, coordinate their morphological, chemical, and symbiotic (ectomycorrhizal [EM]) traits within a multidimensional root economics space (RES) to adapt to this harsh ecotone. Although the RES framework generally associates thicker roots with greater reliance on fungi, EM colonization was highest in the thinnest-rooted species, B. platyphylla, with the highest specific root length (SRL), and lowest in the thickest-rooted species, L. sibirica, with the lowest SRL. Principal component analysis revealed that the primary axis of variation represents a synergistic acquisition gradient, rather than a traditional trade-off between morphological exploration and symbiotic associations. Along this axis, SRL and EM colonization were positively coordinated, indicating that B. platyphylla maximized its resource acquisition capacity by integrating high soil exploration with intensive fungal collaboration. This synergy is likely driven by higher root branching intensity in thinner roots, which provides more infection sites for EM fungi. In contrast, the conifers exhibit different root-trait combinations: P. sylvestris optimizes structural and chemical conservation, whereas L. sibirica employs a decoupled strategy to minimize symbiotic investment and maintain high metabolic potential. Our study highlights that tree species coexist by employing divergent resource-acquisition pathways, ranging from integrated combinations to resource-conservative trait syndromes, under intensifying climatic stress in Central Asia.},
}

*Plant Roots
Mongolia
Forests
Species Specificity
Mycorrhizae
Symbiosis

@article {pmid42728659,
year = {2026},
author = {Jeong, R and Kim, J and Suk, HY},
title = {Chromosome-level genome assembly of the bitterling Rhodeus sinensis (Acheilognathidae) reveals genomic signatures associated with its mussel-dependent reproductive system.},
journal = {G3 (Bethesda, Md.)},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1093/g3journal/jkag260},
pmid = {42728659},
issn = {2160-1836},
abstract = {Bitterlings (Acheilognathidae) exhibit a unique reproductive strategy characterized by symbiotic embryonic development inside the gill cavities of freshwater unionid mussels. Despite extensive ecological and physiological research on this system, genomic resources for bitterlings have remained limited, hindering comparative and evolutionary studies. Here, we present a high-quality, chromosome-level genome assembly for Rhodeus sinensis, a widely distributed bitterling species in the Korean Peninsula. By combining PacBio Continuous Long Read (CLR) sequencing, Illumina short reads, and Hi-C scaffolding, we generated a 0.77 Gb genome assembly with a scaffold N50 of 30.06 Mb. The final assembly comprises 24 chromosome-scale scaffolds, accounting for 98.3% of the assembled genome, with a BUSCO completeness score of 96.3% against the Actinopterygii_odb10. Comparative genomic analyses identified prominent expansions in gene families associated with alcohol metabolism, lipid catabolism, and oxidative stress responses. These genomic signatures of metabolic rewiring suggest a potential fuel flexibility, which may serve as a critical adaptive mechanism to mitigate the severe hypoxic stress encountered within the host mussel's gill environment. Ultimately, our chromosome-level genome assembly and findings provide a robust genomic foundation, contributing to a deeper understanding of the extreme physiological adaptations and unique life-history evolution within the Acheilognathidae.},
}

@article {pmid42729522,
year = {2026},
author = {Zhang, R and Yang, J and Liu, Y and Shi, L and Yang, H and Li, R and Zhang, X and Wang, H and Ren, G},
title = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi as a hub for soil carbon transformation in intercropping systems: a review of microbial mechanisms and ecological significance.},
journal = {Frontiers in microbiology},
volume = {17},
number = {},
pages = {1929217},
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1929217},
pmid = {42729522},
issn = {1664-302X},
abstract = {Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a pivotal role in soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics by channeling plant-assimilated carbon into both labile and recalcitrant pools. In intercropping systems, AMF form symbiotic associations with host plants and facilitate nutrient exchange across the plant-fungus-soil continuum, which consequently enhances soil nutrient availability. Through transforming photosynthetic carbon into diverse organic fractions, AMF exert a dual influence on SOC reserves by promoting both carbon stabilization and decomposition. This review synthesizes current evidence for a conceptual framework centered on AMF life-history strategies, proposing that trade-offs between plant growth promotion and SOC storage are context dependent and modulated by fungal functional traits and community composition. Elucidating AMF mediated carbon transformation in intercropping systems is therefore critical for understanding carbon turnover mechanisms under diversified cropping regimes. Such knowledge not only supports yield improvement, soil structural reinforcement, and ecological restoration but also provides a theoretical foundation for developing sustainable soil management and rehabilitation strategies.},
}

@article {pmid42720311,
year = {2026},
author = {Bardi, S and Nieves-Morión, M and Foster, RA},
title = {Cell identity and filament architecture shape intercellular communication in the terminal heterocystous cyanobacterium Richelia rhizosoleniae SC01.},
journal = {Applied and environmental microbiology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {e0093526},
doi = {10.1128/aem.00935-26},
pmid = {42720311},
issn = {1098-5336},
abstract = {Intercellular communication is essential for metabolite exchange and cellular coordination in filamentous cyanobacteria, yet how filament organization influences this process remains poorly understood, particularly in terminal heterocyst-forming strains. Here, we compared the facultative symbiont Richelia rhizosoleniae SC01 (hereafter Richelia; terminal heterocysts) with the free-living Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 (hereafter Anabaena sp.; intercalary heterocysts) and a septal junction mutant of Anabaena with impaired intercellular communication (CSVT22, ∆fraC-∆fraD), using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) and fluorescence loss in photobleaching (FLIP). Richelia SC01 and Anabaena showed similar recovery (R) rates, indicating comparable average molecular exchange through septal junctions, with no significant correlation between R and filament length. By contrast, CSVT22 showed reduced recovery and accelerated, irregular decay, indicative of both disrupted septal connectivity and altered regulation of septal junctions, resulting in heterogeneous and less efficient intercellular exchange. Differences in fluorescence decay speed across cell types and strains suggest that cell identity and filament organization, including filament taper, shape patterns of intercellular exchange. FLIP analyses showed that Anabaena consistently exhibited greater exchange asymmetry, whereas Richelia SC01 vegetative cells displayed comparatively more symmetric exchange, despite pronounced filament tapering and terminal heterocyst organization. Transmission electron microscopy further showed that septal nanopores in Richelia SC01 are similar in size to those of Anabaena but exhibited marked variation in number per septal disk, suggesting a potential structural basis for variation in intercellular exchange patterns. Collectively, our findings show that combining FRAP and FLIP provides a quantitative framework to dissect the kinetics and spatial organization of intercellular exchange in filamentous cyanobacteria.IMPORTANCEFilamentous cyanobacteria rely on intercellular exchange through septal junctions to coordinate metabolism and development, yet the principles governing multicellular communication in bacterial filaments remain poorly understood. Here, we show that intercellular exchange emerges from the interplay between septal junction properties, cell identity, and filament architecture, generating distinct communication patterns across cyanobacterial lifestyles. Notably, despite its pronounced filament tapering and terminal heterocyst organization, Richelia SC01 exhibited comparatively symmetric exchange, demonstrating that filament polarity alone does not determine communication patterns. Our findings reveal that cyanobacterial multicellularity arises from the integration of structural organization and cell-specific properties, providing a framework for understanding coordinated physiology in filamentous cyanobacteria, including symbiotic and nitrogen-fixing systems.},
}

@article {pmid42712154,
year = {2026},
author = {Zhang, B},
title = {Assembling Topic Models: Material Political Economy and the Genealogy of an Algorithm.},
journal = {Social studies of science},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {3063127261469570},
doi = {10.1177/03063127261469570},
pmid = {42712154},
issn = {1460-3659},
abstract = {Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies-ranging from topic models to today's large language models like GPT-have rapidly entered the social sciences, reshaping methodological practice. Yet researchers often overlook the stark political-economic contrasts between academia and the AI research-industry symbiosis. Identical algorithms, once embedded in different institutional settings, acquire different meanings and standards of evaluation. This paper shows the divergence by examining topic modeling, a classical NLP technique in computational social science. Social scientists grapple with the instability of applying topic models to the same corpus, whereas in the AI industry such variability matters little, given different evaluative priorities. Through a comparative analysis of topic modeling's trajectory across AI and social science, I show how organizational contexts and goals shape the development of the same algorithms, and why framing instability as a purely technical issue is problematic in the social sciences. The findings reveal that algorithms are not simply technical tools but products of material political-economic regimes. Recognizing this, I argue that STS scholars have a vital role to play in computational social science: not only by critically examining and developing methods, but also by interrogating the material-political-economic regimes in which algorithms are enacted, and by working toward more just alternatives.},
}