Gut microbiota is a collection of microbial organisms that naturally exist within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It is clear that the gut microbiota is involved in host physiological development, defense against pathogens and diseases. Thus, gut microbiota is regarded as a hidden organ composed of other kinds (Bocci, 1992). A feature of the gut microbiota is that the compositional microbes ar...

Numerous terrestrial and marine organisms, including cephalopods, are capable of light emission. In addition to communication, bioluminescence is used for attraction defense mechanisms. The present review aims to: (i) updated information on the taxonomic diversity luminous cephalopods morphological features, (ii) describe large-scale biogeographic patterns, (iii) show research trends over last ...

T he fascinating biochemistry, genetics, and cell density-dependent regulation of bacterial bioluminescence provoke a challenging question. What good is it to bioluminescent bacteria? There may be no single answer to this seemingly simple question. However, two recent advances shed new light on the problem. First, studies of the symbiosis between the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri and...

Vibrio fischeri, a marine bacterium and symbiont of the Hawaiian bobtail squid Euprymna scolopes, depends on biofilm formation for successful colonization of the squid's symbiotic light organ. Here, we investigated if culture conditions, such as nutrient and salt availability, affect biofilm formation by V. fischeri by testing the formation of wrinkled colonies on solid media. We found that V. ...