Complete genome sequence and functional characterization of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens NJF-55: a sheep-derived probiotic candidate Baraa Akeel Al-Hasan, Ali H. D. Janabi, Carina Helmer Scientific Reports, 2026 Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain NJF-55, which was isolated from the distal colon of a healthy ram, was investigated as a probiotic candidate. We produced a high-quality assembly comprising a single circular chromosome (3,854,703 bp; 46.1% GC) and a small plasmid (6033 bp), and reconciled multi pipeline annotations to derive a consensus feature set. Functional profiling mapped 2334 genes to 2027 KEGG orthologs (1835 unique), indicating complete central metabolism, broad transport capacity, and stress-adaptation pathways; 94 CAZymes supported glycan turnover and cell-envelope remodeling. Secondary-metabolite mining revealed hallmark Bacillus BGCs—surfactin, fengycin, bacillaene, and macrolactin—and flagged putative novel compounds (a PKS-like region with ~ 7% similarity to the butirosin A/B reference); Five bacteriocin/RiPP regions were identified (class IV lanthipeptide, amylocyclicin, ComX2 pheromone, UviB-like and colicin-like). Genome-safety screening detected no classical virulence determinants or acquired clinically relevant AMR genes; four intact prophages lacked toxin/AMR cargo, and the plasmid encoded no risk loci. Comparative genomics with four reference bacilli yielded a 5,398-cluster pangenome; NJF-55 retained 325 probiotic-associated clusters (largely core) and showed 30 copy-number expansions, notably in the NRPS/PKS and DNA replication/repair families, consistent with a “core-driven, dosage-tuned” architecture. These features suggest that NJF-55 may represent a safe and robust candidate for ruminant gut applications, while underscoring the need for targeted metabolomics and controlled in vivo validation.
Metabolomics-detected alterations generated by phytosomal propolis and phytosomal Lycopene in male rats with induced benign prostatic hyperplasia Ali M. Ghazi, Mohanad A. Ali Al-Bayati, Ali H. Janabi Iraqi Journal of Veterinary Sciences, 2024 Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common chronic benign increase in the size of the prostate gland, in which the incidence rate elevates gradually with age. Despite the abundance of research regarding BPH, the treatment is still a significant challenge. The present study was conducted to estimate the blood metabolomics changes generated by the effects of phytosomal propolis (PP) and phytosomal Lycopene (PL) in male rats with induced BPH. For this purpose, BPH was induced in 25 adult male rats by the administration of testosterone propionate (T) and estradiol valerate (E2) at 200µg/100g and 40µg/100g, respectively, three subcutaneously (S/C) injections each per week for four weeks. Besides, 14 rats were only exposed to the solvent S/C, sterile corn oil (SCO), per the above criteria. The rats with no BPH were assigned into the following control groups; B: The negative control that received BPS (B) at 2ml/200g B.W. and Ls-1: The rat group that received liposome (Ls) at 2mg/Kg B.W. The males with BPH were divided into the following groups: 0: The positive control that received nothing (0), Ls-2: The treatment group that received Ls at 2mg/kg B.W., PP: The treatment group that received PP at 2mg/kg B.W., PL: The treatment group that received PL at 2mg/kg B.W., and PPPL: The treatment group that received a combination of PP and PL at 2mg/kg B.W. All treatments were applied orally by gavage once daily for four weeks. After the experiment, blood samples were collected from the hearts subjected to blood plasma separation. Then, plasma metabolites were extracted, which was followed by GC-Mass analysis. A wide range of changes were seen in treated groups at the level of different metabolites. For plasma components, such as L-alanine, Lauric acid, linoleic acid, L-lysine, L-proline, myristic acid, pyruvic acid, and succinic acid, significant (P<0.05) increases were recorded in the phytosomal treated groups. Alterations in the blood metabolites are recorded, and there are substantial increases in some fatty acids' levels, probably due to shifts in specific pathways belonging to eukaryotic or microbiota systems. These alterations may help to reduce the impact of BPH.
ANTI-OXIDANT AND ANTI-MICROBIAL EVALUATION OF LYCOPENE ISOLATED FROM WATERMELON Biochemical and Cellular Archives, 2021
Effective anti-sars-cov-2 rna dependent rna polymerase drugs based on docking methods: The case of milbemycin, ivermectin, and baloxavir marboxil Avicenna Journal of Medical Biotechnology, 2020
First phylogenetic characterization of pseudocowpox virus from cattle in Al-Qadisiyah province-Iraq Salah Karim, Khalefa Mansour, Ali Janabi, Nawras Al-Nakeeb Iraqi Journal of Veterinary Sciences, 2018 This study was initiated for the first time for identification, using sequencing and phylogenetic analyses, of pseudocowpox PCPV that inhabit dairy cows in Al-Qadisiyah province, Iraq. Scab sampling was performed to obtain specimens from udder and teats of 18 affected cows. Initially, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was followed to target a 408-bp piece of the GM_CSF/IL-2 inhibition factor gene (GIF) that belongs to PCPV. Then, the PCR products were sent out to partial sequencing of the GIF gene. The results of the PCR have indicated the presence of the virus in only 3 out of 18 samples. When the sequences were studied using phylogeny, the results have revealed that one of our PCPV strains has a close matching with some of the world strains such as from New Zealand. While two of the current study strains have clustered together with a strain from Finland. The results of our study confirm the presence of the PCPV in dairy cows that induces milker’s nodules.
The effects of acute strenuous exercise on the faecal microbiota in Standardbred racehorses A.H.D. Janabi, A.S. Biddle, D.J. Klein, K.H. McKeever Comparative Exercise Physiology, 2017 While exercise has been found to change the faecal microbiome (FM) in laboratory animals exposed over weeks, no studies have identified immediate changes in the FM associated with short spans of intense exercise, ~5 min. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that acute intense exercise would alter the FM in horses. Each horse performed two rounds of testing undergoing both a graded exercise test (GXT) and a parallel standing control (SC) trial before (GXT1 and SC1) and after (GXT2 and SC2) 12 weeks of exercise training. Rectal faecal samples were taken 24 h before and after testing. Bacterial community analysis was done by sequencing the 16s rRNA (V3-V4) region via Illumina Miseq. The relative abundance of the genus Clostridium significantly decreased in SC1 (P<0.05), with a concurrent decrease in the Shannon diversity index at the species level (P<0.05). At both the genus and species levels the principle coordinate analysis (PCoA) showed significant separation when the samples collected before SC1 were compared to those collected after SC1 (P<0.05). Interestingly, we found that Fusicatenibacter saccharivorans, a bacteria found to be decreased in ulcerative colitis patients, and Treponema zioleckii, a bacteria found to degrade fructan in sheep rumen, were significantly decreased when the samples collected before SC1 were compared to those collected after SC1 (P<0.05). None of the changes observed in SC1 happened in SC2 (P>0.05). Our results indicate that very intense acute exercise does not alter the faecal microbiome of the Standardbred race horse and that 12 weeks of exercise training does not alter that response.
Exercise training-induced changes in the gut microbiota of Standardbred racehorses A.H.D. Janabi, A.S. Biddle, D. Klein, K.H. McKeever Comparative Exercise Physiology, 2016 Exercise has a significant effect on different physiological systems in the body of human and animals. Only limited numbers of published studies in laboratory animals or humans have shown the effect of exercise on the gut microbiota, and no studies have shown this effect in horses. In this study, 8 horses (4 mares, 4 geldings) were exercise trained for 12 weeks, and 4 additional mares were used as a parallel seasonal control. To identify bacterial community changes over time for both groups, rectal faecal samples were collected, DNA was extracted, and the 16S rRNA gene (V3-V4) was sequenced using the Illumina Miseq platform. One-way ANOVA, Shannon diversity index, and Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) were used to identify differences between and among samples. The exercise training group showed significant changes in the levels of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Spirochaetes phyla (P<0.05), while there were no changes in the gut microbiota of the seasonal control group through the three months of the study (P>0.05). Moreover, with training two genera significantly changed in their relative abundance over time, namely Clostridium and Dysgonomonas (P<0.05). Dysgonomonas spp. was significantly changed in abundance during the exercise training period (P<0.05). Also Treponema spp. showed significant changes during the exercise training period (P<0.05). Shannon diversity index was decreased (P<0.05) in the exercise group at the beginning of the study, but then returned to pre-training levels. PCoA showed significant separation between time points of the exercise training group as far as the levels of genera and species (P<0.05) represented. Our results show that exercise training influences the gut microbiota, especially at the beginning of training.
RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Chromosome-scale scaffold genome sequence of Arthrobacter citreus strain NJF-O2 isolated from the distal colon of a healthy sheep AS Wadday, BA Al-Hasan, AHD Janabi Microbiology Resource Announcements, e00200-26 , 2026 2026
Complete genome sequence and functional characterization of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens NJF-55: a sheep-derived probiotic candidate BA Al-Hasan, AHD Janabi, C Helmer Scientific Reports , 2026 2026
Molecular docking analysis of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 ligands against spike glycoprotein and the 3-chymotrypsin-like protease AHD Janabi Journal of Medical Signals & Sensors 11 (1), 31-36 , 2021 2021 Citations: 11
Effective anti-SARS-CoV-2 RNA dependent RNA polymerase drugs based on docking methods: the case of milbemycin, ivermectin, and baloxavir marboxil AHD Janabi Avicenna Journal of Medical Biotechnology 12 (4), 246 , 2020 2020 Citations: 16
First phylogenetic characterization of Pseudocowpox virus from cattle in Al-Qadisiyah province-Iraq. SM Karim, KA Mansour, AHD Janabi, NKM Al-Nakeeb Iraqi Journal of Veterinary Sciences 33 (1) , 2019 2019 Citations: 13
Metronidazole as a feed additive targeting archaea to potentially reduce frothy bloat in Iraqi local cows. SA Sabeeh, TM Esraa, FA Alelaah Ali, RJT Al-Baghdadi, AHD Janabi Biochemical & Cellular Archives 18 (2) , 2018 2018 Citations: 6
The effects of acute strenuous exercise on the faecal microbiota in Standardbred racehorses AHD Janabi, AS Biddle, DJ Klein, KH McKeever Comparative Exercise Physiology 13 (1), 13-24 , 2017 2017 Citations: 20
Comparison of a modified phenol/chloroform and commercial-kit methods for extracting DNA from horse fecal material AHD Janabi, LJ Kerkhof, LR McGuinness, AS Biddle, KH McKeever Journal of microbiological methods 129, 14-19 , 2016 2016 Citations: 42
Exercise training-induced changes in the gut microbiota of Standardbred racehorses AHD Janabi, AS Biddle, D Klein, KH McKeever Comparative Exercise Physiology 12 (3), 119-130 , 2016 2016 Citations: 32
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Comparison of a modified phenol/chloroform and commercial-kit methods for extracting DNA from horse fecal material AHD Janabi, LJ Kerkhof, LR McGuinness, AS Biddle, KH McKeever Journal of microbiological methods 129, 14-19 , 2016 2016 Citations: 42
Exercise training-induced changes in the gut microbiota of Standardbred racehorses AHD Janabi, AS Biddle, D Klein, KH McKeever Comparative Exercise Physiology 12 (3), 119-130 , 2016 2016 Citations: 32
The effects of acute strenuous exercise on the faecal microbiota in Standardbred racehorses AHD Janabi, AS Biddle, DJ Klein, KH McKeever Comparative Exercise Physiology 13 (1), 13-24 , 2017 2017 Citations: 20
Effective anti-SARS-CoV-2 RNA dependent RNA polymerase drugs based on docking methods: the case of milbemycin, ivermectin, and baloxavir marboxil AHD Janabi Avicenna Journal of Medical Biotechnology 12 (4), 246 , 2020 2020 Citations: 16
First phylogenetic characterization of Pseudocowpox virus from cattle in Al-Qadisiyah province-Iraq. SM Karim, KA Mansour, AHD Janabi, NKM Al-Nakeeb Iraqi Journal of Veterinary Sciences 33 (1) , 2019 2019 Citations: 13
Molecular docking analysis of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 ligands against spike glycoprotein and the 3-chymotrypsin-like protease AHD Janabi Journal of Medical Signals & Sensors 11 (1), 31-36 , 2021 2021 Citations: 11
Metronidazole as a feed additive targeting archaea to potentially reduce frothy bloat in Iraqi local cows. SA Sabeeh, TM Esraa, FA Alelaah Ali, RJT Al-Baghdadi, AHD Janabi Biochemical & Cellular Archives 18 (2) , 2018 2018 Citations: 6
Chromosome-scale scaffold genome sequence of Arthrobacter citreus strain NJF-O2 isolated from the distal colon of a healthy sheep AS Wadday, BA Al-Hasan, AHD Janabi Microbiology Resource Announcements, e00200-26 , 2026 2026
Complete genome sequence and functional characterization of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens NJF-55: a sheep-derived probiotic candidate BA Al-Hasan, AHD Janabi, C Helmer Scientific Reports , 2026 2026