Guofen Zhao

Prof. Dr. Guofen Zhao


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

7Years (2020-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
29 May 2020 in AMB Express
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
YYYan Yan
Yan Yan
CLChunyan Liu
Chunyan Liu
SZShimin Zhao
Shimin Zhao
XWXinxu Wang
Xinxu Wang
JWJinling Wang
Jinling Wang
GZGuofen Zhao
Guofen Zhao
Both steatosis and inflammation are key pathological events in the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Probiotics are beneficial for the prevention and treatment of NAFLD. Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis V9 (V9) is a newly isolated strain with favorable probiotic properties. The study aims to evaluate the effects and mechanisms of V9 on the hepatic steatosis and inflammatory responses in a rat model of NAFLD induced by high-fat diets (HFD). Our results showed that administration of V9 significantly attenuated the HFD-induced increases in alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, resulting in alleviated hepatic steatosis. V9 supplementation reduced the accumulation of hepatic triglyceride and free fatty acid,while increasing the levels of glycogen. Serum levels of glucose were also decreased in HFD rats administrated with V9. Meanwhile, the transcription of SREBP-1c and FAS was reduced, and the hepatic expression of phosphorylated-AMPK and PPAR-α was restored after V9 administration. V9 suppressed the production of inflammatory cytokines (e.g. IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) in HFD-fed rats. The anti-inflammatory effects of V9 was found to be associated with the inhibition of hepatic expression of TLR4, TLR9, NLRP3, and ASC mRNA. Furthermore, the activation of ERK, JNK, AKT and NF-κB were suppressed by V9 treatment. These results indicate that Bifidobacterium lactis V9 improves NAFLD by regulating de novo lipid synthesis and suppressing inflammation through AMPK and TLR-NF-κB pathways, respectively.

20 July 2023 in Heliyon
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
WXWeisheng Xu
Weisheng Xu
QDQigeqi Dong
Qigeqi Dong
GZGuofen Zhao
Guofen Zhao
BHBing Han
Bing Han
Camel milk produces many beneficial functional compounds and affects body health through metabolism. The differential metabolites of bactrain camel milk in Alxa before and after fermentation were identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based metabolomics (LC-MS/MS). The differential metabolite pathway types were also identified in this paper. We obtained the following results that 148 and 82 differential metabolites were detected in positive and negative ion mode respectively, 85 differential metabolites were shown a significant upward trend and 63 with downward trend after fermentation in positive ion mode. Meanwhile, 32 differential metabolites characterized upward trend and 50 characterized downward trend in negative ion mode. The differential metabolites were mainly organic acids, amino acids, esters, vitamins and other substances contained in camel milk. Among them, most up-regulated substances had the functions of lowering blood pressure, lowering blood sugar, treatment of inflammation, antibiosis and other effects. Many harmful substances were significantly down-regulated after camel milk fermentation. However, there were also some metabolites whose prebiotic functions have been weakened by camel milk fermentation, which may provide reference values for healthcare function, exploitation and application of camel milk.

15 April 2025 in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
XHXiaodong Han
Xiaodong Han
XZXiaomin Zhang
Xiaomin Zhang
MSMinli Su
Minli Su
SYShuqian Yang
Shuqian Yang
SFShilin Feng
Shilin Feng
GWGuihua Wang
Guihua Wang
Introduction: The rhizosphere microbiome plays a critical role in plant growth and productivity. However, the genotype-specific dynamics and functional influence of these microbial communities on soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merri.) yield traits remain underexplored. This study investigated the composition and functional implications of rhizosphere microbial communities in conventional and genetically modified (GM) soybean varieties under field conditions.Methods: A comparative analysis was conducted on rhizosphere microbial communities associated with conventional H0269 and transgenic Z1510 and M579 soybean varieties at seedling and flowering stages. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rDNA and ITS regions was used to profile bacterial and fungal communities. Alpha and beta diversity metrics were assessed, and correlation analyses were performed to identify microbial taxa linked to yield traits.Results: Distinct microbial community structures were observed across soybean genotypes and growth stages. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, and Actinobacteria were dominant bacterial phyla, while Ascomycota predominated among fungi. Genotype-specific differences were evident, with M579 exhibiting the highest bacterial alpha diversity. Beta diversity analysis revealed significant shifts in microbial composition between growth stages, particularly for bacterial communities. Correlation analysis identified 15 bacterial and 13 fungal species significantly associated with yield traits such as plant density, grain weight, and theoretical yield.Discussion: The results highlight genotype-dependent recruitment of rhizosphere microorganisms and their potential impact on soybean productivity. GM soybean varieties selectively enriched beneficial microbes that may enhance nutrient uptake, stress tolerance, and disease resistance. These findings provide valuable insights into plant-microbe interactions, paving the way for developing microbial inoculants and breeding strategies to optimize soybean yield in sustainable agriculture.

5 August 2024 in Heliyon
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
QGQingwen Guo
Qingwen Guo
QDQigeqi Dong
Qigeqi Dong
WXWeisheng Xu
Weisheng Xu
HZHeping Zhang
Heping Zhang
XZXiangyu Zhao
Xiangyu Zhao
GZGuofen Zhao
Guofen Zhao
Camel milk is a nutrient-rich diet and fermentation affects its nutritional value and probiotic function. In this study, sour camel milk and oat jujube sour camel milk were prepared using fermentation bacteria agent TR1, and the metabolites of camel milk, sour camel milk and oat jujube sour camel milk were detected using a non-targeted metabolomics approach using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).The results showed that the partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) with 100 % accuracy and good predictive power detected 343 components in positive ion mode and 220 components in negative ion mode. The differential metabolites were mainly organic acids, amino acids, esters, vitamins and other substances contained in camel milk.It showed that there were significant differences in the metabolites of camel milk, sour camel milk and oat jujube sour camel milk. Based on the pathway enrichment analysis of the three dairy products in the KEGG database, 12 metabolic pathways mainly involved in the positive ion mode and 20 metabolic pathways mainly involved in the negative ion mode were identified. The main biochemical metabolic pathways and signal transduction pathways of the differential metabolites of the three dairy products were obtained. This study provides theoretical support for improving the nutritional quality and probiotic function of camel milk and fermented camel milk products and provides a basis for the development of relevant processing technologies and products for camel milk and fermented camel milk.

2 May 2024 in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
GWGuihua Wang
Guihua Wang
SFShilin Feng
Shilin Feng
XHXiaodong Han
Xiaodong Han
HZHui Zheng
Hui Zheng
CBChunhua Bai
Chunhua Bai
GZGuofen Zhao
Guofen Zhao
Soybean and corn strip cropping takes full advantage of the root characteristics and plant height differences between soybean and corn, which can improve crop photosynthesis and nutrient uptake as well as capitalize on the marginal effect of corn. However, there is not enough in-depth research on the effects of soybean and corn strip cropping modes on inter-root microbial communities and crop yield traits and their correlations, and the functional genes of inter-root microbes. In this study, the structural composition and functional genes of soil inter-root microbial communities under different strip cropping patterns of soybean and maize, Mode 1, Mode 2, and Mode 3, were studied using macro-genome high-throughput sequencing, and the yield traits of soybean and maize were determined and the correlation was understood, taking Zhonglian Soybean 1505 and Tiyu 108 maize as test materials at the experimental base of the Research Institute of Agricultural and Livestock Sciences, Xing'anmeng, Inner Mongolia. correlation between the two. The following results were found. Redundancy analysis found that rhizosphere microorganisms are mainly bacteria, followed by viruses, followed by archaea, and fungi are the least. Relatively speaking, viruses and bacteria are more susceptible to the influence of planting patterns than fungi. Alpha diversity analysis shows that the diversity index changes significantly during the peak flowering period. There is no difference between the other two stages. The diversity of maize rhizosphere microorganisms under Mode 1 or Mode 2 modes is higher than that under Mode 3 modes, while the diversity of soybean rhizosphere microorganisms under Mode 3 modes is higher than the other two modes. Profiling analysis found that different growth periods and planting patterns lead to varying degrees of changes in community structure. The dominant bacterial phyla include Pseudomonas, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Streptococcus. The dominant genera of bacteria are rhizobia, pseudomonas, erythrobacteria, and pseudomonas. The relative abundance of slow root rhizobia in the three growth stages of maize rhizosphere is relatively low. The results of yield traits showed that corn yield under Mode 1 and Mode 2 planting was significantly higher than that under pattern III; soybean yield under pattern III planting was significantly higher than that under the other two patterns, indicating that pattern I or II planting is suitable for corn production, while Mode 3 planting mode is more suitable for soybean production. Correlation analysis showed that S_Massilis_putida was significantly and positively correlated with maize yield, and S_lysobacter_capsici was highly significantly and significantly positively correlated with the number of soybean plants per square meter, and the number of plants in 2 square meters. This study contributes to our further understanding of the classification of inter-root microorganisms and their functional relationships in maize and soybean under different conditions.

7 July 2022 in FEMS Microbiology Letters
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
WZWei Zhao
Wei Zhao
MLMeiqi Liu
Meiqi Liu
YQYali Qin
Yali Qin
BHBing Han
Bing Han
FZFeng Zhang
Feng Zhang
GZGuofen Zhao
Guofen Zhao
In this study, the hydroxy fatty acid dehydrogenase CLA-DH from Lactobacillus plantarump-8 and its four mutant variants were expressed in Escherichia coli Rosetta (DE3). UV spectrophotometry was employed to verify the catalytic power of the purified CLA-DH to convert ricinoleic acid into 12-oxo-cis-9-octadecenoic acid in the presence of oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). The optimum reaction temperature for CLA-DH was 45°C, with a maintained stability between 20°C and 40°C. The optimal pH for CLA-DH catalytic activity was 6.0–7.0, with a maintained stability at a pH range of 6.0–8.0. In addition, Fe3+ promoted enzyme activity, whereas Cu2+, Zn2+, and Fe2+ inhibited enzyme activity (P < 0.05). The Km, Vmax, Kcat, and Kcat/Km of CLA-DH were determined as 2.19 ± 0.34 μM, 2.06 ± 0.28 μM min−1, 2.00 ± 0.27 min−1, and 0.92 ± 0.02 min−1μM−1, respectively. Site-directed mutagenesis and molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that both Tyr156 and Ser143 residues play significant roles in the catalysis of CLA-DH, and its solubility is affected by Lys160 and Asp63. Moreover, Gas chromatography determined that recombinant CLA-DH could be successfully applied to Conjugated linoleic acids production.