A nitrogen-fixing bacterium, designated strain S27^T, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of Sophora japonica. Phylogenetic analysis based on a fragment of the nifH gene and the full-length 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain S27^T is a member of the genus Paenibacillus. High levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity were found between strain S27^T and Paenibacillus durus DSM 1735^T (97.3 %), Paenibacillus sabinae DSM 17841^T (96.9 %), Paenibacillus forsythiae DSM 17842^T (96.7 %) and Paenibacillus zanthoxyli DSM 18202^T (96.6 %). However, DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain S27^T and the four type strains were 37.64 %, 23.12 %, 25.6 % and 34.99 %, respectively. Levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strain S27^T and the type strains of other recognized members of the genus Paenibacillus were below 96.5 %. The DNA G+C content of strain S27^T was 46.0 mol%. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C_15 : 0, C_16 : 0 and iso-C_16 : 0. The major isoprenoid quinone was MK-7. On the basis of its phenotypic characteristics and DNA–DNA hybridization results, strain S27^T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus sophorae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is S27^T ( = CGMCC 1.10238^T = DSM 23020^T).

Nod Factor induces an atypical receptor kinase, RINRK1, which specifically regulates infection thread formation in Lotus japonicus.

During the acute stroke phase, neutrophils from the peripheral blood are first to arrive in the ischemic brain, which then attracts other immune cells that exacerbate neuroinflammation in the ischemic tissue. Myosin1f was reported to specifically mediate neutrophil migration in the peripheral tissues, but whether it plays a critical role in the neuroinflammatory response after ischemic stroke remains unknown. In this study, we aim to test the hypothesis that myosin1f-mediated neutrophil migration is critical in acute neuroinflammation induced by ischemic stroke. Myosin1f −/− and wild type (WT) mice were subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). To determine which cells determine myosin1f’s transmigration ability, bone marrow transplantation, neutrophil depletion, and adoptive neutrophil transfer were performed. The myosin1f RNA level was assessed in peripheral neutrophils by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at 1 day and 3 days after stroke. The infiltrating neutrophils were quantified by immunofluorescence staining and FACS at 72 h after reperfusion. The myosin1f −/− mice had significantly smaller infarctions than the myosin1f +/+ mice. Bone marrow transplantation from myosin1f −/− mice to recipient mice also had smaller infarctions compared to animals receiving bone marrow from myosin1f +/+ mice. By performing neutrophil depletion and adoptive transfer, we confirmed that myosin1f acts mainly in circulating neutrophils. RT-PCR showed that myosin1f gene expression was increased in the circulating blood neutrophils at 3 days after ischemia. The confocal immunostaining and FACS results confirmed that fewer neutrophils infiltrated into the ischemic brain in myosin1f −/− mice compared to WT mice. Myosin1f determines neutrophil migration into the ischemic hemisphere, which directly affects stroke outcome.

To advance synthetic biology in the photosynthetic cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 (Syn6803), we constructed a shuttle vector with some versatile features. This shuttle vector, pSCB-YFP, consists of a putative replicon identified on the plasmid pCC5.2, the origin of replication of pMB1 from E. coli, as well as the YFP reporter gene and a spectinomycin/streptomycin resistance cassette. pSCB-YFP is stably maintained in Syn6803M (a motile strain that lacks the endogenous pCC5.2) and expresses YFP. In addition, we engineered a fragment into pSCB-YFP that has multiple cloning sites and other features such that this plasmid can also be used as an expression vector (pSCBe). The shuttle vector pSCB-YFP can be stably maintained for at least 50 generations without antibiotic selection. It is a high copy number plasmid and can stably co-exist with the RSF1010-based pPMQAK1-GFP.

Colonization of new habitats is expected to require genetic adaptations to overcome environmental challenges. Here, we use full genome re-sequencing and extensive common garden experiments to investigate demographic and selective processes associated with colonization of Japan by Lotus japonicus over the past ~20,000 years. Based on patterns of genomic variation, we infer the details of the colonization process where L. japonicus gradually spread from subtropical conditions to much colder climates in northern Japan. We identify genomic regions with extreme genetic differentiation between northern and southern subpopulations and perform population structure-corrected association mapping of phenotypic traits measured in a common garden. Comparing the results of these analyses, we find that signatures of extreme subpopulation differentiation overlap strongly with phenotype association signals for overwintering and flowering time traits. Our results provide evidence that these traits were direct targets of selection during colonization and point to associated candidate genes.

A nitrogen-fixing bacterium, designated strain Be17^T, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of Begonia semperflorens planted in Beijing Botanical Garden, PR China. Phylogenetic analyses based on a segment of the nifH gene sequence and a full-length 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain Be17^T was a member of the genus Paenibacillus. High levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity were found between strain Be17^T and Paenibacillus graminis RSA19^T (97.9 %), Paenibacillus sonchi LMG 24727^T (97.8 %), Paenibacillus riograndensis CECT 7330^T (96.2 %) and Paenibacillus borealis DSM 13188^T (96.1 %), respectively. Levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strain Be17^T and the type strains of other recognized members of the genus Paenibacillus were below 96.0 %. However, the DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain Be17^T and P. graminis RSA19^T, P. sonchi LMG 24727^T and P. riograndensis CECT 7330^T were 47.9 %, 38.7 % and 37.5 %, respectively. The DNA G+C content of strain Be17^T was 52.9 mol%. The major fatty acid component of strain Be17^T was anteiso-branched C_15 : 0 (30.92 %). The major isoprenoid quinone was MK-7. The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid. On the basis of its phenotypic characteristics, 16S rRNA gene sequences, DNA G+C content, DNA–DNA relatedness, chemotaxonomic properties and nifH gene sequence, strain Be17^T represents a nitrogen-fixing strain of a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus jilunlii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Be17^T ( = CGMCC 1.10239^T = DSM 23019^T).