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Aspergillus spp. are widely occurring fungi in nature; they produce toxic compounds such as aflatoxins (AFs) and mainly target plant products such as corn and nuts. The development of prevention strategies is challenging because AFs are highly toxic and have been regulated to small concentrations. This study proposes a new strategy of AF prevention through the application of rapid methods using acoustic techniques in combination with fermentation for the elimination of contaminated corn from bioethanol production processes. An acoustic device was used for the analysis of model systems consisting of corn and nuts (hazelnuts and peanuts) contaminated with different amounts of AFs. High correlations were obtained between penetrated acoustic signal amplitude (Ap) and corn sample density, and between Ap and AF content. Also, relationships were found between changes in Ap values and AF contamination in the nuts model systems. The results of biotreatment of contaminated corn during bioethanol production confirmed that AFs cannot be completely eliminated in dried distiller’s grains with solubles, a valuable by-product for animal feed. Microbially, contamination of the raw material has a negative impact on bioethanol quality by increasing the content of volatile compounds. Therefore, the application of methods such as acoustic screening is a promising alternative for rapid AF detection in corn and nuts (it can handle multi-layers of grain). With the application of acoustic techniques, the prevention of AFs in contaminated raw plant materials could be achieved. Copyright © 2020 Juodeikiene, Cernauskas, Trakselyte-Rupsiene, Bartkiene, Zadeike, Banyte and Santini.Each cell division requires the complete and accurate duplication of the entire genome. selleck chemical In bacteria, the duplication process of the often-circular chromosomes is initiated at a single origin per chromosome, resulting in two replication forks that traverse the chromosome in opposite directions. DNA synthesis is completed once the two forks fuse in a region diametrically opposite the origin. In some bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, the region where forks fuse forms a specialized termination area. Polar replication fork pause sites flanking this area can pause the progression of replication forks, thereby allowing forks to enter but not to leave. Transcription of all required genes has to take place simultaneously with genome duplication. As both of these genome trafficking processes share the same template, conflicts are unavoidable. In this review, we focus on recent attempts to add additional origins into various ectopic chromosomal locations of the E. coli chromosome. As ectopic origins disturb the nativeof how these genome trafficking issues have contributed to shape the distinct architecture of bacterial chromosomes. Copyright © 2020 Syeda, Dimude, Skovgaard and Rudolph.A growing body of clinical and experimental data supports the view that the efficacy of probiotics is strain-specific and restricted to particular pathological conditions, which means that newly isolated probiotic strains need to be targeted to a specific disease. Following national and international guidelines, we used a conventional in vitro experimental approach to characterize a novel strain of Lactobacillus reuteri, LMG P-27481, for safety (sensitivity to antibiotics and genome analysis) and putative efficacy (resistance to gastro-intestinal transit, adhesiveness, induction of cytokines, and release of antimicrobial metabolites). In vitro assays, which were carried out to examine the probiotic’s effect on diarrhea (lactose utilization, inhibition of pathogens such as bacteria and Rotavirus), showed that it was more efficacious with respect to well-known reference strains in antagonizing Clostridioides difficile (CD). Data confirming that the probiotic can effectively treat CD colitis was gained from in vivo trials involving mice conditioned with large spectrum antibiotics before they were subjected to CD challenge. Two out of the three antibiotic-treated groups received daily LMG P-27481 for different time durations in order to simulate a preventive approach (LMG P-27481 administered prior to CD challenge) or an antagonistic one (LMG P-27481 administered after CD challenge). Both approaches significantly reduced, with respect to the untreated controls, CD DNA concentrations in caecum and C. difficile toxin titers in the gut lumen. In addition, LMG P-27481 supplementation significantly mitigated body weight loss and the extent of inflammatory infiltrate and tissue damage. The study results, which need to be confirmed by in vivo clinical trials, have demonstrated that the L. reuteri LMG P-27481 strain is a promising probiotic candidate for the treatment of CD infection. Copyright © 2020 Sagheddu, Uggeri, Belogi, Remollino, Brun, Bernabè, Moretti, Porzionato, Morelli, Castagliuolo and Elli.Melatonin is a new kind of plant growth regulator. The aim of this study was to figure out the effect of melatonin on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis and heavy metal tolerance. A three-factor experiment was conducted to determine the effect of melatonin application on the growth, AM symbiosis, and stress tolerance of Medicago truncatula. A two-factor (AM inoculation and Pb stress) experiment was conducted to determine the effect of AM fungus on melatonin accumulation under Pb stress. AM plants under Pb stress had a higher melatonin accumulation than non-mycorrhizal (NM) plants under Pb stress. Acetylserotonin methyltransferase (ASMT) is the enzymatic reaction of the last step in melatonin synthesis. The accumulation of melatonin may be related to the expression of MtASMT. Melatonin application increased the relative expression of MtPT4 and AM colonization in AM plants. Melatonin application decreased Pb uptake with and without AM inoculation. Both melatonin application and AM inoculation improved M. truncatula growth and increased antioxidant response with Pb stress. These results indicated that melatonin application has positive effects on AM symbiosis and Pb stress tolerance under Pb stress. AM inoculation improve melatonin synthesis capacity under Pb stress. Melatonin application may improve AM plant growth by enhancing AM symbiosis, stimulating antioxidant response, and inhibiting Pb uptake. Copyright © 2020 Zhang, Zhang, Zhang and Tang.