OBJECTIVEIn this review, to illustrate the resistance mechanism for pathogen insult, we discussed the role of the intestinal microbiome in promoting resistance to local gastrointestinal tract infections and to respiratory tract infections.

DATA SOURCESThe review was based on data obtained from the published research articles.

STUDY SELECTIONA total of 49 original articles were selected in accordance with our main objective to illustrate the resistance mechanism(s) by which commensal microbiota can contribute to host defense against local and systemic infections.

RESULTSDiverse microorganisms colonize human environmentally exposed surfaces such as skin, respiratory tract, and gastrointestinal tract. Co-evolution has resulted in these microbes with extensive and diverse impacts on multiple aspects of host biological functions. During the last decade, high-throughput sequencing technology developed has been applied to study commensal microbiota and their impact on host biological functions. By using pathogen recognition receptors pathway and nucleotide binding oligomerization domain-like receptors pathway, the commensal microbiome promotes resistance to local and systemic infections, respectively. To protect against the local infections, the microbiome functions contain the following: the competing for sites of colonization, direct production of inhibition molecules or depletion of nutrients needed for pathogens, and priming immune defenses against pathogen insult. At the same time, with the purpose to maintain homeostasis, the commensal bacteria can program systemic signals toward not only local tissue but also distal tissue to modify their function for infections accordingly.

CONCLUSIONSCommensal bacteria play an essential role in protecting against infections, shaping and regulating immune responses, and maintaining host immune homeostasis.

Disease Resistance ; Humans ; Infection ; microbiology ; Intestines ; microbiology ; Symbiosis ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the chemical constituents of an endophytic fungus, F-31, from Annona muricata and search antitumor natural products.

METHODAfter scaling up, the fermentation broth and mycelia were extracted by macroporous resin and chromatographied by silica gel column, Sephadex LH-20 gel column and semi-preparative HPLC. The structures of compounds were determined by the means of extensive spectroscopic data The activity of the compounds were evaluated through MTT assay.

RESULTSix compounds were isolated from the fermentation broth and mycelia of this fungus, their structures were identified as 5-(3-hydroxybutyl)furan-2(5H)-one(1), chloranthalactone E(2), 5, 7-dimethyl-6-hydroxycoumarin(3), 1, 2, 4-triazole-(1'R, 2'R, 3'R, 4'R)-nucleosides(4), L-tryptophan(5), L-phenylalanine(6). The in vitro pharmalogical evaluation results displayed that the above compounds exhibited no inhibitory effects on the proliferation of six tumor cell lines (HCT-8, Bel-7402, BGC-823, A549, A2780 and MCF-7).

CONCLUSIONAmong these obtained compounds, compound 1 was a new compound.

Annona ; microbiology ; physiology ; Ascomycota ; chemistry ; physiology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Fermentation ; Humans ; Symbiosis

OBJECTIVETo investigate the varieties of entophytes in different parts of Pinellia ternata.

METHODThe solidified plates were applied for the isolation of the endophytes, and three methods were used for the identification of endophytic fungi.

RESULTEighty four strains of the entophytes were isolated from the P. ternata collected from 3 habitations. Endophytic fungi were morphologically identified belonging to 15 genera, 4 families.

CONCLUSIONIt indicated that the entophytes in P. ternata were diversity and rich, and there were some differences at quantity and species in different organs of P. ternata.

Biodiversity ; Fungi ; classification ; isolation & purification ; physiology ; Phylogeny ; Pinellia ; microbiology ; physiology ; Symbiosis

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of endophytic fungal elicitors on the growth and atractylodin accumulation of cell suspension cultures of Atractylodes lancea.

METHODThe endophytic fungal elicitors were added to the medium with different concentrations and culture period. Their effects on biomass, atractylodin content and relevant enzyme activities in suspension cultured cells were studied.

RESULTThe cell growth was not affected by elicitors at low concentration and obviously inhibited at high concentration. Inhibition rate reached 46.7% by 100 mg L(-1) elicitor. In addition, six strains from A. lancea, among which Rhizoctonia SP1 activity was higher, had distinctly promoted the accumulation of atractylodin. Atractylodin biosynthesis was notably promoted by 20-60 mg L(-1) Rhizoctonia SP1 elicitor. When 40 mg L(-1) Rhizoctonia SP1 elicitor was added in the medium at the 12 day, the maximum content of atractylodin was 28.06 microg L(-1) at the 21 day with 48.3% higher than that of the control and PPO, POD and CAT activities remarkably increased.

CONCLUSIONAdding the endophytic elicitors to the medium is able to be effective approaches to enhance atractylodin yield in the suspension culture cell of A. lancea.

Atractylodes ; growth & development ; microbiology ; physiology ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cells, Cultured ; Fungi ; physiology ; Furans ; metabolism ; Symbiosis

Applications of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in research of medicinal plant cultivation are increased in recent years. Medicinal plants habitat is complicated and many inclusions are in root, however crop habitat is simple and few inclusions in root. So appraisal methods and key technologies about the symbiotic system of crop and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can't completely suitable for the symbiotic system of medicinal plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. This article discuss the appraisal methods and key technologies about the symbiotic system of medicinal plant and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from the isolation and identification of arbuscular mycorrhiza, and the appraisal of colonization intensity. This article provides guidance for application research of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in cultivation of medicinal plants.
Agriculture ; methods ; Fungi ; physiology ; Mycorrhizae ; physiology ; Plant Roots ; microbiology ; physiology ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development ; microbiology ; physiology ; Soil Microbiology ; Symbiosis

In previous studies, four endophytic fungi were isolated from different swollen roots of Rehmannia glutinosa. It's thought that Ceratobasidium sp. , one of the discovered endophytic fingi, was a major promoter for the growth of the roots. In this study, symbiotic experiments were performed to measure the effects of different endophytic fingi cultivated with R. glutinosa. The results showed that the R. glutinosa had significant increases in the size of roots and amount of chlorophyll cultivated with Ceratobasidium sp. And it was tested that indoleacetic acid secreted by Ceratobasidium sp. maybe the effective factor for the promotion of the growth.
Fungi ; metabolism ; physiology ; Indoleacetic Acids ; metabolism ; Plant Roots ; growth & development ; microbiology ; Rehmannia ; growth & development ; microbiology ; Symbiosis ; physiology

In order to obtain the fungicides with minimal impact on efficiency of mycorrhizal symbiosis, the effect of five fungicides including polyoxins, jinggangmycins, thiophanate methylate, chlorothalonil and carbendazim on the growth of medicinal plant and efficiency of mycorrhizal symbiosis were studied. Pot cultured Glycyrrhiza uralensis was treated with different fungicides with the concentration that commonly used in the field. 60 d after treated with fungicides, infection rate, infection density, biomass indexes, photosyn- thetic index and the content of active component were measured. Experimental results showed that carbendazim had the strongest inhibition on mycorrhizal symbiosis effect. Carbendazim significantly inhibited the mycorrhizal infection rate, significantly suppressed the actual photosynthetic efficiency of G. uralensis and the most indicators of biomass. Polyoxins showed the lowest inhibiting affection. Polyoxins had no significant effect on mycorrhizal infection rate, the actual photosynthetic efficiency of G. uralensis and the most indicators of biomass. The other three fungicides also had an inhibitory effect on efficiency of mycorrhizal symbiosis, and the inhibition degrees were all between polyoxins's and carbendazim's. The author considered that fungicide's inhibition degree on mycorrhizal effect might be related with the species of fungicides, so the author suggested that the farmer should try to choose bio-fungicides like polyoxins.
Fungi ; drug effects ; growth & development ; physiology ; Fungicides, Industrial ; pharmacology ; Glycyrrhiza uralensis ; chemistry ; growth & development ; microbiology ; physiology ; Mycorrhizae ; drug effects ; growth & development ; physiology ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; Symbiosis ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of four species of endophytic fungi on the growth and polysaccharide and alkaloid contents of cultured Dendrobium nobile.

METHODEach fungal strain was cultured together with D. nobile, and the plant weight as well as the polysaccharide and alkaloid contents were measured.

RESULTCompared with the control group, Mycena sp. (MF23) was found to decrease the fresh weight of D. nobile by 24.9% (P < 0.01). All four species of fungi have no effect on the dry weight of this plant. On the other hand, Epulorhiza sp. (MF18) and MF23 could increase the percent of dry weight of seedlings (P < 0.05). Epulorhiza sp. (MF15) and MF24 increased the number of aerial roots by 4.25 times and 4.14 times respectively (P < 0.01). MF23 decreased the numbers of basal roots by 46.5% (P < 0.01). MF15, MF18, MF23 and MF24 were shown to increase the content of polysacchride by 153.4%, 52.1%, 18.5% and 76.7%, respectively. MF23 also increased the content of total alkaloid by 18.3%.

CONCLUSIONEndophytic fungi cultured together with D. nobile could affect the growth of this plant; they also increase total alkaloid and polysaccharide contents.

Agaricales ; physiology ; Alkaloids ; analysis ; Basidiomycota ; physiology ; Culture Media ; Culture Techniques ; Dendrobium ; chemistry ; growth & development ; microbiology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; growth & development ; microbiology ; Polysaccharides ; analysis ; Symbiosis ; physiology

OBJECTIVEThe suspension-cultured protocorms of Dendrobium candidum were transplanted on the solid culture medium for studying the factors influencing their differentiation and growth.

METHODThe growth and differentiation of protocorms were detected when different base-media, plant phytohormones, carbohydrates and pH were applied.

RESULT AND CONCLUSIONThe diluted MS medium promotes the growth of protocorms but inhibit differentiation. The phytohormone NAA, IAA, IBA and GA are helpful to the growth and differentiation of protocorms, however, the low pH values and presence of autoclaved fungi have suppressive effects on protocorms. The fungi also induce morphological variation of protocorms.

Carbohydrates ; pharmacology ; Culture Media ; Dendrobium ; growth & development ; Fungi ; physiology ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Plant Growth Regulators ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development ; Symbiosis ; physiology ; Tissue Culture Techniques

We isolated 30 Trichomonas vaginalis for the PCR detection from the gynecological outpatients in the Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University using the specific 16s rDNA primers of Mycoplasma hominis. The results showed that there were 25 cases of Mycoplasma hominis infection, with the infection rate of 83.33%. This gave a clew that the symbiosis of Trichomonas vaginalis with Mycoplasma hominis may be of certain generality in China. We sequenced the ferredoxin gene of 10 Trichomonas vaginalis where 5 Mycoplasma hominis were positive and five negative, and found that the ferredoxin (Fd) gene of the 10 Trichomonas vaginalis were exactly the same. But compared to the genes in the GenBank, a comparative analysis of the gene revealed that there were 3 more ctg bases at the 200th position of encoding leucine, but this did not lead to changes in reading frame. The gene homology was 99%.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Base Sequence ; Female ; Ferredoxins ; genetics ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mycoplasma hominis ; genetics ; physiology ; Symbiosis ; genetics ; Trichomonas vaginalis ; genetics ; physiology