Peptide Toxin Diversity and a Novel Antimicrobial Peptide from the Spider .

Spider venoms are emerging as a rich source of bioactive peptide toxins with therapeutic potential. Lynx spiders of the genus are small, cursorial hunters that employ complex venom to subdue arthropod prey. However, extracting crude venom from these diminutive arachnids poses significant challenges.

Comparison of Fecal Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Captive and Wild Asian Elephants.

The Asian elephant () is a flagship species of tropical rainforests, and it has generated much concern. In this case, the gut bacterial communities of captive and wild Asian elephants are particularly noteworthy. We aim to compare the differences in bacterial diversity and antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) subtypes in fecal samples of Asian elephants from different habitats, which may affect host health.

High-yielding nitrate transporter cultivars also mitigate methane and nitrous oxide emissions in paddy.

Development of high yield rice varieties is critical to ensuring global food security. However, the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) such as Methane (CH) and Nitrous oxide (NO) from paddy fields threatens environmental sustainability. In this study, we selected overexpressed high-affinity nitrate transporters (NRT2.

Response of Fungal Sub-Communities in a Maize-Wheat Rotation Field Subjected to Long-Term Conservation Tillage Management.

Conservation tillage is an advanced agricultural technology that seeks to minimize soil disturbance by reducing, or even eliminating tillage. Straw or stubble mulching in conservation tillage systems help to increase crop yield, maintain biodiversity and increase levels of exogenous nutrients, all of which may influence the structure of fungal communities in the soil. Currently, however, the assembly processes and co-occurrence patterns of fungal sub-communities remain unknown.

Long-term nitrogen fertilization shaped the , , and gene community patterns in red paddy soil in south China.

To understand the diversities of diazotrophs and denitrifiers in red paddy soil under long-term fertilization conditions, , , and libraries were constructed by PCR-RFLP. gene diversity proved to be lower than that of and , and and genes were more sensitive to different fertilization treatments than the gene was. The 3 libraries were dominated by diverse microbes, including the , , , and subclasses of the .