Hu Wei, Zhou Xinzhu, Liu Yu, Zhang Yadi, Wang Yingying
College of Tobacco Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai International Advanced Research Institute (Shenzhen Futian), College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.
Microorganisms. 2025 Jul 21;13(7):1710. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13071710.
Salinity, as one of the critical environmental factors in marine ecosystems, has complex and wide-ranging biological effects. However, the effects of salinity fluctuation on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factor genes (VFGs) in the marine environment are not well understood. In this study, metagenomic sequencing analysis was used to reveal the response of ARGs and VFGs, hosted by low and high nucleic acid-content bacteria (HNA and LNA bacteria), to salinity, as it decreased from 26‱ to 16‱. The results showed that a total of 27 ARG types and 13 VFG types in HNA and LNA bacteria were found. Salinity changes had significant effects on the ARGs' and VFGs' composition and their hosts' composition. In the network topology relationship, the complexity of the network between the ARGs and their host as well as the VFGs and their host differed with the decrease in salinity. The abundance of most genera of HNA and LNA bacteria was significantly corrected with the abundance of ARGs and VFGs, respectively. Overall, this study demonstrates the effects of salinity on ARGs and VFGs hosted by HNA and LNA bacteria in the marine environment and suggests the importance of salinity in regulating HNA and LNA bacterial communities and functions.
盐度作为海洋生态系统中的关键环境因素之一，具有复杂且广泛的生物学效应。然而，盐度波动对海洋环境中抗生素抗性基因（ARGs）和毒力因子基因（VFGs）的影响尚不清楚。在本研究中，利用宏基因组测序分析来揭示低核酸含量细菌（LNA细菌）和高核酸含量细菌（HNA细菌）所携带的ARGs和VFGs在盐度从26‰降至16‰时的响应情况。结果表明，在HNA和LNA细菌中总共发现了27种ARG类型和13种VFG类型。盐度变化对ARGs和VFGs的组成及其宿主的组成有显著影响。在网络拓扑关系中，随着盐度降低，ARGs与其宿主以及VFGs与其宿主之间网络的复杂性有所不同。HNA和LNA细菌的大多数属的丰度分别与ARGs和VFGs的丰度显著相关。总体而言，本研究证明了盐度对海洋环境中HNA和LNA细菌所携带的ARGs和VFGs的影响，并表明盐度在调节HNA和LNA细菌群落及功能方面的重要性。
