Cyanobacterial blooms are important environmental problems in aquatic ecosystems. Researchers have found that cyanobacterial blooms cannot be completely prevented by controlling and/or eliminating pollutants (nutrients). Thus, more in-depth basic research on the mechanism of cyanobacterial blooms is urgently needed. Cyanobacteria, being primordial microorganisms, provide habitats and have various forms of interactions (reciprocity and competition) with microorganisms, thus having a significant impact on themselves. However, little is known about how environmental conditions and microbial communities in both water and sediment jointly affect cyanobacterial blooms or about the co-occurrence patterns and interactions of microbial communities. We investigated changes in environmental factors and microbial communities in water and sediment during different cyanobacterial blooms and revealed their interacting effects on cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria had greater competitive and growth advantages than other microorganisms and had antagonistic and aggressive effects on them when resources (such as nutrients) were abundant. Furthermore, microbial networks from cyanobacterial degradation periods may be more complex and stable than those from bloom periods, with more positive links among the microbial networks, suggesting that microbial community structures strengthen interconnections with each other to degrade cyanobacteria. In addition, we found that sediment-enriched cyanobacteria play a key role in cyanobacterial blooms, and sediment microorganisms promote the nutrient release, further promoting cyanobacterial blooms in the water bodies. The study contributes to further our understanding of the mechanisms for cyanobacterial blooms and microbial community structural composition, co-occurrence patterns, and responses to cyanobacteria. These results can contribute to future management strategies for controlling cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater ecosystems.

This study aims to investigate the effects of long-term nicosulfuron residue on an herbicide factory ecosystem. High-throughput sequencing was used to investigate the environmental microbial community structure and interactions. The results showed that the main contributor to the differences in the microbial community structure was the sample type, followed by oxygen content, pH and nicosulfuron residue concentration. Regardless of the presence or absence of nicosulfuron, soil, sludge, and sewage were dominated by groups of Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria. Long-term exposure to nicosulfuron increased alpha diversity of bacteria and archaea but significantly decreased the abundance of Bacteroidetes and Acidobateria compared to soils without nicosulfuron residue. A total of 81 possible nicosulfuron-degrading bacterial genera, e.g., Rhodococcus, Chryseobacterium, Thermomonas, Stenotrophomonas, and Bacillus, were isolated from the nicosulfuron factory environmental samples through culturomics. The co-occurrence network analysis indicated that the keystone taxa were Rhodococcus, Stenotrophomonas, Nitrospira, Terrimonas, and Nitrosomonadaceae_MND1. The strong ecological relationship between microorganisms with the same network module was related to anaerobic respiration, the carbon and nitrogen cycle, and the degradation of environmental contaminants. Synthetic community (SynCom), which provides an effective top-down approach for the critical degradation strains obtained, enhanced the degradation efficiency of nicosulfuron. The results indicated that Rhodococcus sp. was the key genus in the environment of long-term nicosulfuron exposure.

Occupational lung cancer caused by coke oven emissions (COE) has attracted increasing attention, but the mechanism is not clear. Many evidences show ceRNA (competing endogenous RNA) networks play important regulatory roles in cancers. In this study, we aimed to construct and verify the ceRNA regulatory network in the occurrence of COE-induced lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). We performed RNA sequencing with lung bronchial epithelial cell (16HBE) and COE induced malignant transformed cell (Rf). Furthermore, we analyzed RNA sequencing data of LUSC and adjacent tissues in the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database. Combined our data and TCGA data to determine the differentially expressed lncRNAs, miRNAs, mRNAs. lncBASE, miRDB and miRTarBase were used to predict the binding relationship between lncRNA and miRNA, miRNA and mRNA. Based on these, we construct the ceRNA network. FREMSA, dual-luciferase reporter assay, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), western-blot were used to verify the regulatory axis. CCK8 assay, phalloidin staining, p53 detection were used to explore the roles of this axis in the COE induced malignant transformation. Results showed 7 lncRNAs, 7 miRNAs and 146 mRNAs were identified. Among these, we constructed a ceRNA network including 1 lncRNA, 2 miRNAs and 9 mRNAs. Further verification confirmed the trend of lncRNA H19, miR-29a-3p and COL1A1 were consistent with sequencing results. H19 and COL1A1 were significantly higher in Rf than in 16HBE and miR-29a-3p was reverse. Regulatory investigation revealed H19 increased COL1A1 expression by sponging miR-29a-3p. Knockdown of H19, COL1A1 or overexpression of miR-29a-3p in Rf cells could inhibit cell proliferation, increased cell adhesion and p53 level. However, knockdown of H19 while suppressing the miR-29a-3p partially rescue the malignant phenotype of Rf caused by H19. In conclusion, all these indicated H19 functioned as a ceRNA to increase COL1A1 by sponging miR-29a-3p and promoted COE-induced cell malignant transformation.

Estuaries are critical habitats subject to a range of stressors requiring effective management. Microbes are gaining recognition as effective environmental indicators, however, the response of host associated communities to stressors remains poorly understood. We examined microbial communities from seawater, sediments and the estuarine fish Pelates sexlineatus, in Australia's largest urbanised estuary, and hypothesised that anthropogenic contamination would be reflected in the microbiology of these sample types. The human faecal markers Lachno3 and HF183 were not detected, indicating negligible influence of sewage, but a gradient in copy numbers of the class 1 integron (intI-1), which is often used as a marker for anthropogenic contamination, was observed in sediments and positively correlated with metal concentrations. While seawater communities were not strongly driven by metal contamination, shifts in the diversity and composition of the fish gut microbiome were observed, with statistical links to levels of metal contamination (F₂, ₂₁ = 1.536, p < 0.01). Within the fish gut microbiome, we further report increased relative abundance of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs; single inferred DNA sequences obtained in sequencing) identified as metal resistant and potentially pathogenic genera, as well as those that may have roles in inflammation. These results demonstrate that microbial communities from distinct habitats within estuarine systems have unique response to stressors, and alterations of the fish gut microbiome may have implications for the adaptation of estuarine fish to legacy metal contamination.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) easily combine with other pollutants such as heavy metals because of their excellent physiochemical properties. However, how such an interaction may affect the binding behavior of metals onto biofilms remains largely unclear. This study, examined the effects of TiO₂ NPs on Cd²⁺ accumulation and toxicity for natural periphytic biofilms were examined. The adsorption kinetics showed that adding 0.1 and 1 mg/L TiO₂–NPs increased the Cd²⁺ adsorption of biofilms at equilibrium by 23.5% and 35.8%, respectively. However, adding 10 mg/L TiO₂ NPs increased the Cd²⁺ adsorption of biofilms at equilibrium by only 1.9%. The adsorption isotherms indicate that the presence of TiO₂ NPs considerably increased the Cd²⁺ adsorption capacity of the biofilms; however, this effect became less prominent at high TiO₂ NP concentrations. The optimum pH for Cd²⁺ adsorption increased with increasing Cd²⁺ and TiO₂ NP contents. At low concentrations, the coexistence of Cd²⁺ and TiO₂ NPs may facilitate their respective accumulation by stimulating the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances and enhancing the microbial activity of the biofilm. The presence of TiO₂ NPs increases the surface binding energy between Cd²⁺ and functional groups such as carboxyl groups, enhancing the Cd²⁺ accumulation on the biofilm.

In spring, ozone (O₃) pollution frequently occurrs in eastern China, but key drivers remain uncertain. In this study, interannual variations in springtime ozone in Shanghai, China, from 2013 to 2021, were investigated to assess the health impacts and the effectiveness of recent air pollution control measures. A combination of ground-level measurements of regulated air pollutants, lidar observations, and backward trajectories of air masses was used to identify the key drivers for enhancing springtime O₃. The results show that external imports of O₃ driven by atmospheric circulation are notable sources of springtime surface O₃. For example, the downward transport from the free troposphere could contribute to over 50% of surface O₃ in the morning. The surface O₃ mixing ratios in spring exhibited an upward trend of 0.93 ppb yr⁻¹ (p < 0.05) from 2013 to 2021. The change in meteorological variables, particularly the increase in air temperature, could explain nearly 87% of the springtime O₃ upward trend. The change in anthropogenic emissions of precursors only contributed to a small fraction (<13%) of the increase in springtime O₃. The cumulative exposure of urban residents to O₃ in spring also exhibited a significant upward trend (111 ppb yr⁻¹, p < 0.05). With the rapid increase in surface O₃, premature respiratory mortality attributable to O₃ exposure has fluctuated at approximately 2933 deaths per year since 2016, even though the total deaths from respiratory diseases have significantly declined. Long-term exposure to high O₃ concentrations is a significant contributor to premature respiratory mortality.

Exposure of Bisphenol A (BPA) is closely associated with an increased prevalence of obesity-related metabolic syndrome. However, the potential mechanism of BPA-induced adipogenesis remains to be fully elucidated. Herein, potential mechanisms of BPA-induced adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were evaluated using RNA-Seq. Then, using an early-life BPA exposure model, we further evaluated the effects of BPA exposure on lipid and glucose homeostasis. The results showed that lipid content in 3T3-L1 adipocytes was significantly increased after BPA exposure (p < 0.01) and male C57BL/6 mice with the dose of 500 μg/kg/day BPA by once-a-day oral administration for 8 weeks displayed a NAFLD-like phenotype. RNA-Seq analysis of preadipocytes showed that BPA exposure affected multiple biological processes including glycosphingolipid biosynthesis, regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes, PPAR signaling pathway and fatty acid metabolism. The dysregulation in a series of genes of mice was associated to de novo lipogenesis and lipid transport, which was linked to obesity. Importantly, we also found a significant expression increase of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) and a significant decrease of apolipoprotein D (APOD) in both fat (p < 0.01) and livers (p < 0.01) of male mice. Besides, the dysregulation of pro-inflammatory genes (TNF-α,IL-6 and SAA3) showed that BPA exposure promoted progression of hepatic inflammation. In conclusion, this study elucidated a novel mechanism in which obesity associated with BPA exposure by targeting SCD1. Exposure to BPA should be carefully examined in the chronic liver metabolic diseases.

Aquifer vulnerability mapping to pollution is topical research activity, and common frameworks such as the basic DRASTIC framework (BDF) suffer from the inherent subjectivity. This paper formulates an artificial intelligence modeling strategy based on Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to decrease subjectivity. This formulation considers three definitions of intrinsic, specific, and total vulnerabilities. Accordingly, three CNN models are trained and tested to calculate IVI, SVI, and TVI, respectively referring to the intrinsic, specific, and total vulnerability indices. The formulation is applied in an unconfined aquifer northwest of Iran and delineates hotspots within the aquifer. The area under curve (AUC) values derived by the receiver operating curves evaluate the vulnerability indices versus nitrate concentrations. The AUC values for BDF, IVI, SVI, and TVI are 0.81, 0.91, 0.95, and 0.95, respectively. Therefore, CNNs significantly improve the results compared to BDF, but IVI, SVI, and TVI have approximately identical performances. However, the visual comparison between their results provides evidence that significant differences exist between the spatial patterns despite identical AUC values.

Microplastics (<5 mm) are emerging pollutants in oceans worldwide. As such small particles are easily ingested, microplastics are found in numerous pelagic and benthic organisms. However, information on microplastics in rocky intertidal organisms and habitats is relatively scant. Therefore, we examined snails and water samples from wave-sheltered and wave-exposed rocky intertidal habitats in Helgoland (North Sea), Cap Ferrat and Giglio (Mediterranean) and Madeira (Atlantic Ocean) in 2019–2020 for microplastics. Furthermore, we examined snails from the same habitats in Helgoland, Cap Ferrat and Giglio in 2007–2009. In total, we performed 362 individual micro-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (μFTIR) measurements on the snails and water samples. While the snails contained 50 microplastics (composed of nine polymer types), the water samples contained 24 microplastics (comprising six polymer types). Microplastic load and polymer type composition in the snails were rather similar across locations, wave exposure and years. Also, microplastic load and polymer composition in the water samples were similar across locations and wave exposure. Moreover, snail and water microplastic loads were significantly correlated which indicates that snails are useful bioindicators for microplastic loads in rocky intertidal habitats. Interestingly, the majority of the microplastics consisted of paint chips that likely derived from ships. Overall, our study provides the first comprehensive microplastic record in rocky intertidal organisms across locations, wave exposure and years that can serve as a baseline to examine historic and future microplastic dynamics in rocky intertidal systems.

Riverine carbon (C) composition and export are closely related to changes in the coastal environment and climate. Excessive C inputs from rivers to seas and their subsequent decomposition could result in harmful algal blooms and ecosystem degradation in the coastal sea. In this study, we explored the C transportation and composition in the 24 major rivers of the Bohai Sea (BS) Rim based on the investigation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), carbon stable isotopes (δ¹³CDOC) and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM). The results showed that the riverine DOC concentrations were high (10.6 ± 6.04 mg/L) in the BS Rim compared with the DOC levels in the main rivers in Eastern China (4.98 ± 2.45 mg/L). The δ¹³CDOC ranged from −28.29‰ to −25.32‰ in the rivers of the BS Rim, suggesting that the DOC mainly originated from riverine plankton, soil organic matter mainly induced by C3 plants, and sewage. The excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy of the CDOM indicated that a soluble, microbial by product-like material accounted for the largest proportion (approximately 40%) of CDOM in these rivers and that CDOM mainly originated from autochthonous riverine sources with high protein-like components. The rivers in the BS Rim transported approximately 0.55 Tg C of DOC to the BS each year, with more than 70% of reactive C based on the CDOM composition. The DOC yields in terms of unit drainage area transported from the small rivers to the BS were higher compared to those of the larger rivers in the world, which indicated that the small rivers in the Bohai Rim could be an important source of the C in the BS. This study would enrich our understanding of environmental evolution in coastal areas with numerous small rivers.