Journal of Microbiology

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Multi-omic profiling reveals the impact of keratinase kerZJ on mouse gut homeostasis: Xueqing Gan, Yijiao Wen, Si Chen, Famin Ke, Siyuan Liu, Zening Wang, Chunhua Zhang, Xuanting Wang, Qin Wang, Xiaowei Gao; J. Microbiol. 2025;63(12):e2509011. Published online December 31, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.71150/jm.2509011

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Abstract PDF: Keratinase kerZJ is a multifunctional protease with potential as a feed additive and functional ingredient. Here we performed an integrated multi‑omics evaluation of its biosafety and impact on gut homeostasis in mice. Our findings confirm that kerZJ is well-tolerated, with no evidence of systemic toxicity or intestinal epithelial damage. Integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses revealed that kerZJ reinforces intestinal barrier integrity by upregulating extracellular matrix components, including collagen IV, and modulates mucosal immunity by enhancing B-cell activation and antimicrobial peptide defenses without inducing inflammation. Furthermore, kerZJ administration led to a significant upregulation of digestive enzymes and a dose-dependent increase in short-chain fatty acids production. Microbiome analysis showed that while high-dose kerZJ altered community composition, it enriched for beneficial taxa like Lactobacillaceae and did not induce dysbiosis. These results demonstrate that kerZJ safely enhances gut barrier function, promotes a favorable immune and metabolic environment, and fosters a resilient gut ecosystem, supporting its development as a safe feed additive and nutraceutical component.

Journal Article

Effects of Feather Hydrolysates Generated by Probiotic Bacillus licheniformis WHU on Gut Microbiota of Broiler and Common carp: Kamin Ke, Yingjie Sun, Tingting He, Wenbo Liu, Yijiao Wen, Siyuan Liu, Qin Wang, Xiaowei Gao; J. Microbiol. 2024;62(6):473-487. Published online February 29, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-024-00118-z

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Due to the ever-increasing demand for meat, it has become necessary to identify cheap and sustainable sources of protein for animal feed. Feathers are the major byproduct of poultry industry, which are rich in hard-to-degrade keratin protein. Previously we found that intact feathers can be digested into free amino acids, short peptides, and nano-/micro-keratin particles by the strain Bacillus licheniformis WHU in water, and the resulting feather hydrolysates exhibit prebiotic effects on mice. To explore the potential utilization of feather hydrolysate in the feed industry, we investigated its effects on the gut microbiota of broilers and fish. Our results suggest that feather hydrolysates significantly decrease and increase the diversity of gut microbial communities in broilers and fish, respectively. The composition of the gut microbiota was markedly altered in both of the animals. The abundance of bacteria with potentially pathogenic phenotypes in the gut microbial community of the fish significantly decreased. Staphylococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Neisseria spp., Achromobacter spp. were significantly inhibited by the feather hydrolysates. In addition, feather hydrolysates significantly improved proteolytic activity in the guts of broilers and fish. In fish, the expression levels of ZO-1 and TGF-α significantly improved after administration of feather hydrolysates. The results presented here suggest that feather hydrolysates generated by B. licheniformis WHU could be an alternative protein source in aquaculture and could exert beneficial effects on fish.

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Keratinous bioresources: their generation, microbial degradation, and value enhancement for biotechnological applications
Vijan Lal Vikash, Numbi Ramudu Kamini, Ganesan Ponesakki, Suresh Kumar Anandasadagopan
World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Synergistic Therapeutic Efficacy of Engineered Probiotics Embedded in Self-Assembling Keratin Hydrogels for Ulcerative Colitis Treatment
Yijiao Wen, Chunhua Zhang, Xuanting Wang, Yi Shen, Huiwen Luo, Siyuan Liu, Famin Ke, Qin Wang, Xiaowei Gao
ACS Applied Bio Materials.2025; 8(12): 10918. CrossRef
Multi-omic profiling reveals the impact of keratinase kerZJ on mouse gut homeostasis
Xueqing Gan, Yijiao Wen, Si Chen, Famin Ke, Siyuan Liu, Zening Wang, Chunhua Zhang, Xuanting Wang, Qin Wang, Xiaowei Gao
Journal of Microbiology.2025; 63(12): e2509011. CrossRef

Retracted Publication

Identification and Characterization of a Novel Antibacterial Peptide, Avian β-Defensin 2 from Ducks: Deying Ma , Ruiqin Wang , Wenyan Liao , Zongxi Han , Shengwang Liu; J. Microbiol. 2009;47(5):610-618. Published online October 24, 2009; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-009-0068-z

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Abstract PDF

In this study, a novel avian β-defensin (AvBD) was isolated from duck pancreas. The complete nucleotide sequence of the gene contained an 195 bp open reading frame encoding 64 amino acids. Homology, characterization and comparison of the gene with AvBD from other avian species confirmed that it was duck AvBD2. The mRNA expression of the gene was analyzed in 17 tissues from 21-day-old ducks. AvBD2 was highly expressed in the trachea, crop, heart, bone marrow, and pancreas; moderately expressed in the muscular stomach, small intestine, kidney, spleen, thymus, and bursa of Fabricius; and weakly expressed in skin. We produced and purified recombinant AvBD2 by expressing the gene in Escherichia coli. As expected, the recombinant peptide exhibited strong bactericidal properties against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pasteurella multocida, and weak bactericidal properties against E. coli and Salmonella choleraesuis. In addition, the recombinant protein retained antimicrobial activity against S. aureus under different temperatures (range, -20°C to 100°C) and pH values (range, 3 to 12).

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Retraction of Publication

Retraction] Identification and Characterization of a Novel Antibacterial Peptide, Avian β-Defensin 2 from Ducks: Deying Ma , Ruiqin Wang , Wenyan Liao , Zongxi Han , Shengwang Liu; J. Microbiol. 2013;51(2):273-273.; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-013-0722-3

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Abstract PDF: The article by Ma et al. that appears in the Journal of Microbiology (2009, 47: 610-618) is a redundant publication of the paper published in Scientia Agricultura Sinica (2009, 42: 3685-3692). Therefore, we, the JM committee, decided to retract the article from JM. We regret any inconvenience that the retraction may have caused to readers.

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