The Eukaryotic Pathogen, Vector and Host Informatics Resource (VEuPathDB, https://veupathdb.org) represents the 2019 merger of VectorBase with the EuPathDB projects. As a Bioinformatics Resource Center funded by the National Institutes of Health, with additional support from the Welllcome Trust, VEuPathDB supports >500 organisms comprising invertebrate vectors, eukaryotic pathogens (protists and fungi) and relevant free-living or non-pathogenic species or hosts. Designed to empower researchers with access to Omics data and bioinformatic analyses, VEuPathDB projects integrate >1700 pre-analysed datasets (and associated metadata) with advanced search capabilities, visualizations, and analysis tools in a graphic interface. Diverse data types are analysed with standardized workflows including an in-house OrthoMCL algorithm for predicting orthology. Comparisons are easily made across datasets, data types and organisms in this unique data mining platform. A new site-wide search facilitates access for both experienced and novice users. Upgraded infrastructure and workflows support numerous updates to the web interface, tools, searches and strategies, and Galaxy workspace where users can privately analyse their own data. Forthcoming upgrades include cloud-ready application architecture, expanded support for the Galaxy workspace, tools for interrogating host-pathogen interactions, and improved interactions with affiliated databases (ClinEpiDB, MicrobiomeDB) and other scientific resources, and increased interoperability with the Bacterial & Viral BRC.

The family Erythrobacteraceae , belonging to the order Sphingomonadales , class Alphaproteobacteria , is globally distributed in various environments. Currently, this family consist of seven genera: Altererythrobacter , Croceibacterium , Croceicoccus , Erythrobacter , Erythromicrobium , Porphyrobacter and Qipengyuania . As more species are identified, the taxonomic status of the family Erythrobacteraceae should be revised at the genomic level because of its polyphyletic nature evident from 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Phylogenomic reconstruction based on 288 single-copy orthologous clusters led to the identification of three separate clades. Pairwise comparisons of average nucleotide identity, average amino acid identity (AAI), percentage of conserved protein and evolutionary distance indicated that AAI and evolutionary distance had the highest correlation. Thresholds for genera boundaries were proposed as 70 % and 0.4 for AAI and evolutionary distance, respectively. Based on the phylo-genomic and genomic similarity analysis, the three clades were classified into 16 genera, including 11 novel ones, for which the names Alteraurantiacibacter, Altericroceibacterium, Alteriqipengyuania, Alteripontixanthobacter, Aurantiacibacter, Paraurantiacibacter, Parerythrobacter, Parapontixanthobacter, Pelagerythrobacter, Tsuneonella and Pontixanthobacter are proposed. We reclassified all species of Erythromicrobium and Porphyrobacter as species of Erythrobacter . This study is the first genomic-based study of the family Erythrobacteraceae , and will contribute to further insights into the evolution of this family.

Endophytic bacteria associated with medicinal plants possess unique strategies that enhance growth and suvival of host plants, many of which are mediated by distinctive secondary metabolites. These bacteria and their secondary metabolites are important subjects for both basic and applied research aimed at sustainable agriculture. In the present study, 114 endophytic strains isolated from the wild ethnomedicinal plant Glycyrrhiza uralensis (licorice) were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activities against common fungal pathogens of tomato (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp., Fulvia fulva, Alternaria solani), cotton (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Vesinfectum, Verticillium dahliae), pomegranite (Ceratocystis fimbriata), Cymbidinium (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides), and Tsao-ko (Pestalotiopsis microspora and Fusarium graminearum) and the common bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella enteritidis, and Escherichia coli. Several Bacillus strains, particularly Bacillus atrophaeus and Bacillus mojavensis, had a broad spectrum of antifungal and antibacterial activity. A total of 16 strains, selected based on broad antimicrobial activity, were shown to contain at least one putative secondary metabolite-encoding gene (i.e., polyketide synthase or non-ribosomal peptide synthetase) and/or one lytic enzyme (i.e., protease, cellulase, lipase, chitinase), which may be important mediators of antagonistic activity against pathogens. Five strains, representing Bacillus atrophaeus and Bacillus mojavensis, were selected for plant growth chamber experiments based on strong in vitro antifungal activities. All five strains significantly reduced disease severity in Arabidopsis thaliana plants challenged with V. dahlia infection. Gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry analysis of cell-free extracts of Bacillus atrophaeus strain XEGI50 showed that at least 13 compounds were produced only during co-cultivation with V. dahlia, including putative compounds known to have antimicrobial activity, such as 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, bis (2-methylpropyl) ester; 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)-, methyl ester; 9-octadecenoic acid, methyl ester, (E)-; and decanedioic acid, bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report that bacteria isolated from G. uralensis have biocontrol abilities. Our findings provide new insights into the antimicrobial activities of natural endophytes, particularly B. atrophaeus, and suggest this species may a promising candidate as a biocontrol agent to confer resistance to Verticillium wilt disease and other phytopathogens in cotton and other crops.

Camellia is a well-known ornamental flower native to Southeast of Asia, including regions such as Japan, Korea and South China. However, most species in the genus Camellia are cold sensitive. To elucidate the cold stress responses in camellia plants, we carried out deep transcriptome sequencing of ‘Jiangxue’, a cold-tolerant cultivar of Camellia japonica, and approximately 1,006 million clean reads were generated using Illumina sequencing technology. The assembly of the clean reads produced 367,620 transcripts, including 207,592 unigenes. Overall, 28,038 differentially expressed genes were identified during cold acclimation. Detailed elucidation of responses of transcription factors, protein kinases and plant hormone signalling-related genes described the interplay of signal that allowed the plant to fine-tune cold stress responses. On the basis of global gene regulation of unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis- and jasmonic acid biosynthesis-related genes, unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis and jasmonic acid biosynthesis pathways were deduced to be involved in the low temperature responses in C. japonica. These results were supported by the determination of the fatty acid composition and jasmonic acid content. Our results provide insights into the genetic and molecular basis of the responses to cold acclimation in camellia plants.

To develop safe and cheap thrombolytic agents, a fibrinolytic enzyme productive strain of LSSE-62 was isolated from Chinese soybean paste. This strain was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens by 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Nucleotide and amino acid sequence analysis showed that this fibrinolytic enzyme was identical to subtilisin DJ-4. Chickpeas were used as the substrate for fibrinolytic enzyme production from B. amyloliquefaciens in solid-state fermentation. Under the optimized conditions (34 °C and 50% initial moisture content), the fibrinolytic activity of fermented chickpeas reached 39.28 fibrin degradation units (FU)/g. Additionally, the fermented chickpeas showed anticoagulant activity, and the purified anticoagulant component showed higher anticoagulant activity than heparin sodium. After fermentation, the total phenolic and total flavonoid contents increased by 222 and 71%, respectively, and then the antioxidant activities were improved significantly. This study provided a novel method for the preparation of multifunctional food of chickpeas or raw materials for the preparation of functional food additives and potential drugs.

eThe members of the phylum Bacteroidetes are recognized as some of the most important specialists for the degradation of polysaccharides. However, in contrast to research on Bacteroidetes in the human gut, research on polysaccharide degradation by marine Bacteroidetes is still rare. The genus Algibacter belongs to the Flavobacteriaceae family of the Bacteroidetes, and most species in this genus are isolated from or near the habitat of algae, indicating a preference for the complex polysaccharides of algae. In this work, a novel brown-seaweed-degrading strain designated HZ22 was isolated from the surface of a brown seaweed (Laminaria japonica). On the basis of its physiological, chemotaxonomic, and genotypic characteristics, it is proposed that strain HZ22 represents a novel species in the genus Algibacter with the proposed name Algibacter alginolytica sp. nov. The genome of strain HZ22, the type strain of this species, harbors 3,371 coding sequences (CDSs) and 255 carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), including 104 glycoside hydrolases (GHs) and 18 polysaccharide lyases (PLs); this appears to be the highest proportion of CAZymes (ϳ7.5%) among the reported strains in the class Flavobacteria. Seventeen polysaccharide utilization loci (PUL) are predicted to be specific for marine polysaccharides, especially algal polysaccharides from red, green, and brown seaweeds. In particular, PUL N is predicted to be specific for alginate. Taking these findings together with the results of assays of crude alginate lyases, we prove that strain HZ22 T can completely degrade alginate. This work reveals that strain HZ22 T has good potential for the degradation of algal polysaccharides and that the structure and related mechanism of PUL in strain HZ22T are worth further research. Members of the phylum Bacteroidetes, formerly also known as the Cytophaga-Flavobacteria-Bacteroides cluster, constitute one of the major groups of marine heterotrophic bacterioplankton (1, 2). They have been found in various marine habitats, including coastal sediments (3), coastal waters (4, 5), hydrothermal vents (6, 7), and open ocean waters (8-10). In previous studies, marine Bacteroidetes have been reported as important contributors to the utilization of biopolymers such as polysaccharides and proteins (2,(11)(12)(13)(14). As a result, marine Bacteroidetes are assumed to play an important role in the degradation of algae. Marine phytoplankton have been estimated to be responsible for about 50% of global net primary production (15). Polysaccharides constitute a substantial fraction of the primary production from marine phytoplankton. Algae can be an important source of polysaccharides. Brown seaweeds, a traditional and plentiful mariculture product in East Asia, make up a large proportion of the total biomass of algae and synthesize a wide variety of compounds, such as alginate, fucoidan, laminarin, and mannitol (16). Among these compounds, alginate has been assumed to be a potential source for bioethanol production (17-19).The genus Algibacter belongs...

The isolation and structure elucidation of two cyanobacterial debromoaplysiatoxin (DAT) analogues, neo-debromoaplysiatoxin A (1) and neo-debromoaplysiatoxin B (2), were reported and found to possess 6/10/6 and 6/6/6 fused-ring systems, respectively, which are rarely seen among aplysiatoxins. Both compounds exhibited potent blocking activity against Kv1.5 with IC values of 6.94 ± 0.26 and 0.30 ± 0.05 μM, respectively. These findings suggest the potential of aplysiatoxin analogues in modulating ionic channels and also provide links between the DAT target, protein kinase C, and cell regulation.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-like, motile by peritrichous flagella and moderately halophilic bacterium, designated strain B6 T , was isolated a deep-sea sediment collected from the South Atlantic Ocean. The isolate grew with 0.5-15 % (w/v) NaCl, at 4-37 6C and pH 5.0-8.5 and showed a high tolerance to zinc, manganese, cobalt and copper ions. The major fatty acids were C 16 : 0 , C 19 : 0 cyclo v8c, C 12 : 0 3-OH and C 12 : 0 . The predominant ubiquinone was Q-9. The genomic DNA G+C content was 61.1 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene comparisons indicated that strain B6T belonged to the genus Halomonas, and the closest relative was Halomonas xinjiangensis TRM 0175 T (96.1 %). Based upon the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genetic data, strain B6 T represents a novel species from the genus Halomonas, for which the name Halomonas zincidurans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is B6 T (5CGMCC T 5JCM 18472 T ).The genus Halomonas proposed by Vreeland et al. (1980) belongs to the family Halomonadaceae, which contains nine additional genera: Aidingimonas, Carnimonas, Chromohalobacter, Cobetia, Halotalea, Kushneria, Modicisalibacter, Salinicola and Zymobacter. At the time of writing, Halomonas was the largest genus within this family, comprised of 75 species with validly published names (http://www.bacterio. net/index.html.). Most of these were isolated from saline environments, such as salterns Jeon et al., 2007; González-Domenech et al., 2008a;Arenas et al., 2009;Qu et al., 2011;Amjres et al., 2011;Wang et al., 2012), saline soils (Wang et al., 2007a(Wang et al., , b, 2008b González-Domenech et al., 2008bLi et al., 2008;Llamas et al., 2011;Zhao et al., 2012;Luque et al., 2012;Poli et al., 2013), a saline well (Xu et al., 2007), a salt pool (Romano et al., 2006), saline lakes (Poli et al., 2007;Romano et al., 2007; Wang et al., 2008a; Guan et al., 2010; Guzmán et al., 2010;Menes et al., 2011), a fermented seafood (Kim et al., 2010b); marine animals (Chen et al., 2009); or a renal dialysis machine (Kim et al., 2010a). Here, we present a polyphasic study describing a novel strain of a member of the genus Halomonas isolated from a sediment sample collected from the deep-sea environment.The deep-sea sediment samples were collected from the South Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge (13.60 u S 14.52 u W) at a depth of 2950 m by a TV grab bucket operated from the vessel Da Yang Yi Hao. Aboard the ship, an approximately 100 mg sediment subsample was incubated for 1 h in marine broth 2216 medium (MB; BD). The suspension was plated on marine agar 2216 (MA; BD) containing 20 mM Mn 2+ using the tenfold dilution-plating technique. After 30 days of aerobic incubation at 28 u C, one creamcoloured colony, designed B6 T , was picked. The isolate was maintained as a glycerol suspension (30 %, v/v) at 240 u C until debarkation. Subsequently strain B6T was purified by repeated restreaking; purity was confirmed by the uniformity of cell morphology.The optimal conditions for growth were determined in HM medium with differ...