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Metal-resistant bacteria can reduce Cd accumulation in plants, but mechanisms underlying this effect are poorly understood. In this study, a highly effective Cd-resistant WRS8 strain was obtained from the rhizoshere soil of Triticum aestivum L. Yangmai-13 and identified as Pseudomonas taiwanensis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Strain WRS8 was investigated for its effects on Cd availability and wheat tissue Cd contents and the related mechanisms using a hydroponic culture experiment. In strain WRS8-inoculated solution, the Cd concentration reduced and the pH and cell-adsorbed Cd increased with time. Strain WRS8 increased the wheat root and above-ground tissue dry weights by 11–36% compared to the controls. In strain WRS8-inoculated wheat plants, the Cd contents of the roots and above-ground tissues decreased by 78–85% and 88–94% and the Cd bioconcentration and translocation factors decreased by 78–85% and 46–58% at days 3 and 10, respectively, compared with the controls. The root surface-adsorbed Cd contents increased by 99–121% in the WRS8 strain-inoculated wheat plants at days 3 and 10 compared to the controls. Furthermore, strain WRS8 colonized the wheat root surfaces and interiors and reduced the expression levels of the LCT1 and HMA2 genes involved in Cd accumulation and transport in wheat roots by 46% and 30%, respectively, compared to the controls. In the Cd-contaminated soils, strain WRS8 significantly reduced the available Cd content by 20–24% and increased the pH compared to the controls. These findings showed the important role of strain WRS8 in reducing solution and soil Cd availability and suggested that strain WRS8 reduced the wheat tissue Cd accumulation by increasing root surface Cd adsorption and decreasing wheat root Cd uptake and transport-related gene expression and may provide a new and effective wheat rhizobacteria-enhanced approach for reducing wheat Cd uptake in Cd-polluted environments. Image 1 • Cd-resistant Pseudomonas taiwanensis WRS8 was obtained from wheat rhizosphere soil. • WRS8 immobilized solution Cd by increasing pH and cell and floccules adsorption. • WRS8 significantly increased the biomass and reduced Cd uptake of wheat seedlings. • WRS8 increased wheat root surface-adsorbed Cd and reduced Cd translocation. • WRS8 reduced expression of Cd uptake and transport-related genes in wheat roots. Strain WRS8 decreased wheat tissue Cd uptake through increasing root surface Cd adsorption and decreasing root Cd accumulation and transport-related gene expression levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nanjing Ming city wall, one of the important historic heritages in China, has greatly suffered weathering. Microbes play an important role in the weathering of historic buildings. However, little is known about the microbial community inhabiting naturally weathered brick minerals and their roles in the mineral weathering. To examine the associations between microorganisms and brick weathering process, we compare the phylogenetic diversity, abundance, community structure, and specific functional groups of bacteria existing in weathered bricks by using a coupled approach involving cultivation-independent analysis of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) as well as cultivation-based analysis of Si-releasing bacteria. DGGE and sequence analyses show that the bacterial communities were different along a weathering gradient and the abundance of bacterial communities positively and significantly correlates with the extent of brick weathering. Laboratory brick mineral dissolution experiments indicate that bacteria isolated from the surfaces of weathered brick were very effective in enhancing brick dissolution. Phylogenetic analyses show that the weathered bricks were inhabited by specific functional groups of bacteria (Bacillus, Massillia, Brevibacillus, Glacialice, Acinetobacter, Brachysporum, and Achromobacter) that contribute to the brick weathering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hydroponic culture experiment was performed to investigate the effects of endophytic Bacillus megaterium H3 on the plant biomass, Cd accumulation and tolerance of hybrid pennisetum, and the mechanisms involved in the different levels of Cd-contaminated aquatic environments. Strain H3 significantly increased the plant growth (ranging from 13 to 71 %) and total Cd uptake (ranging from 41 to 160 %) but decreased Cd translocation factors of hybrid pennisetum treated with 0-20 μM Cd compared with the controls. Furthermore, most of Cd (71-77 %) was accumulated in the roots of the bacterial-inoculated hybrid pennisetum. Notably, strain H3 could significantly increase the production of oxalic and propanedioic acids (ranging from 18 to 188 %) but decrease the production of phytochelatins of hybrid pennisetum compared to the controls under different levels of Cd stress. The live bacterial-induced increase in organic acid production and decrease in phytochelatins production by hybrid pennisetum might be responsible for the increased plant growth, root Cd accumulation, and Cd toxicity alleviation of the plant under different levels of Cd stress. The results highlight that hybrid pennisetum plus endophytic B. megaterium H3 may be utilized for biomass production and Cd phytostabilization of the plant in the different levels of Cd-contaminated aquatic environments.