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Latest Webinar: FEMS Microbiology Ecology on Microbial Life Strategies - Microbial communities vary greatly as microbes adopt very different niches. Functional and physiological traits are underlying drivers of niche differentiation, while feeding patterns by eukaryotic predators also have a important role to play on the soil microbiota. Yet, microbial communities can have dramatically different compositions even among similar environments. This webinar will dive into the complex topic of microbial life strategies.

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Promoting new ideas

Outstanding reviews from leading experts

Early season soil microbiome best predicts wheat grain quality

Previous studies have shown that it is possible to accurately predict wheat grain quality and yields using microbial indicators. However, it is uncertain what the best timing for sampling is. For optimal usefulness of this modeling approach, microbial indicators from samples taken early in the season should have the best predictive power. Here, the authors sampled a field every two weeks across a single growing season and measured a wide array of microbial parameters to find the moment when the microbial predictive power for wheat grain baking quality is highest.

Numan Ibne Asad, Xiao-Bo Wang, Jessica Dozois, Hamed Azarbad, Philippe Constant, Etienne Yergeau

Anaerobic degradation of thiobencarb by mixed culture of isolated bacteria

Thiobencarb is a highly effective thiocarbamate herbicide frequently used in rice fields globally. In this study, three bacterial strains (Dechloromonas sp. Th1, Thauera sp. Th2, and Azoarcus sp. Th3) isolated from immobilized biomass were analyzed for thiobencarb degradation under anaerobic conditions, with nitrate serving as an electron acceptor. The experimental results showed that thiobencarb was transformed by Dechloromonas sp. Th1 and Thauera sp. Th2 to produce high concentrations of metabolites in a mineral medium. This study showed the degradation mechanisms in bacteria and the synergistic process in the degradation of thiobencarb and its metabolites.

Ha Danh Duc

In situ, in vivo, and in vitro approaches for studying AMR plasmid conjugation in the gut microbiome

The spread of AMR is perpetuated by transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) between bacteria, notably those encoded by conjugative plasmids. The human gut microbiome is a known ‘melting pot’ for plasmid conjugation, with ARG transfer in this environment widely documented. This review describes the use and potential of three approaches to studying conjugation in the human gut: observation of in situ events in hospitalized patients, modelling of the microbiome in vivo predominantly in rodent models, and the use of in vitro models of various complexities.

Celia Kessler, Jingping Hou, Onalenna Neo, Michelle M C Buckner

People tend to forget that fungi are microorganisms too. Often only associated with their seasonal, ephemeral manifestations (mushrooms), fungi are in fact an extremely vast and still rather mysterious kingdom.

In this #FEMSmicroBlog post, Corrado Nai presents seven new fungi discovered in 2022 – just a minuscule fraction of the astounding fungal diversity out there. #FascinatingMicrobes

Next generation host pathogen research

The yeast community journal 

Out Now: Virtual Special Issue on Climate Change

Role of Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α in host defense during pneumococcal pneumonia

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)1α is a transcription factor involved in cellular metabolism and regulation of immune cell effector functions. Here, the authors studied the role of HIF1α in myeloid cells during pneumonia caused by the major causative pathogen, Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spneu). Mice deficient for HIF1α in myeloid cells were generated to study the in vitro responsiveness of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and alveolar macrophages (AMs) to the Gram-positive bacterial wall component lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and heat-killed Spneu, and the in vivo host response after infection with Spneu via the airways.These data suggest that myeloid HIF1α is dispensable for the host defense during pneumococcal pneumonia.

Liza Pereverzeva, Natasja A Otto, Hessel Peters-Sengers, Joris J T H Roelofs, Alex F de Vos, Tom van der Poll

Application of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe in human nutrition

Fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe (S. pombe) is renowned as a powerful genetic model for deciphering cellular and molecular biological phenomena, including cell division, chromosomal events, stress responses, and human carcinogenesis. Traditionally, Africans use S. pombe to ferment the beer called ‘Pombe’, which continues to be consumed in many parts of Africa. This review will explore three specific facets of human nutrition where S. pombe has made a significant impact: namely, in wine fermentation, animal husbandry and neutraceutical supplementation coenzyme Q10 production.

Ee Sin Chen

Virtual Special Issue on Microbes in a Changing Climate

Climate change is having a major impact around the world and there is thus considerable interest in understanding the roles and responses of microbes in these rapidly changing environments. This virtual special issue highlights recent articles in FEMS Microbiology Ecology that explore microbes in a changing climate.

These articles take us to different biomes across the world, with studies charactering microbial responses, metabolic adaptations of microbial communities and their impacts on biogeochemical cycles, and the effect on symbioses and the interactions of complex microbial assemblages.

Associated with this Virtual Issue is our webinar on Microbial Ecology in a Changing Climate