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This study investigated the effects of a Lactobacillus paracaseiKL1 and Lactobacillus plantarumsubsp. plantarumZhang-LL mixed probiotic on Salmonella-caused pullorosis in chicks. A total of 120 1-day-old Nongda no.3 dwarf chicks were randomly assigned to 4 treatments, with 6 replicates of 5 birds each. The treatments were blank group, Salmonella pullorum–infected group, probiotic treatment group, and probiotic prevention (PP) group. All birds (n = 90) except those in the blank group were infected with S. pullorumon day 4. On day 14, the BW, ADG, mortality, pathology of tissue, cecum colony count, immune organ indices, cecal mucosa secretory IgA, and cytokines were investigated. The results showed that the chicks infected with S. pullorumwere depressed and their BW reduced. The PP group had the highest ADG and lowest mortality rate (0%), whereas the S. pullorum–infected group had 37.50% mortality rate and lowest ADG. Pathologic sections showed that the probiotic treatment group had minor lesions but the PP group had no lesions in the ileum, cecum, and liver. Cecal Lactobacilluscounts was the highest (P < 0.05) and Salmonellaand Escherichia colicounts were the lowest (P < 0.05) in the PP group; Compared with the S. pullorum–infected group, the thymus and spleen indexes of the probiotic treatment group increased (P < 0.05), but they were unaffected (P > 0.05) in the bursa of Fabricius, whereas in the PP group, all the immune organs were increased (P < 0.05).Cecal mucosa secretory IgA and IL-4 were the highest (P < 0.05) and tumor necrosis factor α and interferon gamma were the lowest (P < 0.05) in the PP group; In summary, the LactobacillusKL1 and L. plantarumZhang-LL mixed probiotic effectively reduced the mortality of pullorosis in chicks, promoted the growth performance, regulated the balance of the intestinal flora, improved the immune function, resisted pullorosis disease, completely prevented chicks from pullorosis after infection, and reduced economy loss in the poultry industry.

The quorum-sensing regulation of class II bacteriocin (AcH) synthesis in Lactobacillus plantarumsubsp. plantarumZhang-LL was studied. No detectable inhibition zone was formed by the supernatant of L. plantarumsubsp. plantarumZhang-LL culture in skim milk (SM) with an inoculum size of 7 × 102CFU/mL after incubation for 36 h. Hence, this culture system was used to investigate the induced regulation mechanism of bacteriocin production in L. plantarumsubsp. plantarumZhang-LL. Bacteriocin production by this bacterium in SM medium was induced by treatment with inactivated culture supernatant from de Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) medium (supernatant-MRS). Pediocin AcH encoded by the papAgene in a plasmid in strain Zhang-LL was the inducer present in supernatant-MRS. This is the first report of the role of pediocin AcH in the quorum-sensing regulation of class II bacteriocin synthesis. The mRNA of the papA, papB, papC,and papDgenes involved in bacteriocin synthesis by strain Zhang-LL in SM medium was upregulated significantly after being induced by pediocin AcH. This study offers the first evidence that the ABT40_05745, ABT40_05750,and ABT40_11975components of two-component systems in L. plantarumsubsp. plantarumZhang-LL are involved in the induced regulation of AcH bacteriocin production.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) implicate 16q22.1 locus in risk for colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the underlying oncogenic mechanisms remain unknown. Here, through comprehensive filtration, we prioritized rs7198799, a common SNP in the second intron of the CDH1, as the putative causal variant. In addition, we found an association of CRC-risk allele C of rs7198799 with elevated transcript level of biological plausible candidate gene ZFP90 via expression quantitative trait loci analysis. Mechanistically, causal variant rs7198799 resides in an enhancer element and remotely regulate ZFP90 expression by targeting the transcription factor NFATC2. Remarkably, CRISPR/Cas9-guided single-nucleotide editing demonstrated the direct effect of rs7198799 on ZFP90 expression and CRC cellular malignant phenotype. Furthermore, ZFP90 affects several oncogenic pathways, including BMP4, and promotes carcinogenesis in patients and in animal models with ZFP90 specific genetic manipulation. Taken together, these findings reveal a risk SNP-mediated long-range regulation on the NFATC2-ZFP90-BMP4 pathway underlying the initiation of CRC.

Pim-1 kinase has been implicated in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study aimed to evaluate the application of Pim-1 inhibitor (PIM-Inh) for the treatment of IBD. Mouse model of IBD was established by the treatment with trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS). The results showed that disease activity index score was significantly decreased, colon length was significantly increased while Wallace score and pathological score were significantly decreased after PIM-Inh treatment compared to TNBS model group. In addition, GATA3 and ROR-γt mRNA and protein levels significantly increased but Foxp3 mRNA and protein levels significantly decreased in mice with TNBS treatment compared to mice without TNBS treatment. Administration of PIM-Inh caused significant decreases in GATA3, T-bet and ROR-γt mRNA and protein levels as well as significant increases in FOXP3 mRNA and protein levels. In conclusion, our data suggest that Pim-1 kinase inhibitor could attenuate IBD by promoting T-cell differentiation into Foxp3+regulatory T-cells and is a promising agent for IBD therapy.

Plantaricin BM-1, a typical IIa bacteriocin, is produced by Lactobacillus plantarumBM-1, which can be isolated from a traditionally fermented Chinese meat product. This bacteriocin exhibits perfect thermal stability and broad inhibitory activity against certain foodborne pathogens. In this study, we investigated the effect of plantaricin BM-1 combined with physicochemical treatments (sodium nitrite, heat treatment, ultrahigh pressure technology) on the control of Listeria monocytogenespopulations in cooked ham. According to our results, the addition of sodium nitrite (0.075 or 0.15 mg/mL) significantly inhibited the growth of L. monocytogenesin broth, plantaricin BM-1 combined with heat treatment reduced the viable counts of L. monocytogenesmore than plantaricin BM-1 alone, and plantaricin BM-1 combined with sodium nitrite and heat treatment had the greatest antibacterial effect in broth. However, the addition of sodium nitrite or heat treatment alone did not inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenesin cooked ham. The combined application of 5,120 arbitrary units per gram (AU/g) plantaricin BM-1 and 0.075 mg/g sodium nitrite reduced L. monocytogenessignificantly more effectively (by 1.97 log CFU/g) than application of 5,120 AU/g plantaricin alone. Plantaricin BM-1 application combined with sodium nitrite and heat treatment led to viable counts of L. monocytogenesbelow the level of detection for 49 days of storage. Moreover, in cooked ham treated with 5,120 AU/g plantaricin BM-1, 0.075 mg/g sodium nitrite, and ultrahigh pressure technology (400 MPa for 5 min), viable counts of L. monocytogeneswere reduced by 5.79 log CFU/g compared with control samples at the end of storage. In conclusion, the combination of plantaricin BM-1 with physicochemical treatments had a synergistic inhibitory effect on L. monocytogenesin cooked ham.

During spontaneous fermentation of light-flavor Baijiu, the microbial diversity decreased gradually. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast predominated at the end of fermentation and showed a strong positive correlation with esters in Baijiu. Exploring the metabolic characteristics of LAB and interactions with yeast are important for revealing the mechanism of Baijiufermentation. The carbon source utilization heatmap showed that Lactobacillus acetotolerans, Lactobacillus brevis, and Lactobacillus hilgardiicould utilize various organic acids. Lactobacillus plantarumcould utilize a variety of amino acids. The utilization efficiency of different substrates was supposed to be an important factor for different LAB species dynamics during fermentation. The effects of pH, temperature and ethanol on the esterase activity of LAB were further analyzed. The results showed that pH was the most significant factor on esterase activity, and all the strains showed the highest activity at pH 7.0. Principal component analysis indicated that co-culture of LAB and Saccharomyces cerevisiaecould promote the formation of esters, and the co-culture of Lactobacillus acetotoleransor Leuconostoc mesenteroideswith Pichia anomalacould promote the production of esters and alcohols. LAB showed a weak inhibitory effect on the growth of yeast, whereas the growth of LAB was significantly inhibited by yeast in the co-culture system. The results of this work will broaden our knowledge regarding the esterase activity, carbon source utilization efficiency of LAB and interactions with predominant yeast, which will provide a theoretical basis for the dynamics of different LAB species and their effects on the flavor of Baijiu.

Two application methods were used to investigate the effect of plantaricin BM-1 on the control of Listeria monocytogenesand background spoilage bacteria in sliced vacuum-packaged cooked ham without the addition of any chemical preservatives, including sodium nitrite, during 35 days of storage at 4°C. Regardless of the application method, plantaricin BM-1 treatment (320, 640, or 1,280 arbitrary units [AU]/g of sliced cooked ham) significantly (P< 0.05) reduced the survival of L. monocytogenes(inoculated at 4 log CFU/g of sliced ham) compared with its survival in the control during the first 21 days of storage at 4°C. The inhibitory effect of plantaricin applied to the surface of the ham was significantly better than the same concentration of plantaricin incorporated into the cooked ham (P< 0.0001) during storage. Even 320 AU/g plantaricin applied to the surface exhibited greater inhibition of L. monocytogenesthan 1,280 AU/g plantaricin incorporated into the cooked ham on days 1, 14, and 28. A level of 1,280 AU/g plantaricin applied to the surface of the ham reduced L. monocytogenescounts to below the detection limit from the 1st to the 21st day of storage at 4°C. Afterwards, L. monocytogeneswas able to regrow, and the viable counts of L. monocytogenesat the end of storage reached 2.76 log CFU/g (6.11 log CFU/g lower than in the control). In the control ham, the counts of background spoilage bacteria increased gradually and surpassed the microbiological spoilage limitation level on the 21st day of storage. However, plantaricin BM-1 treatment significantly (P< 0.05) reduced the survival of background spoilage bacteria in ham compared with their survival in the control from day 21 to 35 of storage at 4°C. A level of 1,280 AU/g plantaricin incorporated into cooked ham was the most effective, reducing the count of background spoilage bacteria count from an initial 2.0 log CFU/g to 1.5 log CFU/g on day 7. This was then maintained for another 14 days and finally increased to 2.76 log CFU/g at the end of the storage at 4°C (2.85 log CFU/g lower than in the control). In conclusion, plantaricin BM-1 application inhibited the growth of L. monocytogenesand background spoilage bacteria in cooked ham during storage at 4°C and could be used as an antimicrobial additive for meat preservation.

Salmonella pullorumis a highly pathogenic bacteria in poultry industry. However, antibiotics were restricted in many countries because of the increasing risk of antibiotic resistance, Therefore, an environmental friendly and effective alternative strives to be developed. This study investigated the benefit of a probiotic-fermented herbal blend on the growth performance and gut microbiota of newborn broilers infected with S. pullorum. A total of 120 one-day-old dwarf male chicks were randomly allotted to 4 treatment groups, each including 5 replicates of 6 chicks: negative control (NC), positive control (PC), herbal blend (HB), and probiotic-fermented herbal blend (PF). All birds (n = 90), except for those in the NC, were infected with S. pullorum(1.69 × 108CFU) on day 1. On day 11, body weight (BW), mortality, tissue pathology, cecal colony counts, immune organ indices, cecal mucosa secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) concentrations, and cecal cytokine mRNA expression levels were investigated. No mortality was observed after the PF treatment, and less pathological condition was in the ileum, cecum, and liver of HB and PF. BW, average daily gain and average daily feed intake were significant higher in the HB group compared to the PC and were the highest in the PF (P< 0.05). HB treatment significantly increased cecal populations of Lactobacilli, and decreased cecal populations of Escherichia coliand Salmonella, but results were more pronounced in the PF group (P< 0.05). Both HB and PF treatments increased cecal mucosa sIgA compared with the PC (P< 0.05). Tumor necrosis factor alpha and interferon gamma were lowest (P< 0.05) and interleukin 4 was the highest (P< 0.05) in PF, which exhibited similar levels to the NC group. PF treatment significantly improved the development of the thymus and bursa in S. pullorum-infected chicks. In conclusion, PF treatment prevented death, improved growth performance, regulated intestinal flora and enhanced immune ability of in S. pullorum-infected with chicks.

ABSTRACTChronic inflammation and gut microbiota dysbiosis are risk factors for colorectal cancer. In clinical practice, patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a greatly increased risk of developing colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC). However, the underlying mechanism of the initiation of CAC remains unknown. Systematic analyses using an existing genome-wide association study (GWAS) and conditional deletion of Zfp90(encoding zinc finger protein 90 homolog) in a CAC mouse model indicated that Zfp90is a putative oncogene in CAC development.Strikingly, depletion of the gut microbiota eliminated the tumorigenic effect of Zfp90in the CAC mouse model. Moreover, fecal microbiota transplantation demonstrated that Zfp90promoted CAC dependent on the gut microbiota. Analysis of 16s rDNA sequences in fecal specimens from the CAC mouse model allowed us to speculate that a Prevotella copri-defined microbiota might mediate the oncogenic role of Zfp90in the development of CAC. Mechanistic studies revealed Zfp90accelerated CAC development through the TLR4-PI3K-AKT-NF-κB pathway. Our findings revealed the crucial role of the Zfp90-microbiota-NF-κB axis in creating a tumor-promoting environment and suggested therapeutic targets for CAC prevention and treatment.