Yangtze University

Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer significant health benefits by maintaining gut homeostasis, regulating immune function, and producing beneficial metabolites including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bioactive peptides, and extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs). Most naturally isolated probiotics are severely limited by poor functional specificity, insufficient stress tolerance, and suboptimal performance. Driven by advances in multi-omics, mutagenesis breeding, and synthetic biology, the field has shifted from conventional natural screening to rational design and construction of artificial probiotics. This review systematically summarizes core technologies for developing high-performance artificial probiotics, including artificial intelligence (AI), high-throughput screening (HTS), directed evolution, genetic engineering, as well as scarless gene editing and in situ engineering. Applications of artificial probiotics span gut-organ axis regulation, medicinal-edible homologous (MEH) fermentation, targeted disease treatment, drug delivery, and environmental bioremediation. We also discuss major challenges concerning biosafety assessment, regulatory policies, in vivo adaptability, and dosage regulation. Finally, we highlight future directions toward personalized probiotics, aiming to provide a theoretical roadmap for research, clinical translation, and industrial application of next-generation artificial probiotics.

With the growing demand for multifunctional wearable electronics, there is increasing research focus on flexible sensors that integrate multiple sensing capabilities. This study developed a novel flexible conductive film with a PDMS/CS/AgNW structure for bifunctional strain-humidity sensing. The composite film employs a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/chitosan (CS) bilayer substrate that offers excellent reversible stretchability, while a silver nanowire (AgNW) network coated on the CS surface provides electrical conductivity and sensing functionality. Benefiting from the moisture absorption and swelling properties of CS, the film exhibits pronounced humidity responsiveness in both contact and non-contact modes, manifested as reversible resistance changes. With an optimal AgNW loading, it delivers a precise and measurable response to trace amounts of water droplets. The sensor performs effectively across a broad relative humidity (RH) range of 10%-93% and can accurately capture breathing patterns under different motion states. In addition to humidity sensing, the film demonstrates reliable strain sensing capabilities. Its flexibility and stable conductivity enable accurate detection of bending angles and strain, even after over 1000 fatigue cycles. The sensor also shows a fast response time and high reversibility when tested on various human body parts. Under tensile strain, it maintains a stable linear response up to 60% strain, along with excellent repeatability. Furthermore, an integrated symmetric structure is designed to enable simultaneous and discriminative detection of humidity and bending stimuli. This work provides a simple and effective strategy for fabricating multifunctional flexible sensors, demonstrating great potential for use in wearable electronics and real-time health monitoring systems.

Drought stress severely limits barley productivity, yet the regulatory roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) remain unrevealed. This study aimed to characterize a drought-responsive lncRNA, designated lncDR1, and elucidate its functional mechanism in drought tolerance. Through bioinformatic analysis and biological experiments, we investigated the expression pattern, structural variation, and regulatory mechanism of lncDR1. lncDR1 was specifically induced under drought stress in tolerant barley genotypes and predominantly expressed in leaves. Sequence comparison between tolerant (EC_S1) and sensitive (EC_N1) accessions revealed 23 SNPs and two insertions, with 16 variations clustered in the 33-61 nt region, leading to distinct secondary structures. Overexpression of lncDR1 in both tobacco and barley significantly enhanced drought tolerance, as evidenced by higher fresh weight, root length, F_v/F_m, and survival rate, alongside lower MDA content and reduced water loss. Mechanistically, lncDR1 acted as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by sponging miR4339, thereby derepressing HvGTG2, a positive regulator of ABA-mediated stomatal closure. Consequently, transgenic lines exhibited enhanced stomatal closure and reduced stomatal conductance under drought stress. This study uncovers a novel lncDR1-miR4339-HvGTG2 regulatory axis that improves drought tolerance by promoting stomatal closure, providing a valuable genetic resource for breeding.